Bos taurus horn growth transcriptome raw sequence reads

Hoofed mammal cranial appendages (horns, antlers, pronghorns, ossicones) have difficult to determine homology. This study was a preliminary test of transcriptome similarity between horns and antlers, to provide a basis for future studies of cranial appendage homology. Tissues at the site of horn growth were sampled and sequenced for two cattle calves (a one-month old and a two-month old). RNA was extracted from the samples using a TRIzol+RNeasy column purification protocol. Sequencing was performed on a Roche 454 GS Jr. of pooled, unlabelled samples. The sequences produced from this data represent the first transcriptome of horn growing tissues for these growth stages, and were compared to published sources for shared expression patterns with non-cancerous horns, the polled horn locus, and the proteins expressed during antler growth. This is the first comparison of gene expression between multiple types of cranial appendage. Understanding how overlying tissues and gene expression contribute to the growth of bony appendages has far-ranging implications for bone-health research and agricultural practice.