Whole Blood Transcriptome Analysis Reveals Footprints of Cattle Adaptation to Sub-Arctic Conditions
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Abstract
Indigenous cattle breeds in northern Eurasia have adapted to harsh climate conditions. The local breeds are important genetic resources with cultural and historical heritages, and therefore, their preservation and genetic characterization are important. In this study, we profiled the whole-blood transcriptome of two native breeds (Northern Finncattle and Yakutian cattle) and one commercial breed (Holstein) using high-throughput RNA sequencing. More than 15 000 genes were identified, of which two, 89 and 162 genes were significantly upregulated exclusively in Northern Finncattle, Yakutian cattle and Holstein cattle respectively. The functional classification of these significantly differentially expressed genes identified several biological processes and pathways related to signalling mechanisms, cell differentiation and host-pathogen interactions that, in general, point towards immunity and disease resistance mechanisms. The gene expression pattern observed in Northern Finncattle was more similar to that of Yakutian cattle, despite sharing similar living conditions with the Holstein cattle included in our study. In conclusion, our study identified unique biological processes in these breeds that may have helped them to adapt and survive in northern and sub-arctic environments.
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HBS1, which is associated with the GO term "regulation of lipid transport", was found to be downregulated in Yakutian cattle.
“HBS1, which is associated with the GO term “regulation of lipid transport”, was found to be downregulated in Yakutian cattle [107].”
From The Genomic Landscape of Cattle: Domestication, Dispersal, and Adaptive Evolution (2026) · cites this paper as [107]
In Results and discussion, under “Uniquely differentially expressed genes” (page unavailable), the paper associates the GO term “regulation of lipid transport” with genes downregulated in Yakutian cattle. It names THBS1, not HBS1, among those genes; the specific gene attribution in the claim is therefore unsupported. (LLM, conf=0.88)
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- Authors
- Pokharel, K., Weldenegodguad, M., Popov, R., Honkatukia, M., Huuki, H., Lindeberg, H., Peippo, J., Reilas, T., Zarovnyaev, S., & Kantanen, J.
- Affiliations
- Natural Resources Institute Finland (FI)
- University of Eastern Finland (FI)
- Yakut Scientific Research Institute of Agriculture (RU)
- GBU Saha Agroplem ul. Ordzhonkidze 20/204 Yakutsk 67700 The Sakha Republic (Yakutia) Russia
- Corresponding author
- Kantanen, J.
- ORCID
- Venue
- Animal Genetics
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2019-04-07
- Volume
- 50
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 217-227
- ISSN
- 0268-9146 (ISSN-L)
- 1365-2052
- PMC
- PMC6593690
- OpenAlex
- W2887749813
- Cited by
- 23
- References
- 45
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 4
- FWCI
- 1.64
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Animal Genetics (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) (acceptedVersion, cc-by-nd)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Jukuri (Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke)) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Funders
- Academy of Finland (286040)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Genetic and phenotypic traits in livestock
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Animal Science and Zoology › Effects of Environmental Stressors on Livestock
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Agronomy and Crop Science › Livestock Farming and Management
- Keywords
- cattle adaptation, whole blood transcriptome, Holstein cows, indigenous cattle breeds, differentially expressed genes, host-pathogen interaction, immunity, disease resistance, gene expression, Northern Eurasia
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Blood, Cattle, Gene Expression Regulation, Gene Expression Profiling, Metabolic Networks and Pathways
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