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The emergence of drug-resistant bacteria and the lack of effective antimicrobial agents have posed a threat to public safety, so a new efficient strategy is needed to deal with the increasing severity of bacteria. Herein, a substitute antibacterial agent with high stability and biocompatibility was synthesized by incorporating lysine hydrochloride and copper sulfate pentahydrate following the liquid-phase synthesis method. The composition and structure of the Cu(ii) complex (Lys–Cu) were characterized by performing ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffractometry (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis-differential scanning calorimetry, and single-crystal XRD. The crystal structure of Lys–Cu belongs to a monoclinic system, space group P21, with cell parameters of a = 5.14350(10), b = 16.8308(2), c = 11.4915(2) Å, Z = 2, and D = 1.548 g·cm−3. Bacteriostatic tests were carried out on Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) values of Lys–Cu against S. aureus were 0.3125 and 0.9250 mg·mL−1, respectively. The MIC and MBC values of Lys–Cu against bacterial strain E. coli were 0.4685 and 0.9250 mg·mL−1, respectively.

Simple Summary: Shitou geese are the exclusive representative of a large-sized goose breed in China, typically exhibiting gray feathers but also possessing a recessive white plumage. However, the precise mechanism underlying the formation of this white plumage coloration in Shitou geese remains unclear. Here, a transcriptome sequencing analysis was conducted to identify candidate genes and microRNAs (miRNAs) that may be associated with the white plumage color in Shitou geese. A number of pigmentation genes and miRNAs were identified as candidates that may regulate white plumage color formation in Shitou geese. This result may be important for understanding the genetic mechanism underlying the formation of white plumage color in Shitou geese. The Shitou goose, a highly recognized indigenous breed with gray plumage originating from Chaozhou Raoping in Guangdong Province, China, is renowned for being the largest goose species in the country. Notably, during the pure breeding process of Shitou geese, approximately 2% of the offspring in each generation unexpectedly exhibited white plumage. To better understand the mechanisms underlying white plumage color formation in Shitou geese, we conducted a comparative transcriptome analysis between white and gray feather follicles, aiming to identify key genes and microRNAs that potentially regulate white plumage coloration in this unique goose breed. Our results revealed a number of pigmentation genes, encompassing TYR, TYRP1, EDNRB2, MLANA, SOX10, SLC45A2, GPR143, TRPM1, OCA2, ASIP, KIT, and SLC24A5, which were significantly down-regulated in the white feather follicles of Shitou geese. Among these genes, EDNRB2 and KIT emerged as the most promising candidate genes for white plumage coloration in Shitou geese. Additionally, our analysis also uncovered 46 differentially expressed miRNAs. Of these, miR-144-y may play crucial roles in the regulation of feather pigmentation. Furthermore, the expression of novel-m0086-5p, miR-489-y, miR-223-x, miR-7565-z, and miR-3535-z exhibits a significant negative correlation with the expression of pigmentation genes including TYRP1, EDNRB2, MLANA, SOX10, TRPM1, and KIT, suggesting these miRNAs may indirectly regulate the expression of these genes, thereby influencing feather color. Our findings provide valuable insights into the genetic mechanisms underlying white plumage coloration in Shitou geese and contribute to the broader understanding of avian genetics and coloration research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Lactation is an intriguing reproductive behavior in pigeons, both male and female pigeons participate in crop milk secretion and contribute to the care of their offspring through the division of labor. The question of whether the metabolism and formation of pigeon milk in both males and females follow the same mechanism is an interesting scientific question. We integrated lactation-associated metabolomic and transcriptomic data from the crop tissues of male and female pigeons during the reproductive cycles. We identified a total of 1413 metabolites across 18 crop tissues. During the reproductive cycles, the concentrations of estrone, L-ergothioneine, and L-histidine exhibited the most dynamic changes in females, while estrone, L-anserine, 1-methylhistidine, homovanillate, oxidized glutathione, and reducing glutathione showed the most dynamic changes in males. Through screening DAMs and DEGs, our findings revealed gender-specific differences in the metabolome and gene expressions, with several metabolites and pathways showing significant variations between males and females. Our findings shed light on the distinct modulation of pigeon crop milk metabolism between males and females and provide insights into the potential functions of male and female pigeon milk in the growth, development, and immunity of young pigeons. Lactation is a unique reproductive behavior in pigeons, with the crop serving as the organ responsible for secreting pigeon milk. Both male and female pigeons can produce crop milk and rear their offspring through a division of labor. Since the time of the secretion of pigeon crop milk is different in the process of feeding the young, whether the metabolism and formation of pigeon milk use the same mechanism is a very interesting scientific question. However, the metabolic dynamics and underlying genetic mechanisms involved in the formation of pigeon crop milk remain unclear, particularly during the incubation–feeding reproductive cycle. In this study, we integrated lactation-associated metabolism and transcriptome data from the crop tissues of both male and female pigeons during the brooding and feeding stages. We mapped the changes in metabolites related to milk formation in the crop tissues during these stages. Through metabolome profiling, we identified 1413 metabolites among 18 crop tissues. During the breeding cycles, the concentrations of estrone, L-ergothioneine, and L-histidine exhibited the most dynamic changes in females. In contrast, estrone, L-anserine, 1-methylhistidine, homovanillate, oxidized glutathione, and reducing glutathione showed the most dynamic changes in males. Gender-specific differences were observed in the metabolome, with several metabolites significantly differing between males and females, many of which were correlated with cytokine binding, immunity, and cytochrome P450 activity. Using this dataset, we constructed complex regulatory networks, enabling us to identify important metabolites and key genes involved in regulating the formation of pigeon milk in male and female pigeons, respectively. Additionally, we investigated gender-associated differences in the crop metabolites of pigeons. Our study revealed differences in the modulation of pigeon crop milk metabolism between males and females and shed light on the potential functions of male and female pigeon milk in the growth, development, and immunity of young pigeons, an area that has not been previously explored. In conclusion, our results provide new insights into the metabolic regulation of pigeon crop milk formation during the brooding and breeding stages. Furthermore, our findings lay the foundation for the accurate development of artificial pigeon milk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photoperiod is a key environmental factor in regulating bird reproduction and induces neuroendocrine changes through the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis. OPN5, as a deep-brain photoreceptor, transmits light signals to regulate follicular development through TSH-DIO2/DIO3. However, the mechanism among OPN5, TSH-DIO2/DIO3, and VIP/PRL in the HPG axis underlying the photoperiodic regulation of bird reproduction is unclear. In this study, 72 laying quails with 8-week-old were randomly divided into the long-day (LD) group [16 light (L): 8 dark (D)] and the short-day (SD) group (8 L:16 D), and then samples were collected on d 1, d 11, d 22, and d 36 of the experiment. The results showed that compared with the LD group, the SD group significantly inhibited follicular development (P < 0.05), decreased the P4, E2, LH, and PRL in serum (P < 0.05), downregulated the expression of GnRHR, VIP, PRL, OPN5, DIO2, and LHβ (P < 0.05), reduced the expression of GnRH and TSHβ (P > 0.05), and promoted DIO3, GnIH gene expression (P < 0.01). The short photoperiod downregulates OPN5, TSHβ, and DIO2 and upregulates DIO3 expression to regulate the GnRH/GnIH system. The downregulation of GnRHR and upregulation of GnIH resulted in a decrease in LH secretion, which withdrew the gonadotropic effects on ovarian follicles development. Slow down of follicular development and egg laying may also arise from lack of PRL potentiation to small follicle development under short days. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: LPS is one of the main virulence factors of Gram-negative bacteria. In the breeding process of geese, due to the influence of environmental factors, harmful bacteria easily breed in the water body, resulting in an increase in the concentration of LPS in the goose. The liver has an important function of clearing LPS, but excess LPS can induce liver damage, resulting in a reduced production performance for the goose. In our study, we found that LPS induces inflammatory damage in the liver. Further, through transcriptome sequencing analysis, we screened 727 differentially expressed genes for LPS-induced liver injury, and we performed enrichment analysis. The results showed that LPS-induced liver injury in geese may be the result of the joint action of Toll-like receptor, MAPK, NOD-like receptor, FoxO, and PPAR signaling pathway. Among them, the TLR7-mediated MAPK signaling pathway plays a major role. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is one of the main virulence factors of Gram-negative bacteria. In the process of waterfowl breeding, an inflammatory reaction due to LPS infection is easily produced, which leads to a decline in waterfowl performance. The liver plays a vital role in the immune response and the removal of toxic components. Therefore, it is necessary to study the mechanism of liver injury induced by LPS in goose. In this study, a total of 100 1-day-old goslings were randomly divided into a control group and LPS group after 3 days of pre-feeding. On days 21, 23, and 25 of the formal experiment, the control group was intraperitoneally injected with 0.5 mL normal saline, and the LPS group was intraperitoneally injected with LPS 2 mg/(kg body weight) once a day. On day 25 of the experiment, liver samples were collected 3 h after the injection of saline and LPS. The results of histopathology and biochemical indexes showed that the livers of the LPS group had liver morphological structure destruction and inflammatory cell infiltration, and the levels of ALT and AST were increased. Next, RNA sequencing analysis was used to determine the abundances and characteristics of the transcripts, as well as the associated somatic mutations and alternative splicing. We screened 727 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) with p < 0.05 and |log2(Fold Change)| ≥ 1, as the thresholds; GO and KEGG enrichment analysis showed that LPS-induced liver injury may be involved in the Toll-like receptor signaling pathway, MAPK signaling pathway, NOD-like receptor signaling pathway, FoxO, and PPAR signaling pathway. Finally, we intersected the genes enriched in the key pathway of LPS-induced liver injury with the top 50 key genes in protein–protein interaction networks to obtain 28 more critical genes. Among them, 17 genes were enriched in Toll-like signaling pathway and MAPK signaling pathway. Therefore, these results suggest that LPS-induced liver injury in geese may be the result of the joint action of Toll-like receptor, MAPK, NOD-like receptor, FoxO, and PPAR signaling pathway. Among them, the TLR7-mediated MAPK signaling pathway plays a major role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]