Animal Research and One Health最新文献

Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) is the central hormone of the mammalian reproductive system. It targets the FSH receptor (FSHR), a member of the G protein-coupled receptor family, to induce the FSH signal transduction. In the highly prolific Jintang black goat, gonadotropin level is not higher than that of Boer goat. However, two isoforms of FSHRs (FSHRA and FSHRB), generated from the alternative splicing of the same primary FSHR transcript, were expressed in the reproductive organs of Jintang black goat simultaneously. The mRNA level of FSHRB is 45.89, 3.80, and 13.81 times greater than that of FSHRA in the hypothalamus, pituitary, and ovary of the Jintang black goat, respectively. We found that FSHRA could interact with FSHRB protein, leading to augment of the FSH signaling transduction pathway. The enhancement of FSH signaling could increase the in vitro oocyte maturation rate. It implied that this might be the important reason for the high prolificacy in Jintang black goat.

African swine fever (ASF) is an acute and severe contagious disease triggered by the African swine fever virus (ASFV), which severely threatens the global swine industry. At present, no safe and efficacious vaccine has been provided to prevent and control this disease. The pathogenesis and immune evasion mechanism of ASFV are still unknown, which seriously hinders the development of safe and effective ASF vaccines. Certain proteins of ASFV involved in immunosuppression helped to evade the host innate immune response. The cGAS-STING signaling pathway is important to the innate immune system. It induces the production of type I interferons (IFNs) and other cytokines by recognizing cytoplasmic DNA, mediating antimicrobial innate immunity through type I IFN, and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) pathways. In the present study, E120R, a late-phase expression protein and a key virulent factor of ASFV inhibited cGAS-STING mediated promoter activities of IFN-β and NF-κB in HEK293T cells. The ectopic expression of E120R down-regulated IFN-β pathway by targeting interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF3) and p65, inhibited the phosphorylation of STING, and further inhibited the phosphorylation of TANK-binding kinase 1 (TBK1) and IRF3, with no significant effects on p65 phosphorylation. Additionally, E120R also inhibited the NF-κB pathways by inhibiting the nuclear translocation of p50 and p65, which was mediated by Sendai virus (SeV). Further, the study showed that the 61–80 amino acids sites in the C-terminal domain of E120R were crucial for these functions. In conclusion, our work preliminarily elucidated a novel mechanism of inhibiting host innate immune response by ASFV E120R, which will provide a new target for the ASFV live gene deletion vaccine development and the theoretical basis for ASFV prevention.

Understanding the genetic factors related to meat drip loss is of great importance for animal breeding and production. In this study, we employed a combination of genome-wide association study (GWAS) mapping and RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) data to effectively identify potentially functional single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) as well as candidate genes associated with drip loss (DL) in Beijing Black pigs. Initially, we conducted a single- and multi-trait GWAS on drip loss traits in 441 Beijing Black pigs at 24 (DL24) and 48 (DL48) hours postmortem using the Illumina pig 50K SNP chip. Five SNPs with annotations for four genes (FGGY, LHFPL6, OSBPL1A, and NMNAT3) were consistently identified in single or multiple trait GWAS results, indicating their potential pleiotropic effects on drip loss. Next, a comprehensive comparative transcriptomic analysis was performed on samples of Beijing Black pigs exhibiting extremely high and low drip loss, resulting in the identification of 21 differentially expressed genes (DGEs) as potential candidates. Additionally, protein–protein interaction (PPI) network analysis revealed reciprocal regulatory relationships between FOXO1, OSBPL1A, DOCK1 (identified from GWAS) and the candidate DGEs obtained from RNA-seq data. Therefore, we propose that these genes may impact drip loss traits through gene interactions. In conclusion, our integrative analysis screened candidate genes that may affect the drip loss traits in Beijing Black pigs, which provides crucial insights into the molecular mechanisms of drip loss and serves as a theoretical reference for improving meat quality in Beijing Black pigs.

This article aims to establish a multiplex real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay for the simultaneous detection of Streptococcus suis (SS), Streptococcus suis serotype 2 (SS2), and Glaesserella parasuis (GPS). In this study, three pairs of primers and three probes were designed based on the specific sequences of SS (gdh), SS2 (cps2j), and GPS (infB). The results showed that the assay was not cross-reacted with other swine pathogens (Escherichia coli, Pasteurella multocida, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus agalactiae, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae, Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae, and Enterococcus faecalis; Streptococcus pyogenes). 10⁸ to 10² copies/μL showed the R² values for SS, SS2, and GPS were 0.999, 0.992, and 0.990, respectively. The multiplex real-time PCR efficiency was 93.816% for gdh, 105.260% for cps2j, and 93.175% for infB. The sensitivity result showed that SS, SS2, and GPS could be detected at 10 copies/μL. The repeatability result showed that intra-assay and inter-assay coefficients of variation of SS, SS2, and GPS were <2%. The best cutoff values for SS, SS2, and GPS were determined from ROC curves to be 35.085, 35.620, and 34.940, respectively. Areas under the curve were 0.943, 0.968, and 0.958. In total, 88 clinical samples were analyzed. The results indicated positive rates of 11.364% (10/88) for SS, 20.455% (18/88) for SS2, and 18.182% (16/88) for GPS. In conclusion, the developed one-step multiplex real-time PCR assay may be a valuable tool for the early detection of the SS, SS2 and, GPS with high specificity and sensitivity.

Duck viral hepatitis (DVH), mainly caused by duck hepatitis A virus genotype 3 (DHAV-3) in China, is an important disease affecting Pekin ducks. Using artificial selection breeding based on genealogical and phenotypic observations, a susceptible line (Z7) and a resistant line (Z8) of Pekin ducks to DHAV-3 were identified. Here, we performed a genome-wide analysis to identify selected genes in the genomes of Pekin ducks underlying resistance/susceptible breeding. Following selection, the mortality rate of the Z8 line reduced from 59.2% to 7.8% in the fourth generation (Z8G4), whereas the death rate of the Z7 line increased from 67.5% to 81% in the third generation (Z7G3). Moreover, directed breeding caused the allele frequencies of Z8 and Z7 changing in opposite direction, accompanied by declines in genomic genetic diversity. With the G0 generation as the reference group, a total of 49 selected genes were identified in the Z7-susceptible population and 109 selected genes in the Z8-resistant population based on the top 5% F_ST and PI ratio, and two candidate key genes were further fine-mapped. Susceptibility selection led to 17 mutations in the LRIG3 gene in the Z7 population (chr1: 169,757,982–169,772,687), and resistance selection led to 134 mutations in the CRHR2 gene in the Z8 population (chr2: 4,190,154–4,273,970). Our results provide new insights into the resistance and susceptibility to DHAV-3 and lay a theoretical foundation for further research on the mechanism of resistance/susceptibility of Pekin ducks to DHAV-3.

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) is one of the most severe swine diseases in the pig industry. The identification of biomarkers for PRRSV infection is valuable for controlling, eliminating, and treating PRRSV. This study utilized the ultra-performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry metabolite profiling platform to identify differential metabolites in exosomes between the control and NADC30-like PRRSV strain infected pigs. Using multivariate analysis combined with univariate analysis, unsupervised principal component analysis and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis models were constructed between the groups. A total of 41 differential metabolites were detected, with 14 upregulated and 27 downregulated metabolites with PRRSV infection. MetaboAnalyst and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes were used to identify potentially relevant significant pathways, and a receiver operating characteristic curve was used to quantify the predictive performance of differential metabolites. The results indicated that tryptophan-related L-kynurenine, 5-hydroxytryptophan, and D (+)-tryptophan significantly increased among PRRSV infected groups, which may play an important role in the progression of PRRSV infection. Metabolites related to amino acid synthesis and metabolism, including 2-arachidonoylglycerol Lysopcs and phosphatidylcholines may also contribute to the lack of immune protection in piglets after PRRSV infection. Moreover, L-kynurenine and taurocholic acid may serve as potential biomarkers for early diagnosis or drug targeting of PRRSV. Overall, these findings provide an important reference to our understanding of PRRS pathogenesis and immune or protective responses during PRRSV acute infection in the host.

I was taking the night train to Nanyang in China's Henan province and spent the last hour before I reached my destination looking at mile upon mile of maize, or corn as it’s often known. Most of this crop in China and worldwide is grown largely for animal feed and biofuel. The air was dampened by a gray, misty haze. I was keen to visit some of China's animal production facilities but for now I found myself looking out over what was being used to feed them. Vast prairie-like tracts of a single crop stretching as far as the eye could see. So much so, that it made it feel like the train was moving in slow motion.

Thinking back on that journey reminds me of something that happened some years later much closer to home.

It was early morning in a field near the farm hamlet where I live in England, and a tractor was pulling a plough. Back and forth it went, ploughing its lonely furrow. Behind the tractor, dust clouds spiraled and caught the sun, creating an aura. A timeless symbol of the season. Only, something was missing: there were no screeching gulls following the plough in search of worms.

I took a closer look. The tractor was ploughing across a footpath, giving me a bird's-eye view of the newly upturned soil. As I stared down, do you know what I saw?—nothing. There were no worms, beetles, or bugs desperate to get back into the newly upturned earth. The soil was lifeless. It was like sand. We could have been walking on the moon.

That field should have had millions of worms in every hectare—in every patch the size of a football pitch. There should have been 13,000 species of life with a collective weight of an elephant: five tons.

But instead, there was nothing.

That field was about to be planted again with maize (corn), a crop commonly used as animal feed. It was grown with chemical pesticides and artificial fertilizers. No wonder the soil was dead and washing into the nearby river. It is a problem that exists for crops grown using industrial methods, whether for human consumption or the sizeable industry for animal feed, which accounts for about a third of cereal crops grown worldwide.

It reminded me of seeing great green swathes of monoculture maize corn in the American Midwest of Nebraska, much of which was destined for the feed troughs of industrially reared chickens, pigs, and cattle. I remember seeing feedlots. Hundreds of cows and calves standing in barren pens, not a blade of grass in sight. Despite the hot summer sun, they had no shade. I watched as they jostled in the searing heat for respite, trying to get into each other's shadow.

It was a potent example of industrial animal agriculture, a regime that now ravages the planet, to the detriment of animal welfare, the ecosystem, and the health of people.

It has not always been like this. In fact, it was but a single human lifetime ago when we started removing animals from the land to be caged, crammed, and confined. Taken off grass whe

The growth and development of sheep late fetal skeletal muscle undergoes significant changes. However, the specific mechanism remains unknown. In this study, we performed the comprehensive analysis of transcriptome and proteome of Chinese Merino sheep at embryonic ages Day85 (D85N), Day105 (D105N), and Day135 (D135N) by the tandem mass tags (TMT) and RNA-seq methods. Totally 717, 1253, and 1873 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in the three comparison groups (D85N vs. D105N, D105N vs. D135N, and D85N vs. D135N). Among which 7, 80, and 162 DEGs were identified with the same trends at mRNA and protein levels in the three groups. Enrichment analysis showed that 7 genes with same trends in D85 vs. D105 have not been enriched in any pathways, which indicated that the development of skeletal muscle underwent significant changes with post-transcription regulation during this period. These genes with same trends in D105N vs. D135N were mainly enriched in the pathways related to skeletal muscle metabolism and maturation, including oxidative phosphorylation, glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, tight junction, and HIF-1 pathways, which indicated that the development of skeletal muscle tended to maturation during this period. These results provided evidence for ovine late fetal skeletal muscle fibers development from proliferating to thickening at simultaneous transcriptional and translational levels.