A new study maps regulatory elements in the sheep genome, offering livestock breeders tools to enhance animal health and quality. It pinpoints gene promoters and enhancers across key tissues, aiding selection for traits like efficient digestion or muscle growth while avoiding traits associated with disease.
The research, the first detailed analysis on sheep, builds on prior work showing conserved genomic regions that control gene expression across species. Scientists created a precise map of these elements' locations, focusing on how they function in various cell types to maintain tissue-specific roles. Using samples from the Rambouillet ewe that provided the sheep reference genome, the team examined core tissues and organs such as the heart, liver, lungs, intestines, stomach, and brain regions.
“We need to characterize gene regulatory regions in genomes for each species so we can understand the mechanisms that affect gene expression,” said Brenda Murdoch, corresponding author of the study published in Nature Communications. Genes operate similarly across species, but mutations in regulatory regions and coding sequences are species-specific. While DNA coding gene locations were already known in sheep, this work revealed where modulation of gene expression occurs.
“This is one of the biggest and most ambitious livestock experiments relating to gene regulation,” said study co-author Gordon Murdoch. “It offers a platform to explore future research across many animal species, and it immediately translates a complex understanding of genetics, making it relevant to the producer.”
The study confirmed that gene regulation shapes an organism’s phenotype, or observable traits, and clarified how genomic changes influence biological outcomes. Experiments explored DNA attributes that promote or enhance gene expression in sheep tissues.
“We already had some knowledge about these tissues and their different functions,” said Gordon Murdoch. “For example, we knew that brain tissue develops very differently from muscle tissue. Because this experiment validated our previous genetic analysis, we knew we could likely trust anything novel that came out of this study.”
“We are on the cusp of understanding the intricacies of how genotype results in phenotype,” added Gordon Murdoch. “When considering ways to improve an animal through breeding, you would never select for traits that are beneficial to one type of tissue but damage another. Tissue differences are critical to animal health, well-being, and functioning. The more we understand about how genes are regulated, the more we can limit undesirable effects in breeding.”
Publication details: Xie, S., Davenport, K.M., Salavati, M. et al. Identification of cis-regulatory elements provides insights into tissue-specific gene regulation in the sheep genome. Nat Commun 17, 2413 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-70382-7
The research, the first detailed analysis on sheep, builds on prior work showing conserved genomic regions that control gene expression across species. Scientists created a precise map of these elements' locations, focusing on how they function in various cell types to maintain tissue-specific roles. Using samples from the Rambouillet ewe that provided the sheep reference genome, the team examined core tissues and organs such as the heart, liver, lungs, intestines, stomach, and brain regions.
“We need to characterize gene regulatory regions in genomes for each species so we can understand the mechanisms that affect gene expression,” said Brenda Murdoch, corresponding author of the study published in Nature Communications. Genes operate similarly across species, but mutations in regulatory regions and coding sequences are species-specific. While DNA coding gene locations were already known in sheep, this work revealed where modulation of gene expression occurs.
“This is one of the biggest and most ambitious livestock experiments relating to gene regulation,” said study co-author Gordon Murdoch. “It offers a platform to explore future research across many animal species, and it immediately translates a complex understanding of genetics, making it relevant to the producer.”
The study confirmed that gene regulation shapes an organism’s phenotype, or observable traits, and clarified how genomic changes influence biological outcomes. Experiments explored DNA attributes that promote or enhance gene expression in sheep tissues.
“We already had some knowledge about these tissues and their different functions,” said Gordon Murdoch. “For example, we knew that brain tissue develops very differently from muscle tissue. Because this experiment validated our previous genetic analysis, we knew we could likely trust anything novel that came out of this study.”
“We are on the cusp of understanding the intricacies of how genotype results in phenotype,” added Gordon Murdoch. “When considering ways to improve an animal through breeding, you would never select for traits that are beneficial to one type of tissue but damage another. Tissue differences are critical to animal health, well-being, and functioning. The more we understand about how genes are regulated, the more we can limit undesirable effects in breeding.”
Publication details: Xie, S., Davenport, K.M., Salavati, M. et al. Identification of cis-regulatory elements provides insights into tissue-specific gene regulation in the sheep genome. Nat Commun 17, 2413 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-70382-7