Ubiquinol-10, the reduced form of coenzyme Q10, protects mammalian cells from oxidative damage and enhances mitochondrial activity. However, the protective effect of ubiquinol-10 on mammalian oocytes is not well understood. In this study, we investigated the effect of ubiquinol-10 on porcine oocytes during postovulatory aging. Metaphase II oocytes were selected as fresh oocytes and further cultured for 48 h with different concentrations of ubiquinol-10 (0-400 μM) in vitro as a postovulatory aging model. After choosing the optimal concentration of ubiquinol-10 (100 μM) that maintained oocyte morphology and developmental competence during the progression of aging, the oocytes were randomly divided into five groups: fresh, control-24 h, ubiquinol-24 h, control-48 h, and ubiquinol-48 h. The results revealed that ubiquinol-10 significantly prevented aging-induced oxidative stress, GSH reduction, cytoskeleton impairment, apoptosis, and autophagy. Mitochondrial biogenesis (SIRT1 and PGC-1α) and mitophagy (PINK1 and PARKIN)-related proteins were decreased during aging. Addition of ubiquinol-10 prevented the aging-induced reduction of these proteins. Consequently, although mitochondrial content was decreased, the number of active mitochondria and ATP level were significantly increased upon treatment with ubiquinol-10. Thus, ubiquinol-10 has beneficial effects on porcine postovulatory aging oocytes owing to its antioxidant properties and ability to promote mitochondrial renewal.

The objective of this study was to investigate the correlation between cattle breeds and deposit of adipose tissues in different positions and the gene expressions of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ), fatty acid synthase (FASN), and Acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (ACADM), which are associated with lipid metabolism and are valuable for understanding the physiology in fat depot and meat quality. Yanbian yellow cattle and Yan yellow cattle reared under the same conditions display different fat proportions in the carcass. To understand this difference, the expression of PPARγ, FASN, and ACADM in different adipose tissues and longissimus dorsi muscle (LD) in these two breeds were analyzed using the Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction method (qRT-PCR). The result showed that PPARγ gene expression was significantly higher in adipose tissue than in LD in both breeds. PPARγ expression was also higher in abdominal fat, in perirenal fat than in the subcutaneous fat (p<0.05) in Yanbian yellow cattle, and was significantly higher in subcutaneous fat in Yan yellow cattle than that in Yanbian yellow cattle. On the other hand, FASN mRNA expression levels in subcutaneous fat and abdominal fat in Yan yellow cattle were significantly higher than that in Yanbian yellow cattle. Interestingly, ACADM gene shows greater fold changes in LD than in adipose tissues in Yan yellow cattle. Furthermore, the expressions of these three genes in lung, colon, kidney, liver and heart of Yanbian yellow cattle and Yan yellow cattle were also investigated. The results showed that the highest expression levels of PPARγ and FASN genes were detected in the lung in both breeds. The expression of ACADM gene in kidney and liver were higher than that in other organs in Yanbian yellow cattle, the comparison was not statistically significant in Yan yellow cattle.

Environmental temperature serves as a major driver of adaptive changes in wild organisms. To discover the mechanisms underpinning cold tolerance in domestic animals, we sequenced the genomes of 28 cattle from warm and cold areas across China. By characterizing the population structure and demographic history, we identified two genetic clusters, i.e., northern and southern groups, as well as a common historic population peak at 30 kilo years ago. Genomic scan of cold-tolerant breeds determined potential candidate genes in the thermogenesis-related pathways that were under selection. Specifically, functional analysis identified a substitution of PRDM16 (p.P779L) in northern cattle, which maintains brown adipocyte formation by boosting thermogenesis-related gene expression, indicating a vital role of this gene in cold tolerance. These findings provide a basis for genetic variation in domestic cattle shaped by environmental temperature and highlight the role of reverse mutation in livestock species.