Agricultural University of Hebei

Novel goose parvovirus (NGPV) infection in ducklings induces short beak and dwarfism syndrome (SBDS), leading to significant economic losses. Since NGPV predominantly infects ducklings, whether reshaping the intestinal flora of ducklings through fecal microbiota transplantation from adult ducks (FMT-A) can alleviate SBDS is an interesting question. This study aimed to investigate the impact of FMT-A on the susceptibility of ducklings to NGPV infection, to elucidate the potential relationship between gut microbiota and viral pathogenicity. The results showed that ducklings were more susceptible to NGPV than adults, and that adult ducks exhibited higher fecal microbiota richness and diversity. FMT-A treatment attenuated NGPV-induced reductions in body weight, beak and tibia length, and muscle mass. Furthermore, FMT-A alleviated gut dysbiosis and intestinal tissue damage, increased glycogen in the intestinal mucosa, upregulated ZO-1 expression, expanded the epiphyseal region, and reduced osteoclast numbers in the tibia of ducklings. Moreover, FMT-A suppressed the expression of the Th17 cell-specific transcription factor retinoic acid receptor-related orphan receptor γt in the ileum and bone, and decreased the expression levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the ileum, bone, and serum. These findings indicate that ducklings are more susceptible to NGPV than adult ducks, with significantly lower diversity and abundance of fecal microbiota. FMT-A can stabilize intestinal flora, mitigate intestinal barrier damage, inhibit Th17 cell differentiation, thereby reducing abnormal bone development, and ultimately alleviate SBDS in ducklings. These findings provide a theoretical basis for developing novel strategies targeting gut microbiota modulation to prevent and control SBDS in ducklings.

Strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) is an important economic crop all around the world. A new developed cultivar 'Baozhu' which has a similar fruit shape with 'Hongyan' is not yet proved to be a different genotype. The main purpose of the present study was to confirm the differences in genotypes and quality and volatile compounds of the two cultivars. The results showed that 'Baozhu' cultivar exhibited 39.6 % higher fruit weight, 35.1 % higher total soluble solids, 29.5 % higher firmness, 25.0 % higher total acidity, 45.0 % higher soluble sugars compared to 'Hongyan' cultivar (p < 0.05). A total of 51 volatile compounds were identified in the strawberries using headspace-gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (HS-GC-IMS), and esters were the most abundant compounds, followed by aldehydes and alcohols. The results of chemometrics analysis reveal that 'Baozhu' and 'Hongyan' strawberries can be distinctly separated from each other. A panel of 28 volatiles with VIP > 1 and p < 0.05 were identified as discriminant factors for 'Baozhu' and 'Hongyan'. Furthermore, 'Baozhu' cultivar had significantly more stomata than the 'Hongyan' cultivar. A clear and positive correlation was observed among quality, volatile and stomata number. The current findings contribute to the commercial value assessment of the 'Baozhu' cultivar at an industrial level, formulating a paradigm for improvement of daily eating pattern and driving the development of genetic tools for improvement of flavor.

This experiment was aimed to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation with porcine-derived bile acids (BAs) on production performance, immune function, serum metabolome, and liver transcriptome in heat-stressed laying hens. A total of 400 55-week-old Jingfen No.3 laying hens with similar body weight and laying rate were randomly allocated to 5 groups (8 replicates/group, 10 hens/replicate): normal temperature control group (CON, 26 ± 1°C, basal diet), high temperature control group (HS, 35 ± 1°C, basal diet), and three high-temperature BA-supplemented groups (HT, 35 ± 1°C, basal diet + 60, 120, or 240 mg/kg BAs). The CON group was maintained at normal temperature throughout the experiment, while the HS and HT groups were subjected to a cyclic temperature regime of 16 h high temperature/8 h normal temperature for 28 days. Compared with the CON group, the HS group showed significantly decreased laying rate, average egg weight, average daily feed intake, total egg mass, serum immunoglobulin A (IgA), immunoglobulin G (IgG), interleukin-10 (IL-10) levels and spleen index (P < 0.05), along with significantly increased serum corticosterone (CORT), heat shock protein 70 (HSP70), and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) contents (P < 0.05). Dietary supplementation with 120 mg/kg BAs significantly improved laying rate and total egg mass (P < 0.05), reduced serum CORT, HSP70, IL-1β and liver index levels (P < 0.05), and increased serum IgA, immunoglobulin M (IgM) levels and spleen index (P < 0.05) compared with the HS group. Serum metabolomics identified 129 differentially accumulated metabolites (DAMs), mainly including prostaglandin A₂ (PGA₂), 5,6-dihydroxyeicosatrienoic acid (5,6-DHET), 11,12,15-trihydroxyeicosatrienoic acid (11,12,15-THETA), and arachidonate. Liver transcriptomics revealed 347 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), primarily involving major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC I), interleukin-2 receptor (IL-2R), transforming growth factor-β receptor (TGF-βR), and multivesicular body protein 12A (MVB12A). Spearman correlation analysis indicated that IgA was significantly positively correlated with 11,12,15-THETA but significantly negatively correlated with arachidonate; IgM was significantly positively correlated with both 11,12,15-THETA and 5,6-DHET. Furthermore, 5,6-DHET was significantly positively correlated with MVB12A and IL-2R, and 11,12,15-THETA was also significantly positively correlated with MVB12A; arachidonate was significantly negatively correlated with MVB12A and TGF-βR. In conclusion, dietary supplementation with 120 mg/kg porcine-derived BAs can improve production performance by enhancing immune function in heat-stressed laying hens.