Factors Influencing Seed Dormancy and Germination and Advances in Seed Priming Technology.

Seed dormancy and germination play pivotal roles in the agronomic traits of plants, and the degree of dormancy intuitively affects the yield and quality of crops in agricultural production. Seed priming is a pre-sowing seed treatment that enhances and accelerates germination, leading to improved seedling establishment. Seed priming technologies, which are designed to partially activate germination, while preventing full seed germination, have exerted a profound impact on agricultural production. Conventional seed priming relies on external priming agents, which often yield unstable results. What works for one variety might not be effective for another. Therefore, it is necessary to explore the internal factors within the metabolic pathways that influence seed physiology and germination. This review unveils the underlying mechanisms of seed metabolism and germination, the factors affecting seed dormancy and germination, as well as the current seed priming technologies that can result in stable and better germination.

Rapid quantitative evaluation of total polar materials (TPM) in frying oil based on an "off-on" fluorescence viscosity response probe.

The content of total polar material (TPM) is considered as a comprehensive indicator to evaluate the quality of edible oils which should be discarded and no longer be used when TPM content exceeding 27 %. Nevertheless, there is currently a lack of a convenient and efficient TPM detection method, which is a meaningful challenge. With the increase of TPM content, the viscosity of frying oil grows, and the two maintain a satisfactory positive correlation. Consequently, an "off-on" fluorescence probe TCF-PR method based on viscosity-response has been developed. There exists a good linear relationship between the fluorescence intensity of the probe and the TPM content of soybean oil ((R2 = 0.9936) and salad oil (R2 = 0.9878), accompanying with the advantage of fast response (3 s), which means the rapid detection of TPM can be realized to determine the quality of frying oil in the field of food safety.

Bioactive functions of chlorogenic acid and its research progress in pig industry.

Chlorogenic acid (CGA), also known as 3-caffeioylquinic acid or coffee tannin, is a water-soluble polyphenol phenylacrylate compound produced through the shikimate pathway by plants during aerobic respiration. CGA widely exists in higher dicotyledons, ferns and many Chinese medicinal materials, and enjoys the reputation of 'plant gold'. Here, we summarized the source, chemical structure, biological activity functions of CGA and its research progress in pigs, aiming to provide a more comprehensive understanding and theoretical basis for the prospect of CGA replacing antibiotics as a pig feed additive.

Biochar Coating as a Cost-Effective Delivery Approach to Promoting Seed Quality, Rice Germination, and Seedling Establishment.

The application of high-quality seeds ensures successful crop establishment, healthy growth, and improved production in both quantity and quality. Recently, biochar-based seed coating has been recognized as a new, effective, and environmentally friendly method to enhance seed quality, seedling uniformity, and nutrient availability. To study the impact of biochar coating on the surface mechanical properties of coated seeds, rice emergence and growth, and related physical and physiological metabolic events, laboratory experiments were performed on two water-saving and drought-resistance rice (WDR) varieties (Huhan1512 and Hanyou73) using biochar formulations with varying contents (20%-60%). The results showed that the appropriate concentration of biochar significantly improved emergence traits and seedling performance of the two rice varieties, compared to the uncoated treatment, and that the optimal percentage of biochar coating was 30% (BC30). On average, across both varieties, BC30 enhanced emergence rate (9.5%), emergence index (42.9%), shoot length (19.5%), root length (23.7%), shoot dry weight (25.1%), and root dry weight (49.8%). The improved germination characteristics and vigorous seedling growth induced by biochar coating were strongly associated with higher water uptake by seeds, increased α-amylase activity and respiration rate, and enhanced accumulation of soluble sugar and soluble protein. Moreover, the evaluation results of mechanical properties related to seed coating quality found that increasing the proportion of biochar in the coating blend decreased the integrity and compressive strength of the coated seeds and reduced the time required for coating disintegration. In conclusion, biochar coating is a cost-effective strategy for enhancing crop seed quality and seedling establishment.

Lipopolysaccharide accelerates tryptophan degradation in the ovary and the derivative kynurenine disturbs hormone biosynthesis and reproductive performance.

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), also known as endotoxin, is a component of the outer membrane of gram-negative bacteria. LPS is released into the surrounding environment during bacterial death and lysis. Due to its chemical and thermal stability, LPS can be detected anywhere and easily exposed to humans and animals. Previous studies have shown that LPS causes hormonal imbalances, ovarian failure, and infertility in mammals. However, the potential mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the effects and mechanisms of LPS on tryptophan degradation, both in vivo and in vitro. The effects of kynurenine, a tryptophan derivative, on granulosa cell function and reproductive performance were explored. Results showed that p38, NF-κB, and JNK signaling pathways were involved in LPS-induced Ido1 expressions and kynurenine accumulation. Furthermore, the kynurenine decreased estradiol production, but increased granulosa cell proliferation. In vivo, experiments showed that kynurenine decreased estradiol and FSH production and inhibited ovulation and corpus luteum formation. Additionally, pregnancy and offspring survival rates decreased considerably after kynurenine treatment. Our findings suggest that kynurenine accumulation disrupts hormone secretion, ovulation, corpus luteal formation, and reproductive performance in mammals.

Experimental demonstration of a 160 Gbit/s 3D-integrated silicon photonics receiver with 1.2-pJ/bit power consumption.

By using the flip-chip bonding technology, a high performances 3D-integrated silicon photonics receiver is demonstrated. The receiver consists of a high-speed germanium-silicon (Ge-Si) photodetector (PD) and a commercial linear transimpedance amplifiers (TIA). The overall 3 dB bandwidth of the receiver is around 38 GHz with appropriate gain. Based on this 3D-integrated receiver, the 56, 64, 90, 100 Gbit/s non-return-to-zero (NRZ) and 112, 128 Gbit/s four-level pulse amplitude (PAM-4) modulation clear openings of eye diagrams are experimentally obtained. The sensitivities of -10, -5.2 dBm and -6.6, -2.7 dBm were obtained for 112 Gbit/s NRZ and 160 Gbit/s PAM-4 at hard-decision forward err correction (HD-FEC,3.8 × 10-3) and KP4 forward err correction (KP4-FEC,2 × 10-4) threshold, respectively. Additionally, the lowest power consumption of this receiver is about 1.2 pJ/bit, which implies its huge potential for short-reach data center applications.

TGF-ß1 suppresses de novo cholesterol biosynthesis in granulosa-lutein cells by down-regulating DHCR24 expression via the GSK-3ß/EZH2/H3K27me3 signaling pathway.

Cholesterol is a precursor to steroid hormones and can be obtained from serum LDL or de novo synthesis in steroidogenic cells. Before luteinizing hormone (LH) surge-induced ovulation, follicles remain avascular, and cholesterol required for progesterone production in granulosa cells (GCs) is derived from de novo biosynthesis. Previous studies have verified that the intrafollicular TGF-ß1 plays inhibitory roles in GCs luteinization, vascularization, and progesterone production. Nevertheless, the regulatory function of TGF-ß1 on de novo cholesterol synthesis in granulosa-lutein (GL) cells remains largely unknown. We aim to investigate this aspect in this study using in vivo cultured human GL cells. Our results suggested that TGF-ß1 significantly suppresses intracellular cholesterol levels and down-regulates the expression of the final step enzyme, DHCR24, that catalyzes de novo cholesterol synthesis. We used specific inhibitors and siRNA-mediated knockdown approaches demonstrate that TGF-ß1 suppression of DHCR24 expression in GL cells is mediated by the GSK-3ß/EZH2/H3K27me3 signaling pathway. Further ChIP assays revealed that elevated H3K27me3 levels in the promoter region of DHCR24 play a vital role in TGF-ß1-induced DHCR24 down-regulation, and RNA-sequencing results confirmed these findings. Notably, our study provides a novel insight into the molecular mechanisms by which TGF-ß1 suppresses de novo cholesterol biosynthesis in GL cells.

TGF-ß1 induces type I collagen deposition in granulosa cells via the AKT/GSK-3ß signaling pathway-mediated MMP1 down-regulation.

Type I collagen is the most abundant extracellular matrix (ECM) protein in the mammalian ovary, and comprises two COL1A1 subunits and one COL1A2 subunit. Matrix metalloproteinase 1 (MMP1) is a typical collagenase of type I collagen, that can be detected in ovarian follicles and early corpus luteum. Previous studies demonstrated that MMP1-mediated degradation of type I collagen plays a functional role in regulating corpus luteum formation, and transforming growth factor ß1 (TGF-ß1) inhibits luteinization and progesterone production in granulosa cells (GCs). Whether TGF-ß1 regulates the expression of MMP1, COL1A1, or the deposition of type I collagen during corpus luteum formation remains to be elucidated. This study aimed to investigate the molecular mechanisms through which TGF-ß1 regulates MMP1 expression and type I collagen deposition in GCs. Our results show that TGF-ß1 upregulates COL1A1 expressions and downregulates MMP1 expression. Inhibition approaches, including pharmacological inhibitors such as p38 inhibitor (SB203580), ERK1/2 inhibitor (U0126), AKT inhibitor (LY294002), and GSK-3ß inhibitor (LiCl), as well as knockdown using siRNA specific to these genes, were used. Our results suggest that TGF-ß1 decreases MMP1 production via an ALK5-mediated AKT/GSK-3ß-dependent signaling pathway, and a decrease in MMP1 levels and an increase in COL1A1 levels synergistically promote type I collagen deposition in GCs. Collectively, these findings provide novel insights into the underlying molecular mechanisms by which TGF-ß1 upregulates type I collagen deposition in GCs.

Revealing the Dynamic Mechanism by Which Transferrin Promotes the Cellular Uptake of HAIYPRH Peptide-Conjugated Nanostructures by Force Tracing.

The HAIYPRH (T7) peptide has been widely used as a ligand for constructing tumor-targeted nanodrug delivery systems since it can target the transferrin receptor (TfR) and then enter cells easily with the help of transferrin (Tf). However, the dynamic mechanism by which transferrin promotes the entry of T7-conjugated nanostructures into cells remains unclear. Herein, a force tracing technique based on atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to track the ultrafast dynamic process of a T7-conjugated gold nanoparticle (AuNP-T7) entering a cell at the single-particle level in real time. Tf helped decrease the endocytosis force and increase the endocytosis speed of AuNP-T7 in A549 cells. However, Tf only increased the endocytosis speed of AuNP-T7 in HeLa cells. In contrast, in Vero cells without TfR overexpression, Tf decreased the endocytosis speed. This report provides important insights for redesigning and developing T7-conjugated nanodrug carriers in targeted nanodrug delivery systems.

Effect of Pregnane X Receptor on CYP3A29 Expression in Porcine Alveolar Macrophages during Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae Infection.

Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (M. hyopneumoniae, Mhp) is the causative agent of mycoplasma pneumonia of swine (MPS). M. hyopneumoniae infection causes inflammation in pigs and leads to considerable economic losses in the pig industry. Pregnane X receptor (PXR) is a pluripotent gene regulatory protein that plays an important role in regulating cytochrome P-450 (CYP) in pigs in the context of inflammatory responses, drug metabolism, homeostasis, etc. We previously reported that cytochrome P450 3A29 (CYP3A29) expression was significantly upregulated in pigs infected with M. hyopneumoniae compared with healthy control pigs. This experiment mainly focused on identifying the role of PXR in the regulation of CYP3A29 and inflammatory factors after M. hyopneumoniae infection by establishing pig alveolar macrophage (PAM) cells in which PXR was overexpressed or silenced. Our results showed that the overexpression of PXR could significantly improve the protein and the mRNA expression levels of CYP3A29 with and without M. hyopneumoniae infection in PAM cells. After the expression of PXR was inhibited, protein and mRNA expression levels of CYP3A29 were significantly reduced with and without M. hyopneumoniae infection in PAM cells. Moreover, PXR can regulate the mRNA expression levels of IL-6 and IL-8 during M. hyopneumoniae infection of PAM cells. In conclusion, these results suggest that PXR positively regulates CYP3A29 expression during the inflammatory response caused by M. hyopneumoniae infection.

Size-Dependent Transmembrane Transport of Gold Nanocages.

Gold nanocages (Au NCs), as drug carriers, have been widely applied for cancer diagnosis and photothermal therapy (PTT). Transmembrane transporting efficacy of Au NCs is the fundamental and important issue for their use in PTT. Herein, we used a force tracing technique based on atomic force microscopy to track the dynamic transmembrane process of Au NCs at the single-particle level in real time. Meanwhile, we measured and compared the dynamic parameters of Au NCs with sizes of 50 and 100 nm usually used as nanodrug carriers of PTT. It is concluded that the 50 nm Au NC transmembrane transporting needs smaller force and shorter duration with a much faster speed. However, both the 50 and 100 nm Au NC transmembrane transporting depends on the caveolin-mediated endocytosis, clathrin-mediated endocytosis, and macropinocytosis, which was also confirmed by confocal fluorescence imaging. This report will provide a potential technique for screening nanodrug carriers from the perspective of transmembrane transporting efficacy.

Transcriptome sequencing analysis of porcine MDM response to FSL-1 stimulation.

Mycoplasma infection can cause many diseases in pigs, resulting in great economic losses in pork production. Innate immune responses are thought to play critical roles in the pathogenesis of mycoplasma disease. However, the molecular events involved in immune responses remain to be determined. Hence, the object of this study was to use RNA-Seq to investigate the gene expression profiles of the innate immune response mediated by FSL-1 in pig monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs). The results revealed that 1442 genes were differentially expressed in the FSL-1 group compared with the control groups, of which 777 genes were upregulated and 665 genes were downregulated. KEGG pathway analysis showed that the upregulated genes were mainly involved in innate immune-related pathways including the TNF signaling pathway, cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, Toll-like receptor signaling pathway, Jak-STAT signaling pathway, chemokine signaling pathway, NOD-like receptor signaling pathway and NF-kappa B signaling pathway. The downregulated genes were only involved in the cGMP-PKG signaling pathway and glycerophospholipid metabolism. Our results showed that FSL-1 stimulation activated the TLR2 signaling pathway and resulted in diverse inflammatory responses. FSL-1 induced the transcription of numerous protein-coding genes involved in a complex network of innate immune-related pathways. We speculate that TNF, IL1B, IL6, NFKB1, NFKBIA, CXCL2, CXCL8, CXCL10, CCL2, CCL4 and CCL5 were the most likely hub genes that play important roles in the above pathways. This study identified the differentially expressed genes and their related signaling pathways, contributing to the comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms underlying host-pathogen interactions during mycoplasma infection and providing a reference model for further studies.

Investigation of Eph-ephrin A1 in the regulation of embryo implantation in sows.

Eph A1 and ephrin A1 (Eph-ephrin A1) is a key receptor-ligand pair of Eph-ephrin system, which plays important roles in the migration and adhesion of cells, tissue morphogenesis and vasculogenesis in mammals. In order to investigate the regulation of Eph-ephrin A1 during porcine embryo implantation, the expressions of mRNA and protein of Eph-ephrin A1 were detected in different reproductive tissues from twelve sows during embryo implantation period on pregnancy day 13, 18 and 24, respectively. Functions of Eph-ephrin A1 on the migration and adhesion of porcine endometrial epithelial cells were analysed by RNA interference (RNAi), transwell migration assays and MTT assays. Results showed that mRNA levels of Eph-ephrin A1 were highly expressed in endometrial attachment site when compared to other reproductive tissues (p < 0.05) and were peaked on pregnancy day 18 during embryo implantation (p < 0.05). Protein levels of Eph-ephrin A1 were highly expressed in endometrial attachment site and were peaked on pregnancy day 18 (p < 0.05). Eph-ephrin A1 proteins were located in endometrial luminal epithelium, stroma of attachment site and inter-attachment site during embryo implantation, and the protein levels were higher during implantation compared to pre-implantation or post-implantation. Furthermore, silencing ephrin A1 gene significantly reduced the migration and adhesion capacity of porcine endometrial epithelial cells. These findings suggest that the Eph-ephrin A1 protein likely targets endometrial attachment site to enhance the migration and adhesion of porcine endometrial epithelial cells around pregnancy day 18 during pregnancy in sows.

CYP1A1 mediates the suppression of major inflammatory cytokines in pulmonary alveolar macrophage (PAM) cell lines caused by Mycoplasma hyponeumoniae.

Mycoplasmal pneumonia is a lung infection disease caused by Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae in swine. We previously reported that Cytochrome P450 1A1 (CYP1A1) expression was significantly downregulated in pigs infected with M. hyopneumoniae compared to the healthy controls. In this study, pulmonary alveolar macrophage (PAM) cell lines with CYP1A1 overexpression or siRNA-mediated CYP1A1 silencing were used to explore the biological function and regulatory mechanism of CYP1A1 gene expression changed on the inflammatory response of pigs infected with M. hyopneumoniae. The results showed that the cells overexpressing CYP1A1 infected with M. hyopneumoniae led to a rapid increase in PPAR-γ expression, which resulted in decreasing the levels of several inflammatory cytokines including IL-1ß, IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-α. On the contrary, this effect was just opposite in CYP1A1-RNAi cells infected with M. hyopneumoniae. We suggest that CYP1A1 suppress the inflammatory response caused by M. hyopneumoniae infection, via PPAR-γ signaling pathway in pigs.

Antiviral activity of recombinant porcine surfactant protein A against porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus in vitro.

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) has caused significant economic losses in the swine industry worldwide. However, there is not an ideal vaccine to provide complete protection against PRRSV. Thus, the need for new antiviral strategies to control PRRSV still remains. Surfactant protein A (SP-A) belongs to the family of C-type lectins, which can exert antiviral activities. In this present study, we assessed the antiviral properties of recombinant porcine SP-A (RpSP-A) on PRRSV infection in Marc 145 cells and revealed its antiviral mechanism using a plaque assay, real-time qPCR, western blotting analysis and an attachment and penetration assay. Our results showed that RpSP-A could inhibit the infectivity of PRRSV in Marc 145 cells and could reduce the total RNA and protein level. The attachment assay indicated that RpSP-A in the presence of Ca(2+) could largely inhibit Marc 145 cell attachment; however, in the penetration assay, it was relatively inactive. Furthermore, our study suggested that virus progeny released from infected Marc145 cells were blocked by RpSP-A from infecting other cells. We conclude that RpSP-A has antiviral activity against PRRSV, most probably by blocking viral attachment and the cell-to-cell transmission pathway, and therefore, RpSP-A holds promise as a novel antiviral agent against PRRSV.

Long form leptin receptor and SNP effect on reproductive traits during embryo attachment in Suzhong sows.

To ascertain whether the long form leptin receptor (LEPR) affects the regulation of embryo attachment and whether there are LEPR Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with reproductive traits in pigs, Real-time qPCR was used to detect relative abundance of LEPR mRNA pattern in different tissues of Suzhong sows during the embryo attachment period (pregnancy day 13, 18 and 24) to the uterus, and PCR-RFLP as well as PCR-sequencing were used to investigate the coding sequence for SNPs of LEPR in a population of 512 Suzhong sows. Real-time qPCR results indicated that LEPR mRNA was present in all 22 tissues of pigs with differences in relative abundance of the LEPR mRNA (P<0.05). Among these tissues, the greatest relative abundance occurred at the endometrial attachment site (P<0.01), followed by the hypothalamus and most reproductive tissues (P<0.05), and there was a lesser relative abundance of the LEPR mRNA in the pituitary. During different embryo attachment periods, LEPR mRNA was greatest on Day 18 (attachment; P<0.05), followed by Day 24 (post-attachment), and relative abundance was least on Day 13 (pre-attachment). The prevalence of the LEPR mRNA in pregnant sows was greater than in non-pregnant sows (P<0.05). At the c.2856C>T locus of LEPR, Chi-square test results demonstrated that allele and genotype frequencies were in Hardy-Weinberg disequilibrium at this locus, PCR-RFLP results revealed that Genotype TT was greater than Genotype CC (P<0.05) for reproductive traits of TNB (Total Number Born) and NBA (Number Born Alive), which suggested that T allele at c.2856C>T locus has advantageous effects on litter size and litter weight in Suzhong pigs. In conclusion, the expression of the LEPR gene might be involved in the regulation of embryo attachment mechanisms in pigs, and the LEPR SNP c.2856C>T could be a molecular marker for improving litter size and litter weight in pig breeding.

Tissue expression of EphB2 and RNA-seq analysis during embryo im-plantation in Meishan pigs.

Embryo implantation is a key step affecting swine litter size, which is an important economic and reproduction trait in pigs. In order to investigate the effect of erythropoietin-producing hepatocellular receptor B2 (EphB2) on endometrium migration and attachment during swine embryo implantation, the mRNA and protein expression levels of EphB2 in endometrium implantation sites, endometrium non-implantation sites and ovary were detected in Meishan sows during pre-implantation, mid-implantation and post-implantation period using real-time quantitative PCR and Western blot. Differential expression genes were also analyzed in endometrium implantation sites and ovary during different implantation periods by RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) technology. The qRT-PCR and Western blot results showed that EphB2 mRNA and protein expression curve was the same in endomtrium implantation sites and endometrium non-implantation sites during pre-implantation, mid-implantation and post-implantation period, with a first increase followed by a decrease, and its expression level during mid-implantation was significantly higher than pre-implantation and post-implantation (P<0.01). In contrast, EphB2 mRNA and protein expression curve in ovary during pre-implantation, mid-implantation and post-implantation period showed a first decrease followed by an increase, and the expression levels were significantly different among different implantation periods (P<0.05). RNA-seq results indicated that EphB2 mRNA expression during mid-implantation was higher than that of pre-implantation extremely significantly in endometrium implantation sites (P<0.01), and was significantly higher than that of post-implantation in ovary (P<0.05). By and large, EphB2 might play an important role in swine embryo implantation, and it's a potential candidate gene for litter size in pigs.

Roles of SIRT1 in granulosa cell apoptosis during the process of follicular atresia in porcine ovary.

Ovarian follicular atresia is characterized by granulosa cell apoptosis, however, the exact mechanism is still unclear. Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) is a NAD(+)-dependent deacetylase, which is associated with apoptosis in several of cell types, but its exact role in ovarian granulosa cell apoptosis is not clearly defined. In present study, we identified the involvement of SIRT1 in the process of follicle degeneration, which is known as "follicular atresia", both from in vivo models and cell culture data. The results of immunohistochemistry showed that SIRT1 was widely detected in non-apoptotic granulosa cells of follicles, but significantly decreased during the process of granulosa cell apoptosis. Quantitative real-time PCR and Western blot analysis showed that the expression levels of SIRT1 mRNA and protein were increased (P<0.05) during follicular atresia. In order to provide more evidences elucidating the roles of SIRT1 during the process of follicular atresia, granulosa cells were cultured in vitro with resveratrol which acts as a potent activator of SIRT1. Results showed that resveratrol caused a dose-dependent increase in both SIRT1 mRNA and protein levels. Meanwhile, apoptotic rate of granulosa cell was increased (P<0.01) in a dose-dependent manner. Additionally, resveratrol significantly increased the expression levels of Caspase-3 (P<0.01) and Bax mRNA (P<0.01), while Bcl-2 mRNA level was significantly decreased (P<0.01). Thus, our results suggest that SIRT1 may play important roles in the regulation of granulosa cell apoptosis during follicular atresia in porcine ovary.

Breed-linked polymorphisms of porcine toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) and TLR4 and the primary investigation on their relationship with prevention against Mycoplasma pneumoniae and bacterial LPS challenge.

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) play a crucial role in innate immunity, serving as pattern-recognition receptors and the first barrier in host defense against microbial infections. Genetic variations of TLR2 and TLR4 are closely associated with a variety of infectious diseases, particularly lung diseases. In this study, we detected six and four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the coding sequences of porcine TLR2 and TLR4 genes, respectively. Only SNP 1027C>A of TLR4 was shown to be markedly biased in Western and Oriental pig populations. Hence, the susceptibility of pigs with different genotype at position 1027C>A to Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (Mhp) infection was investigated, and changes to the expression of TLR2, TLR4, TNF-α and IL-1ß were monitored. The results showed that there was no significant difference in susceptibility to Mhp infection between AA and CC individuals despite expression levels for all detected genes of the challenge groups being significantly higher than the corresponding control groups. Furthermore, porcine alveolar macrophages of different genotype were collected and stimulated by lipopolysaccharide. We found that the expression of TLR2, TLR4, TNF-α and IL-1ß genes were enhanced to different levels by lipopolysaccharide stimulation. TLR2 and TLR4 gene expressions and their rates of increase of 1027CC pigs were significantly higher than for 1027AC pigs (P < 0.01), while TNF-α and IL-1ß expressions were significantly lower than for 1027AC pigs (P < 0.01). We predict that allele C at position 1027 of the TLR4 gene contributes to the pig's immune response to gram-negative bacterial infections.

Effect of FTO Expression and Polymorphism on Fat Deposition in Suzhong Pigs.

Fat mass and obesity associated gene (FTO) plays an important role in appetite control and energy consumption in human and mice. In order to examine FTO expression influence on fat deposition in Suzhong pigs, FTO mRNA expression was detected in 16 tissues by RT-PCR, FTO protein expression was detected in 5 tissues by western blot, and association of FTO polymorphism with meat quality traits was analyzed in Suzhong populations with 714 records. RT-PCR results revealed that FTO mRNA was expressed in all sixteen tissues with significant differences (p<0.05), expression in backfat was significantly higher than that of any other tissue (p<0.05), and expression in longissimus dorsi muscle had the second highest significance level (p<0.05). Western blot results demonstrated that FTO protein was highly expressed in backfat and longissimus dorsi muscle. Furthermore, FTO mRNA and protein expression in tissues of high-fat pigs was significantly higher than that of low-fat pigs (p<0.05), suggesting FTO expression had advantageous effects on fat deposition. FTO polymorphism results evidenced that at A227G locus, G allele seemed to have advantageous effects on fat deposition, indicating it could be a significant candidate gene for improving pork quality in Suzhong pigs.