Animal Research and One Health最新文献

Milk mid-infrared (MIR) spectra have been shown to provide valuable information on a wide range of traits to be used in dairy cattle breeding programs. Selecting the most informative variables from complex data can improve the prediction accuracy and model robustness and, consequently, the interpretability of MIR spectra. Thus, we aimed to investigate the prediction performance of feature selection methods based on MIR spectra data, using the milk fatty acid (FA) profile as an example to illustrate the evaluated procedure. Data of MIR spectra, milk test-day records, and reference FA concentrations of 155 first-parity Holstein cows were used in the analyses. Four models comprising different explanatory variables and three feature selection methods were evaluated. The results indicated that competitive adaptive reweighted sampling (CARS) method can effectively select the most informative variables from the MIR spectra, resulting in higher prediction accuracies than other variable selection approaches. The model including selected MIR spectra and cow information variables yielded the best FA profile predictions based on partial least square regression. C8:0, C10:0, C14:1, C17:0 isomers, C18:1, C18:1 isomer, medium-chain FA, unsaturation FA, monounsaturated FA, and polyunsaturated FA presented accuracies based on the determination coefficient ranging from 0.66 to 0.85 in internal validation and from 0.65 to 0.84 in external validation. The most related wavenumbers to 35 FAs were found within 1003 to 1145 cm⁻¹. Generally, using CARS and cow information improved predictions of FAs based on MIR spectra in Chinese Holstein dairy cows. Additional validation studies should be conducted as larger datasets become available.

Fatty liver syndrome (FLS) poses a threat to the poultry industry due to its high occurrence and mortality rate. Folic acid (FA) is a coenzyme crucial for one-carbon metabolism. However, the mechanism by which FA mitigates FLS in laying hens remains elusive. In this study, 60 21-week-old Hy-Line Brown layers were divided into three groups: the Control (Con) group, the dexamethasone (DXM) group, and the DXM + FA group. Results showed that liver index was significantly increased in the DXM group. H&E and oil red O staining showed the accumulation of lipid droplets in the liver was intensified, confirming the successful establishment of an early fatty liver model without inflammation. FA significantly reversed hepatic lipid deposition, and 57 differentially expressed genes affected by FA were identified in the transcriptome analysis. Their transcriptional and translational levels indicate that in the early FLS, insulin-like growth factor 2/phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase/protein kinase B pathway related to lipid metabolism was activated; folate cycling was inhibited, while endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and apoptosis-related protein abundance were elevated. Dietary FA enhanced the folate circulation, reduced lipogenesis and ER stress, and apoptosis-related protein expression, thereby mitigating the lipid metabolism disturbance in FLS. Metabolomics identified 151 differential metabolites involved in early FLS occurrence, 34 of which were reversed by FA. Metabolites were also enriched in pathways related to lipid metabolism and hepatic damage. Collectively, these findings can be concluded that FA can alleviate early FLS by affecting lipogenesis, ER stress and apoptosis, which may be mediated by enhanced folate metabolism.

Supplementation of sodium butyrate (SB) has been proved to be beneficial for improving the growth performance and health of animals, but its effects on rabbits have not been well understood. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effects of SB supplementation on growth performance, meat quality, and intestinal health of rabbits by evaluating feed intake and efficiency, diarrhea index, blood and cecum metabolites, cecal pH and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), histological staining, nutritional composition of meat, and gene expression profile of cecum. A total of 14 weaned male New Zealand White rabbits (35 ± 2 days, 1.70 ± 0.09 kg) were randomly divided into two groups: rabbits in Control group were fed normally with the basal diet, and rabbits in Butyrate group were supplemented with 0.75 g/kg SB on the basis of the basal diet. After a 1-week acclimatization period, the formal trial lasted for 10 weeks. Results suggest that dietary SB reduced the feed conversion ratio and diarrhea index of rabbits (p < 0.05). SB treatment significantly increased serum glutamyl transpeptidase, total bile acid, total cholesterol, triglyceride, and glucose levels and decreased tCO₂ content relative to the Control group (p < 0.05). Meanwhile, crude ash content in rabbits' meat was significantly increased by SB treatment (p < 0.05). Furthermore, SB treatment significantly increased the integrity of epithelial villi and number of goblet cells in the cecum and decreased cecal pH compared with the Control group. Dietary SB also upregulated levels of Na⁺-K⁺ ATPase, Ca²⁺-Mg²⁺ ATPase, total superoxide dismutase, and glutathione peroxidase in cecum. SCFAs analysis revealed that dietary supplementation with SB increases butyric acid in the cecum contents. Furthermore, SB supplementation is demonstrated to stimulate the proliferation and migration of cecal epithelial cells through activating Wnt/β-catenin pathways in rabbits both in vitro and in vivo by using transcriptome sequencing and gene function verification technologies. Taken together, our findings provide a theoretical basis for the application of SB as an alternative to antibiotics in livestock production.

In the process of rapid fattening and rearing of meat sheep, yellow fat disease of sheep occurs frequently. This study aims to investigate the preliminary pathogenesis of yellow fat disease in sheep. Eighteen healthy sheep (4–5 months old, 34 ± 1 kg) were selected and randomly divided into three groups: the 10 ppm copper group, the 50 ppm copper group, and the 100 ppm copper group. At the end of the experiment, blood, liver, kidney, and adipose tissue samples were taken from all sheep, and measurements of each index were taken. 50 and 100 ppm copper supplementation in the diets did not significantly affect average daily gain, total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG) and sorbitol dehydrogenase in sheep but significantly increased the effects on gamma-glutamyltransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and alanine aminotransferase enzyme activities in the liver and increased the accumulation of copper in the liver. 50 and 100 ppm copper supplementation to the feed caused different levels of pathological damage to the liver, the kidney, and fat and significantly affected the brightness, redness, and yellowness of the carcass fat. Sheep in the 50 ppm copper group did not show significant clinical symptoms of yellow fat disease in the later period of the experiment, but those in the 100 ppm copper group showed significant clinical symptoms of yellow fat disease. Transcriptome analysis of sheep livers showed differential genes associated with yellow fat disease, and GO and KEGG analyses associated with yellow fat disease were performed, and further correlation analysis found that the occurrence of copper-induced yellow fat disease may be closely related to gene IFIT1.

Rapid body weight gain in broilers overloads the metabolic system of the organism, resulting in leg abnormalities, which seriously affects animal welfare and industry economics. In this study, broilers with normal and deformed leg bones were examined. Serum biochemical indices showed that the serum calcium to phosphorus ratio was extremely decreased in leg deformed group. In addition, abnormal serum lipid levels suggested a disruption in lipid metabolism. Based on widely targeted metabonomic analysis of serum and cartilage tissues, a total of nine differential metabolites (DMs) significantly associated with leg abnormalities and serum calcium and phosphorus levels were screened, including carnitine C16:0, carnitine C18:1, 3-hydroxymethyl-L-tyrosine, cis-4-hydroxy-D-proline, cis-L-3-hydroxyproline, trans-4-hydroxy-L-proline, and so on. Pathway analysis revealed that fatty acid degradation and arachidonic acid metabolism were enriched. Analysis of DMs in these two pathways showed that prostaglandin D₂, prostaglandin J₂, prostaglandin A₂, 15-keto prostaglandin F_2α, and Δ12-prostaglandin J₂ significantly differed between the normal and abnormal groups. It was hypothesized that these important metabolic pathways and metabolites were involved in the metabolic regulation of leg abnormalities.

Age at first farrowing (AFF) is a reproductive trait with low heritability and high importance in the pig industry. To enhance the statistical power of genome-wide association study (GWAS) and further explore the genetic nature of AFF, we first conducted GWAS meta-analysis using three Yorkshire populations, and then integrated the Pig Genotype-Tissue Expression (PigGTEx) resources to interpret their potential regulatory mechanism. Additionally, we compared the AFF in pig with the age at first birth (AFB) of human using GWAS summary statistics. We detected 18 independent variants in GWAS meta-analysis and 8 genes in gene-based association analysis significantly associated with AFF. By integrating the PigGTEx resource, we conducted transcriptome-wide association study (TWAS) and colocalization analysis on 34 pig tissues. In TWAS, we detected 18 significant gene-tissue pairs, such as DCAF6 in uterus and CREG1 in blood. In colocalization, we found 111 potential candidate tissue-gene pairs, such as GJD4 and LYPLAL1. We found that the homologous gene, CHST10, might be the potential candidate gene between humans in AFB and pigs in AFF. In conclusion, integrating GWAS meta-analysis and PigGTEx resources is a meaningful way to decipher the genetic architecture of complex traits. We found that DCAF6, CREG1, GJD4, and LYPLAL1 are candidate genes with high reliability for AFF in swine. The comparative analysis showed that CHST10 might play a potentially critical role in AFB/AFF across human and pigs.

In recent decades, the global demand for food has increased rapidly due to population growth and diminishing cultivated land. Aquaculture production has experienced rapid growth in the past 40 years and is recognized as one of the key means of addressing global food demand. However, inland aquaculture faces challenges such as water scarcity and ecological damage, leading to attention increasingly turning to the ocean. According to statistics, two-thirds of China's seafood comes from aquaculture. The reason is that China has focused on shifting from traditional fishing to systematic marine agriculture, with the core concept being the “Marine Ranching,” which views the ocean as a vast ecological management farm. The successful implementation of this concept is crucial for ensuring food security. However, the development of “Marine Ranching” requires interdisciplinary collaboration.

The special issue on “Marine Ranching” included articles that reviewed the trajectory of fish farming in Zimbabwe and provided a new perspective on the integration of aquatic pathology and nutrition for disease prevention and control. Briefly, it is well known that disease is one of the most important limiting factors for aquaculture expansion and productivity. Researchers demonstrated that ferroptosis and iron mineralization are both involved in the death and survival of fish challenged with Pseudomonas plecoglossicida. Additionally, they highlighted the importance of hematological parameters, particularly poikilocytosis, in the diagnosis of diseases in aquaculture. Moreover, antibiotics are frequently utilized in aquaculture to prevent and treat diseases. In the content of this issue, the potential adverse effects of inappropriate oxytetracycline use have garnered significant attention. Consequently, there has been a growing emphasis on researching more ecologically sustainable methods, such as the use of Isalo scorpion cytotoxic peptide stimulation to enhance the disease resistance of fish.

In conclusion, this special issue on “Marine Ranching” provided a platform for global interdisciplinary academic sharing. By drawing on these academic studies, we can continuously refine disease prevention and control measures and promote the healthy development of marine aquaculture. Not only that, sharing academic outcomes will undoubtedly bring greater wisdom and strength to establish a scientific, efficient, and sustainable blue granary production system.

There is an increasing amount of scientific research into animal sentience. Many scientists are studying the cognitive, emotional, and communicative capacities of a range of animals. The results of this research have led to a number of legal recognitions of the sentience of a range of animals. In 1997, the European Union (EU) gave legal recognition to the sentience of animals and updated and elevated this recognition in the Treaty of Lisbon. Other countries and states as well as the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH, formerly OIE) have followed it. Scientists are increasingly acknowledging that sentience and emotion have arisen in a wide range of species. Research now emphasizes that there is an extraordinary variation in how different animal species (such as mammals, birds, fish, or insects) perceive the world and their environment. This paper looks at the sentience of the main farmed land and aquatic animals and the implications of this for how such animals are bred and housed. The paper concludes that intensive farming systems deprive animals of opportunities for positive emotions, such as play, exploration, social interaction, and feeding to satiation, and stops them from satisfying naturally motivated behaviors. To truly respect animal sentience, production systems should be designed with the animal's characteristics and needs in mind. The authors conclude that regenerative, agroecological, or organic farming systems better protect and respect the sentience of animals leading to less suffering and more opportunities for positive experiences.

To investigate the impact of Isalo scorpion cytotoxic peptide (IsCT) on the immune function of immune organ (head kidney, spleen, and skin) of grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella), 540 fish (136.88 ± 0.72 g) were supplied with a different amount of IsCT (0, 0.6, 1.2, 1.8, 2.4, and 3.0 mg/kg diet) through a period of 60 days. Afterward, 24 fish were randomly selected from each group and were inoculated with Aeromonas hydrophila for a period of 6 days. Our findings suggested that appropriate IsCT complementation: (1) attenuated skin morbidity and histopathological structural changes in the head kidney and spleen (p < 0.05), which ensured the structural integrity of the immune organs; (2) increased the activity and expression of immune substances (p < 0.05), which in turn increased the function of the immune organs, promoting immune responses; (3) through the regulation of the Janus kinase/signal transducers and activators of transcription (JAKs/STATs) signaling pathway, the mRNA expression of anti-inflammatory cytokines increased and the mRNA expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines decreased, which in turn increased the function of the immune organs, reducing the inflammatory response (p < 0.05). However, the addition of IsCT did not affect the expression of IL-12p35, STAT2, and STAT3a in the immune organ. Ultimately, this study provided evidence that IsCT enhanced immune function via the JAKs/STATs signaling pathway in the immune organ in grass carp after challenged with Aeromonas hydrophila.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) can regulate several physiological processes of cells after transcription, such as cell proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. In this study, we found that 500 μM of palmitic acid (PA) could significantly induce the apoptosis of porcine subcutaneous preadipocytes (p < 0.05). The overexpression of miR-429 decreased the apoptotic rate of porcine preadipocytes and inhibited the expression of the proapoptotic gene P53 (p < 0.05). In addition, miR-429 can specifically bind to the 3′ untranslated region of Sox5, and the upregulation of miR-429 downregulated Sox5 expression. However, Sox5 overexpression promoted the apoptosis of porcine preadipocytes (p < 0.01); the co-transfection of miR-429 and pcDNA3.1-Sox5 into preadipocytes could reverse the inhibition of PA-induced apoptosis by miR-429. In conclusion, the present results provide a theoretical basis for elucidating the molecular mechanisms by which miR-429 and Sox5 regulate the apoptosis of porcine subcutaneous preadipocytes.