Unraveling Ruminant Feed Efficiency Through Metabolomics: A Systematic Review.

Background: Advancements in metabolomic technologies have revolutionized our understanding of feed efficiency (FE) in livestock, offering new pathways to enhance both profitability and sustainability in ruminant production.

Methods: This review offers a critical and systematic evaluation of the metabolomics methods used to measure and assess FE in ruminants. We conducted a comprehensive search of PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus databases, covering publications from 1971 to 2023.

Dietary Energy Sources Affect Cecal and Fecal Microbiota of Healthy Horses.

Different energy sources are often used in horse diets to enhance health and performance. Understanding how diet impacts the cecal and fecal microbiota is crucial for meeting the nutritional needs of horses. High-throughput sequencing and qPCR were used to compare the fecal and cecal microbiota of five healthy horses receiving three different diets: hay diet (HAY), hay + starch and sugar (SS), and hay + fiber and oil ingredients (FO).

Exploring candidate genes for heat tolerance in ovine through liver gene expression.

Thermotolerance has become an essential factor in the prevention of the adverse effects of heat stress, but it varies among animals. Identifying genes related to heat adaptability traits is important for improving thermotolerance and for selecting more productive animals in hot environments. The primary objective of this research was to find candidate genes in the liver that play a crucial role in the heat stress response of Santa Ines sheep, which exhibit varying levels of heat tolerance.

Genome-Wide Association (GWAS) Applied to Carcass and Meat Traits of Nellore Cattle.

The meat market has enormous importance for the world economy, and the quality of the product offered to the consumer is fundamental for the success of the sector. In this study, we analyzed a database which contained information on 2470 animals from a commercial farm in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. Of this total, 2181 animals were genotyped, using 777,962 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs).

Metabolomics Changes in Meat and Subcutaneous Fat of Male Cattle Submitted to Fetal Programming.

This study investigated changes in meat and subcutaneous fat metabolomes and possible metabolic pathways related to prenatal nutrition in beef cattle. For this purpose, 18 Nellore bulls were used for meat sampling and 15 for fat sampling. The nutritional treatments during the gestation were: NP-not programmed or control, without protein-energy supplementation; PP-partially programmed, with protein-energy supplementation (0.

Skin transcriptomic analysis reveals candidate genes and pathways associated with thermotolerance in hair sheep.

The skin plays an important role in thermoregulation. Identification of genes on the skin that contribute to increased heat tolerance can be used to select animals with the best performance in warm environments. Our objective was to identify candidate genes associated with the heat stress response in the skin of Santa Ines sheep.

Transcriptome profile of skeletal muscle using different sources of dietary fatty acids in male pigs.

Pork is of great importance in world trade and represents the largest source of fatty acids in the human diet. Lipid sources such as soybean oil (SOY), canola (CO), and fish oil (FO) are used in pig diets and influence blood parameters and the ratio of deposited fatty acids. In this study, the main objective was to evaluate changes in gene expression in porcine skeletal muscle tissue resulting from the dietary oil sources and to identify metabolic pathways and biological process networks through RNA-Seq.

Retrospective Insights of the COVID-19 Epidemic in the Major Latin American City, São Paulo, Southeastern Brazil.

São Paulo is the financial center of Brazil, with a population of over 12 million, that receives travelers from all over the world for business and tourism. It was the first city in Brazil to report a case of COVID-19 that rapidly spread across the city despite the implementation of the restriction measures. Despite many reports, much is still unknown regarding the genomic diversity and transmission dynamics of this virus in the city of São Paulo.

Multi-omic data integration for the study of production, carcass, and meat quality traits in Nellore cattle.

Data integration using hierarchical analysis based on the central dogma or common pathway enrichment analysis may not reveal non-obvious relationships among omic data. Here, we applied factor analysis (FA) and Bayesian network (BN) modeling to integrate different omic data and complex traits by latent variables (production, carcass, and meat quality traits). A total of 14 latent variables were identified: five for phenotype, three for miRNA, four for protein, and two for mRNA data.

Integrative Analysis Between Genome-Wide Association Study and Expression Quantitative Trait Loci Reveals Bovine Muscle Gene Expression Regulatory Polymorphisms Associated With Intramuscular Fat and Backfat Thickness.

Understanding the architecture of gene expression is fundamental to unravel the molecular mechanisms regulating complex traits in bovine, such as intramuscular fat content (IMF) and backfat thickness (BFT). These traits are economically important for the beef industry since they affect carcass and meat quality. Our main goal was to identify gene expression regulatory polymorphisms within genomic regions (QTL) associated with IMF and BFT in Nellore cattle.

The Divergent Pattern of SARS-CoV-2 Variant Predominance and Transmission Dynamics in the Brazilian Island of Ilhabela.

Our effort in SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance in Brazil has detected the Alpha Variant of Concern with a predominance higher than 75% in the population of Ilhabela island (São Paulo State) at a time when the Gamma VOC was already predominating the mainland raised concerns for closer surveillance on this island. Therefore, we intensified the surveillance for 24 weeks by generating data from 34% of local positive cases. Our data show that the patterns of VOC predominance dynamics and infection rates were in general distinct from the mainland.

Effects of Different Prenatal Nutrition Strategies on the Liver Metabolome of Bulls and Its Correlation with Body and Liver Weight.

This study investigated the effect of prenatal nutrition on liver metabolome and on body (BW) and liver weight (LW) of Nellore bulls at slaughter. Three treatments were applied in 126 cows during pregnancy: NP—control (mineral supplementation); PP—protein-energy supplementation in the third trimester; and FP—protein-energy supplementation during the entire pregnancy. Offspring BW and LW were evaluated, and a targeted metabolomics analysis was performed on their livers (n = 18, 22.

SARS-COV-2 genomic monitoring in the state of São Paulo unveils two emerging AY.43 sublineages.

Delta VOC is highly diverse with more than 120 sublineages already described as of November 30, 2021. In this study, through active monitoring of circulating severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants in the state of São Paulo, southeast Brazil, we identified two emerging sublineages from the ancestral AY.43 strain which were classified as AY.

Nucleocapsid (N) Gene Mutations of SARS-CoV-2 Can Affect Real-Time RT-PCR Diagnostic and Impact False-Negative Results.

The current COVID-19 pandemic demands massive testing by Real-time RT-PCR (Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction), which is considered the gold standard diagnostic test for the detection of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. However, the virus continues to evolve with mutations that lead to phenotypic alterations as higher transmissibility, pathogenicity or vaccine evasion. Another big issue are mutations in the annealing sites of primers and probes of RT-PCR diagnostic kits leading to false-negative results.

Introduction of SARS-CoV-2 C.37 (WHO VOI lambda) in the Sao Paulo State, Southeast Brazil.

The Lambda variants of interest (VOI) (C37/GR/452Q.V1/21G) was initially reported in Lima, Peru but has gained rapid dissemination through other Latin American countries. Nevertheless, the dissemination and molecular epidemiology of the Lambda VOI in Brazil is unknown apart from a single case report.

Domestic animal proteomics in the 21st century: A global retrospective and viewpoint analysis.

Animal production and health are of significant economic importance, particularly regarding the world food supply. Animal and veterinary sciences have evolved immensely in the past six decades, particularly in genetics, nutrition, housing, management and health. To address major challenges such as those posed by climate change or metabolic disorders, it is of utmost importance to use state-of-the-art research tools.

Multi-Omics Approach Reveals miR-SNPs Affecting Muscle Fatty Acids Profile in Nelore Cattle.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are key regulators of gene expression, potentially affecting several biological processes, whose function can be altered by sequence variation. Hence, the integration of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) and miRNAs can explain individual differences in economic traits. To provide new insights into the effects of SNPs on miRNAs and their related target genes, we carried out a multi-omic analysis to identify SNPs in miRNA mature sequences (miR-SNPs) associated with fatty acid (FA) composition in the Nelore cattle.

Putative Epigenetic Biomarkers of Stress in Red Blood Cells of Chickens Reared Across Different Biomes.

Production animals are constantly subjected to early adverse environmental conditions that influence the adult phenotype and produce epigenetic effects. CpG dinucleotide methylation in red blood cells (RBC) could be a useful epigenetic biomarker to identify animals subjected to chronic stress in the production environment. Here we compared a reduced fraction of the RBC methylome of chickens exposed to social isolation to non-exposed.

Effects of Feeding Increasing Levels of Yerba Mate on Lamb Meat Quality and Antioxidant Activity.

The present study investigated the inclusion of yerba mate extract (YME) in the lamb's diet on meat quality traits, antioxidant activity, and shelf-life. Thirty-six lambs were distributed according to a block design with the following groups: control group without YME (0%) and three treatment groups with 1, 2, and 4% YME inclusion in the dry matter. The animals were fed these diets for 53 days.