Identification of Y-SNPs within ovine MSY region and their association with testicular size.

The screening of genomic variations within the male-specific region of the mammalian Y chromosome (MSY) is one of the most effective ways to investigate paternal evolutionary history and identify molecular markers related to male fertility. The current study was to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within single-copy genes of the ovine MSY, and confirm whether they are associated with testicular size. A total of 21 Y-specific gene fragments were successfully amplified to screen Y-SNPs in 956 rams across nine sheep breeds.

Physiological and transcriptome analyses demonstrate the silver nanoparticles mediated alleviation of salt stress in pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum L).

Pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum L.) is a highly nutritive-value summer-annual forage crop used for hay, silage, grazing, and green chop. However, abiotic stresses including salinity negatively affect its growth and productivity.

Seed endophytic ammonia oxidizing bacteria in transmit to offspring plants and contribute to nitrification in the root zone.

Background: Ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) in soil are of great biological importance as they regulate the cycling of N in agroecosystems. Plants are known to harbor AOB but how they occupy the plant is an unresolved question.

Methods: Metabarcoding studies were carried out using Illumina MiSeq sequencing to test the potential of seed vectored AOB exchange between plants and soil.

Characterization of Boeremia exigua causing stem necrotic lesions on Luobuma in northwest China.

Luobuma (Apocynum venetum, Poacynum pictum, and P. hendersonni) are perennial herbs widely used in the textile and medical industries and ecological restoration. In the summer of 2020, reddish-brown or off-white sunken shape necrotic lesions were observed on the stems and shoots of seven Luobuma ecotypes grown in the field in Yuzhong County, Gansu province of China, which is a limiting factor that affects the growth, function and application of Luobuma.

A comparison of average daily gain, apparent digestibilities, energy balance, rumen fermentation parameters, and serum metabolites between yaks () and Qaidam cattle () consuming diets differing in energy level.

Yaks (), indigenous to the harsh Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, are well adapted to the severe conditions, and graze natural pasture without supplements all year round. Qaidam cattle (), introduced to the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau 1,700 years ago, are raised at a lower altitude than yaks, provided with shelter at night and offered supplements in winter. Based on their different backgrounds, we hypothesized that yaks have lower energy requirements for maintenance than cattle.

Assessment of the vegetation sensitivity index in alpine meadows with a high coverage and toxic weed invasion under grazing disturbance.

Maintaining healthy ecosystems is essential to ensure sustainable socio-economic development. Studies combining remote sensing data with grassland health assessments, extensively performed at different scales, are important for monitoring grassland health from a spatiotemporal perspective to enable scientific grazing management. However, most studies only use quantitative grassland degradation indices, such as grassland cover; this is done despite the fact that some degraded grasslands maintain a high level of cover solely by virtue of the proliferation of toxic weeds.

from wild barley improves salt-tolerance of cultivated barley by altering physiological responses to salt stress.

Introduction: is a cultivable fungal endophyte that lives in symbiosis with wild barley () to which it confers salt tolerance. This study tested the hypothesis that derived from wild barley has the potential to increase salt tolerance in cultivated barley under salt stress.

Methods: To test this hypothesis, the growth response, physiological parameters, and metabolic profiles of barley plants inoculated with (E+) and those not inoculated with (E-) were compared under salt stress.

Composition of Fatty Acids and Localization of and Genes in Cauda Epididymides of Hu Sheep with Different Fertility.

The epididymis is an organ that transports, matures and stores sperm, and has functions such as secretion and absorption. Polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) compositions in sperm membrane were changed during the process of epididymis maturation and influence the male fertility. This study aimed to investigate differences in crude fat and fatty acid content in cauda epididymis between high and low fertility of Hu sheep.

A comparative transcriptomic analysis reveals a coordinated mechanism activated in response to cold acclimation in common vetch (Vicia sativa L.).

Background: Due to its strong abiotic stress tolerance, common vetch is widely cultivated as a green manure and forage crop in grass and crop rotation systems. The comprehensive molecular mechanisms activated in common vetch during cold adaptation remain unknown.

Results: We investigated physiological responses and transcriptome profiles of cold-sensitive (Lanjian No.

Integrating transcriptome and metabolome to identify key genes regulating important muscular flavour precursors in sheep.

Flavour precursors are the basis of meat flavour, and their metabolism is regulated by a variety of enzymes. Thus, it is of great significance to identify the key genes related to meat flavour precursors. In this study, the difference in flavour precursors and transcriptome between Hu sheep and Dorper with different intramuscular fat (IMF) content were investigated using widely targeted metabolomics and RNA-sequencing technologies.

Crude Extracts and Secondary Metabolites of Epichloë bromicola against Phytophthora infestans.

Potato late blight caused by Phytophthora infestans is still one of the main factors limiting potato production. Epichloë spp. can provide host plants with various resistances, which makes them show great potential in the biological control of diseases.

Identification of SNPs and expression patterns of ALB, AHSG and GC genes and their association with growth traits in Hu sheep.

Growth traits are economically important traits in sheep breeding. This study was conducted to evaluate the polymorphisms of ALB, AHSG and GC genes and their association with growth traits in Hu sheep. We measured and recorded the body weight (BW), body height (BH), body length (BL) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) of 1418 male Hu sheep raised in the same environment from 80 to 180 days of age.

Metagenomics reveals that temperature predicts a small proportion of antibiotic resistomes and mobile genetic elements in polluted water.

Climate warming multiplies the threat of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) to public health, but whether temperature may predict antibiotic resistomes in water environment remain unknown. Here, by metagenomic sequencing, we investigated the changes of resistome at five different temperature gradients (23, 26, 29, 32, and 35 °C) in polluted water by animal cadaver. Thirty ARG types including 668 subtypes were observed in our samples.

The trade-offs and synergies of the ecological-production-living functions of grassland in the Qilian mountains by ecological priority.

Grassland degradation has caused increasingly prominent conflict between ecological environment conservation and socioeconomic development in the Qilian Mountains, China. How to effectively trade-offs and synergies to ecological and socioeconomic is essential to achieving the sustainable development of the grassland ecosystem. However, few studies have addressed the trade-offs and synergies of grassland ecosystem services in terms of coupling the natural ecosystem and the socioeconomic system.

Expression profile of gene and association of its polymorphisms with intramuscular fat content in Hu sheep.

The content of intramuscular fat (IMF) is one of the most important factors that has a large impact on meat quality, and it is an effective way to improve IMF according to marker-assisted selection (MAS). Fatty-acid synthase () is a key gene in meat lipid deposition and fatty acid composition. Thus, this study was conducted to investigate the expression profile of in mRNA and protein levels using real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) and western-blot methods.

Metagenomics insights into the effects of lactic acid bacteria inoculation on the biological reduction of antibiotic resistance genes in alfalfa silage.

Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) are a new type of pollutant and pose major threats to public health. However, the distribution and transmission risk of ARGs in alfalfa silage as the main forage for ruminants have not been studied. This study first deciphered the effects of Lactobacillus plantarum MTD/1 or Lactobacillus buchneri 40788 inoculations on distribution and transmission mechanism of ARGs in alfalfa silage by metagenomics.

Characterizing the Gut Microbiota of Eurasian Otter () and Snub-Nosed Monkey () to Enhance Conservation Practices in the Foping National Nature Reserve of China.

Understanding the interaction between the microbial composition in the habitat and the gut of wildlife will contribute to conservation efforts since changes in the gut microbiome have been proven to influence the healthy and nutritional status of the host. This study analyzed the relationship between soil microbes and the microbial diversity and structure of the distal gut of the terrestrial golden snub-nosed monkey and Eurasian otter in the Foping National Nature Reserve (FNNR). A total of 15 otter fecal samples and 18 monkey fecal samples were collected from which 5 and 6 samples, respectively, were randomly selected for microbiome analysis.

Transcriptomic Analyses Reveals Molecular Regulation of Photosynthesis by endophyte in under Infection.

Photosynthesis is essential for the growth of all green plants, and the presence of an endophyte enhances the photosynthesis of (drunken horse grass, DHG), including when it is under attack by fungal pathogens. However, few studies have examined the mechanism of the increased photosynthetic activity at the molecular level of when it is under pathogen stress. The present study investigated the effects of the presence of the endophyte on the net photosynthetic rate, intercellular CO concentration, stomatal conductance, and transpiration rate of DHG plants under a infection condition, and we compared the transcriptomes using RNA sequencing.

Changes in root chemical diversity along an elevation gradient of Changbai Mountain, China.

Root chemical traits play a critical role in plant resource use strategies and ecosystem nutrient cycling; however, the chemical diversity of multiple elements of fine root and community chemical assembly belowground are poorly understood. Here, we measured 13 elements (C, N, K, Ca, Mg, S, P, Al, Fe, Na, Mn, Zn, and Cu) in the fine roots of 204 plant species along elevational transect from 540 to 2357 m of Changbai Mountain, China to explore the variation, diversity, and community assembly of root chemical traits. At the species level, the concentrations of macronutrients (N, K, Ca, Mg, S, and P) decreased, whereas the trace metals (Fe, Mn, and Zn) increased with elevation.

Metagenomics reveals the response of antibiotic resistance genes to elevated temperature in the Yellow River.

Climate warming may aggravate the threat of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) to environmental and human health. However, whether temperature can predict ARGs and influence their assembly processes remains unknown. Here, we used metagenomic sequencing to explore how gradually elevated water temperature (23 °C, 26 °C, 29 °C, 32 °C, 35 °C) influences ARG and mobile genetic element (MGE) profiles in the Yellow River.

Kynurenic acid mediates bacteria-algae consortium in resisting environmental cadmium toxicity.

Cadmium (Cd) is a toxic heavy metal in the environment, posing severe damage to animal health and drinking water safety. The bacteria-algae consortium remediates environmental Cd pollution by secreting chelating reagents, but the molecular mechanisms remain elusive. Here, we showed that Cellulosimicrobium sp.

Effects of supplementing sweet sorghum with grapeseeds on carcass parameters, and meat quality, amino acid, and fatty acid composition of lambs.

Objective: Sweet sorghum is an important forage crop for ruminants, especially in low rainfall areas. Grapeseeds are an abundant by-product of wine-making and contain bioactive substances that can improve the antioxidant capacity of meat. We examined the effect of sweet sorghum forage with supplementary grapeseeds on carcass and meat quality in lambs.

Characterization of fatty acid compositions in longissimus thoracis muscle and identification of candidate gene and SNPs related to polyunsaturated fatty acid in Hu sheep.

Fatty acid (FA) composition contributes greatly to the quality and nutritional value of lamb meat. In the present study, FA was measured in longissimus thoracis (LT) muscles of 1,085 Hu sheep using gas chromatography. Comparative transcriptomic analysis was conducted in LT muscles to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between six individuals with high polyunsaturated fatty acids (H-PUFA, 15.

Polymorphism in ovine gene and its association with residual feed intake in Hu sheep.

Feed efficiency makes up a large part of sheep production, which also has a crucial impact on the economic benefits of producers. This study explores the polymorphism of gene associated with feed efficiency and detects the expression characteristics of in ten tissues of Hu sheep. The polymorphism of was recognized by using PCR amplification and Sanger sequencing, KASPar technology was used for genotyping subsequently, and the relationship between SNP and RFI is also studied.