The liver is a vital organ in chickens that performs a number of crucial physiological functions, including the storage of hepatic glycogen, protein synthesis, detoxification, and deoxidation.  The growth and metabolism of the liver are complex processes influenced by factors such as environment, diet, and genetics.  MicroRNAs (miRNAs), as post-transcriptional regulatory molecules, play a role in various biological processes.  There is growing evidence that miR-27b-5p plays a key role in the regulation of liver development and metabolism in various species.  However, its role in chicken livers has yet to be determined.  In our experiment, we found that chickens with fatty livers had significantly higher levels of serum triglyceride (TG) and total cholesterol (TC) compared to the normal chickens, while the control group had significantly higher levels of very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) and serum hormones.  Further research showed that the mRNA of miR-27b-5p was highly expressed in fatty livers.  By exploring the function of miR-27b-5p in chicken livers, we discovered that it promotes lipogenesis, oxidative stress, and inflammatory responses, leading to hepatocyte apoptosis.  Our study also established the mechanism by which miR-27b-5p interacts with its target gene, and found that miR-27b-5p targets insulin receptor substrate 2 (IRS2) and modulates the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.  Additionally, our investigation of IRS2 in chicken hepatocytes revealed that knocking down IRS2 has the same effects as overexpressing miR-27b-5p.  In conclusion, our study revealed that miR-27b-5p directly binds to IRS2, inhibiting the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway and causing steatosis, oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis in chicken liver.

The spikelet number per spike (SNS) contributes greatly to grain yield in wheat.  Identifying various genes that control wheat SNS is vital for yield improvement.  This study used a recombinant inbred line population genotyped by the Wheat55K single-nucleotide polymorphism array to identify two major and stably expressed quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for SNS.  One of them (QSns.sau-2SY-2D.1) was reported previously, while the other (QSns.sau-2SY-7A) was newly detected and further analyzed in this study.  QSns.sau-2SY-7A had a high LOD value ranging from 4.46 to 16.00 and explained 10.21–40.78% of the phenotypic variances.  QSns.sau-2SY-7A was flanked by the markers AX-110518554 and AX-110094527 in a 4.75-cM interval on chromosome arm 7AL.  The contributions and interactions of both major QTLs were further analyzed and discussed.  The effect of QSns.sau-2SY-7A was successfully validated by developing a tightly linked kompetitive allele specific PCR marker in an F_2:3 population and a panel of 101 high-generation breeding wheat lines.  Furthermore, several genes including the previously reported WHEAT ORTHOLOG OF APO1 (WAPO1), an ortholog of the rice gene ABERRANT PANICLE ORGANIZATION 1 (APO1) related to SNS, were predicted in the interval of QSns.sau-2SY-7A.  In summary, these results revealed the genetic basis of the multi-spikelet genotype of wheat line 20828 and will facilitate subsequent fine mapping and breeding utilization of the major QTLs.

Organic phosphorus (P) is an important component of the soil P pool, and it has been proven to be a potential source of P for plants.  The phosphorus utilization efficiency (PUE) and PUE related traits (tiller number (TN), shoot dry weight (DW), and root dry weight) under different phytate-P conditions (low phytate-P, 0.05 mmol L^–1 and normal phytate-P, 0.5 mmol L^–1) were investigated using a population consisting of 128 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) at the vegetative stage in barley.  The population was derived from a cross between a P-inefficient genotype (Baudin) and a P-efficient genotype (CN4027, a Hordeum spontaneum accession).  A major locus (designated Qpue.sau-3H) conferring PUE was detected in shoots and roots from the RIL population.  The quantitative trait locus (QTL) was mapped on chromosome 3H and the allele from CN4027 confers high PUE.  This locus explained up to 30.3 and 28.4% of the phenotypic variance in shoots under low and normal phytate-P conditions, respectively.  It also explains 28.3 and 30.7% of the phenotypic variation in root under the low and normal phytate-P conditions, respectively.  Results from this study also showed that TN was not correlated with PUE, and a QTL controlling TN was detected on chromosome 5H.  However, dry weight (DW) was significantly and positively correlated with PUE, and a QTL controlling DW was detected near the Qpue.sau-3H locus.  Based on a covariance analysis, existing data indicated that, although DW may affect PUE, different genes at this locus are likely involved in controlling these two traits.