Sheep are valuable resources for the animal fibre industry. Therefore, identifying genes which regulate wool growth would offer strategies for improving the quality of fine wool. In this study, we employed Agilent sheep gene expression microarray and proteomic technology to compare the gene expression patterns of the body side (hair-rich) and groin (hairless) skins of Aohan fine wool sheep (a Chinese indigenous breed). Comparing the body side to the groin skins (S/G) of Aohan fine wool sheep, the microarray study revealed that 1494 probes were differentially expressed, including 602 more highly expressed and 892 less highly expressed probes. The microarray results were verified by means of quantitative PCR. Cluster analysis could distinguish the body side skin and the groin skin. Based on the Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery (DAVID), 38 of the differentially expressed genes were classified into four categories, namely regulation of receptor binding, multicellular organismal process, protein binding and macromolecular complex. Proteomic study revealed that 187 protein spots showed significant (p < 0.05) differences in their respective expression levels. Among them, 46 protein entries were further identified by MALDI-TOF/MS analyses. Microarray analysis revealed thousands of differentially expressed genes, many of which were possibly associated with wool growth. Several potential gene families might participate in hair growth regulation. Proteomic analysis also indentified hundreds of differentially expressed proteins. The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12863-014-0144-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

This study explored the effects of varying levels of dietary folic acid (FA) supplementation on laying performance, egg quality, egg yolk flavor, and the deposition of four folate forms in eggs. A total of 336 Hy-Line Brown layers were randomly divided into seven groups and fed basal diets supplemented with FA at doses of 0, 0.25, 0.5, 1, 5, 10 and 15 mg/kg, respectively. The results suggested that dietary FA supplementation exerted no notable effects on laying performance or egg quality. Electronic nose analysis of egg yolk flavor revealed that high FA supplementation levels (10 and 15 mg/kg) linearly decreased sensor response scores to organic sulfides, aroma constituents, alkanes, and alkane aromatic components compared to the low-dose FA groups (0 to 0.5 mg/kg). Analysis of egg yolk folates identified four folate forms with the following proportions: 5-methyltetrahydrofolate (5-MTHF, 79–84%), 10-formylfolic acid (10-FMF, approximately 10%), folic acid (<5%), and 5-formyltetrahydrofolic acid (5-FMTHF, <3%). Linear and quadratic relationships were observed between dietary FA supplementation levels and the content of three folate forms (5-MTHF, folic acid, and 10-FMF) in egg yolk and whole eggs. Notably, the egg highest total folate content (119.60 μg/100 g) was observed in hens fed diets containing 15 mg/kg FA at week 4, although this was not significantly different from hens fed 5 mg/kg FA at week 6. In summary, 5 mg/kg FA was the optimal dose to achieve saturated total folate content in eggs without altering egg flavor.

Polled intersex syndrome in goats impairs productivity and economic benefits, and serves as a valuable model for human reproductive defects, yet its underl

Neutrophils provide the first line of defense against invading pathogens and have been reported to play a key role in bovine mammary immune. To examine the differential expression of proteins in neutrophils between clinical mastitis and healthy dairy cows, a 2-dimensional electrophoresis gel map with high repeatability was constructed for bovine neutrophils. From this map, seven differentially expressed proteins were identified by MALDI-TOF MS which are believed to be involved in pathways such as cell metabolism, oxidative stress, and inflammatory reaction. The differentially expressed proteins identified in this study may provide the basis for bovine mastitis resistance breeding research.