Publications by authors named "Xuenong Zhu"

The gut microbiome plays an important role in quail feed efficiency, immunity, production, and even behavior. Gut microbial gene catalogs and reference genomes are important for understanding the quail gut microbiome. However, quail gut microbes are lacked sequenced genomes and functional information to date.

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Growth and carcass traits are of great economic importance to the chicken industry. The candidate genes and mutations associated with growth and carcass traits can be utilized to improve chicken growth. Therefore, the identification of these genes and mutations is greatly importance.

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With increasing societal development and the concurrent improvement in people's quality of life, meat consumption has gradually changed from a focus on "quantity" to "quality". Broiler production is increasingly used as a means to improve meat quality by altering various characteristics, especially its genetic factors. However, until now, little has been known about the genetic variants related to meat quality traits in Chinese purebred chicken populations.

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Japanese quail () are important and widely distributed poultry in China. Researchers continue to pursue genetic selection for heavier quail. The intestinal microbiota plays a substantial role in growth promotion; however, the mechanisms involved in growth promotion remain unclear.

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Article Synopsis
  • * A total of 3197 genes were identified through RNA sequencing, with key pathways related to signaling and cell development highlighted in the results, particularly influencing sexual maturity.
  • * The gene hen egg protein 21 kDa was identified as a significant candidate due to its differential expression in pre-pubertal and pubertal ovaries, with certain genetic variations linked to specific reproductive traits like comb height.
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Background: Recent studies indicate important roles for long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in the regulation of gene expression by acting as competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs). However, the specific role of lncRNAs in skeletal muscle atrophy is still unclear. Our study aimed to identify the function of lncRNAs that control skeletal muscle myogenesis and atrophy.

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Avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) are responsible for heavy economic losses in poultry industry. Here we investigate DNA methylome of spleen and identify functional DNA methylation changes related to host response to APEC among groups of non-challenged chickens (NC), challenged with mild (MD) and severe pathology (SV). DNA methylation was enriched in the gene bodies and repeats.

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