Study on the Application of GnRH in the Superovulation of Yak (Bos grunniens) Based on Transcriptomics and Metabolomics
HU Xing-Quan1,2, WANG Li-Bin1,2,*, WANG Meng1,2, GAO Xing-Fu3, PAN Yang-Yang1,2, MA Xin1,2, JIAO Zheng-Xing1,2, WANG Shao-Chun1,2
1 College of Veterinary Medicine, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China; 2 Gansu Innovation Centre for Livestock Embryo Engineering and Technology, Lanzhou 730070, China; 3 Gaolan County Gansu Province Animal Disease Prevention and Control Center, Lanzhou 730200, China
Abstract：Superovulation represents a critical component of embryo transfer, however, repeated use of the superovulation protocols currently available on the market has the potential to result in a decline in the ovarian reserve of donor yaks (Bos grunniens). The objective of this study was to enhance the economic efficiency of superovulation in donor yak. To this end, the donor yak were randomly divided into 2 groups for a 9-day treatment period. For the initial 7-day period, both groups received the same treatment, after which they were given an ovulation induction hormone injection on day 7. The experimental groups were subjected to different protocols: one group was induced to ovulate with prostaglandin (PG), while the other group was induced to ovulate with gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH). Concurrently, serum concentration of anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) were measured using an ELISA Kit on day 7, 45 minutes post-injection, and 36 h post-injection. Serum concentration of progesterone (P4) were measured on days 0, 3, 7, and 36 h post-injection on day 7. Furthermore, a protocol (FSH-PG) that was available for commercial use was utilised as the control group. Blood samples were collected 36 h after drug injection on day 7 for combined whole-blood transcriptomics and plasma metabolomics analysis to elucidate the mechanism by which the new experimental protocol restores normal ovarian function. The results demonstrated that the novel protocol restored serum AMH concentrations to physiological levels in yaks and elevated post-ovulatory progesterone concentrations. Integrative transcriptomic and metabolomic analysis revealed enrichment primarily in the cAMP signalling pathway and phosphoinositide 3-kinase-protein kinase B (PI3K-Akt) signalling pathway.This study successfully demonstrated that GnRH-induced ovulation offered advantages over PG-induced ovulation in maintaining ovarian endocrine homeostasis during superovulation. Furthermore, a combined analysis was performed to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying the maintenance of ovarian endocrine homeostasis. This analysis successfully identified 17 target genes and 2 metabolites that contributed to the maintenance of endocrine homeostasis in the ovaries of donor yaks following superovulation. This study has significant practical value for the conservation and industrial-scale breeding of yaks at high altitudes.
胡兴泉, 王立斌, 王萌, 高兴富, 潘阳阳, 马鑫, 焦正兴, 王韶春. 基于转录组学和代谢组学探究GnRH在牦牛超数排卵中的应用[J]. 农业生物技术学报, 2026, 34(11): 2382-2393.
HU Xing-Quan, WANG Li-Bin, WANG Meng, GAO Xing-Fu, PAN Yang-Yang, MA Xin, JIAO Zheng-Xing, WANG Shao-Chun. Study on the Application of GnRH in the Superovulation of Yak (Bos grunniens) Based on Transcriptomics and Metabolomics. 农业生物技术学报, 2026, 34(11): 2382-2393.
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