Research Interests

• Sheep breeding and genetics
• Reproductive physiology

Recent Publications

Gootwine, E. (2004).
Placental hormones and fetal-placental development - a review.
Animal Reproduction 82-83: 551-566.

Rummel, T., Valle Zárate, A. and Gootwine, E. (2005). The worldwide gene flow of the Improved Awassi and Assaf Breeds of Sheep from Israel. In: "Gene Flow in Animal Genetic Resources. A study on Status, Impact and Trends" of the Institute of Animal Production in the Tropics and Subtropicsof the University of Hohenheim, Germany. Cuvillier Verlag, Göttingen.

Cohen, O., Batuman, O., Moskowits, Y., Rozov, A., Gootwine, E., Mawassi M. and Bar- Joseph M. (2005).
Goat Horns, Platforms for Viroid Transmission to Fruit Trees?
Phytoparasitica 33: 141-148.

Gootwine, E. (2005).
Variability in the rate of decline in birth weight as litter size increases in sheep.
Animal Science 81: 393-398.

Gootwine, E., Rozov, A., Bor, A., Reicher, S. (2006).
Carrying the FecB (Booroola) mutation is associated with lower birth weight and slower post weaning growth rate for lambs and lighter mature body weight for ewes.
Reprod. Fertil. Dev. 18: 1-5.

Gootwine, E. and Rozov, A. (2006).
Seasonal effects on birth weight of lambs born to prolific ewes maintained under intensive management.
Livest. Sci. 105: 277-283.

Gootwine, E., Spencer, T.E. and Bazer, F.W. (2007).
Litter-size dependent intrauterine growth restriction in sheep - a review.
Animal 1: 547-564.

Meadows, J.R.S., Cemal, I., Karaca, O., Gootwine , E., Kijas, J.W. (2007).
Five ovine mitochondrial lineages identified from sheep breeds of the Near East.
Genetics 175: 1371-1379.

Reicher S., Niv-Spector L., Gertler, A., Gootwine, E. (2008).
Pituitary and placental ovine growth hormone variants differ in their receptor binding ability and in their biological properties.
General and Comparative Endocrinology 155: 368-377.

Gootwine, E., Reicher, S., Rozov, A. (2008).
Prolificacy and lamb survival at birth in Awassi and Assaf sheep carrying the FecB (Booroola) mutation.
Anim. Reprod. Sci. 108: 402-411.

Gootwine, E., Abdulkhaliq, A. Jawasreh, K.I.Z., Valle Zárate, A. (2008).
Screening for allele frequency at the PrP locus in Awassi and Assaf populations in Israel, the Palestinian Authority and Jordan.
Small Ruminant Research 77: 80-83.

Landau, S. Gootwine, E. and Braw-Tal, R. (2008). Achievements of research in the field of sheep and goats. In" WAAP Book of the year 2007 - Volume 4. Ed. A. Rosati, A. Tewolde, C. Mosconi. Wageningen Academic Publishers, Wageningen The Netherlands. pp109-120.

Zamir, S., Rozov, A., Gootwine, E. (2009).
Treatment of Pregnancy Toxaemia in sheep with flunixin meglumine.
Veterinary Records 165: 265-266.

Gootwine, E. (2009).
Biological and economic consequences of introgression of the FecB into Awassi and Assaf sheep.
Proceeding of The Helen Newton Turner Memorial International Workshop on Using the Booroola (FecB) gene in sheep breeding programs. Pune, Maharashtra, India.

Shamir, H.M., Ofri, R., Bor, A., Brener, O., Reicher, S., Obolensky, A., Averbukh, E., Banin, E. and Gootwine, E. (2010).
Novel day blindness in sheep: epidemiological, behavioral, electrophysiological and histological studies.
The Veterinary Journal 185:130-137.

Reicher, S., Seroussi, E. and Gootwine, E. (2010).
A mutation in gene CNGA3 is associated with day blindness in sheep.
Genomics 95: 101-104.

Gootwine, E., Reicher, S., Schuster, O., A. Rosov A. (2010).
Ovine Mitochondrial DNA polymorphism and its Physiological Implications.
9th world Congress on Genetic Applied to Livestock Production. Leipzig, Germany.

Reicher, S., Gertler, A., Seroussi, E., Gootwine, E. (2010).
Polymorphism in the Ovine Leptin Gene (oLEP) Affects Leptin-Binding Affinity and Activity.
9th world Congress on Genetic Applied to Livestock Production. Leipzig, Germany.

Golik, M., Glick, G., Reicher, S., Shirak, A., Ezra, E., Zeron, Y., Gootwine, E., Ron, M., Weller, J.I. and Seroussi, E. (2010).
Cloning and characterization of bovine and ovine ZNF496 genes displaying differential expression of variants: Association with a polymorphism affecting milk concentration and fertility.
Journal of Dairy Science  94:2092-2102.

Reicher, S., Gertler, A., Seroussi, E., Shpilman, M. and Gootwine, E. (2011). Biochemical and biological significance of polymorphism at the ovine leptin gene.
General and Comparative Endocrinology 173:63-71.

Gootwine, E. (2011). Mini Review: Breeding Awassi and Assaf sheep for diverse management. Tropical Animal Health and Production 43:1289-1296.

Moallem, U., Rosov, A. Gootwine, E. and Honing, H. (2012). Plasma concentrations of key metabolits and insulin in lat-pregnant ewes genetically improved for multiple fetuses. Journal of Animal Science 90:318-324.

Reicher, S., Ramos-Nieves, J.M., Hileman, S., Boisclair, Y., Gootwine, E. and Gertler, A. (2012). Non-synonymous natural genetic polymorphism in the bovine leptin gene affect biochemical and biological characteristics of the mature hormone. Journal of Animal Science, 90: 410-419.

Reicher, S., Seroussi, E., Weller, J., Rosov, A. and Gootwine, E. (2012). Ovine mitochondrial DNA sequence variation and its association with production and reproduction traits. Journal of Animal Science 90: 2084-2091.

Gootwine, E. (2013). Meta-analysis of morphometric parameters of late-gestation fetal sheep developed under natural and artificial constraints. Journal of Anima Science 91:111-119.

Rosov, A. and Gootwine, E. (2013). Birth weight and pre-and postweaning growth rates of lambs belonging to the Afec-Assaf strain and its crosses with the American Suffolk. Smal. Rum. Res 113: 58-61.

Ezra-Elia, R., Banin, E., Honig, H., Rosov, A., Obolensky, A., Averbukh, E., Hauswirth, W.W., Gootwine, E., Ofri, R. (2014). Cone function in normal and day blind sheep. A large animal model for human achromatopsia caused by CNGA3 mutation.Documenta Ophthalmologica 129: 141-150.

Fariello, M., Servin, B., Tosser-Klopp, G. et al. (2014) Selection signatures in worldwide sheep populations (2014). PLoS ONE 9

Banin E., Gootwine E., Obolensky A., Ezra-Elia R., Ejzenberg A., Zelinger L., Honig H., Rosov A, Yamin E., Sharon D, Averbukh E., Hauswirth W.W., Ron  Ofri R. (2015). Gene Augmentation by AAV5 Vectors Restores Visual Function and Behavior in a Sheep Model of CNGA3 Achromatopsia.(Mol. Ther.  23: 1423-1433).

Gootwine E. (2015). The physical appearance of sheep in antiquity, based upon archeological findings in Israel and neighboring lands. Qadmoniot, 150, 125-132 (in Hebrew).

Moallem, U., Rosov, A., Honig, H., Ofir, I., Livshits, L. and E. Gootwine, E. (2016). Molasses-based supplement improved the metabolic status of late-pregnant ewes bearing multiple fetuses. Animal feed Science and Technology 219: 83-93.

Giambra I.J., Chessa S., Brandt H., Caroli AM, Arranz J.J., Gootwine E.,  Erhardt G. (2017).  Genetic diversity within economically important loci in European, Middle Eastern, and African sheep breeds: an evolution insight.  Small ruminant research 155:72-80.

Seroussi E., Rosov A., Shirak A. Lam A. Gootwine E. (2017). Unveiling genomic regions that underlie differences between Afec-Assaf sheep and its parental Awassi breed. Genetics, Selection Evolution 49:19.

Elisha Gootwine, Eyal  Seroussi, Mazen Abu-Siam, Alex Rosov, Hen Honig, Tali NIzan, Edward Averbukh, Alexey Obolensky, Raaya Ezra-Elia, Esther Yamin, Eyal Banin, William Hauswirth, Ron Ofri (2017). Mutation at the CNGA3 GMP binding domain is associated with novel day blindness in local Awassi sheep. (Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, 58:1577-1584. 

Shirak, A.,  Seroussi, U.,  Gootwine, E. and Seroussi. E. (2017). Sequence motifs capable of forming DNA stem–loop structures act as a replication diode. FEBS Open Bio , April.

Elisha Gootwine, Ron Ofri, Eyal Banin, Alexey Obolensky, Edward Averbukh, Raaya Ezra-Elia, Maya Ross, Hen Honig, Alexander Rosov, Esther Yamin, Guo-jie Ye, David R. Knop, Paulette M. Robinson, Jeffrey D. Chulay, and Mark S. Shearman (2017). Safety and Efficacy Evaluation of rAAV2tYF-PR1.7-hCNGA3 Vector Delivered by Subretinal Injection in CNGA3 Mutant Achromatopsia Sheep. Human Gene Therapy Clinical Development, 28:96-107.

Ron Ofri, Edward Averbukh,  Raaya Ezra-Elia, Maya Ross, Hen Honig, Alexey Obolensky, Alexander Rosov, William W. Hauswirth, Elisha Gootwine, Eyal Banin (2018). Six Years and Counting: Restoration of Photopic Retinal Function and Visual Behavior Following Gene Augmentation Therapy in a Sheep Model of CNGA3 Achromatopsia. Human Gene Therapy 29: 1376-1386.

Maya Ross,Hen Honig, Raaya Ezra-Elia, Eyal Banin, Alexey Obolensky, Edward Averbukh,Alexander Rosov, Elisha Gootwine, Ron Ofri (2018). Consecutive unilateral recording of the two eyes affects dark-adapted ERG responses, when compared to simultaneous bilateral recording. Doc Ophthalmol. 137:183-192.

Maya Ross, Alexey Obolensky, Edward Averbukh, Raaya Ezra-Elia, Esther Yamin, Hen Honig, Hay Dvir,  Alexander Rosov,  William W Hauswirth, Elisha Gootwine, Eyal Banin, Ron Ofri (2020). Evaluation of photoreceptor transduction efficacy of capsid modified AAV vectors following intravitreal and subretinal delivery in sheep. Human Gene Therapy 31: 719-729.

E. Gootwine (2020).  Invited review: Opportunities for genetic improvement toward higher prolificacy in sheep. Small. Rum. Res. 186: 106090.

T. Alon, A. Rosov, L. Lifshitz, H. Dvir, E. Gootwine, and U. Moallem (2020). The distinctive short-term response of late-pregnant prolific ewes to propylene glycol or glycerol drenching. J. Dairy Science 103: 10245-10257.

Maya Ross, Ron Ofri, Itzhak Aizenberg, Mazen Abu–Siam, Oren Pe’er, Dikla Arad, Alex Rosov, Elisha Gootwine, Hay Dvir, Hen Honig, Alexey Obolensky, Edward Averbukh, Eyal Banin, Liat Gantz (2020). Naturally-occurring myopia and loss of cone function in a sheep model of achromatopsia. Scientific Reports 10:19314.

Elisha Gootwine, Alexander Rosov, Tamir Alon, Claire Stenhouse, Katherine M. Halloran, Guoyao Wu and Fuller W. Bazer (2020). Effect of supplementation of unprotected or protected arginine to prolific ewes on maternal amino acids profile, lamb survival at birth and pre and post weaning lamb growth.  J. Animal Science (DOI:  10.1093/jas/skaa284).

Gootwine E. (2020). Genetics and breeding of sheep and goats. In: Animal Agriculture: Challenges, Innovations, and Sustainability” eds. Fuller W. Bazer, G. Cliff Lamb, and Guoyao Wu. Elsevier.

Tamir Alon,  Devorah Matas, Lee Koren, Elisha Gootwine 2021. Higher cortisol and testosterone levels in sheep with large litter sizes. Livestock science 243, 104381.

Current Projects

Increasing prolificacy of local sheep breeds using the FecB (Booroola) gene, - developing the 'Afec' Awassi and the 'Afec Assaf' strains.

• Litter-size-dependent intra uterine growth restriction in sheep.
• Breeding Awassi and Assaf sheep for resistance to scraipe.
• Breeding Improved Awassi sheep against day blidness.
• Gene Augmentation by AAV5 Vectors to restoresvVisual function in a Sheep Model of CNGA3 Achromatopsia.