Longitudinal retinal functional evaluation using full-field electroretinography in New Zealand white and Dutch Belted rabbits with aging.

Electroretinography (ERG) is pivotal in elucidating retinal function, yet investigations into the temporal dynamics of ERG signals in New Zealand White (NZW) and Dutch-belted (DB) rabbits remain scarce. This study presents a longitudinal assessment of retinal function in both NZW and DB strains. ERG recordings were conducted on four NZW and four DB rabbits at 2, 7, 15, and 24 months of age, encompassing both dark-adapted and light-adapted protocols at each time point.

Multimodal retinal imaging evaluation of macular degeneration persistent disease activity animal model in Watanabe heritable hyperlipidemic rabbits.

The Watanabe Heritable Hyperlipidemic (WHHL) rabbit, a model for familial hypercholesterolemia, offers a unique opportunity to study lipid metabolism disorders and their ocular effects. This study employed multimodal imaging, including color fundus photography, fluorescein angiography, indocyanine green angiography, photoacoustic microscopy (PAM), and optical coherence tomography (OCT), to longitudinally assess WHHL rabbit eyes over one year. Given its relevance to persistent disease activity (PDA) in age-related macular degeneration (AMD), WHHL rabbits were evaluated as a potential model for PDA-associated AMD.

A Universal 6iL/E4 Culture System for Deriving and Maintaining Embryonic Stem Cells Across Mammalian Species.

The derivation of authentic embryonic stem cells (ESCs) from diverse mammalian species offers valuable opportunities for advancing regenerative medicine, studying developmental biology, and enabling species conservation. Here, we report the development of a robust, serum-free culture system, termed 6iL/E4 that enables the derivation and long-term self-renewal of ESCs from multiple mammalian species, including mouse, rat, bovine, rabbit, and human. Using systematic signaling pathway analysis, we identified key regulators-including GSK3α, STAT3, PDGFR, BRAF, and LATS-critical for ESC maintenance across species.

Comparative analysis of reproductive organs, hormones and blood metabolism of MSTN mutated and non-mutated cows during gestation.

Background: Long breeding cycle, long calving intervals and typical single calves limit the potential for improving their economic benefits. Ensuring the reproductive performance and efficiency of cows are crucial to increasing their economic value. Factors affecting the reproductive performance of cows include breed, pre-pregnancy maternal preparation, nutrition during pregnancy, and perinatal management.

Long-Term Diabetic Retinopathy Treatment Using Silicon Nanoneedles.

Sustained-release ocular drug delivery systems with minimal invasiveness are critical for managing eye diseases that cause blindness. An innovative platform is presented for painless and long-term sustained ocular drug delivery utilizing controllably biodegradable silicon nanoneedles (Si NNs) conjugated with bevacizumab (Bev) integrated into a tear-soluble subconjunctival patch. The biocompatible patch facilitates easy application in the subconjunctival area of the eye and rapid dissolution in less than one minute upon contact with the tear film in the sclera, eliminating the need for removal procedures.

Generation of Codon-Optimized Fad3 Gene Transgenic Bovine That Produce More n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids.

Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) such as linoleic acid (18:2, n-6) and α-linolenic acid (18:3, n-3) are essential for the growth, development, and well-being of mammals. However, most mammals, including humans, cannot synthesize n-3 and n-6 PUFAs and these must be obtained through diet. The beneficial effect of converting n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-6 PUFAs) into n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) has led to extensive research on the flax fatty acid desaturase 3 () gene, which encodes fatty acid desaturase.

Selective nanosecond laser removal of retinal pigment epithelium for cell therapy.

Retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells play a crucial role in the health of the retina, and their dysfunction is associated with various ocular diseases. The transplantation of RPE cells has been proposed as a potential treatment for numerous degenerative diseases, including geographic atrophy from macular degeneration. However, current models to induce RPE damage in animal models prior to transplantation involve mechanical scraping, chemical administration, or laser photocoagulation techniques, which can damage the overlying neurosensory retina.

Inactivation of Myostatin Delays Senescence via TREX1-SASP in Bovine Skeletal Muscle Cells.

The myostatin () gene also regulates the developmental balance of skeletal muscle after birth, and has long been linked to age-related muscle wasting. Many rodent studies have shown a correlation between and age-related diseases. It is unclear how and age-associated muscle loss in other animals are related.

Effects of Different Generations and Sex on Physiological, Biochemical, and Growth Parameters of Crossbred Beef Cattle by Gene-Edited Luxi Bulls and Simmental Cows.

(1) Background: Myostatin (MSTN) is a protein that regulates skeletal muscle development and plays a crucial role in maintaining animal body composition and muscle structure. The loss-of-function mutation of gene can induce the muscle hypertrophic phenotype. (2) Methods: Growth indexes and blood parameters of the cattle of different months were analyzed via multiple linear regression.

Loss of Myostatin Alters Mitochondrial Oxidative Phosphorylation, TCA Cycle Activity, and ATP Production in Skeletal Muscle.

Myostatin (MSTN) is an important negative regulator of skeletal muscle growth in animals. A lack of MSTN promotes lipolysis and glucose metabolism but inhibits oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS). Here, we aimed to investigate the possible mechanism of MSTN regulating the mitochondrial energy homeostasis of skeletal muscle.

Myostatin Knockout Affects Mitochondrial Function by Inhibiting the AMPK/SIRT1/PGC1α Pathway in Skeletal Muscle.

Myostatin () is a major negative regulator of skeletal muscle mass and initiates multiple metabolic changes. The deletion of the gene in mice leads to reduced mitochondrial functions. However, the underlying regulatory mechanisms remain unclear.

Low Expression of Mitofusin 1 Gene Leads to Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Embryonic Genome Activation Failure in Ovine-Bovine Inter-Species Cloned Embryos.

Inter-species somatic cell nuclear transfer (iSCNT) is significant in the study of biological problems such as embryonic genome activation and the mitochondrial function of embryos. Here, we used iSCNT as a model to determine whether abnormal embryo genome activation was caused by mitochondrial dysfunction. First, we found the ovine-bovine iSCNT embryos were developmentally blocked at the 8-cell stage.

Myostatin Deficiency Enhances Antioxidant Capacity of Bovine Muscle via the SMAD-AMPK-G6PD Pathway.

During exercise, the body's organs and skeletal muscles produce reactive oxygen species (ROS). Excessive ROS can destroy cellular lipids, sugars, proteins, and nucleotides and lead to cancer. The production of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) by the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) is an auxiliary process of the cellular antioxidant system that supplements the reducing power of glutathione (GSH) to eliminate ROS in the cell.

Growth Traits and Sperm Proteomics Analyses of Myostatin Gene-Edited Chinese Yellow Cattle.

Chinese Yellow Cattle, an ancient and domesticated breed for draft service, provide unique animal genetic resources with excellent genetic features, including crude feed tolerance, good stress resistance, strong adaptability, and tender meat quality; however, their production performance and meat yield are significantly inferior. Herein, the myostatin gene (), a negative regulator of skeletal muscle development, was knocked out by CRISPR/Cas9 technology. Eight gene-edited bull calves (MT) were born, and six of them are well-developed.

N-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Dehydrogenase Fat-1 Regulates Mitochondrial Energy Metabolism by Altering DNA Methylation in Isolated Cells of Transgenic Cattle.

The fatty acid dehydrogenase gene, derived from , encodes n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid dehydrogenase (Δ15 desaturase) and catalyzes the 18-20-carbon n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-6 PUFA) to generate corresponding n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA). Subsequently, fat-1 can influence the n-6: n-3 PUFA ratio in transgenic cells. This study aimed to explore which processes of energy metabolism are affected exogenous transgene and the relationship between these effects and DNA methylation.

Myostatin Knockout Limits Exercise-Induced Reduction in Bovine Erythrocyte Oxidative Stress by Enhancing the Efficiency of the Pentose Phosphate Pathway.

Moderate exercise can strengthen the body, however, exhaustive exercise generates large amounts of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Although erythrocytes have antioxidant systems that quickly eliminate ROS, erythrocytes become overwhelmed by ROS when the body is under oxidative stress, such as during exhaustive exercise. Myostatin (MSTN) has important effects on muscle hair development.

Comparison of Microbial Community and Metabolites in Four Stomach Compartments of Myostatin-Gene-Edited and Non-edited Cattle.

Myostatin (MSTN), a major negative regulator of skeletal muscle mass and an endocrine factor, can regulate the metabolism of various organisms. Inhibition of the gene can improve meat production from livestock. Rumen microorganisms are associated with production and health traits of cattle, but changes in the microbial composition and metabolome in the four stomach compartments of gene-edited cattle have not previously been studied.

Myostatin Knockout Regulates Bile Acid Metabolism by Promoting Bile Acid Synthesis in Cattle.

Myostatin (MSTN) is a major negative regulator of skeletal muscle mass and causes a variety of metabolic changes. However, the effect of MSTN knockout on bile acid metabolism has rarely been reported. In this study, the physiological and biochemical alterations of serum in MSTN and wild type (WT) cattle were investigated.

C23 gene regulates the nucleolin structure and biosynthesis of ribosomes in bovine intraspecific and interspecific somatic cell nuclear transfer embryos.

Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) can reprogram differentiated somatic cells to produce individual animals, thus having advantages in animal breeding and chromatin reprogramming. Interspecies SCNT (iSCNT) provides extreme cases of reprogramming failure that can be used to understand the basic biological mechanism of genome reprogramming. It is important to understand the possible mechanisms for the failure of zygotic genome activation (ZGA) in iSCNT embryos in order to improve the efficiency of SCNT embryos.

Melatonin improves the quality of frozen bull semen and influences gene expression related to embryo genome activation.

The efficiency of animal artificial breeding in vitro is still low. Oxidative damage is an important obstacle for in vitro artificial breeding of animals. Melatonin can reduce the degree of oxidative damage to both gametes and embryos caused by the external environment.

Transient Dux expression facilitates nuclear transfer and induced pluripotent stem cell reprogramming.

Cloned animals generated by somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) have been reported for many years; however, SCNT is extremely inefficient, and zygotic genome activation (ZGA) is required for SCNT-mediated somatic cell reprogramming. To identify candidate factors that facilitate ZGA in SCNT-mediated reprogramming, we performed siRNA-repressor and mRNA-inducer screenings, which reveal Dux, Dppa2, and Dppa4 as key factors enhancing ZGA in SCNT. We show that direct injection of ZGA inducers has no significant effect on SCNT blastocyst formation; however, following the establishment of an inducible Dux transgenic mouse model, we demonstrate that transient overexpression of Dux not only improves SCNT efficiency but also increases that of chemically induced pluripotent stem cell reprogramming.

Melatonin restores the pluripotency of long-term-cultured embryonic stem cells through melatonin receptor-dependent m6A RNA regulation.

N6-methyladenosine (m6A) methylation is the most common and abundant modification on mammalian messenger RNA (mRNA) and regulates the pluripotency of embryonic stem cells (ESCs). Research has shown that melatonin plays a fundamental role in DNA and histone modifications. However, the effect of melatonin on RNA modification is unknown.

Mutant Promotes Myogenic Differentiation by Increasing Demethylase Expression via the SMAD2/SMAD3 Pathway.

Myostatin () is mostly expressed in skeletal muscle and plays crucial roles in the negative regulation of muscle mass development. The methylation and demethylation of myogenesis-specific genes are major regulatory factors in muscle satellite cell differentiation. The present study was designed to investigate the mechanism of myogenic differentiation regulated by mutation (MT) and the methylation/demethylation state of downstream genes.

Transcriptome-wide analysis of the SCNT bovine abnormal placenta during mid- to late gestation.

The dysfunction of placenta is common in somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) cloned cattle and would cause aberrant fetal development and even abortion, which occurred with highest rate at the mid- to late gestation. However, the mechanism of abnormal placentas was unclear. To analyze the transcriptome-wide characteristics of abnormal placentas in SCNT cloned cattle, the mRNA, lncRNA and miRNA of placental cotyledon tissue at day 180 after gestation were sequenced.

Inhibiting repressive epigenetic modification promotes telomere rejuvenation in somatic cell reprogramming.

The efficiency of somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) reprogramming is extremely low in terms of production of cloned animals. Here, we found that telomere rejuvenation is a critical event for SCNT reprogramming. Through small-molecule screening, we identified that melatonin significantly improved the and developmental competence of SCNT-derived embryos.