Genetic parameters for production, quality, and colors from eggs in Brazilian lineages of chickens.

Genetic parameters were estimated for egg production, egg quality, and eggshell colors in eight lineages of Brazilian laying hens. Age at first egg (AFE), total egg production up to the 45th week (PROD), egg weight (EW), albumen height (AH), yolk color (YC), the Haugh units (HU), eggshell strength (ESS), eggshell thickness (EST), yolk weight (YW), eggshell weight (ESW), and eggshell color (L*, a*, and b*) were measured in 2030 eggs obtained from 645 laying hens. Variance components were estimated from a mixed animal model, which included the fixed effects of contemporary groups, cage location, and hen line, and the additive genetic, permanent environmental, and residual as random effects. In general, heritabilities were low to moderate (h2 = 0.11 to 0.48). Genetic correlations among eggshell quality traits were moderate to high (0.36 and 0.69). High genetic correlations were obtained between the eggshell color traits [rg = -0.90 (L* and a*); rg = -0.64 (L* and b*); and rg = 0.65 (a* and b*)]. Results suggest that EW is strongly correlated with ESW, but the genetic correlations between EW and ESS and between EW and EST were low. Genetic correlations between L* and eggshell quality traits were low to moderate, suggesting that L* has little or no relation with external egg quality. However, genetic correlations between a* and b* values and eggshell quality traits were high. The genetic correlations between eggshell color and eggshell quality traits were low, suggesting that the eggshell color does not influence external egg quality. Genetic correlations between PROD and egg quality traits were negative and varied between -0.42 and -0.05. This antagonistic relationship emphasizes the importance of adopting breeding schemes that allow the simultaneous genetic progress of these traits by considering their genetic correlation and economic relevance, such as the selection index.

Differential Gene Expression Associated with Soybean Oil Level in the Diet of Pigs.

The aim of this study was to identify the differentially expressed genes (DEG) from the skeletal muscle and liver samples of animal models for metabolic diseases in humans. To perform the study, the fatty acid (FA) profile and RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) data of 35 samples of liver tissue (SOY1.5, n = 17 and SOY3.0, n = 18) and 36 samples of skeletal muscle (SOY1.5, n = 18 and SOY3.0, n = 18) of Large White pigs were analyzed. The FA profile of the tissues was modified by the diet, mainly those related to monounsaturated (MUFA) and polyunsaturated (PUFA) FA. The skeletal muscle transcriptome analysis revealed 45 DEG (FDR 10%), and the functional enrichment analysis identified network maps related to inflammation, immune processes, and pathways associated with oxidative stress, type 2 diabetes, and metabolic dysfunction. For the liver tissue, the transcriptome profile analysis revealed 281 DEG, which participate in network maps related to neurodegenerative diseases. With this nutrigenomics study, we verified that different levels of soybean oil in the pig diet, an animal model for metabolic diseases in humans, affected the transcriptome profile of skeletal muscle and liver tissue. These findings may help to better understand the biological mechanisms that can be modulated by the diet.

Variants in myostatin and MyoD family genes are associated with meat quality traits in Santa Inês sheep.

Myostatin and MyoD family genes play vital roles in myogenesis and this study aimed to identify association of variants in MyoD1, MyoG, MyF5, MyF6, and MSTN genes with meat traits in Santa Inês sheep. A dataset with 44 variants and records of seven meat traits in 192 lambs (pH0, pH24, a*, b*, L*, tenderness assessed by shear force, and water-holding capacity) was used. Single-locus and haplotype association analyses were performed, and the significance threshold was established according to Bonferroni's method. Single-locus analysis revealed two associations at a Bonferroni level, where the variant c.935-185C > G in MyoD1 had an additive effect (-4.31 ± 1.08 N) on tenderness, while the variant c.464 + 185G > A in MyoG had an additive effect (-2.86 ± 0.64) on a*. Additionally, the haplotype replacement GT>AC in MSTN was associated with pH0 (1.26 ± 0.31), pH24 (1.07 ± 0.27), a* (-1.40 ± 0.51), and tenderness (3.83 ± 1.22 N), while the replacement GT > AG in MyoD1 was associated with pH0 (1.43 ± 0.26), pH24 (1.25 ± 0.22), b* (-1.06 ± 0.39), and tenderness (-4.13 ± 1.16 N). Our results have demonstrated that some variants in MyoG, MyF6, MyoD1, and MSTN can be associated with physicochemical meat traits in Santa Inês sheep.