Identification of hub genes associated with follicle development in multiple births sheep by WGCNA

Abstract

Sheep exhibit a distinct estrous cycle that includes four different phases: proestrus, estrus, late estrus, and luteal phase. As the estrous cycle repeats, follicular development regularly alternates. We thus investigated ovarian transcriptome data from each of the four phases using weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) to identify modules, pathways, and genes essential to follicle growth and development. We clustered mRNA and long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) into different modules by WGCNA, and calculated correlation coefficients between genes and Stages of the estrous cycle. Co-expression of the black module (cor = 0.81, P<0.001) and the yellow module (cor = 0.61, P<0.04) was found to be critical for follicle growth and development. A total of 2066 genes comprising the black and yellow modules was used for functional enrichment. The results reveal that these genes are mainly enriched in Cell cycle, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, Oocyte meiosis, Apoptosis, and other important signaling pathways. We also identified seven hub genes (BUB1B, MAD2L1, ASPM, HSD3B1, WDHD1, CENPA, and MXI1) that may play a role in follicle development. Our study may provide several important new markers allowing in depth exploration of the genetic basis for multiparous reproduction in sheep.

WD Repeat and HMG Box DNA Binding Protein 1: An Oncoprotein at the Hub of Tumorigenesis and a Novel Therapeutic Target

“…Moreover, there is evidence of increased WDHD1 expression as undifferentiated spermatogonia transition to differentiating spermatogonia in the male germline [65]. Additionally, WDHD1 demonstrates its ability to control follicle maturation in sheep with multiple births by influencing the cell cycle, GnRH signaling pathway, and P53 signaling pathway [66].…”