Combined application of chemical fertilizers with organic amendments was recommended as a strategy for improving yield, soil carbon storage, and nutrient use efficiency.  However, how the long-term substitution of chemical fertilizer with organic manure affects rice yield, carbon sequestration rate (CSR), and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) while ensuring environmental safety remains unclear.  This study assessed the long-term effect of substituting chemical fertilizer with organic manure on rice yield, CSR, and NUE.  It also determined the optimum substitution ratio in the acidic soil of southern China.  The treatments were: (i) NPK₀, unfertilized control; (ii) NPK₁, 100% chemical nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium fertilizer; (iii) NPKM₁, 70% chemical NPK fertilizer and 30% organic manure; (iv) NPKM₂, 50% chemical NPK fertilizer and 50% organic manure; and (v) NPKM₃, 30% chemical NPK fertilizer and 70% organic manure.  Milk vetch and pig manure were sources of manure for early and late rice seasons, respectively.  The result showed that SOC content was higher in NPKM₁, NPKM₂, and NPKM₃ treatments than in NPK₀ and NPK₁ treatments.  The carbon sequestration rate increased by 140, 160, and 280% under NPKM₁, NPKM₂, and NPKM₃ treatments, respectively, compared to NPK₁ treatment.  Grain yield was 86.1, 93.1, 93.6, and 96.5% higher under NPK₁, NPKM₁, NPKM₂, and NPKM₃ treatments, respectively, compared to NPK₀ treatment.  The NUE in NPKM₁, NPKM₂, and NPKM₃ treatments was higher as compared to NPK₁ treatment for both rice seasons.  Redundancy analysis revealed close positive relationships of CSR with C input, total N, soil C:N ratio, catalase, and humic acids, whereas NUE was closely related to grain yield, grain N content, and phenol oxidase.  Furthermore, CSR and NUE negatively correlated with humin acid and soil C:P and N:P ratios.  The technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) showed that NPKM₃ treatment was the optimum strategy for improving CSR and NUE.  Therefore, substituting 70% of chemical fertilizer with organic manure could be the best management option for increasing CSR and NUE in the paddy fields of southern China

厘清大豆种质籽粒中的类胡萝卜素组分和含量对大豆种质营养品质评价具有重要意义。本研究针对遗传多样性丰富的中国大豆种质的类胡萝卜素和叶绿素含量进行了系统分析，并揭示了不同营养品质组分间的相关性。结果显示基因型、种植年份、种质类型、子叶色和生态区来源显著影响籽粒中类胡萝卜素和叶绿素含量，其平均类胡萝卜素总含量变化范围为8.15-14.72 µg g^-1。大豆农家种的类胡萝卜素含量是栽培种的1.2倍，特别是绿子叶种质的类胡萝卜素和叶绿素含量显著高于黄子叶种质。需要指出的是单一组分中叶黄素的含量是最高的，其变化范围为1.35-37.44 µg g^-1。类胡萝卜素和叶绿素含量与其他品质组分显著相关，这有利于育种者在强化类胡萝卜素含量同时而不影响其他品质组分。我们结果证明了大豆籽粒中的类胡萝卜素含量是丰富的，但其积累宜受遗传因素、种质类型和种质来源的显著影响。我们还鉴定了一批高类胡萝卜素含量的大豆新种质，可以为大豆育种、食品加工和化妆品行业利用。

非洲猪瘟（ASF）的持续流行严重威胁全球养猪业的健康发展。该病目前缺乏可应用于临床的疫苗和药物，因此，早期的精准检测对于ASF的有效防控至关重要。p30蛋白在病毒感染早期表达，免疫原性较好且诱导产生抗体水平较高，这些特性使其成为较为理想的非洲猪瘟病毒（ASFV）检测靶点之一。本研究以原核表达的p30蛋白为免疫原，制备了两株可稳定分泌针对ASFV p30蛋白的单克隆抗体（mAb）细胞株，分别命名为4F2和7F3。利用Western blotting和间接免疫荧光实验鉴定两株单克隆抗体均能识别病毒感染。亚型鉴定结果显示，4F2和7F3的重链分别为IgG1和IgG2b，轻链均为κ链。随后，通过原核表达一系列截短p30蛋白鉴定4F2和7F3识别的抗原表位。经5轮截短和Western blotting实验鉴定，最终确定4F2和7F3识别的最短抗原表位分别为¹¹⁸SFETL¹²²和⁷⁶EHQAQEEWNMILHV⁸⁹。在此基础上，进一步分析两个抗原表位在不同毒株p30蛋白序列中的保守性。序列比对结果表明，GenBank数据库中所有p30蛋白序列均包含¹¹⁸SFETL¹²² ，而另一抗原表位⁷⁶EHQAQEEWNMILHV⁸⁹则在非洲以外地区分离的毒株中保守。本研究制备的两株单克隆抗体及鉴定的抗原表位可为检测方法的开发提供材料和基础，同时也可为病毒致病机理和免疫机制等基础研究提供工具。

调节鸡肌纤维类型特异性和维持性的机制还很不清楚。在哺乳动物中，CSRP3在维持典型的肌肉结构和功能方面起着非常重要的作用。本研究探讨了CSRP3在鸡骨骼肌中的作用。首先，制备了鸡CSRP3抗体，比较了四种不同肌纤维组成的鸡骨骼肌中CSRP3基因的mRNA和蛋白表达水平。然后分析CSRP3沉默后对鸡成肌细胞转录组表达谱的影响。结果表明，鸡骨骼肌中CSRP3基因的mRNA和蛋白表达水平均与其肌纤维类型组成相关。以Q<0.05，差异倍数大于1.5为筛选条件，共鉴定出650个差异基因。CSRP3沉默后，255个基因表达上调，395个基因表达下调。功能富集分析结果表明，心肌细胞肾上腺素能信号、脂肪细胞因子信号和apelin信号等多种通路在差异表达基因和所有表达基因中均显著（P<0.05）富集。共表达基因网络结果表明，CSRP3沉默后引起与肌原纤维组装、肌肉分化和收缩相关基因的代偿性上调（Q<0.05）。同时，CSRP3沉默后，两个快速肌球蛋白重链基因（MyH1B和MyH1E）表达上调（Q<0.05）。这些结果表明，CSRP3在鸡肌纤维组成中发挥着重要作用，并可能通过调节MyH1B和MyH1E的表达从而影响鸡肌纤维类型的分布。

昆虫蜕皮激素由Halloween家族基因合成，在几个关键的发育事件中发挥重要作用，包括蜕皮和变态。然而，这些Halloween基因在莲草直胸跳甲中的功能作用仍不清楚。在本研究中，通过RT-qPCR技术检测了两个Halloween基因AhCYP307A2和AhCYP314A1在不同发育阶段的表达模式。此外，利用RNA干扰（RNAi）技术探究了这两个基因的功能，并通过对莲草直胸跳甲雌性卵巢进行解剖观察其卵巢发育情况。qPCR结果显示，AhCYP307A2和AhCYP314A1在末龄幼虫和雌虫中均显著高表达。此外，AhCYP307A2在卵期和蛹中也有高表达，但显著低于在末龄幼虫和雌虫中的表达水平。RNAi结果显示，注射dsAhCYP307A2和dsAhCYP314A1显著抑制了它们的表达以及三个相关的卵黄原蛋白基因AhVgs的转录水平。敲除AhCYP307A2和AhCYP314A1可显著抑制幼虫蜕皮，破坏末龄幼虫-蛹-成虫的转变，延迟卵巢发育，停止产卵。以上研究结果表明，AhCYP307A2和AhCYP314A1在莲草直胸跳甲末龄幼虫-蛹-成虫转换期的蜕皮发育和繁殖过程中发挥重要的调控作用。

禾谷镰刀菌（Fusarium graminearum）引起的小麦赤霉病（Fusarium head blight, FHB）是一种严重为害粮食作物的真菌病害，不仅引起作物产量损失与品质下降，而且病原菌在感病的谷粒中分泌的真菌毒素，严重威胁粮食安全。前期研究表明甲氧基丙烯酸酯类（quinone outside inhibitors, QoIs）和琥珀酸脱氢酶抑制剂类（succinate dehydrogenase inhibitors, SDHIs）杀菌剂可破坏线粒体动态平衡，引起线粒体碎片化。动力蛋白和动力相关蛋白（DRPs）作为GTPase超家族成员，参与调控真核细胞线粒体分裂、囊泡出芽与分裂等功能，但其在禾谷镰刀菌中的功能尚不清楚。在本研究中，我们利用BLAST分析发现禾谷镰孢菌中与酵母Dnm1的同源蛋白FgDnm1，并对其进行了生物学功能研究。结果表明，FgDnm1参与调控着菌丝生长、有性生殖及杀菌剂药敏性。此外，我们利用荧光标记技术和激光共聚焦显微镜发现FgDnm1与线粒体共定位，且参与调控禾谷镰刀菌产毒小体的结构形成及脱氧雪腐镰刀菌烯醇（DON）的生物合成。进一步研究表明，甲氧基丙烯酸酯类杀菌剂（QoIs）和琥珀酸脱氢酶抑制剂类杀菌剂（SDHIs）均会引起线粒体的碎片化，FgDnm1的缺失会导致线粒体呈现丝状网络分布，并阻断了QoIs和SDHIs诱导的线粒体碎片化。本研究揭示了线粒体动态平衡对禾谷镰刀菌菌丝生长发育、杀菌剂敏感性和毒素形成的影响。因此，我们推论QoIs与SDHIs杀菌剂引起的线粒体动态平衡变化依赖于FgDnm1。

提高我国种猪生产效率是当务之急，尽管与母猪总产仔数性状相关的候选位点已逐步被揭示，但其分子机制尚不清晰。梅山猪是享誉世界的高产猪种，其繁殖力高于瘦肉型的大白猪等西方引进猪种。卵巢合成和分泌雌二醇、孕酮等类固醇激素，指导着猪卵母细胞发育、妊娠建立和维持、泌乳等生殖过程，是决定妊娠期生殖特征的关键器官。本研究关注妊娠中期第二个胎儿丢失的关键时期，妊娠第49天的卵巢生理过程，通过转录组、蛋白质组和代谢组的多组学比较研究，旨在确定梅山猪和大白郡猪卵巢黄体的基因组、蛋白质组学和代谢组学差异，以揭示母猪高繁殖力的潜在分子遗传机制。结果显示：梅山猪在妊娠中期的转录组和蛋白质组水平上都表现出卵巢类固醇生物合成和丁酸代谢的普遍下调，但血清胆固醇、雌二醇和孕酮水平均高于大白猪；鉴定出类固醇激素途径基因中与猪总产仔数、猪初生窝重和胎重相关的位点；揭示了梅山猪的高繁殖力性状形成的关键因素之一：调控妊娠中期较低的类固醇物质生物合成效率和较高的生殖激素血清水平的平衡，减少妊娠期的胎儿丢失。

染色质可及性在基因转录调控中起着至关重要作用。然而，染色质可及性的调控机制，及其调控玉米关键基因表达和籽粒发育的机制尚不清楚。本研究中，我们分离了一个玉米籽粒突变体，将其命名为dek219，该突变体表现为粉质胚乳和胚停止发育。Dek219编码DICER-LIKE1 (DCL1)蛋白，是一种miRNA生物发生的必需酶。Dek219功能缺失导致大多数miRNAs和组蛋白基因的表达水平显著降低。进一步研究表明，热激转录因子Hsf17-Zm00001d016571模块可能是影响组蛋白基因表达的因素之一。转座酶可及染色质测序分析(ATAC-seq)表明，与野生型(WT)相比，dek219的染色质可及性发生了改变，这可能调控了籽粒发育中关键基因的表达。通过分析WT和dek219之间的差异表达基因(DEGs)和差异可及染色质区域(ACRs)，我们鉴定到119个受染色质可及性调控的候选基因，包括已报道的玉米籽粒发育关键基因。综上所述，这些结果表明Dek219影响染色质可及性和关键基因的表达，是玉米籽粒发育所必需的。

冬枣（Ziziphus jujuba cv. Dongzao）是中国优良的晚熟鲜食枣品种。质地是水果的重要感官品质指标。为探究冬枣质地指标间的关系，建立冬枣质地品质评价体系，采用TMS-Touch质地多面分析法（TPA）对采自中国三大主产区的1150个冬枣果实进行8项质地指标测定，包括胶粘性、咀嚼性、内聚性、粘附性、破裂力、弹性、硬度和最大粘附力，其最佳拟合分布分别为弹性—Beta General分布，咀嚼性、胶粘性和硬度—Inv Gauss分布，粘附性和内聚性—Log Logistic分布，破裂力—Pearson分布，最大粘附力—Weibull分布。每项冬枣质地指标均可基于最佳拟合分布，用第10、30、70和90百分位点值划分为极低、低、中、高和极高五个等级。相关分析显示，冬枣质地指标间的28个相关系数中，82%的相关系数达到极显著（p<0.01）。其中，咀嚼性与弹性和胶粘性均呈极显著正相关，相关系数分别达0.8692和0.8096；粘附性与最大粘附力呈极显著负相关，相关系数为-0.7569。在胶粘性、咀嚼性、内聚性、弹性、硬度等5项冬枣质地指标中，各指标均存在关于其余4项指标的多元线性回归方程，决定系数均在0.94以上，平均拟合误差和平均预测误差均小于10%。基于因子分析建立了冬枣质地综合评价模型：Q = 0.370C₁ + 0.251C₂ + 0.241C₃ + 0.138C₄，综合得分较高的冬枣果实表现为较高的弹性和咀嚼性，以及较低的最大粘附力和粘附性。通过因子分析和聚类分析，可将8项冬枣质地指标分为4组（内聚因子、粘附因子、梗硬因子和酥脆因子），其代表性指标分别为弹性、粘附性、硬度和破裂力。本研究探讨了冬枣果实8项质地指标及其相互关系，筛选出了代表性指标，并建立了冬枣果实质地评价体系。研究结果可为冬枣质地评价提供方法依据和技术支撑。

了解作物氮（N）素利用率（NUE）的时空动态及其与环境变量的关系可以有效指导土地利用管理和相关政策制定。然而，有关应用统计模型评估作物NUE时空变化的解释变量的研究较少。因此，本研究采用逐步多元线性回归（SMLR）模型和随机森林（RF）模型来评价1990—2015年间中国东北地区（黑龙江、辽宁、吉林）县域尺度下NUE的时空变化。其中，NUE包括N素偏生产力（PFP_N）和N素偏因子养分平衡（PNB_N）两个指标，解释变量包括农业管理措施、地形、气候、经济、土壤和作物类型。结果表明，1990-2015年间，东北地区PFP_N以北部较高，中部较低，PNB_N由南向北逐渐增加。而多数县的NUE随着时间的变化逐渐降低。SMLR和RF的模型效率系数对于PFP_N分别为0.44和0.84，PNB_N分别为0.67和0.89。与SMLR模型相比，RF模型中土壤类型和气候的相对重要性较高，而作物类型的相对重要性较低。蔬菜和豆类种植面积指数、土壤粘土含量、饱和含水量、11-12月植被增强指数、土壤容重和年最低气温是NUE的主要解释变量。本文首次使用SMLR和RF模型对中国东北县级NUE解释变量的相对重要性进行定量研究。研究结果为改善作物NUE提供了重要参考，有利于氮素优化管理、农业可持续发展、保障粮食安全、缓解环境恶化和提高农民收入。

旨在基于简化基因组测序（Genotyping-by-sequencing，GBS）技术进一步挖掘与大白猪初生重（Birth weight，BW）和达百公斤日龄（Days to 100 kg，D100）性状相关的分子遗传标记，并挖掘同时影响两个性状的多效基因。简化基因组测序数据相较于SNP芯片分型数据能够获得更多的SNP位点信息，能够有效的提高全基因组关联分析的检测力。本研究采集600头大白猪的耳组织样品，提取基因组DNA，并利用GBS测序技术进行测序，测序共获得487.34Gb Clean data，测序结果经质量控制和基因型填充后，利用全基因组关联分析（Genome-wide association study，GWAS）鉴定影响大白猪BW和D100的SNP位点和候选基因，采用GEMMA软件对大白猪BW和D100性状进行全基因组关联分析。结果显示，通过GATK软件初步检测共获得10 445 924个SNPs，经过严格的质量控制后共获得279 787个高质量的SNPs位点，并利用Beagle 5.1软件对该基因型数据进行基因型填充。基于填充后的GBS数据采用全基因组关联分析，在基因组显著水平上鉴定到30个SNPs（P<1.79E-07）与D100相关；在建议显著水平上鉴定到22和2个SNPs（P<3.57E-06）分别与D100和BW相关。通过全基因组关联分析筛选到一个显著的SNPs（SSC12: 46,226,512 bp）同时影响BW和D100，暗示了基因在不同性状间具有的一因多效性。本文依据候选基因的相关分子生物学功能，最终确定了2个基因（NSRP1和DOCK7）作为影响猪生长性状的最有希望的候选基因。本研究结果为猪BW和D100性状提供了重要的遗传变异位点和候选基因，可以为猪生长性状基因组选择提供重要遗传信息。

诱虫灯在现代农业的害虫预测预报和防治工作中得到广泛的应用。草地贪夜蛾于2018年底经云南迁飞入侵中国，严重威胁我国农作物的安全生产。为明确诱虫灯对草地贪夜蛾成虫的诱集效率，我们首先通过转录组测序确定其视蛋白基因的种类和数量。聚类分析表明，与其它夜蛾科昆虫类似，草地贪夜蛾表达4个视蛋白基因。但是草地贪夜蛾视蛋白基因的表达量显著低于棉铃虫中相对应的基因。趋光行为研究表明，棉铃虫和草地贪夜蛾成虫均具有显著正趋光性，其中草地贪夜蛾雌、雄成虫飞向光源的速度均显著高于棉铃虫，这可能是由于草地贪夜蛾飞行速度高于棉铃虫所致。然而，诱虫灯结果表明草地贪夜蛾的上灯率显著低于棉铃虫，这与视蛋白基因在两种昆虫中的表达水平一致。综上所述，本研究表明草地贪夜蛾成虫具有趋光性，诱虫灯可用于该虫的预测预报及防治工作，但诱集效率低于棉铃虫。

量化当前作物的可获得产量和肥料需求可为评估粮食供应能力提供详细信息以及制定农业决策提供数据支持。本研究收集和汇总了从2000年到2015年中国小麦主产区的5408个田间试验，结合克里格插值和小麦养分专家支持决策系统，分析了小麦产量、土壤养分供应能力（采用相对产量表示，其定义为不施氮（N）、磷（P）或钾（K）肥处理的产量与氮磷钾肥全施处理的产量的比值）和氮、磷和钾肥需求的空间分布。结果表明，所有研究区域的小麦平均可获得产量为6.4 t ha⁻¹，变异系数(CV)为24.9%。华北地区（NCC）和长江中下游地区（MLYR）北部的产量普遍高于7 t ha⁻¹，而西南地区（SWC），东北地区（NEC）和西北地区（NWC）东部的小麦产量通常小于6 t ha⁻¹。氮、磷和钾肥的相对产量大于0.70、0.85和0.85的分布面积分别占研究区域的52.3%、74.7%和95.9%。氮、磷和钾肥的需要量存在差异，其变异系数分别为24.8%、23.9%和29.9%。与其它地区相比，华北地区（NCC）和长江中下游地区（MLYR）北部需要更多的肥料。在所有研究区域中，平均的N、P₂O₅和K₂O的需用量分别为162、72和57 kg ha⁻¹。将可获得产量和肥料需求的空间差异纳入小麦生产实践，将有利于小麦可持续生产和环境安全。

β-Glucosidase belongs to the glycoside hydrolase I family, which is widely present in multiple species and responds to various biotic and abiotic stresses. In rice, whether β-glucosidase is involved in the interaction between plants and microorganisms is not clear. In this study, we found that the expression of several genes encoding β-glucosidases, including OsBGLU19 and OsBGLU23, were upregulated after inoculation with Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzicola (Xoc) and downregulated after inoculation with X. oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo). The respective insertion mutants of OsBGLU19 and OsBGLU23, bglu19 and bglu23, were more susceptible to Xoc infection. The expression of OsAOS2, a key gene in the jasmonic acid signal pathway, was dramatically downregulated after inoculation with Xoc in the bglu19 and bglu23 mutants. Simultaneously, the expression of downstream disease resistance-related genes, such as OsPR1a, OsPR5 and a key transcription factors OsWRKY72 were obviously downregulated. The resistance mediated by OsBGLU19 and OsBGLU23 to bacterial leaf streak is related to disease resistance-related genes above mentioned.

Received 10 May, 2017 Accepted 9 November, 2017

The root-knot nematode Meloidogyne graminicola, which is distributed worldwide, is considered a major constraint on rice production in Asia.  The present study used the root gall index and number of nematodes inside the roots to evaluate resistance/susceptibility to M. graminicola in different subpopulations of Oryza sativa (aus, hybrid aus, indica, hybrid indica, temperate japonica, tropical japonica).  Nematode development in highly resistant varieties was also evaluated.  Analyses of randomly selected 35 varieties showed the number of M. graminicola nematodes inside the roots correlated very strongly (r=0.87, P≤0.05) with the nematode gall index, and the results from pot and field experiments revealed similar rankings of the varieties for resistance/susceptibility.  Among the 136 tested varieties, temperate japonica displayed the highest gall index, followed by tropical japonica, indica, hybrid indica, aus, and hybrid aus. Zhonghua 11 (aus), Shenliangyou 1 (hybrid aus) and Cliangyou 4418 (hybrid indica) were highly resistant to M. graminicola under both pot and field conditions.  Further examination of nematode development suggested that compared to susceptible rice, M. graminicola penetrated less often into highly resistant varieties and more frequently failed to develop into females.  The promising varieties found in the present research might be useful for the breeding of hybrid rice in China and for the further development of practical nematode management measures.   

Effects of four different drying methods on the colour, texture, sensory quality, microstructure, bacterial viability and storage stability of probiotic-enriched apple snacks were assessed.  The drying methods were air drying (AD), freeze drying (FD), freeze drying followed by microwave vacuum drying (FD+MVD) and air drying followed by explosion puffing drying (AD+EPD).  Overall, FD+MVD can be used as a suitable drying method for the development of probiotic enriched apple snacks in consideration of colour, texture, sensory quality, bacterial viability and storage stability.  Probiotic bacteria in FD+MVD-dried samples remained above 1×10⁶ CFU g^–1 for 120 days at 25°C.  Interestingly, bacterial viability in FD+MVD-dried samples turned out to be significantly higher than FD-dried samples during storage for 120 days.  

Plant structures and chemicals, which are developed from the shoot apical meristem (SAM), form the main barriers to insect feeding.  A plant chimera containing cells of different genetic origins in the SAM will be morphologically and chemically different compared with the parents and thus may result in differential resistance to herbivores.  In this study, we explore if particular elements of plant resistance are localized in one of the layers of SAM; the replacement of one cell layer in a chimera may be linked to change of a single resistance trait to herbivores.  The morphology and glucosinolate profiles of two periclinal chimeras (labeled as TTC and TCC, respectively) and grafted parents tuber mustard (labeled as TTT) and red cabbage (labeled as CCC) were compared and the performance of whitefly (Bemisia tabaci) in host selection, oviposition preference and development were assessed under controlled conditions.  Both chimeras possessed leaf trichomes as parent tuber mustard TTT, however, TTC had significantly more trichomes than TCC and parent TTT.  Leaf wax content of both chimeras was intermediate between the two parents.  Five aliphatic and two indole glucosinolates were detected in both chimeras, whereas three aliphatic glucosinolates (3-methyl-sulfinylpropyl, 4-methyl-sulfinylbutyl and 2-hydroxy-3-butenyl) were not detected in tuber mustard, and one aliphatic glucosinolate (3-butenyl) was not detected in red cabbage.  Unexpectedly for a chimera, the quantities of two aliphatic glucosinolates (3-methyl-sulfinylpropyl and 4-methyl-sulfinylbutyl) in both TTC and TCC were 3- to 5-fold higher than parents.  In olfactory preference assays, B. tabaci showed preference to CCC, followed by TCC, TTC and TTT, and number of eggs laid showed the same pattern: CCC>TCC>TTC>TTT.  Interestingly, more whiteflies landed on TTT plants than the other three types in a free choice experiment and the developmental duration from egg to adult was the shortest on TTT and increased in the order TTT<TTC<TCC<CCC.  Our results indicate plant defenses traits of leaf waxes, trichomes and glucosinolates are not controlled by one cell layer of SAM, but are influenced by interactions amongst cell layers.  The overall findings suggest that periclinal chimera systems can be a valuable approach for the study of plant-insect interactions and may also be useful for future resistance breeding. 

    Porcine reproductive traits are characterized by low heritability, making improvement by traditional selective breeding rather difficult. Molecular breeding offers powerful approaches to overcome previous limitations and is expected to generate economic benefits via progress in pig breeding. Cytochrome P450 family 19 subfamily A polypeptide 1 (CYP19A1) gene is a key enzyme of estradiol biosynthesis that plays an important role in the establishment of gestation and maintenance of pregnancy. In this study, the sequence and structure characteristics of the porcine CYP19A1 gene was analyzed and expression patterns of CYP19A1 in different tissues of adult female pigs were detected. Fourteen single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the exons and introns of porcine CYP19A1 were identified and genotyped using the Sequenom MassARRAY platform, after which the allele frequency of each SNP was analyzed. The association between CYP19A1 SNPs and litter size and piglet birth weight was assessed in a crossbred pig population (n=375). The expression pattern of CYP19A1 revealed that it was highly expressed in the ovary, spleen, and uterus and lowly expressed in the other tissues. Moreover, one SNP, rs341891833, was significantly associated with piglet birth weight during the multiparity period (P<0.01). We concluded that CYP19A1 could be used as a candidate molecular marker in breeding aimed at rapid improvement of the reproductive characteristics of pigs.  

Sucrose is known to play an important role in the cryopreservation of sperm and female gonads; however, its effect on the cryopreservation of pig spermatogonial stem cells (pSSCs) has not been tested.  The aim of this work was to study the effect of sucrose during pSSC cryopreservation and to find the most effective concentration in freezing medium.  pSSCs were cryopreserved with freezing media containing different concentrations of sucrose (70, 140, 210, and 280 mmol L^–1) and a control group without sucrose.  The survival rates, plasma membrane integrity, and mitochondrial membrane potential of thawed cells were detected by trypan blue (TB) staining, SYBR-14/propidium iodide (PI) dual staining, and JC-1 staining, respectively.  All the staining results showed an obvious increase in cell survival in the sucrose-treated groups as compared to that in the control group, with the exception of 280 mmol L^–1 sucrose.  Moreover, the 210 mmol L^–1 sucrose group yielded the highest survival rate among all the groups (P<0.05).  The results of SYBR-14/PI dual staining and JC-1 staining were consistent with those of TB staining as above described.  Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) indicated that the mRNA levels of three apoptosis-promoting genes (BAX, APAF1 and CASPASE9) were significantly higher in thawed cells than in cells before freezing (P<0.05).  Moreover, the mRNA level of one anti-apoptotic gene (XIAP) was significantly lower in thawed cells than in cells before freezing (P<0.05).  When comparing the mRNA expression of apoptosis-related genes in thawed cells, the mRNA level of the anti-apoptotic genes in the control group was significantly lower than that in the sucrose-treated
groups (P<0.05).  Western blot analyses showed that the expression levels of cleaved CASPASE9, CASPASE3 and PARP-1 in the sucrose-treated groups were lower than those in the control group and were the lowest in the 210 mmol L^–1 sucrose group.  Both qRT-PCR and Western blot analyses suggested that sucrose inhibited cell apoptosis during freezing and thawing.  Briefly, sucrose promoted pSSCs survival after freezing and thawing, especially at a concentration of 210 mmol L^–1, which possibly assisted pSSC dehydration and inhibited cell apoptosis.  These findings hold great promise for further studies of the regulatory mechanism of proliferation and differentiation of pSSCs. 

   Agro-ecological conditions associated with the spread and persistence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) are not well understood, but the trade of live poultry is suspected to be a major pathway. Although market chains of live bird trade have been studied through indirect means including interviews and questionnaires, direct methods have not been used to identify movements of individual poultry. To bridge the knowledge gap on quantitative movement and transportation of poultry, we introduced a novel approach for applying telemetry to document domestic duck movements from source farms at Poyang Lake, China. We deployed recently developed transmitters that record Global Positioning System (GPS) locations and send them through the Groupe Spécial Mobile (GSM) cellular telephone system. For the first time, we were able to track individually marked ducks from 3 to 396 km from their origin to other farms, distribution facilities, or live bird markets. Our proof of concept test showed that the use of GPS-GSM transmitters may provide direct, quantitative information to document the movement of poultry and reveal their market chains. Our findings provide an initial indication of the complexity of source-market network connectivity and highlight the great potential for future telemetry studies in poultry network analyses.

A hydroponic study was conducted to determine the effects of selenium (Se: 0, 3, 6 μmol L−1) on senescence-related oxidative stress in garlic plants grown under two sulfur (S) levels. We evaluated the yields of plants harvested at 160 and 200 days after sowing. Plants grown under a low Se dose (0.3 μmol L−1) at low S level showed higher yields (12.0% increase in fresh weight yield, 13.7% increase in dry weight yield) than the controls, despite a decrease in chlorophyll concentration. Compared with control plants, the Se-treated plants showed lower levels of lipid peroxidation. The Se-treated plants also showed higher activities of glutathione peroxidase and catalase, but lower superoxide dismutase activities. Changes in Fv/Fm values and proline contents were affected more strongly by S than by Se. On the basis of our results, we can conclude that Se plays a key role in the antioxidant systems in garlic seedlings. It delays senescence by alleviating the peroxide stress, but it can be toxic at high levels. A high S level may increase tolerance to high Se concentrations through reducing Se accumulation in plants.