Correction: In silico screening and identification of deleterious missense SNPs along with their effects on CD-209 gene: An insight to CD-209 related-diseases.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0247249.].

Altered milk yield and rumen microbial abundance in response to concentrate supplementation during the cold season in Tibetan sheep

BACKGROUND Weight loss and decline of milk yield in Tibetan sheep was a challenge for the dairy industry in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, which were considered to be caused by underfeeding of the sheep during the harsh winter. The objective of this study was to assess the role of feed supplementation in the milk performance and rumen microbiome of ewes under forage-based diets. Based on parity, milking period, milk yield, and body weight, ten 1.5-yr-old ewes were allocated randomly into two groups. One group of ewes was fed no supplement Control group (CON) and the other group was fed with concentrate feed supplement (Treatment group, T). Individual milk yield was determined daily; both the milk composition and rumen bacterial characteristics were analyzed after the end of feeding trials. RESULTS Results showed that lactose in the milk of the CON group was significantly lower (P < 0.05) than that of the T group at days 30 and 60. Milk yield in the T group was greater than in the CON group at day 30 (P < 0.05). Additionally, the dominant ruminal bacteria (phyla Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, and Verrucomicrobia) were shared by both groups through 16S rRNA gene pyrosequencing. Greater relative abundance of Bacteroidales RF16 group in family level, Victivallales in order level, Lentisphaeria in class level, and Lachnospiraceae bacterium in species level were observed in the T group than in the CON group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS These results demonstrated that supplementation of concentrate in the cold season improved milk lactose yield and milk production, and the rumen microbial abundance of Tibetan sheep.

In silico screening and identification of deleterious missense SNPs along with their effects on CD-209 gene: An insight to CD-209 related-diseases.

DC-SIGN receptor articulated by macrophages and dendritic cells is encoded by CD209 gene and plays a role to activate and proliferate the T-lymphocytes in response of virus attack. The dysfunctional activity of DC-SIGN receptor because of missense SNPs can lead to cause dengue haemorrhage fever, HIV-1 infection etc. Out of 11 transcripts of CD209, all missense SNPs of canonical transcript were retrieved from Ensembl database and evaluated by their deleteriousness by using Polyphen-2, PMut, SIFT, MutPred, PROVEAN and PhD-SNP together with stimulation of its complete 3D structure. 10 nsSNPs were chosen depending on both the significance value of nsSNP and their prediction among SNPs evaluating servers which are based on different algorithms. Moreover, the position and native role of 10 nsSNPs in wild 3D model has been described which assist to acknowledge their importance. This study urges the researcher's community to experimentally validate these SNPs and their association in causing the diseases like dengue fever, Tuberculosis etc.

A review on polysaccharides from Artemisia sphaerocephala Krasch seeds, their extraction, modification, structure, and applications.

Artemisia sphaerocephala Krasch (ASK) is an important member of Compositae (Asteraceae) family. Its seeds have been widely used as traditional medicine and to improve the quality of food. Water soluble and water insoluble polysaccharides are found in the seeds of this plant. Research has been conducted on the extraction of polysaccharides, their modification and determination of their structure. To date different techniques for extraction purposes have been applied which are reviewed here. Antioxidant, antidiabetic, anti-obesogenic, antitumor, and immunomodulatory activities have been explored using in vivo and in vitro methods. Moreover, these polysaccharides have been used as packaging material and as a sensing component for monitoring the freshness of packaged food. Some experimental results have shown that the quality of foods is also improved by using them as a food additive. We have also indicated some of the potential areas that are needed to be explored.

Adaptive Molecular Evolution of AKT3 Gene for Positive Diversifying Selection in Mammals.

The V-Akt Murine Thymoma Viral Oncogene Homolog 3 (AKT3) gene is of the serine/threonine-protein kinase family and influences the production of milk fats and cholesterol by acting on the sterol administrative area restricting protein (SREBP). The AKT3 gene is highly preserved in animals, and during lactation in cattle, its expression increases. The AKT3 gene is expressed in the digestive system, mammary gland, and immune cells. A phylogenetic investigation was performed to clarify the evolutionary role of AKT3, by maximum probability. The AKT3 gene sequence data of various mammalian species was evident even with animals undergoing breeding selection. From 39 mammalian species studied, there was a signal of positive diversifying selection with Hominidae at 13Q, 16G, 23R, 24P, 121P, 294K, 327V, 376L, 397K, 445T, and 471F among other codon sites of the AKT3 gene. These sites were codes for amino acids such as arginine, proline, lysine, and leucine indicating major roles for the function of immunological proteins, and in particular, the study highlighted the importance of changes in gene expression of AKT3 on immunity.