Beet pulp as soluble fiber source and dietary energy levels for growing pigs under heat stress.

The study evaluated the effects of dietary fiber and energy levels administered during two growing periods (d 0-28 and d 29-56) for pigs exposed to a high temperature. A total of 96 growing pigs were used in six treatments as: Two treatments in thermoneutral temperature (21°C-24°C) with dietary energy of 3,300 and the inclusion of high or low fiber, two treatments in heat stress (30°C-34°C) with dietary energy of 3,300 and the inclusion of high or low fiber, and two treatments in heat stress with dietary energy of 3,450 and the inclusion of high or low fiber. Among standard energy level treatments, heat-stressed pigs showed lower average daily gain (ADG), feed intake, digestibility of dry matter, gross energy, crude protein, and crude fiber in phases 1 and 2. Moreover, higher concentrations of acetate, propionate, butyrate, and total short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) in feces were shown in pigs fed high fiber diets. There was a negative interaction between dietary fiber and energy for the fecal concentration of isobutyrate in phase 1 and valerate in phase 2. Pigs in heat stress treatments showed a higher rectal temperature, respiratory rate, hair cortisol, plasma zonulin, and fecal lipocalin-2. Among heat stress treatments, the overall ADG was increased in pigs fed high fiber. Pigs fed high dietary fiber showed a greater concentration of acetate, propionate, butyrate, and total SCFA. High fiber treatments decreased plasma zonulin. In conclusion, the inclusion of beet pulp, soluble fiber, at the level of 4% looks necessary in pigs diet during heat stress.

Profiling of differentially expressed proteins between fresh and frozen-thawed Duroc boar semen using ProteinChip CM10.

Many studies have been conducted to improve technology for semen cryopreservation in pigs. However, computer-assisted analysis of sperm motility and morphology is insufficient to predict the molecular function of frozen-thawed semen. More accurate expression patterns of boar sperm proteins may be derived using the isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ) technique. In this study, the iTRAQ-labeling system was coupled with liquid chromatography tandem-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis to identify differentially expressed CM10-fractionated proteins between fresh and frozen-thawed boar semen. A total of 76 protein types were identified to be differentially expressed, among which 9 and 67 proteins showed higher and lower expression in frozen-thawed than in fresh sperm samples, respectively. The classified functions of these proteins included oxidative phosphorylation, mitochondrial inner membrane and matrix, and pyruvate metabolic processes, which are involved in adenosine triphosphate (ATP) synthesis; and sperm flagellum and motile cilium, which are involved in sperm tail structure. These results suggest a possible network of biomarkers associated with survival after the cryopreservation of Duroc boar semen.

An intelligent method for pregnancy diagnosis in breeding sows according to ultrasonography algorithms.

Pig breeding management directly contributes to the profitability of pig farms, and pregnancy diagnosis is an important factor in breeding management. Therefore, the need to diagnose pregnancy in sows is emphasized, and various studies have been conducted in this area. We propose a computer-aided diagnosis system to assist livestock farmers to diagnose sow pregnancy through ultrasound. Methods for diagnosing pregnancy in sows through ultrasound include the Doppler method, which measures the heart rate and pulse status, and the echo method, which diagnoses by amplitude depth technique. We propose a method that uses deep learning algorithms on ultrasonography, which is part of the echo method. As deep learning-based classification algorithms, Inception-v4, Xception, and EfficientNetV2 were used and compared to find the optimal algorithm for pregnancy diagnosis in sows. Gaussian and speckle noises were added to the ultrasound images according to the characteristics of the ultrasonography, which is easily affected by noise from the surrounding environments. Both the original and noise added ultrasound images of sows were tested together to determine the suitability of the proposed method on farms. The pregnancy diagnosis performance on the original ultrasound images achieved 0.99 in accuracy in the highest case and on the ultrasound images with noises, the performance achieved 0.98 in accuracy. The diagnosis performance achieved 0.96 in accuracy even when the intensity of noise was strong, proving its robustness against noise.

The effects of breed and gender on meat quality of Duroc, Pietrain, and their crossbred.

This study evaluated the effects of breed and gender in Duroc (D), Pietrain (P), and crossbred (DP) pigs. Loin samples were collected from D (n = 79), P (n = 42), and DP (n = 45) pigs. Intramuscular fat content was significantly lower in P (p < 0.001), and pH was lowest in DP pigs (p < 0.001). Gilts had higher intramuscular fat (IMF) and pH values than did castrated males (p < 0.05). Water-holding capacity was lower in DP pigs than that in D and P pigs (p < 0.001). Shear force in DP pigs was higher than that in D and P pigs (p < 0.001). Lightness and yellowness of meat in DP pigs was increased compared with coloring of P pig meat (p < 0.01). Meat from DP pigs was redder compared with meat from in D and P pigs, and it was higher in gilts than in castrates (p < 0.001). The C16:0 content was lower in P and DP pigs than in D pigs (p < 0.01). C18:2 content was higher in P and DP pigs than in D pigs (p < 0.001). Unsaturated and saturated fatty acids increased in P pigs compared with levels in D pigs (p < 0.05). Our results suggest that meat quality can be controlled by crossbreeding to increase or reduce selected properties. This study provides the basic data on the meat characteristics of F1 DP pigs. Thus, further study should be conducted to estimate the meat quality of various crossbreeds.

Effects of Sex and Breed on Meat Quality and Sensory Properties in Three-way Crossbred Pigs Sired by Duroc or by a Synthetic Breed Based on a Korean Native Breed.

This study was conducted to determine the effects of breed and sex on meat quality and sensory properties of the loin in three-way crossbred pigs: Landrace× Yorkshire×Duroc (LYD) and Landrace×Yorkshire×Woori (LYW) black pig synthesized by Korean native breed. Carcass traits did not differ by breed. Carcass weight and backfat thickness were higher in castrates than in gilts (p<0.01). LYW showed significant high values in fat content, cooking loss, and water-holding capacity (WHC) than LYD (p<0.05). Redness and yellowness of the meat were higher in LYW than in LYD (p<0.01). Further, LYW had lower pH and shear force than LYD (p<0.001). Significant high scores in color and flavor were obtained in LYW or gilts compared to LYD or castrates by sensory panel, respectively (p<0.05). However, other sensory traits did not differ by breed or sex. Capric acid (C10:0) was higher in LYD than LYW (p<0.001). However, stearic acid (C18:0) and saturated fatty acid (SFA) contents were higher in LYW than LYD (p<0.05). Eicosenoic acid (C20:2) and the n6/n3 ratio were higher in gilts than in castrates, whereas SFA content was higher in castrates than in gilts. These results suggest that certain physicochemical qualities of meat and sensory properties are improved in LYW compared to LYD. This study could provide basic data on meat quality of crossbred pigs with Woori black pig as a terminal sire.

A genome-wide association study of social genetic effects in Landrace pigs.

OBJECTIVE: The genetic effects of an individual on the phenotypes of its social partners, such as its pen mates, are known as social genetic effects. This study aims to identify the candidate genes for social (pen-mates') average daily gain (ADG) in pigs by using the genome-wide association approach. METHODS: Social ADG (sADG) was the average ADG of unrelated pen-mates (strangers). We used the phenotype data (16,802 records) after correcting for batch (week), sex, pen, number of strangers (1 to 7 pigs) in the pen, full-sib rate (0% to 80%) within pen, and age at the end of the test. A total of 1,041 pigs from Landrace breeds were genotyped using the Illumina PorcineSNP60 v2 BeadChip panel, which comprised 61,565 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers. After quality control, 909 individuals and 39,837 markers remained for sADG in genome-wide association study. RESULTS: We detected five new SNPs, all on chromosome 6, which have not been associated with social ADG or other growth traits to date. One SNP was inside the prostaglandin F2α receptor (PTGFR) gene, another SNP was located 22 kb upstream of gene interferon-induced protein 44 (IFI44), and the last three SNPs were between 161 kb and 191 kb upstream of the EGF latrophilin and seven transmembrane domain-containing protein 1 (ELTD1) gene. PTGFR, IFI44, and ELTD1 were never associated with social interaction and social genetic effects in any of the previous studies. CONCLUSION: The identification of several genomic regions, and candidate genes associated with social genetic effects reported here, could contribute to a better understanding of the genetic basis of interaction traits for ADG. In conclusion, we suggest that the PTGFR, IFI44, and ELTD1 may be used as a molecular marker for sADG, although their functional effect was not defined yet. Thus, it will be of interest to execute association studies in those genes.

α-Solanine impairs oocyte maturation and quality by inducing autophagy and apoptosis and changing histone modifications in a pig model.

In this study, we used a pig model to investigate the effects of α-solanine (a natural toxin found mainly in potato sprouts) on oocyte maturation, quality and subsequent embryonic development. We found that α-solanine (10 µM) disturbed meiotic resumption and increased abnormal spindle formation and altered the cortical granule (CG) distribution compared with the untreated group. α-Solanine triggered autophagy and apoptosis by increasing the expressions of autophagy-related genes (LC3, ATG7, and LAMP2) and apoptotic related genes (BAX and CASP3). Exposure of porcine oocytes to α-solanine significantly increased the levels of H3K36me3 and H3K27me3. Moreover, α-solanine significantly reduced the cleavage and blastocyst formation rates, decreased the total and inner cell mass cells numbers, and increased apoptosis in these porcine embryos. Taken together, our data indicate that α-solanine toxically impairs oocyte maturation and quality by triggering autophagy/apoptosis and facilitating epigenetic modifications. Furthermore, α-solanine suppressed subsequent embryonic development and reduced embryo quality.

Delayed blastocyst formation or an extra day culture increases apoptosis in pig blastocysts.

In the present study, the timing was examined of blastocyst collection/formation or of how the duration of post-blastulation culture affected the quality and developmental competence of in vitro-produced pig parthenogenetic embryos. The earliest apoptotic signals were observed at the morula stage while the earliest cytoplasmic fragmentation was observed before the 4- to 8-cell stage of embryo development. Nuclear condensation was detected in morulae and blastocysts, but not all condensed nuclei were positive for the apoptotic signal (TUNEL staining). The mean blastocyst diameter increased with delayed blastocyst collection or extended post-blastulation culture, but decreased with delayed blastocyst formation. Delayed blastocyst collection/formation or an additional day of post-blastulation culture increased the frequencies of apoptosis, condensed nuclei, and low quality blastocysts (those showing a nuclear destruction that negated counting of the nuclei); increased the expression of the pro-apoptotic BAX gene; and reduced the ratio of ICM (inner cell mass) cells to TE (trophectoderm) cells. In addition, delayed blastocyst formation decreased POU5F1 gene expression. These results suggest that a delay in blastocyst collection/formation or an additional day of culture could increase the incidence of apoptosis, decrease the ICM:TE cell ratio, and influence the gene expression and diameter of blastocysts derived from in vitro-produced pig embryos. These findings provide a useful reference for improving the quality of in vitro-produced embryos.

Tauroursodeoxycholic acid improves pre-implantation development of porcine SCNT embryo by endoplasmic reticulum stress inhibition.

The aim of this study is to investigate whether endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress attenuation could improve porcine somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) embryo developmental competence. We treated porcine SCNT embryos with TUDCA (tauroursodeoxycholic acid, an inhibitor of ER stress) and/or TM (tunicamycin, an ER stress inducer), and examined embryonic developmental potential, embryo quality, the levels of ER stress markers (XBP1 protein and mRNA) and apoptosis-related-genes (BAX and BCL2 mRNA). Immunostaining detected X-box-binding protein (XBP1), a key gene regulator during ER stress, at all stages of SCNT embryo development. Embryo development analysis revealed that TUDCA treatment markedly increased (p<0.05) blastocyst formation rate, total cell number and inner cell mass (ICM) cell number compared to untreated control group. The TUDCA and TM groups showed significant alterations in XBP1 protein and XBP1-s mRNA levels compared to controls (lower and higher, respectively; p<0.05). Also, TUDCA treatment reduced oxidative stress by up-regulation of the antioxidant, GSH. TUNEL assay showed that TUDCA treatment significantly reduced apoptosis in porcine SCNT blastocysts confirmed by decreased pro-apoptotic BAX and increased anti-apoptotic BCL2 mRNA levels. Collectively, our results indicated that TUDCA can enhance the developmental potential of porcine SCNT embryos by attenuating ER-stress and reducing apoptosis.