Near telomere-to-telomere assembly of the Tarim pigeon (Columba livia) genome.

Pigeons serve as important model animals and commercial poultry. The Tarim pigeon, as a breed of Columba livia, is a locally indigenous breed unique to China. While the genome of C.

Gene Expression Profiling Reveals Potential Players of Sex Determination and Asymmetrical Development in Chicken Embryo Gonads.

Despite the notable progress made in recent years, the understanding of the genetic control of gonadal sex differentiation and asymmetrical ovariogenesis in chicken during embryonic development remains incomplete. This study aimed to identify potential key genes and speculate about the mechanisms associated with ovary and testis development via an analysis of the results of PacBio and Illumina transcriptome sequencing of embryonic chicken gonads at the initiation of sexual differentiation (E4.5, E5.

One-Pot Visual Detection of African Swine Fever Virus Using CRISPR-Cas12a.

African swine fever virus (ASFV) is a leading cause of worldwide agricultural loss. ASFV is a highly contagious and lethal disease for both domestic and wild pigs, which has brought enormous economic losses to a number of countries. Conventional methods, such as general polymerase chain reaction and isothermal amplification, are time-consuming, instrument-dependent, and unsatisfactorily accurate.

Dynamics of Small Non-coding RNA Profiles and the Intestinal Microbiome of High and Low Weight Chickens.

The host and its symbiotic bacteria form a biological entity, holobiont, in which they share a dynamic connection characterized by symbiosis, co-metabolism, and coevolution. However, how these collaborative relationships were maintained over evolutionary time remains unclear. In this research, the small non-coding RNA (sncRNA) profiles of cecum and their bacteria contents were measured from lines of chickens that have undergone long-term selection for high (HWS) or low (LWS) 56-day body weight.

Transcriptomic Analysis of Knockout in the Early Differentiation of Chicken Fetal Myoblasts.

In mammals, is a known negative regulator of muscle growth and development, but its role in birds is poorly understood. To investigate the molecular mechanism of on muscle growth and development in chickens, we knocked out in chicken fetal myoblasts (CFMs) and sequenced the mRNA transcriptomes. The amplicon sequencing results show that the editing efficiency of the cells was 76%.

Corrigendum: The Composition and Function of Pigeon Milk Microbiota Transmitted From Parent Pigeons to Squabs.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.

Heritable Gut Microbiome Associated with Serovar Pullorum Infection in Chickens.

Pullorum disease is one of the most common diarrhea-related diseases caused by subspecies serovar Gallinarum biovar Pullorum ( Pullorum); it negatively affects the poultry industry. However, limited studies have explored the association between the gut microbiota and Pullorum infection in chickens. In the present study, we performed a microbiome comparison and a microbiome genome-wide association study (mGWAS) to investigate the association among the host genetics, the gut microbiota, and pullorum disease in chickens.

Chromosome level assembly reveals a unique immune gene organization and signatures of evolution in the common pheasant.

The common pheasant Phasianus colchicus, belonging to the order Galliformes and family Phasianidae, is the most widespread species. Despite a long history of captivity, the domestication of this bird is still at a preliminary stage. Recently, the demand for accelerating its transformation to poultry for meat and egg production has been increasing.

Dynamic distribution of gut microbiota during embryonic development in chicken.

The gut microbiota is a complex ecological community and widely recognized in many aspects of research, but little is known on the relation between gut microbiota and embryonic development in chickens. The aim of this study was to explore the dynamic distribution of gut microbiota in chickens' embryos during stages of developments (chicken embryos that had incubated until day 3 [E3], day 12 [E12], and day 19 [E19]). Here, 16S rRNA gene sequencing was performed on the gut microbiota in chicken embryos across different developmental stages.

The Gut Microbiota of Pheasant Lineages Reflects Their Host Genetic Variation.

The host gut colonized enormous microbial community, which can be influenced by diet, diseases, behavior, age, gender, hereditary effects, and environmental factors. However, the relationship between gut microbiota and host genetic variation has not yet been elucidated. In this study, we chose five pheasant lineages-Ring-necked pheasant (RN), Manchurian pheasant (MX), Phasianus versicolor (PV), Shenhong pheasant (SP), and Melanistic mutant pheasant (MM)-to investigate the gut microbial composition of pheasants and its relationship with host genetic variation.

The Composition and Function of Pigeon Milk Microbiota Transmitted From Parent Pigeons to Squabs.

Mammalian neonates obtain antibodies, nutrients, and microbiota from breast milk that help them resist the complex growth environment. Similar to mammals' lactation behavior for their offspring, parent pigeons regurgitate pigeon milk (PM) from their crops to feed the squabs. Whether pigeon milk is as valuable as mammalian milk is not clear, especially in terms of microbiota.