Wei Liu , Shudan Yan

Institute of Life Science, Jiyang College of Zhejiang A&F University, Zhuji, 311800, China
Author    Correspondence author
Genomics and Applied Biology, 2025, Vol. 16, No. 1   
Received: 21 Dec., 2024    Accepted: 02 Jan., 2025    Published: 14 Jan., 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.

This study identified several key genes and pathways linked to disease resistance. Notably, genes involved in the humoral immune response, protein synthesis, inflammatory response, and hematological system development were found to be critical. Central genes such as IL4, IL5, IL13RA2, and IL13 were highlighted for their role in Th2 polarized responses, which are crucial for resistance to nematode infections. Additionally, pathways related to cytokine-mediated immune response and the PPARG signaling pathway were enriched in resistant sheep. The study also identified polymorphisms in immune pathway genes on sheep chromosome 3, which were associated with resistance traits. Furthermore, genomic regions containing candidate genes like ABCB1, IL6, WNT5A, and IRF5 were proposed as potential biomarkers for selecting resilient sheep. The findings of this study provide significant insights into the genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying disease resistance in sheep. The identification of key genes and pathways not only enhances our understanding of host-pathogen interactions but also offers potential genetic markers for breeding programs hoped at improving disease resistance in sheep populations.

Sheep (Ovis aries); Disease resistance; Genomic analysis; Transcriptomic analysis; Gastrointestinal nematodes; Immune response; Genetic markers