Xuezhong  Zhang , Xiaofang  Lin

Tropical Animal Medicine Research Center, Hainan Institute of Tropical Agricultural Resources, Sanya, 572025, Hainan, China
Author    Correspondence author
Bioscience Methods, 2025, Vol. 16, No. 2   doi: 10.5376/bm.2025.16.0009
Received: 21 Feb., 2025    Accepted: 31 Mar., 2025    Published: 11 Apr., 2025

This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Zhang X.Z., and Lin X.F., 2025, Single-cell multi-omics analysis of epigenetic and transcriptional regulatory mechanisms of goat skeletal muscle development, Bioscience Methods, 16(2): 83-99 (doi: 10.5376/bm.2025.16.0009)

The normal development of goat skeletal muscle is crucial for the growth performance and meat quality of meat goats. This study focuses on the application of single-cell multi-omics technology in the study of goat skeletal muscle development and explores the key mechanisms of epigenetic and transcriptional regulation. This study first outlines the stages, cell types and molecular regulators of goat skeletal muscle development, emphasizing its species-specific characteristics. It then discusses how single-cell transcriptomics can identify cell subpopulations and gene expression profiles in muscle tissue, revealing the heterogeneity and differentiation trajectory of muscle lineage cells. The role of epigenetic mechanisms such as chromatin accessibility, histone modification and DNA methylation in muscle development is then explained, and the method of integrating transcriptome and epigenomic data to construct regulatory networks is introduced. Through case studies, the representative results of single-cell multi-omics in the study of livestock and poultry skeletal muscle development, such as the discovery of key signaling pathways and transcription factors, are summarized, and the implications of these findings for future research and genetic improvement are discussed. Finally, the application prospects of single-cell multi-omics in livestock research are prospected, and possible ways to translate research results into breeding practice are discussed, as well as the challenges faced at the technical, ethical and practical levels. This study aims to provide a comprehensive and systematic insight into the molecular mechanisms of goat skeletal muscle development and provide a scientific basis for genetic breeding and meat quality improvement of goats and other livestock.

Goat; Skeletal muscle development; Single-cell multi-omics; Transcriptional regulation; Epigenetic