MeHA: A Computational Framework in Revealing the Genetic Basis of Animal Mental Health Traits Under an Intensive Farming System—A Case Study in Pigs
Intensively farmed animals such as pigs inevitably experience a certain degree of psychological stress, which leads to a reduction in production performance. Mental health traits are currently difficult to measure, resulting in a gap in understanding their genetic basis. To address this challenge, w...
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MDPI AG
2024-10-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/13/10/843 |
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| author | Jinyun Jiang Lingyao Xu Yizheng Zhuang Xingyu Wei Zhenyang Zhang Wei Zhao Qingyu Wang Xiaowei Ye Jiamin Gu Caiyun Cao Jiabao Sun Kan He Zhe Zhang Qishan Wang Yuchun Pan Zhen Wang |
| author_facet | Jinyun Jiang Lingyao Xu Yizheng Zhuang Xingyu Wei Zhenyang Zhang Wei Zhao Qingyu Wang Xiaowei Ye Jiamin Gu Caiyun Cao Jiabao Sun Kan He Zhe Zhang Qishan Wang Yuchun Pan Zhen Wang |
| author_sort | Jinyun Jiang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Intensively farmed animals such as pigs inevitably experience a certain degree of psychological stress, which leads to a reduction in production performance. Mental health traits are currently difficult to measure, resulting in a gap in understanding their genetic basis. To address this challenge, we propose a computational framework called mental health of animals (MeHA), capable of revealing genes related to animal mental health traits. Using MeHA, we identified 109 candidate genes associated with pig mental health and discovered their intricate connections with critical functions, such as memory, cognition, and neural development, which are essential components of mental health and cognitive performance. Importantly, our findings provide evidence of the potential impact of these genes on economically important traits, including meat quality and piglet survival. This research underscores the importance of genetic studies in enhancing our understanding of animal behavior and cognition, as well as promoting agricultural practices. By applying our approach to study the genetic basis of mental health in pigs as a case, we confirmed that our framework is an effective way to reveal genetic factors affecting animal mental health traits, which contributes to animal welfare and has potential implications for understanding human mental disorders. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ffee149fd857479ab0c3235cf11df55a |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2079-7737 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Biology |
| spelling | doaj-art-ffee149fd857479ab0c3235cf11df55a2025-08-20T02:10:57ZengMDPI AGBiology2079-77372024-10-01131084310.3390/biology13100843MeHA: A Computational Framework in Revealing the Genetic Basis of Animal Mental Health Traits Under an Intensive Farming System—A Case Study in PigsJinyun Jiang0Lingyao Xu1Yizheng Zhuang2Xingyu Wei3Zhenyang Zhang4Wei Zhao5Qingyu Wang6Xiaowei Ye7Jiamin Gu8Caiyun Cao9Jiabao Sun10Kan He11Zhe Zhang12Qishan Wang13Yuchun Pan14Zhen Wang15College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, ChinaCollege of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, ChinaCollege of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, ChinaCollege of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, ChinaCollege of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, ChinaSciGene Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Hefei 230031, ChinaCollege of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, ChinaCollege of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, ChinaCollege of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, ChinaCollege of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, ChinaCollege of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, ChinaCenter for Stem Cell and Translational Medicine, School of Life Sciences, Anhui University, Hefei 230601, ChinaCollege of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, ChinaCollege of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, ChinaCollege of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, ChinaCollege of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, ChinaIntensively farmed animals such as pigs inevitably experience a certain degree of psychological stress, which leads to a reduction in production performance. Mental health traits are currently difficult to measure, resulting in a gap in understanding their genetic basis. To address this challenge, we propose a computational framework called mental health of animals (MeHA), capable of revealing genes related to animal mental health traits. Using MeHA, we identified 109 candidate genes associated with pig mental health and discovered their intricate connections with critical functions, such as memory, cognition, and neural development, which are essential components of mental health and cognitive performance. Importantly, our findings provide evidence of the potential impact of these genes on economically important traits, including meat quality and piglet survival. This research underscores the importance of genetic studies in enhancing our understanding of animal behavior and cognition, as well as promoting agricultural practices. By applying our approach to study the genetic basis of mental health in pigs as a case, we confirmed that our framework is an effective way to reveal genetic factors affecting animal mental health traits, which contributes to animal welfare and has potential implications for understanding human mental disorders.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/13/10/843computational frameworkmental healthanimal welfarebrain |
| spellingShingle | Jinyun Jiang Lingyao Xu Yizheng Zhuang Xingyu Wei Zhenyang Zhang Wei Zhao Qingyu Wang Xiaowei Ye Jiamin Gu Caiyun Cao Jiabao Sun Kan He Zhe Zhang Qishan Wang Yuchun Pan Zhen Wang MeHA: A Computational Framework in Revealing the Genetic Basis of Animal Mental Health Traits Under an Intensive Farming System—A Case Study in Pigs Biology computational framework mental health animal welfare brain |
| title | MeHA: A Computational Framework in Revealing the Genetic Basis of Animal Mental Health Traits Under an Intensive Farming System—A Case Study in Pigs |
| title_full | MeHA: A Computational Framework in Revealing the Genetic Basis of Animal Mental Health Traits Under an Intensive Farming System—A Case Study in Pigs |
| title_fullStr | MeHA: A Computational Framework in Revealing the Genetic Basis of Animal Mental Health Traits Under an Intensive Farming System—A Case Study in Pigs |
| title_full_unstemmed | MeHA: A Computational Framework in Revealing the Genetic Basis of Animal Mental Health Traits Under an Intensive Farming System—A Case Study in Pigs |
| title_short | MeHA: A Computational Framework in Revealing the Genetic Basis of Animal Mental Health Traits Under an Intensive Farming System—A Case Study in Pigs |
| title_sort | meha a computational framework in revealing the genetic basis of animal mental health traits under an intensive farming system a case study in pigs |
| topic | computational framework mental health animal welfare brain |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/13/10/843 |
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