Identification of a Candidate Gene Regulating Intramuscular Fat Content in Pigs through the Integrative Analysis of Transcriptomics and Proteomics Data.

Pork is a widely consumed source of animal protein worldwide, and the intramuscular fat (IMF) content in pork plays a crucial role in determining its quality. In this study, we sought to identify candidate genes that regulate IMF deposition in pigs. We performed tandem mass tags (TMT)-based quantitative proteomics analysis using Longissimus dorsi (LD) muscle samples obtained from eight pigs with extremely high and low IMF content among a group of 28 Duroc pigs and identified 50 differentially abundant proteins (DAPs). Additionally, we compared the proteomics data with RNA-sequencing data obtained in our previous study and identified TUSC5 as a differentially expressed gene corresponding to the relevant DAP. To investigate the potential role of TUSC5 in adipogenesis, we suppressed TUSC5 expression in mouse 3T3-L1 preadipocytes using short hairpin RNA (shRNA) and observed a significant reduction in the differentiation of 3T3-L1 cells into adipocytes, as indicated by Oil Red O staining and triglyceride content. Moreover, we observed a reduction in the expression of genes associated with adipogenesis (PPARG, CEBPA, FABP4, and FASN) following TUSC5 suppression. Through an integrative analysis of transcriptomics and proteomics data, our study identified TUSC5 as a crucial candidate gene associated with the regulation of IMF content in pigs.

Synthesis of Honeycomb-Like Co3O4 Nanosheets with Excellent Supercapacitive Performance by Morphological Controlling Derived from the Alkaline Source Ratio.

Honeycomb-like Co3O4 nanosheets with high specific surface area were successfully synthesized on porous nickel foam by the facile hydrothermal method followed by an annealing treatment (300 °C), which were used as high-performance supercapacitor electrodes. The effects of the mole ratio of hexamethylenetetramine (HMT) and Co(NO3)2 (1:1, 2:1, 3:1, 4:1, 5:1 and 6:1) as the reactants on the morphological evolution and electrochemical performance of the electrodes were investigated in detail. X-ray diffractometry (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were applied to characterize the structure and morphology of the products. The electrochemical performance was measured by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and galvanostatic charge/discharge. The mole ratio of HMT and Co(NO3)2 produced a significant effect on the morphological evolution of Co3O4. The morphological evolution of Co3O4 with the increase in the mole ratio was followed: the nanosheets accompanied with a large number of spherical nanoparticles → the formation of some strip-like particles due to the agglomeration of spherical nanoparticles → the formation of new nanosheets resulting from the growth of strip-like particles → the formation of coarse flower-like particles owing to the connection among the nanosheets → the nanosheets gradually covered with flower-like particles. Accompanied with the change, the specific surface area was increased firstly, and then decreased. A maximum was obtained at a HMT and Co(NO3)2 mole ratio of 4:1. The evolution in morphology of Co3O4 was responsible for the change in electrochemical performance of the electrode. The specific capacitance value of the electrode prepared at a HMT and Co(NO3)2 mole ratio of 4:1 was highest (743.00 F·g-1 at 1 A·g-1 in the galvanostatic charge/discharge test). The similar result was also observed in the CV test with a scanning rate of 5 mV·s-1. Moreover, the electrode also demonstrated an excellent cyclic performance, in which about 97% of the initial specific capacitance remained at 1 A·g-1 for 500 cycles in the galvanostatic charge/discharge test. This excellent electrochemical performance was ascribed to high specific surface area of Co3O4 nanosheets that provide added channels and space for the ions transportation.

[Inhibition of Fusarium graminearum by silver nanoparticles].

Silver nanoparticles were prepared by chemical reduction. Fusarium graminearum was used as the test strain. To study the inhibition of F. graminearum by silver nanoparticles, we studied the activities of protective enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD) and catalase (CAT), and the contents of osmotic adjustment substances soluble protein, soluble sugar and malonaldehyde (MDA) in F. graminearum. Silver nanoparticles inhibited F. graminearum and the inhibitory effect was increased with the concentration of silver nanoparticles. The inhibition rate of 10 µg/mL silver nanoparticles was more than 90% and EC50 was 0.59 µg/mL. When the treating time prolonged (2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 h), the activity of SOD, CAT and POD increased firstly and then declined. SOD, POD and CAT reached the maximum at 4 hours, and decreased to minimum at 10 hours. Silver nanoparticles also increased the MDA content and reduced the soluble sugar and protein contents in pathogens. These results indicated that cell integrity was destroyed in the presence of silver. This may be one of the inhibiting mechanisms of silver nanoparticles on the growth of F. graminearum.

Biological Synthesis of Size-Controlled Cadmium Sulfide Nanoparticles Using Immobilized Rhodobacter sphaeroides.

Size-controlled cadmium sulfide nanoparticles were successfully synthesized by immobilized Rhodobacter sphaeroides in the study. The dynamic process that Cd(2+) was transported from solution into cell by living R. sphaeroides was characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Culture time, as an important physiological parameter for R. sphaeroides growth, could significantly control the size of cadmium sulfide nanoparticles. TEM demonstrated that the average sizes of spherical cadmium sulfide nanoparticles were 2.3 +/- 0.15, 6.8 +/- 0.22, and 36.8 +/- 0.25 nm at culture times of 36, 42, and 48 h, respectively. Also, the UV-vis and photoluminescence spectral analysis of cadmium sulfide nanoparticles were performed.