Identification of effective genes in skeletal muscle development during sheep pregnancy

The embryonic development program is the response of the mammalian organism during a critical period of development that qualitatively changes development. The study of genes is a way to improve the fetal development program and increase skeletal muscle meat production. In this research, the data were downloaded from the GEO database with the accession number GSE23563. The LIMMA package was used to control the quality of raw data and analyze the differentially expressed genes. Analysis of gene ontology and biological pathways was done using Enrichr online server. STRING software was used to find interactions between genes and Cytoscape software was used to further analyze interactions and display their network. The results showed that a total of 445 genes were differentially expressed between 70 and 120 days of pregnancy, and a total of 84 genes were differentially expressed between 120 and 135 days of pregnancy. Using Venn diagram software, 34 common genes were identified between these periods. The results of gene ontology and pathway showed that in the period of 70 to 120 days, regulation of cell population proliferation, muscle tissue development, myoblast differentiation, negative regulation of developmental growth, negative regulation of developmental process, positive regulation of cell development, regulation of fibroblast proliferation, Signaling pathways (PI3K-Akt, HIF-1, Rap1, PPAR, MAPK), ECM receptor interaction, insulin resistance and in the period of 120 to 135 days, regulation of cell differentiation, regulation of differentiation Muscle cells, positive regulation of cell differentiation, positive regulation of developmental process, regulation of cell population proliferation, negative regulation of growth, negative regulation of cell population proliferation, embryonic organ development, Signaling pathways (MAPK, p53), the important functional activities and pathways were related to the development of skeletal muscle during the pregnancy period of sheep. Hub genes ESR1, PTK7, TNFSF11, and CEBPB were identified among the common genes between the two time periods. These genes can be used in animal breeding to solve the problems of low birth weight animals, reducing meat production, diseases caused by low animal weight and increasing mortality at birth.