LivestockDev: A multi-omics resource for exploring cross-species comparison of livestock embryogenesis

Advances in experimental and sequencing technologies have driven a surge in multi-omics data on early embryonic development in livestock species. Nevertheless, the absence of systematic data curation and standardized analytical frameworks has hindered research on early embryogenesis in livestock, limiting data integration, cross-species comparisons, and mechanistic insights. Here, we developed LivestockDev, an integrative multi-omics database dedicated to livestock embryogenesis. LivestockDev covers five major livestock species (cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, and horses) and systematically integrates multimodal datasets encompassing transcriptomics, chromatin accessibility, DNA methylation, and histone modifications across multiple embryonic stages and tissue types. Beyond providing high-quality data browsing, visualization, and download services, LivestockDev features a comprehensive suite of analytical tools specifically designed for cross-species studies of embryonic development. These tools enable fine-grained annotation of stage and tissue specific genes in early embryos, spatiotemporal comparison of gene expression across cell types and tissues, cross-species visualization of developmental gene cluster dynamics, construction of gene regulatory networks, comparative analysis of conserved protein domains, and visualization and retrieval of epigenetic modifications and single-nucleotide variants, as well as cross-species homologous gene conservation, annotation, and expression, and stage-specific gene scoring. The platform provides a modular framework and interactive web interface. It enables multi-scale, cross-species analysis of livestock embryonic data. Additionally, LivestockDev integrates over 1594 curated publications related to livestock developmental biology, providing a valuable knowledge base for in-depth exploration of early embryogenesis. LivestockDev is the first comprehensive database focused on comparative embryonic development across multiple livestock species and is freely accessible at: http://bioinfor.imu.edu.cn/livestockDev.