Project description:The conditions to which cattle are subjected before slaughter (social isolation, transportation, deprivation of food and water) are sources of emotional and physical stress that may affect the nutritional and organoleptic qualities of meat from these animals. We have examined the muscle transcriptomes (m. Longissimus thoracis and the m. Semitendinosus) in cows exposed to stress vs cows with limited stress. Stress was a combination of emotional and physical stress.
Project description:Abstract: Ammonia is one of the most prominent air pollutants in poultry houses. High levels of ammonia have adverse effects on respiratory health, growth performance, meat production of broilers, and breast meat growth and yield are critical important in the broiler industry. To date, studies focus on the negative relationship of ammonia exposure and breast muscle tissue are still very limited, and the underlying molecular mechanisms remain poorly understood. In this study, high concentrations of atmospheric ammonia were found to lower slaughter rate and broiler breast meat yield significantly (P < 0.05). To explore the candidate genes that ammonia regulates breast meat yield of broilers, high throughout RNA-Seq was used to compare the transcriptome of breast muscle with different ammonia exposure (50 ppm vs 3 ppm). In total, 129 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified (P-value < 0.05; fold-change ≥ 2), among which 87 genes were significantly down-regulated and 42 were up-regulated. Bioinformatics analysis suggested that DEGs (such as PDK4, ACSL1, GLUL, FBXO32) were involved in fatty acid degradation/metabolism, nitrogen metabolism, PPAR signaling and adipocytokine signaling pathways. Functional annotation showed that DEGs were mainly enriched in reactive oxygen species metabolic process and muscle contraction. It can be concluded that decreased meat yield was due to the DEGs participating in above biological processes and pathways. This study provides novel insights into transcriptional differences in breast meat between high- and low-ammonia exposed broiler chickens.
Project description:The objective of this study was to determine differential gene expression of turkey breast muscle regarding development of PSE meat defect. Genetically unimproved, random-bred (RBC2) turkeys representing turkeys from 1966, which are smaller and grow slower than modern turkeys, were raised at the Michigan State University (MSU) Poultry farm and harvested at 22 week of age. Breast meat was collected and snap frozen in liquid nitrogen. Percent marinade uptake at 24h post-slaughter of each sample was determined. The highest (n=6) and the lowest (n=6) marinade uptake were classified as normal and PSE, respectively. Differentially expressed genes between normal and PSE was identified using TSMLO microarray and confirmed by qRT-PCR. Forty-one oligos were differentially expressed (false discovery rate, FDR<0.1). Candidate genes and pathways associated with development of PSE in turkey were suggested for further experiment to gain greater comprehension about this meat quality defect.
Project description:This study applied peptidomics to investigate potential biomarkers for evaluating pork-meat freshness. Meat samples stored at -2, 4, 10, and 25 °C were collected at specific time points to evaluate meat freshness indicators (color, total viable count, pH, and total volatile basic nitrogen). The sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) profile was analyzed, and substantial protein degradation (myosin heavy chain, paramyosin, troponin) was detected at the end of storage, regardless of the temperature. Peptidomics analysis was performed using a UHPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap mass spectrometer, and the potential peptide marker MVHMASKE was filtered via multivariate analysis and quantified by parallel reaction monitoring combined with external standard quantitation. In addition, the relationship between peptide content and change in meat freshness was verified using real-life samples and the content of MVHMASKE showed an obvious decline during storage, presenting a period of pork meat from fresh to spoilage. This study provides favorable evidences to evaluate pork meat freshness by mass spectrometry-based pep-tidomics.
2022-05-20 | PXD031995 | Pride
Project description:Multi-drug resistant pathogens isolated from wastewater
Project description:The bacterial pathogen, Acinetobacter baumannii, is a leading cause of drug-resistant infections. Here, we investigated the potential of developing nanobodies that specifically recognize A. baumannii over other Gram-negative bacteria. Through generation and panning of a synthetic nanobody library, we identified several potential lead candidates. We demonstrate how incorporation of next generation sequencing analysis can aid in selection of lead candidates for further characterization. Using monoclonal phage display, we validated the binding of several lead nanobodies to A. baumannii. Subsequent purification and biochemical characterization revealed one particularly robust nanobody that broadly and specifically bound A. baumannii compared to other common drug resistant pathogens. These findings support the potentially for nanobodies to selectively target A. baumannii and the identification of lead candidates for possible future diagnostic and therapeutic development.
Project description:The objective of this study was to determine differential gene expression of turkey breast muscle regarding development of PSE meat defect. Genetically unimproved, random-bred (RBC2) turkeys representing turkeys from 1966, which are smaller and grow slower than modern turkeys, were raised at the Michigan State University (MSU) Poultry farm and harvested at 22 week of age. Breast meat was collected and snap frozen in liquid nitrogen. Percent marinade uptake at 24h post-slaughter of each sample was determined. The highest (n=6) and the lowest (n=6) marinade uptake were classified as normal and PSE, respectively. Differentially expressed genes between normal and PSE was identified using TSMLO microarray and confirmed by qRT-PCR. Forty-one oligos were differentially expressed (false discovery rate, FDR<0.1). Candidate genes and pathways associated with development of PSE in turkey were suggested for further experiment to gain greater comprehension about this meat quality defect. Two-condition experiment: normal vs PSE; Biological replicate: n=6 for each condition; Birds were randomly assigned to an array and hybridizations were performed in random order.
Project description:Arouquesa breed is an autochthonous Portuguese breed produced under a traditional mountain system. It is known for its Arouquesa PDO beef, a high-quality product with valued organoleptic characteristics. There is a need to improve production systems without affecting beef quality. The aim of this work is to compare the proteomics profile from the Longissimus thoracis muscle from Arouquesa animals produced under different systems. Sixty weaners were produced under the following systems: traditional (TF) and traditional with starter feed supplementation (TF+S1) with weaning and slaughtering at 8 months, the S1+S2 (weaning at 5 months and grower supplement until slaughter) and two rearing periods with finishing supplementation (TF+S3 and S3). Upon slaughter, samples of L. thoracis were taken and analyzed using a shotgun proteomics workflow. Several putative biomarkers of beef quality for the Arouquesa breed were identified: VIM, FSCN1, SERPINH1, ALDH1A1, NDUFB5, ANXA1, PDK4, CEMIP2, NDUFB9, PDLIM1, OXCT1, MYH4. These proteins were involved in actin binding, skeletal muscle development and in the mitochondrial respiratory chain and they can influence mostly meat tenderness and color. Our results demonstrate the link between production practices and putative meat quality signatures, that have potential to improve traceability of certified products.