Livestock and poultry play a significant role in human nutrition by converting agricultural by-products into high-quality proteins. To meet the growing demand for safe animal protein, genetic improvement of livestock must be done sustainably while minimizing negative environmental impacts. Transposable elements (TE) are important components of livestock and poultry genomes, contributing to their genetic diversity, chromatin states, gene regulatory networks, and complex traits of economic value. However, compared to other species, research on TE in livestock and poultry is still in its early stages. In this review, we analyze 72 studies published in the past 20 years, summarize the TE composition in livestock and poultry genomes, and focus on their potential roles in functional genomics. We also discuss bioinformatic tools and strategies for integrating multi-omics data with TE, and explore future directions, feasibility, and challenges of TE research in livestock and poultry. In addition, we suggest strategies to apply TE in basic biological research and animal breeding. Our goal is to provide a new perspective on the importance of TE in livestock and poultry genomes.

Seminal plasma, traditionally regarded as a passive transport medium for sperm, has emerged as a sophisticated biofluid orchestrating critical dialogues in reproductive physiology. Contemporary research reveals its multifunctional role in modulating endometrial receptivity through molecular priming of the female reproductive tract, a process essential for successful embryo implantation. Notably, seminal plasma contains numerous extracellular vesicles (EVs) that serve as critical mediators of intercellular communication via the regulation of biological processes in target cells. Through this sophisticated vesicular communication system, seminal plasma extracellular vesicles (SPEVs) coordinate critical reproductive events. Thus, it will be important to elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which SPEVs mediate reproductive processes, to provide knowledge that may improve fertility outcomes. Herein, we elucidated the emerging potential of SPEVs as non-invasive biomarkers for male fertility assessment and infertility diagnosis. Furthermore, this review systematically summarized current advances in SPEVs, highlighting their multifaceted roles in mediating sperm maturation, regulating sperm capacitation, and modulating embryo implantation through targeted delivery of bioactive signaling molecules.

In recent years, the poultry industry has embraced genome-wide assisted breeding techniques for broiler production, focusing primarily on single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). However, the potential of genomic structural variations (SVs) in broiler traits remains largely unexplored due to cost and technology limitations. We developed a new chicken 21 K SV genotyping array and assessed its performance on 303 Wenchang chickens. Our evaluation showed a 99.20 % call rate with 57.13 % polymorphism across all microarray loci that identified SVs within the Wenchang chicken population. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of these SVs identified five significant variants associated with economically important traits, along with growth and development-related candidate genes including PLXAN4, ACBD3, and RNASET2. These findings demonstrate the value of SV-based approaches for improving genetic selection methods and enhancing productivity in poultry breeding programs. Our results show that high-quality 21 K SV genotyping arrays have significant potential for poultry breeding applications.

Aflatoxin B₁ is a prevalent secondary hazardous metabolite generated by fungus present in feed ingredients and the surrounding environment: enzymes are currently being recognized as an efficient and promising approach to reducing the associated risks. The objective of this study was to assess the effects of varying doses of enzyme complexes on several parameters in laying hens that were exposed to aflatoxin. During an 8-week experiment, a total of 288 Yukou Jingfen No.6 laying hens were placed into four groups. These groups included a group treated with toxins (CON group) and groups supplemented with compound enzyme complexes at doses of 250 g/t (E1 group), 500 g/t (E2 group), and 1000 g/t (E3 group). The E2 and E3 groups exhibited a statistically significant 2.6% increase in egg production rate compared to the CON group (p < 0.05). In addition, the E2 group showed significant improvements in both the feed-to-egg ratio and egg weight (p < 0.05). In addition, the E2 and E3 groups showed improved hutch unit and egg white height compared to the control group (p < 0.05). The E2 and E3 groups showed a substantial rise in liver health indicators, namely serum alanine transaminase (ALT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity. On the other hand, malondialdehyde (MDA) was lowered, and total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD) and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) were raised. These findings were statistically significant (p < 0.05). The E2 and E3 groups showed notable enhancements in intestinal morphology, as evidenced by a rise in villus height and a decrease in crypt depth in all segments of the intestine (p < 0.05). Furthermore, analysis of 16S rRNA sequencing revealed that these participants had a higher prevalence and variety of microorganisms in their gut microbiota. More precisely, there was a significant rise in the abundance of Bacteroidota and a decline in Firmicutes at the level of the phylum. In general, the inclusion of the enzyme complex had advantageous impacts on performance, egg quality, intestinal morphology, intestinal barrier function, and intestinal flora in laying hens. Our results indicate that toxin-degrading enzymes, when used as feed additives, play a significant role in mitigating AFB₁ contamination in diets and improving the production performance of laying hens.

Seminal plasma, traditionally regarded as a passive transport medium for sperm, has emerged as a sophisticated biofluid orchestrating critical dialogues in reproductive physiology. Contemporary research reveals its multifunctional role in modulating en-dometrial receptivity through molecular priming of the female reproductive tract, a process essential for successful embryo implantation. Notably, seminal plasma contains numerous extracellular vesicles, that serve as critical mediators of intercellular com-munication via the regulation of biological processes in target cells. Through this so-phisticated vesicular communication system, seminal plasma extracellular vesicles (SPEVs) coordinate critical reproductive events. Thus, it will be important to elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which SPEVs mediate reproductive processes, to provide knowledge that may assist in infertility treatment. Herein, we elucidated the emerging potential of SPEVs as non-invasive diagnostic biomarkers for male fertility assessment and infertility diagnosis. Furthermore, this review systematically summarized current advances in SPEVs, highlighting their multifaceted roles in mediating sperm maturation, facilitating capacitation, and modulating embryo implantation through targeted deliv-ery of bioactive signaling molecules.

Although studies have revealed the significant impact of dietary fiber on growth performance and nutrient digestibility, the specific characteristics of the intestinal microbiota and gene regulation in pigs capable of digesting high-fiber diets remained unclear. To investigate the traits associated with roughage tolerance in the Chinese indigenous pig breed, we conducted comparative analysis of growth performance, apparent fiber digestibility, intestinal microbiota, SCFA concentrations and intestinal transcriptome in Tunchang pigs, feeding them diets with different wheat bran levels. The results indicated that the growth performance of Tunchang pigs was not significantly impacted, and the apparent total tract digestibility of crude fiber was significantly improved with increasing dietary fiber content. High-fiber diets altered the diversity of intestinal microbiota, and increased the relative abundance of Prevotella, CF231, as well as the concentrations of isobutyrate, valerate and isovalerate. The LDA analysis identified potential microbial biomarkers that could be associated with roughage tolerance, such as Prevotella stercorea, and Eubacterium biforme. In addition, appropriate high-fiber diets containing 4.34% crude fiber upregulated the mRNA expressions of PYY, AQP8, and SLC5A8, while downregulating the mRNA expressions of CKM and CNN1.This indicated that appropriate high-fiber diets may inhibit intestine motility and increase the absorption of water and SCFAs.