Light management plays an important role in the growth and behavior of broiler chickens. Constant light in early post hatch stage has been a common practice in broiler industry for improving growth performance, while whether and how constant light in early life affects the behavior of broiler chickens is rarely reported. In this study, newly hatched chicks were kept in either constant (24 L:0 D, LL)

Ovarian follicular fluids (FFs) contain several kinds of regulatory factors that maintain a suitable microenvironment for oocyte development. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are among the factors that play essential roles in regulating follicle and oocyte development through their cargo molecules that include microRNAs (miRNAs). This study aimed to investigate small-EV (s-EV) miRNAs in porcine FFs and

Arginine (Arg) is an essential amino acid (EAA) in poultry, an important substrate for protein synthesis and a precursor of several molecules. Supplementation of EAAs with low protein (LP) diet increases the utilization efficiency of dietary crude protein (CP). However, if the EAA requirement is changed in hens fed a LP diet remains to be elucidated. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the

The productivity and sustainability of livestock production systems are heavily influenced by animal nutrition. To maintain homeostatic balance in the body of the animal at different phases of life, the percentage of organically active minerals in livestock feed must be optimized. Selenium (Se) is a crucial trace mineral that is required for the maintenance of many functions of the body. Se nanoparticles

Under current dietary regimens, milk production by lactating sows is insufficient to sustain the maximal growth of their piglets. As precursors of glutamate and glutamine as well as substrates and activators of protein synthesis, branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) have great potential for enhancing milk production by sows. Thirty multiparous sows were assigned randomly into one of three groups: control

Heat stress (HS) affects the ruminal microbiota and decreases the lactation performance of dairy cows. Because HS decreases feed intake, the results of previous studies were confounded by the effect of HS on feed intake. This study examined the direct effect of HS on the ruminal microbiota using lactating Holstein cows that were pair-fed and housed in environmental chambers in a 2 × 2 crossover design

Elevated ambient temperature-caused heat stress is a major concern for livestock production due to its negative impact on animal feed intake, growth, reproduction, and health. Particularly, the germ cells are extremely sensitive to the heat stress. However, the effective approach and strategy regarding how to protect mammalian oocytes from heat stress-induced defects have not been determined. Germinal

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are nanosized membrane-enclosed compartments that serve as messengers in cell-to-cell communication, both in normal physiology and in pathological conditions. EVs can transfer functional proteins and genetic information to alter the phenotype and function of recipient cells, which undergo different changes that positively affect their structural and functional integrity

Tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA), a hydrophilic bile acid, is the main medicinal component of bear bile and is commonly used to treat a variety of hepatobiliary diseases. Meanwhile, TUDCA has been shown to modulate the intestinal barrier function and alleviate DSS-induced colitis in mice. However, the effect of TUDCA on the intestinal barrier of weaned piglets remains largely unclear. The weaned piglets

Mycotoxins are toxic secondary metabolites produced by filamentous fungi that are commonly detected as natural contaminants in agricultural commodities worldwide. Mycotoxin exposure can lead to mycotoxicosis in both animals and humans when found in animal feeds and food products, and at lower concentrations can affect animal performance by disrupting nutrient digestion, absorption, metabolism, and

Germ cell mitotic arrest is conserved in many vertebrates, including birds, although the time of entry or exit into quiescence phase differs. Mitotic arrest is essential for the normal differentiation of male germ cells into spermatogonia and accompanies epigenetic reprogramming and meiosis inhibition from embryonic development to post-hatch. However, mitotic arrest was not well studied in chickens

Protein releases amino acids faster than starch releases glucose in digestive tract of pigs fed low-protein (LP) diets. Poor synchronization of dietary glucose and amino acids supply leads to compromised nitrogen efficiency. Dietary starch patterns modulation may improve this situation. Growing barrows (29.7 ± 2.0 kg) were randomly allotted into 5 dietary treatments with LP diets consisting of different

Galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) are non-digestible food ingredients that promote the growth of beneficial bacteria in the gut. This study investigated the protective effect of the early-life GOS supplement on the piglets’ gut function against the oxidative stress induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-challenge. Eighteen neonatal piglets were assigned to three groups including CON, LPS and LPS + GOS groups

Although methionine (Met), the first-limiting dietary amino acid, has crucial roles in growth and regulation of lipid metabolism in ducks, mechanisms underlying are not well understood. Therefore, the objective was to use dietary Met deficiency to investigate the involvement of Met in lipid metabolism and fat accumulation of Pekin ducks. A total of 150 male Pekin ducks (15-d-old, 558.5 ± 4.4 g) were

As a ubiquitous reversible epigenetic RNA modification, N6-methyladenosine (m6A) plays crucial regulatory roles in multiple biological pathways. However, its functional mechanisms in sex determination and differentiation during gonadal development of chicken embryos are not clear. Therefore, we established a transcriptome-wide m6A map in the female and male chicken left gonads of embryonic day 7 (E7)

Recently, machine learning (ML) has become attractive in genomic prediction, but its superiority in genomic prediction over conventional (ss) GBLUP methods and the choice of optimal ML methods need to be investigated. In this study, 2566 Chinese Yorkshire pigs with reproduction trait records were genotyped with the GenoBaits Porcine SNP 50 K and PorcineSNP50 panels. Four ML methods, including support

Correction to: J Anim Sci Biotechnol 13, 47 (2022) https://doi.org/10.1186/s40104-022-00694-3 After publication of the original article [1], it was brought to our attention that the first author Yu Tang is incorrectly listed as one of the corresponding authors, but the article has only one corresponding author: Lihong Zhao. The original paper has been updated. Tang, et al. J Anim Sci Biotechnol. 2022;13:47

Selenium is an essential trace mineral important for the maintenance of homeostasis in animals and humans. It evinces a strong antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and potential antimicrobial capacity. Selenium biological function is primarily achieved by its presence in selenoproteins as a form of selenocysteine. Selenium deficiency may result in an array of health disorders, affecting many organs and systems;

Evaluating the growth performance of pigs in real-time is laborious and expensive, thus mathematical models based on easily accessible variables are developed. Multiple regression (MR) is the most widely used tool to build prediction models in swine nutrition, while the artificial neural networks (ANN) model is reported to be more accurate than MR model in prediction performance. Therefore, the potential

Increasing intramuscular fat (IMF) is an important strategy to improve meat quality, but the regulation mechanism of IMF deposition needs to be systematically clarified. A total of 520 chickens from a selected line with improved IMF content and a control line were used to investigate the biochemical mechanism of IMF deposition in chickens. The results showed that the increased IMF would improve the

Our previous study has shown that supplementation of trace amounts of antibiotic exacerbated the detrimental effects of enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) infection and delayed the recovery of pigs that may be associated with modified metabolites and metabolic pathways. Therefore, the objective of this study was to explore the impacts of trace levels of antibiotic (carbadox) on host metabolic profiles

The possibility of partially replacing soybean meal (SBM) with Hermetia illucens (HI) defatted larvae meal in broiler nutrition has frequently been suggested. For sustainability reasons, however, the larvae fat produced during defatting should also be used and could be particularly beneficial regarding gut health due to its fatty acid composition. To evaluate the suitability of HI larvae as protein

The objectives of this study were to determine the effect of commercial slow-release urea (SRU) on in vitro fermentation characteristics, nutrient digestibility, gas production, microbial protein synthesis and bacterial community using a rumen simulation technique (RUSITEC). The experiment was a completely randomized design with four treatments and four replications of each treatment. Treatments were:

In recent years, interest in the larvae of black soldier fly (BSF) (Hermetia illucens) as a sustainable protein resource for livestock feed has increased considerably. However, knowledge on the nutritional and physiological aspects of this insect, especially compared to other conventional farmed animals is scarce. This review presents a critical comparison of data on the growth potential and efficiency

Dietary fiber-degrading enzyme supplementation in broilers aims at off-setting the anti-nutritive effect of non-starch polysaccharides and at promoting broiler health. Recently, we demonstrated that xylanase/glucanase addition in wheat-based diet improved nutrient digestibility, arabinoxylan fermentability and broiler growth. Conversely, maize arabinoxylan was found to be recalcitrant to xylanase action

Alternative feedstuffs may contribute to reducing feed costs of pig production. But these feedstuffs are typically rich in fiber and resistant starch (RS). Dietary fibers and RS are fermented in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) and modulate the microbial community. Certain microbes in the GIT can promote host health, depending on the type of fermentation substrates available. In this study, six alternative

Subclinical necrotic enteritis (SNE), a common intestinal disease of broiler caused by Clostridium perfringens, could reduce production performance of broilers by chronic intestinal damage and poor absorption of nutrients. Ellagic acid (EA) has been reported to present antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties on human and animals in many aspects. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect

Sperm quality evaluation is the logical first step in increasing field fertility. Spermatozoa contain cytoplasmic organelles and biomolecules known as sperm-intrinsic factors, which play key roles in sperm maturation, sperm-oocyte fusion, and embryo development. In particular, sperm membrane proteins [e.g., arginine vasopressin receptor 2, beta-actin, prohibitin, and heat shock protein family D member

Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) are outer membrane components of Gram-negative bacteria made of three regions: the O-antigen; the core oligosaccharide; and a glucosamine disaccharide linked to hydroxy fatty acids, which is named lipid A. The number phosphate groups, and hydroxy fatty acid chains is associated with the immunopotency and the immunomodulatory activity of LPS, where six-acyl chain lipid A with

This study aimed at investigating the effects of mycotoxin challenge on the growth and physiology of nursery pigs with different weaning weights. At weaning, 10 pigs were euthanized to collect jejunal mucosa and 90 pigs were assigned following a randomized complete block design in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments with 3 pigs per pen. Factors were: weaning weight (light: body weight, BW < 7

Sperm abnormalities are one of the primary factors leading to male sterility, but their pathogenesis is still unclear. Although miRNAs are suggested to exert important roles in the regulation of spermatogenesis at both transcriptional and posttranscriptional levels, little is currently known regarding the regulation of sperm flagella assembly by microRNAs (miRNAs). The role of miRNAs in the development

The egg production performance of chickens is affected by many factors, including genetics, nutrition and environmental conditions. These factors all play a role in egg production by affecting the development of follicles. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are important non-coding RNAs that regulate biological processes by targeting genes or other non-coding RNAs after transcription. In the animal reproduction process

The application of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) to improve swine growth performance has been sporadically studied. Most of these studies used a single microbiota source and thus the effect of donor characteristics on recipient pigs’ fecal microbiota development and growth performance is largely unknown. In this study, we collected feces from six donors with heavy (H) or light (L) body weight

Spermatogenesis is an intricate developmental process during which undifferentiated spermatogonia, containing spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs), undergo self-renewal and differentiation to generate eventually mature spermatozoa. Spermatogenesis occurs in seminiferous tubules within the testis, and the seminiferous tubules harbor Sertoli and germ cells. Sertoli cells are an essential somatic cell type

The gastrointestinal tract of livestock and poultry is prone to challenge by feedborne antigens, pathogens, and other stress factors in the farm environment. Excessive physiological inflammation and oxidative stress that arises firstly disrupts the intestinal epithelial barrier followed by other components of the gastrointestinal tract. In the present review, the interrelationship between intestinal

In early lactation, bovine mammary epithelial cells undergo serious metabolic challenges and oxidative stress both of which could be alleviated by activation of autophagy. Nuclear factor erythroid 2 related factor 2 (NFE2L2), a master regulator of cellular redox homeostasis, plays an important role in the regulation of autophagy and oxidative stress. Thus, the objective of this study was to investigate

Gut homeostasis is of importance to host health and imbalance of the gut usually leads to disorders or diseases for both human and animal. Postbiotics have been applied in manipulating of gut health, and utilization of postbiotics threads new lights into the host health. Compared with the application of probiotics, the characteristics such as stability and safety of postbiotics make it a potential

BACKGROUND Zearalenone (ZEA) is a resorcylic acid lactone derivative derived from various Fusarium species that are widely found in food and feeds. The molecular structure of ZEA resembles that of the mammalian hormone 17β-oestradiol, thus zearalenone and its metabolites are known to compete with endogenous hormones for estrogen receptors binding sites and to activate transcription of oestrogen-responsive

Dietary supplementation with a fucoidan-rich Ascophyllum nodosum extract (ANE), possessing an in vitro anti-Salmonella Typhimurium activity could be a promising on-farm strategy to control Salmonella infection in pigs. The objectives of this study were to: 1) evaluate the anti-S. Typhimurium activity of ANE (containing 46.6% fucoidan, 18.6% laminarin, 10.7% mannitol, 4.6% alginate) in vitro, and; 2)

Digestive disorders in weaning pigs remain a major challenge for swine producers. Different types of commercial feed additives have been developed to promote gut health and development in young pigs, but their effects on resident gut microbial communities remain largely unexplored. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of a peptide-based product (Peptiva) in combination with mannose oligosaccharides

Impaired reproductive performance is the largest contributing factor for the removal of boars from commercial systems. Intrauterine growth restricted piglets represent 25% of the total number of piglets born and have impaired reproductive performance. This study aimed to improve the understanding of temporal changes in testicular gene expression during testes development in fetuses of different size

Currently, there is a high demand for efficient pig embryo cryopreservation procedures in the porcine industry as well as for genetic diversity preservation and research purposes. To date, vitrification (VIT) is the most efficient method for pig embryo cryopreservation. Despite a high number of embryos survives in vitro after vitrification/warming procedures, the in vivo embryo survival rates after

A growing body of evidence has revealed that the mammalian genome is organized into hierarchical layers that are closely correlated with and may even be causally linked with variations in gene expression. Recent studies have characterized chromatin organization in various porcine tissues and cell types and compared them among species and during the early development of pigs. However, how chromatin

Inbreeding depression can adversely affect traits related to fitness, reproduction and productive performance. Although current research suggests that inbreeding levels are generally low in most goat breeds, the impact of inbreeding depression on phenotypes of economic interest has only been investigated in a few studies based on genealogical data. We genotyped 1040 goats with the Goat SNP50 BeadChip

The broodstock diet, and in particular the lipid and fatty acid composition of the diet, is known to play a key role in reproductive efficiency and survival of the progeny in fish. A major problem when replacing both fish meal and fish oil by plant sources is the lack of n-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). To address this problem

Heat stress (HS) is an important environmental stress factor affecting poultry production on a global scale. With the rise in ambient temperature and increasing effects of global warming, it becomes pertinent to understand the effects of HS on poultry production and the strategies that can be adopted to mitigate its detrimental impacts on the performance, health, welfare, immunity, and survival of

Corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), the major secretagogue of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, is intricately intertwined with the clock genes to regulate the circadian rhythm of various body functions. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) RNA methylation is involved in the regulation of circadian rhythm, yet it remains unknown whether CRH expression and m6A modification oscillate with the clock

Over the past years, antibiotic growth promoter had been restricted in animal husbandry production in many countries because of antimicrobial resistance and foodborne antibiotic residues. However, the problems of poor intestinal health and low growth efficiency of piglets have not been solved completely in an antibiotic-free diet, and it is urgent to explore alternatives to antimicrobial growth promoters

Since the overuse of antibiotics in animal production has led to a selection of antibiotic-resistant pathogens that affect humans and animals as well. Scientists are therefore searching for novel natural alternatives to antibiotics. In this study Lactobacillus reuteri and a combination of reuterin and microcin J25 (RJ) were evaluated as promoters of growth and modulators of the cecal microbiota and

Sialyllactose (SL) is one of the most abundant oligosaccharides present in porcine breast milk. However, little is known about its effect on growth performance and intestinal health in weaned pigs. This study was conducted to explore the protective effect of SL on intestinal epithelium in weaned pigs upon enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) challenge. Thirty-two pigs were randomly divided into

The fertility of sows mainly depends on the embryo losses during gestation and the survival rate of the post-farrowing piglets. The selection of highly-prolific sows has been mainly focused on the selection of genotypes with high ovulatory quota. However, in the early- and post-implantation stages, the rate of embryo losses was increased with the increase of zygotes. Among the various factors, placental

Mycotoxins can cause body poisoning and induce carcinogenesis, often with a high mortality rate. Therefore, it is of great significance to seek new targets that indicate mycotoxin activity and to diagnose and intervene in mycotoxin-induced diseases in their early stages. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are physiological regulators whose dysregulation is closely related to the development of diseases. They are thus

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a novel class of endogenous ncRNA, which widely exist in the transcriptomes of different species and tissues. Recent studies indicate important roles for circRNAs in the regulation of gene expression by acting as competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs). However, the specific role of circRNAs in myogenesis is still poorly understood. In this study, we attempted to systematically

The high dependence of intensive ruminant production on soybean meal and the environmental impact of this crop encourage the search for alternative protein-rich feeds. The use of insects seems promising, but the extent of their ruminal protein degradation is largely unknown. This parameter has major influence not only on N utilization efficiency but also on the environmental burden of ruminant farming

The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the effect of a combination of microencapsulated essential oils and organic acids (MOA) on growth performance, immuno-antioxidant status, intestinal barrier function and microbial structure of the hindgut in piglets. A total of 120 piglets (Duroc × [Landrace × Yorkshire]; weighted 7.66 ± 1.79 kg, weaned at d 28) were randomly selected and allocated to

Cytosolic Ca2+ plays vital roles in myogenesis and muscle development. As a major Ca2+ release channel of endoplasmic reticulum (ER), ryanodine receptor 1 (RyR1) key mutations are main causes of severe congenital myopathies. The role of RyR1 in myogenic differentiation has attracted intense research interest but remains unclear. In the present study, both RyR1-knockdown myoblasts and CRISPR/Cas9-based

Economically important milk production traits including milk volume, milk fat and protein yield vary considerably across dairy goats in New Zealand. A significant portion of the variation is attributable to genetic variation. Discovery of genetic markers linked to milk production traits can be utilised to drive selection of high-performance animals. A previously reported genome wide association study

Very low-protein (VLP) diets negatively impact calcium (Ca) metabolism and absorption. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of supplemental branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) and limiting amino acids (LAA) on Ca digestibility, absorption and reabsorption in pigs fed with VLP diets. Forty-eight piglets were assigned to six treatments: positive control (PC), negative control (NC)

The emergence of antimicrobial resistance has necessitated the development of effective alternatives to antibiotics for livestock and poultry production. This study investigated a possible synergy between butyrate and forskolin (a natural labdane diterpene) in enhancing innate host defense, barrier function, disease resistance, growth performance, and meat quality of broilers. The expressions of representative

The use of newly harvested corn in feed causes wet droppings in broilers and increased feed cost which was termed as “new season grain problem”. The present study was conducted to evaluate the proteomic profile of newly harvested corn and the subsequent influence on intestinal microbiol community for broiler chickens. Newly harvested corn stored for either half a month (HM) or two months (TM) was used