Project name: Ovis aries

Description: Microarrays were used for transcription profiling of skeletal muscle samples taken at birth, when the phenotype was not expressed, and 12 weeks of age from Callipyge and wild type sheep. The genes that underlie the expression of the phenotype rather than result from the fibre type change in the affected muscle have been identified.We used microarrays to detail the global programme of gene expression underlying the hypertrophy phenotype and identified distinct classes of regulated genes during this process. A working model that links the muscle hypertrophy phenotype with a core group of transcriptional coregulators is proposed.Keywords: Genotype X muscle X time course studyOverall design: Gene expression analyses were performed primarily on longissimus dorsi skeletal muscle (LD) from Wild type (NN) and Callipyge (NCpat) sheep using Bovine Affymetrix GeneChip microarrays. Two developmental time-points were investigated in this study: newborn (within 5 days of birth; T0) and 11-12 weeks post-birth (T12). The muscle hypertrophy phenotype developed over the first 2-3 months and was associated with a significant change in muscle fibre type (Carpenter et al., 1996; Cockett et al., 1994; 1996; Kerth et al., 2003). One of the objectives of the gene expression analysis was to delineate between those genes that underlie the muscle hypertrophy in Callipyge sheep and those that result from the fibre type change in the affected muscle. To address this issue a comparison was undertaken of gene expression in wild type skeletal muscles with differing fibre type compositions to identify fibre type specific genes. These samples were taken from NN animals at T12. The three skeletal muscles used in this analysis were semimembranosis (SM), semitendinosis (ST) and longissimus dorsi (LD).

Data type: Transcriptome or Gene expression

Sample scope: Multiisolate

Relevance: Agricultural

Release date: 2006-10-04

Last updated: 2006-10-03