Polymorphisms of the IGF1R gene and their genetic effects on chicken early growth and carcass traits

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The insulin-like growth factor I receptor (IGF1R) has an important effect on growth, carcass, and meat quality traits in many species. However, few studies on associations of the <it>IGF1R </it>gene with growth and carcass traits have been reported in chickens. The objectives of the present study were to study the associations of the <it>IGF1R </it>gene with chicken early growth and carcass traits using a neutral test, variation scan of the gene, genetic diversity, linkage disequilibrium and association analyses.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The tree generated from the amino acid sequences of 15 species showed that the <it>IGF1R </it>gene was conservative in the whole evolution among the mammalian animals and chickens. In a total of 10,818 bp of sequence, 70 single nucleotide polymorphisms were identified in the chicken <it>IGF1R </it>gene. The allelic and genotypic frequency distribution, genetic diversity and linkage disequilibrium of 18 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the Xinghua and White Recessive Rock chickens showed that six of them were possibly associated with growth traits. Association analyses showed that the A17299834G SNP was significantly associated with chicken carcass body weight, eviscerated weight with giblets, eviscerated weight, body weights at 28, 35, and 56 d of age, leg length at 56 d of age, and daily weight gain at 0–4 weeks. The haplotypes of the A17307750G and A17307494G were associated with early growth traits. The haplotypes of the A17299834G and C17293932T were significantly associated with most of the early growth traits and carcass traits.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>There were rich polymorphisms in the chicken <it>IGF1R </it>gene. Several SNPs associated with chicken early growth traits and carcass traits were identified in the <it>IGF1R </it>gene by genetic diversity, linkage disequilibrium, and association analyses in the present study.</p

Identification and characterization of single nucleotide polymorphisms in 12 chicken growth-correlated genes by denaturing high performance liquid chromatography

The genes that are part of the somatotropic axis play a crucial role in the regulation of growth and development of chickens. The identification of genetic polymorphisms in these genes will enable the scientist to evaluate the biological relevance of such polymorphisms and to gain a better understanding of quantitative traits like growth. In the present study, 75 pairs of primers were designed and four chicken breeds, significantly differing in growth and reproduction characteristics, were used to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) using the denaturing high performance liquid chromatography (DHPLC) technology. A total of 283 SNP were discovered in 31 897 base pairs (bp) from 12 genes of the growth hormone (GH), growth hormone receptor (GHR), ghrelin, growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHSR), insulin-like growth factor I and II (IGF-I and -II), insulin-like growth factor binding protein 2 (IGFBP-2), insulin, leptin receptor (LEPR), pituitary-specific transcription factor-1 (PIT-1), somatostatin (SS), thyroid-stimulating hormone beta subunit (TSH-β). The observed average distances in bp between the SNP in the 5'UTR, coding regions (non- and synonymous), introns and 3'UTR were 172, 151 (473 and 222), 89 and 141 respectively. Fifteen non-synonymous SNP altered the translated precursors or mature proteins of GH, GHR, ghrelin, IGFBP-2, PIT-1 and SS. Fifteen indels of no less than 2 bps and 2 poly (A) polymorphisms were also observed in 9 genes. Fifty-nine PCR-RFLP markers were found in 11 genes. The SNP discovered in this study provided suitable markers for association studies of candidate genes for growth related traits in chickens

Potential roles of the gut microbiota in the manifestations of drug use disorders

Drug use disorders (DUDs) not only cause serious harm to users but also cause huge economic, security, and public health burdens to families and society. Recently, several studies have shown that gut microbiota (GM) can affect the central nervous system and brain functions. In this review, we focus on the potential role of the GM in the different stages of DUDs. First, the GM may induce individuals to seek novel substances. Second, the gut microbiota is involved in the decomposition and absorption of drugs. Symptoms of individuals who suffer from DUDs are also related to intestinal microorganisms. Third, the effects of the GM and its metabolites on drug relapse are mainly reflected in the reward effect and drug memory. In conclusion, recent studies have preliminarily explored the relationship between GM and DUDs. This review deepens our understanding of the mechanisms of DUDs and provides important information for the future development of clinical treatment for DUDs

Highly efficient triazine/carbazole-based host material for green phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes with low efficiency roll-off

Two novel triazin/carbazole-based host materials were designed and synthesized, which demonstrated outstanding EL performance with maximum CE, PE and EQE of 69.3 cd A−1, 54.2 lm W−1 and 21.9%, respectively.</p

Prognostic changes after sudden deafness in patients with inner ear malformations characterized by LSCC: a retrospective study

IntroductionThis study aimed to investigate the clinical features and prognosis of sudden sensorineural hearing loss in patients with lateral semicircular canal (LSCC) malformation.MethodsThis study enrolled patients with LSCC malformation and sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) who were admitted to Shandong ENT Hospital between 2020 and 2022. We collected and analyzed data on examinations of audiology, vestibular function, and imaging records of patients and summarized the clinical characteristics and prognosis of these patients.ResultsFourteen patients were enrolled. Patients with LSCC malformation was noted in 0.42% of all SSNHL cases during the same period. One patients had bilateral SSNHL and the rest had unilateral SSNHL. Of them, eight and six patients had unilateral and bilateral LSCC malformations, respectively. Flat hearing loss was noted in 12 ears (80.0%) and severe or profound hearing loss was noted in 10 ears (66.7%). After treatment, the total efficacy rate of SSNHL with LSCC malformation was 40.0%. Vestibular function was abnormal in all patients, but only five patients (35.7%) had dizziness. There were statistically significant differences in the vestibular functions between patients with LSCC malformation and matched patients without the malformation hospitalized during the same period (p &lt; 0.05).ConclusionPatients with SSNHL and LSCC malformation had flat-type and severe hearing loss and worse disease prognosis compared to those with SSNHL without LSCC malformation. Vestibular function is more likely to be abnormal; however, there was no significant difference in vestibular symptoms between patients with and without LSCC malformation. LSCC is a risk factor for the prognosis of SSNHL

Detection of circulating IgG antibodies to apolipoprotein B100 in acute myocardial infarction

AbstractA number of studies have reported an association between increased levels of antibodies against oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL) and cardiovascular disease, but the anti-oxLDL antibody has not been confirmed to serve as an effective biomarker for prediction of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Apolipoprotein B100 (ApoB100)-derived peptide fragments generated by proteolytic degradation and aldehyde modification are the major antigens in oxLDL, and so the present work was undertaken to detect circulating IgG for Apo-B100-derived peptide antigens. An in-house enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed with eight ApoB100-derived peptide antigens (Ag1–Ag8) to detect circulating anti-ApoB100 IgG levels in 267 patients with AMI and 201 control subjects. Binary logistic regression analysis revealed that circulating IgG for Ag1 was significantly higher in the patient group than the control group (P<0.001) after adjustment for age, gender, smoking, hypertension, diabetes and circulating levels of cholesterol, HDL, LDL, ApoA and ApoB100. None of the other seven antigens detected an increase in IgG levels in AMI patients compared with control subjects. Spearman correlation analysis showed no correlation between IgG antibody for Ag1 and clinical characteristics. In conclusion, the linear peptide antigens derived from ApoB100 may be suitable for the development of an ELISA antibody test for prediction of AMI, although further confirmation is still needed in large-scale clinical studies

Light Availability and Patterns of Allocation to Reproductive and Vegetative Biomass in the Sexes of the Dioecious Macrophyte Vallisneria spinulosa

Environmental changes, e.g., eutrophication, in aquatic ecosystems can greatly alter light available to submerged macrophytes. In dioecious plants, given potential for sex-specific differences in resource requirements (i.e., high-carbon for seeds vs. high-nitrogen for pollen), females and males are expected to divergently adjust allocations toward resource acquisition structures when resources are limited during growth. Here, Vallisneria spinulosa was used as a representative dioecious submerged macrophyte to detect sex-specific responses to light limitation and assess whether sexual dimorphism varied with resource availability. Plants were grown under varying levels of light availability in nine outdoor mesocosms for 14 weeks. Late in the reproductive season, allocations to vegetative and reproductive traits for both sexes were determined and relative allocation to reproduction vs. vegetative growth was analyzed. Female and male reproductive plants differed in adjustments of resource allocation in response to light availability. Under low light, females showed a smaller reduction in allocation of resources to vegetative tissues and greater leaf area than males, suggesting female plasticity to increase carbon capture. Under low light, males showed a smaller reduction in reproductive allocation than females (flowers and inflorescences in males vs. fruits in females), suggesting that carbon limitation has greater impacts on sexual reproduction by females than males. Our study provides evidence of differences in reproductive costs and currencies for female vs. male reproduction in aquatic macrophytes, as V. spinulosa responded plastically to reduced light, with sexually dimorphic allocation strategies. Sex-related resource currencies are potentially important drivers for sex-specific variations in allocation patterns, with females safeguarding their vegetative carbon-rich biomass to satisfy future fruit and seed production

An Improved Three-Phase Buck Rectifier Topology with Reduced Voltage Stress on Transistors

The three-phase buck rectifier (3ph-BR) is suitable for applications where a voltage step down function is required. In this paper, an improved 3ph-BR topology is proposed to reduce the voltage stress on the transistors. The freewheeling diode in the conventional topology is split into two diodes in series and the input neutral point is connected to the common point of the two diodes. With the proposed topology and the correspondingly modified modulation scheme, the transistors only need to withstand the input phase voltage instead of the line-to-line voltage, bringing about the significant reduction of voltage stress. The proposed topology enables a more cost-efficient and flexible selection of the transistors. Experimental results have verified the validity of the modified topology and associated modulation scheme

PtdIns (3,4,5) P3 Recruitment of Myo10 Is Essential for Axon Development

Myosin X (Myo10) with pleckstrin homology (PH) domains is a motor protein acting in filopodium initiation and extension. However, its potential role has not been fully understood, especially in neuronal development. In the present study the preferential accumulation of Myo10 in axon tips has been revealed in primary culture of hippocampal neurons with the aid of immunofluorescence from anti-Myo10 antibody in combination with anti-Tuj1 antibody as specific marker. Knocking down Myo10 gene transcription impaired outgrowth of axon with loss of Tau-1-positive phenotype. Interestingly, inhibition of actin polymerization by cytochalasin D rescued the defect of axon outgrowth. Furthermore, ectopic expression of Myo10 with enhanced green fluorescence protein (EGFP) labeled Myo10 mutants induced multiple axon-like neurites in a motor-independent way. Mechanism studies demonstrated that the recruitment of Myo10 through its PH domain to phosphatidylinositol (3,4,5)-trisphosphate (PtdIns (3,4,5) P3) was essential for axon formation. In addition, in vivo studies confirmed that Myo10 was required for neuronal morphological transition during radial neuronal migration in the developmental neocortex