Effective microorganism combinations improve the quality of compost-bedded pack products in heifer barns: exploring pack bacteria-fungi interaction mechanisms.

BACKGROUND: Compost-bedded pack barns (CBP) are getting huge attention as an alternative housing system for dairy cows due to their beneficial impact on animal welfare. Effective microorganisms (EM) inoculums are believed to enhance compost quality, improve soil structure and benefit the environment. However, little information is available on the impact of incubation with external EM combinations on the barn environment, compost quality and microbial diversity in CBP. This experiment was carried out to investigate the effect of inoculating different combinations of EM [Lactobacillus plantarum (L), Compound Bacillus (B) and Saccharomyces cerevisiae (S)] on compost quality and microbial communities of CBP products, as well as the relationship with the heifers' barn environment. CBP barns were subjected to the following four treatments: CON with no EM inoculum, LB/LS/LBS were Incubated with weight ratios of 1:2 (L: B), 1:2 (L: S), 1:1:1 (L: B: S), respectively. RESULTS: The EM inoculation (LB, LS, LBS) reduced the concentration of respirable particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) in the CBP, and decreased the serum total protein and total cholesterol levels in heifers. Notably, LBS achieved the highest content of high-density lipoprotein compared to other treatments. Microbiome results revealed that EM inoculation reduced the bacterial abundance (Chao1 index) and fungal diversity (Shannon & Simpson indexes), while increasing the relative abundance of various bacterial genera (Pseudomonas, Paracoccus, Aequorivita) and fungi (Pestalotiopsis), which are associated with cellulose decomposition that ultimately resulted in accelerating organic matter degradation and humification. Furthermore, high nutrient elements (TK&TP) and low mycotoxin content were obtained with EM inoculation, with LBS showing a particularly pronounced effect. Meanwhile, LBS contributed to a decline in the proportion of fungal pathogen categories but also led to an increase in fungal saprotroph categories. CONCLUSION: Generally, EM inoculation positively impacted compost product quality as organic fertilizer and barn environment by modifying the abundance of cellulolytic bacteria and fungi, while inhibiting the reproduction of pathogenic microbes, especially co-supplementing with L, B and S achieved an amplifying effect.

New insight into the mechanism of biofouling-resistant thiazole-linked covalent organic frameworks for selective uranium capture from seawater.

The extraction of uranium from seawater is crucial for the sustainable production of nuclear fuel. Traditional amidoxime-functionalized adsorbents suffer from competitive adsorption of vanadium ion and biofouling. These challenges motivate the development of novel adsorbents for selective uranium extraction from seawater. Herein, four kinds of thiazole-linked covalent organic frameworks (COFs) were investigated to harvest uranium from seawater. The selectivity and anti-biofouling performance were systematically investigated through the molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Driven by the pore size sieving effect and electrostatic interaction, the Ca2UO2(CO3)3 complex and vanadate anions were selectively separated by different COFs in special areas. On one hand, benefits from the small steric partition factor, the Ca2UO2(CO3)3 complex can stick on the surface of COFs. On the other hand, the dispersive negatively and positively charged areas of studied COFs work as potential binding sites for the Ca2UO2(CO3)3 complex and vanadate anions, respectively. Moreover, an analysis of pulling force and desorption time between uranium and vanadium ions further confirmed the selectivity of various thiazole-linked COFs. The anti-biofouling property was comparatively investigated by dynamic trajectory and solvent accessible surface area. Our outcomes illustrate that the hydroxyl and zwitterionic groups in the thiazole-linked COFs endow their strong surface hydrations to resist marine biofouling. In particular, the TpBdsaPa is identified as a promising candidate due to charge dispersed zwitterionic group as well as remarkable anti-biofouling ability. The present study sheds an atomic-level understanding of the thiazole-linked COFs for selective uranium uptaking from seawater, which will provide aid to design novel adsorbent with highly selective uranium extraction capacity and strong anti-biofouling property.

Integrative Meta-Analysis: Unveiling Genetic Factors in Meat Sheep Growth and Muscular Development through QTL and Transcriptome Studies.

OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to investigate the effects of castration on performance, carcass characteristics, and meat quality in sheep, as well as explore the expression of key genes related to metabolic pathways and muscle growth following castration. METHODS: A meta-analysis approach was utilized to analyze data from multiple studies to compare the performance, carcass characteristics, and meat quality of castrated sheep (wethers) with intact rams. Additionally, protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks, differential gene expression (DEG) interactions, Gene Ontology (GO) terms, and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways were examined to identify molecular mechanisms associated with fat metabolism and muscle development in sheep tails. RESULTS: The analysis revealed that castrated sheep (wethers) exhibited improved average daily gain, increased tenderness, lower backfat thickness, and a tendency for greater loin muscle area compared to intact rams. This suggests that castration promotes faster growth and results in leaner carcasses with potentially higher muscle content. Furthermore, the identification of downregulated DEGs like ACLY, SLC27A2, and COL1A1 and upregulated DEGs such as HOXA9, PGM2L1, and ABAT provides insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying fat deposition and muscle development in sheep. CONCLUSIONS: The findings support the practice of castration in sheep production as it enhances growth performance, leads to leaner carcasses with higher muscle content, and improves meat tenderness. The identified changes in gene expression offer valuable insights for further research into understanding the impact of castration on muscle development and fat metabolism in sheep. This meta-analysis contributes to the knowledge of molecular mechanisms involved in fat deposition in sheep, opening avenues for future investigations in livestock fat metabolism research.

De novo transcriptome assembly database for 100 tissues from each of seven species of domestic herbivore.

Domesticated herbivores are an important agricultural resource that play a critical role in global food security, particularly as they can adapt to varied environments, including marginal lands. An understanding of the molecular basis of their biology would contribute to better management and sustainable production. Thus, we conducted transcriptome sequencing of 100 to 105 tissues from two females of each of seven species of herbivore (cattle, sheep, goats, sika deer, horses, donkeys, and rabbits) including two breeds of sheep. The quality of raw and trimmed reads was assessed in terms of base quality, GC content, duplication sequence rate, overrepresented k-mers, and quality score distribution with FastQC. The high-quality filtered RNA-seq raw reads were deposited in a public database which provides approximately 54 billion high-quality paired-end sequencing reads in total, with an average mapping rate of ~93.92%. Transcriptome databases represent valuable resources that can be used to study patterns of gene expression, and pathways that are related to key biological processes, including important economic traits in herbivores.

Recent insights into the functions and mechanisms of antisense RNA: emerging applications in cancer therapy and precision medicine.

The antisense RNA molecule is a unique DNA transcript consisting of 19-23 nucleotides, characterized by its complementary nature to mRNA. These antisense RNAs play a crucial role in regulating gene expression at various stages, including replication, transcription, and translation. Additionally, artificial antisense RNAs have demonstrated their ability to effectively modulate gene expression in host cells. Consequently, there has been a substantial increase in research dedicated to investigating the roles of antisense RNAs. These molecules have been found to be influential in various cellular processes, such as X-chromosome inactivation and imprinted silencing in healthy cells. However, it is important to recognize that in cancer cells; aberrantly expressed antisense RNAs can trigger the epigenetic silencing of tumor suppressor genes. Moreover, the presence of deletion-induced aberrant antisense RNAs can lead to the development of diseases through epigenetic silencing. One area of drug development worth mentioning is antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs), and a prime example of an oncogenic trans-acting long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) is HOTAIR (HOX transcript antisense RNA). NATs (noncoding antisense transcripts) are dysregulated in many cancers, and researchers are just beginning to unravel their roles as crucial regulators of cancer's hallmarks, as well as their potential for cancer therapy. In this review, we summarize the emerging roles and mechanisms of antisense RNA and explore their application in cancer therapy.