Search Results (9)

Ovarian tissue is critical for goose reproduction. This study aimed to investigate gene regulation by DNA methylation in relation to the reproductive traits of geese. We performed whole-genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) on ovarian tissues from Sichuan white geese (high-laying-rate group: HLRG, ♀ = 3; low-laying-rate group: LLRG, ♀ = 3) during the laying period. The results showed a higher level of hypermethylated differentially methylated regions (DMRs) in the HLRG, indicating a higher overall methylation level compared to the LLRG. In total, we identified 2831 DMRs and 733 differentially methylated genes (DMGs), including 363 genes with upregulated methylation. These DMGs were significantly enriched in pathways related to microtubule function (GO:0005874; GO:0000226), GnRH secretion, thyroid hormone signaling, ECM-receptor interaction, and PI3K–Akt signaling. Integration with RNA-seq data identified eight overlapping genes between DMGs and differentially expressed genes (DEGs), with five genes (CUL9, MEGF6, EML6, SYNE2, AK1BA) exhibiting a correlation between hypomethylation and high expression. EML6, in particular, emerged as a promising candidate, potentially regulating follicle growth and development in Sichuan white geese. Future studies should focus on further verifying the role of the EML6 gene. In conclusion, this study provides important insights into the regulatory mechanisms of DNA methylation influencing reproductive traits in geese, offering novel candidate markers for future goose breeding programs. Full article

To explore the impact of epigenetic modifications on egg-laying traits in geese, we employed genome-wide bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) to analyze DNA methylation patterns in pituitary tissues of high-(HYP) and low-yield (LYP) Sichuan White geese. We achieved high-quality sequencing data (mean 19.09 Gb raw reads, 15.49 Gb clean reads, 79.1% unique mapping rate) with a bisulfite conversion efficiency of 99.88%. Comparative analysis revealed 2394 differentially methylated regions (DMRs) and 422 differentially methylated genes (DMGs) between HYP and LYP groups. We identified five key differentially methylated candidate genes (BMPER, INHA, NMBR, NK3R, and DSG2) linked to egg-laying traits in Sichuan White geese. Integrated GO and KEGG enrichment analysis conducted to explore the role of regulatory networks of epigenetic modification on egg-laying traits in Sichuan White geese identified multiple metabolic pathways associated with egg-laying traits (promoting egg transport, ovulation, and yolk protein synthesis and secretion), thus providing a basis for subsequent functional verification. Full article

Hermetia illucens Larvae Meal (HILM) has been observed to enhance growth performance and immune function, yet the effects and mechanisms in geese remain less understood. Experiment I included 64 Sichuan White Geese to investigate the optimal additive amount of HILM in diet, and experiment II included 32 Sichuan White Geese to access serum immunoglobulin, spleen immune-related genes, intestinal morphology and gut microbiota at the optimal additive amount of HILM. The results showed that the addition of 1% HILM significantly increased the ADG of Sichuan White Geese (p < 0.05), serum H5-R14 and H7-R4 strain titer at 33 d (p < 0.01) and H5-R13 strain titer (p < 0.05) at 40 d, which is the optimal dose of this trial. Experiment II revealed that the 1% HILM significantly increased serum IgG, IgG1, IgG2a, IgG3 and complement C3 (p < 0.05) and the mRNA expressions of IL-6 (p < 0.05) and CD4 (p < 0.01) in the spleen. The intestinal morphology was improved, and the secretion of SIgA and mRNA expression of Occludin in the jejunum were significantly increased (p < 0.05). Additionally, the abundance of Campilobacterota, Barnesiellaceae and Barnesiella was significantly decreased (p < 0.05), while the abundance of Lactobacillaceae was significantly increased (p < 0.05). This research provides new insights into the use of HILM in geese production. Full article

The genetic regulation of goose meat quality traits remains relatively unexplored, and the underlying mechanisms are yet to be elucidated. This study aims to employ single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping in conjunction with genome-wide association studies (GWAS) to investigate critical candidate regions and genes associated with the pH trait of meat in Sichuan white geese. A cohort of 203 healthy male Sichuan white geese was randomly selected and slaughtered at 70 days of age. Measurements were taken of meat pH, growth parameters, body dimensions, and post-slaughter traits. High-throughput sequencing on the Illumina HiSeq X Ten platform facilitated gene resequencing and SNP evaluation, and GWAS was employed to detect key genes within quantitative trait loci (QTL) intervals. The sequencing of 203 individuals yielded a total of 2601.19 Gb of genomic data, with an average sequencing depth of 10.89×. Through GWAS analysis, a total of 30 SNPs associated with pH were identified. These SNPs were identified on multiple chromosomes, including on chromosome 17 (chr: 23.57–23.68 Mb) and chromosome 13 (chr13: 31.52–31.61 Mb). By annotating these associated SNPs, nine candidate genes (including C19L2, AMFR, POL, RERGL, ZN484, GMDS, WAC) associated with the pH of goose meat were identified. The matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF) genotyping of 10 SNPs centered on these nine candidate genes was confirmed. GO enrichment analysis revealed that genes within 1 Mb of the associated SNPs are significantly enriched in pathways involved in lymphocyte activation, in response to hydrogen peroxide, Salmonella infection, and other metabolic processes. This study explores the gene regulatory pathways influencing pH traits in goose meat and provides molecular markers for enhancing meat quality. These findings are expected to facilitate the advancement of molecular breeding programs in geese. Full article

The liver, a crucial metabolic organ in animals, is responsible for the synthesis, breakdown, and transport of lipids. However, the regulatory mechanisms involving both coding and noncoding RNAs that oversee the development of the goose liver remain elusive. This study aimed to fill this knowledge gap by conducting RNA-seq to profile the expression of circular RNAs (circRNAs) and microRNAs (miRNAs) during goose liver development. We analyzed circRNAs in liver samples from Sichuan white geese at three developmental stages: posthatching day 0, 10 weeks (fast growth stage), and 30 weeks (sexual maturation stage). Our findings revealed 11,079 circRNAs and 994 miRNAs, among which the differentially expressed circRNAs and miRNAs were significantly enriched in pathways such as fatty acid biosynthesis, degradation, and metabolism. Further analysis of the target genes of the differentially expressed miRNAs revealed enrichment in pathways related to fatty acid biosynthesis, metabolism, PPAR signaling, DNA replication, and the cell cycle. We also established circRNA–miRNA–mRNA regulatory networks, identifying key regulatory factors and miRNAs. In conclusion, our study offers valuable insights into the complex interplay of circRNA–miRNA–mRNA interactions during goose liver development, and illuminates the molecular pathways that regulate this vital life function. Full article

(1) Background: Goose meat is highly valued for its economic significance and vast market potential due to its desirable qualities, including a rich nutritional profile, tender texture, relatively low-fat content, and high levels of beneficial unsaturated fatty acids. However, there is an urgent need to improve goose breeding by identifying molecular markers associated with meat quality. (2) Methods: We evaluated meat quality traits, such as meat color, shear force (SF), cooking loss rate (CLR), and crude fat content (CFC), in a population of 215 male Sichuan white geese at 70 days of age. A GWAS was performed to identify potential molecular markers associated with goose meat quality. Furthermore, the selected SNPs linked to meat quality traits were genotyped using the MALDI-TOP MS method. (3) Results: A dataset of 2601.19 Gb of WGS data was obtained from 215 individuals, with an average sequencing depth of 10.89×. The GWAS revealed the identification of 43 potentially significant SNP markers associated with meat quality traits in the Sichuan white goose population. Additionally, 28 genes were identified as important candidate genes for meat quality. The gene enrichment analysis indicated a substantial enrichment of genes within a 1Mb vicinity of SNPs in both the protein digestion and absorption pathway and the Glycerolipid metabolism pathway. (4) Conclusion: This study provides valuable insights into the genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying goose meat quality traits, offering crucial references for molecular breeding in this field. Full article

Mating behavior is a critically important component of poultry reproduction. Here, a total of 135 geese were selected, specifically, Sichuan white geese (Anser cygnoides), Zhedong white geese (Anser cygnoides), and Hungarian geese (Anser anser) (300-day-old), and the mating behavior was monitored daily from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. during the 20-day observation period. The results showed that the mating process included mounting, female cooperation, and successful copulation. Overall, the three breeds preferred mating on land. More than thirty percent of the mating time was primarily concentrated from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. in domesticated geese from Anser cygnoides, the corresponding values for Sichuan white geese and Zhedong white geese were 32.0% and 33.3%, respectively. The mating of the Hungarian geese usually took place in the morning. In addition, the frequency of successful copulation of Sichuan white geese and Zhedong white geese were 2.31 and 1.94 times per day, significantly greater than that of Hungarian geese (0.89 times). Furthermore, a significant positive correlation between successful copulation and laying rates (r = 0.985) or fertilization rates (r = 0.992) was observed in Hungarian geese. Taken together, the mating behaviors among the different breeds were mainly reflected in time preference and successful copulation frequency. Full article

The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary yeast culture (YC) supplementation on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, blood metabolites, and immune functions in geese. One-day-old Sichuan white geese (n = 300) were randomly divided into five groups containing 0 (control), 0.5%, 1.0%, 2.0%, and 4.0% of YC in the diet for 70 days. In general, the dietary supplementation of YC significantly increased the average daily gain and feed conversion ratio (p < 0.05) in which the 1.0% or 2.0% levels were better and significantly reduced the average daily feed intake at the 2.0% level (p < 0.05). YC supplementation increased digestibility of P (quadratic, p = 0.01) and gross energy (quadratic, p = 0.04) from days 23 to 27 and crude protein from days 23 to 27 and days 64 to 68 (quadratic, p ≤ 0.05), with the 2.0% level being the most effective. Serum metabolites were significantly affected by dietary YC (p < 0.05). Supplemental YC increased IL-2 on day 28 (linear, p = 0.01; quadratic, p = 0.04) and lysozyme on day 70 (quadratic, p = 0.04) and decreased complement C4 on day 70 (linear, p = 0.05). Interferon-γ, interleukin-2, and tumor necrosis factor-α genes were mostly up-regulated after YC supplementation, and interferon-γ and interleukin-2 gene expression levels were significantly increased at the 2.0% level (p < 0.05). Taken together, dietary YC supplementation improved growth performance and affected nutrient digestibility, serum metabolites, and immune function in geese, which was optimized at the 2% YC level in the present study. Full article

To date, research on poultry egg production performance has only been conducted within inter or intra-breed groups, while those combining both inter- and intra-breed groups are lacking. Egg production performance is known to differ markedly between Sichuan white goose (Anser cygnoides) and Landes goose (Anser anser). In order to understand the mechanism of egg production performance in geese, we undertook this study. Here, 18 ovarian stromal samples from both Sichuan white goose and Landes goose at the age of 145 days (3 individuals before egg production initiation for each breed) and 730 days (3 high- and low egg production individuals during non-laying periods for each breed) were collected to reveal the genome-wide expression profiles of ovarian mRNAs and lncRNAs between these two geese breeds at different physiological stages. Briefly, 58, 347, 797, 777, and 881 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and 56, 24, 154, 105, and 224 differentially expressed long non-coding RNAs (DElncRNAs) were found in LLD vs. HLD (low egg production Landes goose vs. high egg production Landes goose), LSC vs. HSC (low egg production Sichuan White goose vs. high egg production Sichuan white goose), YLD vs. YSC (young Landes goose vs. young Sichuan white goose), HLD vs. HSC (high egg production Landes goose vs. high egg production Sichuan white goose), and LLD vs. LSC (low egg production Landes goose vs. low egg production Sichuan white goose) groups, respectively. Functional enrichment analysis of these DEGs and DElncRNAs suggest that the “neuroactive ligand–receptor interaction pathway” is crucial for egg production, and particularly, members of the 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor (HTR) family affect egg production by regulating ovarian metabolic function. Furthermore, the big differences in the secondary structures among HTR1F and HTR1B, HTR2B, and HTR7 may lead to their different expression patterns in goose ovaries of both inter- and intra-breed groups. These results provide novel insights into the mechanisms regulating poultry egg production performance. Full article