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Skeletal muscle satellite cells (SMSCs), a type of myogenic stem cell, play a pivotal role in postnatal muscle regeneration and repair in animals. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a distinct class of non-coding RNA molecules capable of regulating muscle development by modulating gene expression, acting as microRNAs, or serving as protein decoys. In this study, we identified circ_14820, an exonic transcript derived from adenosine triphosphatase family protein 2 (ATAD2), through initial RNA-Seq analysis. Importantly, overexpression of circ_14820 markedly enhanced the proliferation of goat SMSCs while concomitantly suppressing their differentiation. Moreover, circ_14820 exhibited predominant localization in the cytoplasm of SMSCs. Subsequent small RNA and mRNA sequencing of circ_14820-overexpressing SMSCs systematically elucidated the molecular regulatory mechanisms associated with circ_14820. Our preliminary findings suggest that the circ_14820-miR-206-CCND2 regulatory axis may govern the development of goat SMSCs. These discoveries contribute to a deeper understanding of circRNA-mediated mechanisms in regulating skeletal muscle development, thereby advancing our knowledge of muscle biology.

Somatostatin (SS) plays crucial regulatory roles in animal growth and reproduction by affecting the synthesis and secretion of growth hormone (GH). However, the mechanism by which SS regulates growth and development in goats is still unclear. In order to investigate the regulatory networks of the hypothalamus and pituitary in goats affected by SS DNA vaccines, in this study, we used a previously established oral attenuated Salmonella typhimurium SS DNA vaccine, X9241 (ptCS/2SS-asd), to treat wethers. We analyzed the protein changes in hypothalamic and pituitary tissues using a TMT-based proteomics approach. Additionally, we examined the metabolic profiles of the serum of control and immunized wethers through untargeted metabolomics using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Key signaling pathways were identified based on differentially expressed metabolites (DEMs) and differentially expressed proteins (DEPs). Furthermore, the effect of critical DEPs on signaling pathways was confirmed through Western blotting (WB) experiments, which elucidated the mechanism of active SS immunization in wethers. A proteomics analysis revealed that the expression of 58 proteins in the hypothalamus and 124 in the pituitary gland was significantly altered following SS vaccine treatment (fold change > 1.2 or < 0.83, p < 0.05). In the hypothalamus, many DEPs were associated with gene ontology (GO) terms related to neuronal signaling. In contrast, most DEPs were associated with metabolic pathways. In the pituitary gland, the DEPs were largely related to immune and nutrient metabolism functions, with significant enrichment in KEGG pathways, particularly those involving the metabolic pathway, sphingolipid signaling, and the cGMP-PKG signaling pathway. A metabolomic analysis further showed that active SS immunization in wethers led to significant alterations in seven serum metabolites. Notably, the sphingolipid signaling pathway, secondary bile acid synthesis, sphingolipid metabolism, and lysine synthesis were significantly disrupted. SS vaccines induced marked changes in hypothalamic-pituitary proteins in wethers, facilitating alterations in their growth processes. This study not only provides insights into the mechanism of the SS gene in regulating GH secretion in wethers but also establishes a basis for hormone immunoregulation technology to enhance livestock production performance.

This study compared and analyzed the genetic diversity and population structure of exon 2 of the DQB1 gene and 13 autosomal neutral microsatellite markers from 14 Chinese goat breeds to explore the potential evolutionary mechanism of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC). A total of 287 haplotypes were constructed from MHC-DQB1 exon 2 from 14 populations, and 82 nucleotide polymorphic sites (SNPs, 31.78%) and 172 heterozygous individuals (79.12%) were identified. The F ST values of the microsatellites and MHC-DQB ranged between 0.01831-0.26907 and 0.00892-0.38871, respectively. Furthermore, 14 goat populations showed rich genetic diversity in the microsatellite loci and MHC-DQB1 exon 2. However, the population structure and phylogenetic relationship represented by the two markers were different. Positive selection and Tajima's D test results showed the occurrence of a diversified selection mechanism, which was primarily based on a positive and balancing selection in goat DQB. This study also found that the DQB sequences of bovines exhibited trans-species polymorphism (TSP) among species and families. In brief, this study indicated that positive and balancing selection played a major role in maintaining the genetic diversity of DQB, and TSP of MHC in bovines was common, which enhanced the understanding of the MHC evolution.

The FGF5 gene has been associated with the regulation of fibre length in mammals, including cashmere goats. A deletion variant at ~14 kb downstream of the FGF5 gene showed significant divergence between cashmere and non-cashmere goats in previous studies. In this study, we designed specific primers to genotype the deletion variant. The results of gel electrophoresis and Sanger sequencing revealed that a 507-bp deletion mutation is located at 95 454 685-95 455 191 of chromosome 6 in goats. Genotyping data from a large panel of 288 goats showed that the deletion at the FGF5 gene locus appeared to be associated with cashmere length. The deletion variant was close to fixation (frequency 0.97) in cashmere goats. Furthermore, electrophoretic mobility shift assays for evaluating DNA-protein interaction and mRNA expression levels of FGF5 suggested that the deletion variant may serve as a cis-acting element by specifically binding transcription factors to mediate quantitative changes in FGF5 mRNA expression. Our study illustrates how a structural mutation of the FGF5 gene has contributed to the cashmere growth phenotype in domestic goats. The deletion mutation within the FGF5 gene could potentially serve as a molecular marker of cashmere growth in cashmere goat breeding., (© 2022 Stichting International Foundation for Animal Genetics.)

The aim of this study was to detect SNPs in myostatin ( MSTN ) gene of four goat breeds, and analyze the correlation of these markers on body measurement traits in the Dazu black goat breed. In total, twenty polymorphic sites were found in one hundred forty-eight individuals, and all SNPs were distributed in introns 1 and 2, except g. 425 C > T, which was found in the regulatory region. Three SNPs (g. 2732 C > T, g. 2752 G > A and g. 4552 A > C) were polymorphic in all four breeds. None of the tag SNPs (g. 425 C > T, g. 1583 A > G, 2732 C > T, g. 4552 A > C and g. 5167 C > T) were significantly correlated with body measurement traits ( p > 0.05 ) in the Dazu black goat. However, individuals with genotype combination 3 (GtC 3) of tag SNPs had higher birth weight and weaning weight than individuals with the other genotype combinations ( p  < 0.05). Moreover, the genotype combination 4 (GtC 4) was significantly associated with body length and height at the age of 2 months ( p  < 0.05), and genotype combination 13 (GtC 13) was significantly correlated with body height at 6 months ( p  < 0.05). Briefly, the combined tag SNP markers might be useful for goat marker-associated selective breeding.

This study aimed to analyze the effect and mechanism of immunization of oral KISS1 DNA vaccine on the proliferation of goat testicular Leydig cells. Ten 8-week-old male goats were randomly divided into KISS1 DNA vaccine and control groups for immunization (five goats each group). These goats were sacrificed at 8 weeks after primary immunization, and the tissue samples of hypothalamus, pituitary, and testis and Leydig cell samples were collected for RT-PCR and CCK8 assay. Immunization with the oral KISS1 DNA vaccine effectively inhibited the proliferation of Leydig cells, the expression of hypothalamus KISS1 , GPR54 , and GnRH mRNA, pituitary GnRHR and LH mRNA, testicular LHR mRNA, and apoptosis-inhibitory gene Bcl-2 mRNA in Leydig cells. By contrast, the immunization enhanced the mRNA expression of apoptosis-promoting gene Bax and Clusterin in Leydig cells. These findings indicate that immunization with the oral KISS1 DNA vaccine can inhibit the proliferation of goat testicular Leydig cells mainly via the hypothalamic-pituitary-testicular axis and apoptosis-related genes.

Kisspeptin, encoded by the KISS1 gene, and its receptor GPR54 are essential in puberty onset and male fertility due to their central regulatory roles. However, the roles of KISS1/GPR54 in peripheral tissues remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the temporal expression patterns of KISS1/GPR54 in goat testes and epididymides and its spatial expression patterns in pubertal goats. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that kisspeptin/GPR54 were localized in Leydig, Sertoli, and germ cells of pubertal goats' testis, as well as in principal and basal cells of the epididymis. RT-PCR revealed a marked variation in the KISS1/GPR54 expressions in the testes and epididymides from the age of first week to adulthood. KISS1 and GPR54 mRNA levels in testes decreased from the age of first week to two months and then increased from two months to puberty and adulthood. The KISS1 and GPR54 mRNA levels in Leydig cells decreased from the age of one week to two months and increased from two months to puberty, and then decreased from puberty to adulthood. Only GPR54 mRNA levels in the epididymides increased from the age of one week to two months and puberty, and then decreased from puberty to adulthood. RT-PCR analysis showed the different spatial expression patterns of KISS1/GPR54 in pubertal goat tissues. The KISS1 mRNA level was high in the hypothalamus, moderate in pancreas, liver, epididymis and testis; and low in the other tissues. The GPR54 expression was high in the pancreas and testis; moderate in pituitary, hypothalamus and mesenteric lymph node; and low in the other tissues. In conclusion, the KISS1/GPR54 system possessed distinct temporal expression profiles in goats' testes and epididymides, as well as different spatial expression patterns in pubertal goat tissues, which implied the possible local role of this system in goats' testes, epididymides, and other peripheral tissues., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no conflicts of interests., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Kisspeptin, encoded by the Kiss1 gene, and its receptor GPR54 have a central regulatory role in the male reproduction. However, their functions in peripheral tissues, such as testes, remain unclear. This study investigated the local expressions and function of Kiss1/GPR54 in goats' testes. The mRNA expression of Kiss1/GPR54 in pubertal goat Leydig cells was detected through reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR), and its protein expression in Leydig cells or the testis was examined by immunohistochemistry and Western blot analysis. Isolated and cultured Leydig cells were treated with different concentration of kisspeptin (0, 1, 10 and 100 μM) and kisspeptin antagonist for 4, 24 or 72 h. The direct effect of kisspeptin on testosterone secretion and Kiss1/GPR54 mRNA expression was evaluated by ELISA and RT-PCR. Kiss1/GPR54 mRNA and protein were expressed in Leydig cells and spermatids, and GPR54 were expressed in Sertoli cells. Kisspeptin treatment significantly stimulated testosterone secretion in Leydig cells, with the highest levels found under 24 h of treatment with 10 μM kisspeptin. Treatment with kisspeptin + kisspeptin antagonist significantly reduced the kisspeptin-stimulated testosterone secretion in Leydig cells. Kisspeptin treatment significantly enhanced the expression of Kiss1/GPR54 mRNA in Leydig cells. These data suggest the local expressions of Kiss1/GPR54 in goats' testes and its autocrine role in Leydig cells, which is helpful in understanding the regulation role of kisspeptin/GPR54 system in other peripheral tissues., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The Hechuan white goat (Capra hircus), an indigenous of China. Here, we describe the complete mitochondrial genome sequence of Hechuan white goat. The mitogenome is 16,640 nt in length, consisting of 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes, 2 ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes and a control region. As in other mammals, most mitochondrial genes are encoded on the heavy strand, except for ND6 and eight tRNA genes, which are encoded on the light strand. Its overall base composition is A: 33.5%, T: 27.3%, C: 26.1% and G: 13.1%. The complete mitogenome of the local subspecies of Hechuan white goat could provide an important data to further explore the breed improvement in Chinese goat.

The Youzhou black-skin goat (Capra hircus), an indigenous breed of Chinese southwest. Here, we describe the complete mitochondrial genome sequence of Hechuan white goat. The mitogenome is 16,640 nt in length, consisting of 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes, 2 ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes and a control region. As in other mammals, most mitochondrial genes are encoded on the heavy strand, except for ND6 and eight tRNA genes, which are encoded on the light strand. Its overall base composition is A: 33.5%, T: 27.3%, C: 26.1% and G: 13.1%. The complete mitogenome of the local subspecies of Hechuan white goat could provide an important data to further breed improvement and animal genetics resource conservation in China.

By their paternal transmission, Y‐chromosomal haplotypes are sensitive markers of population history and male‐mediated introgression. Previous studies identified biallelic single‐nucleotide variants in the SRY, ZFY and DDX3Y genes, which in domestic goats identified four major Y‐chromosomal haplotypes, Y1A, Y1B, Y2A and Y2B, with a marked geographical partitioning. Here, we extracted goat Y‐chromosomal variants from whole‐genome sequences of 386 domestic goats (75 breeds) and seven wild goat species, which were generated by the VarGoats goat genome project. Phylogenetic analyses indicated domestic haplogroups corresponding to Y1B, Y2A and Y2B, respectively, whereas Y1A is split into Y1AA and Y1AB. All five haplogroups were detected in 26 ancient DNA samples from southeast Europe or Asia. Haplotypes from present‐day bezoars are not shared with domestic goats and are attached to deep nodes of the trees and networks. Haplogroup distributions for 186 domestic breeds indicate ancient paternal population bottlenecks and expansions during migrations into northern Europe, eastern and southern Asia, and Africa south of the Sahara. In addition, sharing of haplogroups indicates male‐mediated introgressions, most notably an early gene flow from Asian goats into Madagascar and the crossbreeding that in the 19th century resulted in the popular Boer and Anglo‐Nubian breeds. More recent introgressions are those from European goats into the native Korean goat population and from Boer goat into Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi and Zimbabwe. This study illustrates the power of the Y‐chromosomal variants for reconstructing the history of domestic species with a wide geographical range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Boer goat is a world-famous meat-type goat breed that underwent long-term artificial selection from African indigenous animals. The current study displayed the genome-wide selection signature analyses of South African indigenous goat (AF), African Boer (BH), and Australian Boer (AS), to investigate the hereditary basis of artificial selection in different stages. Moreover, the θπ, FST, and XP-CLR methods were used to search for the candidate signatures of positive selection in Boer goats. Ten genes (e.g., BMPR1B, DNER, ITGAL, and KIT) under selection in both groups were identified and are potentially responsible for reproduction, metabolism, growth, and development. This study provided a comprehensive overview of genomic variations in Boer goat, which may provide a basis for further resource protection and improvement of this breed. Boer goats, as kemp in meat-type goats, are selected and bred from African indigenous goats under a long period of artificial selection. Their advantages in multiple economic traits, particularly their plump growth, have attracted worldwide attention. The current study displayed the genome-wide selection signature analyses of South African indigenous goat (AF), African Boer (BH), and Australian Boer (AS) to investigate the hereditary basis of artificial selection in different stages. Four methods (principal component analysis, nucleotide diversity, linkage disequilibrium decay, and neighbor-joining tree) implied the genomic diversity changes with different artificial selection intensities in Boer goats. In addition, the θπ, FST, and XP-CLR methods were used to search for the candidate signatures of positive selection in Boer goats. Consequently, 339 (BH vs. AF) and 295 (AS vs. BH) candidate genes were obtained from SNP data. Especially, 10 genes (e.g., BMPR1B, DNER, ITGAL, and KIT) under selection in both groups were identified. Functional annotation analysis revealed that these genes are potentially responsible for reproduction, metabolism, growth, and development. This study used genome-wide sequencing data to identify inheritance by artificial selection. The results of the current study are valuable for future molecular-assisted breeding and genetic improvement of goats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The follicle development (FD) of a goat is precisely regulated by various noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs), especially by the regulatory mechanism of competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs). This study aimed to determine the expression patterns of messenger RNA (mRNA), long noncoding RNA, microRNA, and circular RNA during the FD of Dazhu black goats by whole-transcriptomic sequencing and analyze the regulatory mechanism of the ncRNA and ceRNA regulatory network. The results may lay a foundation for further research on FD and improving the reproductive performance of goats. The follicle development (FD) is an important factor determining litter size in animals. Recent studies have found that noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) play an important role in FD. In particular, the role of the regulatory mechanism of competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) that drive FD has attracted increasing attention. Therefore, this study explored the genetic basis of goat FD by obtaining the complete follicular transcriptome of Dazu black goats at different developmental stages. Results revealed that 128 messenger RNAs (mRNAs), 4 long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), 49 microRNAs (miRNAs), and 290 circular RNAs (circRNAs) were significantly differentially expressed (DE) between large and small follicles. Moreover, DEmRNAs were enriched in many signaling pathways related to FD, as well as GO terms related to molecular binding and enzyme activity. Based on the analysis of the ceRNA network (CRN), 34 nodes (1 DElncRNAs, 10 DEcircRNAs, 14 DEmiRNAs, and 9 DEmRNAs) and 35 interactions (17 DEcircRNAs–DEmRNAs, 2 DElncRNAs–DEmiRNAs, and 16 DEmRNA–DEmiRNAs) implied that the CRN could be involved in the FD of goats. In conclusion, we described gene regulation by DERNAs and lncRNA/circRNA–miRNA–mRNA CRNs in the FD of goats. This study provided insights into the genetic basis of FD in precise transcriptional regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Immunization of SS DNA vaccine fused to tPA and CpG induced strong antibody response. • Immunization of SS DNA vaccine increased serum PRL and GH levels. • SS gene immunization improved goat lactation and milk protein and lactose. • The effect of SS DNA vaccine was related to the roles of GH and PRL. This study aimed to investigate the effect of a novel oral somatostatin-14 (SS-14) DNA vaccine fused to tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) signal peptide and CpG adjuvant on goat lactation and milk composition. Ten female goats with two newborn kids each were randomly divided into the immunized group and negative control group; The novel oral somatostatin (SS) DNA vaccine (fused to tPA signal peptide and CpG adjuvant) and empty vector bacteria were orally administered to these groups, respectively, at weeks 0, 3, and 6 of the study period. Blood samples were collected before primary immunization and at weeks 6 and 9 after primary immunization. The specific anti-SS antibody titers in the immunized group were significantly higher than that in the negative control group (P < 0.05). Serum SS concentration was significantly lower, whereas growth hormone (GH) and prolactin (PRL) concentrations were significantly higher in the immunized group compared with those in the negative control group (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, the weight of the kids and the milk protein and lactose contents of the goats were significantly higher in the immunized group than those in the negative control group at week 6 of lactation (P < 0.05). The study revealed that the novel oral SS DNA vaccine can increase serum GH and PRL levels and effectively promote goat lactation and milk composition. This finding indicated a correlation between the effect of SS-14 DNA vaccine treatment and the roles of GH and PRL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]