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Current study hypothesized that dietary l‐carnitine (LC) inclusion during the mating period ameliorates both metabolic status and reproductive performance of ewes. Seventy Baluchi ewes (52 ± 4.2 kg of bodyweight and 18 ± 6 months old of age) were enrolled in this study. Animals were randomly allocated into two dietary treatments, control (only basal diet) or basal diet plus supplementation with a rumen‐protected LC (Carneon 20 Rumin‐pro; 20% LC; Kaesler Nutrition GmbH) at the rate of 10 g/head/day from 21 days before until 35 days after introducing rams to the ewes (MP). Feed intake was monitored by subtracting the ort from feed offered. Blood sample collection was conducted on Days −10, +10 and +20 relative to MP. Pregnancy was confirmed on Day 30 post‐MP. Feed intake of the ewes in the LC group was higher than the control (p < 0.05). LC supplementation increased the cholesterol concentration in the ewes (p < 0.05). Blood urea concentration of animals in the LC group was significantly lower than the control (p < 0.05). The mRNA expression of toll‐like receptor 4 was evidently lower in animals supplemented with LC than the control (p < 0.05). Both lambing and fecundity rates in the LC group tended to be higher compared with the control. LC supplementation showed potential to alter certain metabolites in the ewes. A tendency for higher lambing rate may partly be driven by dams efficient energy partitioning to support foetal growth and maintaining pregnancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Lactoferrin is a versatile protein with important modulatory functions in inflammation and immune response. This glycoprotein can bind and sequester iron and LPS, thereby intervening in certain signaling pathways and biological processes. In the present meta‐analysis, we aimed to pool experimental data regarding the immunomodulatory effects of lactoferrin and its derived peptides on the NF‐κB signaling pathway. Materials: We searched PubMed, Google Scholar, and Web of Science databases and obtained all related articles published before April 2022. Finally, 25 eligible studies were selected, and their reports were analyzed. Methods: We used Review Manager Version 5.2 to compute the standardized mean difference (SMD) and its 95% confidence interval. In addition, the source of heterogeneity was explored using meta‐regression and sensitivity analysis. The symmetry of the funnel plot and Egger's test were also used to evaluate publication bias utilizing Comprehensive Meta‐Analysis Version 2. Results: Comparing the group of cells and animals exposed to lipopolysaccharide alone with the group that received pretreatment with lactoferrin and its derivatives, we observed significant reductions in TNF‐α, IL‐1 beta, and IL‐6 levels by 8.73 pg/mL, 2.21 pg/mL, and 3.24 pg/mL, respectively, in the second group. Additionally, IKK‐β, p‐IκB, and NF‐κB (p65) levels were significantly lower by 7.37‐fold, 15.02‐fold, and 3.88‐fold, respectively, in various cells and tissues. Conclusion: Based on the results of this meta‐analysis, lactoferrin and its derived peptides can be considered potent prophylactic and therapeutic candidates against inflammation‐associated diseases by targeting the NF‐kB pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identification of selection signatures may provide a better understanding of domestication process and candidate genes contributing to this process. In this study, two populations of domestic and wild goats from Iran were analyzed to identify selection signatures. RSB, iHS, and XP‐EHH statistics were used in order to identify robust selection signatures in the goat genome. Genotype data of domestic and wild goats from the NextGen project was used. The data was related to 18 Capra aegagrus (wild goat) and 20 Capra hircus (domestic goat) from Iran. The iHS method indicated 675 and 441 selection signatures in C. aegagrus and C. hircus, respectively. RSB and XP‐EHH methods showed about 370 and 447 selection signatures in C. aegagrus and C. hircus, respectively. These selection signatures were mainly associated with milk production, fleece trait, mammary epithelial cells, reproduction, and immune system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antagonistic interactions among different functional guilds of nematodes have been recognized for quite some time, but the underlying explanatory mechanisms are unclear. We investigated responses of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) to two functional guilds of nematodes—plant parasite (Meloidogyne javanica) and entomopathogens (Heterorhabditis bacteriophora, Steinernema feltiae below‐ground, and S. carpocapsae)—as well as a leaf mining insect (Tuta absoluta) above‐ground. Our results indicate that entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs): (1) reduced root knot nematode (RKN) infestation below‐ground, (2) reduced herbivore (T. absoluta) host preference and performance above‐ground, and (3) induced overlapping plant defence responses by rapidly activating polyphenol oxidase and guaiacol peroxidase activity in roots, but simultaneously suppressing this activity in above‐ground tissues. Concurrently, we investigated potential plant signalling mechanisms underlying these interactions using transcriptome analyses. We found that both entomopathogens and plant parasites triggered immune responses in plant roots with shared gene expression. Secondary metabolite transcripts induced in response to the two nematode functional guilds were generally overlapping and showed an analogous profile of regulation. Likewise, we show that EPNs modulate plant defence against RKN invasion, in part, by suppressing active expression of antioxidant enzymes. Inoculations of roots with EPN triggered an immune response in tomato via upregulated phenylpropanoid metabolism and synthesis of protease inhibitors in plant tissues, which may explain decreased egg laying and developmental performance exhibited by herbivores on EPN‐inoculated plants. Furthermore, changes induced in the volatile organic compound‐related transcriptome indicated that M. javanica and/or S. carpocapsae inoculation of plants triggered both direct and indirect defences. Our results support the hypothesis that plants "mistake" subterranean EPNs for parasites, and these otherwise beneficial worms activate a battery of plant defences associated with systemic acquired resistance and/or induced systemic resistance with concomitant antagonistic effects on temporally co‐occurring subterranean plant pathogenic nematodes and terrestrial herbivores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study was performed to design an immunotoxin consisting of engineered RNase A and scFv of Cetuximab. To accomplish this study goal, at first to evade RNase A from its inhibitors in the cytoplasm, six amino acids of RNase A were substituted, then the physicochemical features of engineered RNase A were assessed. To investigate the interaction between the engineered RNase A and the ribonuclease inhibitor, protein–protein docking was performed. After engineering the RNase A, it was theoretically conjugated with scFv of Cetuximab using a cleavable linker to produce scFv‐engineered RNase A. Then, wild‐RNase A (14 kD), engineered RNase A (14 kD) and scFv‐engineered RNase A (42 kDa) were expressed in the BL21 (DE3) strain of Escherichia coli and purified by Ni‐NTA columns. To confirm the expressed proteins, western blot analysis was performed. The functioning of wild‐RNase A and engineered RNase A were investigated by RNA fragmentation assay. Finally, to evaluate the cytotoxicity of scFv‐engineered RNase A, a dose–response cytotoxicity assay was performed on Her1‐positive and Her1‐negative cell lines. The results showed that engineered RNase A could maintain its structure and disulfide bonds and evade its inhibitor. Expression and purification were successfully conducted and both enzymes could degrade yeast RNA. The result of cytotoxicity showed that the engineered immunotoxin could induce cell death to Her1‐positive cell lines with an IC50 of 50 nM. It appears that scFv‐engineered RNase A can be a promising molecule for use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Imprinted genes display biased expression of paternal and maternal alleles in mammals. They are marked through epigenetic process during gametogenesis. Characterization of imprinted genes has expanded our understanding of the regulation and function of genes. In the current study, 22 experimentally validated imprinted genes in bovine (Bos Taurus) were analysed. Several supervised machine learning algorithms and attribute weighting methods were used to find characteristics of different types of imprinted genes and suggest a classification method for finding maternally and paternally expressed genes in bovine. For assessing the best model and comparing attributes in other organisms, we have also conducted a comparative analysis for human and sheep imprinted genes. According to the results of the present study, GC contents 10 and 100 kb upstream, Gly and Gln amino acids, Ile/ATC codon usage, LINE and SINE in 100kbup and length of first intron were significantly different between the maternal and paternal genes in cattle. Considering all species together, we found that GC content 100 kb up, LINE 100 kb up and the frequency of amino acids like Gly, Gln and Met were the most important attributes for identifying the paternal and maternal imprinted genes. These findings could imply conservation pattern in the attributes among these species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]