Animal Research and One Health最新文献

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a terracotta drinker and/or water supplementation with ASPRO-C Plus on the zootechnical performance of broiler chickens reared in a hot environment. A total of 160 Cobb 500 broiler chicks of 15 days old (240.2 ± 39.82 g) were divided into four treatment groups in a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement of drinker type (plastic or terracotta) and water with or without ASPRO-C Plus (1 g/L) supplementation, each consisting of 4 replicate pens. Respiratory rate, water intake, feed intake, and live body weight were recorded weekly. At 49 days old, 12 birds per group were randomly selected, fasted for 12 h, weighed, and slaughtered for carcass evaluation and blood collection. The respiration rate of broilers decreased significantly (p < 0.01) with the terracotta drinker as compared to the plastic drinker. The water intake, the feed intake and the body weight gain increased significantly (p < 0.01) with the terracotta drinker as compared to the plastic drinker. The water addition of ASPRO-C Plus significantly increased (p < 0.01) the relative weight of abdominal fat and spleen in broilers. The alpha-amylase activity was significantly decreased (p < 0.01) with the water addition of ASPRO-C Plus. The serum content of total cholesterol was significantly increased (p < 0.01) with the terracotta drinker. It can be concluded that ASPRO-C Plus can slightly improve liveability, but using the terracotta drinker can be more efficient in reducing the behavioral response to heat stress and can improve the growth performance.

The circadian clock significantly impacts animal health and productivity, with light playing a crucial role in regulating circadian rhythms. However, the mechanisms behind light-induced circadian transmission remain unclear, particularly in light-sensitive avian species. The pineal gland is a key component acting as the photosensitive master oscillator in the avian clock system. Using transcriptome sequencing and small RNA sequencing technologies, we identified circadian genes and miRNAs in the chick pineal gland under light–dark and sudden constant-light conditions. We observed rhythmic oscillations in up to 1299 genes during the light–dark cycle, with 400 genes maintaining rhythms under constant light. Our findings highlight the light-sensitive temporal organization in birds as the phase distribution of circadian genes in the pineal gland correlates with light exposure changes. A novel regulatory mechanism involving light, cyclic adenosine monophosphate, cyclic guanosine monophosphate, light-sensitive miRNAs, such as gga-miR-34b-5p, and light-sensitive circadian genes, such as CRY2, was discovered to participate in the light input system of the chick pineal clock, through which light regulates the oscillators and outputs of the circadian clock system. Additionally, transcriptomic analysis, liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry, and Oil Red O staining revealed cyclic changes in lipid synthesis and metabolism throughout the circadian day, which may be a key mechanism through which the circadian clock influences pineal physiology. Our results enhance the understanding of light-induced circadian transmission mechanisms and identify potential targets for optimizing the circadian clock through light.

An accurate grasp of the current situation and the development trend of livestock and poultry meat production in China is helpful to better ensure the adequate and stable supply of the meat market. In this paper, the trend and characteristics of China's livestock and poultry meat production over the past 30 years are analyzed from four aspects: production, structure, layout, and operation scale. The main factors affecting the evolution of China's livestock and poultry meat production from both internal and external aspects of the industry are explored. Finally, the development trend of the livestock and poultry industry in China is forecast based on the social and economic development trends and industry policy.

To address the escalating challenge of food scarcity and the associated conflicts between human and animal consumption, it is imperative to seek alternative resources that can substitute for traditional feed. Non-grain feed (NGF) raw materials represent a category of biomass resources that are distinct from grains in their composition. These materials are characterized by their high nutritional content, cost-effectiveness, ample availability, and consistent supply, which contribute to their significant economic potential. Nonetheless, the extensive application of NGF is currently hindered by several limitations, including a high concentration of antinutritional factors, suboptimal palatability, and an offensive odor, among other shortcomings. The synergistic fermentation of probiotics and enzymes (SFPE) is an innovative approach that integrates the use of a diverse array of enzymes during the feed fermentation process, as well as various strains of probiotics throughout the feed digestion process. This method aims to enhance the nutritional value of the feed, diminish the presence of antinutritional factors, and improve the overall palatability, thereby facilitating the optimal utilization of NGF. This strategy holds the promise of not only replacing conventional feed options but also mitigating the pressing issue of grain scarcity. This paper delves into the practical applications of NGF and presents an overview of the latest research advancements in SFPE fermentation techniques, which can provide cutting-edge and valuable reference for researchers who devote themselves to research in this field in the future.

The duck (Anas platyrhynchos) is not only a vital farm animal but also an excellent model for genetic dissection of economic traits. The integration of multiomics data provides a powerful approach to elucidate the genetic basis of domestication and phenotype variation. Since its inception in 2014, the Duck 1000 Genomes Project has aimed to uncover the genetic foundation of key economic traits in ducks by combining multiomics data including genomic, transcriptomic, and metabolomic from various natural and segregating populations. This paper summarizes the strategies and achievements of the Duck 1000 Genomes Project, highlighting the reference genome assembly, genome evolution analysis, and the identification of genes and causative mutations responsible for key economic traits in ducks. We also discuss perspectives and potential challenges in functional genomic studies that could further accelerate duck molecular breeding.

Age has an important effect on the aroma of chicken meat. In this study, we systematically analyzed the patterns of aroma changes with increasing age and the key aroma-contributing compounds and metabolites that lead to aroma differences with age. Electronic nose (e-nose) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analyses showed that the overall aroma intensity and the types and levels of volatile aroma compounds increased with age. Eight key aroma-contributing compounds were identified by GC-olfactometry (GC-O) and odor activity value analyses, and their content increased with age. The e-nose and GC-O results revealed that 315-day-old chickens had the strongest aroma. Thus, taking 315-day-old chickens as reference, we found that the contents of key aroma-contributing compounds and metabolites at 140 days of age were most similar to those at 315 days of age. Due to low feed cost, yellow chickens around 140 days of age were more suitable for marketing in terms of volatile aroma substances. It was found that hexanal, 1-octen-3-ol, and (E,E)-2,4-decadienal contributed the most to chicken aroma. Additionally, small peptides were found to be the main types of metabolites responsible for the aroma difference in chickens due to age. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis identified Ile-Ser, Ile-Thr, and Phe-Ile as metabolic markers of hexanal and 1-octen-3-ol, respectively. Further analysis revealed that Ile-Ser, Ile-Thr, and Phe-Ile may promote the Maillard reaction by acting as substrates on the one hand, and facilitating the uptake of amino acids on the other hand, which in turn increases the contents of hexanal and 1-octen-3-ol.

Spotted sea bass (Lateolabrax maculatus) is a species of significant economic importance in aquaculture. However, genetic degeneration, such as declining growth performance, has severely impeded industry development, necessitating urgent genetic improvement. Here, we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) and genomic prediction for growth traits using insertion and deletion (InDel) markers, and systematically compared the results with our previous studies using single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers. A total of 97 significant InDels including a 6 bp insertion in an exon region were identified. It is worth noting that only 5 and 1 candidate genes for DY and TS populations were also detected in previous GWAS using SNPs, and numerous novel genes including c4b, fgf4, and dnajb9 were identified as vital candidate genes. Moreover, several novel growth-related procedures, such as the growth and development of the bone and muscle, were also detected. These findings indicated that InDel-based GWAS can provide valuable complement to SNP-based studies. The comparison of genomic predictive performance for total length trait under different marker selection strategies and genomic selection models indicated that GWAS selection strategy exhibits more stable predictive performance compared to the evenly selection strategy. Additionally, support vector machine model demonstrated better predictive accuracy and efficiency than traditional best linear unbiased prediction and Bayes models. Furthermore, the superior predictive performance using InDel markers compared to SNP markers highlighted the potential of InDels to enhance genomic predictive accuracy and efficiency. Our results carry significant implications for dissecting genetic mechanisms and contributing genetic improvement of growth traits in spotted sea bass through genomic resources.

The single reference genome assembly approach has been shown to be insufficient for capturing the full spectrum of genetic variation. This inadequacy has been well-documented in human genomics [1] and the solution is to create a pangenome reference. A pangenome reference is a comprehensive genomic representation that captures the full genetic diversity within a species by incorporating multiple individual genomes. In agricultural genomics, the creation of a bovine pangenome is important for designing or selecting animal genomes that are better adapted to climate change, capable of reducing methane emissions, and conducive to producing healthy food for a growing global population. The Bovine Pangenome Consortium (BPC) [2], which has over 60 members spread across 20 countries, has been established to coordinate global efforts in this area. At present, the BPC has collected more than 100 long-read-based genome assemblies representing ∼60 unique breeds/species. The primary goal is to construct a pangenome to enable accurate detection of genetic variation, which includes single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and structural variants (SVs) in bovine species especially cattle.

The BPC uses collaborative open science model and requires samples and expertise from multiple laboratories worldwide. The project focuses on global cattle breeds, including both taurine and indicine subspecies. Beyond cattle, the BPC aims to include other members of the Bovini tribe, such as water buffalo, yak, and bison, in the pangenome. In the case of water buffalo, there is a plan for a pangenome specific for the species as part of the 1000 Buffalo Genomes Project [17]. The inclusion of bovine species other than cattle will facilitate comparative genomic analysis and enhance the understanding of evolutionary processes and potential introgression events [3].

Current genetic variant detection tools are highly sensitive to the quality and representation of reference genomes, often resulting in reference bias [4]. Identification of SVs and copy number variants is sensitive to the specific reference genome chosen [5]. Detection of epigenetic markers such as DNA methylation is also sensitive to the choice of reference genome [6]. It is expected that in highly polymorphic and repetitive sequences, such as the major histocompatibility complex region [7], a single linear reference is problematic to represent the genetic variants at this locus. These issues are some of the reasons why the BPC was formed to create bovine pangenome to improve the accuracy of genetic analyses.

Building pangenome graphs can be computationally challenging, especially when the number of genomes being included is high (e.g., >100), and hence determining the best way to construct these references is crucial. There are at least three main methods to build a pangenome: reference-guided