Gestational giant panda plasma metabolomics: amino acid metabolism characteristics may predict panda pregnancy outcomes.

In Brief: The metabolic processes of the gestation period in pandas remain poorly understood. Our study comprehensively characterizes the metabolism of giant pandas during gestation and proposes arginine and histidine as potential novel biomarkers for detecting the pregnancy state of giant pandas.

Abstract: There has been remarkable progress in the conservation and reproduction of giant pandas.

Adaptive Expression and ncRNA Regulation of Genes Related to Digestion and Metabolism in Stomach of Red Pandas during Suckling and Adult Periods.

Red pandas evolved from carnivores to herbivores and are unique within Carnivora. Red pandas and carnivorous mammals consume milk during the suckling period, while they consume bamboo and meat during the adult period, respectively. Red pandas and carnivorous mammal ferrets have a close phylogenetic relationship.

Comparative transcriptome and methylome of polar bears, giant and red pandas reveal diet-driven adaptive evolution.

Epigenetic regulation plays an important role in the evolution of species adaptations, yet little information is available on the epigenetic mechanisms underlying the adaptive evolution of bamboo-eating in both giant pandas () and red pandas (). To investigate the potential contribution of epigenetic to the adaptive evolution of bamboo-eating in giant and red pandas, we performed hepatic comparative transcriptome and methylome analyses between bamboo-eating pandas and carnivorous polar bears (). We found that genes involved in carbohydrate, lipid, amino acid, and protein metabolism showed significant differences in methylation and expression levels between the two panda species and polar bears.

Red pandas with different diets and environments exhibit different gut microbial functional composition and capacity.

The red panda (Ailurus fulgens) is a distinctive mammal known for its reliance on a diet primarily consisting of bamboo. The gut microbiota and overall health of animals are strongly influenced by diets and environments. Therefore, conducting research to explore the taxonomical and functional variances within the gut microbiota of red pandas exposed to various dietary and environmental conditions could shed light on the dynamic complexities of their microbial communities.

Development and Application of Potentially Universal Microsatellite Markers for Pheasant Species.

Pheasants are widely distributed in the southwest of China, but many of them are endangered due to habitat fragmentation and environmental changes. Genetic diversity is crucial for species to maintain their evolutionary potential, and thus it is important to develop universal genetic markers for facilitating the assessment of genetic diversity and planning effective conservation actions in these endangered species. In this study, 471 microsatellite loci which are common among eight pheasant species were screened based on genome data, and 119 loci were selected to develop microsatellite markers.

Comparative study of the digestion and metabolism related genes' expression changes during the postnatal food change in different dietary mammals.

The changes in the expression of genes related to digestion and metabolism may be various in different dietary mammals from juvenile to adult, especially, the giant panda () and red panda (), which were once carnivores but have shifted to being specialized bamboo eaters, are unique features of their changes are more unclear. To elucidate the changing patterns of gene expression related to digestion and metabolism from juvenile to adult in different dietary mammals, we performed transcriptome analysis of the liver or pancreas in giant and red pandas, herbivorous rabbits () and macaques (), carnivorous ferrets (), and omnivorous mice () from juvenile to adult. During the transition from juvenile to adulthood, giant and red pandas, as well as rabbits and macaques, show significant upregulation of key genes for carbohydrate metabolism, such as starch hydrolysis and sucrose metabolism, and unsaturated fatty acid metabolism, such as linoleic acid, while there is no significant difference in the expression of key genes for fatty acid β-oxidation.

Gene expressions between obligate bamboo-eating pandas and non-herbivorous mammals reveal converged specialized bamboo diet adaptation.

Background: It is inevitable to change the function or expression of genes during the environmental adaption of species. Both the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) and red panda (Ailurus fulgens) belong to Carnivora and have developed similar adaptations to the same dietary switch to bamboos at the morphological and genomic levels. However, the genetic adaptation at the gene expression level is unclear.

An improved, chromosome-level genome of the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca).

Background: The iconic giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca), as both a flagship and umbrella species endemic to China, is a world famous symbol for wildlife conservation. The giant panda has several specific biological traits and holds a relatively small place in evolution. A high-quality genome of the giant panda is key to understanding the biology of this vulnerable species.

Comparative Transcriptomics and Methylomics Reveal Adaptive Responses of Digestive and Metabolic Genes to Dietary Shift in Giant and Red Pandas.

Both the giant panda () and red panda () belong to the order Carnivora, but have changed their dietary habits to eating bamboo exclusively. The convergent evolution characteristics of their morphology, genome and gut flora have been found in the two pandas. However, the research on the convergent adaptation of their digestion and metabolism to the bamboo diet, mediated by the dietary shift of the two pandas at the gene-expression and epigenetic regulation levels, is still lacking.

Blood transcriptome analysis revealing aging gene expression profiles in red panda.

The red panda is an endangered forest species distributed on the edge of the Qinghai Tibet Plateau. The species has been conserved in ex-situ in many countries and its survival is threatened by many diseases. Its immune system is vulnerable to age-associated alterations, which accumulate and result in a progressive deterioration that leads to an increased incidence of diseases.

Postoperative Adjuvant Chemoradiotherapy on the Survival of Stage III Gastric Cancer.

Objective: Although adjuvant therapy has been shown to be beneficial in gastric cancer, the use of adjuvant chemoradiotherapy remains controversial. This paper investigated the effects of postoperative adjuvant chemoradiotherapy on the survival of patients with stage III gastric cancer.

Methods: In total, the data of 72 stage III gastric cancer patients treated at our hospital from January 2014 to December 2019 were retrieved and assessed.

Transcriptome Analysis Reveals the Alternative Splicing Changes in the Immune-Related Genes of the Giant Panda (), in Response to the Canine Distemper Vaccine.

Canine distemper virus (CDV) is a highly fatal virus to the giant panda (). Although vaccination is a key preventative measure in captive giant pandas, the immune response of giant pandas after vaccination remains unclear. Therefore, this study focuses on differential alternative splicing (DAS) events of giant pandas before and after vaccination to investigate the role of alternative splicing in the immune response of giant pandas after CDV vaccination.

Optimization of microsatellite genotyping system used for genetic diversity evaluation of Ailuropoda melanoleuca.

Microsatellite DNA is one of the most widely used genetic markers of giant panda, especially in population size estimation, paternity testing, and genetic diversity analysis. However, there are few reports on the physical locations of microsatellite markers on the chromosomes of the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) and research on the performance of microsatellite in genotyping system and the PCR amplification conditions. In this study, we analyzed the chromosomal locations and evaluated the application values of 34 microsatellite markers, based on the giant panda genome reference sequence (ASM200744v2).

Epigenomic profiling indicates a role for DNA methylation in the postnatal liver and pancreas development of giant pandas.

Giant pandas are unique within Carnivora with a strict bamboo diet. Here, the epigenomic profiles of giant panda liver and pancreas tissues collected from three important feeding stages were investigated using BS-seq. Few differences in DNA methylation profiles were exhibited between no feeding and suckling groups in both tissues.

Changes in the MicroRNA Profile of the Giant Panda After Canine Distemper Vaccination and the Integrated Analysis of MicroRNA-Messenger RNA.

Canine distemper (CD) is a significant threat to wild and captive giant panda populations. Captive giant pandas are inoculated with canine distemper virus (CDV) vaccination to prevent the infection with the CDV. As an important regulator, microRNA (miRNA) plays a crucial role in regulating gene expression, including in disease immunity.

Gene expression profiles during postnatal development of the liver and pancreas in giant pandas.

Giant pandas are unique Carnivora with a strict bamboo diet. To investigate the molecular mechanism of giant panda nutrient metabolism from newborn to adult, the gene expression profiles of giant panda liver and pancreas tissues collected from three important feeding stages were investigated using RNA-seq. We found a total of 3,211 hepatic and 3,343 pancreatic differentially expressed genes (DEGs) from three comparisons between suckling and no feeding, adult and no feeding, and adult and suckling groups.

Single-base-resolution methylome of giant panda's brain, liver and pancreatic tissue.

The giant panda () is one of the most endangered mammals, and its conservation has significant ecosystem and cultural service value. Cytosine DNA methylation (5mC) is a stable epigenetic modification to the genome and has multiple functions such as gene regulation. However, DNA methylome of giant panda and its function have not been reported as of yet.

First demonstration of giant panda's immune response to canine distemper vaccine.

The Canine Distemper Virus (CDV) is a high fatal virus to the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca), where CDV vaccination is a key preventative measure in captive giant pandas. However, the immune response of giant pandas to CDV vaccination has been little studied. In this study, we investigated the blood transcriptome expression profiles of five giant panda cubs after three inoculations, 21 days apart.

Sorting Out the Genetic Background of the Last Surviving South China Tigers.

The South China tiger (Panthera tigris amoyensis) is endemic to China and also the most critically endangered subspecies of living tigers. It is considered extinct in the wild and only about 150 individuals survive in captivity to date, whose genetic heritage, however, is ambiguous and controversial. Here, we conducted an explicit genetic assessment of 92 studbook-registered South China tigers from 14 captive facilities using a subspecies-diagnostic system in the context of comparison with other voucher specimens to evaluate the genetic ancestry and level of distinctiveness of the last surviving P.

Transcriptome analysis reveals immune-related gene expression changes with age in giant panda () blood.

The giant panda (), an endangered species endemic to western China, has long been threatened with extinction that is exacerbated by highly contagious and fatal diseases. Aging is the most well-defined risk factor for diseases and is associated with a decline in immune function leading to increased susceptibility to infection and reduced response to vaccination. Therefore, this study aimed to determine which genes and pathways show differential expression with age in blood tissues.

Age-associated microbiome shows the giant panda lives on hemicelluloses, not on cellulose.

The giant panda feeds almost exclusively on bamboo, a diet highly enriched in lignin and cellulose, but is characterized by a digestive tract similar to carnivores. It is still large unknown if and how the giant panda gut microbiota contributes to lignin and cellulose degradation. Here we show the giant pandas' gut microbiota does not significantly contribute to cellulose and lignin degradation.

Prognostic effect of adjuvant chemoradiotherapy for patients with gastric cancer: an updated evidence of randomized controlled trials.

The prognostic effect of chemoradiotherapy in gastric cancer has been evaluated for decades while the results are still in debate and heterogeneous. We thus comprehensively updated the evidence through systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate chemoradiotherapy in gastric cancer to determine its effect. Pubmed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library from the earliest possible year to April 2017 were searched.

Naringenin ameliorates LPS-induced acute lung injury through its anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory activity and by inhibition of the PI3K/AKT pathway.

The aim of the present study was to explore the effect of naringenin on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute lung injury (ALI) in a mouse model, as well as the underlying mechanism. The animals were randomly assigned to four groups: PBS-treated healthy control (Control), LPS-induced ALI (LPS), vehicle-treated ALI (LPS + Vehicle), and naringenin-treated ALI (LPS + Nar) group. Naringenin (100 mg/kg) was administered orally for 4 consecutive days, starting 3 days prior to induction of ALI.