Identification of candidate miRNAs and expression profile of yak oocytes before and after in vitro maturation by high‐throughput sequencing

Small RNA represents several unique non‐coding RNA classes that have important function in a wide range of biological processes including development of germ cells and early embryonic, cell differentiation, cell proliferation and apoptosis in diverse organisms. However, little is known about their expression profiles and effects in yak oocytes maturation and early development. To investigate the function of small RNAs in the maturation process of yak oocyte and early development, two small RNA libraries of oocytes were constructed from germinal vesicle stage (GV) and maturation in vitro to metaphase II‐arrested stage (M II) and then sequenced using small RNA high‐throughput sequencing technology. A total of 9,742,592 and 12,168,523 clean reads were obtained from GV and M II oocytes, respectively. In total, 801 and 1,018 known miRNAs were acquired from GV and M II oocytes, and 75 miRNAs were found to be significantly differentially expressed: 47 miRNAs were upregulated and 28 miRNAs were downregulated in the M II oocytes compared to the GV stage. Among the upregulated miRNAs, miR‐342 has the largest fold change (9.25‐fold). Six highly expressed miRNAs (let‐7i, miR‐10b, miR‐10c, miR‐143, miR‐146b and miR‐148) were validated by real‐time quantitative PCR (RT‐qPCR) and consistent with the sequencing results. Furthermore, the expression patterns of two miRNAs and their potential targets were analysed in different developmental stages of oocytes and early embryos. This study provides the first miRNA profile in the mature process of yak oocyte. Seventy‐five miRNAs are expressed differentially in GV and M II oocytes as well as among different development stages of early embryos, suggesting miRNAs involved in regulating oocyte maturation and early development of yak. These results showed specific miRNAs in yak oocytes had dynamic changes during meiosis. Further functional and mechanistic studies on the miRNAs during meiosis may beneficial to understanding the role of miRNAs on meiotic division.     

Supplementation with Phaseolus vulgaris Leaves Improves Metabolic Alterations Induced by High-Fat/Fructose Diet in Rats Under Time-Restricted Feeding

Plant Foods for Human Nutrition - Time-restricted feeding and food enriched in polyphenols are strategies to prevent or reduce metabolic disorders. Bean leaves (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) are a...     

Vitamin A concentrations in commercial foods for dogs and cats

The vitamin A concentration was determined in 89 Australian brands of commercial foods for dogs and cats. It was found that 8% of the dog foods and 14% of the cat foods had concentrations of vitamin A below the minimum recommended 1.1 mg/kg dry matter (dm) for dogs and 1.8 mg/kg dm for pregnant or lactating cats. Canned and fish-labelled cat foods were the only varieties with less than the minimum recommended concentration of Vitamin A, of which 71% were the same brand. The minimum recommended concentration of vitamin A was exceeded in all canned dog food tested. Concentrations of vitamin A in dry (ca. 6% moisture) dog and cat foods and semi-moist dog foods (ca. 23% moisture) never exceeded 10 mg vitamin A/kg dm. In contrast, canned pet foods stated to contain liver or kidney showed vitamin A concentrations from 13 to 284 mg/kg dm.     

Serum alpha-tocopherol concentration in sheep after intramuscular injection of DL-alpha-tocopherol.

Forty-three crossbred wethers weighing 35 to 60 kg were used to investigate the effect of a single i.m. injection of DL-alpha-tocopherol (DL-alpha-ol). Animals were offered 1 kg/d of a basal diet containing 25 ppm of vitamin E. Lambs were randomly assigned to one of five DL-alpha-ol injection treatments as follows: 1) control (placebo, 0 IU), 2) 125 IU, 3) 250 IU, 4) 500 IU, or 5) 1,000 IU. Blood samples were taken via jugular venipuncture on d 1 before treatment administration and thereafter at designated intervals up to 360 h postinjection. The i.m. injections of DL-alpha-ol irrespective of dose increased serum alpha-tocopherol. Results showed a dose x time interaction (P less than .0001) across all treatments. Serum alpha-tocopherol increased rapidly to maximum concentration during the first 8 to 12 h for all non-zero treatments, followed by a rapid decline to pretreatment values. The mean serum alpha-tocopherol concentration at 0 h was .69 microgram/mL. Estimated peak serum alpha-tocopherol concentrations +/- SE were 6.68 +/- 1.04, 9.62 +/- 1.04, 21.66 +/- 2.37, and 50.75 +/- 7.05 micrograms/mL for Treatments 2 through 5, respectively. Results showed a quadratic dose effect (P less than .0003) on maximum response with apparently no effect on time taken to reach this peak. There was also a quadratic dose effect (P less than .0001) on the area under the concentration-time curve. The time taken for serum alpha-tocopherol to return to pretreatment levels increased with dose (56, 64, 67, and 74 h, respectively).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)