Construction and differential analysis of testicular atlas between 10-week-old and 23-week-old ducks using single-cell RNA sequencing.

While spermatogenesis has been extensively characterized in mammals, its molecular underpinnings in avian species remain largely unexplored. To address this knowledge gap, we performed single-cell transcriptomic profiling of duck testes across developmental stages (10-week immature vs. 23-week mature).

Optimization of Duck Semen Freezing Procedure and Regulation of Oxidative Stress.

Waterfowl semen cryopreservation technology is a key link in genetic resource conservation and artificial breeding, but poultry spermatozoa, due to their unique morphology and biochemical properties, are prone to oxidative stress during freezing, resulting in a significant decrease in vitality. In this study, we first used four different freezing procedures (P1-P4) to freeze duck semen and compared their effects on duck sperm quality. Then, the changes in antioxidant indexes in semen were monitored.

RNA sequencing analysis reveals key genes and pathways associated with feather pigmentation in mule ducks.

Feather color is an important morphological trait of poultry. At present, the reports on the inheritance of plumage color of mule ducks at the molecular level are few, and the regulatory mechanism in white plumage rates of different mule ducks remains unclear. This study aimed to broaden the understanding of the white plumage rates in mule ducks to improve their production value.

Analysis of microbial diversity and composition in small intestine during different development times in ducks.

We studied the microbial profiles of the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum during different developmental stages in the duck using high-throughput sequencing of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene. We also investigated the differences in the microbiota in the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum at different developmental times. A correlation analysis was performed between the most abundant bacterial genera and the development of the small intestine.

Development of skeletal muscle and expression of myogenic regulatory factors during embryonic development in Jinding ducks (Anas platyrhynchos domestica).

The important roles of myogenic regulatory factors (MRF) in mammalian skeletal myogenesis have been well studied, but few equivalent studies have been performed in poultry. The expression pattern of MRF during the embryonic development of skeletal muscle in ducks remains unknown. In this study, we identified Myf5, Myf6, MyoD, and myogenin genes in Jinding ducks (Anas platyrhynchos domestica) and quantified their expression levels in breast muscle (BM) and leg muscle (LM) at embryonic d 13, 17, 21, 25, and 27 by real-time reverse-transcription PCR.

SEF14 fimbriae from Salmonella enteritidis play a role in pathogenitic to cell model in vitro and host in vivo.

The role of SEF14 fimbriae in virulence remains to be elucidated and in this study, we showed that sefA mutant constructed in the wild-type (WT) Salmonella enteritidis strain 50336 displayed increased invasion to IPEC-J2 cell lines and survival in mouse peritoneal macrophages, and the lethal dose 50% (LD50) in 6-week-old Balb/c mice intra-peritoneally injected with WT S. enteritidis strain decreased significantly upon deletion of sefA indicating their role in virulence. Overall, these results demonstrated that expression of sefA of SEF14 fimbriae enhances S.

ECM1 controls T(H)2 cell egress from lymph nodes through re-expression of S1P(1).

Type 2 helper T cells (T(H)2) are critically involved in allergies and asthma. Here we demonstrate that extracellular matrix protein-1 (ECM1) is highly and selectively expressed in T(H)2 cells. ECM1 deficiency caused impaired T(H)2 responses and reduced allergic airway inflammation in vivo.

Tripartite-motif protein 30 negatively regulates NLRP3 inflammasome activation by modulating reactive oxygen species production.

The NLR family, pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome is critical for caspase-1 activation and the proteolytic processing of pro-IL-1β. However, the mechanism that regulates NLRP3 inflammasome activation remains unclear. In this paper, we demonstrate that tripartite-motif protein 30 (TRIM30) negatively regulates NLRP3 inflammasome activation.

Dec2 promotes Th2 cell differentiation by enhancing IL-2R signaling.

Th cell differentiation is precisely regulated by thousands of genes at different stages. In the present study, we demonstrate that Dec2, a transcription factor belonging to the bHLH (basic helix-loop-helix) superfamily, is progressively induced during the course of Th2 differentiation, especially at the late stage. The up-regulated Dec2 can strongly promote Th2 development under Th2-inducing conditions, as evidenced by retrovirus-mediated gene transfer or transgenic manipulation.

TRIM30 alpha negatively regulates TLR-mediated NF-kappa B activation by targeting TAB2 and TAB3 for degradation.

Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling is pivotal to innate and adaptive immune responses and must be tightly controlled. The mechanisms of TLR signaling have been the focus of extensive studies. Here we report that the tripartite-motif protein TRIM30alpha, a RING protein, was induced by TLR agonists and interacted with the TAB2-TAB3-TAK1 adaptor-kinase complex involved in the activation of transcription factor NF-kappaB.