Effects of Tail Vegetable Fermented Feed on the Growth and Rumen Microbiota of Lambs.

This study explored the impact of integrating fermented feed into the starter diet of lambs, focusing on growth, health, serum antioxidants, immune markers, rumen fermentation, and microbial communities. Thirty-six ten-day-old female Tail Han lambs were randomly divided into three experimental groups, which were separately fed with alfalfa hay (LA group), tail vegetable fermented feed (LB group), and tail vegetable fermented feed supplemented with 0.1% microbial inoculants (LC group) during the experimental period. This study assessed the influence of fermented feed on various parameters, including growth performance, fiber degradation, rumen fermentation, enzymatic activities, and ruminal histomorphology. The results indicate that compared to the control group, the addition of fermented feed can increase the daily weight gain of lambs. Simultaneously, the addition of fermented feed can enhance the total antioxidant capacity of serum (p < 0.05). The addition of fermented feed promoted the increased height of villi in the duodenum or jejunum of lambs (p < 0.05), and the ratio of villi height to crypt depth in the LB and LC groups was also improved (p < 0.05). The addition of fermented feed increased the richness and diversity of the rumen microbial community in lambs (p < 0.05), primarily increasing the relative abundance of Ruminococcus_1, Ruminococcaceae_UCG-005, Lachnospiraceae, and Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group.

A Deletion Downstream of the CHCHD7 Gene Is Associated with Growth Traits in Sheep.

In sheep, the coiled-coil-helix-coiled-coil-helix domain containing 7 (CHCHD7) gene and the pleiomorphic adenoma gene 1 (PLAG1) are on the same growth-related major quantitative trait locus, positioned head-to-head approximately 420 bp apart on chromosome 9. PLAG1 affects sheep growth, but the effects of CHCHD7 have not been determined. In this study, an 8-bp deletion downstream of CHCHD7 was analyzed in 2350 sheep from seven breeds. The associations between the deletion and growth traits of Tan sheep were also determined. Both genotypes (homozygous wild-type and heterozygous) for the 8-bp deletion were found in Tan (TS), Luxi Blackhead (LXBH), Small-Tail Han (STHS), and Lanzhou Fat-Tail (LFTS) sheep. However, there were no polymorphic sites for the mutation in Hu (HS), Sartuul (SS), and Australian White (AUW) sheep. In TS, LXBH, STHS, and LFTS sheep, the deletion genotype was less frequent than the wild-type genotype, and the allele frequencies of the deletion variant were 0.007 (TS), 0.011 (LBXH), 0.008 (STHS), and 0.010 (LFTS). The 8-bp deletion was significantly associated with body length (p = 0.032), chest depth (p = 0.015), and chest width (p = 0.047) in Tan sheep. Thus, the 8-bp deletion downstream of the CHCHD7 gene might be associated with growth and development traits of sheep.

Sheep zinc finger proteins 395 (ZNF395): insertion/deletion variations, associations with growth traits, and mRNA expression.

Zinc finger protein 395 (ZNF395), belonging to the Krüppel C2H2-type zinc-finger protein family, is a common transcription factor, which is involved in several cellular responses such as cell proliferation, differentiation, metabolism, and immunity, especially in the process of adipogenesis. In order to explore the insertion/deletion (indel) genetic variations of ZNF395 and evaluate their effects on sheep growth traits, a total of 1934 samples from five Chinese and two Mongolian sheep breeds were investigated. Genetic variation analysis of ZNF395 revealed a novel 23 bp indel at the intron 3 with three genotypes. Association analysis results showed that this locus was significantly associated with 10 different growth traits, especially chest width (p = 0.003) and chest circumference (p = 0.003) of Small Tail Han sheep and cannon circumference (p = 0.007) of Hu sheep. In addition, the mRNA expression of ZNF395 was investigated in two sheep breeds of different tail types. The result indicated that the expression was significantly different between the tail fat of Lanzhou Fat-Tail sheep and Small Tail Han sheep (p < 0.05). This study showed that the 23 bp indel locus in the ZNF395 gene were associated with sheep growth traits, which could be beneficial for animal breeding.

Genetic variations in the sheep SIRT7 gene and their correlation with body size traits.

As a nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD)-dependent histone deacetylase and ADP ribosyl transferase, the silent information regulator 7 (Sirtuin 7, SIRT7) plays a crucial role in regulating the differentiation of adipocytes and myoblasts, lipid metabolism, glucose metabolism, and cellular growth in mammals. It has been hypothesized that SIRT7 affects growth traits in animals; therefore, in this study, the potential insertion/deletion (indel) of genetic variations within the ovine SIRT7 gene and their correlation with sheep growth traits were explored. A total of 709 individuals from five Chinese and Mongolian sheep breeds were analyzed. Two novel indel loci of the sheep SIRT7 gene were detected and were named 5 ' promoter region-insertion-7 bp (5 ' promoter region-7 bp) and 3 ' UTR-insertion-17 bp (3 ' UTR-17 bp), respectively. In all of the sheep breeds, frequencies of the 5 ' promoter region-7 bp mutation were low, whereas mutations of 3 ' UTR-17 bp were high in Tong sheep and Lanzhou fat-tail sheep (LFTS). Furthermore, both indel polymorphisms had significant associations with different growth characteristics ( P < 0.05 ). Among these associations, the 3 ' UTR-17 bp was highly correlated with rump width in small-tail Han sheep (STHS, rams; P < 0.01 ), and individuals with the ID genotype had better chest depth values than those with the II genotype. In this paper, two novel indels within the sheep SIRT7 gene were identified, and genetic diversity and its effects on body size traits were explored. These findings will potentially provide useful DNA markers for the improvement of economic traits in sheep genetic breeding.

Expression and localization of follicle-stimulating hormone receptor in the yak uterus during different stages of the oestrous cycle.

Morphological changes of the uterus and alterations in its secretory activity under the influence of steroid hormones been well documented. The oestrous cycle is also associated with significant changes in plasma follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), whose effects are mediated through its receptor (FSHR). Reports showed that in many mammals, FSHR was expressed in gonadal and extragonadal tissues including cervix, female reproductive tract, and pituitary gland. Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) signals through endothelial FSHR directly stimulate angiogenesis and involved in the timing of birth in human, and the presence of FSHR in the placenta is essential for normal pregnancy in mice. But little is known about FSHR expression in the yak uterus. The main objective of the present study was to determine the expression and localization of FSHR in the yak uterus during different phases of the oestrous cycle. Results showed that FSHR protein was localized in the surface and glandular epithelial cells, stroma cells, myometrial smooth muscle cells and blood vessel endothelial cells. The expression of FSHR protein peaked at oestrus, significantly decreased at dioestrus (p < 0.05) and increased again at proestrus. FSHR mRNA was highly expressed at both proestrus and oestrus, and decreased at metestrus with the lowest values at dioestrus (p < 0.05). In conclusion, FSHR expression in the yak uterus changed with the stage of the oestrous cycle suggesting that FSHR plays an essential role in regulating the endometrial and myometrial functions during the oestrus cycle in the yak.