Semen Quality, Testicular Cell Apoptosis, and Transcriptome Analysis Following Mild Scrotal Heat Stress in Wugu-Hu Crossbred and Hu Rams.

Hu and Wugu × Hu rams underwent scrotal insulation to simulate mild heat stress, resulting in a 3.0 ± 0.1 °C increase in scrotal surface temperature.

The impact of low-carbon city pilot policy on urban green technology innovation: Based on government and public perspectives.

Global climate change has caused a series of environmental problems, green technology innovation is necessitating strategic responses, but the impact of low-carbon city pilot policy on urban green technology innovation is unclear. Based on panel data from 285 Chinese cities during 2005-2022, this study employs the Difference in Difference method to examine the impact of low-carbon city policy on urban green technology innovation. The results show that (1) The low-carbon city pilot policy promotes urban green technology innovation.

Identification of Candidate Genes for Twinning Births in Dezhou Donkeys by Detecting Signatures of Selection in Genomic Data.

Twinning trait in donkeys is an important manifestation of high fecundity, but few reports are available elucidating its genetic mechanism. To explore the genetic mechanism underlying the twin colt trait in Dezhou donkeys, DNA from 21 female Dezhou donkeys that had birthed single or twin colts were collected for whole-genome resequencing. FST, θπ and Tajima’s D were used to detect the selective sweeps between single and twin colt fecundity in the Dezhou donkey groups.

Comparison of gut microflora of donkeys in high and low altitude areas.

Donkeys' gut microbe is critical for their health and adaptation to the environment. Little research has been conducted on the donkey gut microbiome compared with other domestic animals. The Tibetan Plateau is an extreme environment.

Granulosa Cells Improved Mare Oocyte Cytoplasmic Maturation by Providing Collagens.

Assisted reproductive technology has important clinical applications and commercial values in the horse industry. However, this approach is limited largely by the low efficiency of oocyte maturation (IVM), especially cytoplasmic maturation. To improve the efficiency of mare oocyte IVM, we evaluated the effects of co-culture with cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) and granulosa cells (GCs) from follicles with small (<15 mm) and large diameters (>35 mm).

[Effect of electroacupuncture at points on intrauterine residue and uterine volume restoration after uterine curettage of incomplete abortion].

Objective: To observe the clinical therapeutic effect of the combination of electroacupuncture (EA) at points (bilateral Shangliao [BL 31], Ciliao [BL 32], Zhongliao [BL 33] and Xialiao [BL 34]) and oral administration of mifepristone tablets and its influence on uterine volume restoration after uterine curettage of incomplete abortion as compared with simple oral administration of mifeprstone tablets.

Methods: A total of 58 patients after uterine curettage of incomplete abortion were randomized into an EA group and a western medication group, 29 cases in each one. In the western medication group, mifepristone tablets were administered orally, 2 tablets each time, once daily.

Co-culture of sperm with sertoli cells can improve IVF outcomes by increasing sperm motility in mice.

The micro-environment of spermatogenesis is important for the improvement of in vitro fertilization (IVF). Therefore, developing a co-culture system may be valuable to improve the rate of IVF. In this study, we aimed to investigate the secretions of testicular sertoli cells (SCs) to find whether it can improve the micro-environment of IVF, by which promote the efficiency of fertilization in mice.

Ancient Patrilineal Lines and Relatively High ECAY Diversity Preserved in Indigenous Horses Revealed With Novel Y-Chromosome Markers.

Extremely low nucleotide diversity of modern horse Y-chromosome has been reported, and only poor phylogenetic resolution could be resulted from limited Y-chromosome markers. In this study, three types of horse Y-chromosome markers, including Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), copy number variants (CNVs), and allele-specific CNVs, were developed by screening more than 300 male horses from 23 indigenous Chinese horse populations and 4 imported horse breeds. Fourteen segregating sites including a novel SNP in the AMELY gene were found in approximately 53 kb of male-specific Y-chromosome sequences.

Gestational diabetes promotes germ cell cCyst breakdown and primordial follicle formation in newborn mice via the AKT signaling pathway.

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a common disease in which pancreatic β cells are impaired due to auto-immunity, pregnancy in women with it is associated with increased risk of neonatal morbidity, mortality. However, the effects of gestational diabetes on the reproduction of newborn offspring are still poorly understood. Here, we determined the cyst breakdown and primordial follicle formation in neonatal offspring born by streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic or non-diabetic female mice, and found that the germ cell cyst breakdown was promoted in neonatal offspring of STZ -induced diabetic mice at postnatal Day 1, which sequentially accelerated the primordial follicle formation.

Three IgH isotypes, IgM, IgA and IgY are expressed in Gentoo penguin and zebra finch.

Previous studies on a limited number of birds suggested that the IgD-encoding gene was absent in birds. However, one of our recent studies showed that the gene was definitely expressed in the ostrich and emu. Interestingly, we also identified subclass diversification of IgM and IgY in these two birds.

Construction and Analysis of an Adipose Tissue-Specific and Methylation-Sensitive Promoter of Leptin Gene.

DNA methylation plays a very important role in the regulation of gene expression. Under general situations, methylation in a gene promoter region is frequently accompanied by transcriptional suppression, and those genes that are highly methylated display the phenomenon of low expression. In contrast, those genes whose methylation level is low display the phenomenon of active expression.

A C-terminally truncated mouse Best3 splice variant targets and alters the ion balance in lysosome-endosome hybrids and the endoplasmic reticulum.

The Bestrophin family has been characterized as Cl(-) channels in mammals and Na(+) channels in bacteria, but their exact physiological roles remian unknown. In this study, a natural C-terminally truncated variant of mouse Bestrophin 3 (Best3V2) expression in myoblasts and muscles is demonstrated. Unlike full-length Best3, Best3V2 targets the two important intracellular Ca stores: the lysosome and the ER.

Multiple IgH Isotypes Including IgD, Subclasses of IgM, and IgY Are Expressed in the Common Ancestors of Modern Birds.

Although evolutionarily just as ancient as IgM, it has been thought for many years that IgD is not present in birds. Based on the recently sequenced genomes of 48 bird species as well as high-throughput transcriptome sequencing of immune-related tissues, we demonstrate in this work that the ostrich (Struthio camelus) possesses a functional δ gene that encodes a membrane-bound IgD H chain with seven CH domains. Furthermore, δ sequences were clearly identified in many other bird species, demonstrating that the δ gene is widely distributed among birds and is only absent in certain bird species.

Adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells improve glucose homeostasis in high-fat diet-induced obese mice.

Introduction: Effective therapies for obesity and diabetes are still lacking. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether a single intravenous infusion of syngeneic adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ASCs) can reduce obesity, lower insulin resistance, and improve glucose homeostasis in a high-fat diet-induced obese (DIO) mouse model.

Methods: Seven-week-old C57BL/6 mice were fed a high-fat diet for 20 weeks to generate the DIO mouse model.

De Novo Assembly of the Donkey White Blood Cell Transcriptome and a Comparative Analysis of Phenotype-Associated Genes between Donkeys and Horses.

Prior to the mechanization of agriculture and labor-intensive tasks, humans used donkeys (Equus africanus asinus) for farm work and packing. However, as mechanization increased, donkeys have been increasingly raised for meat, milk, and fur in China. To maintain the development of the donkey industry, breeding programs should focus on traits related to these new uses.

Bilirubin Increases Insulin Sensitivity by Regulating Cholesterol Metabolism, Adipokines and PPARγ Levels.

Obesity can cause insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Moderate elevations in bilirubin levels have anti-diabetic effects. This study is aimed at determining the mechanisms by which bilirubin treatment reduces obesity and insulin resistance in a diet-induced obesity (DIO) mouse model.

Anti-senescence effect of FatI gene in goat somatic cells.

The fatty acid dehydrogenase I (FatI) is able to express in mammalian cells and convert n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) to n-3 PUFAs. n-3 PUFA is an important component of the cell membrane and plays an important role in the prevention and control of a variety of human diseases. However, n-3 PUFAs cannot be endogenously synthesized by mammals because they lack the dehydrogenase that converts n-6 to n-3 PUFA.

[Progress in early pancreas development and reprogramming of terminally differentiated cells into β cells].

Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks insulin-secreting β cells, thus leading to an absolute deficiency of insulin. Patients must rely on exogenous insulin, which cannot effectively prevent diabetes complications. Generation of insulin-secreting cells by reprogramming of pluripotent stem cells or somatic cells is a potential approach for the treatment of T1DM.

Unstable expression of transgene is associated with the methylation of CAG promoter in the offspring from the same litter of homozygous transgenic mice.

Transgenic animals have been established for studying gene function, improving animals' production traits, and providing organ models for the exploration of human diseases. However, the stability of inheritance and transgene expression in transgenic animals has gained extensive attention. The unstable expression of transgene through DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) targeting to the methylation of transgenic DNA such as CAG promoter and Egfp coding region in homozygous transgenic animals is still unknown.

Cloning and in vitro function analysis of codon-optimized FatI gene.

Currently, n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) have attracted great attention because of their biological significance to organisms. In addition, PUFAs show an obvious impact on prevention and treatment of various diseases. Because n-3 PUFAs cannot be endogenously synthesized by mammals, mammals have to rely on a dietary supplement for sufficient supply.

Growth of mouse oocytes to maturity from premeiotic germ cells in vitro.

In the present study, we established an in vitro culture system suitable for generating fertilizable oocytes from premeiotic mouse female germ cells. These results were achieved after first establishing an in vitro culture system allowing immature oocytes from 12-14 day-old mice to reach meiotic maturation through culture onto preantral granulosa cell (PAGC) monolayers in the presence of Activin A (ActA). To generate mature oocytes from premeiotic germ cells, pieces of ovaries from 12.

Estrogen inhibits the early development of mouse follicles through regulating the expression of Kit ligand.

Estrogen inhibits cyst breakdown and primordial follicle assembling of germ cells, but little is known about the underlying mechanisms. We aimed to analyze the effects of estrogen on the early development of mouse follicles using an in vitro ovary culture system and in vivo injection. Newborn mouse ovarian tissues were cultured in vitro for 2 or 4 days with estrogen of 0 M, 10(-8) M and 10(-4) M, respectively, and neonatal mice were injected with 5mg/kg/day estrogen.

A co-culture system with preantral follicular granulosa cells in vitro induces meiotic maturation of immature oocytes.

Development of technologies to mature oocytes in vitro is important for in vitro fertilization research. Here, we investigated the ability of preantral follicular granulosa cells (PAGCs) to restrain apoptosis and to promote the growth and meiotic resumption of immature murine oocytes in vitro. The oocytes of 55-65 μm derived from 12 to 14 days old juvenile mice were co-cultured with PAGCs in vitro.

Maternal imprinting during mouse oocyte growth in vivo and in vitro.

Epigenetic regulation of gene expression is critical for oogenesis in mammals. In this study, a simple and efficient method was used to obtain the oocytes from cultured fetal mouse ovaries of 12.5dpc.