Exploring differentially expressed genes in the ovaries of estrous and anestrous Qira black sheep using RNA-seq technique

Abstract

Ovary is the main functional organ in reproduction and has obvious difference in the biological activity during the estrous cycle. To investigate the genes associated with follicular development, ovulation, or non-season reproduction, gene expression differences in the ovaries of Qira black sheep estrous stage and anestrous stage in May were assessed using RNA-seq technology. This analysis obtained approximately 1.17 Gb and 1.22 Gb clean reads in Qira black sheep anestrous stage and estrous stage libraries, respectively. Six hundred and fifty one differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified, in which 400 genes were up-regulated and 251 genes were down-regulated in the anestrous stage samples compared with estrous stage samples. GO enrichment analysis revealed that these DEGs were significantly enriched in 52 functional groups for the 3 GO categories. Using KEGG pathway analysis, 35 significant signaling pathways were enriched, including calcium signaling pathway, steroid biosynthesis, cell adhesion molecules, and steroid hormone biosynthesis. This study will provide a list of candidate genes for the future research in sheep reproduction.

Keywords

• Anestrous
• Differentially expressed genes
• Estrous
• Ovary
• Qira black sheep