ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Vet. Sci.

Sec. Animal Nutrition and Metabolism

Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1633786

Transcriptomic sequencing and differential analysis of kazakh horse muscles from various anatomical locations

Provisionally accepted
Mierkadina  • WubulikasimuMierkadina • Wubulikasimu1Jiahao  LiuJiahao Liu2Xinkui  YaoXinkui Yao2Jun  MengJun Meng2Jianwen  WANGJianwen WANG2Yaqi  ZengYaqi Zeng2Linling  LiLinling Li2Wanlu  RenWanlu Ren2*
  • 1Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi, China
  • 2Xinjiang Agricultural University, Ürümqi, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

Kazakh horses, a distinguished breed in China known for their dual-purpose use in milk and meat production, exhibit early maturation, tolerance to coarse feeding, and strong resistance to environmental stress. However, the gene expression differences across various muscle tissues of Kazakh horses have yet to be elucidated. In this study, transcriptomic sequencing was performed on muscle tissues from three anatomical regions of Kazakh horses, including the longissimus dorsi (Gb), external oblique (Gf), and diaphragm (Gg) muscles. In the Gb and Gf groups, 426 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified, including TPM1, TNNI2, ACTN3, and MYH8, of which 147 were upregulated and 279 downregulated. In the Gf and Gg groups, 1,762 DEGs were detected, including MYBPH, SLC39A8, EMX2, and GRB7, with 1,391 upregulated and 371 downregulated. Additionally, 644 DEGs were identified between the Gg and Gb groups, including HOXD9, TBX1, LDHA, and PKM, with 172 upregulated and 472 downregulated. GO annotation and KEGG enrichment analysis revealed that the DEGs, such as TPM1, TNNI2, ACTN3, and MYH8, were primarily involved in System Development, Extracellular Space, and Protein-Arginine Deiminase Activity. Furthermore, pathways related to skeletal muscle growth, including Cytoskeleton in Muscle Cells, Cytokine-Cytokine Receptor Interaction, and Motor Proteins, were significantly enriched. RT-qPCR analysis validated the accuracy of the transcriptomic sequencing data. This study provides valuable insights into the differential expression of genes and related signaling pathways in various muscle tissues of Kazakh horses, rendering a theoretical foundation and data references for understanding skeletal muscle growth and improving meat production in equines.

Keywords: Kazakh horse, skeletal muscle, Transcriptome, mRNA, Differentially expressed gene

Received: 23 May 2025; Accepted: 07 Jul 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Wubulikasimu, Liu, Yao, Meng, WANG, Zeng, Li and Ren. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Wanlu Ren, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Ürümqi, China

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