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Title: The sheep genome illuminates biology of the rumen and lipid metabolism

Author
item JIANG, YU - Chinese Academy Of Sciences
item XIE, MIN - Beijing Genome Institute
item CHEN, WENBIN - Beijing Genome Institute
item TALBOT, RICHARD - University Of Edinburgh
item MADDOX, JILLIAN - University Of Melbourne
item FARAUT, THOMAS - Institut National De La Recherche Agronomique (INRA)
item WU, CHUNHUA - Utah State University
item MUZNY, DONNA - Baylor College Of Medicine
item LI, YUXIANG - Beijing Genome Institute
item ZHANG, WENGUANG - Chinese Academy Of Sciences
item STANTON, JO-ANN - University Of Otago
item BRAUNING, RUDIGER - Agresearch
item BARRIS, WESLEY - Commonwealth Scientific And Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)
item HOURLIER, THIBAUT - Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute
item AKEN, BRONWEN - Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute
item SEARLE, STEPHEN - Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute
item ADELSON, DAVID - Commonwealth Scientific And Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)
item BIAN, CHAO - Beijing Genome Institute
item CAM, GRAHAM - Commonwealth Scientific And Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)
item CHEN, YULIN - Northwest Agricultural & Forestry University
item CHEN, SHIFENG - Beijing Genome Institute
item DESILVA, UDAYA - Commonwealth Scientific And Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)
item DIXEN, KAREN - University Of Copenhagen
item DONG, YANG - Chinese Academy Of Sciences
item FAN, GUANGYI - Beijing Genome Institute
item FRANKLIN, IAN - Commonwealth Scientific And Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)
item FU, SHAOYIN - Inner Mongolian Agriculture University
item FUENTES-UTRILLA, PABLO - University Of Edinburgh
item GUAN, RUI - Beijing Genome Institute
item Highland, Margaret
item HOLDER, MICHAEL - Baylor College Of Medicine
item HUANG, GUODONG - Beijing Genome Institute
item INGHAM, AARON - Commonwealth Scientific And Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)
item JHANGIANI, SHALINI - Baylor College Of Medicine
item KALRA, DIVYA - Baylor College Of Medicine
item KOVAR, CHRISTIE - Baylor College Of Medicine
item LEE, SANDRA - Baylor College Of Medicine
item LIU, WEIQING - Beijing Genome Institute
item LIU, XIN - Beijing Genome Institute
item LU, CHANGXIN - Beijing Genome Institute
item LV, TIAN - Beijing Genome Institute
item MATHEW, TITTU - Baylor College Of Medicine
item MCWILLIAM, SEAN - Commonwealth Scientific And Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)
item MENZIES, MOIRA - Commonwealth Scientific And Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)
item PAN, SHENGKAI - Beijing Genome Institute
item ROBELIN, DAVID - Institut National De La Recherche Agronomique (INRA)
item SERVIN, BERTRAND - Institut National De La Recherche Agronomique (INRA)
item TOWNLEY, DAVID - Commonwealth Scientific And Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)
item WANG, WENLIANG - Beijing Genome Institute
item WEI, BIN - Beijing Genome Institute
item White, Stephen
item YANG, XINHUA - Beijing Genome Institute
item YE, CHEN - Beijing Genome Institute
item YUE, YAOJING - Chinese Academy Of Agricultural Sciences
item ZENG, PENG - Beijing Genome Institute
item ZHOU, QING - Beijing Genome Institute
item HANSEN, JACOB - University Of Copenhagen
item KRISTENSEN, KARSTEN - University Of Copenhagen
item GIBBS, RICHARD - Baylor College Of Medicine
item FLICEK, PAUL - European Bioinformatics Institute
item WARKUP, CHRISTOPHER - Roslin Institute
item JONES, HUW - Roslin Institute
item ODDY, HUTTON - University Of New England
item NICHOLAS, FRANK - University Of Sydney
item MCEWAN, JOHN - Agresearch
item KIJAS, JAMES - Commonwealth Scientific And Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)
item WANG, JUN - Beijing Genome Institute
item WORLEY, KIM - Baylor College Of Medicine
item ARCHIBALD, ALAN - University Of Edinburgh
item COCKETT, NOELLE - Utah State University
item XUN, XU - Beijing Genome Institute
item WANG, WEN - Chinese Academy Of Sciences
item DALRYMPLE, BRIAN - Commonwealth Scientific And Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)

Submitted to: Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/7/2014
Publication Date: 6/6/2014
Citation: Jiang, Y., Xie, M., Chen, W., Talbot, R., Maddox, J.F., Faraut, T., Wu, C., Muzny, D.M., Li, Y., Zhang, W., Stanton, J., Brauning, R., Barris, W.C., Hourlier, T., Aken, B., Searle, S.M., Adelson, D.L., Bian, C., Cam, G.R., Chen, Y., Chen, S., Desilva, U., Dixen, K., Dong, Y., Fan, G., Franklin, I.R., Fu, S., Fuentes-Utrilla, P., Guan, R., Highland, M.A., Holder, M., Huang, G., Ingham, A.B., Jhangiani, S.N., Kalra, D., Kovar, C.L., Lee, S.L., Liu, W., Liu, X., Lu, C., Lv, T., Mathew, T., Mcwilliam, S., Menzies, M., Pan, S., Robelin, D., Servin, B., Townley, D., Wang, W., Wei, B., White, S.N., Yang, X., Ye, C., Yue, Y., Zeng, P., Zhou, Q., Hansen, J.B., Kristensen, K., Gibbs, R., Flicek, P., Warkup, C.C., Jones, H.E., Oddy, H., Nicholas, F.W., Mcewan, J.C., Kijas, J., Wang, J., Worley, K., Archibald, A.L., Cockett, N., Xun, X., Wang, W., Dalrymple, B.P. 2014. The sheep genome illuminates biology of the rumen and lipid metabolism. Science. 344(6188):1168-1173.

Interpretive Summary: Since their domestication about 11,000 years ago sheep have been a source of meat, milk and wool. Sheep are especially good at efficiently converting low value plant forage/feed into high value animal protein. To investigate the biological basis of their special characteristics, we have completed a high quality reference genome of domestic sheep and a detailed survey of gene expression across 40 tissues. We have identified two new groups of highly expressed genes associated with the evolution of the rumen, the specialized stomach that houses the microbes responsible for initial digestion of feed. We have also identified amplified gene number and/or altered tissue expression patterns of a number of genes involved in fat metabolism. This provides evidence to explain 1) the increased role of fatty acids in ruminants compared to animals with only one stomach, 2) unique properties of skin barrier fats in sheep relative to other animals, and 3) the interactions between fat metabolism and hair/wool synthesis.

Technical Abstract: Sheep (Ovis aries) are a major source of meat, milk, and fiber in the form of wool and represent a distinct class of animals that have a specialized digestive organ, the rumen, that carries out the initial digestion of plant material. We have developed and analyzed a high-quality reference sheep genome and transcriptomes from 40 different tissues. We identified highly expressed genes encoding keratin cross-linking proteins associated with rumen evolution. We also identified genes involved in lipid metabolism that had been amplified and/or had altered tissue expression patterns. This may be in response to changes in the barrier lipids of the skin, an interaction between lipid metabolism and wool synthesis, and an increased role of volatile fatty acids in ruminants compared with nonruminant animals.