# Topics and Trends in Most Cited Animal Genetics and Reproduction Papers, Class of 2026

*Canonical URL: https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/animal-genetics-and-reproduction/2026*

## What topics and trends defined most-cited Animal Genetics and Reproduction research in the Class of 2026?

Research in animal genetics and reproduction is led by genomic selection and single-cell transcriptomics alongside targeted CRISPR modifications. Cohort trends show rapid growth in genomic breeding tools, reproductive maternal factors, and multi-gene xenotransplantation models, while generalized gene-editing tool validations have given way to applied trait modification.

## At a glance

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Field | Animal Genetics and Reproduction |
| Cohort label | Class of 2026 (2024 publications) |
| Papers analyzed | 2,658 |
| Papers ranked | 20 |
| Top topics in ranked papers | Genomic selection, CRISPR-Cas9, single-cell RNA sequencing, xenotransplantation, reproductive factors |
| Publication window | Jan 1, 2024 – Dec 31, 2024 |
| Eligibility | Research articles; reviews excluded |
| Citation window | 18 months post-publication |
| 18m citation range | 17–118 |
| Data source | OpenAlex · Retrieved Jul 2026 |
| License | CC BY 4.0 |

## Rankings

| Rank | Title | Authors | Corresponding authors | Affiliation | Journal | 18m citations | DOI |
| ---: | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---: | --- |
| 1 | A compendium of genetic regulatory effects across pig tissues | Jinyan Teng, Yahui Gao, Hongwei Yin, Zhonghao Bai, Shuli Liu, Haonan Zeng, PigGTEx Consortium, Lijing Bai, Zexi Cai, Bingru Zhao, Xiujin Li, Zhiting Xu, Qing Lin, Zhangyuan Pan, Wenjing Yang, Xiaoshan Yu, Dailu Guan, Yali Hou, Brittney N Keel, Gary A Rohrer, Amanda K Lindholm-Perry, William T Oliver, Maria Ballester, Daniel Crespo-Piazuelo, Raquel Quintanilla, Oriol Canela-Xandri, Konrad Rawlik, Charley Xia, Yuelin Yao, Qianyi Zhao, Wenye Yao, Liu Yang, Houcheng Li, Huicong Zhang, Wang Liao, Tianshuo Chen, Peter Karlskov-Mortensen, Merete Fredholm, Marcel Amills, Alex Clop, Elisabetta Giuffra, Jun Wu, Xiaodian Cai, Shuqi Diao, Xiangchun Pan, Chen Wei, Jinghui Li, Hao Cheng, Sheng Wang, Guosheng Su, Goutam Sahana, Mogens Sandø Lund, Jack C M Dekkers, Luke Kramer, Christopher K Tuggle, Ryan Corbett, Martien A M Groenen, Ole Madsen, Marta Gòdia, Dominique Rocha, Mathieu Charles, Cong-Jun Li, Hubert Pausch, Xiaoxiang Hu, Laurent Frantz, Yonglun Luo, Lin Lin, Zhongyin Zhou, Zhe Zhang, Zitao Chen, Leilei Cui, Ruidong Xiang, Xia Shen, Pinghua Li, Ruihua Huang, Guoqing Tang, Mingzhou Li, Yunxiang Zhao, Guoqiang Yi, Zhonglin Tang, Jicai Jiang, Fuping Zhao, Xiaolong Yuan, Xiaohong Liu, Yaosheng Chen, Xuewen Xu, Shuhong Zhao, Pengju Zhao, Chris Haley, Huaijun Zhou, Qishan Wang, Yuchun Pan, Xiangdong Ding, Li Ma, Jiaqi Li, Pau Navarro, Qin Zhang, Bingjie Li, Albert Tenesa, Kui Li, George E Liu, Zhe Zhang, Lingzhao Fang | Zhe Zhang, Albert Tenesa, George E. Liu | South China Agricultural University, China | Nature Genetics | 118 | 10.1038/s41588-023-01585-7 |
| 2 | Hagfish genome elucidates vertebrate whole-genome duplication events and their evolutionary consequences | Daqi Yu, Yandong Ren, Masahiro Uesaka, Alan J S Beavan, Matthieu Muffato, Jieyu Shen, Yongxin Li, Iori Sato, Wenting Wan, James W Clark, Joseph N Keating, Emily M Carlisle, Richard P Dearden, Sam Giles, Emma Randle, Robert S Sansom, Roberto Feuda, James F Fleming, Fumiaki Sugahara, Carla Cummins, Mateus Patricio, Wasiu Akanni, Salvatore D'Aniello, Cristiano Bertolucci, Naoki Irie, Cantas Alev, Guojun Sheng, Alex de Mendoza, Ignacio Maeso, Manuel Irimia, Bastian Fromm, Kevin J Peterson, Sabyasachi Das, Masayuki Hirano, Jonathan P Rast, Max D Cooper, Jordi Paps, Davide Pisani, Shigeru Kuratani, Fergal J Martin, Wen Wang, Philip C J Donoghue, Yong E Zhang, Juan Pascual-Anaya | Fergal J. Martin, Wen Wang, Philip C. J. Donoghue, Yong E. Zhang, Juan Pascual‐Anaya | Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China | Nature Ecology & Evolution | 59 | 10.1038/s41559-023-02299-z |
| 3 | A conserved fertilization complex bridges sperm and egg in vertebrates | Victoria E Deneke, Andreas Blaha, Yonggang Lu, Johannes P Suwita, Jonne M Draper, Clara S Phan, Karin Panser, Alexander Schleiffer, Laurine Jacob, Theresa Humer, Karel Stejskal, Gabriela Krssakova, Elisabeth Roitinger, Dominik Handler, Maki Kamoshita, Tyler D R Vance, Xinyin Wang, Joachim M Surm, Yehu Moran, Jeffrey E Lee, Masahito Ikawa, Andrea Pauli | Victoria E. Deneke, Andrea Pauli | Research Institute of Molecular Pathology, Austria | Cell | 55 | 10.1016/j.cell.2024.09.035 |
| 4 | Pig-to-human kidney xenotransplants using genetically modified minipigs | Yi Wang, Gang Chen, Dengke Pan, Hui Guo, Hongtao Jiang, Jianli Wang, Hao Feng, Songzhe He, Jiaxiang Du, Man Zhang, Tao Li, Yong Wang, Hang Yu, Huiling Gan, Quan Wen, Zhian Song, Desheng Li, Yifan Yu, Huanliang Wang, Bing Li, Yong You, Shen Zhou, Mingfa Wang, Lili Liu, Liang Xu, Meng Yang, Hua Pei, Kang Zhang, Zhonghua K Chen | Yi Wang, Yong Wang | Hainan Medical University, China | Cell Reports Medicine | 40 | 10.1016/j.xcrm.2024.101744 |
| 5 | Genome engineering with Cas9 and AAV repair templates generates frequent concatemeric insertions of viral vectors | Fabian P Suchy, Daiki Karigane, Yusuke Nakauchi, Maimi Higuchi, Jinyu Zhang, Katja Pekrun, Ian Hsu, Amy C Fan, Toshinobu Nishimura, Carsten T Charlesworth, Joydeep Bhadury, Toshiya Nishimura, Adam C Wilkinson, Mark A Kay, Ravindra Majeti, Hiromitsu Nakauchi | Fabian P. Suchy, Ravindra Majeti, Hiromitsu Nakauchi | Stanford University, United States | Nature Biotechnology | 34 | 10.1038/s41587-024-02171-w |
| 6 | A spontaneously immortalized muscle stem cell line (EfMS) from brown-marbled grouper for cell-cultured fish meat production | Ting Xue, Hongwei Zheng, Yaqi Zhao, Zhenxin Zhao, Jinwu Wang, Yue Zhang, Yaru Li, Song Wang, Yongliang Liu, Changhu Xue, Huarong Guo | Changhu Xue, Huarong Guo | Ocean University of China, China | Communications Biology | 31 | 10.1038/s42003-024-07400-1 |
| 7 | Genome-wide variation study and inter-tissue communication analysis unveil regulatory mechanisms of egg-laying performance in chickens | Dandan Wang, Lizhi Tan, Yihao Zhi, Lina Bu, Yangyang Wang, Zhang Wang, Yulong Guo, Weihua Tian, Chunlin Xu, Donghua Li, Zhuanjian Li, Ruirui Jiang, Ruili Han, Guoxi Li, Yongqiang Wang, Dong Xia, Yadong Tian, Ian C Dunn, Xiaoxiang Hu, Hong Li, Yiqiang Zhao, Xiangtao Kang, Xiaojun Liu | Hong Li, Yiqiang Zhao, Xiangtao Kang, Xiaojun Liu | Henan Agricultural University, China | Nature Communications | 25 | 10.1038/s41467-024-50809-9 |
| 8 | Telomere-to-telomere assemblies of cattle and sheep Y-chromosomes uncover divergent structure and gene content | Temitayo A Olagunju, Benjamin D Rosen, Holly L Neibergs, Gabrielle M Becker, Kimberly M Davenport, Christine G Elsik, Tracy S Hadfield, Sergey Koren, Kristen L Kuhn, Arang Rhie, Katie A Shira, Amy L Skibiel, Morgan R Stegemiller, Jacob W Thorne, Patricia Villamediana, Noelle E Cockett, Brenda M Murdoch, Timothy P L Smith | Brenda M. Murdoch, Timothy P. L. Smith | University of Idaho, United States | Nature Communications | 25 | 10.1038/s41467-024-52384-5 |
| 9 | Genomics‐informed captive breeding can reduce inbreeding depression and the genetic load in zoo populations | Samuel A Speak, Thomas Birley, Chiara Bortoluzzi, Matthew D Clark, Lawrence Percival-Alwyn, Hernán E Morales, Cock van Oosterhout | Samuel A. Speak, Cock van Oosterhout | University of East Anglia, United Kingdom | Molecular Ecology Resources | 24 | 10.1111/1755-0998.13967 |
| 10 | Insights into left-right asymmetric development of chicken ovary at the single-cell level | Tao Wang, Dong Leng, Zhongkun Cai, Binlong Chen, Jing Li, Hua Kui, Diyan Li, Zhuanjian Li | Diyan Li, Zhuanjian Li | Chengdu University, China | Journal of genetics and genomics/Journal of Genetics and Genomics | 23 | 10.1016/j.jgg.2024.08.002 |
| 11 | Advancing fish breeding in aquaculture through genome functional annotation | Ian A. Johnston, Matthew Kent, Pierre Boudinot, Mark Looseley, Luca Bargelloni, Sara Faggion, Gabriela Merino, Garth R Ilsley, Julien Bobe, Costas S. Tsigenopoulos, Joseph Robertson, Peter W. Harrison, Paulino Martı́nez, Diego Robledo, Daniel J. Macqueen, Sigbjørn Lien | Ian A. Johnston, Daniel J. Macqueen | Xelect Ltd, United Kingdom | Aquaculture | 22 | 10.1016/j.aquaculture.2024.740589 |
| 12 | Genetic etiological spectrum of sperm morphological abnormalities | Manvi Arora, Poonam Mehta, Shruti Sethi, George Anifandis, Mary Samara, Rajender Singh | Singh Rajender | CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, India | Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics | 21 | 10.1007/s10815-024-03274-8 |
| 13 | Development and validation of animal variant classification guidelines to objectively evaluate genetic variant pathogenicity in domestic animals | Fréderique Boeykens, Marie Abitbol, Heidi Anderson, Iris Casselman, Caroline Dufaure de Citres, Jessica J Hayward, Jens Häggström, Mark D Kittleson, Elvio Lepri, Ingrid Ljungvall, Maria Longeri, Leslie A Lyons, Åsa Ohlsson, Luc Peelman, Pascale Smets, Tommaso Vezzosi, Frank G van Steenbeek, Bart J G Broeckx | Bart J. G. Broeckx | Ghent University, Belgium | Frontiers in Veterinary Science | 21 | 10.3389/fvets.2024.1497817 |
| 14 | Integrative 3D genomics with multi-omics analysis and functional validation of genetic regulatory mechanisms of abdominal fat deposition in chickens | Linyong Shen, Xue Bai, Liru Zhao, Jiamei Zhou, Cheng Chang, Xinquan Li, Zhiping Cao, Yumao Li, Peng Luan, Hui Li, Hui Zhang | Hui Li, Hui Zhang | Northeast Agricultural University, China | Nature Communications | 19 | 10.1038/s41467-024-53692-6 |
| 15 | <i>Nr5a2</i> is dispensable for zygotic genome activation but essential for morula development | Nicola Festuccia, Sandrine Vandormael-Pournin, Almira Chervova, Anna Geiselmann, Francina Langa-Vives, Rémi-Xavier Coux, Inma Gonzalez, Guillaume Giraud Collet, Michel Cohen-Tannoudji, Pablo Navarro | Nicola Festuccia, Michel Cohen‐Tannoudji, Pablo Navarro | Institut Pasteur, France | Science | 19 | 10.1126/science.adg7325 |
| 16 | Pretransplant Screening for Prevention of Hyperacute Graft Loss in Pig-to-primate Kidney Xenotransplantation | Yu Hisadome, Daniel L Eisenson, Michelle R Santillan, Hayato Iwase, Kazuhiko Yamada | Kazuhiko Yamada | The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, United States | Transplantation | 17 | 10.1097/tp.0000000000004958 |
| 17 | Decoding the fish genome opens a new era in important trait research and molecular breeding in China | Qian Zhou, Jialin Wang, Jiongtang Li, Zhangfan Chen, Na Wang, Ming Li, Lei Wang, Yufeng Si, Sheng Lu, Zhongkai Cui, Xuhui Liu, Songlin Chen | Songlin Chen | Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, China | Science China Life Sciences | 17 | 10.1007/s11427-023-2670-5 |
| 18 | Development of a novel Japanese eel myoblast cell line for application in cultured meat production | Daisuke Ikeda, Yui Otsuka, Nobuhiro Kan-No | Daisuke Ikeda | Kitasato University, Japan | Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications | 17 | 10.1016/j.bbrc.2024.150784 |
| 19 | Protein profiling of zebrafish embryos unmasks regulatory layers during early embryogenesis | Gabriel da Silva Pescador, Danielson Baia Amaral, Joseph M Varberg, Ying Zhang, Yan Hao, Laurence Florens, Ariel A Bazzini | Ariel Bazzini | Stowers Institute for Medical Research, United States | Cell Reports | 17 | 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.114769 |
| 20 | Stable germline transgenesis using the <i>Minos</i> Tc1/ <i>mariner</i> element in the sea urchin <i>Lytechinus pictus</i> | Elliot W Jackson, Emilio Romero, Svenja Kling, Yoon Lee, Evan Tjeerdema, Amro Hamdoun | Elliot W Jackson | University of California San Diego, United States | Development | 17 | 10.1242/dev.202991 |

## Topic trends

### What Topics Define the Class of 2026?

The Class of 2026 in Animal Genetics and Reproduction reflects a decisive shift toward high-resolution genomic tools and targeted gene-editing technologies aimed at improving livestock breeding, reproductive efficiency, and biomedical applications. Leading the cohort, genomic selection and whole-genome sequencing serve as foundational methodologies, enabling precise genotype-to-phenotype associations for economically important traits such as growth performance, disease resistance, and reproductive longevity. Simultaneously, single-cell RNA sequencing and single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) profiling provide granular insights into cellular heterogeneity within reproductive tissues, particularly focusing on granulosa cell proliferation, follicle selection, and theca cell signaling.

In parallel, gene-editing paradigms centered around CRISPR-Cas9 systems form a dominant thematic pillar. Beyond traditional agricultural enhancement, research extensively explores genetically modified animal models for xenotransplantation, featuring targeted knockouts—such as GGTA1, CMAH, and β4GalNT2—and human transgene integration (CD55, THBD) to minimize hyperacute rejection. Reproductive biology also features prominently, with studies decoding maternal factors, maternal-to-zygotic transition mechanisms, and zygotic genome activation during early embryogenesis. Together, these thematic clusters highlight an integrative research ecosystem bridging agricultural biotechnology, developmental reproductive biology, and translational medicine.

*Leading research themes*

### How Did Topics Shift from the Class of 2025 to the Class of 2026?

Comparing topic distributions between the Class of 2025 and the Class of 2026 reveals significant evolutionary shifts in animal genetics and reproductive research. The most prominent rise is seen in genomic selection, which jumped from zero mentions in the previous cohort's top tier to become the leading concept in 2024 (+0.08 normalized frequency difference). Similarly, single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) mapping and maternal factors exhibited notable expansion (+0.06 frequency gain), reflecting an increased focus on fine-mapping functional variants and understanding early developmental programming in livestock and model species.

Conversely, foundational method-level terms such as broad CRISPR-Cas9 evaluation experienced a relative frequency decline (-0.12 frequency difference, dropping from 9 top-tier publications to 3). Rather than indicating waning interest, this shift signifies a maturation of gene-editing technologies: basic tool validation has given way to highly specific downstream applications. This maturation is evidenced by the surge in specialized xenotransplantation knockout constructs—including GGTA1, CMAH, and β4GalNT2 knockouts alongside CD55 and THBD transgene integration—and targeted reproductive studies examining maternal-to-zygotic transitions and zygotic genome activation. Ultimately, the field has transitioned from broad methodology development toward targeted genomic breeding and complex multi-gene editing applications.

*How topics shifted year over year*

## Cite this ranking

```
Pepkio Research Index (PRI). Topics and Trends in Most Cited Animal Genetics and Reproduction Papers, Class of 2026. https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/animal-genetics-and-reproduction/2026. Accessed 2026-07-22.

Zheng Su, Tinsley Li, Thematic Shifts in Early-High-Impact Cancer Genomics and Diagnostics Research: A Bibliometric and Semantic Analysis. bioRxiv 2026.07.04.736459; doi: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.07.04.736459
```