Animal Biotechnology最新文献

This study provides a detailed genomic and evolutionary analysis of the heat shock protein (HSP) gene family in the chicken (Gallus gallus), identifying 64 HSP genes. The HSP40 (DNAJ) subfamily was the largest, with 39 members, followed by HSP70, HSP90, and smaller subfamilies. Phylogenetic and structural analyses indicated intricate evolutionary dynamics, encompassing both ancient and recent duplication events. The Ka/Ks ratio suggests that purifying selection is the dominant force, although significant segmental duplications (e.g. DNAJC28/DNAJC30) exhibit evidence of positive selection. Analysis of the protein-protein interaction network identified HSPA8, HSPA9, and HSP90B1 as central hubs. Functional enrichment revealed significant clusters associated with chaperone-mediated protein folding, protein complex assembly, and a novel cluster related to toxin transport. Expression profiling by RT-qPCR revealed notable tissue-specificity, with HSP90 and HSP40 exhibiting the highest upregulation (fold change > 3) in leg muscle relative to liver, highlighting their involvement in musculoskeletal stress adaptation. The findings establish a foundational resource for understanding the molecular mechanisms of stress resilience in poultry, highlighting specific gene families and functional modules as potential targets for enhancing thermotolerance and productivity.

Managing fat accumulation is a critical goal in the poultry industry, with the liver being the primary site for lipid metabolism in chickens. This study used non-targeted metabolomics to investigate dynamic changes in metabolite composition in chicken liver across five physiological stages. A total of 1121 metabolites were identified, with 749 and 372 detected in positive- and negative-ion modes, respectively. The regulation of hepatic lipolysis involves numerous metabolic pathways, making it a complex process. We performed trend analysis of lipid, carbohydrate and amino acid-related metabolites. Age exerted major effects on hepatic metabolism, significantly enriching pathways including alpha-linolenic acid metabolism, linoleic acid metabolism, steroid hormone biosynthesis, 2-oxocarboxylic acid metabolism and nicotinate and nicotinamide metabolism. Transcriptomic analysis identified 12 lipid-metabolism-related genes, showing a tendency of continuously increase. Potential functional genes influencing lipid metabolism-related pathways were identified through a comprehensive analysis of differential lipid-related metabolites and genes, including fatty acid desaturase 2 (FADS2), acetyl-CoA acetyltransferase 2 (ACAT2), apovitellenin 1 (APOV1), vitellogenin 1 (VTG1), membrane-bound O-acyltransferase domain-containing protein 2 (MBOAT2) and ELOVL fatty acid elongase 1 (ELOVL1). These findings could help improve understanding of hepatic metabolism during different physiological stages and identify valuable biomarkers for specific metabolite accumulation.

Copy number variations (CNV) are important genetic variations. The endogenous factors cobalamin receptor (CUBN) and MIA SH3 domain ER-derived factor 3 (MIA3) are associated with bone/muscle development and intramuscular fat deposition. There have been no reports on the effects of CUBN and MIA3 CNVs on growth traits of Chinese cattle. This study aimed to determine the correlation between the CUBN and MIA3 CNVs and growth traits in Chinese cattle. qRT-PCR was used to detect the distribution of CUBN and MIA3 CNV and the expression levels of their mRNA, and correlation analysis was conducted between CNV and growth traits. The CUBN was differentially expressed in different breeds of cattle, and CUBN CNV correlated significantly with body height, hip height, body slanting length, and hip width of Grassland Red cattle (CYH); eye muscle area of Yanbian cattle (YB) and Yan Yellow cattle (YH). MIA3 showed no CNV in CYH and YB cattle, and only one deletion type occurred in YH cattle. CUBN and MIA3 mRNA have different expression patterns in different cattle breeds and tissues. In conclusion, CUBN CNV is correlated significantly with growth traits in Chinese cattle and is a novel molecular marker that could be exploited in cattle breeding.

Copy number variations (CNVs) have become widely acknowledged as a significant source of genomic variability and phenotypic variance. To understand the genetic variants in horses, CNVs from six Indian horse breeds, namely, Manipuri, Zanskari, Bhutia, Spiti, Kathiawari and Marwari were discovered using Axiom^™ Equine Genotyping Array. These breeds differed in agro-climatic adaptation with distinct phenotypic characters. A total of 2668 autosomal CNVs and 381 CNV regions (CNVRs) were identified with PennCNV tool. DeepCNV was employed to re-validate to get 883 autosomal CNVs, of which 9.06% were singleton type. A total of 180 CNVRs were identified after DeepCNV filtering with the estimated length of 3.12 Kb-4.90 Mb. The functional analysis showed the majority of the CNVRs genes enriched for sensory perception and olfactory receptor activity. An Equine CNVs database, EqCNVdb (http://backlin.cabgrid.res.in/eqcnvdb/) was developed which catalogues detailed information on the horse CNVs, CNVRs and gene content within CNVRs. Also, three random CNVRs were validated with real-time polymerase chain reaction. These findings will aid in the understanding the horse genome and serve as a preliminary foundation for future CNV association research with commercially significant equine traits. The identification of CNVs and CNVRs would lead to better insights into genetic basis of important traits.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the polymorphism and genetic correlation of INSL3 and WNT2B genes with seasonal estrus and litter size in three different Xinjiang sheep breeds. The genetic diversity of INSL3 and WNT2B genes were analyzed, and their association with litter size and estrous traits were analyzed. The results showed that two SNPs (SNP1, SNP2) were detected in INSL3 gene and there were three genotypes in SNP2 (INSL3 (A100T)), named of AA, AT and TT, A was the dominant allele. Additionally, five SNPs (SNP3, SNP4, SNP5, SNP6, SNP7) were detected in the WNT2B gene and there were three genotypes in SNP4 (WNT2B (G126T)), named GG, GT and TT, G was dominant allele. SNP2 was in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in three sheep breeds (P > 0.05). SNP4 was deviated from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in three sheep breeds (P < 0.05). Further, AT genotype of SNP2 (INSL3 (A100T)) could significantly affect the estrus trait in Duolang sheep and Qira black sheep, and related to the litter size in Duolang sheep. The WNT2B significantly affected the estrus and litter size of Duolang sheep and Qira black sheep. INSL3 (A100T) and WNT2B (G126T) may be potential molecular markers for controlling seasonal reproductive trait in sheep.

The growth of livestock is influenced by both genetic and environmental factors, with genes like Non-SMC Condensin I complex subunit G (NCAPG) playing key roles in regulating growth. Previous studies have suggested that NCAPG is associated with growth traits in species such as cattle, sheep, and chickens. In this study, we comprehensively assessed NCAPG polymorphisms and their association with body weight (BW), chest circumference (CC), body height (BH), and body length (BL) at six stages (from newborn to 30 months) in 469 Nanjiang Yellow goats, utilizing the Generalized Linear Mixed Models (GLMM). Pearson correlation analysis revealed the strongest correlation between BW and CC (R = 0.91), followed by BW and BL (R = 0.87), and BW and BH (R = 0.89). Additionally, 24 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the NCAPG gene were identified, which were relatively conserved across closely related species. A notable missense mutation (g.5705 A > G) in exon 6 resulted in an amino acid substitution (281 Ile > Met), which may alter the physicochemical properties and conformation of the NCAPG protein. The resulting impairment in condensin function delays chromosome segregation, prolongs metaphase in growth plate stem cells, and enhances proliferative signaling, ultimately leading to variations in body size. Correlation analysis revealed that 13 of these SNPs were concurrently associated with multiple growth traits, including BH, BL, and CC. These polymorphisms in the NCAPG gene represent potential candidates for marker-assisted selection (MAS) to improve body size in Nanjiang Yellow goats.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can self-renew and differentiate into several lineages and can be isolated from different tissues such as bone marrow, adipose tissue, umbilical cord blood, and muscle. Herein, we established MSCs derived from miniature pig muscle (MpMu-MSCs) and assessed their response to Aujeszky's virus. We characterized the MpMu-MSCs based on their cellular morphology, proliferation properties, cell surface marker expression, and mesodermal differentiation potential. MpMu-MSCs demonstrated a fibroblast-like spindle shape and formed a homogeneous monolayer. They showed a considerable increase in cell proliferation over 16 passages. The cells expressed surface markers CD29, CD44, CD90, and CD105 and demonstrated mesodermal lineage differentiation capabilities. MpMu-MSCs demonstrated faster cytopathic effects than the Vero cells when infected with Aujeszky's virus. The virus titer in MpMu-MSCs was initiated at 10^1.4 TCID₅₀/ml at 12 h post-infection (hpi) and increased to 10^6.6 TCID₅₀/ml at 72 hpi. In Vero cells, it was initiated at 10^2.3 TCID₅₀/ml at 48 hpi and increased to 10^3.8 TCID₅₀/ml at 72 hpi. This study showed that the stem cells procured from miniature pig muscles exhibit MSC characteristics and that the established cells demonstrate higher susceptibility and virus titer to Aujeszky's virus than Vero cells, indicating their potential use in virus research.

Myostatin (MSTN) protein, lncRNAs, and circRNAs regulate skeletal muscle growth and development. This work aims to compare the expression patterns of circRNAs and lncRNAs in the gluteus maximus tissue of wild-type (WT) and MSTN gene knockout (KO) rabbits. Within the gluteus maximus tissue of three WT and four MSTN KO rabbits, we analyzed the expression profiles of circRNAs and lncRNAs. After identifying the differently expressed RNAs, the biological pathways implicated were ascertained by performing enrichment analysis using the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and Gene Ontology (GO). We identified differences in the expression of 251 circRNAs (79 upregulated and 172 downregulated), 176 lncRNAs (53 upregulated and 123 downregulated), and 1178 mRNAs (408 upregulated and 770 downregulated) between WT and MSTN KO rabbits. Target genes were significantly enriched in pathways associated with protein synthesis and catabolism, such as oxidative phosphorylation, ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis, the FoxO signaling pathway, and the pentose phosphate pathway, as identified through GO and KEGG enrichment analyses. The constructed network indicates that a class of circRNAs and lncRNAs is engaged in MSTN-mediated regulation of skeletal muscle development. These findings provide valuable insights for innovative therapeutic, diagnostic, and preventive approaches to muscle disorders.

Eucommia ulmoides (EU) is a traditional medicinal plant widely cultivated across China. The combination of EU and feed significantly affects the growth performance, intestinal microbiota composition, and metabolic characteristics of weaned piglets. Forty Landrace x Yorkshire piglets were randomly assigned to four groups: a control group receiving a basal diet, three treatment groups receiving a basal diet supplemented with EU and EU with mix energy (EU+ME), and EU with high protein and energy (EU+HPE), respectively. Growth performance was monitored over a 25-day feeding period, and fecal samples were collected for subsequent metagenomic sequencing and metabolomic analysis. Piglets supplemented with EU, EU+ME, and EU+HPE exhibited significantly improved growth performance, compared to the control group. Metagenomic analysis revealed significant alterations in gut microbiota composition, with increased beneficial bacterial classes and suppression of Prevotella spp. Metabolomic profiling demonstrated distinct metabolic alterations among the treatment groups, with pathway impact analysis highlighting enhanced protein synthesis and energy metabolism. Furthermore, EU supplementation did not affect porcine epidemic diarrhea virus activity in vitro but reduced LPS-induced intestinal inflammation. These findings suggest that EU could be a promising natural additive for improving piglet health and growth, with potential implications for managing post-weaning challenges in swine production.

The Cinghiato pig population originates from a breeding project aimed at reconstituting an extinct local swine breed, historically depicted in frescoes in Umbria, Central Italy. The selection strategy employed a reconstruction breeding program, choosing mating pairs based on the unique coat phenotype represented in these artworks. Unlike the traditional Cinta Senese breed, Cinghiato pigs exhibit a white belt encircling the trunk, while their forelimbs remain black. This study explores the genetic background of the belted coat pattern observed in the heterogeneous reconstituted population. Twenty-two pigs were genotyped using the Porcine GGP 80K SNP BeadChip. Genetic analyses were conducted to assess population structure and diversity, with comparisons made to other Italian pig breeds and wild boars. Findings reveal moderate genetic diversity within the Cinghiato population. Runs of Homozygosity patterns suggest historical inbreeding events. Moreover, several genomic regions were associated with traits relevant to niche pork production, including feed intake, leg conformation, and fat deposition. Polymorphisms were detected in 10 coat color-related genes (KIT, MC1R, ASIP, EDNRB, KITLG, MITF, OCA2, PAX3, SOX10, and TYRP1). Although some candidate variants were identified, this preliminary study highlights the need for further research to clarify the genetic mechanisms underlying the phenotypic variability of belted coat patterns.