We studied the effects of L-carnitine on growth performance, carcass composition, and lipid metabolism in male broilers. Six hundred male commercial broilers were allotted to five groups, each of which included three replicates (40 birds per replicate). The groups received the same basal diet supplemented with 0, 25, 50, 75, or 100 mg/kg L-carnitine, respectively. The feeding trial showed that L-carnitine had no significant effect on daily gain or feed conversion. Supplementation with L-carnitine (above 25 mg/kg) in the diet increased breast muscle yield (P < 0.05) and crude fat content of the muscles and decreased abdominal fat content (P < 0.05). Addition of 50, 75, or 100 mg/kg L-carnitine to the diet decreased total activities of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, malic dehydrogenase, isocitrate dehydrogenase, and lipoprotein lipase (P < 0.05) in the subcutaneous fat and total activity of carnitine palmitoyltransferase-I (P < 0.05) in breast muscles. The results of this study indicate that L-carnitine could reduce the deposit of subcutaneous fat by decreasing total activities of enzymes in the fat and enhance intramuscular fat by decreasing the activity of carnitine palmitoyltransferase-I in breast muscles.

The laurel family within the Magnoliids has attracted attentions owing to its scents, variable inflorescences, and controversial phylogenetic position. Here, we present a chromosomelevel assembly of the Litsea cubeba genome, together with low-coverage genomic and transcriptomic data for many other Lauraceae. Phylogenomic analyses show phylogenetic discordance at the position of Magnoliids, suggesting incomplete lineage sorting during the divergence of monocots, eudicots, and Magnoliids. An ancient whole-genome duplication (WGD) event occurred just before the divergence of Laurales and Magnoliales; subsequently, independent WGDs occurred almost simultaneously in the three Lauralean lineages. The phylogenetic relationships within Lauraceae correspond to the divergence of inflorescences, as evidenced by the phylogeny of FUWA, a conserved gene involved in determining panicle architecture in Lauraceae. Monoterpene synthases responsible for production of specific volatile compounds in Lauraceae are functionally verified. Our work sheds light on the evolution of the Lauraceae, the genetic basis for floral evolution and specific scents.

The study was conducted to investigate the promoted immune response to ovalbumin in mice by chitosan nanoparticles (CNP) and its toxicity. CNP did not cause any mortality or side effects when mice were administered subcutaneously twice with a dose of 1.5 mg at 7-day intervals. Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) mice were immunized subcutaneously with 25 μg ovalbumin (OVA) alone or with 25 μg OVA dissolved in saline containing Quil A (10 μg), chitosan (CS) (50 μg) or CNP (12.5, 50 or 200 μg) on days 1 and 15. Two weeks after the secondary immunization, serum OVA-specific antibody titers, splenocyte proliferation, natural killer (NK) cell activity, and production and mRNA expression of cytokines from splenocytes were measured. The serum OVA-specific IgG, IgG1, IgG2a, and IgG2b antibody titers and Con A-, LPS-, and OVA-induced splenocyte proliferation were significantly enhanced by CNP (P < 0.05) as compared with OVA and CS groups. CNP also significantly promoted the production of Th1 (IL-2 and IFN-γ) and Th2 (IL-10) cytokines and up-regulated the mRNA expression of IL-2, IFN-γ and IL-10 cytokines in splenocytes from the immunized mice compared with OVA and CS groups. Besides, CNP remarkably increased the killing activities of NK cells activity (P < 0.05). The results suggested that CNP had a strong potential to increase both cellular and humoral immune responses and elicited a balanced Th1/Th2 response, and that CNP may be a safe and efficacious adjuvant candidate suitable for a wide spectrum of prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines.