This study investigated the effects of resveratrol (RES) supplementation on the growth performance, carcass and meat quality, blood lipid levels and ruminal bacterial microbiota of fattening goats. A total of forty castrated Nubian goats (28.25 ± 0.26 kg body weight) were randomly divided into four groups and provided with diets containing different levels of RES (0, 150, 300 and 600 mg/kg) for 120 d. The results showed that RES increased redness and intramuscular fat content, whilst reducing shear force in the longissimus dorsi muscle of goats (p < 0.05). In addition, the final weight, average daily gain, hot carcass weight, net meat weight, carcass lean percentage and eye muscle area of goats were significantly increased in the 150 mg/kg RES group compared with the other three groups, while those in the 600 mg/kg RES group significantly decreased (p < 0.05). RES significantly decreased serum triacylglycerol and LDL-C contents (p < 0.05), and increased HDL-C content and the HDL-C/TC ratio (p < 0.05). Supplementation with 150 mg/kg RES also increased the proportion of Acetitomaculum and Moryella, genera comprising short-chain fatty acid-producing bacteria. The present study indicated that an appropriate supplemental level of RES could improve the growth performance, neat percentage, meat quality, ruminal microbiota and serum lipid levels of fattening goats.

Heat stress (HS) results in health problems in animals. This study was conducted to investigate the effect and the underlying mechanism of HS on the proliferation and differentiation process of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. 3T3-L1 preadipocytes were treated at 37 °C or 41.5 °C. HS up-regulated the mRNA and protein expression level of heat shock protein 70 (HSP70). Furthermore, the proliferation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes were significantly inhibited after HS treatment for 2 days. A large number of accumulated lipid droplets were observed under the microscope after HS treatment for 8 days. Notably, the result of oil red O staining showed that the number of lipid droplets increased significantly and the differentiation ability of the cells was enhanced after HS. Moreover, after 2 and 8 d of differentiation, HS increased the transcription levels of fat synthesis genes including peroxisome proliferators activated receptor γ (PPARγ), fatty acid binding protein 2 (AP2), fatty acid synthase (FAS) and CCAAT enhancer binding protein α (CEBPα) genes, while decreasing the transcription levels of lipid decomposition genes including ATGL and HSL genes. In addition, HS reduced the expression of AMPK and PGC-1α, as well as the dephosphorylation of AMPK. 5-Aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide ribonucleotide (AICAR) can eliminate HS induced lipogenesis by activating AMPK. These results indicated that HS inhibited the proliferation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes and promoted lipid accumulation by inhibiting the AMPK-PGC-1α signaling pathway in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. This work lays a theoretical foundation for improving the effect of HS on meat quality of livestock and provides a new direction for the prevention of obesity caused by HS.

Increases in litter size, which are influenced by ovulation, are responsible for between 74% and 96% of the economic value of genetic progress, which influences selection. For the selection and breeding of highly prolific goats, genetic mechanisms underlying variations in litter size should be elucidated. Here, we used single-nucleus RNA sequencing to analyze 44,605 single nuclei from the ovaries of polytocous and monotocous goats during the follicular phase. Utilizing known reference marker genes, we identified 10 ovarian cell types characterized by distinct gene expression profiles, transcription factor networks, and reciprocal interaction signatures. An in-depth analysis of the granulosa cells revealed three subtypes exhibiting distinct gene expression patterns and dynamic regulatory mechanisms. Further investigation of cell-type-specific prolificacy-associated transcriptional changes elucidated that “downregulation of apoptosis”, “increased anabolism”, and “upstream responsiveness to hormonal stimulation” are associated with prolificacy. This study provides a comprehensive understanding of the cell-type-specific mechanisms and regulatory networks in the goat ovary, providing insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying goat prolificacy. These findings establish a vital foundation for furthering understanding of the molecular mechanisms governing folliculogenesis and for improving the litter size in goats via molecular design breeding.

Resveratrol (RES) has a wide range of biological and pharmacological activities with various health benefits for humans as a food additive. In animal production, RES has been considered a potential functional feed additive for producing high-quality pork. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have emerged as essential regulators of fat metabolism, and phytochemicals can regulate fat metabolism through lncRNA. However, it is unclear whether RES can improve back-fat thickness by regulating lncRNA. In this study, we identified a novel lncRNA, which was named a long intergenic non-protein coding RNA, a regulator of fat metabolism (LincRNA-ROFM), from our previous lncRNA sequencing data. LincRNA-ROFM can inhibit adipocyte proliferation and differentiation. In-depth analyses showed that LincRNA-ROFM acts as a molecular sponge for miR-133b, and adiponectin (AdipoQ) is a direct target of miR-133b in porcine preadipocytes. In addition, the expression of LincRNA-ROFM was positively correlated with AdipoQ. RES can promote the expression of LincRNA-ROFM by PPARα and C/EBPα. Altogether, our research showed that LincRNA-ROFM acts as a ceRNA to sequester miR-133b and is upregulated by RES, leading to heightened AdipoQ expression, and thus decreased adipocyte proliferation and differentiation, which reduces back-fat thickness of pigs. Taken together, the RES/LincRNA-ROFM/miR-133b/AdipoQ regulatory network preliminarily explains the mechanism of action of RES in inhibiting fat deposition, which provides new insight into the downstream mechanism of RES inhibition of fat deposits by regulating the lncRNA.

Litter size is an important component trait of doe reproduction. By improving it, production efficiency and economic benefits can be significantly provided. Genetic marker-assisted selection (MAS) based on proven molecular indicators could enhance the efficacy of goat selection, as well as litter size trait. Many molecular markers have been identified that they can be used to improve litter size in different goat breeds. However, the presence and value of these markers vary among goat breeds. In the present study, we used the reported loci on other breeds of goat as candidate loci to detect whether these loci appear in this Nubian goat population; then we proceed to genotype and detect surrounding loci (50 bp) by multiplex PCR and sequencing technology. As a result, 69 mutations (59 SNPs and 10 indels) were screened out from 23 candidate genes in Nubian goat population, 12 loci were significantly associated with the litter size of first-parity individuals; 5 loci were significantly associated with the litter size of second-parity individuals; 3 loci were significantly associated with the litter size of third-parity individuals. In addition, five loci were significantly associated with the average litter size. The additive effect value of KITLG: g.18047318 G>A in first parity, KITLG: g.18152042G>A in third parity, KISS-1: g.1341674 C>G in first parity, and GHR: g.32134187G>A in second parity exceed more than 0.40, and the preponderant alleles are G, C, A and G, respectively. Further, linkage disequilibrium analysis of 21 mutation loci shows that 3 haplotype blocks are formed, and the litter size of combination type AACC in KISS-1 gene and AAGG in KITLG gene are significantly lower than that of other combinations genotype in first parity (P<0.05). These findings can provide effective candidate DNA markers for selecting superior individuals in Nubian goat breeding.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that post-transcriptionally regulate several pathway intermediates and affect the skeletal muscle development in mice, pigs, sheep, and cattle. However, to date, only a small number of miRNAs have been reported in the muscle development of goats. In this report, the longissimus dorsi transcripts of one- and ten-month-old goats were analyzed by sequencing RNAs and miRNAs. The results showed that the ten-month-old Longlin goats had 327 up- and 419 down-regulated differentially expressed genes (DEGs) compared with the one-month-old. In addition, 20 co-up-regulated and 55 co-down-regulated miRNAs involved in the muscle fiber hypertrophy of goats were identified in ten-month-old Longlin and Nubian goats compared with one-month-old. Five miRNA–mRNA pairs (chi-let-7b-3p-MIRLET7A, chi-miR193b-3p-MMP14, chi-miR-355-5p-DGAT2, novel_128-LOC102178119, novel_140-SOD3) involved in the goat skeletal muscle development were identified by miRNA–mRNA negative correlation network analysis. Our results provided new insight into the functional roles of goat muscle-associated miRNAs, allowing a deeper understanding of the transformation of miRNA roles during mammalian muscle development.