No abstract

This study aimed to characterize the alteration of the fecal microbiome and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) determinants in 24 piglets at day 3 pre-weaning (D. − 3), weaning day (D.0), days 3 (D.3) and 8 post-weaning (D.8), using whole-genome shotgun sequencing. Distinct clusters of microbiomes and AMR determinants were observed at D.8 when Prevotella (20.9%) was the major genus, whereas at D. − 3–D.3, Alistipes (6.9–12.7%) and Bacteroides (5.2–8.5%) were the major genera. Lactobacillus and Escherichia were notably observed at D. − 3 (1.2%) and D. − 3–D.3 (0.2–0.4%), respectively. For AMR, a distinct cluster of AMR determinants was observed at D.8, mainly conferring resistance to macrolide–lincosamide–streptogramin (mefA), β-lactam (cfxA6 and aci1) and phenicol (rlmN). In contrast, at D. − 3–D.3, a high abundance of determinants with aminoglycoside (AMG) (sat, aac(6')-aph(2''), aadA and acrF), β-lactam (fus-1, cepA and mrdA), multidrug resistance (MDR) (gadW, mdtE, emrA, evgS, tolC and mdtB), phenicol (catB4 and cmlA4), and sulfonamide patterns (sul3) was observed. Canonical correlation analysis (CCA) plot associated Escherichia coli with aac(6')-aph(2''), emrA, mdtB, catB4 and cmlA4 at D. − 3, D.0 and/or D.3 whereas at D.8 associations between Prevotella and mefA, cfxA6 and aci1 were identified. The weaning age and diet factor played an important role in the microbial community composition.

Background Cryptorchidism is a condition that occurs when one or both testes fail to descend into the scrotum. It is a common congenital disorder, causing economic loss in pig production. However, there have been only limited studies of differential protein expression profiles in undescended testes (UDTs) in the abdomen and descended testes (DTs) in cryptorchid pigs, especially at the peptidome and proteome levels. The present study aimed to analyze the peptidome of UDTs and DTs in unilateral cryptorchid pigs aged 1–2, 6, 15 and 20 weeks and in normal testes of healthy pigs aged 1–2 and 12 weeks, using peptide mass fingerprinting and three-dimensional principal component analysis (3D-PCA) with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry, and to identify potential protein candidates, using in-gel digestion coupled with mass spectrometry (GeLC-MS/MS). Western blot analysis was used to verify protein expression. Protein sequence was affirmed by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. Results A PCA plot showed a discrete cluster for each sample group. Peptide mass fingerprints (PMFs) demonstrated unique peptide fragments in UDTs at different ages. A number of markedly expressed proteins from GeLC-MS/MS were identified, including the multifunctional tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily member 18 (TNFRSF18), in DTs at 1–2 and 6 weeks and in UDTs at 15 and 20 weeks of age. Using western blot analysis, high expression of TNFRSF18 was observed in the UDTs at 15 weeks. Using the STITCH database, this protein was found to be related to apoptosis, corresponding to the previous report in the UDTs at the same age. Conclusions The present study revealed the specific PMFs and clusters for porcine cryptorchidism, and a novel protein, TNFRSF18, associated with the disease mechanism. These results could provide further insights into the pathogenesis of the disease.

A lipid bilayer produced from the host membrane makes up around 20% of the weight of the dengue virus (DENV) virion and is crucial for virus entry. Despite its significance, the virion’s lipid composition is still poorly understood. In tandem with lipid profiles of the cells utilised to generate the virions, this work determined a partial lipid profile of DENV virions derived from two cell lines (C6/36 and LLC-MK2). The results showed distinctive profiles between the two cell types. In the mammalian LLC-MK2 cells, 30.8% (73/237 identified lipid species; 31 upregulated, 42 downregulated) of lipid species were altered in response to infection, whilst in insect C6/36 cells only 12.0% (25/208; 19 upregulated, 6 downregulated) of lipid species showed alterations in response to infection. For virions from LLC-MK2 cells, 14 lipids were detected specifically in virions with a further seven lipids being enriched (over mock controls). For virions from C6/36 cells, 43 lipids were detected that were not seen in mock preparations, with a further 16 being specifically enriched (over mock control). These results provide the first lipid description of DENV virions produced in mammalian and mosquito cells, as well as the lipid changes in the corresponding infected cells.