DNA methylation pattern of the goat <i>PITX1</i> gene and its effects on milk performance

Abstract

Abstract. Paired-like homeodomain transcription factor 1 (PITX1) is a pivotal gene in the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis, which is a well-known pathway affecting lactation performance. The aim of this study was to analyze the DNA methylation profile of the PITX1 gene and its relevance to milk performance in Xinong Saanen dairy goats; thus, potential epigenetic markers of lactation performance were identified. A total of 267 goat blood samples were divided into “low” and “high” groups according to two milk traits: the average milk yield (AMY) and the average milk density (AMD). One CpG island in the 3′-flanking region of the PITX1 gene was identified as being related to milk performance. Fisher's exact test demonstrated that the methylation rates of the overall CpG island and the 3rd and 12th CpG-dinucleotide loci in the blood were significantly associated with the AMY, and the overall methylation rate of the high AMY group was relative hypomethylation compared with the low AMY group. The overall methylation rates of this CpG island in mammary gland tissue from dry and lactation periods again exhibited a significant difference: the lactation period showed relative hypomethylation compared with the dry period. Bioinformatic transcription factor binding site prediction identified some lactation performance related transcription factors in this CpG island, such as CTCF, STAT, SMAD, CDEF, SP1, and KLFS. Briefly, overall methylation changes of the CpG island in the PITX1 gene are relevant to lactation performance, which will be valuable for future studies and epigenetic marker-assisted selection (eMAS) in the breeding of goats with respect to lactation performance.

GWAS-Based Identification of New Loci for Milk Yield, Fat, and Protein in Holstein Cattle

“…It is well known that the biological mechanisms of quantitative traits are very complicated, and the present study is only based on SNP data analysis. Some studies have shown that copy number variation and DNA methylation are also related to milk production and quality traits [55][56][57]. The SNP (1.192 kg; p = 1.57 × 10 −8 ) on BTA5 is associated with an increase of PY and it is also within the previously reported QTL region, which is associated with milk fatty acid content.…”

In vitro transdifferentiated signatures of goat preadipocytes into mammary epithelial cells revealed by DNA methylation and transcriptome profiling

“…After cells were stimulated with the exogenous additive, they might respond to stimulation initially by interferon produced by STAT1-mediated immune response ( 39 , 40 ). Whereas, BACH2 is a regulator of fatty acid profiles in mammary gland ( 41 ), CTCF regulates the localization of adhesin protein ( 42 ), and NFIB regulates the formation of alveolar epithelium via the Hippo signaling pathway ( 43 , 44 ). These findings stated that the regulation of TFs is essential for GM-preadipocyte transdifferentiation.…”

Ten Genetic Loci Identified for Milk Yield, Fat, and Protein in Holstein Cattle

“…We suspect that GRPR gene may affect milk fat through the calcium signaling pathway. Because of the complexity of the biological mechanisms of quantitative traits, the study is only based on SNP data, many studies showed that copy number variation and DNA methylation are also associated with milk performance[40–42], The PY-associated SNP on BTA5 is within previously reported QTL region, which is associated with milk fatty acid content, this SNP is in the SLCO1A2 gene, which is encoding solute carrier anion transporter family, member 1A2, the gene participate in digestive system, organic anion transport process and bile secretion pathway (KEGG: 04976). Furthermore, when the association model not fitted PCs as covariance, four SNPs are overlapped with model with fitted PCs:rs109875012 ( ZNF384 ), rs136949224 ( SCARA5 ), rs109421300 ( DGAT1 ), and rs109528658 ( EP400 ), it is suggested that these significant SNPs could more stable and reliable.…”