Genome-wide DNA methylation differences between conservation and breeding populations of Shaoxing ducks.

The genome-wide DNA methylation assay was used to analyze the difference in methylation between the breeding and conservation populations of Shaoxing ducks. The methylation level of the breeding population was higher than that of the two conservation populations, and the proportion of CG methylation sites was the largest in the three populations, most of the methylation sites were located in the exon region. There were 1247 different methylation regions in the two populations (group A and B), and 927 different methylation regions in the two groups (group A and group C).

Immunopotentiators improve the antioxidant defense, apoptosis, and immune response in Shaoxing ducklings.

The abuse of antibiotics for agricultural purposes has been under scrutiny. Therefore, there is an urgent need to find antibiotic substitutes in animal production. The effects of chlorogenic acid, β-D-Glucan, astragalus flavone, CpG-DNA, and chicken IgG on spleen antioxidant capacity, apoptosis, and the immune response in Shaoxing ducklings were investigated in this study.