The purpose of this study was to analyze the transcriptome of MyoD1 gene knockout MDBK cells (bovine kidney cells) using high-throughput sequencing. For the first time, CRISPR/CAS9 technology was used to construct a MyoD1 knockout in MDBK cells and transcriptome sequence analysis was used to examine MyoD1-related target gene expression. Transcriptome sequencing indicated the presence of 723 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) by comparing wild type and MyoD1 knockout MDBK cells and included 178 upregulated and 72 downregulated genes. The DEGs are mainly enriched in Pl-3-kinase and AKT, p53 signaling pathways. Quantitative RT-PCR confirmed that PDE1B, ADAMTS1, DPT, and CCND2 were highly expressed in the leg muscle, longissimus dorsi, and shoulder of Guanling cattle, and CCND2 was inhibited after MyoD1 knockout, suggesting it may be a key downstream gene of MyoD1 and associated with muscle formation and differentiation in Guanling cattle. This provides experimental data for subsequent studies on the regulatory mechanisms of muscle differentiation in Guanling cattle.

Salmonella Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) contamination poses a significant challenge to breeder egg hatchability and chick health, necessitating the exploration of alternative disinfection methods. This study investigates the potential of phage vB_SPuM_SP02 (SP02) as a novel disinfectant for breeder eggs contaminated with S. Typhimurium SM022. Phage SP02 was isolated from poultry farm effluent and characterized for morphology, biological properties, and genome properties. Experimental groups of specific pathogen-free (SPF) eggs were treated with Salmonella and phage SP02, and efficacy was assessed through hatching rates, chick survival, weight, Salmonella load, immune organ indices, and intestinal flora. Phage treatment effectively eradicated Salmonella contamination on eggshells within 12 h, resulting in increased hatching and survival rates compared to controls. Furthermore, phage treatment mitigated weight loss and tissue Salmonella load in chicks without causing immune organ damage while reducing Salmonella spp. abundance in the intestinal tract. This study demonstrates the potential of phage SP02 as an eco-friendly and efficient disinfectant for S. Typhimurium-contaminated breeder eggs, offering promising prospects for practical application in poultry production.

Escherichia coli (O78) is an avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC). It can cause perihepatitis, pericarditis, septicemia and even systemic infections in the poultry industry. With the incidence of antibiotic resistance reaching a crisis point, it is important to find alternative treatments for multidrug-resistant infections. The use of phages to control pathogens is a promising therapeutic option for antibiotic replacement. In this study, we isolated a lytic phage called vB_EcoS_GN06 from sewage. It lysed APEC GXEC-N22. Transmission electron microscopy showed that the phage belongs to family Siphoviridae. Phage GN06 has a 107,237 bp linear double-stranded DNA genome with 39.2% GC content and 155 coding sequences. It belongs to the genus Tequintavirus, subfamily Markadamsvirinae. The multiplicity of infection of 0.01 and the one-step growth showed that the latent time is 60 min and the burst size is 434 PFU/cell. Temperature and pH stability tests showed that phage GN06 was stable in the range of 4 °C–60 °C and pH 5–9. GN06 showed significant inhibition of APEC both within the liquid medium and in biofilm formation. These results suggest that phage GN06 has the potential to control bacterial pathogens. Thus, GN06 has the potential to be a new potential candidate for phage therapy.

The global epidemic of bovine coronavirus (BCoV) has caused enormous economic losses. The characterisation and genetic composition of endemic strains in Southwest China remain elusive. This study aimed to fill this gap by isolating three BCoV strains from this region and sequencing their whole genomes. To elucidate the genetic evolution and characterisation of the prevalent strains, the results of BCoV sequences were compared in GenBank, with a focus on genetic evolution, mutation, and recombination patterns. The results showed close homology between strains NN190313 and NN230328, while strain NN221214 showed less similarity to these two strains but clustered with the French strain of the European branch. Intriguingly, NN190313 and NN230328 were grouped with goat-derived BCoV strains from Jiangsu Province in Eastern China in the Asian–American branch. In addition, recombination analyses revealed significant signals between NN230328 and either a Chinese goat-derived strain (XJCJ2301G) or a Shandong strain (ShX310). This study highlights the importance of monitoring cross-species transmission between cattle and goats, especially in the mountainous areas of Southwest China where mixed farming occurs, and thus, the monitoring of cross-species transmission between cattle and goats is important for preventing new public health challenges, providing important insights for research on cross-species transmission, early prevention, and control measures, with potential applications in vaccine development.

Zinc oxide promotes poultry growth, but it tends to agglomerate. This necessitates high doses and leads to environmental contamination from unabsorbed, excreted zinc. Undigested zinc is excreted and can enter the food chain, increasing the probability of zinc residues in edible poultry tissues (muscle, liver, and eggs) and raising concerns for consumer safety. MOF-supported single-atom zinc catalysts (SAC) resolve agglomeration by atomic anchoring, enhancing bioavailability. High-temperature/high-pressure fixation of Zn²⁺ surfaces was confirmed by XRD, while FESEM revealed the corresponding surface morphology, collectively verifying SAC formation. SAC exhibited potent antimicrobial efficacy against key pathogens such as Salmonella typhimurium, Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus aureus (MIC of 3.125 mg/mL, MBC of 25 mg/mL). Co-culture experiments further demonstrated that the antibacterial performance of SAC remained stable over a temperature range of 20–80 °C and a pH range of 2–8, thus exhibiting excellent thermal stability and gastrointestinal tolerance. In 7-day-old chicks, SAC alleviated S. typhimurium-induced inflammation, reduced bacterial adherence, upregulated claudin-1, preserved gut homeostasis, ameliorated tissue lesions, and increased the abundance of Lactobacillus in the cecum, demonstrating promising potential for poultry infection control.