Reproductive failure is a major contributor to inefficiency within the cow-calf industry. Particularly problematic is the inability to diagnose heifer reproductive issues prior to pregnancy diagnosis following their first breeding season. Therefore, we hypothesized that gene expression from the peripheral white blood cells at weaning could predict the future reproductive potential of beef heifers. To investigate this, the gene expression was measured using RNA-Seq in Angus–Simmental crossbred heifers sampled at weaning and retrospectively classified as fertile (FH, n = 8) or subfertile (SFH, n = 7) after pregnancy diagnosis. We identified 92 differentially expressed genes between the groups. Network co-expression analysis identified 14 and 52 hub targets. ENSBTAG00000052659, OLR1, TFF2, and NAIP were exclusive hubs to the FH group, while 42 hubs were exclusive to the SFH group. The differential connectivity between the networks of each group revealed a gain in connectivity due to the rewiring of major regulators in the SFH group. The exclusive hub targets from FH were over-represented for the CXCR chemokine receptor pathway and inflammasome complex, while for the SFH, they were over-represented for immune response and cytokine production pathways. These multiple interactions revealed novel targets and pathways predicting reproductive potential at an early stage of heifer development.

Triosephosphate Isomerase (TPI) is a glycolytic enzyme. Mutations in this enzyme are associated with a neurodegenerative disorder called TPI Deficiency in humans. In addition to neurological health other cellular processes may be affected by alterations in sugar metabolism. We developed an experiment to assess if flies with a mutant TPI allele called “sugarkill” exhibit reduced egg production or alterations in the circadian rhythm of egg production. Egg production is a highly energy dependent process and therefore alterations in energy production may decrease the ability of the animals to produce eggs. In addition, flies exhibit circadian rhythm phenotypes, of which, include egg laying primarily in the morning. If neurological function is altered, the circadian rhythm for the flies may be altered as well. For this experiment, two different genotypes of Drosophila melanogaster were utilized: flies were either homozygous for the wildtype TPI allele or the mutant TPIsugarkill allele. With each genotype matings were set up with 4 virgin females to every 12 males and then the number of eggs was counted every 4 hours during 12 hour cycles from 7am‐7pm in an incubator set at 25C. Results indicate that while the average clutch size is not different during a 24 hour period the circadian rhythm pattern for egg laying and eclosion is altered in TPIsugarkill flies.

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