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Cadmium (Cd) and excess molybdenum (Mo) are multiorgan toxic, but the detrimental impacts of Cd and/or Mo on poultry have not been fully clarified. Thence, a 16‐week sub‐chronic toxic experiment was executed with ducks to assess the toxicity of Cd and/or Mo. Our data substantiated that Cd and Mo coexposure evidently reduced GSH‐Px, GSH, T‐SOD, and CAT activities and elevated H2O2 and MDA concentrations in myocardium. What is more, the study suggested that Cd and Mo united exposure synergistically elevated Fe2+ content in myocardium and activated AMPK/mTOR axis, then induced ferroptosis by obviously upregulating ACSL4, PTGS2, and TFRC expression levels and downregulating SLC7A11, GPX4, FPN1, FTL1, and FTH1 expression levels. Additionally, Cd and Mo coexposure further caused excessive ferritinophagy by observably increasing autophagosomes, the colocalization of endogenous FTH1 and LC3, ATG5, ATG7, LC3II/LC3I, NCOA4, and FTH1 expression levels. In brief, this study for the first time substantiated that Cd and Mo united exposure synergistically induced ferroptosis and excess ferritinophagy by AMPK/mTOR axis, finally augmenting myocardium injure in ducks, which will offer an additional view on united toxicity between two heavy metals on poultry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Legume crops establish symbiosis with nitrogen-fixing rhizobia for biological nitrogen fixation (BNF), a process that provides a prominent natural nitrogen source in agroecosystems; and efficient nodulation and nitrogen fixation processes require a large amount of phosphorus (P). Here, a role of GmPAP4, a nodule-localized purple acid phosphatase, in BNF and seed yield was functionally characterized in whole transgenic soybean (Glycine max) plants under a P-limited condition. GmPAP4 was specifically expressed in the infection zones of soybean nodules and its expression was greatly induced in low P stress. Altered expression of GmPAP4 significantly affected soybean nodulation, BNF, and yield under the P-deficient condition. Nodule number, nodule fresh weight, nodule nitrogenase, APase activities, and nodule total P content were significantly increased in GmPAP4 overexpression (OE) lines. Structural characteristics revealed by toluidine blue staining showed that overexpression of GmPAP4 resulted in a larger infection area than wild-type (WT) control. Moreover, the plant biomass and N and P content of shoot and root in GmPAP4 OE lines were also greatly improved, resulting in increased soybean yield in the P-deficient condition. Taken together, our results demonstrated that GmPAP4, a purple acid phosphatase, increased P utilization efficiency in nodules under a P-deficient condition and, subsequently, enhanced symbiotic BNF and seed yield of soybean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Excess molybdenum (Mo) is harmful to animals, but its nephrotoxicity has not been comprehensively explained. To appraise the influences of excess Mo on Ca homeostasis and apoptosis via PLC/IP3/IP3R axis, primary duck renal tubular epithelial cells were exposed to 480 μM and 960 μM Mo, and joint of 960 μM Mo and 10 μM 2‐APB or 0.125 μM U‐73122 for 12 h (U‐73122 pretreated for 1 h), respectively. The data revealed that the increment of [Ca2+]c induced by Mo mainly originated from intracellular Ca storage. Mo exposure reduced [Ca2+]ER, elevated [Ca2+]mit, [Ca2+]c, and the expression of Ca homeostasis‐related factors (Calpain, CaN, CRT, GRP94, GRP78 and CaMKII). 2‐APB could effectively reverse subcellular Ca2+ redistribution by inhibiting IP3R, which confirmed that [Ca2+]c overload induced by Mo originated from ER. Additionally, PLC inhibitor U‐73122 remarkably mitigated the change, and dramatically reduced the number of apoptotic cells, the expression of Bak‐1, Bax, cleaved‐Caspase‐3/Caspase‐3, and notably increased the expression of Bcl‐xL, Bcl‐2, and Bcl‐2/Bax ratio. Overall, the results confirmed that the Ca2+ liberation of ER via PLC/IP3/IP3R axis was the main cause of [Ca2+]c overload, and then stimulated apoptosis in duck renal tubular epithelial cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Berberine (BBR) is a natural alkaloid with multiple biotical effects that has potential as a treatment for fatty liver hemorrhagic syndrome (FLHS). However, the mechanism underlying the protective effect of BBR against FLHS remains unclear. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of BBR on FLHS induced by a high-energy, low-protein (HELP) diet and explore the involvement of the gut microbiota and bile acid metabolism in the protective effects. A total of 90 healthy 140-day-old Hy-line laying hens were randomly divided into three groups, including a control group (fed a basic diet), a HELP group (fed a HELP diet), and a HELP+BBR group (high-energy, high-protein diet supplemented with BBR instead of maize). Our results show that BBR supplementation alleviated liver injury and hepatic steatosis in laying hens. Moreover, BBR supplementation could significantly regulate the gut's microbial composition, increasing the abundance of Actinobacteria and Romboutsia. In addition, the BBR supplement altered the profile of bile acid. Furthermore, the gut microbiota participates in bile acid metabolism, especially taurochenodeoxycholic acid and α-muricholic acid. BBR supplementation could regulate the expression of genes and proteins related to glucose metabolism, lipid synthesis (FAS, SREBP-1c), and bile acid synthesis (FXR, CYP27a1). Collectively, our findings demonstrate that BBR might be a potential feed additive for preventing FLHS by regulating the gut microbiota and bile acid metabolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) is a hazardous substance that poses significant risks to environmental ecosystems and animal organisms. However, the specific consequences of Cr(VI) exposure in terms of liver damage remain incompletely understood. This study aims to elucidate the mechanism by which Cr(VI) disrupts mitochondrial dynamics, leading to hepatic injury in ducks. Forty-eight healthy 8-day-old ducks were divided into four groups and subjected to diets containing varying doses of Cr(VI) (0, 9.28, 46.4, and 232 mg/kg) for 49 days. Our results demonstrated that Cr(VI) exposure resulted in disarranged liver lobular vacuolation, along with increasing the serum levels of ALT, AST, and AKP in a dose-dependent manner, which indicated liver damage. Furthermore, Cr(VI) exposure induced oxidative stress by reducing the activities of T-SOD, SOD, GSH-Px, GSH, and CAT, while increasing the contents of MDA and H2O2. Moreover, Cr(VI) exposure downregulated the activities of CS and MDH, resulting in energy disturbance, as evidenced by the reduced AMPK/p-AMPK ratio and PGC-1α protein expression. Additionally, Cr(VI) exposure disrupted mitochondrial dynamics through decreased expression of OPA1, Mfn1, and Mfn2 and increased expression of Drp-1, Fis1, and MFF proteins. This disruption ultimately triggered mitochondria-mediated apoptosis, as evidenced by elevated levels of caspase-3, Cyt C, and Bax, along with decreased expression of Bcl-2 and the Bcl-2/Bax ratio, at both the protein and mRNA levels. In summary, this study highlights that Cr(VI) exposure induces oxidative stress, inhibits the AMPK-PGC-1α pathway, disrupts mitochondrial dynamics, and triggers liver cell apoptosis in ducks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soybean is an important economic crop in the world, which provides plant protein, oil and a variety of active substances beneficial to human health. In order to comprehensively identify the quality characters of soybean resources abundant in China, 16 kinds of seed quality traits of 520 soybean germplasms in Huang-Huai-Hai ecoregion were evaluated in 6 environments across 2 years with reference to the national standard method. The results showed that the genetic variations of the tested seed quality traits were abundant in the soybean germplasms, and the variation coefficients of isoflavone and tocopherol contents were relative high, while the variation coefficients of protein, oil and fatty acid components were relatively low. Meanwhile, there were significant correlations among the 16 seed quality traits. Principal component analysis showed that the 16 quality traits could be attributed to 5 principal components. Based on the results of principal component analysis, 520 germplasms could be divided into 3 categories by cluster analysis with significant differences. Based on the above results and high stability coefficient analysis, 35 germplasms with multiple or single elite seed quality traits were screened out, which provided important resources for genetic improvement of seed quality traits in soybean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chlorophyll is an essential pigment for plant photosynthesis. Drought tolerance affects chlorophyll synthesis, reduces photosynthetic efficiency, and decreases soybean yield. In order to explore the genetic loci of chlorophyll content in soybean under drought stress, drought resistance index (DRI) were calculated by chlorophyll contents under drought and well-watered conditions. Moreover, based on the DRI and re-sequenced genotypes of the soybean natural population (199 accessions) at 20x sequencing depth, the genome-wide association study (GWAS) was performed. The results showed that 237 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 18 loci on the chromosomes 1, 2, 3, 7, 10, 16, 17 and 18 were identified to associate with DRI. Moreover, 181 SNPs (76.37% of the total) were located on chromosome 16, of which 9 SNPs were located in the gene introns, 17 in exons, 21 in upstream or downstream, and 1 in 3' UTR. Based on these, 57 candidate genes flanking the associated SNPs were found, and according to the gene annotation, SNP mutation, and RNA expression, 3 candidate genes, Glyma.16G063600 (F-box protein), Glyma. 10G007000 (AP2-EREBP), and Glyma. 17G143900 (AP2/ERF) were screened out which might be responsible for the drought tolerance in soybean. Above results provided important theoretical foundation for drought tolerance genetic improvement in soybean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sugars are always transported to the other organs via sugar transporters to play their important functions in plants. SWEET (sugars will eventually be exported transporters) is a kind of sugar transporters which plays important function in plant growth and development as well as in resistance or tolerance to diverse biotic and abiotic stresses. To analyze the expressions of SWEET genes during pod and seed developments and under different stress conditions in soybean, the SWEET genes were firstly analyzed based on the newly published cultivated and wild soybean genomes in the present study. Subsequently, the gene expressions were evaluated during pod and seed developments, as well as in resistance to soybean mosaic virus (SMV) and tolerance to low phosphorus. The results showed that 48 SWEET genes were identified in the cultivated soybean genome (Wm82a4v1), which encoded protein with length 174~354 amino acids and located on 15 chromosomes. Meanwhile, 51 SWEET genes were identified in the wild soybean genome (W05), which encoded length of 84~392 amino acids and located on 16 chromosomes. The phylogenetic tree of SWEET genes in cultivated and wild soybeans showed that they were clustered into 3 sub-groups. Moreover, 16 SWEET genes were expressed in soybean pods with the expressions of Glyma. 06G122200, Glyma. 14G159900 and Glyma. 14G160100 etc. increased during the pod development process. 12 SWEET genes were expressed in soybean seeds, and the expressions of Glyma.08G025100, Glyma.13G041300 and Glyma.14G120300 were increased during the seed development, suggesting their important roles for soybean seed development. The SWEET genes showed different expressions after the inoculation of SMV, and the expressions of Glyma.08G009900 and Glyma.13G264400 were induced in leaves of resistant variety, while had no change in the sensitive variety, implying that they might involve in SMV resistance. The expressions of Glyma.04G198400, Glyma.14G160100 and Glyma.15G211800 were induced in soybean roots after low phosphorus treatment, indicating their important functions in the tolerance to low phosphorus stress. In addition, the single nucleotide polymorphism(SNP)analysis of SWEET genes showed that 43 genes contained 220 nonsynonymous SNPs with 103 located in the conserved domains of encoding proteins. Thus, above results provided candidate genes for molecular breeding of soybean pod and seed yield and diverse stress resistances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Energy deficiency causes multiple organ dysfunctions in the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced model. Quercetin is a flavonoid found in many plants including herbal medicines; nevertheless, the protective effects of quercetin in alleviating LPS-induced energy deficiency remain unclear. In the present study, an in ovo LPS-induced inflammation model was established in chicken embryos. Quercetin attenuated the increase in glycogen and lipid contents in the liver after LPS stimulation when compared with the control group. Quercetin could downregulate the mRNA expressions of AMPKα1 and AMPKα2 in the duodena, ceca, and livers when compared with the LPS group; quercetin decreased the immunoreactivity to AMPKα2 in the duodena and livers. The LPS-induced high mRNA expressions of PPARα and SGLT1 were blocked by quercetin in the duodena, ceca, and livers. Quercetin improved the APOA4 decrease in the duodena, ceca, and livers after LPS induction. Quercetin could downregulate the mRNA expression of PEPT1 in the duodena and ceca increased after LPS challenge. These data demonstrate that quercetin improves the energy deficiency induced by LPS in chicken embryos. Energy deficiency causes multiple organ dysfunctions after LPS induction. Quercetin is a phenolic compound found in herbal medicines. However, the effects of quercetin in alleviating LPS-induced energy deficiency remain unclear. In the present study, an in vivo LPS-induced inflammation model was established in chicken embryos. Specific pathogen-free chicken embryos (n = 120) were allocated to control, PBS with or without ethanol, quercetin (10, 20, or 40 nmol, respectively), and LPS (125 ng/egg) with or without quercetin groups. Fifteen day old embryonated eggs were injected with the abovementioned solutions via the allantoic cavity. On embryonic day 19, the tissues of the embryos were collected for histopathological examination using frozen oil red O staining, RNA extraction, real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and immunohistochemical investigations. The glycogen and lipid contents in the liver increased after LPS stimulation as compared with the PBS group, whereas quercetin decreased the accumulation as compared with the LPS group. The mRNA expressions of AMPKα1 and AMPKα2 in the duodena, ceca, and livers were upregulated after LPS induction as compared with the PBS group, while quercetin could downregulate these expressions as compared with the LPS group. The immunopositivity of AMPKα2 in the villus, crypt, lamina propria, tunica muscularis, and myenteric plexus in the duodena and in the cytoplasms of hepatocytes significantly increased after LPS induction when compared with the PBS group (p < 0.01), whereas the immunopositivity to AMPKα2 in the quercetin treatment group significantly decreased when compared with the LPS group (p < 0.01 or p < 0.05). The LPS-induced high expressions of transcription factor PPARα and glucose transporter (SGLT1) were blocked by quercetin in the duodena, ceca, and livers. Quercetin treatment improved the LPS-induced decrease in APOA4 in the duodena, ceca, and livers. The mRNA expression of PEPT1 in the duodena and ceca increased after LPS challenge, whereas quercetin could downregulate PEPT1 gene expression. These data demonstrate that quercetin improved the energy deficiency induced by LPS in chicken embryos. The LPS-induced inflammation model was established to avoid the effect of LPS exposure from the environment and intestinal flora. The results form the basis the administration of quercetin pretreatment (in ovo infection) to improve the energy state of chicken embryos and improve the inflammation response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]