Effects of emulsifiers on lipid metabolism and performance of yellow-feathered broilers.

BACKGROUND: Reducing production costs while producing high-quality livestock and poultry products is an ongoing concern in the livestock industry. The addition of oil to livestock and poultry diets can enhance feed palatability and improve growth performance. Emulsifiers can be used as potential feed supplements to improve dietary energy utilization and maintain the efficient productivity of broilers. Therefore, further investigation is warranted to evaluate whether dietary emulsifier supplementation can improve the efficiency of fat utilization in the diet of yellow-feathered broilers. In the present study, the effects of adding emulsifier to the diet on lipid metabolism and the performance of yellow-feathered broilers were tested. A total of 240 yellow-feasted broilers (21-day-old) were randomly divided into 4 groups (6 replicates per group, 10 broilers per replicate, half male and half female within each replicate). The groups were as follows: the control group (fed with basal diet), the group fed with basal diet supplemented with 500 mg/kg emulsifier, the group fed with a reduced oil diet (reduced by 1%) supplemented with 500 mg/kg emulsifier, and the group fed with a reduced oil diet supplemented with 500 mg/kg emulsifier. The trial lasted for 42 days, during which the average daily feed intake, average daily gain, and feed-to-gain ratio were measured. Additionally, the expression levels of lipid metabolism-related genes in the liver, abdominal fat and each intestinal segment were assessed. RESULTS: The results showed that compared with the basal diet group, (1) The average daily gain of the basal diet + 500 mg/kg emulsifier group significantly increased (P < 0.05), and the half-even-chamber rate was significantly increased (P < 0.05); (2) The mRNA expression levels of Cd36, Dgat2, Apob, Fatp4, Fabp2, and Mttp in the small intestine were significantly increased (P < 0.05). (3) Furthermore, liver TG content significantly decreased (P < 0.05), and the mRNA expression level of Fasn in liver was significantly decreased (P < 0.05), while the expression of Apob, Lpl, Cpt-1, and Pparα significantly increased (P < 0.05). (4) The mRNA expression levels of Lpl and Fatp4 in adipose tissue were significantly increased (P < 0.05), while the expression of Atgl was significantly decreased (P < 0.05). (5) Compared with the reduced oil diet group, the half-evading rate and abdominal fat rate of broilers in the reduced oil diet + 500 mg/kg emulsifier group were significantly increased (P < 0.05), and the serum level of LDL-C increased significantly (P < 0.05)0.6) The mRNA expression levels of Cd36, Fatp4, Dgat2, Apob, and Mttp in the small intestine were significantly increased (P < 0.05). 7) The mRNA expression levels of Fasn and Acc were significantly decreased in the liver (P < 0.05), while the mRNA expression levels of Lpin1, Dgat2, Apob, Lpl, Cpt-1, and Pparα were significantly increased (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that dietary emulsifier can enhance the fat utilization efficiency of broilers by increasing the small intestinal fatty acid uptake capacity, inhibiting hepatic fatty acid synthesis and promoting hepatic TG synthesis and transport capacity. This study provides valuable insights for the potential use of emulsifier supplementation to improve the performance of broiler chickens.

Organic Trace Elements Improve the Eggshell Quality via Eggshell Formation Regulation during the Late Phase of the Laying Cycle.

The quality of eggshells is critical to the egg production industry. The addition of trace elements has been shown to be involved in eggshell formation. Organic trace elements have been found to have higher biological availability than inorganic trace elements. However, the effects of organic trace elements additive doses on eggshell quality during the laying period of commercial laying hens required further investigation. This experiment aims to explore the potential mechanisms of different doses of organic trace elements replacing inorganic elements to remodel the eggshell quality of egg-laying hens during the laying period. A total of 360 healthy hens (Lohmann Pink, 45-week-old) were randomly divided into four treatments, with six replications per treatment and 15 birds per replication. The dietary treatments included a basal diet supplemented with inorganic iron, copper, zinc and manganese at commercial levels (CON), a basal diet supplemented with organic iron, copper, zinc and manganese at 20% commercial levels (LOT), a basal diet supplemented with organic iron, copper, zinc and manganese at 30% commercial levels (MOT), and a basal diet supplemented with organic iron, copper, zinc and manganese at 40% commercial levels (HOT). The trial lasted for 8 weeks. The results of the experiment showed that the replacement of organic trace elements did not significantly affect the production performance of laying hens (p > 0.05). Compared with inorganic trace elements, the MOT and HOT groups improved the structure of the eggshells, enhanced the hardness and thickness of the eggshells, increased the Haugh unit of the eggs, reduced the proportion of the mammillary layer in the eggshell, and increased the proportion of the palisade layer (p < 0.05). In addition, the MOT and HOT groups also increased the enzyme activity related to carbonate transport in the blood, the expression of uterine shell gland-related genes (CA2, OC116, and OCX32), and the calcium and phosphorus content in the eggshells (p < 0.05). We also found that the MOT group effectively reduced element discharge in the feces and enhanced the transportation of iron (p < 0.05). In conclusion, dietary supplementation with 30-40% organic micronutrients were able to improve eggshell quality in aged laying hens by modulating the activity of serum carbonate transport-related enzymes and the expression of eggshell deposition-related genes.

The Effects of Optimal Dietary Vitamin D3 on Growth and Carcass Performance, Tibia Traits, Meat Quality, and Intestinal Morphology of Chinese Yellow-Feathered Broiler Chickens.

This study aimed to assess the effects of different dietary vitamin D3 (VD3) levels on growth and carcass performance, tibia traits, meat quality, and intestinal morphology of yellow-feathered broilers. One-day-old broilers (n = 1440) were assigned into four treatment groups with six replicates per group, and each replicate contained 60 chicks. Dietary VD3 significantly improved the growth performance and carcass traits of broilers, and only low-dose VD3 supplementation decreased the abdominal fat percentage. High-dose VD3 supplementation improved intestinal morphology in the finisher stage, while the b* value of breast muscle meat color decreased markedly under VD3 supplementation (p < 0.05). Serum Ca and P levels and the tibia composition correlated positively with dietary VD3 supplementation at the early growth stage. The weight, length, and ash contents of the tibia increased linearly with increasing dietary VD3, with maximum values achieved in the high-dose group at all three stages. Intestinal 16S rRNA sequencing and liver transcriptome analysis showed that dietary VD3 might represent an effective treatment in poultry production by regulating lipid and immune-related metabolism in the gut-liver axis, which promotes the metabolism through the absorption of calcium and phosphorus in the intestine and improves their protective humoral immunity and reduces infection mortality. Dietary VD3 positively affected the growth-immunity and bone development of broilers during the early stage, suggesting strategies to optimize poultry feeding.

Covalent organic framework isomers with divergent photocatalytic properties.

A pair of isomeric Py-BT-COFs with the same composition, but slightly different atomic arrangements, were designed and synthesized. The minute structural variations of the Py-BT-COF isomers generated significantly different redox and photophysical properties and correspondingly led to different photocatalytic manifestations in H2 evolution and rhodamine B degradation.

Extracellular Vesicles: A Crucial Player in the Intestinal Microenvironment and Beyond.

The intestinal ecological environment plays a crucial role in nutrient absorption and overall well-being. In recent years, research has focused on the effects of extracellular vesicles (EVs) in both physiological and pathological conditions of the intestine. The intestine does not only consume EVs from exogenous foods, but also those from other endogenous tissues and cells, and even from the gut microbiota. The alteration of conditions in the intestine and the intestinal microbiota subsequently gives rise to changes in other organs and systems, including the central nervous system (CNS), namely the microbiome-gut-brain axis, which also exhibits a significant involvement of EVs. This review first gives an overview of the generation and isolation techniques of EVs, and then mainly focuses on elucidating the functions of EVs derived from various origins on the intestine and the intestinal microenvironment, as well as the impacts of an altered intestinal microenvironment on other physiological systems. Lastly, we discuss the role of microbial and cellular EVs in the microbiome-gut-brain axis. This review enhances the understanding of the specific roles of EVs in the gut microenvironment and the central nervous system, thereby promoting more effective treatment strategies for certain associated diseases.

Integrated meta-omics reveals the regulatory landscape involved in lipid metabolism between pig breeds.

BACKGROUND: Domesticated pigs serve as an ideal animal model for biomedical research and also provide the majority of meat for human consumption in China. Porcine intramuscular fat content associates with human health and diseases and is essential in pork quality. The molecular mechanisms controlling lipid metabolism and intramuscular fat accretion across tissues in pigs, and how these changes in response to pig breeds, remain largely unknown. RESULTS: We surveyed the tissue-resident cell types of the porcine jejunum, colon, liver, and longissimus dorsi muscle between Lantang and Landrace breeds by single-cell RNA sequencing. Combining lipidomics and metagenomics approaches, we also characterized gene signatures and determined key discriminating markers of lipid digestibility, absorption, conversion, and deposition across tissues in two pig breeds. In Landrace, lean-meat swine mainly exhibited breed-specific advantages in lipid absorption and oxidation for energy supply in small and large intestinal epitheliums, nascent high-density lipoprotein synthesis for reverse cholesterol transport in enterocytes and hepatocytes, bile acid formation, and secretion for fat emulsification in hepatocytes, as well as intestinal-microbiota gene expression involved in lipid accumulation product. In Lantang, obese-meat swine showed a higher synthesis capacity of chylomicrons responsible for high serum triacylglycerol levels in small intestinal epitheliums, the predominant characteristics of lipid absorption in muscle tissue, and greater intramuscular adipcytogenesis potentials from muscular fibro-adipogenic progenitor subpopulation. CONCLUSIONS: The findings enhanced our understanding of the cellular biology of lipid metabolism and opened new avenues to improve animal production and human diseases. Video Abstract.

Oral delivery of miR-146a-5p overexpression plasmid-loaded Pickering double emulsion modulates intestinal inflammation and the gut microbe.

The function of miRNAs in intestinal inflammatory injury regulation has been studied extensively. However, the targeted delivery of these functional nucleic acid molecules to specific organs through encapsulation carriers and exerting their functional effects remain critical challenges for further research. Here, we constructed miR-146a-5p overexpression plasmid and validated the anti-inflammatory properties in the cell model. Then, the plasmid was encapsulated by the Pickering double emulsion system to investigate the role of Pickering double emulsion system in LPS-induced acute intestinal inflammatory injury. The results showed that the Pickering double emulsion system could effectively protect the integrity of plasmids in the intestinal tract, alleviate intestinal inflammatory injury, and upregulate the relative abundance of Lactobacillus reuteri. Mechanically, in vivo and in vitro experiments have shown that miR-146a-5p inhibits TLR4/NF-κB pathway to alleviate intestinal inflammation. In addition, miR-146a-5p can also regulate intestinal homeostasis by targeting the RNA polymerase sigma factor RpoD and α-galactosidase A, thereby affecting the growth of Lactobacillus reuteri. Above all, this study reveals a potential mechanism for miR-146a-5p to treat intestinal inflammation and provides a new delivery strategy for miRNAs to regulate intestinal homeostasis.

Effects of Spinach Extract and Licorice Extract on Growth Performance, Antioxidant Capacity, and Gut Microbiota in Weaned Piglets.

Anemia and weaning stress are important factors affecting piglet growth performance. Spinach extract and licorice extract have been used to improve anemia and antioxidant capacity, respectively. However, whether they have synergistic effects has not been reported. To evaluate the effects of mixed spinach extract and licorice extract on growth performance, serum biochemistry, antioxidant capacity, and gut microbiota in weaned piglets, a total of 160 weaned piglets were randomly allotted to four treatments with four replications of 10 piglets each. The four treatments were as follows: control (CON) group (basal diet), spinach extract (SE) group (basal diet + 1.5 kg/t spinach extract), licorice extract (LE) group (basal diet + 400 g/t licorice extract), and spinach extract and licorice extract (MIX) group (basal diet + 1.5 kg/t spinach extract + 400 g/t licorice extract). The results showed that, compared with the CON group, diets supplemented with spinach extract and licorice extract significantly increased the average daily gain (p < 0.05), while considerably reducing the feed-to-gain ratio (p < 0.05). Moreover, the MIX group exhibited a significant up-regulation of serum total protein, globulin, albumin, glucose, and triglyceride levels in comparison to the CON group (p < 0.05). Meanwhile, both the anemia and antioxidant capacity of piglets were effectively improved. Notably, the MIX group achieved even better results than the individual supplementation in terms of enhancing growth performance, which could potentially be attributed to the increased abundance of the Rikenellaceae_RC9_gut_group. These results demonstrated that the supplementation of diets with spinach extract and licorice extract improves the absorption of nutrients from the diet and antioxidant capacity in weaned piglets.

Microemulsion-Assisted Self-Assembly of Indium Porphyrin Photosensitizers with Enhanced Photodynamic Therapy.

Designing and constructing supramolecular photosensitizer nanosystems with highly efficient photodynamic therapy (PDT) is vital in the nanomedical field. Despite recent advances in forming well-defined superstructures, the relationship between molecular arrangement in nanostructures and photodynamic properties has rarely been involved, which is crucial for developing stable photosensitizers for highly efficient PDT. In this work, through a microemulsion-assisted self-assembly approach, indium porphyrin (InTPP) was used to fabricate a series of morphology-controlled self-assemblies, including nanorods, nanospheres, nanoplates, and nanoparticles. They possessed structure-dependent 1O2 generation efficiency. Compared with the other three nanostructures, InTPP nanorods featuring strong π-π stacking, J-aggregation, and high crystallinity proved to be much more efficient at singlet oxygen (1O2) production. Also, theoretical modeling and photophysical experiments verified that the intermolecular π-π stacking in the nanorods could cause a decreased singlet-triplet energy gap (ΔEST) compared with the monomer. This played a key role in enhancing intersystem crossing and facilitating 1O2 generation. Both in vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrated that the InTPP nanorods could trigger cell apoptosis and tumor ablation upon laser irradiation (635 nm, 0.1 W/cm2) and exhibited negligible dark toxicity and high phototoxicity. Thus, the supramolecular self-assembly strategy provides an avenue for designing high-performance photosensitizer nanosystems for photodynamic therapy and beyond.

Synergism of fermented feed and ginseng polysaccharide on growth performance, intestinal development, and immunity of Xuefeng black-bone chickens.

Microbial fermented feed (MF) is considered a valuable strategy to bring advantages to livestock and is widely practiced. Oral supplementation of Ginseng polysaccharide (Gps) eliminated weight loss in chickens following vaccination. This study investigated the effects of the combined use of Gps and MF on growth performance and immune indices in Xuefeng black-bone chickens. A total of 400 Xuefeng black-bone chickens at the age of 1 day were randomly assigned to four groups. Normal feed group (Control group), ginseng polysaccharide (200 mg/kg) group (Gps group), microbially fermented feed (completely replace the normal feed) group (MF group), and microbially fermented feed and add ginseng polysaccharide just before use (MF + Gps group). Each group contained 5 pens per treatment and 20 birds per pen. The body weight and average daily gain in the Gps, MF, and MF + Gps groups increased significantly (P < 0.01), while the feed conversion ratio decreased significantly (P < 0.01). The combined use of MF and Gps showed a synergistic effect. There was no significant difference in villus height (cecal) between the experimental group and the Con group. The crypt depth of the three experimental groups exhibited a significantly lower value compared to the Control group (P < 0.05). The V/C ratio of the Gps group and MF + Gps was significantly increased (P < 0.05), but there was no significant difference in the MF group. Moreover, the diarrhea rate of the Gps and the MF + Gps groups was lower than that of the Con group, while that of the MF + Gps group decreased the mortality rate (P < 0.05). The serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin 6 (IL-6) levels in the MF, Gps, and MF + Gps groups decreased significantly (P < 0.01), the serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) levels increased significantly (P < 0.01), while the combination of MF and Gps had a synergistic effect. The combined use of Gps and MF not only further improved growth performance and immune parameters, but also reduced the diarrhea rate and mortality.

A novel protein encoded by circKANSL1L regulates skeletal myogenesis via the Akt-FoxO3 signaling axis.

Skeletal muscle is one the largest organs of the body and is involved in animal production and human health. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been implicated in skeletal myogenesis through largely unknown mechanisms. Herein, we report the phenotypic and metabolomic analysis of porcine longissimus dorsi muscles in Lantang and Landrace piglets, revealing a high-content of slow-oxidative fibers responsible for high-quality meat product in Lantang piglets. Using single-cell transcriptomics, we identified four myogenesis-related cell types, and the Akt-FoxO3 signaling axis was the most significantly enriched pathway in each subpopulation in the different pig breeds, as well as in fast-twitch glycolytic fibers. Using the multi-dimensional bioinformatic tools of circRNAome-seq and Ribo-seq, we identified a novel circRNA, circKANSL1L, with a protein-coding ability in porcine muscles, whose expression level correlated with myoblast proliferation and differentiation in vitro, as well as the transformation between distinct mature myofibers in vivo. The protein product of circKANSL1L could interact with Akt to decrease the phosphorylation level of FoxO3, which subsequently promoted FoxO3 transcriptional activity to regulate skeletal myogenesis. Our results established the existence of a protein encoded by circKANSL1L and demonstrated its potential functions in myogenesis.

Effects of fermented herbal tea residue on meat quality, rumen fermentation parameters and microbes of black goats.

Herbal tea residue (HTR) is generally considered to be a reusable resource which has still retains considerable proportion of nutrients and active substances. This study aimed to investigate the effects of substitution of whole corn silage with fermented herbal tea residue (FHTR) on meat quality, serum indices, rumen fermentation, and microbes in Chuanzhong black goats. Twenty-two female Chuanzhong black goats (4 months old) with similar weight (9.55 ± 0.95 kg) were selected and randomly divided into two groups. FHTR was used to replace 0% (CON group) and 30% (FHTR group) of whole corn silage in the diets and fed as a total mixed ration (TMR) for Chuanzhong black goats. The adaptation feeding period was 7 days, and the experimental period was 35 days. Results illustrated that the FHTR group had higher value of a* and concentrations of DM and CP and lower rate of water loss (P < 0.05) than the CON group. For the serum indices, goats fed with 30% FHTR had higher (P < 0.05) concentration of CR on day 35. For rumen fermentation, the pH and ratio of acetic acid/propionic acid (AA/PA) in the FHTR group were significantly lower than those in the CON group (P < 0.05). In addition, we studied the goats's rumen microbial community composition and found that the dominant phyla were Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes,and Tenericutes; and the dominant genera were Quinella, Candidatus_Saccharimonas, and Saccharofermentans. There was a significant difference in the beta diversity of the rumen microbiota between groups (P < 0.05). To sum up, the addition of FHTR can affect the meat quality, serum indices, improved rumen fermentation by adjusted the diversity and function of the rumen microbiota.

The difference of intestinal microbiota composition between Lantang and Landrace newborn piglets.

BACKGROUND: The early development of intestinal microbiota plays a fundamental role in host health and development. To investigate the difference in the intestinal microbial composition between Lantang and Landrace newborn piglets, we amplified and sequenced the V3-V4 region of 16 S rRNA gene in jejunal microbiota of Lantang and landrace newborn. RESULTS: The findings revealed that the dominant phyla in the jejunum of Lantang piglets were Firmicutes, Actinobacteria and Bacteroidetes, while the dominant phyla of Landrace is Proteobacteria and Fusobacteria. Specifically, Corynebacterium_1, Lactobacillus, Rothia, Granulicatella, Corynebacteriales_unclassified, Corynebacterium, Globicatella and Actinomycetales_unclassified were found to be the dominant genera of Lantang group, while Clostridium_sensu_stricto_1, Escherichia-Shigella, Actinobacillus and Bifidobacterium were the dominant genera of Landrace. Based on the functional prediction of bacteria, we found that bacterial communities from Lantang samples had a significantly greater abundance pathways of fatty acid synthesis, protein synthesis, DNA replication, recombination, repair and material transport across membranes, while the carrier protein of pathogenic bacteria was more abundant in Landrace samples. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, there was a tremendous difference in the early intestinal flora composition between Landang and Landrace piglets, which was related to the breed characteristics and may be one of the reasons affecting the growth characteristics. However, more further extensive studies should be included to reveal the underlying relationship between early intestinal flora composition in different breeds and pig growth characteristics.

The Characteristic Function of Blood-Derived Exosomes and Exosomal circRNAs Isolated from Dairy Cattle during the Dry Period and Mid-Lactation.

Exosomes are key mediators of intercellular communication. They are secreted by most cells and contain a cargo of protein-coding genes, long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), and circular RNAs (circRNAs), which modulate recipient cell behavior. Herein, we collected blood samples from Holstein cows at days 30 (mid-lactation) and 250 (dry period) of pregnancy. Prolactin, follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, estrogen, and progesterone levels showed an obvious increase during D250. We then extracted exosomes from bovine blood samples and found that their sizes generally ranged from 100 to 200 nm. Further, Western blotting validated that they contained CD9, CD63, and TSG101, but not calnexin. Blood-derived exosomes significantly promoted the proliferation of mammary epithelial cells, particularly from D250. This change was accompanied by increased expression levels of proliferation marker proteins PCNA, cyclin D, and cyclin E, as detected by EdU assay, cell counting kit-8 assay, and flow cytometric cell cycle analysis. Moreover, we treated mammary epithelial cells with blood-derived exosomes that were isolated from the D30 and D250 periods. And RNA-seq of two groups of cells led to the identification of 839 differentially expressed genes that were significantly enriched in KEGG signaling pathways associated with apoptosis, cell cycle and proliferation. In bovine blood-derived exosomes, we found 12,747 protein-coding genes, 31,181 lncRNAs, 9374 transcripts of uncertain coding potential (TUCP) candidates, and 460 circRNAs, and 32 protein-coding genes, 806 lncRNAs, 515 TUCP candidates, and 45 circRNAs that were differentially expressed between the D30 and D250 groups. We selected six highly expressed and four differentially expressed circRNAs to verify their head-to-tail splicing using PCR and Sanger sequencing. To summarize, our findings improve our understanding of the key roles of blood-derived exosomes and the characterization of exosomal circRNAs in mammary gland development.

MiR-143 Targets SYK to Regulate NEFA Uptake and Contribute to Thermogenesis in Male Mice.

Excessive energy intake is the main cause of obesity, and stimulation of brown adipose tissue (BAT) and white adipose tissue (WAT) thermogenesis has emerged as an attractive tool for antiobesity. Although miR-143 has been reported to be associated with BAT thermogenesis, its role remains unclear. Here, we found that miR-143 had highest expression in adipose tissue, especially in BAT. During short-term cold exposure or CL316,243 was injected, miR-143 was markedly downregulated in BAT and subcutaneous WAT (scWAT). Moreover, knockout (KO) of miR-143 increases the body temperature of mice upon cold exposure, which may be due to the increased thermogenesis of BAT and scWAT. More importantly, supplementation of miR-143 in BAT of KO mice can inhibit the increase in body temperature in KO mice. Mechanistically, spleen tyrosine kinase was revealed for the first time as a new target of miR-143, and deletion of miR-143 facilitates fatty acid uptake in BAT. In addition, we found that brown adipocytes can promote fat mobilization of white adipocytes, and miR-143 may participate in this process. Meanwhile, we demonstrate that inactivation of adenylate cyclase 9 (AC9) in BAT inhibits thermogenesis through AC9-PKA-AMPK-CREB-UCP1 signaling pathway. Overall, our results reveal a novel function of miR-143 on thermogenesis, and a new functional link of the BAT and WAT.

New Signaling Kid on the Block in the Endocrine System: The Role of Extracellular Vesicles.

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the role of extracellular vesicles (EVs) in both normal and pathological physiology. These natural nanoparticles are now recognized as a novel mechanism for intercellular communication, allowing cells to exchange biologically active molecules such as microRNAs (miRNAs). As is well acknowledged, the endocrine system regulates bodily operations through the emission of various hormones. The discovery of EVs took place approximately 80 years after that of hormones; circulating EVs have attracted considerable interest and are expected to be a frontier in the endocrine system. Interestingly, the interplay between hormones and EVs is a complex phenomenon that involves both synergistic and antagonistic effects. Moreover, EVs facilitate communication between endocrine cells and contain miRNAs that may serve as valuable biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis. This review aims to provide an overview of current research on physiological and pathological secretion of EVs from endocrine organs or tissues. Additionally, we examine the essential relationship between hormones and EVs in the endocrine system.

Recent Progress in Porphyrin/g-C3N4 Composite Photocatalysts for Solar Energy Utilization and Conversion.

Transforming solar energy into chemical bonds is a promising and viable way to store solar energy. Porphyrins are natural light-capturing antennas, and graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) is an effective, artificially synthesized organic semiconductor. Their excellent complementarity has led to a growing number of research papers on porphyrin/g-C3N4 hybrids for solar energy utilization. This review highlights the recent progress in porphyrin/g-C3N4 composites, including: (1) porphyrin molecules/g-C3N4 composite photocatalysts connected via noncovalent or covalent interactions, and (2) porphyrin-based nanomaterials/g-C3N4 composite photocatalysts, such as porphyrin-based MOF/g-C3N4, porphyrin-based COF/g-C3N4, and porphyrin-based assembly/g-C3N4 heterojunction nanostructures. Additionally, the review discusses the versatile applications of these composites, including artificial photosynthesis for hydrogen evolution, CO2 reduction, and pollutant degradation. Lastly, critical summaries and perspectives on the challenges and future directions in this field are also provided.

Effect of miR-493-5p on proliferation and differentiation of myoblast by targeting ANKRD17.

The hypertrophy and conversion of postnatal muscle fibers largely determine the yield and quality of meat, which is closely related to the economic value of pigs. MicroRNA (miRNA), as a kind of endogenous noncoding RNA molecule, is widely involved in myogenesis of livestock and poultry. The longissimus dorsi tissues of Lantang pigs at 1 and 90 days (LT1D and LT90D) were collected and profiled by miRNA-seq. We found 1871 and 1729 miRNA candidates in LT1D and LT90D samples, and 794 miRNAs were shared. We identified 16 differentially expressed miRNAs between two tested groups and explored the function of miR-493-5p inmyogenesis. The miR-493-5p promoted the proliferation and inhibited the differentiation of myoblasts. Using GO and KEGG analyses of 164 target genes of miR-493-5p, we found that ATP2A2, PPP3CA, KLF15, MED28, and ANKRD17 genes were related to muscle development. RT-qPCR detection showed that the expression level of ANKRD17 was highly expressed in LT1D libraries, and the double luciferase report test preliminarily proved that miR-493-5p and ANKRD17 have a directly targeting relationship. We established miRNA profiles for the longissimus dorsi tissues of 1-day-old and 90-day-old Lantang pigs and found that miR-493-5p was differentially expressed and associated with myogenesis by targeting ANKRD17 gene. Our results should serve as a reference for future studies on pork quality.

Narrow and Stripe Leaf 2 Regulates Leaf Width by Modulating Cell Cycle Progression in Rice.

BACKGROUND: Leaf morphology is an important component of the idea plant architecture that extensively influences photosynthesis, transpiration, and ultimately grain yield in crops. However, the genetic and molecular mechanisms regulating this morphology remain largely unclear. RESULTS: In this study, a mutant showing a narrow and stripe leaf phonotype, designated nsl2, was obtained. Histological analysis revealed defects in the vascular system and reduced epidermal cell number in the nsl2, while the cell size remained unchanged. Map-based cloning and genetic complementation experiments revealed that NSL2, which encodes a small subunit of ribonucleotide reductases (RNRs), is a null allelic with ST1 and SDL. The NSL2 was expressed in variety of tissues, with the highest levels detected in leaves, and its protein was localized in the nucleus and cytoplasm. The dNTPs level was altered in the nsl2 mutant, and thereby affecting the dNTPs pool balance. In addition, flow cytometric analysis and the altered transcript level of genes related to cell cycle indicated that NSL2 affects cell cycle progression. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings here suggest that NSL2 function in the synthesis of dNTP, the deficient of which leads to DNA synthesis block and in turn affects cell cycle progression, and ultimately decreased cell number and narrow leaf in the nsl2 plant.

miRNAs derived from milk small extracellular vesicles inhibit porcine epidemic diarrhea virus infection.

Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV), a member of the genus Alphacoronavirus in the family Coronaviridae, causes acute diarrhea and/or vomiting, dehydration, and high mortality in neonatal piglets. It has caused huge economic losses to animal husbandry worldwide. Current commercial PEDV vaccines do not provide enough protection against variant and evolved virus strains. No specific drugs are available to treat PEDV infection. The development of more effective therapeutic anti-PEDV agents is urgently needed. Our previous study suggested that porcine milk small extracellular vesicles (sEV) facilitate intestinal tract development and prevent lipopolysaccharide-induced intestinal injury. However, the effects of milk sEV during viral infection remain unclear. Our study found that porcine milk sEV, which was isolated and purified by differential ultracentrifugation, could inhibit PEDV replication in IPEC-J2 and Vero cells. Simultaneously, we constructed a PEDV infection model for piglet intestinal organoids and found that milk sEV also inhibited PEDV infection. Subsequently, in vivo experiments showed that milk sEV pre-feeding exerted robust protection of piglets from PEDV-induced diarrhea and mortality. Strikingly, we found that the miRNAs extracted from milk sEV inhibited PEDV infection. miRNA-seq, bioinformatics analysis, and experimental verification demonstrated that miR-let-7e and miR-27b, which were identified in milk sEV targeted PEDV N and host HMGB1, suppressed viral replication. Taken together, we revealed the biological function of milk sEV in resisting PEDV infection and proved its cargo miRNAs, miR-let-7e and miR-27b, possess antiviral functions. This study is the first description of the novel function of porcine milk sEV in regulating PEDV infection. It provides a better understanding of milk sEV resistance to coronavirus infection, warranting further studies to develop sEV as an attractive antiviral.