Gut health benefit and application of postbiotics in animal productionOA

Gut homeostasis is of importance to host health and imbalance of the gut usually leads to disorders or diseases for both human and animal. Postbiotics have been applied in manipulating of gut health, and utilization of postbiotics threads new lights into the host health. Compared with the application of probiotics, the characteristics such as stability and safety of postbiotics make it a potential alternative to probiotics. Studies have reported the beneficial effects of components derived from ...     

The significan e of N-carbamoylglutamate in ruminant productionOA

Improving the efficiency and production of grazing ruminants to support food and fiber production, while reducing the environmental footprint and meeting the welfare needs of the animals, is important for sustainable livestock production systems. Development of new technologies that can improve the efficiency of nitrogen(N) utilization in ruminants, and that are effective and safe, has important implications for ruminant livestock production. N-carbomoylglutamate(NCG) is a functional micronutrie...     

Genome-wide identification of functional enhancers and their potential roles in pig breedingOA

Background: The pig is an economically important livestock species and is a widely applied large animal model in medical research. Enhancers are critical regulatory elements that have fundamental functions in evolution,development and disease. Genome-wide quantification of functional enhancers in the pig is needed.Results: We performed self-transcribing active regulatory region sequencing(STARR-seq) in the porcine kidney epithelial PK15 and testicular ST cell lines, and reliably identified 2576 ...     

Integrins and their potential roles in mammalian pregnancyOA

Integrins are a highly complex family of receptors that, when expressed on the surface of cells, can mediate reciprocal cell-to-cell and cell-to-extracellular matrix(ECM) interactions leading to assembly of integrin adhesion complexes(IACs) that initiate many signaling functions both at the membrane and deeper within the cytoplasm to coordinate processes including cell adhesion, migration, proliferation, survival, differentiation, and metabolism. All metazoan organisms possess integrins, and it ...     

Stage-specific nutritional management and developmental programming to optimize meat productionOA

Over the past few decades,genetic selection and refined nutritional management have extensively been used to increase the growth rate and lean meat production of livestock.However,the rapid growth rates of modern breeds are often accompanied by a reduction in intramuscular fat deposition and increased occurrences of muscle abnormalities,impairing meat quality and processing functionality.Early stages of animal development set the longterm growth trajectory of offspring.However,due to the seasona...     

Genomic patterns of homozygosity and inbreeding depression in MurcianoGranadina goatsOA

Background: Inbreeding depression can adversely affect traits related to fitness, reproduction and productive performance. Although current research suggests that inbreeding levels are generally low in most goat breeds, the impact of inbreeding depression on phenotypes of economic interest has only been investigated in a few studies based on genealogical data.Results: We genotyped 1040 goats with the Goat SNP50 BeadChip. This information was used to estimate different molecular inbreeding coeffi...     

Single-cell transcriptomic atlas of goat ovarian agingOA

Background The ovaries are one of the first organs that undergo degenerative changes earlier in the aging process, and ovarian aging is shown by a decrease in the number and quality of oocytes. However, little is known about the molecular mechanisms of female age-related fertility decline in different types of ovarian cells during aging, especially in goats. Therefore, the aim of this study was to reveal the mechanisms driving ovarian aging in goats at single-cell resolution.Results For the firs...     

Serum metabolic profile and metabolome genome-wide association study in chickenOA

Background Chickens provide globally important livestock products. Understanding the genetic and molecular mechanisms underpinning chicken economic traits is crucial for improving their selective breeding. Influenced by a combination of genetic and environmental factors, metabolites are the ultimate expression of physiological processes and can provide key insights into livestock economic traits. However, the serum metabolite profile and genetic architecture of the metabolome in chickens have no...     

Role of functional fatty acids in modulation of reproductive potential in livestockOA

Fatty acids are not only widely known as energy sources,but also play important roles in many metabolic pathways.The significance of fatty acids in modulating the reproductive potential of livestock has received greater recognition in recent years.Functional fatty acids and their metabolites improve follicular development,oocyte maturation and embryo development,as well as endometrial receptivity and placental vascular development,through enhancing energy supply and precursors for the synthesis ...     

Functional roles of taurine,L-theanine,Lcitrulline, and betaine during heat stress in poultryOA

Heat stress(HS) is an important environmental stress factor affecting poultry production on a global scale. With the rise in ambient temperature and increasing effects of global warming, it becomes pertinent to understand the effects of HS on poultry production and the strategies that can be adopted to mitigate its detrimental impacts on the performance, health, welfare, immunity, and survival of birds. Amino acids(AAs) have been increasingly adopted as nutritional modifiers in animals to amelio...     

MicroRNA regulates the toxicological mechanism of four mycotoxins in vivo and in vitroOA

Mycotoxins can cause body poisoning and induce carcinogenesis, often with a high mortality rate. Therefore,it is of great significance to seek new targets that indicate mycotoxin activity and to diagnose and intervene in mycotoxin-induced diseases in their early stages. MicroRNAs(miRNAs) are physiological regulators whose dysregulation is closely related to the development of diseases. They are thus important markers for the occurrence and development of diseases. In this review, consideration i...     

Potential roles of the rectum keystone microbiota in modulating the microbial community and growth performance in goat modelOA

Background Ruminal microbiota in early life plays critical roles in the life-time health and productivity of ruminant animals. However, understanding of the relationship between gut microbiota and ruminant phenotypes is very limited. Here, the relationship between the rectum microbiota, their primary metabolites, and growth rate of a total of 76 young dairy goats(6-month-old) were analyzed, and then 10 goats with the highest or lowest growth rates respectively were further compared for the diffe...     

Determination of double-and single-stranded DNA breaks in bovine sperm is predictive of their fertilizing capacityOA

Background: The analysis of chromatin integrity has become an important determinant of sperm quality. In frozenthawed bovine sperm, neither the sequence of post-thaw injury events nor the dynamics of different types of sperm DNA breaks are well understood. The aim of the present work was to describe such sperm degradation aftermath focusing on DNA damage dynamics, and to assess if this parameter can predict pregnancy rates in cattle.Results: A total of 75 cryopreserved ejaculates from 25 Holstei...     

Hatching egg polyunsaturated fatty acids and the broiler chickOA

Transgenerational effects of certain nutrients such as essential fatty acids are gaining increased attention in the field of human medicine and animal sciences as a new tool to improve health and animal performance during perinatal life.Omega-3(n-3) and omega-6(n-6) fatty acids are denoted by the position of the first double bond from methyl end of the hydrocarbon chain.Alpha-linolenic acid(18:3 n-3) and linoleic acid(18:2 n-6) are essential n-3 and n-6 fatty acids and cannot be synthesized by t...     

Recent advances in immunoassays and biosensors for mycotoxins detection in feedstuffs and foodsOA

Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites produced by fungus. Many mycotoxin species are highly toxic and are frequently found in cereals and feedstuffs. So, powerful detection methods are vital and effective ways to prevent feed contamination. Traditional detection methods can no longer meet the needs of massive, real-time, simple, and fast mycotoxin monitoring. Rapid detection methods based on advanced material and sensor technology are the future trend. In this review, we highlight recent progress...     

Metabolomic fingerprinting of pig seminal plasma identifies in vivo fertility biomarkersOA

Background: Metabolomic approaches, which include the study of low molecular weight molecules, are an emerging-omics technology useful for identification of biomarkers. In this field, nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR)spectroscopy has already been used to uncover(in) fertility biomarkers in the seminal plasma(SP) of several mammalian species. However, NMR studies profiling the porcine SP metabolome to uncover in vivo fertility biomarkers are yet to be carried out. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate...     

Dietary calcium supplementation promotes the accumulation of intramuscular fatOA

Background: In the livestock industry, intramuscular fat content is a key factor affecting meat quality. Many studies have shown that dietary calcium supplementation is closely related to lipid metabolism. However, few studies have examined the relationship between dietary calcium supplementation and intramuscular fat accumulation.Methods: Here, we used C2C12 cells, C57BL/6 mice(n = 8) and three-way cross-breeding pigs(Duroc×Landrace×Large white)(n = 10) to study the effect of calcium addition o...     

Perturbations of the ileal mycobiota by necrotic enteritis in broiler chickensOA

Background: Intestinal microbiota is critical for maintaining animal health and homeostasis. However, involvement of the fungal community, also known as the mycobiota, in animal health and disease is poorly understood. This study was aimed to examine the association between the intestinal mycobiota and the severity of necrotic enteritis(NE), an economically significant poultry disease.Methods: A total of 90 day-of-hatch Cobb broilers were infected with Eimeria maxima on d 10, followed by an oral...     

Insights into the architecture of human-induced polygenic selection in Duroc pigsOA

Background: As one of the most utilized commercial composite boar lines, Duroc pigs have been introduced to China and undergone strongly human-induced selection over the past decades. However, the efficiencies and limitations of previous breeding of Chinese Duroc pigs are largely understudied. The objective of this study was to uncover directional polygenic selection in the Duroc pig genome, and investigate points overlooked in the past breeding process.Results: Here, we utilized the Generation ...     

Maternal supply of cysteamine alleviates oxidative stress and enhances angiogenesis in porcine placentaOA

Background: Oxidative stress in placenta is associated with the occurrence of adverse pregnancy outcomes in sow,but there are few satisfactory treatment strategies for these conditions. This study investigated the potential of cysteamine(CS) as an antioxidant protectant for regulating the reproductive performance, redox status, and placental angiogenesis of sows.Methods: The placental oxidative stress status and vascular density of piglets with different birth weights: < 1.0 kg(low birth weig...