Meat quality traits and fatty acid composition of breast muscles from ducks fed with yellow lupin

Abstract The protein sources in feed have a huge impact on good-quality and -quantity meat traits. Yellow lupin (YL) seeds have a similar level of protein as soybean meal (SBM). The most popular is SBM that is genetically modified (GMO). During this age, the consumer market requires non-GMO products. Yellow lupin used as a high-protein substitute for SBM in feed has an effect on the quality of meat from broiler ducks. The aim of the study was to analyse and compare meat quality traits in breast and leg muscles as well as fatty acid (FA) composition in breast muscles from ducks fed mixtures containing YL as an alternative to SBM. Two hundred 1-day-old Cherry Valley ducks were kept in pens on litter in two equal dietary groups, four replications with 25 birds per group. The control group (1) received balanced feed containing SBM. The treatment group (2) received balanced feed containing YL. The feed provided to both groups contained 55% of concentrate and 45% of wheat. Birds received feed and water ad libitum and were reared for 8 weeks. After that, 16 ducks (eight from each group) of BW close to the mean for the whole group were slaughtered. Plucked and gutted carcasses were analysed in a laboratory for quality parameters. Meat was analysed for pH, colour, water-holding capacity and drip loss. Samples of breast muscles were analysed for the content of cholesterol, collagen, intramuscular fat and FA composition. The proposed feed mixture containing YL had no impact on meat traits, content of muscles or fat in duck carcasses (P > 0.05). The values of lightness (L*) and yellowness (b*) and collagen content in breast muscles were significantly higher (P < 0.05) in group 2 (YL). A lower ability to retain water, that is, higher water-holding capacity (percentage of water lost from meat) (P < 0.05), was found for leg muscles from group 2 (YL). The content of C16:0, C18:0, C20:4 n-6, C22:4 n-6, C22:5 n-3, total content of saturated fatty acids (SFA), values of atherogenic index and thrombogenic index were significantly lower (P < 0.05) in group 2 (YL) than in group 1 (SBM). The content of C18:2 n-6 and the polyunsaturated fatty acids-to-SFA ratio (P/S) were significantly higher (P < 0.05) in ducks fed the diet with the inclusion of YL. Diets with YL could be proposed as a partial substitute for SBM in duck-rearing

Recurrent Chromosomal Copy Number Alterations in Sporadic Chordomas

The molecular events in chordoma pathogenesis have not been fully delineated, particularly with respect to copy number changes. Understanding copy number alterations in chordoma may reveal critical disease mechanisms that could be exploited for tumor classification and therapy. We report the copy number analysis of 21 sporadic chordomas using array comparative genomic hybridization (CGH). Recurrent copy changes were further evaluated with immunohistochemistry, methylation specific PCR, and quantitative real-time PCR. Similar to previous findings, large copy number losses, involving chromosomes 1p, 3, 4, 9, 10, 13, 14, and 18, were more common than copy number gains. Loss of CDKN2A with or without loss of CDKN2B on 9p21.3 was observed in 16/20 (80%) unique cases of which six (30%) showed homozygous deletions ranging from 76 kilobases to 4.7 megabases. One copy loss of the 10q23.31 region which encodes PTEN was found in 16/20 (80%) cases. Loss of CDKN2A and PTEN expression in the majority of cases was not attributed to promoter methylation. Our sporadic chordoma cases did not show hotspot point mutations in some common cancer gene targets. Moreover, most of these sporadic tumors are not associated with T (brachyury) duplication or amplification. Deficiency of CDKN2A and PTEN expression, although shared across many other different types of tumors, likely represents a key aspect of chordoma pathogenesis. Sporadic chordomas may rely on mechanisms other than copy number gain if they indeed exploit T/ brachyury for proliferation