A total of 587 individuals from 12 indigenous chicken breeds from South China and two commercial breeds were genotyped for 26 microsatellites to investigate the genetic diversity and population structure. All microsatellites were found to be polymorphic. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 5 to 36, with an average of 12.10 ± 7.00 (SE). All breeds, except White Recessive Rock, had high allelic polymorphism (>0.5). Higher genetic diversity was revealed in the indigenous chicken breeds rather than in the commercial breeds. Potential introgression from the commercial breeds into the indigenous chickens was also detected. The population structure of these indigenous chicken breeds could be explained by their geographical distribution, which suggested the presence of independent history of breed formation. Data generated in this study will provide valuable information to the conservation for indigenous chicken breeds in future.

Plants are frequently affected by pathogen infections. To effectively defend against such infections, two major modes of innate immunity have evolved in plants; pathogen-associated molecular pattern-triggered immunity and effector-triggered immunity. Although the molecular components as well as the corresponding pathways involved in these two processes have been identified, many aspects of the molecular mechanisms of the plant immune system remain elusive. Recently, the rapid development of omics techniques (e.g., genomics, proteomics and transcriptomics) has provided a great opportunity to explore plant–pathogen interactions from a systems perspective and studies on protein–protein interactions (PPIs) between plants and pathogens have been carried out and characterized at the network level. In this review, we introduce experimental and computational identification methods of PPIs, popular PPI network analysis approaches, and existing bioinformatics resources/tools related to PPIs. Then, we focus on reviewing the progress in genome-wide PPI networks related to plant–pathogen interactions, including pathogen-centric PPI networks, plant-centric PPI networks and interspecies PPI networks between plants and pathogens. We anticipate genome-wide PPI network analysis will provide a clearer understanding of plant–pathogen interactions and will offer some new opportunities for crop protection and improvement.

The Cynoglossus semilaevis (half-smooth tongue sole) is a marine flatfish of great commercial value for fisheries and aquaculture in China. It has a female heterogametic sex determination system (ZW/ZZ) and environmental factors can induce sex-reversal of females to phenotypic males, suggesting that it is a promising model for the study of sex determination mechanisms. Additionally, females grow much faster than males and it is feasible to improve the aquaculture production through sex control techniques. This paper reviews the progress in research on sex determination mechanisms research in our laboratory. We have completed whole-genome sequencing and revealed the genome organization and sex chromosome evolution of C. semilaevis. A putative male determining gene dmrt1 was identified and DNA methylation was verified as having a crucial role in the sex reversal process. Genetic maps and sex-specific biomarkers have been used in a marker-assisted selection breeding program and for differentiation of the fish sex. Development and improvement of sex control technologies, including artificial gynogenesis and production of breeding fry with high proportion of females, is also reviewed. These research advances have provided insight into the regulation of sex determination and enabled efficient sex management in artificial culturing of C. semilaevis.

Carotenoid content of wheat is an important criterion for prediction of the commercial and nutritional value of products made from bread wheat (Triticum aestivum) cultivars. The objective of this study was to determine the major components of carotenoids in Chinese wheat using ultra performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) including lutein, zeaxanthin, α-carotene and β-carotene. Grain carotenoid content was investigated in 217 cultivars from three major Chinese wheat regions and from seven other countries grown in two environments. Genotype contributed to the majority of variation in carotenoid components. Lutein, zeaxanthin and β-carotene concentrations varied from 18.3 to 100.1, 4.9 to 12.0 and 0.9 to 48.7 μg per 100 g in wheat flour with an average of 40.2, 7.2 and 18.2 μg per 100 g, respectively. Lutein (61.3%) was the main carotenoid component, followed by β-carotene (27.7%) and zeaxanthin (11.0%). No α-carotene was detected. Total carotenoids, lutein, zeaxanthin and β-carotene were all higher in cultivars with the 1BL.1RS translocation compared to those without the translocation. This is the first report on assay of lutein, zeaxanthin and β-carotene concentrations for a large number of wheat cultivars. These data will be useful for genetic improvement of wheat carotenoid content and for understanding of the carotenoid biosynthetic pathway in wheat.

The fruit of Chinese jujube (Ziziphus jujuba) possesses extremely high concentrations of ascorbic acid (AsA). The accumulation of AsA, the expression patterns of the nine genes related to AsA metabolism as well as the activities of five enzymes involved in AsA synthesis, oxidation and recycling were investigated during fruit development in Z. jujuba Mill. ‘Jinsixiaozao’. The results showed that the high level of AsA accumulation in jujube fruit is due to a contribution from both AsA biosynthesis and AsA recycling. It is suggested that L-galactono-1,4-lactone dehydrogenase, ascorbate peroxidase and monodehydro-ascorbate reductase are the crucial genes/enzymes of jujube AsA synthesis, oxidization and recycling, respectively. These results provide useful new insights into the regulatory mechanisms of AsA accumulation in Chinese jujube.

Egyptian broomrape (EB), Phelipanche aegyptiaca, is a devastating root parasite, causing enormous crop losses around the world. Maize has the potential to influence the growth of other plants through releasing certain allelochemicals and is able to induce germination of at least three broomrape species. To determine whether maize could be used as a trap crop for EB, 10 maize cultivars were tested for their ability to induce EB germination. The results showed that maize cultivars can induce EB germination, and that germination rates in a cut-root experiment and a hydroponic experiment were consistent. Maize cvs Changcheng 799 and Zhengdan 958 induced the highest EB germination rates, while cvs Luyu 13 and Zhengyu 203 were the least effective. These four maize cultivars were further studied in a pot experiment. Rhizosphere soil, rhizosphere soil extracts, root extracts and shoot extracts from these cultivars were all able to induce EB germination, with cv. Changcheng 799 inducing the highest germination rates. Root extracts generally induced higher germination rates than shoot extracts. It is suggested that Changcheng 799 could be planted as a trap crop for control of EB.

In cows, progesterone (P4) is essential for the maintenance of pregnancy and successful embryo development is dependent on the maternal immunomodulation of Th-related cytokines. However, in vivo investigation of the relationship between P4 and Th immunity in cattle remains incomplete. Therefore, we evaluated plasma P4 concentrations and expressions of three Th-related cytokines, interleukins IL-1β, IL-4 and IL-6, in 15 pregnant and 11 non-pregnant cows 0, 14, 18, 21, and 28 d post artificial insemination. Pregnant cows had significantly higher plasma P4 levels and pregnant cows with higher P4 on 14 d tended to have higher P4 in the subsequent period of pregnancy. There was no difference in IL-4 and IL-6 expression between pregnant cows and non-pregnant cows, whereas plasma IL-1β was temporally upregulated on 21 d. The cytokines measured were not affected in either the high-P4 group (>11.1 ng·mL⁻¹) or the low-P4 group (<11.1 ng·mL⁻¹) in pregnant cows. A weak negative correlation between IL-1β and IL-6 was observed, but none of the cytokines was associated with a change in plasma P4. In conclusion, there was no clear relationship between P4 and Th immunity in maternal plasma in the pregnant cows, which differs from what occurs in humans and mice during early pregnancy.

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) is considered to be one of the most important infectious diseases impacting the swine industry and is characterized by reproductive failure in late term gestation in sows and respiratory disease in pigs of all ages. The nonstructural protein 9 gene, Nsp9, encoding the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, is generally regarded as fairly conserved when compared to other viral proteins. Antibodies against Nsp9 will be of great importance for the diagnosis and treatment of the causal agent, PRRS virus. A study was undertaken to generate polyclonal antibodies against the immunodominant Nsp9. For this purpose, the Nsp9 was expressed in Escherichia coli and subsequently used as an antigen to immunize New Zealand rabbits. Antiserum was identified via an indirect ELISA, and then verified based on the ability to react with both naturally and artificially expressed Nsp9. Results of virus neutralization test showed that this antiserum could not neutralize the PRRSV. Nevertheless, this antiserum as a diagnostic core reagent should prove invaluable for further investigations into the mechanism of PRRS pathogenesis.

Mulching and soil water content (SWC) have a significant impact on soil erosion, and this study investigated the effect of straw mulching on water infiltration and soil loss under different initial SWC treatments in a rainfall simulation experiment conducted in northern China. Increasing initial SWC can decrease soil infiltration and increase soil loss. During an 80 mm rainfall event (80 mm·h⁻¹ for 60 min), 8%, 12% and 16% initial SWC treatments decreased cumulative infiltration by 8.7%, 42.5% and 58.1%, and increased total sediment yield by 44, 146 and 315 g, respectively, compared to 4% initial SWC. However, in all the straw mulching treatments, there was no significant difference in stable infiltration rate between the different initial SWC treatments. For all initial SWC treatments, straw mulching of 30% or more significantly enhanced water infiltration by over 31% and reduced soil loss by over 49%, compared to the unmulched treatment. Taking into consideration the performance of no-till planters, a maize straw mulching rate of 30% to 60% (1400–3100 kg·hm⁻²) is recommended for the conservation of water and soil in northern China.

Amino acids are the dominant organic components of processed animal proteins, however there has been limited investigation of differences in their composition between various protein sources. Information on these differences will not only be helpful for their further utilization but also provide fundamental information for developing species-specific identification methods. In this study, self-organizing feature maps (SOFM) were used to visualize amino acid composition of fish meal, and meat and bone meal (MBM) produced from poultry, ruminants and swine. SOFM display the similarities and differences in amino acid composition between protein sources and effectively improve data transparency. Amino acid composition was shown to be useful for distinguishing fish meal from MBM due to their large concentration differences between glycine, lysine and proline. However, the amino acid composition of the three MBMs was quite similar. The SOFM results were consistent with those obtained by analysis of variance and principal component analysis but more straightforward. SOFM was shown to have a robust sample linkage capacity and to be able to act as a powerful means to link different sample for further data mining.