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Background: Probiotics have been used in livestock production for many years, but information on their benefits during the early life of calves is inconsistent. This study aimed to assess the effects of probiotics on the performance of pre-weaning dairy calves and identify the factors influencing their effect size. Results: Forty-nine studies were selected for meta-analysis based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The study qualities were evaluated using a predefined risk assessment tool following GRADE guidelines. Meta-analysis results showed that probiotics increased the body weight by 1.988 kg, average daily gain by 40.689 g/d, butyrate by 0.788 mmol/L, BHBA by 0.029 mmol/L, and IgG by 0.698 g/L, based on the strict criteria (PSMD < 0.05, I2 < 50%). In contrast, probiotics decreased feed conversion rate by 0.073, acetate by 2.815 mmol/L, AST by 4.188 U/L (PSMD < 0.05, I2 < 50%). Additionally, probiotics increased starter dry matter intake by 0.034 kg/d, total dry matter intake (TDMI) by 0.020 kg/d, IgA by 0.313 g/L, IgM by 0.262 g/L, total antioxidant capacity by 0.441 U/mL, and faecal bacteria counts by 0.680 log10 CFU/g, based on the loose criteria (PSMD < 0.05, I2 > 50%). However, probiotics decreased LDH by 78.796 U/L, MDA by 0.404 nmol/mL, and faecal score by 0.052 (PSMD < 0.05, I2 > 50%). Regression and sub-group analyses showed that probiotic strains, supplementary dosage, and method significantly affected the performance of calves. The probiotics supplied with more than 9.5 log10 CFU/d significantly increased IgA and IgG contents (PSMD < 0.05). Additionally, the compound probiotics significantly increased TDMI, IgA, and IgM (PSMD < 0.001). Furthermore, probiotics supplemented in liquid (whole milk or milk replacer) significantly increased TDMI and decreased faecal score (PSMD < 0.05), while in whole milk, they significantly increased body weight, IgA, and IgM (PSMD < 0.001). Conclusions: Probiotics improve the growth performance, feed intake and efficiency, rumen fermentation, immune and antioxidant capacity, and health of pre-weaning calves. However, the effect sizes were related to the dosage, composition, and supplementary method of probiotics.

Background Probiotics have been used in livestock production for many years, but information on their benefits during the early life of calves is inconsistent. This study aimed to assess the effects of probiotics on the performance of pre-weaning dairy calves and identify the factors influencing their effect sizes. Results Forty-nine studies were selected for meta-analysis based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The study qualities were evaluated using a predefined risk assessment tool following GRADE guidelines. Meta-analysis results showed that probiotics increased the growth performance (body weight by 1.988 kg and average daily gain by 40.689 g/d), decreased digestibility and feed efficiency (feed conversion rate by 0.073), altered rumen parameter (decreased acetate by 2.815 mmol/L and increased butyrate by 0.788 mmol/L), altered blood parameter (decreased AST by 4.188 U/L, increased BHBA by 0.029 mmol/L and IgG by 0.698 g/L), increased faecal parameter (faecal bacteria counts by 0.680 log10 CFU/g), based on the strict criteria (PSMD I2 PSMD I2 > 50%). Regression and sub-group analyses showed that probiotic strains, supplementation dosage, and methods significantly affected the performance of calves. The probiotics supplied with more than 9.5 log10 CFU/d significantly increased IgA and IgM contents (PSMD PSMD ≤ 0.001). Furthermore, probiotics supplemented in liquid (whole milk or milk replacer) significantly increased TDMI and decreased faecal score (PSMD PSMD Conclusions Probiotics could improve the growth performance, feed intake and efficiency, rumen fermentation, immune and antioxidant capacity, and health of pre-weaning calves. However, the effect sizes were related to the dosage, composition, and supplementation methods of probiotics.

Stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 (SCD1) is a rate-limiting enzyme that mainly catalyzes the saturated fatty acids (SFAs) into the monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs). The expression level of SCD1 is positively correlated with the marbling score. However, the functional mechanism of SCD1 in adipogenesis is still unclear. In this study, we identified SCD1 as highly expressed in subcutaneous and visceral fat, peaking at 2 days after differentiation in bovine stromal vascular fraction (SVF) cells. When the SCD1 was overexpressed in bovine SVF cells, lipid droplets accumulation was increased from 142.46 ± 21.77 to 254.89 ± 11.75 μg/mg (P 0.05). Dual-luciferase reporter assay showed that the activity of the PPARγ receptor was enhanced by 3.69 times (P < 0.01). Moreover, the contents of palmitoleate (C16:1) and oleate (C18:1) were significantly increased (P < 0.05). Furthermore, 100 μM exogenous oleate increased the lipid accumulation by 22.28 times (P < 0.01). These results suggest that oleate is probably a strong ligand of the PPARγ receptor to enhance adipogenesis.

Myogenic factor 5 plays actively roles in the regulation of myogenesis. The aims of this study are to identify the evolution information of MYF5 protein among 10 domestic and mammalian animals, to uncover the expression patterns of MYF5 gene in calves and adults of Qinchuan cattle, and to expose the genetic variants of the MYF5 gene and explore its effect on cattle growth traits and beef quality traits in Qinchuan cattle. The bioinformatics results showed that the MYF5 proteins highly conserved in different mammalian or domestic animals apart from chicken. The expression level of MYF5 gene in the heart, muscle, lung, large intestine and liver was greater than that of other tissues. PCR amplicons sequencing identified four novel SNPs at g.5738AG, g.5785CT and g.5816AG in the 3rd exon region and g.6535AG in the 3' UTR. Genotypic frequencies of g.5785CT was harshly deviated from the HWE (P .05). Genetic diversity was low or intermediate for the four SNPs and those SNPs were in the weak linkage disequilibrium. Association analysis results indicated g.5785CT, g.5816AG and g.6535AG significant effect on growth performance and beef quality traits of Qinchuan cattle. H1H3 diplotype had greater body size and better beef quality. All the results implicate that the MYF5 gene might be applied as a promising candidate gene in Qinchuan cattle breeding.

Introduction Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is defined as glucose intolerance that is first diagnosed during pregnancy, a condition risking the health of both the mother and the baby. Naringenin (NGN) has been demonstrated to have multiple therapeutic functions, while it is also considered to exhibit antidiabetic properties. The present study aimed to investigate the protective effects of NGN in pregnant diabetic rats. Methods GDM was induced by feeding the rats with a high-fat diet for 5 weeks, followed by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (35 mg/kg). The fasting blood glucose were determined with a glucometer and the 24-h urine protein (24-UPro) were determined by the sulfonyl salicylic acid method. The pathological morphological changes and apoptosis of glomeruli cells of kidney tissue using hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining and TUNEL analysis. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits were used to detect the serum T-AOC, the activity of SOD, the levels of GSH-Px, CAT and MDA, TNF-α, IL-6, TGF-β, ICAM-1.The expression of related genes were measured by RT-qPCR and Western blot analyses. Results In the NGN-treated group, it was observed that the general status of the rats was improved, while the levels of blood glucose and 24-UPro were significantly decreased. In addition, the histopathological changes in renal tissues and renal cell apoptosis were significantly improved upon treatment with NGN. The expression levels of oxidative stress and inflammation-associated factors also differed signifigcantly between the model and NGN-treated groups. Upon treatment with NGN, the levels of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α were significantly increased, while the activity of enzymes involved in the oxidative metabolism of fatty acids was significantly decreased. Conclusion These preliminary experimental findings demonstrate that NGN has a certain renoprotective effect on GDM, which provides a novel therapeutic option for this condition.

The aims of this study were to analyze the coding region sequence of the SIRT5 gene and to explore the association of SIRT5 gene expression with meat quality traits in the F1 generation of wild boar × Kele pigs (Yeke F1). In this study, two SNPs (g.5753 A > G, g.16916 A > G) were found in the CDS region of the SIRT5 that could affect meat quality. SIRT5 was an unstable hydrophilic protein with a highly conservative structure of the SIR2 functional domain. The expression of SIRT5 in subcutaneous fat was significantly higher than that of the longissimus dorsi muscle from Yeke F1 pigs (P < 0.01). The expression level of SIRT5 negatively correlated with meat color (P < 0.01) and positively correlated with the pH1 (P < 0.05) in longissimus dorsi muscle. Expression of SIRT5 was positively correlated with meat tenderness, muscle moisture, heptadecanoic acid, elmintic acid and methyl nervonate (P < 0.01); however, it was negatively correlated with intramuscular fat content, myristic acid, stearic acid and trans linoleic acid (P < 0.05) in subcutaneous fat. This study indicated that SIRT5 could be used as a candidate gene for regulating intramuscular fat content and flavor indexes of Yeke F1 pigs.

It is crucial to understand domestication to unravel the evolutionary processes that shape the divergence of populations. Differences in life-history traits have probably led to marked differences in the mode and speed of evolution between trees and annuals, particularly the extent of crop-wild gene flow during domestication. Apple is an iconic tree and major fruit crop grown worldwide. The contribution of wild apple species to the genetic makeup of the cultivated apple genome remains a topic of intense investigations. We used population genomics in combination with SNPs to investigate the contributions of the two known wild apple relatives, Malus sylvestris and Malus sieversii, and a supposed contributor, Malus baccata, to European and Chinese rootstock and dessert genomes, with a focus on the extent of wild-crop gene flow during apple domestication. We showed that the European dessert and rootstock apples form a specific gene pool, whereas the Chinese dessert and rootstock apples were a mixture of three wild gene pools. Coalescent-based inferences and gene flow estimates indicated that M. baccata is an additional contributor to the genome of both European and Chinese cultivated apples through wild-to-crop introgressions. We also confirmed previous results on the contribution of M. sylvestris to the cultivated apple genome, and provided insights into the origin of the apple rootstock. This study further demonstrates the role of gene flow during apple domestication, as seen in other woody perennials, and show that domestication of the apple tree involved several wild apple species.

Simple Summary Previous research found that FATP1 plays an important role in the regulation of fatty acid metabolism and lipid accumulation in pig and chicken, but its function has not been explored in bovine adipocyte yet. In this study, we investigated the effect of FATP1 expression on preadipocyte differentiation in Qinchuan cattle using overexpression and interference assays. Our results reveal that FATP1 overexpression promoted preadipocyte differentiation, lipid droplet formation, and the expression of LPL and PPARγ, while FATP1 interference had the opposite effects on adipocyte differentiation and fat deposition. Following FATP1 overexpression and FATP1 interference in adipocytes, RNA-seq analysis identified that SLPI, STC1, SEMA6A, TNFRSF19, SLN, PTGS2, ADCYP1, FADS2, and SCD genes were differentially expressed. Pathway analysis revealed that the PPAR signaling pathway, AMPK signal pathway, and Insulin signaling pathway were enriched with differentially expressed genes. We propose that the FATP1 gene may affect the beef quality by involving adipocyte differentiation and lipid deposition, and may shed new light on the formation mechanisms of adipose tissues. Abstract FATP1 plays an important role in the regulation of fatty acid metabolism and lipid accumulation. In this study, we investigated the patterns of FATP1 expression in various tissues obtained from calf and adult Qinchuan cattle, and in differentiating adipocytes. Next, we investigated the effect of FATP1 expression on preadipocyte differentiation in Qinchuan cattle using overexpression and interference assays. We also identified the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and pathways associated with FATP1 overexpression/interference. Our results reveal that FATP1 was broadly expressed in heart, kidney, muscle, small intestine, large intestine, and perirenal fat tissues. While FATP1 overexpression promoted preadipocyte differentiation, fat deposition, and the expression of several genes involved in fat metabolism, FATP1 interference had the opposite effects on adipocyte differentiation. Following FATP1 overexpression and FATP1 interference in adipocytes, RNA-seq analysis was performed to identify DEGs related to fat metabolism. The DEGs identified include SLPI, STC1, SEMA6A, TNFRSF19, SLN, PTGS2, ADCYP1, FADS2, and SCD. Pathway analysis revealed that the DEGs were enriched in the PPAR signaling pathway, AMPK signal pathway, and Insulin signaling pathway. Our results provide an in-depth understanding of the function and regulation mechanism of FAPT1 in fat metabolism.

Background Co-infections of the porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) and the Haemophilus parasuis (HPS) are severe in Chinese pigs, but the immune response genes against co-infected with 2 pathogens in the lungs have not been reported. Objectives To understand the effect of PRRSV and/or HPS infection on the genes expression associated with lung immune function. Methods The expression of the immune-related genes was analyzed using RNA-sequencing and bioinformatics. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were detected and identified by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), immunohistochemistry (IHC) and western blotting assays. Results All experimental pigs showed clinical symptoms and lung lesions. RNA-seq analysis showed that 922 DEGs in co-challenged pigs were more than in the HPS group (709 DEGs) and the PRRSV group (676 DEGs). Eleven DEGs validated by qRT-PCR were consistent with the RNA sequencing results. Eleven common Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways related to infection and immune were found in single-infected and co-challenged pigs, including autophagy, cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, and antigen processing and presentation, involving different DEGs. A model of immune response to infection with PRRSV and HPS was predicted among the DEGs in the co-challenged pigs. Dual oxidase 1 (DUOX1) and interleukin-21 (IL21) were detected by IHC and western blot and showed significant differences between the co-challenged pigs and the controls. Conclusions These findings elucidated the transcriptome changes in the lungs after PRRSV and/or HPS infections, providing ideas for further study to inhibit ROS production and promote pulmonary fibrosis caused by co-challenging with PRRSV and HPS.

The Non-Local Means (NLM) algorithm has gained wide applications in image denoising. However, the effect in practical application is limited by parameter setting and the pre-defined filtering parameter has to manually set in different noise levels. To solve the problem, we analyze the effect of the filtering parameter on images with different texture complexity and noise levels. Then, a new NLM algorithm is proposed based on the eigenvalues of the pixel to adjust the filtering parameter adaptively. Specifically, the linear scale space theory is used to obtain the Hessian matrix of each pixel in the image and calculate the associated eigenvalues, based on which a formula is developed to determine the filtering parameter. In order to achieve edge-preserving performance, the filtering parameter is selected differently. Experimental results show that filtering parameter adaptively determined by image noise levels as well as image texture, and accordingly achieve excellent denoising performance.

Purpose: To study the clinical effect of minimally-invasive surgery to treat urinary calculi and the prevention of surgery-associated complications during pregnancy. Methods: A retrospective analysis of the clinical data of 96 pregnant urinary calculi patients admitted to our hospital from April 2017 to April 2018 was conducted. The patients were randomly divided into a study group and a control group, with 48 patients in each group. The control group was given extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESEL), and the study group underwent minimally-invasive percutaneous nephrolithotomies (MPCNL). The clinical efficacy and the complications associated with the two treatments were compared. Results: The two groups’ BUN and SCr levels were significantly decreased after the treatment (P < 0.05), with more significant reductions in the study group than in the control group (P < 0.001). There were marked reductions in the IL-6 and ET-1 levels in the two groups of patients post-treatment (P < 0.001), with greater decreases in the study group than in the control group (P < 0.001). The post-treatment CA and GLU levels were significantly lower than their pre-treatment values (P < 0.001), with greater decreases in the study group than in the control group (P < 0.001). Moreover, the patients’ pain scores in the study group at post-surgery days 1, 3, and 5 were significantly lower than the post-surgery pain scores in the control group (P < 0.001). There were no significant differences in the stone removal rates between the two groups (P > 0.05). The Incidence of postoperative complications in the study group was significantly lower than the incidence in the control group (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The use of MPCNL for patients with urinary calculi during pregnancy effectively improves renal function, decreases the inflammatory and stress responses, and lowers the postoperative pain. Therefore, this treatment merits clinical application.

Stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 (SCD1) is a rate-limiting enzyme that mainly catalyzes the saturated fatty acids (SFAs) into the monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs). The expression level of

Simple Summary In bovine preadipocytes, the overexpression of the PLIN1 gene promotes the expression of FASN, PPARγ, ACC, LPL, FABP4, DGAT2, and C/EBPβ at the mRNA level, inhibiting the expression of fat metabolism genes such as PLIN2 and ATGL. Furthermore, after overexpression of PLIN1, the oil red O-staining results showed that the number of lipid droplets (LDs) in fat cells, their volume and triglyceride content were increased. The elevation in triglyceride content indicates that PLIN1 can promote the accumulation of triglyceride in bovine preadipocytes and has an important regulatory role in fat metabolism. After transfection with the adenovirues Ad-PLIN1 and Ad-NC (empty virus), RNA-seq was used to analyze the differentially expressed genes in bovine preadipocytes. A total of 1923 differentially expressed genes were detected, and GO and KEGG signaling pathways were analyzed for differentially expressed genes. Abstract Perilipin 1 (PLIN1) is a protein encoded by the PLIN1 gene in eukaryotes. PLIN1 is a member of the PAT protein family, a family of proteins related to lipid droplet (LD) surface proteins. PLIN1 phosphorylation plays a vital role during fat metabolism of adipose tissue lipolysis and fat storage in adipocytes. However, to further explore the regulation of the PLIN1 gene on the proliferation, differentiation and lipid metabolism of bovine adipocytes. In this study, the mRNA expression of PLIN1, at day six, was the highest during bovine adipocyte differentiation. Moreover, PLIN1 can promote the proliferation and differentiation of preadipocytes in cattle. On the sixth day, after transfection with, and overexpression of, the PLIN1 gene in bovine preadipocytes via adenovirus, cell samples were collected, and transcriptome sequencing was performed. A total of 1923 differentially expressed genes were detected. Through GO and KEGG pathway analysis, the differentially expressed genes were established to be mainly enriched in the AMPK, Wnt, and PPAR signaling pathways related to fat proliferation and differentiation. In conclusion, at the transcriptional level, PLIN1 plays an important role in regulating fat proliferation and metabolism. Additionally, the sequencing results screened new differentially expressed genes related to fat metabolism, providing theoretical support for molecular breeding of Qinchuan beef cattle.

Although numerous studies investigated the effect of UASMS2 polymorphism in leptin gene on cattle production, a consensus has not yet been reached. Therefore, we reviewed and meta-analyzed the effects of UASMS2 on cattle. We searched potentially relevant studies from seven databases (to December 25, 2019). Standard mean difference along with 95% confidence intervals was calculated to assess the strength of association through the random-effects model. Six published articles containing 1378 cattle samples were included in our meta-analysis. We found UASMS2 was not related to carcass weight, dressing percentage and loin muscle area in the recessive genetic model, but there was a significant association between UASMS2 and average daily weight gain, dry matter intake, body weight, marbling score, and backfat thickness. This meta-analysis indicated that UASMS2 was associated with growth and meat quality traits of cattle, implying that this SNP can be used reliably in beef cattle breeding. This study may provide valuable information on improving beef yield and quality in cattle production.

Genomic selection has an essential role in the livestock economy by increasing selection productivity. Genomics provides a mechanism to increase the rate of genetic gain using marker-assisted selection. Various quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with body, carcass and meat quality traits in beef cattle have been found. It is widely accepted that QTL traits in livestock species are regulated by several genes and factors from the environment. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) are a powerful approach in identifying QTL and to establish genomic regions harboring the genes and polymorphisms associated with specific characteristics in beef cattle. Due to their impact on economic returns, growth, carcass and meat quality traits of cattle are frequently used as essential criteria in selection in breeding programs., GWAS has been used in beef cattle breeding and genetic program and some progress has been made. Furthermore, numerous genes and markers related to productivity traits in beef cattle have been found. This review summarizes the advances in the use of GWAS in beef cattle production and outlines the associations with growth, carcass, and meat quality.

The rumen is the hallmark organ of ruminants and hosts a diverse ecosystem of microorganisms that facilitates efficient digestion of plant fibers. We used 897 transcriptomes from three Cetartiodactyla lineages: ruminants, camels and cetaceans, as well as data from ruminant comparative genomics and functional assays to explore the genetic basis of rumen origin and evolution. Comparative analyses reveal that the rumen and the first-chamber stomachs of camels and cetaceans shared a common tissue origin from the esophagus. The rumen recruited genes from other tissues/organs and up-regulated many esophagus genes to aquire functional innovations involving epithelium absorption, improvement of the ketone body metabolism and regulation of microbial community. These innovations involve such genetic changes as ruminant-specific conserved elements, newly evolved genes and positively selected genes. Our in vitro experiements validate the functions of one enhancer, one positively selected gene and two newly evolved antibacterial genes. Our study provides novel insights into the origin and evolution of a complex organ.

Impaired plastid translation affects various aspects of plant development, but the molecular mechanism remains elusive. Here, we described that the reduced function of plastid translation elongation factor EF-Tu encoded byRAB GTPASE HOMOLOG 8D(Rab8d) elicits defects in root development, including the reduced meristem size, programmed cell death (PCD) in the stem cell niche (SCN), and quiescent center (QC) division. We found that the ATAXIA-TELANGIECTASIA-MUTATED (ATM)-SUPPRESSOR OF GAMMA RESPONSE 1 module mediated overexpression ofSIAMSE-RELATED 5in the root meristem region is responsible for the reduced meristem size in therab8dmutant through arresting the cell cycle. The QC activation inrab8dis dependent onETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTOR 115, which expression is tightly associated with the PCD in SCN. We further found that Rab8d physically interacts with GENOME UNCOUPLED 1 (GUN1), and GUN1 is required for inducing PCD in therab8dSCN. However, the loss of GUN1 function inrab8dseverely impairs the root architecture, suggesting that the GUN1-mediated renewal of stem cells is essential for maintaining root growth. Our observations extend our knowledge on the roles of ATM and GUN1 in regulating root development through mediating plastid translation dependent signals.One-sentence summaryTherab8d-dependent plastid signal mediated by ATM and GUN1 regulates the root meristem size and renewal of root stem cells, respectively.

Satellite Internet (SI) is a new way to provide internet access all over the world. It will bring great convenience to international communication. Compared with the traditional communication networks, SI has a significant change in network architecture and communication model, which will have an important impact on national information network security. For example, the global interconnected SI consists of a large number of small satellites and each satellite has multi-beams to cover a vast area, which leads to the disorderly flow of information across the border, and greatly increases the difficulty of network protection. Therefore, it is necessary to closely track the development of SI and analyze security problems brought by SI. In this paper, we analyze the security risks of SI from the perspective of national security, network security and equipment security, and thirteen security issues have been summarized to provide reference for the healthy development of SI industry.

The bovine genetic resources in China are diverse, but their value and potential are yet to be discovered. To determine the genetic diversity and population structure of Chinese cattle, we analyzed the whole genomes of 46 cattle from six phenotypically and geographically representative Chinese cattle breeds, together with 18 Red Angus cattle genomes, 11 Japanese black cattle genomes and taurine and indicine genomes available from previous studies. Our results showed that Chinese cattle originated from hybridization between Bos taurus and Bos indicus. Moreover, we found that the level of genetic variation in Chinese cattle depends upon the degree of indicine content. We also discovered many potential selective sweep regions associated with domestication related to breed-specific characteristics, with selective sweep regions including genes associated with coat color (ERCC2, MC1R, ZBTB17, and MAP2K1), dairy traits (NCAPG, MAPK7, FST, ITFG1, SETMAR, PAG1, CSN3, and RPL37A), and meat production/quality traits (such as BBS2, R3HDM1, IGFBP2, IGFBP5, MYH9, MYH4, and MC5R). These findings substantially expand the catalogue of genetic variants in cattle and reveal new insights into the evolutionary history and domestication traits of Chinese cattle.

Kele pig (Sus scrofa), a semi-captive native breed in the Southwest of China, have a range of light to dark brown shades phenotype, just like the coat color of Duroc in some way, and also are well known for their good meat quality. However, Kele pigs decreased dramatically in recent years. The first complete mitochondrial genome of Kele pig was sequenced by next-generation sequencing in order to develop the mitogenome data for genus S. scrofa. The total length of the mitogenome is 16,828 bp, which contains 1 control region, 2 ribosomal RNA genes, 13 protein-coding genes and 22 transfer RNA genes. Phylogenetic analyses based on the complete sequences from several breeds were analyzed by neighbor-joining methods and showed that Kele pigs have closer relationships with domestic pigs in southwest region of China. These results are useful for pig phylogenetic study and evolution study of pig genomes.

In order to improve the adaptability of the manipulator to the target, a new electromagnetic drive rod cluster adaptive manipulator is designed. The manipulator is that its adaptive working mode is to change the overall shape adaptation to multi-point adaptive, and to realize the overall shape fitting with the displacement change of the multi-point cluster. If the manipulator grabs objects of different shapes, the end face of such manipulator can automatically change three-dimensionally to accommodate various surface shapes of the target. A control method suitable for this type of manipulator was proposed in this paper. The adaptive electromagnetic manipulator was mounted on the manipulator arm for a simple experiment. The results show that the manipulator has high self-adaptive ability and can stably catch target of ferromagnetic material with various sizes and shapes or other material with small size.

During the UHVDC transmission process, as the voltage level continues to rise, many problems caused by corona current cannot be ignored. From the perspective of statistical analysis and waveform shape, this paper sets the time domain indicator for the overall corona current on the transmission line for the first time, and proposes a set of indicator evaluation system to analyze the significance, rationality, independence and effectiveness of time domain indicators. The corona currents in different environments were successfully classified by using support vector machine. After the reduction analysis, three corona current indicators were selected, which in turn represent important information of the low, medium and high frequency bands of corona current. The corona current time domain indicator and the proposed evaluation method in this paper provide a new idea for the study of the overall corona current characteristics on the transmission line, which lays a foundation for the subsequent time-frequency joint analysis.

The electronic drift electric field sensor is affected by many factors during the working process, resulting in measurement error. This paper analyzed the measurement error caused by the difference in electron forward motion speed, measurement error caused by magnetic field interference, error caused by changes in charge-to-mass ratio caused by relativistic factors and electron diffraction interference caused by the matter wave effect of moving electrons. On the basis of theoretical analysis, some methods of suppressing interference or correcting errors are proposed for different sources of error.

Aims The initiation of pressure ulcers is accompanied by inflammation. Sinomenine emerges as a potential anti-inflammation agent. The aim of this study was to corroborate its anti-inflammatory property in skin keratinocyte HaCaT cells. Long non-coding RNA colon cancer associated transcript-1 (CCAT1)-associated mechanisms were also investigated. Main methods HaCaT cells were stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) for 6 h after sinomenine pre-administration. Transfection was carried out to induce CCAT1 overexpression or silence it in HaCaT cells. Viability and apoptosis of HaCaT cells were determined by MMT and observed using flow cytometry, respectively. Protein expression was quantified using Western blot or ELISA. CCAT1 was measured by qRT-PCR. Key findings LPS notably decreased cell viability and exaggerated apoptosis with the cleavage of caspase-3/-9. The secretion of inflammatory factors was promoted. Sinomenine pre-administration maintained cell viability, blocked apoptosis and relieved inflammation with the decrease in cleaved caspase-3/-9 and inflammatory factors. LPS-induced phosphorylation of p65, IκBα and p38MAPK and overexpression of CCAT1 were precluded by sinomenine. CCAT1 overexpression, which per se induced inflammatory lesions, negated the positive effects of sinomenine with the restored phosphorylation of p65, IκBα, and p38MAPK. Significance Sinomenine played a protective role against LPS-induced inflammation. The anti-inflammatory activity of sinomenine might be mediated by CCAT1 down-regulation.

Rumen is a critical organ for supplying nutrients for the growth and production of bovine, which might function differently under grass-fed and grain-fed regimens considering the association of gene expression, DNA methylation, and microRNA expression. The objective of this study was to explore the potential mechanism influencing rumen function of grass-fed and grain-fed animals. Methylated DNA binding domain sequencing (MBD-Seq) and microRNA-Seq were respectively utilized to detect the DNA methylation and microRNA expression in rumen tissue of grass-fed and grain-fed Angus cattle. Integration analysis revealed that the expression of the differentially expressed genes ADAMTS3 and ENPP3 was correlated with the methylation abundance of the corresponding DMRs inside these two genes, and these two genes were reported to be respectively involved in biosynthesis and regulation of glycosyltransferase activity; the differentially expressed microRNA bta-mir-122 was predicted to possibly target the differentially expressed genes OCLN and RBM47, potentially affecting the rumen function; the microRNA bta-mir-655 was exclusively detected in grain-fed group; its targets were involved in the significantly enriched insulin and TGF-beta signaling pathways, which might worked together to regulate the function of rumen, resulting in different characteristics between grass-fed and grain-fed cattle. Collectively, our results provided insights into understanding the mechanisms determining rumen function and unraveled the biological basis underlying the economic traits to improve the productivity of animals.

Gestational diabetes (GDM) affects about 20 % of pregnancies globally. Defective insulin receptor (IR) signaling has been found in the placenta from patients with GDM, but the underly mechanism is still unclear. In the present study, the mRNA and protein levels of IR-α, insulin receptor substrate 1(IRS-1) and inulin like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF1R) were detected in the placenta tissue samples from 33 GDM patients and 20 healthy controls. Reduced IR-α protein level was observed in both obese and non-obese GDM patients, and decreased IGF1R protein level was found in obese GDM patients. However, the IR-α and IGF1R mRNAs level was not significantly altered in GDM patients. Subsequently, the expression of 10 miRNAs that have the potential targeting IR-α and IGF1R was examined by qRT-PCR in the placenta, and miR-140-3p was found overexpressed. Through dual-luciferase assay and immunoblotting, miR-140-3p was confirmed to suppress IR-α and IGF1R expression via targeting the 3'UTRs. As a treatment candidate, naringenin downregulated miR-140-3p level in trophoblasts and endothelial cells. Meanwhile, IR-α and IGF1R expression was upregulated by naringenin, and the glucose uptake was increased in naringenin treated trophoblasts and endothelial cells. Finally, naringenin upregulated cell viability, migration capacity of HTR-8/SVneo and HUVEC cells, and increased HUVEC cells angiogenesis in high glucose condition. In conclusion, miR-140-3p overexpression contributes to the defective placental IR signaling in patients with GDM. Naringenin treatment protects trophoblasts and endothelial cells from the harmful high glucose environment which have the potential for GDM treatment.

In order to investigate the effects of the M229 and M307 locus in FUT1 gene on the carcass and meat quality of Congjiang pigs. In this study, PCR-SSCP, PCR-RFLP and direct sequencing methods were used to quickly type the M229 and M307 loci, and then the association between different genotypes and meat traits was analysed. Population genetic structure analysis showed that M229 locus of FUT1 gene was in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, with high polymorphism information content, rich genetic diversity and large space for directional breeding. However, the M307 locus had the opposite result, showing a skewed distribution. Correlation analysis showed that the average backfat thickness index of CT and TT genotypes from the M229 locus of FUT1 gene in Congjiang pigs was significantly lower than that of CC (P

A new strain of Qinchuan cattle (QNS) has been obtained after more than forty years of selective breeding, and it shows good performance and production traits. To characterize the genetic changes that have resulted from breeding, we sequenced 10 QNS and 10 of the original breed Qinchuan cattle (QCC) for the first time, with average of 12.5-fold depth. A total of 31,242,284 and 29,612,517 SNPs were identified in the QCC and QNS genomes, 47.81% and 44.36% of which were found to be novel, respectively. Furthermore, population structure analysis revealed the selection that these cattle had experienced. Then, 332 and 571 potential selected genes were obtained, associated with enhanced immunity and acclimatization in QCC (CD5, SMARCA2, CATHL2, etc.) and production or meat quality traits in QNS (PLCD3, MB, PPARGC1A, etc.). These results revealed the efforts of selective breeding for Chinese Qinchuan cattle, and will be helpful for future cattle breeding.

The mortality and incidence rates of colorectal cancer (CRC) vary widely worldwide. miR-338-3p inhibits tumor cell proliferation in several types of cancer, however, the role of miR-338-3p on CRC remains unknown. The aim of the current study was to investigate the cellular function of miRNA-338-3p (miR-338-3p) in CRC, the malignant behavior of CRC cells and the interaction between miR-338-3p and metastasis-associated in colon cancer-1 (MACC1). miR-338-3p expression was significantly decreased in CRC tissue compared with adjacent normal tissue. In the CRC cell line SW480, miR-338-3p overexpression suppressed cell proliferation and migration and induced G1/S cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. By contrast, miR-338-3p knockdown significantly enhanced cell proliferation and migration, and suppressed G1/S cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Furthermore, the dual-luciferase reporter assay confirmed MACC1 as a direct target of miR-338-3p. In addition, miR-338-3p overexpression reduced the level of MACC1 protein expression and MACC1 expression was significantly upregulated in CRC tissue samples. MACC1 siRNA significantly reduced CRC cell proliferation and migration, whilst cell apoptosis was significantly increased. In conclusion, miR-338-3p expression was decreased in CRC. miR-338-3p regulated the proliferation, apoptosis and migration of CRC cells by targeting MACC1.

Beef is a source of high quality protein for consumers. Beef tenderness significantly influences meat palatability, consumer expectation and industry profitability. To further elucidate the factors affecting beef tenderness, functional proteomics and bioinformatics interactome analyses were performed on Longissimus thoracis (LT) tissues from Angus cattle. Proteins were analyzed by SDS-PAGE and linearly regressed against tenderness measured by the Warner-Bratzler shear forces (WBSF). Seventeen electrophoresed bands appeared to be correlated with beef tenderness. Two of the bands with the most significant correlations were selected and submitted to LCMS/MS for analysis. Eight proteins, β-enolase (ENOB), L-lactate dehydrogenase A chain (LDHA), glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (G3P), carbonic anhydrase 3 (CAH3), phosphoglycerate mutase 2 (PGAM2), peroxiredoxin-6 (PRDX6), myosin heavy chain 1 (MYH1) and myosin heavy chain 7 (MYH7), were identified from these two bands. Interactions with these eight protein markers were constructed using Cytoscape and further functional annotation analysis indicated that these proteins of the interactome were involved in metabolic pathways, such as carbohydrate metabolic and catabolic processes, apoptosis, peptidase activity and responses to stress. The results of this study provide a novel insight into the functional interaction of proteins and beef tenderness.

Gayal (Bos frontalis) is a semi-wild and endangered bovine species that differs from domestic cattle (Bos taurus and Bos indicus) and its genetic background remains unclear. Here, we performed whole-genome sequencing of one Gayal for the first time, with one Red Angus cattle and one Japanese Black cattle as controls. In total, 97.8 Gb of sequencing reads were generated with an average 11.78-fold depth and >98.44% coverage of the reference sequence (UMD3.1). Numerous different variations were identified, 62.24% of the total single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) detected in Gayal were novel and 16,901 breed-specific nonsynonymous SNPs (BS-nsSNPs) that might be associated with traits of interest in Gayal were further investigated. Moreover, the demographic history of bovine species was first analyzed and two population expansions and two population bottlenecks were identified. The obvious differences among their population sizes supported that Gayal was not B. taurus. The phylogenic analysis suggested that Gayal was a hybrid descendant from crossing of male wild gaur and female domestic cattle. These discoveries will provide valuable genomic information regarding potential genomic markers that could predict traits of interest for breeding programs of these cattle breeds and may assist relevant departments with future conservation and utilization of Gayal.