Metabarcoding of fecal DNA reveals the broad and flexible diet of a globally endangered bird.

Knowing the diet of endangered wild animals is a prerequisite for species-specific conservation and habitat management. The Sichuan partridge is a globally endangered Galliformes species endemic to the mountains of southwest China. Existing information on the diet of this species is biased and fragmented owing to traditional observation methods.

Association between diet and the gut microbiome of young captive red-crowned cranes (Grus japonensis).

Background: Exploring the association of diet and indoor and outdoor environments on the gut microbiome of red-crowned cranes. We investigated the microbiome profile of the 24 fecal samples collected from nine cranes from day 1 to 35. Differences in the gut microbiome composition were compared across diet and environments.

Temporal Variations in the Gut Microbiota of the Globally Endangered Sichuan Partridge (Arborophila rufipectus): Implications for Adaptation to Seasonal Dietary Change and Conservation.

Host-associated microbiotas are known to influence host health by aiding digestion, metabolism, nutrition, physiology, immune function, and pathogen resistance. Although an increasing number of studies have investigated the avian microbiome, there is a lack of research on the gut microbiotas of wild birds, especially endangered pheasants. Owing to the difficulty of characterizing the dynamics of dietary composition, especially in omnivores, how the gut microbiotas of birds respond to seasonal dietary changes remains poorly understood.

Revalidation and expanded description of (Mustelidae: Carnivora) based on a multigene phylogeny and morphology.

The lacked-teeth pygmy weasel, Wu & Kao, 1991, was originally described as being from Taibai Mountain and Zhashui county, Shaanxi, China. Subsequently, it was considered a subspecies or synonym of . In a faunal survey of northwestern Sichuan, eight specimens of were collected.

Molecular phylogenetics and diversity of the Himalayan shrew ( Soriculus nigrescens Gray, 1842) (Eulipotyphla, Soricidae) in Southwest China.

The Himalayan shrew, Soriculus nigrescens Gray, 1842, belongs to the monotypic genus Soriculus, which is distributed mainly in the Himalayan region. Previous authors have studied its classification based on morphological and molecular data. However, no comprehensive study of the diversity and phylogeny of this species has been performed.

Changed cecal microbiota involved in growth depression of broiler chickens induced by immune stress.

A previous study identified genes and metabolites associated with amino acid metabolism, glycerophospholipid metabolism, and inflammatory response in the liver of broilers with immune stress. The present research was designed to investigate the effect of immune stress on the cecal microbiome in broilers. In addition, the correlation between altered microbiota and liver gene expression, the correlation between altered microbiota and serum metabolites were compared using the Spearman correlation coefficients.

TGF-β-induced PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway controls myofibroblast differentiation and secretory phenotype of valvular interstitial cells through the modulation of cellular senescence in a naturally occurring in vitro canine model of myxomatous mitral valve disease.

PI3K/AKT/mTOR signalling contributes to several cardiovascular disorders. The aim of this study was to examine the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway in myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD). Double-immunofluorescence examined expression of PI3K and TGF-β1 in canine valves.

Characterization and Dynamics of the Gut Microbiota in Rice Fishes at Different Developmental Stages in Rice-Fish Coculture Systems.

The rice-fish system (RFS), a traditional coculture farming model, was selected as a "globally important agricultural heritage system." Host-associated microbiota play important roles in development, metabolism, physiology, and immune function. However, studies on the gut microbiota of aquatic animals in the RFS are scarce, especially the lack of baseline knowledge of the dynamics of gut microbial communities in rice fish during different developmental stages.

Molecular phylogeny and taxonomy of the genus (Mammalia: Eulipotyphla: Soricidae).

The elegant water shrew, , is one of the small mammal species most adapted to a semi-aquatic lifestyle. The taxonomy of the genus has received little attention due to difficulties in specimen collection. In this study, we sequenced one mitochondrial and eight nuclear genes to infer the phylogenetic relationship of .

Metformin protects against vascular calcification through the selective degradation of Runx2 by the p62 autophagy receptor.

Vascular calcification is associated with aging, type 2 diabetes, and atherosclerosis, and increases the risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. It is an active, highly regulated process that resembles physiological bone formation. It has previously been established that pharmacological doses of metformin alleviate arterial calcification through adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK)-activated autophagy, however the specific pathway remains elusive.

Multi-locus phylogeny and species delimitations of the striped-back shrew group (Eulipotyphla: Soricidae): Implications for cryptic diversity, taxonomy and multiple speciation patterns.

The striped-back shrew group demonstrates remarkable variation in skull and body size, tail length, and brightness of the dorsal stripe; and karyotypic and DNA variation has been reported in recent years. In this study, we investigated the phylogenetic structure of the group, as well as speciation patterns and demographic history in Mountains of Southwestern China and adjacent mountains, including the southern Himalayas, Mts. Bashan, Wushan, and Qinling.

A new species of Tamiops (Rodentia, Sciuridae) from Sichuan, China.

During a small mammal survey in Wanglang National Natural Reserve, Sichuan, China in AugustOctober 2018, we collected four specimens of an Asiatic striped squirrel (genus Tamiops) that could not be assigned morphologically to any described species. Phylogenetic analyses of CYTB and nuDNA sequences strongly supported them in the genus Tamiops. The p-distances of CYTB between these individuals and other species of Tamiops ranged from 17.

Chromosome-scale genomes provide new insights into subspecies divergence and evolutionary characteristics of the giant panda.

Extant giant pandas are divided into Sichuan and Qinling subspecies. The giant panda has many species-specific characteristics, including comparatively small organs for body size, small genitalia of male individuals, and low reproduction. Here, we report the most contiguous, high-quality chromosome-level genomes of two extant giant panda subspecies to date, with the first genome assembly of the Qinling subspecies.

Establishment of Gut Microbiome During Early Life and Its Relationship With Growth in Endangered Crested Ibis ().

Gut microbiota during early life could influence host fitness in vertebrates. Studies on how gut microbiota colonize the gut in birds using frequent sampling during early developmental stages and how shifts in microbiota diversity influence host growth are lacking. Here, we examine the microbiome profiles of 151 fecal samples from 14 young crested ibis (), an endangered bird species, collected longitudinally across 13 time points during the early stages of development and investigated their correlation with host growth.

DNA metabarcoding provides insights into seasonal diet variations in Chinese mole shrew () with potential implications for evaluating crop impacts.

Diet analysis of potential small mammals pest species is important for understanding feeding ecology and evaluating their impact on crops and stored foods. Chinese mole shrew (), distributed in Southwest China, has previously been reported as a farmland pest. Effective population management of this species requires a better understanding of its diet, which can be difficult to determine with high taxonomic resolution using conventional microhistological methods.

Automated control algorithms for silicon photonic polarization receiver.

We demonstrate greedy linear descent-based, basic gradient descent-based, two-point step size gradient descent-based, and two-stage optimization method-based automated control algorithms and examine their performance for use with a silicon photonic polarization receiver. With an active feedback loop control process, time-varying arbitrary polarization states from an optical fiber can be automatically adapted and stabilized to the transverse-electric (TE) mode of a single-mode silicon waveguide. Using the proposed control algorithms, we successfully realize automated adaptations for a 10 Gb/s on-off keying signal in the polarization receiver.

Multilocus phylogeny and cryptic diversity of white-toothed shrews (Mammalia, Eulipotyphla, Crocidura) in China.

Background: Crocidura, the most speciose mammalian genus, occurs across much of Asia, Europe and Africa. The taxonomy of Chinese representatives has been studied primarily based on cursory morphological comparisons and their molecular phylogenetic analyses remain unexplored. In order to understand the phylogeny of this group in China, we estimated the first multilocus phylogeny and conducted species delimitation, including taxon sampling throughout their distribution range.

Metagenomics Reveals Seasonal Functional Adaptation of the Gut Microbiome to Host Feeding and Fasting in the Chinese Alligator.

As a natural hibernator, the Chinese alligator () is an ideal and intriguing model to investigate changes in microbial community structure and function caused by hibernation. In this study, we used 16S rRNA profiling and metagenomic analysis to compare the composition, diversity, and functional capacity in the gut microbiome of hibernating vs. active Chinese alligators.

A crucial role of paralogous β-defensin genes in the Chinese alligator innate immune system revealed by the first determination of a Crocodilia defensin cluster.

The β-defensin, one of the antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), is a significant component of the innate immune with a broad range of antimicrobial activities. Differing from the widely-studied mammals and birds, limited information about β-defensins has been reported in reptiles, especially in crocodilians. As a same ancient species as dinosaurs and the most endangered species of 23 crocodilians, the survival of Chinese alligator (Alligator sinensis) means a powerful immune system and possible involvement of AMPs in its immune resistance.

Genomic organization of the crested ibis MHC provides new insight into ancestral avian MHC structure.

The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) plays an important role in immune response. Avian MHCs are not well characterized, only reporting highly compact Galliformes MHCs and extensively fragmented zebra finch MHC. We report the first genomic structure of an endangered Pelecaniformes (crested ibis) MHC containing 54 genes in three regions spanning ~500 kb.

Selection of endogenous reference microRNA genes for quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction studies of boar spermatozoa cryopreservation.

It is important to select high-quality reference genes for the accurate interpretation of quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction data, in particular for certain miRNAs that may demonstrate unstable expression. Although several studies have attempted to validate reference miRNA genes in the porcine testis, spermatozoa, and other tissues, no validation studies have been carried out on cryopreserved boar spermatozoa. In this study, 15 commonly used reference miRNA genes (5S, let-7c-5p, ssc-miR-16-5p, ssc-miR-17-5p, ssc-miR-20a, ssc-miR-23a, ssc-miR-24-3p, ssc-miR-26a, ssc-miR-27a-3p, ssc-miR-92a, ssc-miR-103-3p, ssc-miR-106a, ssc-miR-107-3p, ssc-miR-186, and ssc-miR-221-3p) were selected to evaluate the expression stability of target miRNAs in boar spermatozoa under different experimental conditions and concentrations.

A preliminary study on epigenetic changes during boar spermatozoa cryopreservation.

Artificial insemination (AI) with cryopreserved boar semen is limited to no more than 1% of the total number of inseminations due to low conception rates and litter sizes. Cryopreservation causes a dramatic decrease in the viability, motility and fertility of spermatozoa, but the underlying mechanism remains unknown. In this study, mRNA expression and protein levels of epigenetic-related genes (Dnmt3a, Dnmt3b, Jhdm2a, Kat8, Prm1, Prm2 and IGF2) in fresh and cryopreserved boar spermatozoa were evaluated using qRT-PCR and ELISA.

Effects of glycerol on apoptotic signaling pathways during boar spermatozoa cryopreservation.

Artificial insemination (AI) with post-thawed boar spermatozoa results in low farrowing rates and reduced litter sizes mainly due to cryoinjury or damages to spermatozoa during cryopreservation. Low viability and motility of post-thawed boar spermatozoa are highly associated with apoptosis during cryopreservation. Although glycerol is widely used a cryoprotectant (CPA) for boar spermatozoa cryopreservation, the mechanism and relationship between glycerol and apoptosis-related gene expression needs to be clarified.