Intramuscular fat (IMF) content is an important trait closely related to meat quality, which is highly variable among pig breeds from diverse genetic backgrounds. High-throughput sequencing has become a powerful technique for analyzing the whole transcription profiles of organisms. In order to elucidate the molecular mechanism underlying porcine meat quality, we adopted RNA sequencing to detect transcriptome in the longissimus dorsi muscle of Wei pigs (a Chinese indigenous breed) and Yorkshire pigs (a Western lean-type breed) with different IMF content. For the Wei and Yorkshire pig libraries, over 57 and 64 million clean reads were generated by transcriptome sequencing, respectively. A total of 717 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in our study (false discovery rate < 0.05 and fold change > 2), with 323 up-regulated and 394 down-regulated genes in Wei pigs compared with Yorkshire pigs. Gene Ontology analysis showed that DEGs significantly related to skeletal muscle cell differentiation, phospholipid catabolic process, and extracellular matrix structural constituent. Pathway analysis revealed that DEGs were involved in fatty acid metabolism, steroid biosynthesis, glycerophospholipid metabolism, and protein digestion and absorption. Quantitative real time PCR confirmed the differential expression of 11 selected DEGs in both pig breeds. The results provide useful information to investigate the transcriptional profiling in skeletal muscle of different pig breeds with divergent phenotypes, and several DEGs can be taken as functional candidate genes related to lipid metabolism (ACSL1, FABP3, UCP3 and PDK4) and skeletal muscle development (ASB2, MSTN, ANKRD1 and ANKRD2).

The goal of this study is to investigate the effects of various monochromatic lights on plasma melatonin (MT) levels and the expression of arylalkylamine N-acetyltransferase (AANAT) mRNA in the pineal gland and retina. A total of 160 newly hatched (posthatching day 1, P1) broilers, including intact, sham-operated, and pinealectomized groups were exposed to blue light (BL), green light (GL), red light (RL), and white light (WL) by light emitting diode (LED) system for short term (24 hr) or long term (2 weeks), separately. For intact and sham-operated birds, the plasma MT level exhibited marked circadian rhythms at P7 and P14 regardless of short-term and long-term exposure to four monochromatic lights. However, WL and BL showed a faint suppression of MT secretion in contrast to GL and RL at either light or dark time points, with the following rank order: GL < RL < WL < BL. Larger circadian amplitude of MT levels was observed in GL group versus BL group (at P14: 87.70 pg/mL vs. 19.85 pg/ mL, respectively). Pinealectomy disturbed the MT rhythm under different light colors, especially in RL. Additionally, consistent with the alteration of plasma MT levels, we observed increased AANAT mRNA expression and immunoreactive cell numbers of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and c-Fos in the pineal gland or retina in GL than that of BL, whereas 5-HT immunoreactive cell number was significantly decreased in GL. These data suggested that GL enhanced chick pinealocytes and retinal cells to express AANAT mRNA and to secrete MT, which may be depended on promoting c-Fos expression and cell proliferation. Anat Rec, 294:1233Rec, 294: -1241Rec, 294: , 2011. V V C 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.Key words: melatonin; AANAT mRNA; monochromatic light; broiler; pinealectomy It is well established that melatonin (MT) can regulate many different daily and seasonal cycles or rhythms in various physiological systems of vertebrates, including the cardiopulmonary, reproductive, excretory, thermoregulatory, behavioral, immune, and neuroendocrine systems (Mikami et al., 1983;Pang et al., 1996;Gwinner et al.,

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In order to determine the relationship between boron and development of the spleen, especially in the promoting biological effects, we examined the effects of different levels of boron on weight, organ index, microstructure, and antioxidative activities of the spleen in rats. Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were selected and treated with different concentrations of boron, and then, the organs were resected and weighed. One half of the tissue was fixed and embedded in paraffin to observe tissue structure changes. The other half of the tissue was homogenated for determining the antioxidant activities. The results showed that 40 mg/L of boron could increase weight, organ indexes, and antioxidant capacity of spleens and improve the spleen tissue structure, while the boron concentration above 80 mg/L could decrease weight, organ indexes, and antioxidant capacity of spleens and damage the spleen tissue structure. The higher the concentration, the more serious the damage was. Especially at the concentration of 640 mg/L, it could significantly inhibit the development of the spleen and even exhibit toxic effect. Hence, low boron concentration played a protective role in the development of the spleen, while high boron concentration could damage the organs and even produce toxic effect.

Heat stress decreases natural immunity making cows more vulnerable to diseases. A previous study reported that daidzein can enhance animal resistance to heat stress and regulate animal immunocompetence. However, it is unclear whether daidzein regulates the immune performance of late lactation cows under heat stress. In this study, late lactation cows in four groups were raised in hot weather and fed with basic diet, basic diet plus 200, 300, 400 mg/day daidzein, respectively, and the experimental period was 60 days. Blood was collected to examine the changes of serum total protein (TP), albumin (ALB), immunoglobulin G (IgG), interferon alpha (IFN-α), and interleukin-2 (IL-2). We found the levels of serum IgG and INF-α were significantly higher in late lactation cows after 300 and 400 mg/day daidzein treatment compared to those in the control group and 200 mg/day daidzein treatment (P < 0.05 or P< 0.01). Moreover, 300 and 400 mg/day daidzein treatment markedly increased serum IL-2 (P < 0.01), while the levels of serum TP and ALB were not changed by any concentration of daidzein treatment (P > 0.05). Daidzein can enhance the immunocompetence of late lactation cows and strengthen cow resistance to heat stress.

The aim of the present study was to find out the effects of boron on ostrich chicks fed with 0 mg/l, 100 mg/l, 200 mg/l, and 400 mg/l of additional boron in water. We measured bone mineral density (BMD), perimeter, length, weight, ash content of ostrich tibias, thickness of cortical bone, and diameter of the marrow cavity. We also analyzed the apoptosis status of paraffin sections using a TUNEL kit and examined serum levels of leptin and estradiol (E(2)). The results were dramatic. Compared with the control group, group C had a very high BMD. The serum levels of leptin in groups C and D were significantly higher than control values, and the levels of E(2) fluctuated. The perimeter, length, weight, and ash content of ostrich tibias all increased significantly with increasing dosage of boron. The cross-section analysis revealed that the bone marrow cavity shifted closer to one side in group D, which was observed on a macro-scale. This shift may be related to the toxicity of excessive boron, as indicated by the apoptosis status. According to the present data, additional boron was helpful for ostrich chick bone development, and 200 mg/l supplement boron in the drinking water appeared to be the most beneficial.

This study was performed to investigate changes in growth performance, immune organs weight and microstructure of broilers fed different levels of boron (0, 100, 200 and 400 mg/L) in drinking water for 6 weeks.

Heat stress induces apoptosis in various cells. Selenium, an essential micronutrient, has beneficial effects in maintaining the cellular physiological functions. However, its potential protective action against chronic heat stress (CHS)-induced apoptosis in granulosa cells and the related molecular mechanisms are not fully elucidated. In this study, we investigated the roles of selenium in CHS-induced apoptosis in mouse granulosa cells and explored its underlying mechanism. The heat treatment for 6–48 h induced apoptosis, potentiated caspase 3 activity, increased the expression levels of apoptosis-related gene BAX and ER stress markers, glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78), and CCAAT/enhancer binding protein homologous protein (CHOP) in mouse granulosa cells. The treatment with ER stress inhibitor 4-PBA significantly attenuated the adverse effects caused by CHS. Selenium treatment significantly attenuated the CHS- or thapsigargin (Tg, an ER stress activator)-induced apoptosis, potentiation of caspase 3 activity, and the increased protein expression levels of BAX, GRP78, and CHOP. Additionally, treatment of the cells with 5 ng/mL selenium significantly ameliorated the levels of estradiol, which were decreased in response to heat exposure. Consistently, administering selenium supplement alleviated the hyperthermia-caused reduction in the serum estradiol levels in vivo. Together, our findings indicate that selenium has protective effects on CHS-induced apoptosis via inhibition of the ER stress pathway. The current study provides new insights in understanding the role of selenium during the process of heat-induced cell apoptosis.