Acta Veterinaria et Zootechnica Sinica ›› 2024, Vol. 55 ›› Issue (2): 528-539.doi: 10.11843/j.issn.0366-6964.2024.02.011

• ANIMAL GENETICS AND BREEDING • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Construction of Gene Coexpression Network Related to Lactation Period and Fecundity in Liver Tissue of Holstein Cows

ZHANG Zhifei1, TANG Xueying1,2, MIN Li1, TONG Xiong1, CHEN Weidong1, JU Xianghong2, LI Dagang1*   

  1. 1. Key Laboratory of Livestock Breeding and Nutrition Research, Institute of Animal Science, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou 510000, China;
    2. College of Coastal Agricultural Sciences, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524000, China
  • Received:2023-04-04 Online:2024-02-23 Published:2024-02-27

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to use the weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) to screen for genes related to lactation and reproductive performance in Holstein cow liver tissue. The GSE62159 dataset from the GEO database was used and the co-expression analysis was performed using the WGCNA package in R. The dataset included transcriptome data of liver tissues from healthy Holstein cows with high reproductive performance (mean interval from parturition to insemination of 85.6 days, n=24) and low reproductive performance (mean interval from parturition to insemination of 113.8 days, n=24) during late pregnancy, early lactation, and mid-lactation. The obtained modules were associated with different lactation stages and different reproductive performance. The target module was identified, and the top 30 genes based on connectivity were selected as hub genes. Functional enrichment analysis was performed on hub genes, and a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network of the module was constructed using the String website. The intersection of hub genes and PPI network core genes was screened using Cytoscape software to obtain the target genes related to lactation and reproductive performance in the liver. A total of 14 modules were obtained, of which the tan and greenyellow modules were related to lactation stages, and the black module was related to reproductive performance. After performing functional enrichment analysis on hub genes, genes related to early lactation in the liver were mainly involved in pathways related to the synthesis of substances, gene expression of lipid lipoproteins, and protein synthesis and secretion. Genes related to mid-lactation were mainly involved in diseases, body inflammation, immune responses, and acute phases. Genes related to reproductive performance were mainly involved in insulin resistance, endometrial cancer, and cancer. Twelve target genes related to early lactation in the liver were screened, including RPN1, SEC61A1, SEC61B, SEC61G, SSR1, SSR3, STT3A, DAD1, DDOST, ERLEC1, HM13, and OSTC. Six target genes related to mid-lactation were screened, including ITGAL, ITGB2, LAPTM5, PTPRC, C3AR1, and CTSS. Four target genes related to reproductive performance were screened, including PDS5A, ROCK1, AQR, and LTN1. This study utilized bioinformatics methods including WGCNA, PPI, and gene functional enrichment to identify target genes related to lactation period and reproductive performance in the liver of Holstein cows. Functional enrichment analysis of the target genes was conducted, providing theoretical data for the research direction of breeding high reproductive performance and high milk production cows.

Key words: Holstein cows, liver, lactation, reproductive performance, weighted gene co-expression network analysis

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