Estrogen receptor-α in medial amygdala neurons regulates body weight.

Estrogen receptor-α (ERα) activity in the brain prevents obesity in both males and females. However, the ERα-expressing neural populations that regulate body weight remain to be fully elucidated. Here we showed that single-minded-1 (SIM1) neurons in the medial amygdala (MeA) express abundant levels of ERα.

Effect of Chuanminshen violaceum polysaccharides and its sulfated derivatives on immunosuppression induced by cyclophosphamide in mice.

One hundred mice were randomly divided into five groups. The mice in one group were injected with physiological saline as the normal control group. The mice in the other four groups were injected with physiological saline, sulfated Chuanminshen violaceum polysaccharides (SCVP), Chuanminshen violaceum polysaccharide (CVP) and astragalus polysaccharide (AP) once daily for 7 d and then with cyclophosphamide (CY) in the last 3 d.

Acute and subchronic toxicity as well as evaluation of safety pharmacology of eucalyptus oil-water emulsions.

Essential oil has performed a variety of indirect services used as insect/pest repellent. The present study investigated the acute and subchronic toxicity of eucalyptus oil emulsion in water (EOE). In addition, we conduct safety pharmacology evaluation of EOE to supplement the toxicity tests and provide a basis for a comprehensive understanding of the toxicity of EOE.

Alteration of the miRNA expression profile in male porcine anterior pituitary cells in response to GHRH and CST and analysis of the potential roles for miRNAs in regulating GH.

Objective: Growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH) is a major positive regulator of growth hormone (GH) in the anterior pituitary gland, while cortistatin's (CST) role is negative. miRNAs (microRNAs or miRs) are small RNA molecules modulating gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. However, little is known about the function of miRNAs in the regulation of GH synthesis and/or secretion.

Antiviral effect of sulfated Chuanmingshen violaceum polysaccharide in chickens infected with virulent Newcastle disease virus.

Newcastle disease virus (NDV) belonging to the Paramyxovirinae subfamily is one of the most devastating pathogens in poultry. Although vaccines are widely applied to control the infection, outbreaks of Newcastle disease (ND) repeatedly happen. Currently, there are no alternative control measures available for ND.

Phloretin promotes adipocyte differentiation in vitro and improves glucose homeostasis in vivo.

Adipocyte dysfunction is associated with many metabolic diseases such as obesity, insulin resistance and diabetes. Previous studies found that phloretin promotes 3T3-L1 cells differentiation, but the underlying mechanisms for phloretin's effects on adipogenesis remain unclear. In this study, we demonstrated that phloretin enhanced the lipid accumulation in porcine primary adipocytes in a time-dependent manner.

Differential gene expression pattern in hypothalamus of chickens during fasting-induced metabolic reprogramming: functions of glucose and lipid metabolism in the feed intake of chickens.

Fasting-induced hypothalamic metabolic reprogramming is involved in regulating energy homeostasis and appetite in mammals, but this phenomenon remains unclear in poultry. In this study, the expression patterns of a panel of genes related to neuropeptides, glucose, and lipid metabolism enzymes in the hypothalamus of chickens during fasting and refeeding were characterized by microarray analysis and quantitative PCR. Results showed that 48 h of fasting upregulated (P < 0.

Genome-wide discovery of novel and conserved microRNAs in white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei).

Of late years, a large amount of conserved and species-specific microRNAs (miRNAs) have been performed on identification from species which are economically important but lack a full genome sequence. In this study, Solexa deep sequencing and cross-species miRNA microarray were used to detect miRNAs in white shrimp. We identified 239 conserved miRNAs, 14 miRNA* sequences and 20 novel miRNAs by bioinformatics analysis from 7,561,406 high-quality reads representing 325,370 distinct sequences.

Isolation and characterization of porcine circumvallate papillae cells.

Animal food intake is primarily controlled by appetite, which is affected by food quality, environment, and the management and status of animal health. Sensing of taste is mediated by taste receptor cells and is central to appetite. Taste receptor cells possess distinctive physiological characteristics that permit the recognition of various stimuli in foods.

Punishment based on public benefit fund significantly promotes cooperation.

In prisoner's dilemma game (shortly, PD game), punishment is most frequently used to promote cooperation. However, outcome varies when different punishment approaches are applied. Here the PD game is studied on a square lattice when different punishment patterns are adopted.

Effect of diacylglycerol acyltransferase 2 overexpression in 3T3-L1 is associated to an increase in mono-unsaturated fatty acid accumulation.

Background: Fatty acid (FA) composition is the most important parameter affecting the flavor and nutritional value of the meat. The final and the only committed step in the biosynthesis of triglycerides is catalyzed by diacylglycerol acyltransferase 2 (DGAT2). The role of DGAT2 in lipid accumulation has been demonstrated in adipocytes, However, little is known about the effect of DGAT2 on the FA composition of these cells.

Studies on the acaricidal mechanism of the active components from neem (Azadirachta indica) oil against Sarcoptes scabiei var. cuniculi.

Octadecanoic acid-3,4-tetrahydrofuran diester, isolated from neem (Azadirachta indica) oil, exhibited potent acaricidal activity against Sarcoptes scabiei var. cuniculi. In this paper, the acaricidal mechanism of octadecanoic acid-3,4-tetrahydrofuran diester against Sarcoptes scabiei var.

Anti-hepatoma effect of safrole from Cinnamomum longepaniculatum leaf essential oil in vitro.

The aim of this study was to study the anti-hepatoma effect of safrole and elucidate its molecular mechanism, the human hepatoma BEL-7402 cells were incubated with various concentrations (40, 80, 160, 320 and 640 μg/ml) of safrole and the cell proliferation and apoptosis were evaluated. The results showed that both the cell proliferation determined by 3-(4,5-dimethyl-thiazolyl-2)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium brominde (MTT) assay and cell colony determined by soft agar assay were significantly suppressed by safrole in a dose-time-dependent manner. Characteristic morphological and biochemical changes associated with apoptosis, including cells shrinkage, deformation and vacuolization of mitochondria, nuclear chromatin condensation and fragmentation, formation of apoptotic bodies were observed when treated with safrole for 24 h and 48 h.

Effects of sodium selenite on aflatoxin B1-induced decrease of ileal IgA+ cell numbers and immunoglobulin contents in broilers.

This study was aimed to assess the protective effect of sodium selenite on the ileum mucosal immunologic injury induced by AFB1. One hundred eighty-one-day-old healthy male Avian broilers were divided into four groups of three replicates and 15 birds per replicate and fed with basal diet (control group), 0.3 mg/kg AFB1 (AFB1 group), 0.

Effects of sodium selenite on aflatoxin B1-induced decrease of ileac T cell and the mRNA contents of IL-2, IL-6, and TNF-α in broilers.

The aim of this work was to assess the protective effect of sodium selenite on the ileum mucosal immunologic toxicity induced by aflatoxin B1 (AFB1). One hundred and eighty one-day-old healthy male avian broilers were divided into four groups of three replicates and 15 birds per replicate and fed with basal diet (control group), 0.3 mg/kg AFB1 (AFB1 group), 0.

Exploration of microRNAs in porcine milk exosomes.

Background: Breast milk contains complex nutrients and facilitates the maturation of various biological systems in infants. Exosomes, membranous vesicles of endocytic origin found in different body fluids such as milk, can mediate intercellular communication. We hypothesized that microRNAs (miRNAs), a class of non-coding small RNAs of 18-25 nt which are known to be packaged in exosomes of human, bovine and porcine milk, may play important roles in the development of piglets.

MiRNA-181a regulates adipogenesis by targeting tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in the porcine model.

Adipogenesis is tightly regulated by altering gene expression, and TNF-α is a multifunctional cytokine that plays an important role in regulating lipogenesis. MicroRNAs are strong post-transcriptional regulators of cell differentiation. In our previous work, we found high expression of miR-181a in a fat-rich pig breed.

Glucose utilization, lipid metabolism and BMP-Smad signaling pathway of porcine intramuscular preadipocytes compared with subcutaneous preadipocytes.

Background/aims: We previously reported that porcine intramuscular (i.m.) preadipocytes were different from subcutaneous (s.

Protective effects of sodium selenite against aflatoxin B1-induced oxidative stress and apoptosis in broiler spleen.

The aim of this study was to investigate the possible protective role of sodium selenite on aflatoxin B1-induced oxidative stress and apoptosis in spleen of broilers. Two hundred one-day-old male broilers, divided into five groups, were fed with basal diet (control group), 0.3 mg/kg AFB1 (AFB1 group), 0.

Protective role of sodium selenite on histopathological lesions, decreased T-cell subsets and increased apoptosis of thymus in broilers intoxicated with aflatoxin B₁.

For evaluating the ability of selenium (Se) in counteracting the adverse effects of aflatoxin B₁ (AFB₁), two hundred 1-day-old male Avian broilers, divided into five groups, were fed with basal diet (control group), 0.3 mg/kg AFB₁ (AFB₁ group), 0.3 mg/kg AFB₁+0.

Differentially expressed miRNAs after GnRH treatment and their potential roles in FSH regulation in porcine anterior pituitary cell.

Hypothalamic gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) is a major regulator of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) secretion in gonadotrope cell in the anterior pituitary gland. microRNAs (miRNAs) are small RNA molecules that control gene expression by imperfect binding to the 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR) of mRNA at the post-transcriptional level. It has been proven that miRNAs play an important role in hormone response and/or regulation.

Fatty acid and transcriptome profiling of longissimus dorsi muscles between pig breeds differing in meat quality.

Fat and lean pig breeds show obvious differences in meat quality characteristics including the fatty acid composition of muscle. However, the molecular mechanism underlying these phenotypes differences remains unknown. This study compared meat quality traits between Lantang (a Chinese indigenous breed) and Landrace (a typical lean breed).

β-Glucanase specific expression in the parotid gland of transgenic mice.

The feasibility of using the pig parotid secretory protein promoter to drive the β-glucanase transgene expression in mouse parotid glands was examined in this study. The parotid gland-specific vector expressing β-glucanase gene (GLU, from Paenibacillus polymyxa CP7) was constructed. Transgenic mice were produced by the pronuclear microinjection.

The anorexigenic effect of serotonin is mediated by the generation of NADPH oxidase-dependent ROS.

Serotonin (5-HT) is a central inhibitor of food intake in mammals. Thus far, the intracellular mechanisms for the effect of serotonin on appetite regulation remain unclear. It has been recently demonstrated that reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the hypothalamus are a crucial integrative target for the regulation of food intake.

Identification of an intestine-specific promoter and inducible expression of bacterial α-galactosidase in mammalian cells by a lac operon system.

Background: α-galactosidase has been widely used in animal husbandry to reduce anti-nutritional factors (such as α-galactoside) in feed. Intestine-specific and substrate inducible expression of α-galactosidase would be highly beneficial for transgenic animal production.

Methods: To achieve the intestine-specific and substrate inducible expression of α-galactosidase, we first identified intestine-specific promoters by comparing the transcriptional activity and tissue specificity of four intestine-specific promoters from human intestinal fatty acid binding protein, rat intestinal fatty acid binding protein, human mucin-2 and human lysozyme.