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Systems biology and livestock production

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 June 2013

D. Headon
D. Headon*
Affiliation:
The Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Midlothian, EH25 9RG, UK
*
†E-mail: denis.headon@roslin.ed.ac.uk
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Abstract

The mapping of complete sets of genes, transcripts and proteins from many organisms has prompted the development of new ‘-omic’ technologies for collecting and analysing very large amounts of data. Now that the tools to generate and interrogate such complete data sets are widely used, much of the focus of biological research has begun to turn towards understanding systems as a whole, rather than studying their components in isolation. This very broadly defined systems approach is being deployed across a range of problems and scales of organisation, including many aspects of the animal sciences. Here I review selected examples of this systems approach as applied to poultry and livestock production, product quality and welfare.

Keywords

systems biologylivestockfeathermusclesheep
Type
Physiology and functional biology of systems
Information
animal , Volume 7 , Issue 12 , December 2013 , pp. 1959 - 1963
Copyright
Copyright © The Animal Consortium 2013 

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Footnotes

This paper is based on a presentation to the joint Annual Conference of the British Society of Animal Science, Animal Science Forum, and the Association for Veterinary Teaching and Research Work, held in Nottingham, UK, from 24 to 25 April 2012.

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