Transcriptome-Based Revelation of the Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Hepatic Metabolic Rhythms in Tibetan Sheep (<i>Ovis aries</i>)
Ya-Le Chen,
Ru Wang,
Rui Pang,
Zhi-Peng Sun,
Xiao-Long He,
Wen-Hui Tang,
Jing-Yu Ou,
Huan-Ming Yi,
Xiao Cheng,
Jia-Hong Chen,
Yang Yu,
Chun-Huan Ren,
Qiang-Jun Wang,
Zi-Jun Zhang
Affiliations
Ya-Le Chen
College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China
Ru Wang
College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China
Rui Pang
College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China
Zhi-Peng Sun
Chongqing Key Laboratory of Herbivore Science, College of Animal Science and Technology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
Xiao-Long He
College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China
Wen-Hui Tang
College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China
Jing-Yu Ou
College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China
Huan-Ming Yi
College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China
Xiao Cheng
College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China
Jia-Hong Chen
Center of Agriculture Technology Cooperation and Promotion of Dingyuan County, Chuzhou 233200, China
Yang Yu
Qinghai Provincial Key Laboratory of Adaptive Management on Alpine Grassland, Qinghai Academy of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Qinghai University, Xining 810016, China
Chun-Huan Ren
College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China
Qiang-Jun Wang
College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China
Zi-Jun Zhang
College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China
Sleep deprivation (SD) disrupts circadian rhythms; however, its effects on SD and the mechanisms involved require further investigation. Previous studies on SD were mainly conducted on rodents, such as mice, with few studies on its effects on the liver of large diurnal animals, such as sheep. In this study, we used a Tibetan sheep model for the first time to investigate the effects of SD on the liver by exposing Tibetan sheep (Ovis aries) to 7 days of SD (6 h/day) and performed transcriptome sequencing analysis on liver samples taken at 4 h intervals over 24 h. The results revealed that SD significantly altered the circadian expression of genes and their expression patterns in the liver of Tibetan sheep. Enrichment analysis of the circadian rhythm-altered genes revealed changes in the pathways related to lipid metabolism in the liver. Further evidence from serum markers and gene expression analyses using qualitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and Oil Red O and apoptosis staining indicated that SD leads to abnormal lipid metabolism in the liver, potentially causing liver damage. Therefore, our results suggest that SD disrupts the circadian rhythms of metabolism-related genes in the Tibetan sheep liver, thereby affecting metabolic homeostasis.
