Structural insights of TCT proteins in New Zealand rabbits for climate adaptation

Abstract

Abstract Significant shifts in temperature, both up and down, pose a serious challenge for the rabbit production industry. Rabbits are considered a smart homeothermic animal model and can regulate temperature using many processes. There was very limited information and studies about the effects of climate up- and down-shift conditions on rabbits during their lifetime. This investigation was aimed at identifying Oryctolagus cuniculus TCT proteins, finding out, and predicting their functional partners. The TCT protein structures were built and modulated through the prediction of the tertiary structure of each protein using homology modeling. The most conserved motifs and conserved domains in the TCT proteins were identified, which could be used for functional identification and characterization of the TCT genes. Predicted genes associated with thermo-cold tolerance genes in the same metabolic map contain genes such as IL17RC, IL25, IL26, TMEM26, IL17RE, CIDEA, IL6, and PPARGC1 A, which can be studied and characterized in future studies for their role and involvement in climate change effect tolerance.

Keywords

• Thermo-cold tolerance (TCT) proteins
• Climate change
• Homology modelling
• Functional partners
• Protein–protein interaction
• Oryctolagus cuniculus