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In meat-producing animals, preslaughter operations (e.g., transportation, mixing unfamiliar animals, food and water deprivation) may be a source of stress with detrimental effects on meat quality. The objective of this work was to study the effect of emotional and physical stress by comparing the transcriptomes of two muscles (M. longissimus thoracis, LT and M. semitendinosus, ST) in Normand cows exposed to stress (n = 16) vs. cows handled with limited stress (n = 16). Using a microarray, we showed that exposure to stress resulted in differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in both muscles (62 DEGs in LT and 32 DEGs in ST, of which eight were common transcription factors (TFs)). Promoter analysis of the DEGs showed that 25 cis transcriptional modules were overrepresented, of which nine were detected in both muscles. Molecular interaction networks of the DEGs targeted by the most represented cis modules helped identify common regulators and common targets involved in the response to stress. They provided elements showing that the transcriptional response to stress is likely to (i) be controlled by regulators of energy metabolism, factors involved in the response to hypoxia, and inflammatory cytokines; and (ii) initiate metabolic processes, angiogenesis, corticosteroid response, immune system processes, and satellite cell activation/quiescence. The results of this study demonstrate that exposure to stress induced a core response to stress in both muscles, including changes in the expression of TFs. These factors could relay the physiological adaptive response of cattle muscles to cope with emotional and physical stress. The study provides information to further understand the consequences of these molecular processes on meat quality and find strategies to attenuate them.

Abstract Background Trees experience mechanical stimuli -like wind- that trigger thigmomorphogenetic syndrome, leading to modifications of plant growth and wood quality. This syndrome affects tree productivity but is also believed to improve tree acclimation to chronic wind. Wind is particularly challenging for trees, because of their stature and perenniality. Climate change forecasts are predicting that the occurrence of high wind will worsen, making it increasingly vital to understand the mechanisms regulating thigmomorphogenesis, especially in perennial plants. By extension, this also implies factoring in the recurring nature of wind episodes. However, data on the molecular processes underpinning mechanoperception and transduction of mechanical signals, and their dynamics, are still dramatically lacking in trees. Results Here we performed a genome-wide and time-series analysis of poplar transcriptional responsiveness to transitory and recurring controlled stem bending, mimicking wind. The study revealed that 6% of the poplar genome is differentially expressed after a single transient bending. The combination of clustering, Gene Ontology categorization and time-series expression approaches revealed the diversity of gene expression patterns and biological processes affected by stem bending. Short-term transcriptomic responses entailed a rapid stimulation of plant defence and abiotic stress signalling pathways, including ethylene and jasmonic acid signalling but also photosynthesis process regulation. Late transcriptomic responses affected genes involved in cell wall organization and/or wood development. An analysis of the molecular impact of recurring bending found that the vast majority (96%) of the genes differentially expressed after a first bending presented reduced or even net-zero amplitude regulation after the second exposure to bending. Conclusion This study constitutes the first dynamic characterization of the molecular processes affected by single or repeated stem bending in poplar. Moreover, the global attenuation of the transcriptional responses, observed from as early as after a second bending, indicates the existence of a mechanism governing a fine tuning of plant responsiveness. This points toward several mechanistic pathways that can now be targeted to elucidate the complex dynamics of wind acclimation.