绵羊的母性行为及其研究进展

 绵羊母性行为表达的差异能够影响羔羊的早期生长发育和存活,在分娩和哺乳期表现出低质量母性行为的母羊很难与羔羊建立起紧密的母-子联系,导致较高的羔羊死亡率。论文就绵羊母性行为表达、生理控制、影响行为表达的因素以及生产管理中的母性行为选择问题作一综述,为在生产实践中加强母性行为选育提供借鉴。     

Evaluation of Ewe Performance in 795 Selected Sheep Flocks in South-Eastern Norway

A study of ewe performance was undertaken in 795 sheep flocks based on data from the Norwegian Sheep Recording System. Herd level data included in the annual report for 1998 were used as the basis for the study. Average flock size was 75.3 ewes. The material was considered as representative of the better and more motivated sheep farmers in the mountain valley regions in south-eastern Norway. The average number of lambs born per ewe, inclusive (and exclusive) of barren ewes, was 1.89 (2.02), and of autumn lambs (those surviving from birth in the spring to autumn) 1.60 (1.66). The average autumn weight of the lambs corrected to 145 days of age was 42.4 kg, giving an overall performance of 67.9 kg lambs live weight per ewe. When including artificially reared lambs, overall performance was 70.4 kg per ewe. Artificial rearing of lambs, mostly triplets which had been removed from the ewe, was practised on 395 of the farms. In the 74 flocks with a rate of artificial rearing of more than 10% of all lambs, overall performance per ewe was 13.3 kg higher than in flocks with no artificial rearing. Total lamb mortality from birth to autumn recording, including stillborn lambs, was 12.44%. Mortality had a skewed distribution, some flocks having very high mortality figures. The arithmetic means (and medians) for mortality were as follows: 2.75 (2.29)% stillbirths, 2.93 (2.30)% died during the indoor feeding period, 0.88 (0.00)% at spring pasture, and 6.16 (4.40)% at summer pasture. In regression models using Proc Genmod in SAS^®, it was found that average number of autumn lambs per ewe was negatively associated with the rate of barren ewes, late lambing date (flock average day in year when lambing took place), and total lamb mortality. The corrected autumn weight of the lambs was positively associated with the average number of lambs born per ewe and non-fertility rate, and negatively associated with flock size and total lamb mortality. The Dala breed had a positive effect on number of autumn lambs per ewe, and Spæl breed a negative effect on corrected autumn live weight of the lambs.     

Effects of concentrate or ryegrass-based diets (Lolium multiflorum) on the meat quality of lambs grazing on semi-natural pastures

Abstract

With the objective of studying the effects of production systems on meat quality, 75 Norwegian White Sheep lambs were subjected to one of the following treatments: continuous grazing on a semi-natural lowland pasture until slaughtering (Control); continuous grazing followed by either stall-feeding on concentrate and grass silage or grazing ryegrass pasture for 44 or 24 days before slaughtering (Conc44, Conc24, Rye44, Rye24). Loin samples of M. longissimus dorsi including the subcutaneous fat were analysed for sensory attributes and fatty acid composition. Compared with the control group, a lower intensity of acid taste (P<0.05) and a lower content of C18:3n-6 fatty acids (P<0.001) were observed in the Conc44 group. The n-6/n-3 ratio was higher (P<0.001) in meat tested from the concentrate treatments compared to the ryegrass treatments. These findings indicate that the fattening of lambs on improved pastures or a concentrate-based diet prior to slaughter may alter meat characteristics.     

20～35kg杜泊×小尾寒羊F1代公羔钙、钠、钾和镁生长需要量

本试验旨在探讨20 ～ 35 kg杜泊×小尾寒羊F1代杂交公羔羊钙、钠、钾、镁生长需要量.采用比较屠宰试验,分别在羔羊体重20、28和35kg时屠宰,测定动物体组织器官的钙、钠、钾、镁含量,建立数学模型对体内矿物质含量变化规律及需要量进行预测.结果显示,羔羊在20 ～ 35kg体重阶段,肌肉生长速度较稳定,骨骼生长速度逐渐减慢,而体内脂肪组织在迅速增加;羔羊体内矿物质含量与空腹体重(EBW)具有高度相关性(R2=0.84 ～0.98),钙、钠、钾、镁净生长需要量(NRG)预测公式分别为NRGca=15.26EBW-0.171,NRGNa=1.67EBW-0.085,NRGK=1.94EBW0.023和NRGMg=0.34EBW0.051.由此可计算得出,杜泊×小尾寒羊F1代羔羊在20～35kg阶段,以空腹体增重(EBG)表示,机体钙、钠、钾、镁的NRG分别为8.56 ～9.36 g/kg EBG、1.15 ～ 1.20 g/kg EBG、2.07～2.09 g/kg EBG和0.39 ～ 0.40 g/kg EBG;以体增重(BWG)表示,分别为7.18～8.18 g/kg BWG、0.96 ～ 1.05 g/kg BWG、1.76～1.81 g/kgBWG和0.34 g/kg BWG.     

F17大肠杆菌在湖羊羔羊个体脾脏中LncRNA表达谱变化

【目的】通过筛选对大肠杆菌（E.coli）F17菌毛非腹泻型与腹泻型的绵羊脾脏中差异表达的lncRNA,来探究lncRNA对绵羊抗腹泻的作用。【方法】本研究通过对湖羊羔羊口服E.coli F17菌株获得非腹泻和腹泻型个体,利用羔羊肠道细菌计数、病理组织切片验证攻毒成功性;构建非腹泻组和腹泻组羔羊脾脏的cDNA文库,使用Illumina HiSeq 2500平台进行配对测序;通过Gene Ontology（GO）和KEGG Pathway富集分析对差异表达转录本功能描述和细胞通路分析,利用FPKM法估计lncRNA和mRNA转录物的表达水平,并用高通量测序技术RNA-seq筛选出非腹泻和腹泻个体脾脏中的差异表达lncRNA;然后利用荧光定量PCR技术检测了非腹泻组和腹泻组羔羊脾脏组织中DE lncRNA和DE mRNA的表达水平,来验证筛选的DE lncRNA在非腹泻组过程中发挥作用。【结果】羔羊口服E.coli F17菌株后,出现非腹泻和腹泻两种表型,腹泻组羔羊肠道中的细菌数量显著高于非腹泻组（P<0.05）,同时腹泻组羔羊空肠黏膜组织出现不同程度的损伤,色泽暗沉,小肠绒毛部分脱落。笔者利用RNA-seq在非腹泻和腹泻羔羊脾脏中筛选出34个差异表达的（DE）lncRNA,703个的DE mRNA,随机选择一共12个DE lncRNA和DE mRNA,用q-PCR验证它们在非腹泻型和腹泻型羔羊体内的相对表达水平,发现与RNA-seq结果一致。通过Gene Ontology（GO）和KEGG Pathway富集分析,将DE lncRNA与GO 数据库进行比对的结果表明一共有34条lncRNA被注释和分类到302个功能亚类中,绵羊蛋白质结合（GO：0005515）,细胞核（GO：0005634）,poly（A）RNA结合（GO：0044822）,细胞质（GO：0005737）,组织重塑（GO：0048771）,内肽酶活性的调节（GO：0052548））,6-磷酸果糖-2-激酶/果糖-2,6-双磷酸酶复合物（GO：0043540）,磷脂酰肌醇磷酸化（GO：0046854）,果糖-2,6-二磷酸2-磷酸酶活性（GO：0004331）,钙依赖性磷脂酶C活性（GO：0050429）等10 个功能亚类的lncRNA较多,而其余的功能亚类的lncRNA分布较少。将DE lncRNA与KEGG 通路数据库进行比对的结果表明,一共有34条lncRNA被注释和归类到149个KEGG 通路中,绵羊甲状腺激素信号通路（路径：ko04919）,Spliceosome（路径：ko03040）,白细胞跨内皮迁移（路径：ko04670）,神经营养因子信号通路（路径：ko04722）,溶酶体（路径：ko04142）,MAPK信号通路 - 途径（路径： ko04011）,鞘脂信号通路（路径：ko04071）,吞噬体（路径：ko04145）,氧化磷酸化（路径：ko00190）等9 个KEGG 通路的lncRNA较多,而其余的KEGG 通路的lncRNA分布较少。 通过lncRNA-mRNA相互作用网络分析,发现6个共表达基因：MYO1G、TIMM29、CARM1、ADGRB1、SEPT4、DESI2。【结论】探究了对于腹泻产生非腹泻和腹泻型羔羊脾脏中lncRNA的表达谱,发现了非腹泻和腹泻羔羊脾脏中差异表达的lncRNA,有助于找出羔羊如何抵抗腹泻的发生机制,为羔羊抵抗腹泻提供科学的依据。     

Whole-genome re-sequencing association study on yearling wool traits in Chinese fine-wool sheep

To investigate single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) loci associated with yearling wool traits of fine-wool sheep for optimizing marker-assisted selection and dissection of the genetic architecture of wool traits, we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) based on the fixed and random model circulating probability unification (FarmCPU) for yearling staple length (YSL), yearling mean fiber diameter (YFD), yearling greasy fleece weight (YGFW), and yearling clean fleece rate (YCFR) by using the whole-genome re-sequenced data (totaling 577 sheep) from the following four fine-wool sheep breeds in China: Alpine Merino sheep (AMS), Chinese Merino sheep (CMS), Qinghai fine-wool sheep (QHS), and Aohan fine-wool sheep (AHS). A total of 16 SNPs were detected above the genome-wise significant threshold (P = 5.45E-09), and 79 SNPs were located above the suggestive significance threshold (P = 5.00E-07) from the GWAS results. For YFD and YGFW traits, 7 and 9 SNPs reached the genome-wise significance thresholds, whereas 10 and 12 SNPs reached the suggestive significance threshold, respectively. For YSL and YCFR traits, none of the SNPs reached the genome-wise significance thresholds, whereas 57 SNPs exceeded the suggestive significance threshold. We recorded 14 genes located at the region of ±50-kb near the genome-wise significant SNPs and 59 genes located at the region of ±50-kb near the suggestive significant SNPs. Meanwhile, we used the Average Information Restricted Maximum likelihood algorithm (AI-REML) in the “HIBLUP” package to estimate the heritability and variance components of the four desired yearling wool traits. The estimated heritability values (h²) of YSL, YFD, YGFW, and YCFR were 0.6208, 0.7460, 0.6758, and 0.5559, respectively. We noted that the genetic parameters in this study can be used for fine-wool sheep breeding. The newly detected significant SNPs and the newly identified candidate genes in this study would enhance our understanding of yearling wool formation, and significant SNPs can be applied to genome selection in fine-wool sheep breeding.     

Diprosopus, craniorachischisis, arthrogryposis, and other associated anomalies in a stillborn lamb

Congenital malformations with multiple anomalies have been described infrequently in the veterinary literature. A stillborn male crossbred lamb with diprosopus, craniorachischisis, and arthrogryposis was examined macroscopically and histopathologically in this study. The left head was smaller than the right head. Micrencephaly, agnathia, and a rudimentary tongue, which was adherent to the palate, were present in the left head. Micrencephaly, brachygnathia superior, and cleft palate were present in the right head. Cerebellar agenesis and spinal cord hypoplasia were observed. The cerebrums and the spinal cord were covered with a tapering membranous structure. Neural and dermal tissues were noted to intervene upon microscopic examination of this structure. Disorganization of neurons was observed in both cerebrums, though it was more severe in the left one. This case demonstrates many congenital defects occurring together in a lamb.     

日粮添加油脂和出生类型对羔羊肌肉胶原蛋白特性及相关基因表达的影响

旨在研究日粮添加油脂和不同出生类型对羔羊肌肉胶原蛋白特性及相关基因表达的影响。本试验选取64只2月龄断奶双羔(twin born,TW;32只)和三羔(triplet born,TR;32只)湖羊公羔,分别饲喂基础日粮(control, CON)和添加2%大豆油(soybean oil,SBO)的日粮,采用2×2析因试验设计,分为4个处理(TW-CON,TW-SBO,TR-CON,TR-SBO),每个处理16个重复,每个重复1只羊。90 d后屠宰采集羔羊背最长肌,测定其胶原蛋白含量、相关酶活以及肌肉发育相关基因表达水平等。结果表明:1) TW组的Ⅰ型胶原蛋白含量显著高于TR组(P<0.05)。日粮添加油脂有提高可溶性胶原蛋白含量的趋势(0.050.05)。2)基质金属蛋白酶13(MMP-13)含量因日粮中油脂添加而显著下降(P<0.05),而吡啶诺林(PYD)和基质金属蛋白酶抑制剂(TIMP-1)则受日粮油脂添加和出生类型交互作用的显著影响(P<0.05)。3)MYOD1在双羔中表达水平显著高于三羔(P<0.05)。日粮油脂添加显著降低了FN1的相对表达水平(P<0.05),而FGF2和COL3A1的相对表达水平则表现出受日粮油脂添加和出生类型交互作用影响的趋势(0.050.05)。结果提示,双羔肌肉中胶原蛋白含量高于三羔,油脂有促进胶原蛋白含量增加的趋势,且日粮油脂和出生类型共同作用胶原蛋白代谢相关酶含量及基因的表达,进而影响肌肉中胶原蛋白的含量。     

饲粮能量和蛋白质水平对21～60日龄湖羊生长、消化性能及血清指标的影响

旨在研究饲粮能量和蛋白质水平对21～60日龄湖羊羔羊生长、消化性能和血清指标的影响。本研究采用两因素两水平试验设计,选取64只17日龄体重相近、健康的湖羊羔羊,随机分为高能高蛋白(HE-HP)、高能低蛋白(HE-LP)、低能高蛋白(LE-HP)、低能低蛋白(LE-LP)4组,每组4个重复,每重复4只羊。试验预试期3d,21日龄起所有羔羊断母乳,饲喂代乳粉、补饲开食料。正试期40d。每天记录羔羊采食量,每隔20d晨饲前称重、颈静脉采血测定血清指标;31～40和51～60日龄期间采用全收粪法进行消化试验。结果表明:1)饲粮能量与蛋白水平对羔羊生长性能无显著交互作用(P>0.05),但羔羊日增重与饲料转化效率均随饲粮能量或蛋白质水平的降低而显著降低(P<0.05)。2)饲粮能量和蛋白质水平对羔羊31～40日龄干物质和总能消化率存在显著交互作用(P<0.05),表现为饲喂高能量饲粮时羔羊对饲粮干物质和和总能消化率随蛋白质水平的降低而显著降低(P<0.05)。3)40日龄羔羊血清葡萄糖含量随能量水平降低而显著降低(P<0.05);60日龄时,降低蛋白质水平显著降低了羔羊血清尿素氮含量(P<0.05)、提高了血清生长激素含量(P<0.05),降低饲粮能量水平显著提高了血清尿素氮和三酰甘油含量(P<0.05)。综上所述,能量和蛋白质水平对21～60日龄羔羊生长性能有显著影响,适当的能量和蛋白水平能够改善羔羊生长和消化性能。