The impact of Sarcocystis infection on lamb flavor metabolites and its underlying molecular mechanisms

作者：Kang Zhang, Huan Teng, Li Zhu, Bin Ni, J. Lai, Shanshan Li, Yunong Zhao, Xiao-Ying Guo, Danqu Lamu · 发表于：Frontiers in Veterinary Science · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.3389/fvets.2025.1543081 · 被引用次数：1 · 研究领域：Medicine

Introduction Meat flavor is a critical factor for consumers to evaluate meat quality and a key determinant of its market value. Sarcocystis spp. are widely distributed parasitic protozoa that infect livestock, leading to reduced meat quality, fur, and fiber, and causing significant economic losses. However, most studies focus on the pathogenic mechanisms and epidemiological characteristics of Sarcocystis, with limited research on its specific impact on meat quality and flavor, particularly the underlying molecular regulatory mechanisms. Methods This study investigated the effects of Sarcocystis infection on meat flavor and its molecular mechanisms in Tibetan sheep using flavor metabolite analysis and transcriptomic approaches. Tibetan sheep raised under uniform conditions were divided into four groups based on infection severity: normal, low-infection, moderate-infection, and high-infection. Leg muscle samples were collected for flavor metabolite analysis and transcriptome sequencing. Differentially expressed metabolites (DEMs) and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified, and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis was performed to explore how Sarcocystis infection regulates gene expression, affecting lipid, amino acid, and energy metabolism, ultimately altering the production and accumulation of flavor metabolites. Results The results showed that Sarcocystis infection significantly altered the composition of flavor metabolites in Tibetan sheep meat as infection severi...