Identification of SNPs and expression patterns of FZD3 gene and its effect on wool traits in Chinese Merino sheep(Xinjiang Type)

As a member of the Frizzled family, Frizzled3 (FZD3) is a receptor of the canonical Wnt signaling pathway and plays a vital role in mammalian hair follicle developmental processes. However, its effects on wool traits are not clear. The objectives of this study were to identify the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and the expression patterns of FZD3 gene, and then to determine whether it affected wool traits of Chinese Merino sheep (Xinjiang Type) or not. PCR-single stranded conformational polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) and sequencing were used to identify mutation loci, and general linear model (GLM) with SAS 9.1 was used for the association analysis between wool traits and SNPs. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to investigate FZD3 gene expression levels. The results showed that six exons of FZD3 gene were amplified and two mutation loci were identified in exon 1 (NC_019459.2: g.101771685 T>C (SNP1)) and exon 3 (NC_019459.2: g.101810848, A>C (SNP2)), respectively. Association analysis showed that SNP1 was significantly associated with mean fiber diameter (MFD)(P=0.04) and live weight (LW)(P=0.0004), SNP2 was significantly associated with greasy fleece weight (GFW)(P=0.04). The expression level of FZD3 gene in skin tissues of the superfine wool (SF) group was significantly lower (P<0.05) than that of the fine wool (F) group. Moreover, it had a higher expression level (P<0.01) in skin tissues than in other tissues of Chinese Merino ewes. While, its expression level had a fluctuant expression in skin tissues at different developmental stages of embryos and born lambs, with the highest expression levels (P<0.01) at the 65th day of embryos. Our study revealed the genetic relationship between FZD3 variants and wool traits and two identified SNPs might serve as potential and valuable genetic markers for sheep breeding and lay a molecular genetic foundation for sheep marker-assisted selection (MAS).

The Coupling Coordination Evolution Research of Economy - Ecology - Society System in Xinjiang：Based on the Interaction Perspective of Water Resources

Under the water resources perspective,coupling coordination of economy-ecology-society system in Xinjiang was taken as the research object. By building the coupling evaluation index system of the water resources-economy-ecology-society system,quantitative evaluation and analysis of the coupling coordination of the water resources-economy-ecology-society system from 2001 to 2014 were conducted. The results showed that benefit indexes of economic system and social system grew rapidly,while benefit indexes of water resources system and ecosystem fluctuated smoothly from 2001 to 2014; coupling state of the whole system was at rival stage,and coupling coordination was reluctant coordination type,and the coupling index was slightly higher than the coupling coordination index. Moreover,it showed that the more the coupling systems,the lower indices of coupling and the coupling coordination.

Species and Biotype Analysis of Brucella Strains Isolated from Cattle and Sheep in Xinjiang

[ Objective] The paper aimed to understand the epidemiological characteristics of Brucella strains in Xinjiang and then provide an available integrated measure to prevent and control brucellosis. [ Method ] Eleven suspected Brucella strains were isolated by traditional methods, which were further identified by AMOS-PCR assay. Conventional biochemical tests were carried out to identify the biological subtype of sheep Brucella. [ Result] Nine strains were all B. meliten- s/s, and biological test indicated that all of them were B. melitensis biotype 3. [ Conclusion] B. melitensis biotype 3 was the predominant strain of Brucella in Xin- jiang, and AMOS-PCR assay could be applied safely and quickly as an assistant tool to detect Brucella. The results of molecular epidemiology laid a foundation for updating prevention and control strategy against brucellosis in Xinjiang.

Estimation of Genetic Parameters for 305 Days Milk Yields and Calving Interval in Xinjiang Brown Cattle

This study was conducted to estimate variance components and genetic parameters for 305 days mature equivalent milk yields (MEM) and calving interval (CAI) of registered Xinjiang Brown cattle. The total records were 3940 including 2579 for 305-day MEM and 1970 for CAI, which were collected from Xinjiang Urumqi Cattle Breeding farm in China with calving records from 1990 to 2008. Genetic parameters were obtained by multiple trait derivative-free restricted maximum likelihood (MTDFREML) using animal model. The model included year, season, parity and calving interval of calving for 305 days MEM, and year, season and parity of birth for CAI as fixed effects. Heritability for 305 days MEM was moderate (0.39) and in the same range of parameters estimated in management systems with medium production levels. Heritability of calving interval was small (0.02) as fertility traits for Xinjiang Brown cattle. Estimates of genetic and environmental correlations between 305 days MEM and CAI were 0.47 and 0.37, respectively. Estimates of genetic variation and heritability indicated that selection would result in genetic improvement of production traits. Estimates of both heritability and genetic variation for CAI were small, which indicates that genetic improvement would be difficult.

Countermeasures to Achieve High-quality Development of Dairy Industry in Xinjiang:A Case Study of Tianrun Dairy Industry

As a high-quality milk source base in China,Xinjiang has an innate foundation for the development of modern high-quality milk industry.In this paper,it was pointed out that the uneven distribution of interests between the upstream and downstream of the industry was the influencing factor restricting the development of modern dairy industry in Xinjiang.At the same time,the related information of Tianrun Group,which was the leading enterprise in Xinjiang,was analyzed.According to analysis,it was found that through the construction and development of large-scale,standardized and modern milk source base,balance of the upstream and downstream interests,improvement of the combination system of planting and breeding,the added value of products was enhanced and the anti risk ability of enterprises was increased.In addition,it was also pointed out that under the leadership of leading enterprises,Xinjiang would embark on the development road of modern high-quality milk industry with circular economy,resource-saving,environment-friendly,quality and efficiency,operation-saving,independent innovation and industrial integration in the future.

Cloning and Sequence Analysis of SLC11A1 Gene Promoter of Three Cattle Breeds in Xinjiang

[Objective]Solute carrier family 11 member 1（SLC11A1）is a major natural resistance candidate gene,which contributes to defense mechanisms of a variety of intracellular bacteria.The SLC11A1 gene promoter sequence of Xinjiang Brown Cattle,Holstein and Simmental were cloned in the test,and promoter sequence difference was analyzed,in order to provide genetic marker-assisted selection for disease-resistant breeding of dairy cattle.[Method]The Genomic DNA was extracted from whole blood collected from three cattle breeds in Xinjiang,and the 5’ flanking region of SLC11A1 gene was amplified by PCR and sequenced.The sequence was analyzed by bioinformatics software CpGplot,RepeatMasker,TFSEARCH,WWW Signal Scan and dual luciferase assay system.[Result]The SLC11A1 gene promoter sequence of 1 463 bp was confirmed,which had promoter activity.No CpG islands were found on promoter sequence.There were four different sites in SLC11A1 gene promoter sequences between Angus from America and three cattle breeds in Xinjiang.Sequence analysis revealed 12 transcription factor binding sites including Sp1,NF1,RelA-p65,GKLF,and CPBP.In promoter region there was an enhancer region（-734- -740）and two short scattered repetitive elements BOV-tA2,MIR3,as well as repeated DNA element Charlie8.[Conclusion]The SLC11A1 gene promoter sequences of three breeds were obtained,which were different from that of Angus.The paper provided a theoretical basis for further studying the influence of SLC11A1 gene polymorphisms on resistance against intracellular bacteria infection.

Genome Array on Differentially Expressed Genes of Skin Tissue in Cashmere Goat at Early Anagen of Cashmere Growth Cycle Using DNA Microarray

In order to study the molecular mechanism involved in cashmere regeneration, this study investigated the gene expression profile of skin tissue at various stages of the cashmere growth cycle and screen differentially expressed genes at proangen in 10 cashmere goats at 2 years of age using agilent sheep oligo microarray. Significance analysis of microarray （SAM） methods was used to identify the differentially expressed genes, Hierarchical clustering was performed to clarify these genes in association with different cashmere growth stages, and GO （Gene ontology） and the pathway analyses were con-ducted by a free web-based Molecular Annotation System3.0 （MAS 3.0）. Approximately 10200 probe sets were detected in skin tissue of 2-yr-old cashmere goat. After SAM analysis of the microarray data, totally 417 genes were shown to be differentially expressed at different cashmere growth stages, and 24 genes are significantly up-regulated （21） or down-regulated （3） at proangen concurrently compared to angen and telogen. Hierarchical clustering analysis clearly distinguished the differentially expressed genes of each stage. GO analysis indicated that these altered genes at proangen were predominantly involved in collagen fibril organization, integrin-mediated signaling pathway, cell-matrix adhesion, cell adhesion, transforming growth factor-β （TGF-β） receptor signaling pathway, regulation of cell growth. Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes （KEGG） analysis showed that the significant pathways involved mainly included focal adhesion and extracellular matrixc （ECM）-receptor interaction. Some important genes involved in these biological processes, such as COL1A1, COL1A2, COL3A1, SPARC, CYR61 and CTGF, were related to tissue remolding and repairing and detected by more than one probe with similar expression trends at different stages of cashmere growth cycle. The different expression of these genes may contribute to understanding the molecular mechanism of cashmere regeneration.

Genome characterization of the Caprine arthritis-encephalitis virus in China:A retrospective genomic analysis of the earliest Chinese isolates

Caprine arthritis-encephalitis virus(CAEV) is an under-studied virus infecting caprines and ovines worldwide. Over the last four decades, CAEV has spread in China, obtaining genomic data on CAEV strains circulating in China is of importance for developing diagnostic methods and eradicating associated diseases. However, there is limited information on the genome, including characterizations, and the probable origin. This work aimed to characterize Chinese CAEV genomes and population structures. Five CAEV strains isolated from infected dairy goats between 1989and 1994 in Gansu, Guizhou, Shaanxi, Shandong and Sichuan provinces were cloned and sequenced. The Chinese CAEV had a 58–93% genome similarities to strains outside of China, and they belonged to subgenotype B1. The highest similarity levels(98.3–99.3%) were with two other Chinese strains, and they shared a 91.8–92.3% similarity with the strain Clements(GenBank accession no. NC_001463.1) from outside of China. The Chinese CAEV strains isolated from different provinces over five years were still highly homologous and contained unique ancestral population components,indicating that these Chinese strains had a common origin that differed from other known strains. Our results provide genomic data on circulating Chinese CAEV strains and will be useful for future epidemiological investigations and CAEV eradication programs.

Pre-evaluation of humoral immune response of Bactrian camels by the quantification of Th2 cytokines using real-time PCR

With the increasing immunological studies on camels due to the advantage of their single-chain antibodies for humanizations,it is demanding to develop an easy-to-handle evaluation method of their humoral immune response before proceeding with immunization of foreign antigens that may be toxic to camels.In this study,we quantitatively determined the expression levels of T-helper 2(Th2) cytokines in peripheral blood lymphocytes obtained from Bactrian camels by real-time PCR.The recorded kinetic profiles resulting from the immunization of ovalbumin(OVA) indicated that after immunization,Th2 cytokines including interleukin(IL) families such as IL-4,IL-10,and IL-13 in the camels were up-regulated by a factor of 1.78,3.15,and 1.22,respectively,which was validated by traditional enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) methods.Unlike ELISA which requires specific enzyme-labeled antibodies,this established method based on the minimal amount of blood samples holds an advantage in the preliminary evaluation of camel humoral immune response with desirable precision,which is meaningful for biomedical explorations of camel-derived antibodies.

Environmental Monitoring in Northern Aksu, China Based on Remote Sensing Ecological Index Model

In order to understand the development status of ecological environment quality in the Aksu region of China, to effectively adjust the ecological environment quality, so as to promote the sustainable development of its social economy and ecological environment protection. This paper selects the Landsat series remote sensing images of the northern Aksu region in 2013, 2016, and 2019, and uses the tools such as ENVI5.3 and ArcGIS 10.8.1 to process the image data accordingly. The principal component analysis method is used to calculate the Remote Sensing Ecological Index (RSEI) of the northern Aksu region. The data show that: 1) The ecological environment quality index in the northern Aksu region in 2013, 2016, and 2019 was 0.706087, 0.25243 and 0.362991 respectively;2) The areas where the ecological environment quality declined significantly in the northern Aksu region were the human settlements and the Gobi, fan-shaped land and other special terrain areas;3) The humidity index and the heat index are the two factors that have the greatest impact on the ecological environment quality in the northern Aksu area. The data as a whole show that the ecological environment in the northern part of the Aksu region has deteriorated seriously, and the severely deteriorated area is close to the human living area.

GSH-responsive curcumin/doxorubicin encapsulated Bactrian camel serum albumin nanocomposites with synergistic effect against lung cancer cells

The aim of this study was to prepare camel serum albumin(CSA) nanoparticles using a self-assembly strategy to co-immobilize curcumin(CCM) and doxorubicin(Dox) which was in favor of combined chemotherapy and biomedical applications of bactrian(Camelus bactrianus) CSA. The constructed CSA nanoparticles(CSA-NPs)with the size around 200 nm displayed a high degree of polydispersity and further encapsulation of CCM and Dox caused no apparent morphological changes to the nanocomposite(CCM/Dox CSA-NPs). The synergistic cytotoxic effect of CCM and Dox on cancer cell A549 was observed with the calculated combination index less than 1.0. Moreover, the release kinetic profile of encapsulated drugs showed a concentration dependence of glutathione(GSH) originating from the GSH used in nanoparticle formation to break the intramolecular disulfide bonds. In vitro cytotoxicity evaluations also revealed that CCM/Dox CSA-NPs showed higher cytotoxicity than that of single drug loaded CSA-NPs, which was also validated by high content screen assay. Taken together, the CCM/Dox CSA-NPs with redox-responsive attributes provided an integrated protein-based combinational drugdelivery matrix to exert synergistic effects.

Allele-specific expression analyses reveal immune divergences between ibex and goat species

DEAR EDITOR,Understanding the different immune responses of wild and domestic caprid species is critical for addressing certain zoonotic diseases.In this study,we generated blood transcriptomes of 13 Siberian ibex and domestic goat hybrids and performed allele-specific expression and splicing analyses.Results showed that genes exhibiting significant imbalance between the ibex and goat were highly related to the Toll-like receptor(TLR),antigen recognition,and immune activation pathways.Comparative genomic analysis of the species revealed that immune function-related genes were under strong selection pressure in the domestic goat.

An atlas of CNV maps in cattle, goat and sheep

Copy number variation(CNV)is the most prevalent type of genetic structural variation that has been recognized as an important source of phenotypic variation in humans,animals and plants.However,the mechanisms underlying the evolution of CNVs and their function in natural or artificial selection remain unknown.Here,we generated CNV region(CNVR)datasets which were diverged or shared among cattle,goat,and sheep,including 886 individuals from 171 diverse populations.Using 9 environmental factors for genome-wide association study(GWAS),we identified a series of candidate CNVRs,including genes relating to immunity,tick resistance,multi-drug resistance,and muscle development.The number of CNVRs shared between species is significantly higher than expected(P<0.00001),and these CNVRs may be more persist than the single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs)shared between species.We also identified genomic regions under long-term balancing selection and uncovered the potential diversity of the selected CNVRs close to the important functional genes.This study provides the evidence that balancing selection might be more common in mammals than previously considered,and might play an important role in the daily activities of these ruminant species.

Effects of Enclosure on Plant and Soil Restoration in the Junggar Desert

Enclosure is commonly used in the restoration of degraded grasslands.However,the effects of enclosure on grassland plant and soil restoration remain controversial,particularly in deserts.To assess the effects of enclosure on desert plants and soil properties,using high throughput sequencing,the differences between plants and soil were systematically analyzed before and after enclosure construction.The soil organic carbon,total nitrogen and total phosphorus contents of the three desert flora increased and decreased,but the difference was not significant;enclosure increased plant height,coverage,aboveground biomass,and species richness by 58.99%,59.35%,33.29%,and 51.21%,respectively,in a Seriphidium transiliense formation;by 15.49%,33.52%,20.85%,and 5.13%,respectively,in a Haloxylon persicum formation;and by 83.80%,31.51%,76.66%and 33.33%,respectively,in an Anabasis salsa formation.For soil bacteria,enclosure significantly increased the average number of operational taxonomic units and Shannon-Wiener index by 12.74% and 2.92%,respectively,under S.transiliense formation and by 17.08% and 3.17%,respectively,under H.persicum formation.However,enclosure had no significant effect on the average number of operational taxonomic units or Shannon-Wiener index under A.salsa formation.Enclosure significantly increased desert plants,soil bacterial diversity,and desert plant community productivity;however,the increase in soil nutrient content was not significant.These results demonstrate that enclosure is effective for restoring desert ecosystems but may have little effect on the soil nutrient content.

Dog vaccination with EgM proteins against Echinococcus granulosus

Background:Dogs play a pivotal role in the transmission of cystic echinococcosis(CE),a zoonosis caused by the tapeworm Echinococcus granulosus.We showed previously that dogs vaccinated with two E.granulosus adult-worm specific proteins,EgM9 and EgM123,emulsified with Freund’s adjuvants induced significant protective efficacy in terms of reduction in worm burden and egg production after 45 days post-infection.It was not known whether this protection can be sustained using adjuvants suitable for use in dogs.Methods:Recombinant EgM9 and EgM123 were mixed with Quil A or ISCOMs for vaccinating dogs.After three vaccine injections,all the dogs were orally challenge-infected with 200000 protoscoleces of E.granulosus.After 45 days of infection,all the dogs were euthanized and necropsied for collecting and counting E.granulosus worms.Immunoglobins,including the IgG subclasses IgG1 and IgG2,were detected in the sera of vaccinated dogs by ELISA.To determine whether the protection efficacy could be maintained after 45 days post-infection,we implemented a longevity trial to count eggs in dog faeces for 170 days after infection.Results:The dogs vaccinated with EgM9 and EgM123 mixed with Quil A and ISCOMs showed similar protective efficacy as the proteins emulsified with Freund’s adjuvants in our previous study in terms of reduction of worms and eggs at 45 days post-infection.The longevity trial showed that EgM9 protein-vaccinated group released lower number of eggs per gram compared with the egg counts in the control dogs during the dog trial study.Conclusion:EgM9 and EgM123 are thus suitable vaccine candidates against E.granulosus infection in dogs.

A Hu sheep genome with the first ovine Y chromosome reveal introgression history after sheep domestication

The Y chromosome plays key roles in male fertility and reflects the evolutionary history of paternal lineages.Here,we present a de novo genome assembly of the Hu sheep with the first draft assembly of ovine Y chromosome(o MSY),using nanopore sequencing and Hi-C technologies.The o MSY that we generated spans 10.6 Mb from which 775 Y-SNPs were identified by applying a large panel of whole genome sequences from worldwide sheep and wild Iranian mouflons.Three major paternal lineages(HY1a,HY1b and HY2)were defined across domestic sheep,of which HY2 was newly detected.Surprisingly,HY2 forms a monophyletic clade with the Iranian mouflons and is highly divergent from both HY1a and HY1b.Demographic analysis of Y chromosomes,mitochondrial and nuclear genomes confirmed that HY2 and the maternal counterpart of lineage C represented a distinct wild mouflon population in Iran that diverge from the direct ancestor of domestic sheep,the wild mouflons in Southeastern Anatolia.Our results suggest that wild Iranian mouflons had introgressed into domestic sheep and thereby introduced this Iranian mouflon specific lineage carrying HY2 to both East Asian and Africa sheep populations.

Allele-specific expression and splicing provide insight into the phenotypic differences between thin- and fat-tailed sheep breeds

The sheep(Ovis aries) was one of the first grazing animals to be domesticated approximately 11,000 years ago in the Fertile Crescent(Chessa et al., 2009). Since domestication, a wide variety of sheep breeds with different production traitsand morphological characteristics have been shaped under the influence of natural and artificial selection. According to the fat content in tail, sheep can be mainly classified into two groups: thin-and fat-tailed breeds.