Rapid Suppression of Quantum Many-Body Magnetic Exciton in Doped van der Waals Antiferromagnet (Ni,Cd)PS3.

The unique discovery of the magnetic exciton in van der Waals antiferromagnet NiPS3 arises between two quantum many-body states of a Zhang-Rice singlet excited state and a Zhang-Rice triplet ground state. Simultaneously, the spectral width of photoluminescence originating from this exciton is exceedingly narrow as 0.4 meV. These extraordinary properties, including the extreme coherence of the magnetic exciton in NiPS3, beg many questions. We studied doping effects using Ni1-xCdxPS3 using two experimental techniques and theoretical studies. Our experimental results show that the magnetic exciton is drastically suppressed upon a few % Cd doping. All this happens while the width of the exciton only gradually increases and the antiferromagnetic ground state is robust. These results highlight the lattice uniformity's hidden importance as a prerequisite for coherent magnetic exciton. Finally, an exciting scenario emerges: the broken charge transfer forbids the otherwise uniform formation of the coherent magnetic exciton in (Ni,Cd)PS3.

Novel, thalidomide-like, non-cereblon binding drug tetrafluorobornylphthalimide mitigates inflammation and brain injury.

BACKGROUND: Quelling microglial-induced excessive neuroinflammation is a potential treatment strategy across neurological disorders, including traumatic brain injury (TBI), and can be achieved by thalidomide-like drugs albeit this approved drug class is compromised by potential teratogenicity. Tetrafluorobornylphthalimide (TFBP) and tetrafluoronorbornylphthalimide (TFNBP) were generated to retain the core phthalimide structure of thalidomide immunomodulatory imide drug (IMiD) class. However, the classical glutarimide ring was replaced by a bridged ring structure. TFBP/TFNBP were hence designed to retain beneficial anti-inflammatory properties of IMiDs but, importantly, hinder cereblon binding that underlies the adverse action of thalidomide-like drugs. METHODS: TFBP/TFNBP were synthesized and evaluated for cereblon binding and anti-inflammatory actions in human and rodent cell cultures. Teratogenic potential was assessed in chicken embryos, and in vivo anti-inflammatory actions in rodents challenged with either lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or controlled cortical impact (CCI) moderate traumatic brain injury (TBI). Molecular modeling was performed to provide insight into drug/cereblon binding interactions. RESULTS: TFBP/TFNBP reduced markers of inflammation in mouse macrophage-like RAW264.7 cell cultures and in rodents challenged with LPS, lowering proinflammatory cytokines. Binding studies demonstrated minimal interaction with cereblon, with no resulting degradation of teratogenicity-associated transcription factor SALL4 or of teratogenicity in chicken embryo assays. To evaluate the biological relevance of its anti-inflammatory actions, two doses of TFBP were administered to mice at 1 and 24 h post-injury following CCI TBI. Compared to vehicle treatment, TFBP reduced TBI lesion size together with TBI-induction of an activated microglial phenotype, as evaluated by immunohistochemistry 2-weeks post-injury. Behavioral evaluations at 1- and 2-weeks post-injury demonstrated TFBP provided more rapid recovery of TBI-induced motor coordination and balance impairments, versus vehicle treated mice. CONCLUSION: TFBP and TFNBP represent a new class of thalidomide-like IMiDs that lower proinflammatory cytokine generation but lack binding to cereblon, the main teratogenicity-associated mechanism. This aspect makes TFBP and TFNBP potentially safer than classic IMiDs for clinical use. TFBP provides a strategy to mitigate excessive neuroinflammation associated with moderate severity TBI to, thereby, improve behavioral outcome measures and warrants further investigation in neurological disorders involving a neuroinflammatory component.

Role of chronic neuroinflammation in neuroplasticity and cognitive function: A hypothesis.

OBJECTIVE: Evaluating the efficacy of 3,6'-dithioPomalidomide in 5xFAD Alzheimer's disease (AD) mice to test the hypothesis that neuroinflammation is directly involved in the development of synaptic/neuronal loss and cognitive decline. BACKGROUND: Amyloid-ß (Aß) or tau-focused clinical trials have proved unsuccessful in mitigating AD-associated cognitive impairment. Identification of new drug targets is needed. Neuroinflammation is a therapeutic target in neurodegenerative disorders, and TNF-α a pivotal neuroinflammatory driver. NEW HYPOTHESIS: AD-associated chronic neuroinflammation directly drives progressive synaptic/neuronal loss and cognitive decline. Pharmacologically mitigating microglial/astrocyte activation without altering Aß generation will define the role of neuroinflammation in AD progression. MAJOR CHALLENGES: Difficulty of TNF-α-lowering compounds reaching brain, and identification of a therapeutic-time window to preserve the beneficial role of neuroinflammatory processes. LINKAGE TO OTHER MAJOR THEORIES: Microglia/astroglia are heavily implicated in maintenance of synaptic plasticity/function in healthy brain and are disrupted by Aß. Mitigation of chronic gliosis can restore synaptic homeostasis/cognitive function.

Titanium decorated iron oxide (Ti@Fe2O3) regulates the proliferation of bovine muscle satellite cells through oxidative stress.

In the present study, the titanium decorated iron oxide (Ti@Fe2O3) nanocomposites are synthesized using the chemical method. The as-prepared nanocomposite was characterized for successful formulation and the elemental spectra showed the composition of Fe (44%), Ti (0.71%) and O (55%) is confirmed the homogenous distribution. Crystallographic spectra depict the strong peaks corresponding to the of TiO2 and Fe2O3 nanoparticles planes with minor shift variation due to the formulation of Ti on the surface of Fe2O3 nanoparticles and it is also confirmed with SAED analysis. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis of Ti@Fe2O3) nanocomposite confirms the existence of elements such as Fe, O and Ti. Further, the morphology of the composite showed the well-defined encapsulation and aggregation of TiO2 nanoparticles on the surface of Fe2O3 nanoparticles. Further, the TiO2 nanoparticles showed less cytotoxic activity against bovine satellite cells, as well the nanocomposite increased the growth of bovine satellite cells comparing with control cells. Further, the morphological analysis showed the significant changes in TiO2 nanoparticles treated cells and the nanocomposite induces the myotube formation due to the increased ROS level in bovine satellite cells. Moreover, the nanocomposite regulates the expression of genes IGF-1, TGF-ß, MSTN, CASP3, CASP2 and proteins such as CALP1, CALP2, MyoD, MyoG which are responsible for the growth, proliferation, and differentiation of satellite cells. Together, the prepared Ti@Fe2O3 nanocomposites afford additional support for the applications of nanomaterials in skeletal muscle repair and tissue regeneration engineering.

A combination of postmortem ageing and sous vide cooking following by blowtorching and oven roasting for improving the eating quality and acceptance of low quality grade Hanwoo striploin.

OBJECTIVE: It is well recognized that beef cuts from a low quality grade are usually associated with tougher, drier and less flavorful. Thus, the present study aimed at investigating the combined effects of postmortem ageing and sous vide (SV) cooking followed by oven roasting or blowtorching on the eating quality of low quality grade Hanwoo beef striploins. METHODS: Hanwoo beef striploins (quality grade 3) obtained from 36 month-old Hanwoo steers were used, and the samples were chiller aged for 0 and 14 d at 4°C. After ageing, the samples were prepared into 2.5-cm steaks which were then SV cooked at 55°C for 5 h and then raised to 60°C for 1 h, and thereafter the SV-cooked the steaks were further roasted in oven for 20 min (SV+OV) or blowtorched (SV+TC) for 2 min. The cooked samples were analyzed for microbiological quality, browning index, Wanrner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF), aroma flavor compounds and sensory properties. RESULTS: The SV cooking significantly reduced the WBSF values in beef samples (p<0.05). Blowtorching after SV cooking led to a browner surface of the beef steaks (p<0.05). The samples treated with SV+OV or SV+TC exhibited higher levels of Maillard reaction-derived aroma flavor compounds such as; pyrazines and sulfur-containing compounds compared to those just SV cooked. More especially, the SV+OV- or SV+TC- treated samples presented significantly higher flavor and overall acceptability scores compared to those just SV cooked (p<0.05). Ageing beef for 14 d significantly improved the tenderness by reducing the WBSF and increasing the tenderness scores. CONCLUSION: Thus, the combination of postmortem ageing and SV cooking followed by additional treatments (blowtorching or oven roasting) could be used to improve the eating quality especially tenderness and flavor as well as overall acceptability of low grade Hanwoo beef.

LDPC Coded Massive MIMO Systems.

We design a coded massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system using low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes and iterative joint detection and decoding (JDD) algorithm employing a low complexity detection. We introduce the factor graph representation of the LDPC coded massive MIMO system, based on which the message updating rule in the JDD is defined. We devise a tool for analyzing extrinsic information transfer (EXIT) characteristics of messages flowing in the JDD and the three-dimensional (3-D) EXIT chart provides a visualization of the JDD behavior. Based on the proposed 3-D EXIT analysis, we design jointly the degree distribution of irregular LDPC codes and the JDD strategy for the coded massive MIMO system. The JDD strategy was determined to achieve a higher error correction capability with a given amount of computational complexity. It was observed that the coded massive MIMO system equipped with the proposed LDPC codes and the proposed JDD strategy has lower bit error rate than conventional LDPC coded massive MIMO systems.

Crosstalk Between Co-Cultured 3T3-L1 and C2C12 Cells After the Exposure of Nano-Titanium Dioxide.

Nanotechnology is a promptly growing field in this century, and it have been extensively used in several solicitations. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation is one of the important mechanism of action of nanoparticles. The excess ROS generation can induce oxidative stress, so the cells are unable to sustain the normal biological redox-regulated tasks. The high oxidative stress and ROS formation condition, damage the biological macromolecules, cell signaling pathways and finally leads to cell death or cancer initiation. The objective of the present study is to reveal the effects of TiO2 nanoparticle on co-culture system. The cell viability, oxidative stress and apoptosis were evaluated in monolayer and co-culture 3T3-L1 cells after the exposure of TiO2. Our results indicated that TiO2 significantly induces the reactive oxygen species (ROS), lipid peroxidation and decrease in the level of glutathione. Additionally, real-time PCR data analysis shown an increased in the expression of p53, Bax, caspase-9, caspase-3 and decreased the level of Bcl-2, by this means specifying that apoptosis induced by TiO2 NPs occurs via the caspase-dependent pathway. This study analytically shows that oxidative stress is the fundamental mechanism by which TiO2 causes apoptosis in a co-culture system even at very low concentrations. In the future, the use of such nanoparticles should be cautiously scrutinized.

Attenuation of cellular toxicity by calpain inhibitor induced by bacterial endotoxin: a mechanistic study using muscle precursor cells as a model system.

This investigation was under taken to explore probable mechanisms and signal pathways involved in cytotoxicity induced by bacterial endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Herein, we selected muscle precursor C2C12 myoblasts as representative cells to test effect of calpain inhibitor 3-(4-iodophenyl)-2-mercapto-(Z)-2-propenoic acid (PD150606) on LPS induced inflammation and apoptosis. In order to rule out the toxicity of endotoxin, mouse myoblasts were exposed to various concentrations of LPS and viability of cells and morphology were assessed using CCK-8 assay and simple microscopy respectively. Apoptotic cell death was examined by fluorescence microscope at regular time intervals. Additionally, LPS induced apoptosis in C2C12 cells were determined by mRNA expression of µ-calpain, caspase-3 and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and were quantified by qRT-PCR. Our results point out that LPS stimulation produced dose dependent toxicity in muscle precursor cells. Pre-treatment with a calpain inhibitor can significantly attenuate LPS-induced inflammation/apoptosis. Results of present research determined that mRNA expression of aforesaid genes was amplified (p<0.05) in LPS stimulated C2C12 cells, whereas a noticeable drop off in mRNA expression of these genes was observed when pre-exposed with calpain inhibitor PD150606. Our study has outlined the current understanding regarding the connection between µ-calpain and caspase-3 in skeletal muscle wasting and as a result provides suitable choice for designing promising chemotherapeutic system for muscle illness and atrophy.

Role of caspase-9 in the effector caspases and genome expressions, and growth of bovine skeletal myoblasts.

Caspase-9 has been reported as the key regulator of apoptosis, however, its role in skeletal myoblast development and molecular involvements during cell growth still remains unknown. The current study aimed to present the key role of caspase-9 in the expressions of apoptotic caspases and genome, and cell viability during myoblast growth using RNA interference mediated silencing. Three small interference RNA sequences (siRNAs) targeting caspase-9 gene was designed and ligated into pSilencer plasmid vector to construct shRNA expression constructs. Cells were transfected with the constructs for 48 h. Results indicated that all three siRNAs could silence the caspase-9 mRNA expression significantly. Particularly, the mRNA expression level of caspase-9 in the cells transfected by shRNA1, shRNA2 and shRNA3 constructs were reduced by 37.85%, 68.20% and 58.14%, respectively. Suppression of caspase-9 led to the significant increases in the mRNA and protein expressions of effector caspase-3, whereas the reduction in mRNA and protein expressions of caspase-7. The microarray results showed that the suppression of caspase-9 resulted in significant upregulations of cell proliferation-, adhesion-, growth-, development- and division-regulating genes, whereas the reduction in the expressions of cell death program- and stress response-regulating genes. Furthermore, cell viability was significantly increased following the transfection. These data suggest that caspase-9 could play an important role in the control of cell growth, and knockdown of caspase-9 may have genuine potential in the treatment of skeletal muscle atrophy.

Regulation of tight junction gene expression in the kidney of calbindin-D9k and/or -D28k knockout mice after consumption of a calcium- or a calcium/vitamin D-deficient diet.

BACKGROUND: Calciotropic hormones were thought to facilitate calcium transfer through active transcellular or passive paracellular pathway for calcium homeostasis. While calcium transport proteins such as CaBP-28 k, TRPV5, NCX1, PMCA1b are involved in calcium reabsorption of the renal tubule using transcellular transport, tight junction proteins are known as critically related to calcium absorption through paracellular pathway. The regulation of each pathway for calcium transport was well studied but the correlation was not. It is expected that present study will provide new information about the link between transcellular and paracellular pathway within renal tubules. RESULTS: Transcripts and proteins of tight junction related genes (occludin, ZO-1, and claudins) were examined in CaBP-9 k-and/or-28 k-deficient mice as well as the effect of dietary calcium and/or vitamin D supplementation. With a normal diet, the transcriptional and translational expressions of most tight junction proteins in the kidney was not significantly changed but with a calcium- and vitamin D-deficient diet, and they were significantly increased in the kidney of the CaBP-28 k and CaBP-9 k/28 k double KO (DKO) mice. In these genotypes, the increase of tight junction related transcripts and proteins are referred to as an evidence explaining correlation between transcellular transport and paracellular pathway. CONCLUSIONS: These findings are particularly interesting in evidences that insufficient transcellular calcium transports are compensated by paracellular pathway in calcium or calcium/vitamin D deficient condition, and that both transcellular and paracellular pathways functionally cooperate for calcium reabsorption in the kidney.

Application of cell co-culture system to study fat and muscle cells.

Animal cell culture is a highly complex process, in which cells are grown under specific conditions. The growth and development of these cells is a highly unnatural process in vitro condition. Cells are removed from animal tissues and artificially cultured in various culture vessels. Vitamins, minerals, and serum growth factors are supplied to maintain cell viability. Obtaining result homogeneity of in vitro and in vivo experiments is rare, because their structure and function are different. Living tissues have highly ordered complex architecture and are three-dimensional (3D) in structure. The interaction between adjacent cell types is quite distinct from the in vitro cell culture, which is usually two-dimensional (2D). Co-culture systems are studied to analyze the interactions between the two different cell types. The muscle and fat co-culture system is useful in addressing several questions related to muscle modeling, muscle degeneration, apoptosis, and muscle regeneration. Co-culture of C2C12 and 3T3-L1 cells could be a useful diagnostic tool to understand the muscle and fat formation in animals. Even though, co-culture systems have certain limitations, they provide a more realistic 3D view and information than the individual cell culture system. It is suggested that co-culture systems are useful in evaluating the intercellular communication and composition of two different cell types.

The calpain system and diabetes.

Diabetes mellitus is recognized as a clinical syndrome that is characterized by hyperglycemia due to deficiency of insulin. The global prevalence of diabetes has been estimated to increase from 4% (1995) to 5.4% by the year 2025. Insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM/Type-1) in human, generating hyperglycemia due to insulin deficiency as a consequence of destructing beta cells in the pancreatic islets. Non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM/Type-II), is a multifactorial, exact biochemical and genetic defect which has not yet been elucidated completely. Calpains seem to play a role in NIDDM and IDDM. Positional cloning experiments revealed that there is a NIDDM susceptibility to calpain 10 (CAPN10). Increased calpain activity and leukocyte trafficking were noticed in the microcirculation in ZDF (Zuker diabetic fatty) rats. Exercise and low body weight play a significant role in reducing calpains expression or elevating the calpains degradation in the skeletal muscle of NIDDM rats. Numerous investigations have been reported that non-coding polymorphisms in CAPN10 proteins might be involved in the NIDDM. Calpain and its mRNA presence had been reported in tissues from many mammalian species. CAPN10 and other calpains seem to be linked to glucose metabolism, insulin secretion and action pathways. This review will give an overview of the role of calpain in NIDDM and IDDM.

Synthetic pyrethroid effect on blood plasma biomarker enzymes and histological changes in Catla catla.

Alpha-cypermethrin is an isoform of cypermethrin; it is an active pyrethroid used extensively to control a wide range of pests in agriculture and animal breeding. In this study four groups of six fish were examined. The first group served as a control in fresh water alone, with no pyrethroid. The second, third and fourth groups were exposed to alpha-cypermethrin for 4, 8 and 96 h respectively. At the end of the each exposure period, the fish were sacrificed, and the required muscle tissues were collected for histological examination. The blood was drawn with heparinized needles and processed for serum enzymatic studies. Serum enzymes such as aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT), amylase, acid phosphatase (ACP) and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) were measured at 4, 8 and 96 h. AST enzyme activity was significantly increased at 4 h, whereas ALT and amylase enzyme activities were significantly reduced at all the time points. ACP enzyme activity was significantly reduced at 4 and 8 h, whereas GGT enzyme activity was significantly increased at all the time points. Hepatocyte cytoplasmic vacuolisation and degeneration, rupture of blood vessels, and necrosis was found at all time points. Congestion of blood vessels, bulging, distortion of filaments, erosion and disintegration of blood corpuscles and hyperplasia of epithelium were found in treated gills at 4, 8 and 96 h. Breakdown of muscle fibres, vacuolation and accumulation of lipids and melanin in white muscle were observed in treated fish muscle at 4, 8 and 96 h.

Alteration of tight junction gene expression by calcium- and vitamin D-deficient diet in the duodenum of calbindin-null mice.

Calcium absorption is regulated by both active (transcellular) and passive (paracellular) pathways. Although each pathway has been studied, correlations between the two pathways have not been well elucidated. In previous investigations, the critical transcellular proteins, calbindin-D9k (CaBP-9k) and -D28k (CaBP-28k), were shown to affect other transcellular pathways by buffering intracellular calcium concentrations. The rate of paracellular calcium transport in the duodenum is generally determined by the expression of tight junction genes. In the present study, the effect of dietary calcium and/or vitamin D supplementation on the expression of tight junction genes (occludin, ZO-1 and claudin 2, 10b, 12 and 15) in the duodenum of CaBP-9k- and/or -28k-deficient mice was examined. With a normal diet, the expression of most tight junction genes in the duodenum was significantly increased in CaBP-9k knockout (KO) mice compared to wild-type (WT) animals. With a calcium- and vitamin D-deficient diet, tight junction gene expression was significantly decreased in the duodenum of the CaBP-9k KO mice. These findings suggest that expression of paracellular tight junction genes is regulated by transcellular CaBP proteins, suggesting that active and passive calcium transport pathways may function cooperatively.

Objective Meat Quality from Quality Grade and Backfat Thickness of Hanwoo Steers.

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of quality grade (QG), and back-fat thickness on the carcass traits and meat quality properties of Hanwoo steers. Fifty carcasses were sorted into two QG (QG 1+ and 1) and three back-fat thickness (<10 mm, 10 to 19 mm and ≥19 mm) groups. After investigating the carcass traits (rib eye, back-fat thickness, weight, color, yield index, maturity, marbling score, and texture), the longissimus lumborum muscles from the carcass groups were collected and analyzed for meat quality (pH, color, cooking loss, and moisture), texture profiles [Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF), and tensile tests], and fatty acid. Results showed that marbling score (p<0.001), moisture (p<0.05) and tensile tests values (p<0.05) had a significant differences between QG1+ and QG1. No differences in pH, color traits, cooking loss and WBSF values occurred between the QG groups. Regarding the back-fat thickness effect, we observed that the carcass weight, yield index (p<0.001), yield grade (p<0.001) and marbling score (p<0.05) had a significant differences among the back-fat thickness groups. Regarding the meat quality, moisture content and WBSF values (p<0.01) among the back-fat thickness groups. The back-fat thickness did not affect the pH, color, cooking loss and tensile tests. The QG and back-fat thickness did not affect the fatty acids contents (p>0.05). It may be concluded that the carcass traits and meat quality were significantly affected the QG and back-fat thickness.

Differences in toughness and aging potential of longissimus lumborum muscles between Hanwoo cow, bull and steer.

Thirty Hanwoo cattle including bulls, cows, and steers (n = 10 each) were slaughtered and investigated for carcass traits (weight, meat color, fat color, yield index, maturity, marbling score, back-fat thickness, and firmness) and meat quality. The meat quality such as: pH, color, cooking loss, fatty acid, thiobarbituric acid reactive substance, warner-bratzler shear force, tensile tests, and texture profiles were analyzed on longissimus lumborum (LL) muscles of the carcasses at different aging times (3 d and 21 d). The results showed that steers and cows had higher back-fat thickness and marbling score, and a lower firmness (p < 0.001) than bulls. Bulls exhibited a lower meat quality indicating by higher cooking loss, thiobarbituric acid reactive substance content, warner-bratzler shear force and tensile test values (p < 0.01). Regarding the sensory property, the bull meat also had higher hardness, and lower tenderness, juiciness and flavor scores than the cow or steer meat (p < 0.01). Additionally, the bull meat had a higher polyunsaturated fatty acid and a lower monounsaturated fatty acid contents (p < 0.01). With increased aging time, the meat tenderness was improved in all the genders. Taken together, the present study demonstrated that the gender and aging time affected the carcass traits, fatty acid and sensory quality of beef. Postmortem aging could improve the meat tenderness of all genders especially bulls.

A case study of CO2 emissions from beef and pork production in South Korea.

The current study evaluated carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from beef and pork production and distribution chains in the South Korean meat industry. Data from industrial example farms and slaughterhouses were assessed on the basis of both the guidelines from the United Kingdom's Publicly Available Specification (PAS) 2050:2011 and the Korea Environmental Industry & Technology Institute carbon footprint calculation. The main factors for our estimations were animal feeds, manure waste, transportation, energy and water, refrigerants, and package data. Our analyses show that 16.55 kg CO2 equivalent (eq) was emitted during the production of 1 kg of live cattle. When retail yields and packing processes were considered, the CO2-eq of 1 kg of packaged Hanwoo beef was 27.86 kg. As for pigs, emissions from 1 kg of live pigs and packaged pork meat were 2.62 and 12.75 kg CO2-eq, respectively. While we gathered data from only two farms and slaughterhouses and our findings can therefore not be extrapolated to all meats produced in the South Korean meat industry, they indicate that manure waste is the greatest factor affecting ultimate CO2 emissions of packaged meats.

Genome-wide association studies on collagen contents trait for meat quality in Hanwoo.

Beef consumers valued meat quality traits such as texture, tenderness, juiciness, flavor, and meat color that determining consumers' purchasing decision. Most research on meat quality has focused on marbling, a key characteristic related to meat eating quality. However, other important traits such as meat texture, tenderness, and color have not much studied in cattle. Among these traits, meat tenderness and texture of cattle are among the most important factors affecting quality evaluation of consumers. Collagen is the main component of connective tissues.It greatly affects meat tenderness. The objective of this study was to determine significant variants and candidate genes associated with collagen contents trait (total collagen) through genome-wide association studies (GWAS). Phenotypic and genomic data from 135 Hanwoo were used. The BLUPF90 family program and GRAMMAR method for GWAS were applied in this study. A total of 73 potential single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) showed significant associations with collagen content. They were located in or near 108 candidate genes. TMEM135 and ME3 genes were identified to have the most significant SNPs associated with collagen contents trait. Data indicated that these genes were related to collagen. Biological processes and pathways for the prediction of biological functions of candidate genes were confirmed. We found that candidate genes were involved in positive regulation of CREB transcription factor activity and actin cytoskeleton related to tenderness and texture of beef. Three genes (CRTC3, MYO1C and MYLK4) belonging to these biological functions were related to tenderness. These results provide a basis for improving genomic characteristics of Hanwoo for the production of tender beef. Furthermore, they could be used they could be used as an index to select desired traits for consumers.

Beef Toughness and the Amount of Greenhouse Gas Emissions as a Function of Localized Electrical Stimulation.

This study investigated the effect of localized electrical stimulation on Hanwoo beef quality. It focused on the chemical and physical properties of the Longissimus thoracis (LT) and Biceps femoris (BF) muscles, and it explored the implications of carbon dioxide (CO2) reduction achieved by accelerating tenderization via localized electrical stimulation. The results show that the application of localized electrical stimulation (45 V) had no significant impact on the TBARS (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances) of either the LT muscle or the BF muscle. Localized electrical stimulation and aging treatments had a significant effect on meat tenderness in the LT and BF muscles, but there was no interactive effect. In particular, the WBsf (Warnar-Bratzler shear force) at 2 days of aging of the electrically stimulated BF muscle was 5.35 kg, which was lower than that of the control group (5.58 kg) after 14 days of aging; however, the effect of WBsf reduction due to aging in the LT muscle was higher than the localized electrical stimulation effect. Estimating CO2 mitigation from a shorter feeding period for Hanwoo steers from 31 months to 26 months may reduce 1.04 kg of CO2-eq emissions associated with the production of a single kilogram of trimmed beef. In conclusion, localized electrical stimulation improved the tenderness of Hanwoo beef and reduced CO2 emissions.

A Comparative Study on the Adipogenic and Myogenic Capacity of Muscle Satellite Cells, and Meat Quality Characteristics between Hanwoo and Vietnamese Yellow Steers.

Myogenesis and adipogenesis are the important processes determining the muscle growth and fat accumulation livestock, which ultimately affecting their meat quality. Hanwoo is a popular breed and its meat has been exported to other countries. The objective of this study was to compare the myogenesis and adipogenesis properties in satellite cells, and meat quality between Hanwoo and Vietnamese yellow cattle (VYC). Same 28-months old Hanwoo (body weight: 728±45 kg) and VYC (body weight: 285±36 kg) steers (n=10 per breed) were used. Immediately after slaughter, tissue samples were collected from longissimus lumborum (LL) muscles for satellite cells isolation and assays. After 24 h post-mortem, LL muscles from left carcass sides were collected for meat quality analysis. Under the same in vitro culture condition, the proliferation rate was higher in Hanwoo compared to VYC (p<0.05). Fusion index was almost 3 times greater in Hanwoo (42.17%), compared with VYC (14.93%; p<0.05). The expressions of myogenesis (myogenic factor 5, myogenic differentiation 1, myogenin, and myogenic factor 6)- and adipogenesis (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma)-regulating genes, and triglyceride content were higher in Hanwoo, compared with VYC (p<0.05). Hanwoo beef had a higher intramuscular fat and total monounsaturated fatty acids contents than VYC beef (p<0.05). Whilst, VYC meat had a higher CIE a* and total polyunsaturated fatty acids content (p<0.05). Overall, there was a significant difference in the in vitro culture characteristics and genes expression of satellite cells, and meat quality between the Hanwoo and VYC.