Livestock Epigenetics

Livestock Epigenetics reviews advances in the understanding of the molecular basis of epigenetic mechanisms in gene expression in livestock species. Epigenetics impact many economically important traits from growth and development to more efficient reproduction and breeding strategies. The book opens with a broad introductory chapter that discusses the importance of an understanding of epigenetics to efficient and sustainable livestock production. In subsequent chapters the role of epigenetics in specific aspects of animal production are reviewed. The final chapter provides researchers with a valuable basis for the use of comparative epigenetics research to allow research to apply advances across organisms. Livestock Epigenetics provides detailed information on this rapidly expanding field of research with contributions from a global team of experts.

Contributors vii Preface xi 1. Epigenetics of Mammalian Gamete and Embryo Development 3 Nelida Rodriguez–Osorio, Sule Dogan, and Erdogan Memili 2. Epigenetics of Cloned Preimplantation Embryos of Domestic Animals 27 X. Cindy Tian and Sadie L. Marjani 3. Roles of Imprinted Genes in Fertility and Promises of the Genome–Wide Technologies 43 Ashley Driver, Wen Huang, and Hasan Khatib 4. Sheep as an Experimental Model for Human ART: Novel Insights on Phenotypic Alterations in ART–Derived Sheep Conceptuses 59 Pasqualino Loi, Antonella D’Agostino, Marta Czernik, Federica Zacchini, Paola Toschi, Antonella Fidanza, and Grazyna Ptak 5. The DLK1–DIO3 Imprinted Gene Cluster and the Callipyge Phenotype in Sheep 73 Christopher A. Bidwell, Ross L. Tellam, Jolena N. Waddell, Tony Vuocolo, Tracy S. Hadfield, and Noelle E. Cockett 6. Genomic Imprinting and Imprinted Gene Clusters in the Bovine Genome 89 Ikhide G. Imumorin, Sunday O. Peters, and Marcos De Donato 7. Imprinting in Genome Analysis: Modeling Parent–of–Origin Effects in QTL Studies 113 Suzanne Rowe, Stephen Bishop, and D. J. de Koning 8. Epigenetics and Animal Health 131 Juan Luo, Ying Yu, and Jiuzhou Song 9. Epigenetics and microRNAs in Animal Health 147 Fei Tian and Jiuzhou Song 10. Nutrients and Epigenetics in Bovine Cells 161 Cong–jun Li, Robert W. Li, and Ted H. Elsasser Index 179 Color plates appear between pages 148 and 149.