TMT Quantitative Proteomics Analysis Reveals the Effects of Transport Stress on Iron Metabolism in the Liver of Chicken

Abnormal iron metabolism can cause oxidative stress in broilers, and transport stress (TS) may potentially influence iron metabolism. However, the mechanisms by which TS affects iron metabolism are unclear. This study used quantitative proteome analysis based on tandem mass tag (TMT) to investigate the effects of TS on liver iron metabolism in broilers. Broilers (n = 24) reared under the same conditions were selected randomly into the transported group for 4 h (T2) and non-transported group (T1). Results showed that the serum iron level and total iron-binding capacity of broilers in the T2 were significantly higher than those in the T1 (p < 0.05). The liver iron content of broilers in the T2 (0.498 ± 0.058 mg·gprot−1) was significantly higher than that in the T1 (0.357 ± 0.035 mg·gprot−1), and the iron-stained sections showed that TS caused the enrichment of iron in the liver. We identified 1139 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs). Twelve DEPs associated with iron metabolism were identified, of which eight were up-regulated, and four were down-regulated in T2 compared with T1. Prediction of the protein interaction network for DEPs showed that FTH1, IREB2, and HEPH play vital roles in this network. The results provide new insights into the effects of TS on broilers’ liver iron metabolism.

Prevention of transport stress in the realization of the adaptive potential of pigs

The article presents the results of research on the realization of the adaptive, productive and reproductive potential of pigs by immunoprophylaxis of transport stress with Pigstim preparations. The transport stress prevention for replacement gilts with immunotropic drugs PigStim-C and PigStim-M contributed to their adaptive and reproductive potential realization by reducing the age of first insemination by 7.7-9.0 days and increasing its fertility, increasing the number of liveborns by 6.8-8.5% and reducing the number of stillborn piglets by 50 and 25%, increasing the viability by 1.72-3.32% and growth rate of piglets during the suckling period by 2.9- 4.0% and reducing the weaning-to-insemination period by 6.4 and 8.5%. The immunoprophylaxis of transport stress in weaned pigs ensured their adaptive and productive potential in long-term growing completion and store feeding period by increasing the live weight of stores by the end of growing completion by 1.66 and 2.55 kg and feeding period by 1.23 and 3.17 kg, reducing the incidence by 5.0 and 4.0% and increasing the viability of the livestock by 2.0%, increasing the effectiveness of therapeutic measures.

Transport Stress Induces Skin Innate Immunity Response in Hybrid Yellow Catfish (Tachysurus fulvidraco♀ × P. vachellii♂) Through TLR/NLR Signaling Pathways and Regulation of Mucus Secretion

The transport of live fish is a necessary step for commercial production. The skin of teleost fish is the first non-specific immune barrier against exogenous stimuli, and it plays an important protective role under transport stress. Thus, the aim of this study was to explore the skin responses to transport stress in hybrid yellow catfish (Tachysurus fulvidraco♀ × Pseudobagrus vachellii♂) through transcriptome and biochemical analyses. Water samples were collected during a simulated transport treatment. Biochemical indexes and/or gene expression in blood, skin, and mucus in fish in control groups and transport-stress groups (0 h, 2 h, 4 h, 8 h, 16 h) were assayed. The levels of total ammonia–nitrogen and nitrite–nitrogen in the water increased with increasing transport time. Comparison of skin transcriptomes between the control group and the group subjected to 16 h of transport revealed 1547 differentially expressed genes (868 up-regulated and 679 down-regulated). The results of the transcriptome analysis were validated by analyses of the expression levels of selected genes by qRT-PCR. The results indicated that the toll-like receptors and nod-like receptors signaling pathways mediate the skin’s immune response to transport stress: tlr9, mfn2, and ikbke were significantly up-regulated and nfkbia and map3k7cl were significantly down-regulated under transport stress. With increasing transport time, lysozyme activity and the immunoglobulin M content in skin mucus first increased and then decreased. The number of mucous cells peaked at 8 h of transport stress, and then decreased. The mucus cells changed from types II and IV to types I, II, III, and IV. The amounts of red and white blood cells and the levels of hemoglobin and hematocrit first increased and then decreased during 16 h of transport stress. Together, the results showed that the skin responds to transport stress by activating the immune signaling pathway and regulating mucus secretion. These findings have important biological significance for selecting strains that tolerate transport, as well as economic significance for optimizing the transport conditions for scaleless fish.

PSXI-28 Effect of pre-slaughter transport stress on carcass weight, rumen fermentation and bacterial community of growing goats

This study evaluated the effects of pre-slaughter transport stress on the rumen fermentation and bacterial community of growing meat goats. Fifty-four male Spanish growing meat goats (28.9 ± 4.5) were stratified by body weight and randomly assigned into three treatment groups (n = 18 per treatment; 1) No transport stress (CON), 2) Transport stress for 30 mins (LS), and 3) Transport stress for 3 h (HS). Blood samples were collected before and after transport to estimate plasma cortisol concentrations. At the end of the experiment, the goats were slaughtered to determine the carcass weight and to collect rumen ruminal content for pH, 16 sRNA gene sequencing, and volatile fatty acid profile. The Linear discriminant analysis (LDA) effect size and the functional profiling software (PICRUst) were used to estimate the differentially abundant taxa and predicted the functional potential of the microbial community, respectively. Compared to CON, both LS and HS increased (P &lt; 0.01) plasma cortisol concentrations (27.5 vs. 130.1 and 117.7 ng/ mL), no differences were observed in hot carcass weight and VFA profile (P &gt; 0.05). Rumen pH was lower (P &lt; 0.05) in HS compared to CON or LS (6.44 vs 6.75 or 6.77). Compared to CON, LS reduced the relative abundance of Ruminococcaceae UCG 014 (LDA = 4.20; P = 0.01), whereas no effect was observed for HS. Compared to CON, predicted microbial functions associated with the immune system, translation, and enzyme activities were downregulated by LS while that of energy metabolism was downregulated by HS. Compared to HS, the predicted microbial functions associated with immune and digestive systems were downregulated by LS. This study demonstrated that LS transport stress has a more pronounced effect than long-term exposure on the rumen bacterial community and predicted functional potential in growing meat goats.

Haplotype-based phylogenetic analysis uncovers the tetraploid progenitor of sweet potato

The hexaploid sweet potato is one of the most important root crops worldwide. However, its genetic origins, especially that of its tetraploid progenitor, are unclear. In this study, we conceived a pipeline consisting of a genome-wide variation-based phylogeny and a novel haplotype-based phylogenetic analysis (HPA) to determine that the tetraploid accession CIP695141 of Ipomoea batatas 4x from Peru is the tetraploid progenitor of sweet potato. We detected biased gene exchanges between subgenomes. The B1 to B2 subgenome conversions were almost 3-fold higher than the B2 to B1 subgenome conversions. Our analyses revealed that the genes involved in storage root formation, sugar transport, stress resistance, and maintenance of genome stability have been selected during the speciation and domestication of sweet potato. This study sheds lights on the evolution of sweet potato and paves a way for the improvement of sweet potato.