Based upon motion capture,a semi-automatic technique for fast facial animation was implemented. While capturing the facial expressions from a performer,a camera was used to record her /his front face as a texture map....Based upon motion capture,a semi-automatic technique for fast facial animation was implemented. While capturing the facial expressions from a performer,a camera was used to record her /his front face as a texture map. The radial basis function( RBF) technique was utilized to deform a generic facial model and the texture was remapped to generate a personalized face.Partitioning the personalized face into three regions and using the captured facial expression data,the RBF and Laplacian operator,and mean-value coordinates were implemented to deform each region respectively. With shape blending,the three regions were combined together to construct the final face model. Our results show that the technique is efficient in generating realistic facial animation.展开更多
Why it needs to take the initiative in the shape in the painting？ Refine images of the shape of the objective initiatively, not only can enhance the artistic appeal and creators emotions, can also highlight the aesth...Why it needs to take the initiative in the shape in the painting？ Refine images of the shape of the objective initiatively, not only can enhance the artistic appeal and creators emotions, can also highlight the aesthetic orientation creators to make their paintings to impress the audience and resonate, so works of art have a higher aesthetic value. Similarly, in the entire animation movie, animation character modeling also has an important position, and a good cartoon must have a good role model to fully convey the story and character. This article attempts to analyze the shape of the image of the Disney animated start, make deep analysis on necessity of initiative modeling in the art of painting and development of initiative modeling, to enhance the performance of artists and diverse personality development, which is a requirement of modem art, but also the law of development of the arts.展开更多
Behavior recognition of Hu sheep contributes to their intensive and intelligent farming.Due to the generally high density of Hu sheep farming,severe occlusion occurs among different behaviors and even among sheep perf...Behavior recognition of Hu sheep contributes to their intensive and intelligent farming.Due to the generally high density of Hu sheep farming,severe occlusion occurs among different behaviors and even among sheep performing the same behavior,leading to missing and false detection issues in existing behavior recognition methods.A high-low frequency aggregated attention and negative sample comprehensive score loss and comprehensive score soft non-maximum suppression-YOLO(HLNC-YOLO)was proposed for identifying the behavior of Hu sheep,addressing the issues of missed and erroneous detections caused by occlusion between Hu sheep in intensive farming.Firstly,images of four typical behaviors-standing,lying,eating,and drinking-were collected from the sheep farm to construct the Hu sheep behavior dataset(HSBD).Next,to solve the occlusion issues,during the training phase,the C2F-HLAtt module was integrated,which combined high-low frequency aggregation attention,into the YOLO v8 Backbone to perceive occluded objects and introduce an auxiliary reversible branch to retain more effective features.Using comprehensive score regression loss(CSLoss)to reduce the scores of suboptimal boxes and enhance the comprehensive scores of occluded object boxes.Finally,the soft comprehensive score non-maximal suppression(Soft-CS-NMS)algorithm filtered prediction boxes during the inferencing.Testing on the HSBD,HLNC-YOLO achieved a mean average precision(mAP@50)of 87.8%,with a memory footprint of 17.4 MB.This represented an improvement of 7.1,2.2,4.6,and 11 percentage points over YOLO v8,YOLO v9,YOLO v10,and Faster R-CNN,respectively.Research indicated that the HLNC-YOLO accurately identified the behavior of Hu sheep in intensive farming and possessed generalization capabilities,providing technical support for smart farming.展开更多
Anchovies are key forage species in coastal and pelagic food webs,playing crucial ecological and commercial roles in marine ecosystems.Encrasicholina punctifer is a commercially and ecologically important species,yet ...Anchovies are key forage species in coastal and pelagic food webs,playing crucial ecological and commercial roles in marine ecosystems.Encrasicholina punctifer is a commercially and ecologically important species,yet little is known about its osteological development characteristics.Understanding these ontogenetic patterns is essential for explaining phylogenetic relationships within Clupeiformes,informing larval identification in ichthyoplankton surveys,and enhancing aquaculture practices.This study describes the ontogenetic characteristics of the appendicular and median skeletons and fin supports in E.punctifer larvae and juveniles,providing quantitative ontogenetic timelines to address gaps in engraulid developmental biology and contribute to teleost ontogeny research.Larval and juvenile specimens of E.punctifer;size range:3.00-34.56 mm standard length(SL)and notochord length(NL)collected from the Philippine Sea were processed using the standard Alizarin red and Alcian blue clearing-and-staining technique to differentiate ossified and cartilaginous elements.Specimens were examined under a stereo microscope and imaged with an HTC1600ISP digital camera for detailed morphological analysis of skeletal structures.Caudal complex development was evident by 5.55 mm NL,with the initial appearance of cartilaginous hypurals 1–2 and parhypural,followed by Hy3–5 at 6.08 mm NL.Cartilaginous Hy6 was visible by 9.58 mm SL in postflexion larvae.Six hypural bones were present from the postflexion to juvenile stage.Principal fin rays formed via intramembranous ossification at 6.32 mm NL,and segmentation was evident by 10.24 mm SL.Neural arch 1 appeared at 7.38 mm NL,preceding full haemal arch development.Uroneurals 1–2 and ural centra ossified by 9.58 mm SL,with Hy5 detached from U1 at 10.24 mm SL.Preural centra ossified before the arches.Epurals 1 and 2 were evident by 10.24 mm SL.Dorsal fin proximal radials developed anteriorly and distal radials posteriorly.Pectoral fin development initiated with an ossified cleithrum and the coracoscapular cartilage at 5.25 mm NL.By 10.24 mm SL,cartilaginous neural and haemal arches and spines were distinct.Uroneural 1 initially develops as cartilage.The formation of a pleurostyle aligns with clupeoid fish skeletal ontogeny.Dorsal and anal fin development follows a distinctive pattern,with variability in fin support development.Our results reveal accelerated caudal complex formation in E.punctifer and contribute new knowledge on the osteological characteristics of the genus Encrasicholina,and aid in understanding larval and juvenile ontogeny of marine teleosts.展开更多
Background Fatty liver syndrome is a prevalent metabolic disorder in transition dairy cows,characterized by excessive hepatic lipid accumulation that impairs liver function and leads to systemic metabolic disturbances...Background Fatty liver syndrome is a prevalent metabolic disorder in transition dairy cows,characterized by excessive hepatic lipid accumulation that impairs liver function and leads to systemic metabolic disturbances.Docosahexaenoic acid(DHA),a prominent n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid(PUFA),not only exhibits anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative properties,but also holds potential in ameliorating lipid metabolism.This study integrated in vitro bovine primary hepatocyte models and in vivo dairy cow trials to investigate the regulatory effects of DHA on hepatic lipid deposition.Results In vitro,40μmol/L DHA significantly reduced triglyceride(TAG)accumulation in steatotic hepatocytes by downregulating genes involved in fatty acid transport(FABP-1,CD36)and lipogenesis(DGAT2,FAS,SREBP-1C),while upregulating markers of lipolysis(CGI-58,ATGL)and fatty acid oxidation(ACADL,CPT1A,CPT2).Transmission electron microscopy(TEM)confirmed DHA-mediated restoration of mitochondrial ultrastructure and enhanced lipid droplet(LD)-mitochondria interactions.In vivo,dietary rumen-protected DHA(180 g/d)supplementation reduced hepatic lipid deposition,improved liver function(evidenced by decreased total bilirubin and alanine aminotransferase),reduced oxidative stress and inflammation(suppressed malondialdehyde,glutathione peroxidase,and lipopolysaccharide),coincided with relieving insulin resistance(reduced insulin and glucose,as well increased adiponectin)in dairy cows with fatty liver.These improvements may be attributed to increased expression of TOMM20 and MtCo-1,promoting mitochondrial biogenesis andβ-oxidation,along with an elevated plasma n-3/n-6 ratio.Conclusions Collectively,these findings suggest that DHA supplementation represents a promising nutritional strategy for preventing spontaneous fatty liver in transition dairy cows by enhancing hepatic lipid clearance and restoring metabolic homeostasis.展开更多
Background Inflammatory bowel disease causes intestinal structural damage,impairs gut function,hinders animal growth and development,and reduces farming efficiency.Previous studies demonstrated that lactate alleviates...Background Inflammatory bowel disease causes intestinal structural damage,impairs gut function,hinders animal growth and development,and reduces farming efficiency.Previous studies demonstrated that lactate alleviates dextran sulfate sodium(DSS)-induced inflammation and mitigates weight loss by enhancing intestinal barrier functions.However,the mechanisms underlying lactate-mediated protection of the intestinal epithelial barrier remain unclear.This study aimed to explore the protective effect of lactate on intestinal barrier damage in colitis piglets and the possible underlying mechanisms through in vivo and in vitro experiments.Methods A total of 6021-day-old weaned female piglets were randomly assigned into three groups based on weight:the control group(basal diet with physiological saline gavage),the DSS group(basal diet with 5%DSS gavage),and the DSS+LA group(2%lactate diet with 5%DSS gavage).There were 10 replicates per treatment,with 2 piglets per replicate.Jejunal morphology was assessed via hematoxylin and eosin staining,while Western blotting quantified the protein levels of proliferation markers,including cluster of differentiation 24(CD24),cyclin D1,and wingless/integrated(Wnt)/β-catenin signaling components.In vitro,0.08%DSS and 2–32 mmol/L sodium lactate-treated intestinal porcine epithelial cell line-J2(IPEC-J2)cells(n=4)were assessed for viability(Cell Counting Kit-8 assay),apoptosis(flow cytometry),and proliferation parameters,including cell cycle analysis and Leucine-rich repeat-containing G-protein coupled receptor 5(Lgr5+)stem cell quantification.Results In vivo,DSS administration induced jejunal villus shortening(P<0.05),downregulated protein levels of CD24,cyclin D1,casein kinase 1(CK1),and dishevelled-2(DVL2)(P<0.05).In vitro,DSS promoted apoptosis,inhibited proliferation,diminished the Lgr5+cell populations(P<0.05),and reduced S-phase cell proportions(P<0.05).Conversely,lactate supplementation ameliorated DSS-induced villus atrophy(P<0.05),restored CD24,cyclin D1,CK1,and DVL2 protein levels(P<0.05).Furthermore,in vitro,sodium lactate attenuated DSS-induced apoptosis(P<0.05),enhanced IPEC-J2 proliferation(P<0.05),expanded Lgr5+cells(P<0.05),and increased S-phase progression(P<0.05).Conclusions In summary,lactate ameliorated intestinal barrier damage in DSS-induced colitis by activating the Wnt/β-catenin pathway and restoring the balance between epithelial cell proliferation and apoptosis.This study provides novel mechanistic evidence supporting lactate's therapeutic potential for IBD management.展开更多
Neutralizing antibodies are essential tools in antiviral therapy and epidemic preparedness,capable of directlyinhibiting viral entry and limiting disease progression.However,traditional antibody discovery strategies—...Neutralizing antibodies are essential tools in antiviral therapy and epidemic preparedness,capable of directlyinhibiting viral entry and limiting disease progression.However,traditional antibody discovery strategies—suchas animal immunization or B cell isolation from infected individuals—are often hindered by biosafety concerns,lengthy development timelines,and limited adaptability during outbreaks.In the present study,we aimed toestablish a robust and rapid in vitro platform for the efficient isolation of neutralizing antibodies targetingconserved viral epitopes.We developed an epitope-guided negative screening strategy that integrates phagedisplay technology with rational antigen mutagenesis to exclude antibodies against variable regions whileenriching for those that recognize functionally constrained epitopes.When applied to the receptor-binding domainof severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2,this method enabled the identification of six neutralizingantibodies(one IgG and five nanobodies)exhibiting broad-spectrum neutralizing activity across multiple viralvariants.Notably,antibodies recognizing distinct epitopes demonstrated significant synergistic neutralizationwhen used in combination(P<0.05).This screening approach facilitates the rapid discovery of potent andmutation-resistant antibodies and holds promise for application to other emerging pathogens.Our findingsunderscore the potential of epitope-guided,in vitro platforms in expediting therapeutic antibody developmentunder conditions of high biosafety requirements.展开更多
On the occasion of the New Year,I would like to extend my sincere gratitude and New Year greetings to the experts,scholars,author teams,and readers who have long supported the development of Animal Models and Experime...On the occasion of the New Year,I would like to extend my sincere gratitude and New Year greetings to the experts,scholars,author teams,and readers who have long supported the development of Animal Models and Experimental Medicine(AMEM).Over the past year,we have faced challenges together and achieved breakthroughs in academic influence,internationalization,and fulfilling social respon-sibilities.Looking ahead,we are filled with confidence as we strive to build an important bridge connecting laboratory animal science and technology with academic research.展开更多
Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease(EHD),a vector-borne disease affecting both wild and domestic ruminants,is transmitted by biting midges of the genus Culicoides.Since 2008,it has been classified as a notifiable disease by...Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease(EHD),a vector-borne disease affecting both wild and domestic ruminants,is transmitted by biting midges of the genus Culicoides.Since 2008,it has been classified as a notifiable disease by the World Organization for Animal Health(WOAH).The causative agent,Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease Virus(EHDV),belongs to the genus Orbivirus within the family Reoviridae and possesses a viral genome comprising ten double-stranded RNA(dsRNA)segments(JiménezCabello et al.2023).To date,ten distinct serotypes of EHDV,designated as EHDV-1,2,and 4 through 11,have been identified globally(Anthony et al.2009;Maan et al.2017;Shirafuji et al.2017;Yang et al.2020).展开更多
Background Diarrhea remains a major health concern in both young animals and humans.Prevotella spp.,a dominant commensal genus in the healthy porcine gut,becomes increasingly abundant following weaning,suggesting a po...Background Diarrhea remains a major health concern in both young animals and humans.Prevotella spp.,a dominant commensal genus in the healthy porcine gut,becomes increasingly abundant following weaning,suggesting a potential role during this critical transitional period.However,its involvement in post-weaning diarrhea remains poorly understood.Here,we aim to elucidate the role and underlying mechanisms of Prevotella in alleviating diarrhea in weaned piglets.Results To model unsanitary housing conditions,piglets were housed in uncleaned pens containing residual fecal matter from previous occupants and exposed to cold stress by maintaining the ambient temperature at 19℃,below the optimal 28℃.Under these conditions,piglets were orally administered either a blank medium(CON,n=10×2)or Prevotella copri at 1×10^(8)CFU(Pc,n=10×2)on d 1,3,and 5.After 28 d,cold stress induced a diarrhea incidence of 33.45%in the CON group,while P.copri supplementation significantly reduced the diarrhea rate to 19.73%.Treatment with P.copri markedly improved intestinal morphology in the small intestine,decreased serum levels of lipopolysaccharide(LPS)and intestinal fatty acid-binding protein(i-FABP),and enhanced total antioxidant capacity(T-AOC)and catalase(CAT)activity.Quantitative PCR and 16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed that P.copri significantly increased the colonic abundance of Prevotella,reshaping both the composition and functional profile of the gut microbiota.Moreover,P.copri enhanced the modularity and robustness of microbial ecological networks.Untargeted metabolomic profiling of colonic contents revealed a significant enrichment of metabolites involved in the arachidonic acid pathway following P.copri supplementation.In parallel,untargeted metabolomics of P.copri culture supernatants identified differential metabolic pathways including metabolic pathways,biosynthesis of secondary metabolites,and biosynthesis of antibiotics.In vitro assays demonstrated that P.copri-derived metabolites inhibited the growth of three common porcine intestinal pathogens.Furthermore,both P.copri metabolites and arachidonic acid enhanced intestinal barrier integrity and suppressed TNF-α-induced inflammation and apoptosis in Caco-2 cells through activation of the AHR–Nrf2 signaling pathway.Conclusions These findings highlight the role of P.copri in maintaining gut homeostasis and provide new insights into microbiota-based interventions for early-life intestinal disorders.展开更多
Background The gayal(Bos frontalis),a semi-domesticated bovine species,demonstrates exceptional adaptability to lignocellulose-rich diets dominated by bamboo,suggesting the presence of a specialized gastrointestinal m...Background The gayal(Bos frontalis),a semi-domesticated bovine species,demonstrates exceptional adaptability to lignocellulose-rich diets dominated by bamboo,suggesting the presence of a specialized gastrointestinal microbiome.However,the functional mechanisms underlying this host-microbiome interaction remain poorly understood.Here,we conducted integrated metagenomic and metatranscriptomic analyses of rumen,cecum,and colon digesta from yellow cattle and gayal raised on the same bamboo-based high-fiber diet.Results The results showed that gayal exhibited superior fiber-degrading capacity relative to yellow cattle,evidenced by significantly higher(P<0.05)fiber digestibility,cellulase and xylanase activities,and increased volatile fatty acids production despite identical feed intake.Microbial community analysis revealed distinct composition in both the rumen and hindgut of gayal compared to yellow cattle,with notable enrichment of taxa specialized in lignocellulose degradation.Metatranscriptomic profiling further identified upregulation of key lignin-modification enzymes,particularly AA6,AA2,and AA3,primarily encoded by Prevotella,Cryptobacteroides,Limimorpha,and Ventricola.These enzymes are known to modify lignin structure to increase polysaccharide accessibility.These results demonstrate that gayal hosts a unique and metabolically active gastrointestinal microbiome capable of efficient lignocellulose deconstruction through a coordinated enzymatic cascade,especially effective in dismantling lignin barriers.Conclusions This study provides novel insights into host-microbiome co-adaptation to fibrous feeds and highlights the potential of gayal-derived microbial consortia and enzymes for improving roughage utilization in ruminant agriculture.展开更多
Bamei pigs,an indigenous Chinese breed,yield meat with a delectable flavor and boast higher carcass fat content compared to commercial breeds,making them a rich food source for humans.However,the differences in lipid ...Bamei pigs,an indigenous Chinese breed,yield meat with a delectable flavor and boast higher carcass fat content compared to commercial breeds,making them a rich food source for humans.However,the differences in lipid and nutrient components between the adipose tissue of Bamei pigs and commercial pigs are still unclear.The study employed UPLC-MS/MS to quantify the composition of lipids and metabolites in the backfat of both Bamei and Large White pigs.A total of 428 lipids and 193 metabolites were significantly different between the 2 groups.Specifically,Bamei pig backfat exhibited altered levels of various lipids and metabolites that may potentially contribute to nutritional and flavor differences,including unsaturated triglycerides,free fatty acids,medium-chain triglycerides,essential amino acids,vitamins and antioxidants,while maintaining reduced cholesterol levels.Furthermore,we delved into the molecular mechanisms underlying these nutritional differences by analyzing significantly different 431 m RNAs and 865 proteins and integrating the regulatory network of protein-metabolite-lipid pathway.Importantly,in the pyruvate metabolic pathway of Bamei pigs,the bioprocess of lactate production was inhibited but the acetyl-Co A production was activated,suggesting the possibility that energy allocation favors the biogenesis of lipid precursors.These findings may contribute to guiding industrial food producers in enhancing the quality of lard at the genetic and molecular levels.展开更多
Background The decline in reproductive performance of aged hens is mainly attributed to oxidative damage in reproductive organs,hepatic lipid metabolism disorders,and intestinal microbiota dysbiosis.Glycyrrhizin(GL)ha...Background The decline in reproductive performance of aged hens is mainly attributed to oxidative damage in reproductive organs,hepatic lipid metabolism disorders,and intestinal microbiota dysbiosis.Glycyrrhizin(GL)has been proven to enhance antioxidant capacity,regulate lipid metabolism and gut microbiota in mammals,but its efficacy in hens remains unclear.Hence,this study aimed to investigate whether dietary GL supplementation improves reproductive performance in hens during the late laying stage by modulating intestinal microbiota composition,hepatic lipid metabolism and ovarian antioxidant status.Results Dietary supplementation with 100 mg/kg GL significantly improved the egg production rate,egg quality,and hatching rate in aged breeder hens(P<0.05).GL supplementation also increased the serum levels of HDLC,TP and ALB,and enhanced the antioxidant capacity in both serum and ovary(P<0.05).In addition,dietary GL elevated the serum progesterone(P4)levels by enhancing the transcription level of steroid synthesis key enzymes(CYP11A1 and 3β-HSD)in the ovary(P<0.05).Dietary GL also promoted the synthesis and transport of vitellogenin(VTG)by upregulating the VTG-Ⅱ(P<0.05)and APOV1(P=0.077)expression levels in the liver,thereby increasing the number of grade follicles and small yellow follicles.Moreover,dietary GL enhanced hepatic fatty acidβ-oxidation by upregulating PPARαand CPT-I(P<0.05),and downregulating ACC expression levels(P<0.05).In agreement,liver metabolomics analysis revealed that dietary GL supplementation significantly altered hepatic metabolism,with 389 differentially identified metabolites(P<0.05).The key metabolites(e.g.,taurocholic acid,tauroursodeoxycholic acid,nicotinuric acid,glycodeoxycholic acid(hydrate))were identified,and they were mainly functionally enriched in betaalanine metabolism nicotinate,taurine and hypotaurine metabolism(P<0.05).Finally,16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed that dietary GL reversed age-induced changes in gut microbiota composition,characterized by a significant increase in Lactobacillus abundance and a decrease in Bacteroides(P<0.05).Conclusions These results collectively demonstrate that dietary supplementation with 100 mg/kg GL improved reproductive performance by reversing age-induced changes in gut microbiota,enhancing hepatic vitellogenin synthesis,and ameliorating ovarian function in aged breeder hens.This study suggests that dietary GL is a potential strategy to improve reproductive performance in broiler breeder hens during the late laying period.展开更多
The advantages of genome selection(GS) in animal and plant breeding are self-evident.Traditional parametric models have disadvantage in better fit the increasingly large sequencing data and capture complex effects acc...The advantages of genome selection(GS) in animal and plant breeding are self-evident.Traditional parametric models have disadvantage in better fit the increasingly large sequencing data and capture complex effects accurately.Machine learning models have demonstrated remarkable potential in addressing these challenges.In this study,we introduced the concept of mixed kernel functions to explore the performance of support vector machine regression(SVR) in GS.Six single kernel functions(SVR_L,SVR_C,SVR_G,SVR_P,SVR_S,SVR_L) and four mixed kernel functions(SVR_GS,SVR_GP,SVR_LS,SVR_LP) were used to predict genome breeding values.The prediction accuracy,mean squared error(MSE) and mean absolute error(MAE) were used as evaluation indicators to compare with two traditional parametric models(GBLUP,BayesB) and two popular machine learning models(RF,KcRR).The results indicate that in most cases,the performance of the mixed kernel function model significantly outperforms that of GBLUP,BayesB and single kernel function.For instance,for T1 in the pig dataset,the predictive accuracy of SVR_GS is improved by 10% compared to GBLUP,and by approximately 4.4 and 18.6% compared to SVR_G and SVR_S respectively.For E1 in the wheat dataset,SVR_GS achieves 13.3% higher prediction accuracy than GBLUP.Among single kernel functions,the Laplacian and Gaussian kernel functions yield similar results,with the Gaussian kernel function performing better.The mixed kernel function notably reduces the MSE and MAE when compared to all single kernel functions.Furthermore,regarding runtime,SVR_GS and SVR_GP mixed kernel functions run approximately three times faster than GBLUP in the pig dataset,with only a slight increase in runtime compared to the single kernel function model.In summary,the mixed kernel function model of SVR demonstrates speed and accuracy competitiveness,and the model such as SVR_GS has important application potential for GS.展开更多
Background Nicotinamide riboside(NR)supplementation has been demonstrated efficacy in enhancing female reproductive outcomes,but its regulatory role in sow performance and gut microbiome remains undefined.This study s...Background Nicotinamide riboside(NR)supplementation has been demonstrated efficacy in enhancing female reproductive outcomes,but its regulatory role in sow performance and gut microbiome remains undefined.This study systematically evaluated the impacts of dietary NR supplementation during late gestation and lactation on sow performance and gut microbiome remodeling.A total of 280 sows were randomized assigned to one of four groups:a control group fed basal diet or one of three groups receiving NR-supplemented diets(2,4,or 8 g/d;n=70/group).Sow reproductive performance,blood metabolic parameters,milk metabolome,and fecal 16S rRNA sequencing were measured.Results Maternal NR supplementation linearly shortened farrowing duration(P<0.01)and tended to decrease the incidence of intrauterine growth restriction and the number of late gestation mummies(P<0.1),while concurrently increasing the within-litter uniformity(P=0.1).Litter weaning weight and average daily gain increased quadratically with NR dosage(P<0.05).NR supplementation orchestrated plasma metabolite regulation(triglycerides and total cholesterol;P<0.05),enhanced antioxidant biomarkers(T-AOC,GSH-Px,T-SOD;P<0.05),and reduced inflammatory cytokines(TNF-α;P<0.05)across gestation and lactation.Milk yield,colostrum/milk dry matter,crude protein,and crude fat were increased(P<0.05),together with higher levels of NAD^(+)metabolites(NAD^(+),NR,nicotinamide)and beneficial bioactive factors(milk polar lipids,3-aminosalicylic acid,fenugreekine;P<0.05).Gut microbiota analyses at lactation day 14 revealed NR-enriched beneficial taxa(Bifidobacterium,Ruminococcus,Lachnospiraceae,Subdoligranulum,Clostridium butyricum,Succiniclasticum)across sow-offspring dyads,which was associated with the activation of microbial NAD^(+)enzymes(NadR/NAMPT;P<0.05)and enhancement of systemic short-chain fatty acid flux,notably an increase in plasma butyrate acid(P<0.05).Conclusion Maternal supplementation of NR during late gestation and lactation increases sow performance and promotes gut NAD^(+)metabolic-associated microbiome remodeling.These findings propose maternal NR intervention as a novel strategy to enhance mammary lactogenesis and lactation metabolism in swine production,with potential applications for therapeutic strategies for lactation insufficiency.展开更多
Background Normal testicular development is essential for maintaining male fertility and reproductive performance in livestock.Leydig cells(LCs)play a central role in testicular physiology;however,the epigenetic mecha...Background Normal testicular development is essential for maintaining male fertility and reproductive performance in livestock.Leydig cells(LCs)play a central role in testicular physiology;however,the epigenetic mechanisms regulating their development remain largely unclear.Methyltransferase-like 3(METTL3),a key m^(6)A methylation enzyme,and micro RNAs are increasingly recognised as critical regulators of this process.Results METTL3 expression in goat LCs markedly decreased during testicular development.This downregulation reduced m^(6)A modification on pri-miR-145,impairing Di George syndrome critical region 8-mediated processing and resulting in decreased levels of mature mi R-145-3p.This reduction in mi R-145-3p increased the expression of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase 1(PCK1),which activated gluconeogenesis,increased intracellular glucose levels,and increased mitochondrial membrane potential.Consequently,this metabolic shift upregulated cell cyclerelated genes(cyclin B1 and cyclin E2),promoting LC proliferation and testicular growth.Conclusions Our findings demonstrate that the METTL3/mi R-145-3p/PCK1 axis is a key regulatory pathway linking epigenetic modification to the metabolic activity and proliferation of LCs.This mechanism provides novel insights into the molecular control of testicular development in male goats and may offer new targets for improving male reproductive capacity in livestock.展开更多
Background Post-weaning diarrhea(PWD)in piglets,primarily caused by enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli(ETEC)K88(F4)infection,presents a major challenge in swine production.This study aimed to isolate bacteriophages(phag...Background Post-weaning diarrhea(PWD)in piglets,primarily caused by enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli(ETEC)K88(F4)infection,presents a major challenge in swine production.This study aimed to isolate bacteriophages(phages)specific to ETEC K88,utilizing ETEC K88 as the host strain,and to assess the efficacy of dietary supplementation with the isolated phages in weaned piglets over a two-week period using an ETEC K88 challenge model in a pilot study.Results Three ETEC K88-specific phages(EC-P1,EC-P2,and EC-P3)were isolated and identified as tailed phages.These phages displayed a short latency period,broad acid–base stability,and thermal stability,effectively inhibiting ETEC K88 growth and disrupting ETEC K88 biofilms in vitro.Lyophilized phage powder was prepared and supplemented at 400,600 or 800 mg/kg in the diets.Compared to the ETEC K88 group,piglets in the ETEC K88+600 or 800 mg/kg phages group exhibited markedly lower diarrhea scores and rectal temperatures at 12,24,and 48 h post-infection.Supplementation with 600 mg/kg phages enhanced intestinal integrity of ETEC K88-infected piglets,as evidenced by an increased jejunal villus height and villus height-to-crypt depth ratio,reduced serum diamine oxidase and D-lactate levels,and upregulated jejunal ZO-1 protein expression.Concomitantly,systemic and jejunal inflammatory responses were attenuated by supplementation with 600 mg/kg of phages,as evidenced by decreased serum LPS,IL-1β,IL-10 and TNF-α levels,down-regulated jejunal IL-1β and IL-6 mRNA expression,and suppressed NF-κB signalling(downregulated p-IκBα/IκBα and p-p65/p65 ratios).Supplementation with 600 mg/kg phages also shifted the faecal microbiota toward eubiosis,increasing the Shannon index,decreasing Proteobacteria and Enterobacteriaceae abundances,and elevating beneficial taxa(Patescibacteria,Muribaculaceae,and Subdoligranulum).Correlation analysis further revealed that Proteobacteria and Enterobacteriaceae abundances were positively associated with diarrhoea characteristics,whereas Muribaculaceae showed a negative correlation.Conclusions Three ETEC K88-targeting phages were successfully isolated,characterized,and prepared as lyophilized phage powder for dietary supplementation.Dietary supplementation with 600 mg/kg of lyophilized phage powder alleviated PWD in piglets by modulating gut microbiota and inflammatory responses.展开更多
Background Multibreed genomic prediction(MBGP)is crucial for improving prediction accuracy for breeds with small populations,for which limited data are often available.Recent studies have demonstrated that partitionin...Background Multibreed genomic prediction(MBGP)is crucial for improving prediction accuracy for breeds with small populations,for which limited data are often available.Recent studies have demonstrated that partitioning the genome into nonoverlapping blocks to model heterogeneous genetic(co)variance in multitrait models can achieve higher joint prediction accuracy.However,the block partitioning method,a key factor influencing model performance,has not been extensively explored.Results We introduce mbBayesABLD,a novel Bayesian MBGP model that partitions each chromosome into nonoverlapping blocks on the basis of linkage disequilibrium(LD)patterns.In this model,marker effects within each block are assumed to follow normal distributions with block-specific parameters.We employ simulated data as well as empirical datasets from pigs and beans to assess genomic prediction accuracy across different models using cross-validation.The results demonstrate that mbBayesABLD significantly outperforms conventional MBGP models,such as GBLUP and BayesR.For the meat marbling score trait in pigs,compared with GBLUP,which does not account for heterogeneous genetic(co)variance,mbBayesABLD improves the prediction accuracy for the small-population breed Landrace by 15.6%.Furthermore,our findings indicate that a moderate level of similarity in LD patterns between breeds(with an average correlation of 0.6)is sufficient to improve the prediction accuracy of the target breed.Conclusions This study presents a novel LD block-based approach for multibreed genomic prediction.Our work provides a practical tool for livestock breeding programs and offers new insights into leveraging genetic diversity across breeds for improved genomic prediction.展开更多
Intramuscular fat(IMF)content serves as the key determinants of meat quality.Emerging evidence indicates that gut microbiota and their metabolites significantly influence IMF deposition levels by modulating host lipid...Intramuscular fat(IMF)content serves as the key determinants of meat quality.Emerging evidence indicates that gut microbiota and their metabolites significantly influence IMF deposition levels by modulating host lipid metabolism through multiple pathways,positioning microbial regulation as a pivotal target for meat quality improvement.However,existing studies remain fragmented,predominantly focusing on isolated mechanisms or correlations without a systematic view of the regulatory network.This review consolidates the core mechanisms through which microbiota-derived metabolites including short-chain fatty acids,bile acids,branched-chain amino acids,trimethylamine N-oxide,tryptophan derivatives,succinate,polyamines etc.,regulate IMF deposition and proposes a targeted intervention framework,the“gut microbiota/metabolites-IMF axis”.By integrating these insights,we provide a theoretical foundation and define practical research pathways to assess the potential of microbial-based strategies for improving meat quality in swine production.展开更多
基金Youth Foundation of Higher Education Scientific Research of Hebei Province,China(No.2010228)Foundation for Returned Overseas Scholars of Hebei Province,China(No.C2013003015)
文摘Based upon motion capture,a semi-automatic technique for fast facial animation was implemented. While capturing the facial expressions from a performer,a camera was used to record her /his front face as a texture map. The radial basis function( RBF) technique was utilized to deform a generic facial model and the texture was remapped to generate a personalized face.Partitioning the personalized face into three regions and using the captured facial expression data,the RBF and Laplacian operator,and mean-value coordinates were implemented to deform each region respectively. With shape blending,the three regions were combined together to construct the final face model. Our results show that the technique is efficient in generating realistic facial animation.
文摘Why it needs to take the initiative in the shape in the painting？ Refine images of the shape of the objective initiatively, not only can enhance the artistic appeal and creators emotions, can also highlight the aesthetic orientation creators to make their paintings to impress the audience and resonate, so works of art have a higher aesthetic value. Similarly, in the entire animation movie, animation character modeling also has an important position, and a good cartoon must have a good role model to fully convey the story and character. This article attempts to analyze the shape of the image of the Disney animated start, make deep analysis on necessity of initiative modeling in the art of painting and development of initiative modeling, to enhance the performance of artists and diverse personality development, which is a requirement of modem art, but also the law of development of the arts.
文摘Behavior recognition of Hu sheep contributes to their intensive and intelligent farming.Due to the generally high density of Hu sheep farming,severe occlusion occurs among different behaviors and even among sheep performing the same behavior,leading to missing and false detection issues in existing behavior recognition methods.A high-low frequency aggregated attention and negative sample comprehensive score loss and comprehensive score soft non-maximum suppression-YOLO(HLNC-YOLO)was proposed for identifying the behavior of Hu sheep,addressing the issues of missed and erroneous detections caused by occlusion between Hu sheep in intensive farming.Firstly,images of four typical behaviors-standing,lying,eating,and drinking-were collected from the sheep farm to construct the Hu sheep behavior dataset(HSBD).Next,to solve the occlusion issues,during the training phase,the C2F-HLAtt module was integrated,which combined high-low frequency aggregation attention,into the YOLO v8 Backbone to perceive occluded objects and introduce an auxiliary reversible branch to retain more effective features.Using comprehensive score regression loss(CSLoss)to reduce the scores of suboptimal boxes and enhance the comprehensive scores of occluded object boxes.Finally,the soft comprehensive score non-maximal suppression(Soft-CS-NMS)algorithm filtered prediction boxes during the inferencing.Testing on the HSBD,HLNC-YOLO achieved a mean average precision(mAP@50)of 87.8%,with a memory footprint of 17.4 MB.This represented an improvement of 7.1,2.2,4.6,and 11 percentage points over YOLO v8,YOLO v9,YOLO v10,and Faster R-CNN,respectively.Research indicated that the HLNC-YOLO accurately identified the behavior of Hu sheep in intensive farming and possessed generalization capabilities,providing technical support for smart farming.
文摘Anchovies are key forage species in coastal and pelagic food webs,playing crucial ecological and commercial roles in marine ecosystems.Encrasicholina punctifer is a commercially and ecologically important species,yet little is known about its osteological development characteristics.Understanding these ontogenetic patterns is essential for explaining phylogenetic relationships within Clupeiformes,informing larval identification in ichthyoplankton surveys,and enhancing aquaculture practices.This study describes the ontogenetic characteristics of the appendicular and median skeletons and fin supports in E.punctifer larvae and juveniles,providing quantitative ontogenetic timelines to address gaps in engraulid developmental biology and contribute to teleost ontogeny research.Larval and juvenile specimens of E.punctifer;size range:3.00-34.56 mm standard length(SL)and notochord length(NL)collected from the Philippine Sea were processed using the standard Alizarin red and Alcian blue clearing-and-staining technique to differentiate ossified and cartilaginous elements.Specimens were examined under a stereo microscope and imaged with an HTC1600ISP digital camera for detailed morphological analysis of skeletal structures.Caudal complex development was evident by 5.55 mm NL,with the initial appearance of cartilaginous hypurals 1–2 and parhypural,followed by Hy3–5 at 6.08 mm NL.Cartilaginous Hy6 was visible by 9.58 mm SL in postflexion larvae.Six hypural bones were present from the postflexion to juvenile stage.Principal fin rays formed via intramembranous ossification at 6.32 mm NL,and segmentation was evident by 10.24 mm SL.Neural arch 1 appeared at 7.38 mm NL,preceding full haemal arch development.Uroneurals 1–2 and ural centra ossified by 9.58 mm SL,with Hy5 detached from U1 at 10.24 mm SL.Preural centra ossified before the arches.Epurals 1 and 2 were evident by 10.24 mm SL.Dorsal fin proximal radials developed anteriorly and distal radials posteriorly.Pectoral fin development initiated with an ossified cleithrum and the coracoscapular cartilage at 5.25 mm NL.By 10.24 mm SL,cartilaginous neural and haemal arches and spines were distinct.Uroneural 1 initially develops as cartilage.The formation of a pleurostyle aligns with clupeoid fish skeletal ontogeny.Dorsal and anal fin development follows a distinctive pattern,with variability in fin support development.Our results reveal accelerated caudal complex formation in E.punctifer and contribute new knowledge on the osteological characteristics of the genus Encrasicholina,and aid in understanding larval and juvenile ontogeny of marine teleosts.
基金supported by the National Key R&D Program of China(No.2022YFD1301001)。
文摘Background Fatty liver syndrome is a prevalent metabolic disorder in transition dairy cows,characterized by excessive hepatic lipid accumulation that impairs liver function and leads to systemic metabolic disturbances.Docosahexaenoic acid(DHA),a prominent n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid(PUFA),not only exhibits anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative properties,but also holds potential in ameliorating lipid metabolism.This study integrated in vitro bovine primary hepatocyte models and in vivo dairy cow trials to investigate the regulatory effects of DHA on hepatic lipid deposition.Results In vitro,40μmol/L DHA significantly reduced triglyceride(TAG)accumulation in steatotic hepatocytes by downregulating genes involved in fatty acid transport(FABP-1,CD36)and lipogenesis(DGAT2,FAS,SREBP-1C),while upregulating markers of lipolysis(CGI-58,ATGL)and fatty acid oxidation(ACADL,CPT1A,CPT2).Transmission electron microscopy(TEM)confirmed DHA-mediated restoration of mitochondrial ultrastructure and enhanced lipid droplet(LD)-mitochondria interactions.In vivo,dietary rumen-protected DHA(180 g/d)supplementation reduced hepatic lipid deposition,improved liver function(evidenced by decreased total bilirubin and alanine aminotransferase),reduced oxidative stress and inflammation(suppressed malondialdehyde,glutathione peroxidase,and lipopolysaccharide),coincided with relieving insulin resistance(reduced insulin and glucose,as well increased adiponectin)in dairy cows with fatty liver.These improvements may be attributed to increased expression of TOMM20 and MtCo-1,promoting mitochondrial biogenesis andβ-oxidation,along with an elevated plasma n-3/n-6 ratio.Conclusions Collectively,these findings suggest that DHA supplementation represents a promising nutritional strategy for preventing spontaneous fatty liver in transition dairy cows by enhancing hepatic lipid clearance and restoring metabolic homeostasis.
基金funded by the Sichuan Science and Technology Program(2021ZDZX0009)the earmarked fund from the National Natural Science Foundation of China(31972577)。
文摘Background Inflammatory bowel disease causes intestinal structural damage,impairs gut function,hinders animal growth and development,and reduces farming efficiency.Previous studies demonstrated that lactate alleviates dextran sulfate sodium(DSS)-induced inflammation and mitigates weight loss by enhancing intestinal barrier functions.However,the mechanisms underlying lactate-mediated protection of the intestinal epithelial barrier remain unclear.This study aimed to explore the protective effect of lactate on intestinal barrier damage in colitis piglets and the possible underlying mechanisms through in vivo and in vitro experiments.Methods A total of 6021-day-old weaned female piglets were randomly assigned into three groups based on weight:the control group(basal diet with physiological saline gavage),the DSS group(basal diet with 5%DSS gavage),and the DSS+LA group(2%lactate diet with 5%DSS gavage).There were 10 replicates per treatment,with 2 piglets per replicate.Jejunal morphology was assessed via hematoxylin and eosin staining,while Western blotting quantified the protein levels of proliferation markers,including cluster of differentiation 24(CD24),cyclin D1,and wingless/integrated(Wnt)/β-catenin signaling components.In vitro,0.08%DSS and 2–32 mmol/L sodium lactate-treated intestinal porcine epithelial cell line-J2(IPEC-J2)cells(n=4)were assessed for viability(Cell Counting Kit-8 assay),apoptosis(flow cytometry),and proliferation parameters,including cell cycle analysis and Leucine-rich repeat-containing G-protein coupled receptor 5(Lgr5+)stem cell quantification.Results In vivo,DSS administration induced jejunal villus shortening(P<0.05),downregulated protein levels of CD24,cyclin D1,casein kinase 1(CK1),and dishevelled-2(DVL2)(P<0.05).In vitro,DSS promoted apoptosis,inhibited proliferation,diminished the Lgr5+cell populations(P<0.05),and reduced S-phase cell proportions(P<0.05).Conversely,lactate supplementation ameliorated DSS-induced villus atrophy(P<0.05),restored CD24,cyclin D1,CK1,and DVL2 protein levels(P<0.05).Furthermore,in vitro,sodium lactate attenuated DSS-induced apoptosis(P<0.05),enhanced IPEC-J2 proliferation(P<0.05),expanded Lgr5+cells(P<0.05),and increased S-phase progression(P<0.05).Conclusions In summary,lactate ameliorated intestinal barrier damage in DSS-induced colitis by activating the Wnt/β-catenin pathway and restoring the balance between epithelial cell proliferation and apoptosis.This study provides novel mechanistic evidence supporting lactate's therapeutic potential for IBD management.
基金supported by the Natural Science Foundation of the Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions of China(Grant No.22KJB310001 to W.G.)the Special Project of the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Science and Technology(Grant No.BE2023603 to W.G.)the Nanjing Medical University Science and Technology Development Foundation(Grant No.NMUB20210006 to W.G.).
文摘Neutralizing antibodies are essential tools in antiviral therapy and epidemic preparedness,capable of directlyinhibiting viral entry and limiting disease progression.However,traditional antibody discovery strategies—suchas animal immunization or B cell isolation from infected individuals—are often hindered by biosafety concerns,lengthy development timelines,and limited adaptability during outbreaks.In the present study,we aimed toestablish a robust and rapid in vitro platform for the efficient isolation of neutralizing antibodies targetingconserved viral epitopes.We developed an epitope-guided negative screening strategy that integrates phagedisplay technology with rational antigen mutagenesis to exclude antibodies against variable regions whileenriching for those that recognize functionally constrained epitopes.When applied to the receptor-binding domainof severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2,this method enabled the identification of six neutralizingantibodies(one IgG and five nanobodies)exhibiting broad-spectrum neutralizing activity across multiple viralvariants.Notably,antibodies recognizing distinct epitopes demonstrated significant synergistic neutralizationwhen used in combination(P<0.05).This screening approach facilitates the rapid discovery of potent andmutation-resistant antibodies and holds promise for application to other emerging pathogens.Our findingsunderscore the potential of epitope-guided,in vitro platforms in expediting therapeutic antibody developmentunder conditions of high biosafety requirements.
文摘On the occasion of the New Year,I would like to extend my sincere gratitude and New Year greetings to the experts,scholars,author teams,and readers who have long supported the development of Animal Models and Experimental Medicine(AMEM).Over the past year,we have faced challenges together and achieved breakthroughs in academic influence,internationalization,and fulfilling social respon-sibilities.Looking ahead,we are filled with confidence as we strive to build an important bridge connecting laboratory animal science and technology with academic research.
基金supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2022YFF0710500 and 2023YFF0724603)the Key Research&Development Program of Heilongjiang Province,China(Innovation Base)(JD2023SJ10)the Central Public-interest Scientific Institution Basal Research,China(1610302023003)。
文摘Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease(EHD),a vector-borne disease affecting both wild and domestic ruminants,is transmitted by biting midges of the genus Culicoides.Since 2008,it has been classified as a notifiable disease by the World Organization for Animal Health(WOAH).The causative agent,Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease Virus(EHDV),belongs to the genus Orbivirus within the family Reoviridae and possesses a viral genome comprising ten double-stranded RNA(dsRNA)segments(JiménezCabello et al.2023).To date,ten distinct serotypes of EHDV,designated as EHDV-1,2,and 4 through 11,have been identified globally(Anthony et al.2009;Maan et al.2017;Shirafuji et al.2017;Yang et al.2020).
基金supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China(31730091,32372900,32072743)Natural Science Foundation of Sichuan Province(2023NSFSC0237)Major Science and Technology Projects in Sichuan Province(2021ZDZX0009)。
文摘Background Diarrhea remains a major health concern in both young animals and humans.Prevotella spp.,a dominant commensal genus in the healthy porcine gut,becomes increasingly abundant following weaning,suggesting a potential role during this critical transitional period.However,its involvement in post-weaning diarrhea remains poorly understood.Here,we aim to elucidate the role and underlying mechanisms of Prevotella in alleviating diarrhea in weaned piglets.Results To model unsanitary housing conditions,piglets were housed in uncleaned pens containing residual fecal matter from previous occupants and exposed to cold stress by maintaining the ambient temperature at 19℃,below the optimal 28℃.Under these conditions,piglets were orally administered either a blank medium(CON,n=10×2)or Prevotella copri at 1×10^(8)CFU(Pc,n=10×2)on d 1,3,and 5.After 28 d,cold stress induced a diarrhea incidence of 33.45%in the CON group,while P.copri supplementation significantly reduced the diarrhea rate to 19.73%.Treatment with P.copri markedly improved intestinal morphology in the small intestine,decreased serum levels of lipopolysaccharide(LPS)and intestinal fatty acid-binding protein(i-FABP),and enhanced total antioxidant capacity(T-AOC)and catalase(CAT)activity.Quantitative PCR and 16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed that P.copri significantly increased the colonic abundance of Prevotella,reshaping both the composition and functional profile of the gut microbiota.Moreover,P.copri enhanced the modularity and robustness of microbial ecological networks.Untargeted metabolomic profiling of colonic contents revealed a significant enrichment of metabolites involved in the arachidonic acid pathway following P.copri supplementation.In parallel,untargeted metabolomics of P.copri culture supernatants identified differential metabolic pathways including metabolic pathways,biosynthesis of secondary metabolites,and biosynthesis of antibiotics.In vitro assays demonstrated that P.copri-derived metabolites inhibited the growth of three common porcine intestinal pathogens.Furthermore,both P.copri metabolites and arachidonic acid enhanced intestinal barrier integrity and suppressed TNF-α-induced inflammation and apoptosis in Caco-2 cells through activation of the AHR–Nrf2 signaling pathway.Conclusions These findings highlight the role of P.copri in maintaining gut homeostasis and provide new insights into microbiota-based interventions for early-life intestinal disorders.
基金funded by the Joint Funds of the National Natural Science Foundation of China(U2202203)。
文摘Background The gayal(Bos frontalis),a semi-domesticated bovine species,demonstrates exceptional adaptability to lignocellulose-rich diets dominated by bamboo,suggesting the presence of a specialized gastrointestinal microbiome.However,the functional mechanisms underlying this host-microbiome interaction remain poorly understood.Here,we conducted integrated metagenomic and metatranscriptomic analyses of rumen,cecum,and colon digesta from yellow cattle and gayal raised on the same bamboo-based high-fiber diet.Results The results showed that gayal exhibited superior fiber-degrading capacity relative to yellow cattle,evidenced by significantly higher(P<0.05)fiber digestibility,cellulase and xylanase activities,and increased volatile fatty acids production despite identical feed intake.Microbial community analysis revealed distinct composition in both the rumen and hindgut of gayal compared to yellow cattle,with notable enrichment of taxa specialized in lignocellulose degradation.Metatranscriptomic profiling further identified upregulation of key lignin-modification enzymes,particularly AA6,AA2,and AA3,primarily encoded by Prevotella,Cryptobacteroides,Limimorpha,and Ventricola.These enzymes are known to modify lignin structure to increase polysaccharide accessibility.These results demonstrate that gayal hosts a unique and metabolically active gastrointestinal microbiome capable of efficient lignocellulose deconstruction through a coordinated enzymatic cascade,especially effective in dismantling lignin barriers.Conclusions This study provides novel insights into host-microbiome co-adaptation to fibrous feeds and highlights the potential of gayal-derived microbial consortia and enzymes for improving roughage utilization in ruminant agriculture.
基金supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2021YFF1000602)the National Natural Science Foundations(32202642)the earmarked fund for CARS-35-PIG.
文摘Bamei pigs,an indigenous Chinese breed,yield meat with a delectable flavor and boast higher carcass fat content compared to commercial breeds,making them a rich food source for humans.However,the differences in lipid and nutrient components between the adipose tissue of Bamei pigs and commercial pigs are still unclear.The study employed UPLC-MS/MS to quantify the composition of lipids and metabolites in the backfat of both Bamei and Large White pigs.A total of 428 lipids and 193 metabolites were significantly different between the 2 groups.Specifically,Bamei pig backfat exhibited altered levels of various lipids and metabolites that may potentially contribute to nutritional and flavor differences,including unsaturated triglycerides,free fatty acids,medium-chain triglycerides,essential amino acids,vitamins and antioxidants,while maintaining reduced cholesterol levels.Furthermore,we delved into the molecular mechanisms underlying these nutritional differences by analyzing significantly different 431 m RNAs and 865 proteins and integrating the regulatory network of protein-metabolite-lipid pathway.Importantly,in the pyruvate metabolic pathway of Bamei pigs,the bioprocess of lactate production was inhibited but the acetyl-Co A production was activated,suggesting the possibility that energy allocation favors the biogenesis of lipid precursors.These findings may contribute to guiding industrial food producers in enhancing the quality of lard at the genetic and molecular levels.
基金supported and funded by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2023YFD1300801)the Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Program in Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences(ASTIP-IAS-08)。
文摘Background The decline in reproductive performance of aged hens is mainly attributed to oxidative damage in reproductive organs,hepatic lipid metabolism disorders,and intestinal microbiota dysbiosis.Glycyrrhizin(GL)has been proven to enhance antioxidant capacity,regulate lipid metabolism and gut microbiota in mammals,but its efficacy in hens remains unclear.Hence,this study aimed to investigate whether dietary GL supplementation improves reproductive performance in hens during the late laying stage by modulating intestinal microbiota composition,hepatic lipid metabolism and ovarian antioxidant status.Results Dietary supplementation with 100 mg/kg GL significantly improved the egg production rate,egg quality,and hatching rate in aged breeder hens(P<0.05).GL supplementation also increased the serum levels of HDLC,TP and ALB,and enhanced the antioxidant capacity in both serum and ovary(P<0.05).In addition,dietary GL elevated the serum progesterone(P4)levels by enhancing the transcription level of steroid synthesis key enzymes(CYP11A1 and 3β-HSD)in the ovary(P<0.05).Dietary GL also promoted the synthesis and transport of vitellogenin(VTG)by upregulating the VTG-Ⅱ(P<0.05)and APOV1(P=0.077)expression levels in the liver,thereby increasing the number of grade follicles and small yellow follicles.Moreover,dietary GL enhanced hepatic fatty acidβ-oxidation by upregulating PPARαand CPT-I(P<0.05),and downregulating ACC expression levels(P<0.05).In agreement,liver metabolomics analysis revealed that dietary GL supplementation significantly altered hepatic metabolism,with 389 differentially identified metabolites(P<0.05).The key metabolites(e.g.,taurocholic acid,tauroursodeoxycholic acid,nicotinuric acid,glycodeoxycholic acid(hydrate))were identified,and they were mainly functionally enriched in betaalanine metabolism nicotinate,taurine and hypotaurine metabolism(P<0.05).Finally,16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed that dietary GL reversed age-induced changes in gut microbiota composition,characterized by a significant increase in Lactobacillus abundance and a decrease in Bacteroides(P<0.05).Conclusions These results collectively demonstrate that dietary supplementation with 100 mg/kg GL improved reproductive performance by reversing age-induced changes in gut microbiota,enhancing hepatic vitellogenin synthesis,and ameliorating ovarian function in aged breeder hens.This study suggests that dietary GL is a potential strategy to improve reproductive performance in broiler breeder hens during the late laying period.
基金supported by the China Agriculture Research System of MOF and MARAthe National Natural Science Foundation of China (31872337 and 31501919)the Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Project,China (ASTIP-IAS02)。
文摘The advantages of genome selection(GS) in animal and plant breeding are self-evident.Traditional parametric models have disadvantage in better fit the increasingly large sequencing data and capture complex effects accurately.Machine learning models have demonstrated remarkable potential in addressing these challenges.In this study,we introduced the concept of mixed kernel functions to explore the performance of support vector machine regression(SVR) in GS.Six single kernel functions(SVR_L,SVR_C,SVR_G,SVR_P,SVR_S,SVR_L) and four mixed kernel functions(SVR_GS,SVR_GP,SVR_LS,SVR_LP) were used to predict genome breeding values.The prediction accuracy,mean squared error(MSE) and mean absolute error(MAE) were used as evaluation indicators to compare with two traditional parametric models(GBLUP,BayesB) and two popular machine learning models(RF,KcRR).The results indicate that in most cases,the performance of the mixed kernel function model significantly outperforms that of GBLUP,BayesB and single kernel function.For instance,for T1 in the pig dataset,the predictive accuracy of SVR_GS is improved by 10% compared to GBLUP,and by approximately 4.4 and 18.6% compared to SVR_G and SVR_S respectively.For E1 in the wheat dataset,SVR_GS achieves 13.3% higher prediction accuracy than GBLUP.Among single kernel functions,the Laplacian and Gaussian kernel functions yield similar results,with the Gaussian kernel function performing better.The mixed kernel function notably reduces the MSE and MAE when compared to all single kernel functions.Furthermore,regarding runtime,SVR_GS and SVR_GP mixed kernel functions run approximately three times faster than GBLUP in the pig dataset,with only a slight increase in runtime compared to the single kernel function model.In summary,the mixed kernel function model of SVR demonstrates speed and accuracy competitiveness,and the model such as SVR_GS has important application potential for GS.
基金jointly supported by the National Key R&D Program of China(2023YFD1300804)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(32472948)the earmarked fund for China Agriculture Research System(CARS-35)。
文摘Background Nicotinamide riboside(NR)supplementation has been demonstrated efficacy in enhancing female reproductive outcomes,but its regulatory role in sow performance and gut microbiome remains undefined.This study systematically evaluated the impacts of dietary NR supplementation during late gestation and lactation on sow performance and gut microbiome remodeling.A total of 280 sows were randomized assigned to one of four groups:a control group fed basal diet or one of three groups receiving NR-supplemented diets(2,4,or 8 g/d;n=70/group).Sow reproductive performance,blood metabolic parameters,milk metabolome,and fecal 16S rRNA sequencing were measured.Results Maternal NR supplementation linearly shortened farrowing duration(P<0.01)and tended to decrease the incidence of intrauterine growth restriction and the number of late gestation mummies(P<0.1),while concurrently increasing the within-litter uniformity(P=0.1).Litter weaning weight and average daily gain increased quadratically with NR dosage(P<0.05).NR supplementation orchestrated plasma metabolite regulation(triglycerides and total cholesterol;P<0.05),enhanced antioxidant biomarkers(T-AOC,GSH-Px,T-SOD;P<0.05),and reduced inflammatory cytokines(TNF-α;P<0.05)across gestation and lactation.Milk yield,colostrum/milk dry matter,crude protein,and crude fat were increased(P<0.05),together with higher levels of NAD^(+)metabolites(NAD^(+),NR,nicotinamide)and beneficial bioactive factors(milk polar lipids,3-aminosalicylic acid,fenugreekine;P<0.05).Gut microbiota analyses at lactation day 14 revealed NR-enriched beneficial taxa(Bifidobacterium,Ruminococcus,Lachnospiraceae,Subdoligranulum,Clostridium butyricum,Succiniclasticum)across sow-offspring dyads,which was associated with the activation of microbial NAD^(+)enzymes(NadR/NAMPT;P<0.05)and enhancement of systemic short-chain fatty acid flux,notably an increase in plasma butyrate acid(P<0.05).Conclusion Maternal supplementation of NR during late gestation and lactation increases sow performance and promotes gut NAD^(+)metabolic-associated microbiome remodeling.These findings propose maternal NR intervention as a novel strategy to enhance mammary lactogenesis and lactation metabolism in swine production,with potential applications for therapeutic strategies for lactation insufficiency.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(32260835)Guizhou High-level Innovative Talents Project(Qiankehe Platform Talents[2022]021-1)+2 种基金Guizhou Province Mutton Sheep Genetic Improvement and Innovative Utilization Science and Technology Innovation Talent Team Project(Qian Kehe Platform Talent-CXTD[2023]025)the Natural Science Special Research Fund of Guizhou University(Gui Da Te Gang He Zi[2025]12)Project on the Development of a Technical Support System for the Meat Sheep Industry in Guizhou Province(GZRYCYJSTX-02)。
文摘Background Normal testicular development is essential for maintaining male fertility and reproductive performance in livestock.Leydig cells(LCs)play a central role in testicular physiology;however,the epigenetic mechanisms regulating their development remain largely unclear.Methyltransferase-like 3(METTL3),a key m^(6)A methylation enzyme,and micro RNAs are increasingly recognised as critical regulators of this process.Results METTL3 expression in goat LCs markedly decreased during testicular development.This downregulation reduced m^(6)A modification on pri-miR-145,impairing Di George syndrome critical region 8-mediated processing and resulting in decreased levels of mature mi R-145-3p.This reduction in mi R-145-3p increased the expression of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase 1(PCK1),which activated gluconeogenesis,increased intracellular glucose levels,and increased mitochondrial membrane potential.Consequently,this metabolic shift upregulated cell cyclerelated genes(cyclin B1 and cyclin E2),promoting LC proliferation and testicular growth.Conclusions Our findings demonstrate that the METTL3/mi R-145-3p/PCK1 axis is a key regulatory pathway linking epigenetic modification to the metabolic activity and proliferation of LCs.This mechanism provides novel insights into the molecular control of testicular development in male goats and may offer new targets for improving male reproductive capacity in livestock.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.32472940 and No.32160806)the Jiangxi Provincial Cultivation Program for Academic and Technical Leaders of Major Subjects(No.20213BCJ22005)+1 种基金the Key Research and Development Program of Jiangxi Province(No.20223BBF61018)the Key Research and Development Program of Jiangxi Province(No.20224BBF61029),China。
文摘Background Post-weaning diarrhea(PWD)in piglets,primarily caused by enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli(ETEC)K88(F4)infection,presents a major challenge in swine production.This study aimed to isolate bacteriophages(phages)specific to ETEC K88,utilizing ETEC K88 as the host strain,and to assess the efficacy of dietary supplementation with the isolated phages in weaned piglets over a two-week period using an ETEC K88 challenge model in a pilot study.Results Three ETEC K88-specific phages(EC-P1,EC-P2,and EC-P3)were isolated and identified as tailed phages.These phages displayed a short latency period,broad acid–base stability,and thermal stability,effectively inhibiting ETEC K88 growth and disrupting ETEC K88 biofilms in vitro.Lyophilized phage powder was prepared and supplemented at 400,600 or 800 mg/kg in the diets.Compared to the ETEC K88 group,piglets in the ETEC K88+600 or 800 mg/kg phages group exhibited markedly lower diarrhea scores and rectal temperatures at 12,24,and 48 h post-infection.Supplementation with 600 mg/kg phages enhanced intestinal integrity of ETEC K88-infected piglets,as evidenced by an increased jejunal villus height and villus height-to-crypt depth ratio,reduced serum diamine oxidase and D-lactate levels,and upregulated jejunal ZO-1 protein expression.Concomitantly,systemic and jejunal inflammatory responses were attenuated by supplementation with 600 mg/kg of phages,as evidenced by decreased serum LPS,IL-1β,IL-10 and TNF-α levels,down-regulated jejunal IL-1β and IL-6 mRNA expression,and suppressed NF-κB signalling(downregulated p-IκBα/IκBα and p-p65/p65 ratios).Supplementation with 600 mg/kg phages also shifted the faecal microbiota toward eubiosis,increasing the Shannon index,decreasing Proteobacteria and Enterobacteriaceae abundances,and elevating beneficial taxa(Patescibacteria,Muribaculaceae,and Subdoligranulum).Correlation analysis further revealed that Proteobacteria and Enterobacteriaceae abundances were positively associated with diarrhoea characteristics,whereas Muribaculaceae showed a negative correlation.Conclusions Three ETEC K88-targeting phages were successfully isolated,characterized,and prepared as lyophilized phage powder for dietary supplementation.Dietary supplementation with 600 mg/kg of lyophilized phage powder alleviated PWD in piglets by modulating gut microbiota and inflammatory responses.
基金supported by the Biological Breeding-Major Projects in National Science and Technology(No.2023ZD0404405)the Earmarked Fund for China Agriculture Research System(No.CARS-pig-35)+2 种基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.3227284,32302708)the 2115 Talent Development Program of China Agricultural University,the Chinese Universities Scientific Fund(No.2023TC196)the Seed Industry Revitalization Action Project of Guangdong Province(No.2024-XPY-06-001)。
文摘Background Multibreed genomic prediction(MBGP)is crucial for improving prediction accuracy for breeds with small populations,for which limited data are often available.Recent studies have demonstrated that partitioning the genome into nonoverlapping blocks to model heterogeneous genetic(co)variance in multitrait models can achieve higher joint prediction accuracy.However,the block partitioning method,a key factor influencing model performance,has not been extensively explored.Results We introduce mbBayesABLD,a novel Bayesian MBGP model that partitions each chromosome into nonoverlapping blocks on the basis of linkage disequilibrium(LD)patterns.In this model,marker effects within each block are assumed to follow normal distributions with block-specific parameters.We employ simulated data as well as empirical datasets from pigs and beans to assess genomic prediction accuracy across different models using cross-validation.The results demonstrate that mbBayesABLD significantly outperforms conventional MBGP models,such as GBLUP and BayesR.For the meat marbling score trait in pigs,compared with GBLUP,which does not account for heterogeneous genetic(co)variance,mbBayesABLD improves the prediction accuracy for the small-population breed Landrace by 15.6%.Furthermore,our findings indicate that a moderate level of similarity in LD patterns between breeds(with an average correlation of 0.6)is sufficient to improve the prediction accuracy of the target breed.Conclusions This study presents a novel LD block-based approach for multibreed genomic prediction.Our work provides a practical tool for livestock breeding programs and offers new insights into leveraging genetic diversity across breeds for improved genomic prediction.
基金financially supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2023YFD1301303)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.32202715)+1 种基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.23DAA00403)Double first-class discipline promotion project under grant(No.2023B10564001)。
文摘Intramuscular fat(IMF)content serves as the key determinants of meat quality.Emerging evidence indicates that gut microbiota and their metabolites significantly influence IMF deposition levels by modulating host lipid metabolism through multiple pathways,positioning microbial regulation as a pivotal target for meat quality improvement.However,existing studies remain fragmented,predominantly focusing on isolated mechanisms or correlations without a systematic view of the regulatory network.This review consolidates the core mechanisms through which microbiota-derived metabolites including short-chain fatty acids,bile acids,branched-chain amino acids,trimethylamine N-oxide,tryptophan derivatives,succinate,polyamines etc.,regulate IMF deposition and proposes a targeted intervention framework,the“gut microbiota/metabolites-IMF axis”.By integrating these insights,we provide a theoretical foundation and define practical research pathways to assess the potential of microbial-based strategies for improving meat quality in swine production.
