Maternal effects drive intestinal development beginning in the embryonic period on the basis of maternal immune and microbial transfer in chickens.

Background: Nutrition drives immunity and health in animals, and maternal immunity benefits offspring. In our previous study, a nutritional intervention strategy was found to promote the immunity of hens, which subsequently improved immunity and growth in offspring chicks. Maternal effects clearly exist, but how are mothers' immune advantages transferred to their offspring, and how do they benefit them?

Results: Here, we traced the beneficial effects back to the process of egg formation in the reproductive system, and we focused on the embryonic intestinal transcriptome and development, as well as on maternal microbial transfer in offspring.

Glycine Ameliorates Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress Induced by Thapsigargin in Porcine Oocytes.

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is a multifunctional organelle in the cytoplasm that plays important roles in female mammalian reproduction. The endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria interact to maintain the normal function of cells by maintaining intracellular calcium homeostasis. As proven by previous research, glycine (Gly) can regulate the intracellular free calcium concentration ([Ca]) and enhance mitochondrial function to improve oocyte maturation .