Effect of transport stress on apoptosis and autophagy in goat lung cells

Yu Zhuo¹Yunhai Hu¹Yangshan Jin¹Tian Ye¹Yanzhen Yang¹Ben Liu^1,2,3*Wenya Zheng^1,3*Songlin Ding¹Xue Yang^1,3Lucheng Zheng^1,2Wei Hu^1,2Manxin Fang^1,2Wanting Yi¹Wenjing Xing¹

• ¹Yichun University, Yichun, China
• ²Jiangxi Lvke Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Technology Co. LTD, Yichun 336000, Jiangxi, China, China
• ³Engineering Technology Research Center of Jiangxi Universities and Colleges for Selenium Agriculture, Yichun 336000, Jiangxi, China, China

Road transportation exposes goats to thermal, mechanical, and microbial stressors that may compromise welfare by triggering pulmonary apoptosis and autophagy processes associated with tissue damage and immunosuppression. To explore potential biomarkers for transport-related welfare assessment, this study analyzed lung tissues from Ganxi goats (n=9, 0h control, 2h/6h transport groups) using immunohistochemistry and qPCR. Results indicated time-dependent cellular stress patterns: the 2h group displayed elevated apoptosis rates, while the 6h group exhibited upregulated Parkin expression (P<0.05) and altered regulation of apoptotic (Bax/Bcl-2) and autophagy-related genes (LC3B, p62, PINK1/Parkin). Protein localization analyses revealed compartment-specific responses, with Bcl-2/Bax primarily in bronchial epithelia and LC3B/PINK1/Parkin in alveolar cells, suggesting spatially distinct stress adaptation mechanisms. Observed molecular changes coincided with histological evidence of pulmonary alterations, implying a potential interplay between apoptosis and autophagy in transport-induced cellular stress. The identification of time-sensitive molecular shifts (e.g., transient apoptosis elevation at 2h, progressive Parkin activation at 6h) could inform hypotheses for monitoring transport-associated physiological responses. These findings highlight the need for further investigation into transport duration effects, with shorter intervals (e.g., ≤2h) warranting evaluation for acute stress mitigation, and prolonged transport (e.g., >6h) requiring characterization of cumulative autophagic impacts.The mechanistic insights may contribute to developing science-informed strategies for assessing transport stress, aligning animal welfare research with objectives to enhance sustainable livestock management practices.