Publications by authors named "Jiuli Zhang"

microRNA (miRNA) controls the post-transcriptional translation of mRNA to affect the expression of many genes participating in functional interaction pathways. Selenoproteins are characterized by their antioxidant activity, wherein selenoprotein T (SelT) is an essential membrane-bound selenoprotein serving as a guardian of intracellular homeostasis. During muscle development and regeneration, myoblasts enter the cell cycle and rapidly proliferate.

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Selenoprotein M (SelM), a key thioredoxin like enzyme in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), is closely related to hepatocyte degeneration. However, the role of miR-138-5p/SelM and necroptosis in chicken SelM-deficient hepatitis and the specific biological mechanism of liver inflammation caused by SelM deficiency have not been elucidated. We established an chicken liver Se deficiency model by feeding a low-Se diet.

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Selenium (Se) deficiency has a significant impact on the swine breeding industry by inducing digestive system damage and diarrhea. However, the molecular mechanism remains unclear. Our objectives were to investigate if different amounts of necroptosis, inflammatory responses, and T helper cell 1/T helper cell 2 (Th1/Th2) imbalances were induced by Se deficiency in intestinal porcine jejunal epithelial cells (IPEC-J2) and swine ileum tissue.

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Necroptosis is regarded as a new paradigm of cell death that plays a key role in the liver damage observed with selenium (Se) deficiency. Se deficiency has a significant impact on the livestock and poultry industries. Previous studies have confirmed that Se deficiency causes serious injury to the swine liver; however, it is unclear whether this liver damage is the result of necroptosis and apoptosis.

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In environments with limited food and high population density, Caenorhabditis elegans larvae may enter the dauer stage, in which metabolism is shifted to fat accumulation to allow larvae to survive for months without food. Mutations in the insulin-like receptor gene daf-2 force C. elegans to constitutively form dauer larva at higher temperature.

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Dietary restriction (DR) and reduced insulin growth factor (IGF) signaling extend lifespan in Caenorhabditis elegans and other eukaryotic organisms. Autophagy, an evolutionarily conserved lysosomal degradation pathway, has emerged as a central pathway regulated by various longevity signals including DR and IGF signaling in promoting longevity in a variety of eukaryotic organisms. However, the mechanism remains unclear.

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The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of selenium (Se) deficiency on the expression of selenoproteins in chicken muscular stomach and to detect the correlation of selenoproteins with muscular stomach injuries. One-day-old broiler chickens were maintained for 55 days on a normal diet (0.2 mg/kg) or a Se-deficient diet (0.

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Selenium (Se) deficiency induces testicular functional disturbances, but the molecular mechanism remains unclear. In the present study, 1-day-old broiler chickens were maintained for 55 days with a normal diet (0.2 mg/kg) and a Se-deficient diet (0.

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The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of Se deficiency on the transcription of inflammatory factors and selenoprotein genes in the kidneys of broiler chicks. One hundred fifty 1-day-old broiler chicks were randomly assigned to two groups fed with either a low-Se diet (L group, 0.033 mg/kg Se) or an adequate Se diet (C group, 0.

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The Caenorhabditis elegans dauer larva is a facultative state of diapause. Mutations affecting dauer signal transduction and morphogenesis have been reported. Of these, most that result in constitutive formation of dauer larvae are temperature-sensitive (ts).

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In the last decade, C. elegans has emerged as an invertebrate organism to study interactions between hosts and pathogens, including the host defense against gram-negative bacterium Salmonella typhimurium. Salmonella establishes persistent infection in the intestine of C.

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Little is known about the influence of subchronic cadmium exposure on apoptosis in the immune organs of birds and the protective effects on apoptosis by selenium against cadmium. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of subchronic cadmium exposure on nitric oxide and apoptosis in the immune organs of chicken and the protective roles of selenium against cadmium-induced apoptosis. Two hundred ten 30-day-old chickens were randomly assigned to three groups and were fed a basal diet, cadmium+selenium (as 150 mg of CdCl2 per kg of diet+10 mg of Na2SeO3 per kg of diet ) or cadmium (as 150 mg of CdCl2 per kg of diet) in basic diets for 15, 30, 45, and 60 days.

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Salmonella typhimurium infects both intestinal epithelial cells and macrophages. Autophagy is a lysosomal degradation pathway that is present in all eukaryotes. Autophagy has been reported to limit the Salmonella replication in Caenorhabditis elegans and in mammals.

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Selenium (Se) is an important dietary micronutrient with antioxidative roles. Cadmium (Cd), a ubiquitous environmental pollutant, is known to cause brain lesion in rats and humans. However, little is reported about the deleterious effects of subchronic Cd exposure on the brain of poultry and the protective roles on the brain by Se against Cd.

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Previous studies have determined the effects of dietary selenium (Se) supplementation on selenoprotein N (SelN, SEPN1), selenophosphate synthetase-1 (SPS1), and selenocysteine-synthase (SecS) mRNA abundance in chicken skeletal and cardiac muscles. To investigate collective responses of these genes to dietary Se concentrations ranging from deficiency to moderately high level in muscle tissues of chicken, 1-day-old chickens were exposed to a diet of deficient Se and supplemented with Se (0.15 mg Se/kg and 1.

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Selenium (Se) plays an important role in the brain development, function, and degeneration, nutritional encephalomalacia is closely related with dietary Se in avian. However, there is little evidence on the relationship between inflammation and encephalomalacia in avian and the mechanism which Se regulates the inflammatory response in brain tissues remains to be unclear. The present paper describes the effects of Se-deficient granulated diet on one transcription factor-nuclear factor kappaB and four pro-inflammatory cytokines-tumor necrosis factor, cyclooxygenase2, inducible nitric oxide synthase and Prostaglandin E synthase mRNA expression in the chicken brain tissues associated encephalomalacia.

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Recent studies have shown that zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs) are powerful reagents for making site-specific genomic modifications. The generic structure of these enzymes includes a ZF DNA-binding domain and nuclease domain (Fn) are separated by an amino acid "linker" and cut genomic DNA at sites that have a generic structure (site1)-(spacer)-(site2) where the "spacer" separates the two binding sites. In this work, we compare the activity of ZFNs with different linkers on target sites with different spacer lengths.

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Dietary selenium (Se) deficiency causes muscular dystrophy in various species, but the molecular mechanism remains unclear. Our objectives were to investigate: 1) if dietary Se deficiency induced different amounts of oxidative stress, lipid peroxidation, and cell apoptosis in 3 skeletal muscles; and 2) if the distribution and expression of 4 endoplasmic reticulum (ER) resident selenoprotein genes (Sepn1, Selk, Sels, and Selt) were related to oxidative damages in these muscles. Two groups of day-old layer chicks (n = 60/group) were fed a corn-soy basal diet (33 μg Se/kg; produced in the Se-deficient area of Heilongjiang, China) or the diet supplemented with Se (as sodium selenite) at 0.

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Selenium is an essential element with antioxidant roles in immune regulation, but there is little understanding of how Se acts in apoptosis in the immune organs of birds. The aim of study was to evaluate the influence of Se deficiency on oxygen free radicals, NO and apoptosis in immune organ of chickens. 160 1-day-old chickens were randomly assigned to two groups of 80 each and were fed on a low-Se diet (0.

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Dietary selenium (Se) deficiency can influence the function of the brain. Our objective was to investigate the effects of Se deficiency on oxidative damage and calcium (Ca) homeostasis in brain of chicken. In the present study, 1-day-old chickens were fed either a commercial diet (as control group) with 0.

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Objective: To investigate the effects of living high-training low (HiLo) on innate immunity in blood of elite swimmers.

Methods: Six female swimmers undertook HiLo for two weeks, erythrocyte adhesion function and counts of leukocyte were tested in different time of training period.

Results: Red blood cell C3b receptor ring rate (RBC-C3bRR) decreased and red blood cell immune complex matter ring rate (RBC-ICR) increased significantly (P < 0.

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Selenium (Se) is an important nutritional trace element possessing immune-stimulatory properties. The aim of this 75-day study was to investigate effect of oxidative stress on immunosuppression induced by selenium deficiency by determining antioxidative function, morphological changes, DNA damage, and immune function in immune organ of chickens. One hundred sixty 1-day-old chickens (egg-type birds) were randomly assigned to two groups of 80 each and were fed on a low-Se diet (0.

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O-phosphoseryl-tRNA:selenocysteinyl-tRNA synthase (SepSecS) is critical for the biosynthesis and transformation of selenocysteine (Sec) and plays an important role in the biological function of Se through the regulation of selenoprotein synthesis. Selenium (Se) and Selenoprotein play a pivotal role in brain function. However, how intake of the micronutrient Se affects gene expression and how genetic factors influence Se metabolism in the brain is unknown.

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To investigate the toxicity of cadmium (Cd) on female reproduction in birds, this study was conducted to determine the changes in biochemical parameters of serum and ovary tissue caused by dietary cadmium in hens. Ninety 50-day-old hyline white hens were randomly divided into three groups (30 hens per group): a control group was fed with basal diet, a low dose group was fed with basal diet containing 140 mg/kg CdCl(2) and a high dose group was fed with basal diet containing 210 mg/kg CdCl2. After being treated with Cd for 20, 40 and 60 days, ovary and serum samples were collected and examined for Cd content, histological evaluations, malondialdehyde (MDA) content, glutathione peroxidase (GPx) content, activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), nitric oxide (NO) content, nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activity, and serum estradiol and progestogen levels.

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Previous results revealed a ubiquitous expression pattern of selenoprotein N (SelN, SEPN1) in humans, zebrafish, and mouse, suggesting that it plays a potential role during the embryogenesis of these species. However, no information is known about the tissue distribution of SelN and mRNA expression analysis in the muscle tissues during development in birds. We analyzed the mRNA expression of SelN in 26 different tissues of 90-day-old chickens and the expression of SelN in the muscle tissues of 12-day-old chicken embryos and 15-month-old adult chickens by quantitative real-time PCR.

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