Transcriptome analysis of liver and ileum reveals potential regulation of long non-coding RNA in pigs with divergent feed efficiency.

Objective: LncRNA plays a significant role in regulating feed efficiency. This study aims to explore the key long non-coding RNAs, associated genes, and pathways in pigs with extreme feed efficiencies.

Methods: We screened pigs with extremely high and low RFI through a 12-week animal growth trial and then conducted transcriptome analysis on their liver and ileum tissues.

GWAS and post-GWAS functional study reveal regulatory mechanism of piglet diarrhea.

Objective: Piglet diarrhea poses a serious threat to piglet health and the livestock economy, and is one of the most pressing problems in animal husbandry. This study aims to investigate the genetic factors involved in piglet diarrhea and to identify key genes that regulate this condition.

Methods: We screened 600 diarrheal piglets based on unique diarrhea scores for resequencing and conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS).

USP26 Combats Age-Related Declines in Self-Renewal and Multipotent Differentiation of BMSC by Maintaining Mitochondrial Homeostasis.

Age-related declines in self-renewal and multipotency of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) limit their applications in tissue engineering and clinical therapy. Thus, understanding the mechanisms behind BMSC senescence is crucial for maintaining the rejuvenation and multipotent differentiation capabilities of BMSCs. This study reveals that impaired USP26 expression in BMSCs leads to mitochondrial dysfunction, ultimately resulting in aging and age-related declines in the self-renewal and multipotency of BMSCs.

Activation of the osteoblastic HIF-1α pathway partially alleviates the symptoms of STZ-induced type 1 diabetes mellitus via RegIIIγ.

The hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) pathway coordinates skeletal bone homeostasis and endocrine functions. Activation of the HIF-1α pathway increases glucose uptake by osteoblasts, which reduces blood glucose levels. However, it is unclear whether activating the HIF-1α pathway in osteoblasts can help normalize glucose metabolism under diabetic conditions through its endocrine function.

Multi-omics unveils tryptophan metabolic pathway as a key pathway influencing residual feed intake in Duroc swine.

The genetic trait of residual feed intake (RFI) holds considerable importance in the swine industry. Recent research indicates that the gut microbiota of pigs plays a pivotal role in the manifestation of the RFI trait. Nevertheless, the metabolic pathways involved in the functioning of these microorganisms remain elusive.

Geranylgeranylacetone mitigates sepsis-associated intestinal injury through CHIP-dependent anti-inflammation and anti-oxidative effect.

Geranylgeranylacetone (GGA), an isoprenoid compound widely utilized as an antiulcer agent in Asia, confers protection against ischemia, anoxia, and oxidative stress by rapidly enhancing the expression of HSP70. Nevertheless, the impact of GGA on sepsis-associated intestinal injury remains unexplored. Thus, this study is crafted to elucidate the protective efficacy and underlying mechanisms of GGA against septic intestinal damage.

A chromosome-level genome of Chenghua pig provides new insights into the domestication and local adaptation of pigs.

As a country with abundant genetic resources of pigs, the domestication history of pigs in China and the adaptive evolution of Chinese pig breeds at different latitudes have rarely been elucidated at the genome-wide level. To fill this gap, we first assembled a high-quality chromosome-level genome of the Chenghua pig and used it as a benchmark to analyse the genomes of 272 samples from three genera of three continents. The divergence of the three species belonging to three genera, Phacochoerus africanus, Potamochoerus porcus, and Sus scrofa, was assessed.

Haplotype-resolved 3D chromatin architecture of the hybrid pig.

In diploid mammals, allele-specific three-dimensional (3D) genome architecture may lead to imbalanced gene expression. Through ultradeep in situ Hi-C sequencing of three representative somatic tissues (liver, skeletal muscle, and brain) from hybrid pigs generated by reciprocal crosses of phenotypically and physiologically divergent Berkshire and Tibetan pigs, we uncover extensive chromatin reorganization between homologous chromosomes across multiple scales. Haplotype-based interrogation of multi-omic data revealed the tissue dependence of 3D chromatin conformation, suggesting that parent-of-origin-specific conformation may drive gene imprinting.

Black Phosphorus Accelerates Bone Regeneration Based on Immunoregulation.

A fundamental understanding of inflammation and tissue healing suggests that the precise regulation of the inflammatory phase, both in terms of location and timing, is crucial for bone regeneration. However, achieving the activation of early inflammation without causing chronic inflammation while facilitating quick inflammation regression to promote bone regeneration continues to pose challenges. This study reveals that black phosphorus (BP) accelerates bone regeneration by building an osteogenic immunological microenvironment.

α 2 -ADRENORECEPTOR ANTAGONIST AMELIORATES SEPSIS-ASSOCIATED PULMONARY FIBROSIS BY SUPPRESSING NOREPINEPHRINE-MEDIATED FIBROBLAST DIFFERENTIATION VIA INHIBITING PKC ACTIVATION.

Pulmonary fibrosis is an important factor affecting the prognosis of severe septic patients with acute lung injury. The objective of this study was to explore the effect of norepinephrine (NE) and α 2 -adrenoreceptor (AR) on sepsis-associated pulmonary fibrosis and the mechanism underlying these effects. We found pulmonary fibrotic changes, and increased NE production and α 2A -AR expression in the pulmonary tissue of mice subjected to cecal ligation and puncture surgery.

Genomic prediction of pig growth traits based on machine learning.

This study aimed to assess and compare the performance of different machine learning models in predicting selected pig growth traits and genomic estimated breeding values (GEBV) using automated machine learning, with the goal of optimizing whole-genome evaluation methods in pig breeding. The research employed genomic information, pedigree matrices, fixed effects, and phenotype data from 9968 pigs across multiple companies to derive four optimal machine learning models: deep learning (DL), random forest (RF), gradient boosting machine (GBM), and extreme gradient boosting (XGB). Through 10-fold cross-validation, predictions were made for GEBV and phenotypes of pigs reaching weight milestones (100 kg and 115 kg) with adjustments for backfat and days to weight.

CYP24A1 is associated with fetal mummification in pigs.

Mummified piglets are among the leading causes of fertility loss and severely hamper reproductive performance in pigs. However, the contributions of genomic variation to the emergence of mummified piglets (MUM) have rarely been studied. This study aims to (1) elucidate the genetic architecture of MUM in sows of parity 1 - 3 using a single-step genome-wide association study (ssGWAS).

An Analysis of the COVID-19-Induced Flexible Grading Policy at a Public University.

To help students cope with the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, higher education institutions offered students flexible grading policies that blended traditional letter grades with alternative grading options such as the pass-fail or credit-no credit options. This study conducted an in-depth analysis of the flexible grading policy at a medium-sized university in the USA. We studied the differential selection of flexible grading options by course characteristics and students' sociodemographics and academic profiles between Spring 2020 and Spring 2021.

Dynamic chromatin architecture of the porcine adipose tissues with weight gain and loss.

Using an adult female miniature pig model with diet-induced weight gain/weight loss, we investigated the regulatory mechanisms of three-dimensional (3D) genome architecture in adipose tissues (ATs) associated with obesity. We generated 249 high-resolution in situ Hi-C chromatin contact maps of subcutaneous AT and three visceral ATs, analyzing transcriptomic and chromatin architectural changes under different nutritional treatments. We find that chromatin architecture remodeling underpins transcriptomic divergence in ATs, potentially linked to metabolic risks in obesity development.

A single-cell transcriptome atlas of pig skin characterizes anatomical positional heterogeneity.

Different anatomical locations of the body skin show differences in their gene expression patterns depending on different origins, and the inherent heterogeneous information can be maintained in adults. However, highly resolvable cellular specialization is less well characterized in different anatomical regions of the skin. Pig is regarded as an excellent model animal for human skin research in view of its similar physiology to human.

Epigenome-wide association studies of meat traits in Chinese Yorkshire pigs highlights several DNA methylation loci and genes.

In this study, we aimed to identified CpG sites at which DNA methylation levels are associated with meat quality traits in 140 Yorkshire pigs, including pH at 45 min (pH), pH at 24 h (pH), drip loss (DL), meat redness value (a*), yellowness (b*) and lightness (L*). Genome-wide methylation levels were measured in muscular tissue using reduced representation bisulfite sequencing (RRBS). Associations between DNA methylation levels and meat quality traits were examined using linear mixed-effect models that were adjusted for gender, year, month and body weight.

Pituitary-Gland-Based Genes Participates in Intrauterine Growth Restriction in Piglets.

Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is a major problem associated with piglet growth performance. The incidence of IUGR is widespread in Rongchang pigs. The pituitary gland is important for regulating growth and metabolism, and research has identified genes associated with growth and development.

The E3 ubiquitin ligase CHIP protects against sepsis-induced myocardial dysfunction by inhibiting NF-κB-mediated inflammation via promoting ubiquitination and degradation of karyopherin-α 2.

Cardiac dysfunction has been recognized as a major contributor to mortality in sepsis, which is closely associated with inflammatory reactions. The carboxy terminus of Hsc70-interacting protein (CHIP), a U-box E3 ubiquitin ligase, defends against cardiac injury caused by other factors, but its role in sepsis-induced cardiac dysfunction has yet to be determined. The present study was designed to investigate the effects of CHIP on cardiac dysfunction caused by sepsis and the molecular mechanisms underlying these processes.

PITPNC1 promotes the thermogenesis of brown adipose tissue under acute cold exposure.

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) plays an essential role in non-shivering thermogenesis. The phosphatidylinositol transfer protein, cytoplasmic 1 (PITPNC1) is identified as a lipid transporter that reciprocally transfers phospholipids between intracellular membrane structures. However, the physiological significance of PITPNC1 and its regulatory mechanism remain unclear.

Whole-genome sequence association study identifies cyclin dependent kinase 8 as a key gene for the number of mummified piglets.

Objective: Pigs, an ideal biomedical model for human diseases, suffer from about 50% early embryonic and fetal death, a major cause of fertility loss worldwide. However, identifying the causal variant remains a huge challenge. This study aimed to detect single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and candidate genes for the number of mummified (NM) piglets using the imputed whole-genome sequence (WGS) and validate the potential candidate genes.

Small extracellular vesicles derived from dermal fibroblasts promote fibroblast activity and skin development through carrying miR-218 and ITGBL1.

Skin thickness is closely related to the appearance of human skin, such as sagging and wrinkling, which primarily depends on the level of collagen I synthesized by dermal fibroblasts (DFs). Small extracellular vesicles (SEVs), especially those derived from human DFs (HDFs), are crucial orchestrators in shaping physiological and pathological development of skin. However, the limited supply of human skin prevents the production of a large amount of HDFs-SEVs, and pig skin is used as a model of human skin.

Genome-wide association studies identified loci associated with both feed conversion ratio and residual feed intake in Yorkshire pigs.

Feed occupies a significant proportion in the production cost of pigs, and the feed efficiency (FE) in pigs is of utmost economic importance. Hence, the objective of this study is to identify single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and candidate genes associated with FE-related traits, including feed conversion ratio (FCR) and residual feed intake (RFI). A genome-wide association study was conducted for FCR and RFI in 169 Yorkshire pigs using whole-genome sequencing data.