Regulation mechanisms of positive cold tolerance in Mongolian sheep

Abstract

Abstract Mongolian sheep survive well on the Mongolian plateau during tremendously cold winters, but their cold response mechanisms are not well understood. By comparing with Dorper sheep originating from South Africa, we expected to reveal the cold tolerance mechanisms of Mongolian sheep on the basis of transcriptome data, further providing molecular evidence for the targeted breeding of sheep. Based on the mRNA data of RNA-seq, we selected candidate genes among the differentially expressed genes; 7 from adipose tissue, 33 from skeletal muscle, and 10 from the liver. According to enriched KEGG pathways and previous research results, the effects of the above candidate genes mainly involved weakening the synthesis of long-chain fatty acids, raising the adaptive thermogenesis and browning adipogenesis in fat, reducing glucose 6-phosphate, stimulating citrulline generation and enhancing lipid metabolism in skeletal muscle, and postponing cell senescence in the liver. The findings also demonstrate the regulation mechanisms of cold tolerance in different tissues of Mongolian sheep.