Transcriptomic analysis of eyelid pigmentation in Hereford cattle

The study of skin and coat color in cattle has both economic and scientific interests. Several ocular pathologies of cattle have been associated with low pigmentation of the eyelids, including ocular squamous cell carcinoma and infectious keratoconjunctivitis, the two most common ocular pathologies affecting cattle production. One potential strategy to reduce the incidence of these pathologies in cattle is to identify and select animals with pigmented eyelids. In this study, we investigated the transcriptome of eyelid skin in Hereford cattle using RNA-Seq technology.

牛皮肤与被毛颜色的研究兼具经济与科学价值。牛的多种眼部病症均与眼睑色素沉着不足存在关联，其中影响牛养殖业最常见的两类眼部病症为眼鳞状细胞癌（ocular squamous cell carcinoma）与传染性角膜结膜炎（infectious keratoconjunctivitis）。筛选眼睑色素沉着正常的牛只，是降低此类眼部病症发病率的潜在可行策略。本研究采用RNA测序（RNA-Seq）技术，对海福特牛（Hereford cattle）的眼睑皮肤转录组进行了分析。