METTL3 and FTO on Heat Stress in Sheep

Heat stress is an important environmental factor affecting livestock production worldwide. Pri-mary hepatocytes and preadipocytes derived from Hu sheep were used to establish a heat stress model. Quantitative reverse transcriptase-PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis showed that heat induction significantly increased the expression levels of heat stress protein (HSP) genes and the N6-methyladenosine (m6A) methylation modification genes: methyltransferase-like protein 3 (METTL3), methyltransferase-like protein 14 (METTL14), and fat mass and obesity associated protein (FTO). Heat stress simultaneously promoted cell apoptosis. Transcriptome sequencing identified 3,980 upregulated genes and 2,420 downregulated genes related to heat stress. Pathway enrichment analysis of these genes revealed significant enrichment in fatty acid biosynthesis, degradation, and the PI3K-Akt and PPAR signaling pathways.