This study was designed to assess the protective efficacy of dihydromyricetin (DHM) against intestinal injury in Chinese soft-shelled turtles (Pelodiscus sinensis) caused by partial replacement of fishmeal (FM) with fermented rapeseed meal (FRM), and to uncover the molecular mechanisms involved. Turtles were fed an FM-based control diet, an FRM-substituted diet, or FRM diets supplemented with DHM at 0.5‱ (DHMT1), 1.0‱ (DHMT2) or 2.0‱ (DHMT3) for 8 weeks. Growth performance, digestive enzyme activities, antioxidant parameters, inflammatory cytokines, and intestinal histomorphology were assessed, and intestinal transcriptomics and metabolomics were also performed. FRM replacement significantly improved growth performance; however, this beneficial effect was accompanied by notable intestinal mucosal oxidative damage, as evidenced by decreased villus height, increased lumen space, and lamina propria edema, along with elevated pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β and TNF-α) and MDA content, alongside reduced GSH and CAT activities. DHM supplementation dose-dependently ameliorated these adverse effects by restoring mucosal integrity, digestive enzyme activities, redox homeostasis, and inflammatory balance, ultimately improving growth performance. Transcriptomic KEGG analysis revealed that DHM enriched pathways related to glycerophospholipid metabolism, glutathione metabolism, drug metabolis-cytochrome P450, and polyunsaturated fatty acid metabolism. Metabolomics further confirmed dose-dependent remodeling of phospholipids and bile acids. Integrated omics demonstrated that DHM likely regulates detoxification, anti-inflammatory, membrane repair, and antioxidant pathways. In conclusion, DHM demonstrates a protective effect against FRM-induced intestinal mucosal oxidative damage in P. sinensis, which may be mediated by a synergistic combination of enhanced detoxification, anti-inflammatory modulation, restoration of phospholipid membrane integrity, and reinforcement of antioxidant defenses.

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the regulatory effects of dietary carvacrol on intestinal micro biota composition, serum metabolic profiles, and their association with increased resistance to Aeromonas hydrophila in Pengze crucian carp. Methods: Juvenile fish (5.63 ± 0.35 g) were randomly allocated into two experimental groups: a control group (CK) fed a basal diet and a treatment group (CA) supplemented with 600 mg/kg microencapsulated carvacrol. Following an 8-week feeding trial, nine specimens per group were sampled for venous blood and intestinal tract collection. Remaining individuals were subjected to a 12-h A. hydrophila challenge prior to identical sample collection. Results: Key findings revealed that carvacrol supplementation induced significant microbial modulations, notably reducing Firmicutes abundance while enhancing Cetobacterium populations by 33.25% compared to controls. Post-challenge analysis demonstrated marked declines in intestinal microbial diversity indices (Observed ASV, Chao1, ACE, and PD whole tree) in the CK group, whereas the CA group maintained stable microbial diversity. Pathogenic genera including Aeromonas, Shewanella, and Vibrio showed significant proliferation in challenged controls, contrasting with maintained microbial homeostasis in carvacrol-fed specimens. Serum metabolomic profiling identified the most significantly altered metabolic pathways associated with carvacrol administration: glycerophospholipid metabolism, linoleic acid metabolism, arachidonic acid metabolism, α-linolenic acid metabolism, GPI-anchor biosynthesis, and autophagy-animal pathways. Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that dietary carvacrol may reinforce intestinal microbial barrier function by optimizing beneficial microbial composition and reducing the proportion of pathogens, and modulate immune-related metabolic pathways critical for host defense, which might be involved in enhanced disease resistance.

While the modification of earthen ponds into ecological engineering systems is widely adopted in China to mitigate environmental pollution, the downstream effects of this transition on fish physiological health and product quality remain poorly understood. This study systematically evaluated the association between gut microbiota and flesh quality of grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) reared in traditional earthen ponds and ecologically modified ponds through a 4-month controlled rearing trial. The results demonstrated that the modified pond system significantly reduced total nitrogen and total phosphorus levels, confirming its environmental purification capacity. Crucially, this improved aquatic environment was accompanied by enhanced host health: fish in the modified ponds exhibited superior intestinal morphology, increased microbial diversity, and a structural shift towards beneficial microbiota alongside the complete elimination of specific pathogenic taxa. These intestinal improvements directly paralleled a significant upgrade in flesh quality, characterized by enhanced textural properties (hardness, springiness, water-holding capacity) and a more favorable muscle fatty acid profile. Collectively, these findings indicated that ecological pond modification transcends mere waste reduction; it actively drove synergistic improvements in fish gut health and commercial product quality. This study provided a robust scientific basis for promoting recirculating ecological aquaculture systems as a sustainable strategy to meet both environmental targets and consumer quality demands.

Dietary lipid intake can dramatically alter the host microbiota and bile acids (BAs) metabolism. To explore the effect of endogenous BAs and intestinal microorganisms in the adaptive mechanism of grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus) to different dietary lipid levels, triplicate groups of grass carp were fed three isonitrogenous diets with low (2 %), normal (6 %) and high (10 %) lipid levels and named group E2, E6 and E10, respectively. Results showed that a 6 % dietary lipid level was optimal for achieving the maximum growth performance and maintaining the liver health state of grass carp. The levels of glucose (GLU), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and malonaldehyde (MDA), along with the activities of acetyl-coA carboxylase (ACC), carnitine palmitoyl-transferase 1 (CPT1), fatty acid binding protein (FABP) and fatty acid transport protein (FATP) were significantly lower in fish that fed diet E2 than those that fed diet E6 (P < 0.05). The activities of acid phosphatase (ACP), alkaline phosphatase (AKP), glutamic oxalacetic transaminase (GOT) and glutamic-pyruvic transaminase (GPT) were significantly higher in fish fed diet E10 than in those fed diet E6 (P < 0.05). While there were no notable differences in the activities of lipid metabolism-related enzymes between fish fed diets E6 and E10 (P > 0.05), fish fed diet E10 exhibited a greater presence of vacuoles and lipid buildup in the liver compared to fish on diet E6. In the gallbladder, the levels of multiple BAs in fish that were given diet E2 were considerably lower than those in fish that received diet E6. However, the intestinal contents of fish that were given diet E2 showed significantly higher levels of multiple BAs than those on diet E6, while fish on diet E10 exhibited the opposite pattern. Additionally, fish fed diet E6 showed a higher presence of Fusobacterium and Cetobacterium, while the ratio of Proteobacteria decreased. Furthermore, multiple BAs were positively correlated with lactic acid bacteria-related genera from Firmicutes and a significant negative correlation with dietary lipid levels. These findings indicated that microbial-mediated bile acid hepatoenteric circulation plays an important role in the adaptive mechanism of fish to different dietary lipid levels, and it is expected to be an important intervention target for lipid metabolism disorders of grass carp.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES:Carvacrol, a major active component of oregano oil and common feed additive, has been widely studied for its effects on fish growth, immunity, and intestinal health. But its transcriptional/metabolic impacts on fish liver remain unclear. This study investigated these effects in Pengze crucian carp (Carassius auratus var. Pengze). METHODS:Fish were fed a basal diet (control) or basal diet supplemented with 10% microencapsulated carvacrol (600 mg/kg) for 56 days; liver samples were analyzed via transcriptomics and metabolomics. RESULTS:Transcriptomic analysis revealed 482 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the liver of Pengze crucian carp following carvacrol supplementation, with 158 upregulated and 324 downregulated genes. Functional annotation highlighted enrichment in translation, signal transduction, amino acid metabolism, and posttranslational modification pathways. GO analysis further identified key processes, including carboxylic acid transport, tRNA aminoacylation, and mitochondrial nucleoid function, while KEGG pathways were implicated in amino acid biosynthesis, lipid metabolism (e.g., alpha-linolenic acid), and insulin signaling. Metabolomic profiling identified 679 significantly altered metabolites, including 113 upregulated and 566 downregulated ones. Among these, upregulated compounds like L-asparaginyl-L-lysine (Log2FC = 4.36) and 2'-Deoxyadenosine-5'-diphosphate (Log2FC = 4.31) are linked to nucleotide metabolism, and downregulated peptides (e.g., Ala-Phe-Tyr-Arg) suggesting modulated protein turnover. Joint omics analysis revealed convergent pathways in glycerophospholipid metabolism, aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis, and autophagy. Notably, the chaperone gene dnaja3b was correlated strongly with neuroactive metabolites (e.g., normetanephrine), potentially implicating carvacrol in stress response regulation. CONCLUSIONS:Our findings demonstrate that carvacrol modulates liver gene expression and metabolic profiles, primarily influencing amino acid and lipid metabolism pathways, autophagy, and stress responses. The observed correlations between dnaja3b and specific metabolites offer mechanistic insights into the action of carvacrol in fish liver.

This study was conducted to examine the effects of two types microencapsulated Origanum oils (MOO) (HMOO: hot spray microencapsulated Origanum oils; CMOO: cold spray microencapsulated Origanum oils) supplemented at different levels (0, 100, 200, and 300 mg/kg) on growth performance, antioxidant ability, nonspecific immune responses, gut bacterial communities, gut histology, and disease resistance of juvenile largemouth black bass (mean body weight = 9.72 g). The growth performance were significantly improved in both HMOO and CMOO groups (P < 0.05), but there was no significant interaction between different dietary microencapsulation technologies and supplemented dosages (P > 0.05). A significant interaction between the microencapsulation techniques and dosages was observed in some parameters (e.g., CAT, SOD, GSH-PX, MDA, LYZ, AKP, and ACP) of serum, liver, and intestine, which were influenced by MOO dosage. The α diversity index (observed_species, Chao1, and ACE) of intestinal bacteria and the relative abundance of certain bacterial taxa (Fusobacteriota, Proteobacteria, Cetobacterium, Plesiomonas, and Romboutsia) were significantly affected by different MOO supplemental levels (P < 0.05), where the former was significantly affected by the interaction of microencapsulation technology and dose, while the latter was not affected by the interaction (P > 0.05). Villus height and disease resistance increased in the HMOO groups with different MOO dosages (P < 0.05), but no significant difference was found between the microencapsulation techniques (P > 0.05). HMOO had more positive effects on villus height and disease resistance than CMOO. In conclusion, the effects of MOO on black bass were more dependent on the supplemental dosage than the microencapsulation techniques.

The experiment was to investigate the effect of puerarin on ileal microflora of broilers fed oxidized soybean oil. A total of 360 one-day-old healthy female Yellow-feathered broilers were randomly divided into four groups, fresh soybean oil group, soybean oil + puerarin (750 mg/kg) group, oxidized soybean oil group and oxidized soybean oil + puerarin (750 mg/kg) group,respectively, with six replicates in each group and 15 broilers in each replicate. The experiment lasted for 56 d. The results showed that compared with fresh soybean oil group, Shannon indexes was significantly increased on ileal microflora of 56-day-old broilers in oxidized soybean oil group (P<0.05), Sobs indexes on ileal microflora of 28-day-old broilers was reduced. There was a significant interaction between oxidized soybean oil + puerarin group on Sobs indexes and Chao1 indexes of ileal microflora of 56-day-old broilers (P<0.05). Compared with oxidized soybean oil group, Sobs indexes and Chaol indexes were significantly decreased of on ileal microflora of 56-day-old broilers in oxidized soybean oil + puerarin group (P<0.05). Compared with fresh soybean oil group, the abundance of Bacteroidetes, Synergistetes and Ruminococcaceae_UCG-014 on ileal microflora of 56-day-old broilers in oxidized soybean oil group were increased. The experiment indicates that puerarin can reduce number of specific OTUs on ileal microflora of broilers fed with oxidized soybean oil, alleviate imbalance of intestinal microbiota caused by feeding oxidized soybean oil.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of oxidized fish oil (OFO) on growth performance, intestinal health, and antioxidant function and to determine the minimum concentration of oxidized fish oil to cause irreversible damage to the intestinal tissue structure of zebrafish. A 30-day feeding trial on zebrafish (average weight 0.054 g) was conducted in triplicate groups of fish fed four test diets containing different concentrations of OFO: 0% OFO (OFF, blank control), 2% OFO (OF1), 4% OFO (OF2), and 6% OFO (OF3). The body weight gain (WG), specific growth rates (SGR), feed conversion ratio (FCR), survival rate (SR), and antioxidant function {glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX), total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD), catalase (CAT), and malondialdehyde (MDA)} were recorded. The intestinal structure was observed at the end of the trial. After the 14-day experimental period, Final body weight (FBW), WG, and SGR decreased significantly with the increase in the concentration of feed OFO (P < 0.05), while FCR showed a downward trend. The activity of T-SOD decreased significantly, the activities of GSH-PX and CAT, and the MDA content increased significantly with the increase in the concentration of feed OFO (P < 0.05). The intestinal morphological damage score showed an upward trend with the increase in the concentration of OFO, and it was significantly higher in group OF2 and OF3 than in group OF1 (P < 0.05). After the 28-day test period, the experimental indexes and intestinal antioxidant function trends were the same as those on 14 days. The increased OFO concentration significantly increased the intestinal morphological injury score (P < 0.05). These results demonstrated that adding 4% OFO to the feed for 14 days could induce irreversible damage to the intestinal tissue structure, weaken the antioxidant function, and decrease the growth performance of zebrafish.

研究旨在对崇仁麻鸡和余干乌骨鸡的产蛋性能、蛋品质、抗氧化能力和卵泡发育水平进行比较,为地方品种的育种和改良提供基础数据.试验选用240日龄体况良好的崇仁麻鸡和余干乌骨鸡各120只,各自分为6组,每组20只.饲喂相同的基础日粮,试验期为56d.在试验第28和56天对鸡只进行翅静脉采血,用于抗氧化能力和生殖激素的检测,试验结束时收集后3 d鸡蛋用于蛋品质检测,采集卵巢用于卵泡发育相关激素受体的检测.结果显示:①崇仁麻鸡的体重和平均日采食量显著高于余干乌骨鸡(P＜0.05).②崇仁麻鸡的蛋黄颜色和蛋壳黄度显著高于余干乌骨鸡(P＜0.05),但其蛋壳亮度显著低于余干乌骨鸡(P＜0.05).③崇仁麻鸡的过氧化氢酶(CAT)、谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶(GSH-Px)含量和总抗氧化能力(T-AOC)在试验第56天时显著高于余干乌骨鸡(P＜0.05),崇仁麻鸡血清超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)含量在试验第28天时显著低于余干乌骨鸡(P＜0.05),而在试验第56天时高于余干乌骨鸡(P＜0.05).④在试验第28天时,崇仁麻鸡的雌二醇(E2)含量显著低于余干乌骨鸡(P＜0.05),在试验第56天时,崇仁麻鸡促黄体素(LH)含量显著高于余干乌骨鸡(P＜0.05).⑤崇仁麻鸡的卵巢促性腺激素释放激素(GnRH1)的含量显著低于余干乌骨鸡(P＜0.05).结果表明,崇仁麻鸡在蛋品质和抗氧化性能上优势较为突出,余干乌骨鸡在料蛋比、生殖激素和卵泡发育相关激素受体表达上更具有优势.

A study was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary lentinan (LNT) on growth performance, nonspecific immunity and disease resistance to Aeromonas hydrophila in largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides). Largemouth bass (initial weight: 10.31 +/- 0.25 g) were divided into the CK, L1, L2, L3, L4 and L5 groups in triplicate and fed with diets containing LNT at 0%, 0.05%, 0.1%, 0.2%, 0.3% and 0.4% for eight weeks. Results showed that FBW, WGR, SGR and FE were significantly increased in the L3, L4 and L5 groups compared to the CK group. VSI, HSI, crude protein, crude fat and crude ash were similar among different treatment groups. Trypsin and lipase activities of intestinal tract were elevated in the L4 and L5 groups. The length of intestinal microvilli was increased in all experimental groups (P < 0.05). Lysozyme activity in serum and liver were elevated in the L3, L4 and L5 groups, SOD activity in serum and liver were elevated in the L1, L2, L3 and L4 groups, and CAT activity in serum and liver were elevated in the L4 group. Compared with the CK group, cytokine gene expressions of tnf-a and il1 beta in foregut of the L3, L4 and L5 groups were significantly down-regulated (P < 0.05), and the expression of il10 in the above three groups was significantly up-regulated (P < 0.05). After the Aeromonas hydrophila challenge test, survival rates were higher than 80% in the L4 group and lower than 40% in the CK group. In summary, our study suggested that LNT had a favorable effect on the overall health and growth of largemouth bass, and the optimal dietary concentration was 0.3%.

Egg-ceasing is a phenomenon that occurs in most avian species and significantly reduces productivity. Although several factors are reported to regulate the reproduction progress, the underlying molecular mechanism of egg-ceasing remains obscure. Herein, we identified and explored the differentially expressed miRNAs and mRNAs involved in ovarian atrophy via high throughput sequencing. We identified a total of 901 mRNAs and 50 miRNAs that were differentially expressed in egg-laying and atrophic ovaries. Among them, numerous differentially expressed gene (DEG) transcripts and target genes for miRNAs were significantly enriched in Gene Ontology terms such as reproductive processes, cell proliferation, and apoptosis pathways. In addition, an interaction network was constructed by considering target relationships and correlation of the expression levels between ovary development-related genes, miRNAs and pathways. We discovered mRNA and miRNAs transcripts that are candidate regulators of ovary development in egg-ceased geese. Our findings expanded our understanding of the functional of miRNAs in ovarian atrophy and demonstrated that RNA-Seq is a powerful tool for examining the molecular mechanism in regulating egg-ceasing.

In this study, the effect of choline chloride on intestinal microbiota and its association with the liver lipid accumulation were tested in zebrafish (Danio rerio) as a model. We performed a trial for six weeks on zebrafish dietary with high-lipid diets containing different choline chloride levels (0%, 0.2%, 0.4% and 0.6%; labelled as C0, C2, C4 and C6 treatment, respectively). The liver samples were collected for oil red O (ORO) staining at the 2nd, 4th and 6th week. The liver fatty infiltration were formed at the 2nd week and reached maximum proportion in C0 treatment at the 6th week, while the lowest proportion was present in C6 treatment. Highthroughput sequencing was performed to characterise intestinal microbiota of fish fed C0 and C6 choline chloride. In comparison with C0 treatment, the relative abundances of Sphingomonas, Phyllobacterium and Bacteroides were increased in C6 treatment. Bacterial genes predicted that the flora of fish in C6 treatment was mainly concentrated in lipid metabolism, amino acid metabolism, xenobiotics biodegradation and metabolism. Thereafter, the gut microbiota of C0 or C6 treatment was transferred to germ-free (GF) 3 dpf (days post fertilisation) zebrafish and fed with high-lipid diet without choline. ORO revealed that the intestinal microbiota was contributed to reduce the liver lipid accumulation of fish accepted bacteria of C6 treatment (GFTC6). Transcriptome analysis showed that differentially expressed genes were mainly involved in dephosphorylation, lipid transport, lipid localisation and lipoprotein metabolic process in GFTC6 treatment. Our findings suggested a probable association between composition changes of intestinal microflora and liver fat accumulation in fish dietary with choline chloride.

Artemisia argyi and Houttuynia cordata Thunb are common herbs in most regions of China. In order to test their composite effect as additives on fish, the effects of their extracts mixture on growth performance, antioxidant activity, serum and hepatic lipid levels, and gut bacteria in juvenile grass carp were evaluated. 180 fish were divided into 9 tanks with 3 replicate tanks per treatment, and fed with a control diet (A0) or one of two treatment diets containing 500 (A1) or 1000 mg/kg (A2) mixture of extracts, with equal mass of A. argyi and H. cordata, for 8 weeks. Water flow rate was 8.0 L/min, and water quality parameters were in normal range. At the end of feeding trial, fish weight gain, feed conversion ratio, and survival rate showed no difference among all groups. Significantly higher catalase (CAT) activity and lower malondialdehyde (MDA) content were observed in A1 and A2 groups. Serum triglyceride content was much lower in the A1 group and total cholesterol was lower in experimental groups compared with the control group. Transmission electron microscopy showed that the hepatic lipid droplets were smaller in the experimental groups. High-throughput sequencing identified 10 predominant phyla from gut samples, and Fusobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Proteobacteria were the most dominant groups. Compared with the control group, in A1 group operational taxonomic unit (OTU) number, species richness (Chao1, and ACE), and & alpha; diversity (Shannon index) were higher, and gut bacteria composition was altered in A1 and A2 groups at phylum and genus levels. These results indicated that the extracts mixture of A. argyi and H. cordata can increase antioxidant activity, lower serum and hepatic lipid levels, and improve gut bacteria composition, which can be used as a green additive for grass carp.

为研究莲鱼复合种养生态系统中的浮游植物群落特征,及该养殖模式的经济和生态效益,2019年春季至秋季,对江西井冈山地区莲鱼种养、莲单种和鱼单养3种种养模式的水质及浮游生物开展了季节调查,结合当地生产经营,分析了不同种养模式的经济效益及生态足迹.研究表明,(1)共鉴定出浮游植物7门103种,其中绿藻56种,蓝藻21种,硅藻16种,裸藻3种,隐藻4种,金藻2种,黄藻1种.复合种养模式水体的水质均处于轻污染-无污染状态,优于单种和单养模式,且优势种存在季节性差异.(2)冗余分析表明,水温和溶解氧是影响莲鱼复合种养生态系统浮游植物群落结构的关键环境因子,总磷(鱼单养模式的主要影响因子)和硝酸氮(莲单养模式的主要影响因子)并不是影响该复合种养模式中浮游植物群落的主要环境因子.(3)莲鱼复合种养经济效益为25200元/公顷,介于鱼单养和莲单种模式之间,但其产生每万元利润的生态足迹最低,为4.48 hm,是鱼单养模式的80.9％,莲单种的33.2％.江西井冈山地区的莲鱼复合种养模式是一种高效益、低生态负荷的综合种养模式,适宜在当地大面积推广.

As a functional feed additive, yeast cultures are rich in nucleotides, and adding extra nuclease can significantly increase the content of nucleotides in yeast culture. In this experiment, the effects on growth, epidermal mucus, liver and intestinal health of zebrafish were evaluated by supplementing the yeast culture or nuclease-treated yeast culture with a high-fat diet (HFD). One-month-old zebrafish were fed four diets: normal diet (NORM), HFD, yeast culture diet (YC), and nuclease-treated yeast culture diet (YC (N)) for three weeks. Results showed that the complement 4 activity of the epidermal mucus in YC (N) group was significantly higher than those in HFD and YC groups (P < 0.05). The YC and YC (N) significantly reduced the content of hepatic triglyceride caused by HFD (P < 0.05). Moreover, compared with the YC group, the YC (N) significantly increased the expression of lipolysis genes, such as PPARα, PGC1α, ACOX3 (P < 0.05). Compared with the YC group, the YC (N) group significantly increased the expression of liver pro-inflammatory factors TNFα, IL-6, IL-1β and anti-inflammatory factors TGFβ, IL-10 (P < 0.05). The diet YC and YC (N) significantly improved the height of the intestinal villus (P < 0.05). Compared with the HFD group, the YC (N) group significantly increased the expression of intestinal pro-inflammatory factors TNFα, IL-6 and anti-inflammatory factors TGFβ, IL-10 (P < 0.05). The YC (N) group significantly decreased the abundance of intestinal Proteobacteria and Acinetobacter, and increased the abundance of intestinal Actinobacteria, Mycobacterium and Rhodobacter (P < 0.05). In conclusion, compared with the supplement of yeast culture, nuclease treated yeast culture can further alleviate the adverse effects of HFD on liver and intestinal health, and be used as feed additives for the nutritional and immune regulation of fish.

中华鳖是我国水产养殖中经济价值较高的品种之一.近年来,随着中华鳖养殖业集约化发展,病害愈发频繁并造成严重损失.中草药是我国传统医学的瑰宝,具有来源广泛、天然无毒副作用、安全性高等特点,在水产养殖业中具有广泛的应用前景.本文就中华鳖的养殖现状和病害的研究进展,以及中草药对中华鳖病害防治及其作用机理,调节免疫机能等方面的作用进行综述,以期为中草药在中华鳖病害防治上的应用提供参考.

仔猪腹泻是生猪养殖过程中的常见问题,制约着生猪养殖产业的健康发展.绿原酸是植物中含量丰富的一种天然多酚,其可以通过调节肠道健康来降低仔猪腹泻率.本文对仔猪腹泻出现的原因及绿原酸改善仔猪腹泻的机理进行综述,以期为绿原酸在仔猪生产中的科学应用提供理论参考.

Defensins represent a family of cysteine-rich peptides that have broad-spectrum antimicrobial activities and serve as a typical kind of effector molecule in the immunity. Ruminant species have a large number of beta-defensins in the absence of alpha- and theta-defensins. It is well-known that the genomes of sheep and cattle harbor at least 43 and 57 beta-defensin genes, respectively. However, the repertoire of the goat beta-defensin gene family has not been fully elucidated. In this study, we identified a total of 50 beta-defensins from the goat genome, including 48 functional genes and 2 pseudogenes. Cross-species genomic and evolutionary analyses showed that all of the beta-defensins in goat chromosomes 8, 13 and 23 present one-to-one orthologous relationships to their sheep and cattle counterparts, whereas some beta-defensin genes in goat chromosome 27 are goat-specific. Moreover, we observed that some duplicated genes in goat chromosome 27 may be derived from gene copy number variation, and the annotation of sheep and cattle beta-defensins appears to be incomplete in the genome. Importantly, real-time PCR analysis showed that 17 beta-defensins are expressed in the small intestine with abundant cBD1s expression. These findings significant increased our knowledge of ruminant beta-defensin and provided useful information for genetic studies, as well as providing a foundation for future research exploring the role of defensins in the immune response.

Defensins represent a family of cysteine-rich peptides that have broad-spectrum antimicrobial activities and serve as a typical kind of effector molecule in the immunity. Ruminant species have a large number of β-defensins in the absence of α- and θ-defensins. It is well-known that the genomes of sheep and cattle harbor at least 43 and 57 β-defensin genes, respectively. However, the repertoire of the goat β-defensin gene family has not been fully elucidated. In this study, we identified a total of 50 β-defensins from the goat genome, including 48 functional genes and 2 pseudogenes. Cross-species genomic and evolutionary analyses showed that all of the β-defensins in goat chromosomes 8, 13 and 23 present one-to-one orthologous relationships to their sheep and cattle counterparts, whereas some β-defensin genes in goat chromosome 27 are goat-specific. Moreover, we observed that some duplicated genes in goat chromosome 27 may be derived from gene copy number variation, and the annotation of sheep and cattle β-defensins appears to be incomplete in the genome. Importantly, real-time PCR analysis showed that 17 β-defensins are expressed in the small intestine with abundant cBD1s expression. These findings significant increased our knowledge of ruminant β-defensin and provided useful information for genetic studies, as well as providing a foundation for future research exploring the role of defensins in the immune response.