title: Solexa-Sequencing Based Transcriptome Study of Plaice Skin Phenotype in Rex Rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus).
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Fur is an important genetically-determined characteristic of domestic rabbits; rabbit furs are of great economic value. We used the Solexa sequencing technology to assess gene expression in skin tissues from full-sib Rex rabbits of different phenotypes in order to explore the molecular mechanisms associated with fur determination.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Transcriptome analysis included de novo assembly, gene function identification, and gene function classification and enrichment. We obtained 74,032,912 and 71,126,891 short reads of 100 nt, which were assembled into 377,618 unique sequences by Trinity strategy (N50=680 nt). Based on BLAST results with known proteins, 50,228 sequences were identified at a cut-off E-value ≥ 10-5. Using Blast to Gene Ontology (GO), Clusters of Orthologous Groups (KOG) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), we obtained several genes with important protein functions. A total of 308 differentially expressed genes were obtained by transcriptome analysis of plaice and un-plaice phenotype animals; 209 additional differentially expressed genes were not found in any database. These genes included 49 that were only expressed in plaice skin rabbits. The novel genes may play important roles during skin growth and development. In addition, 99 known differentially expressed genes were assigned to PI3K-Akt signaling, focal adhesion, and ECM-receptor interactin, among others. Growth factors play a role in skin growth and development by regulating these signaling pathways. We confirmed the altered expression levels of seven target genes by qRT-PCR. And chosen a key gene for SNP to found the differentially between plaice and un-plaice phenotypes rabbit.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The rabbit transcriptome profiling data provide new insights in understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying rabbit skin growth and development.
authors.affiliation: Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Institute, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; Chemistry and Life Science, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, Zhejiang, China.
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.affiliation: Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Institute, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Institute, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
authors.forename: Qiang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.affiliation: Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Institute, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
authors.forename: Chenwen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.affiliation: Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Institute, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
authors.forename: Quanan
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Ji
authors.affiliation: Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Institute, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
authors.forename: Guolian
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bao
authors.affiliation: College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou Uuniversity, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China.
authors.forename: Xinsheng
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D005091:Exons / Q000235:genetics; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D059014:High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing / Q000379:methods*; D058977:Molecular Sequence Annotation; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010641:Phenotype; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide / Q000235:genetics; D011786:Quality Control; D011817:Rabbits; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012867:Skin / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D012984:Software; D059467:Transcriptome / Q000235:genetics*; D000097794:Kalinin
chemical_list: D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules; D000097794:Kalinin