Genomic insights into heat stress response of milk fatty acids in dairy sheep

Milk fatty acid (FA) composition in dairy sheep results from the interaction between genetics, nutrition, and environmental conditions. While differences in feeding systems across climatic regions are known to affect milk FA profiles, exposure to heat stress (HS) can also induce metabolic and hormonal adjustments influencing lipid synthesis, even under uniform management conditions. Understanding the genetic basis of milk FA variation expressed under HS is essential to identify biological mechanisms of thermal resilience and to support breeding strategies under climate change. The objective of this study was to identify genomic regions and biological pathways associated with milk FA composition measured under sustained HS conditions in dairy sheep and to evaluate the potential of specific FAs as indicators of HS resilience. The study involved 314 Massese dairy ewes reared under Mediterranean conditions …