Recent studies have shown that copy number variation (CNV) in mammalian genomes contributes to phenotypic diversity, including health and disease status. In domestic pigs, CNV has been catalogued by several reports, but the extent of CNV and the phenotypic effects are far from clear. The goal of this study was to identify CNV regions (CNVRs) in pigs based on array comparative genome hybridization (aCGH).

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a life-threatening and debilitating mental health condition. Mitophagy, a form of selective autophagy that eliminates dysfunctional mitochondria, is associated with depression. However, studies on the relationship between mitophagy-related genes (MRGs) and MDD are scarce. This study aimed to identify potential mitophagy-related biomarkers for MDD and characterize the underlying molecular mechanisms.

Tripsacum dactyloides (2n = 4x = 72) and Zea perennis (2n = 4x = 40) are tertiary gene pools of Zea mays L. and exhibit many abiotic adaptations absent in modern maize, especially salt tolerance. A previously reported allopolyploid (hereafter referred to as MTP, 2n = 74) synthesized using Zea mays, Tripsacum dactyloides, and Zea perennis has even stronger salt tolerance than Z. perennis and T. dactyloides. This allopolyploid will be a powerful genetic bridge for the genetic improvement of maize. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying its salt tolerance, as well as the key genes involved in regulating its salt tolerance, remain unclear.

Rootstocks can improve the chilling tolerance of grafted cucumbers, but their effectiveness varies. Rootstocks with strong de-blooming capacity may result in lower chilling tolerance of grafted cucumbers compared to those with weak de-blooming capacity, while also reducing the silicon absorption. However, it remains unclear whether this reduction in chilling tolerance is due to differences in rootstock genotypes or the reduction in silicon absorption.

Cadmium (Cd) is a serious heavy metal (HM) soil pollutant. To alleviate or even eliminate HM pollution in soil, environmental-friendly methods are applied. One is that special plants are cultivated to absorb the HM in the contaminated soil. As an excellent economical plant with ornamental value and sound adaptability, V. bonariensis could be adapted to this very situation. In our study, the Cd tolerance in V. bonariensis was analyzed as well as an overall analysis of transcriptome.

Dysregulation of adipogenesis causes metabolic diseases, like obesity and fatty liver. Migratory birds such as geese have a high tolerance of massive energy intake and exhibit little pathological development. Domesticated goose breeds, derivatives of the wild greyleg goose (Anser anser) or swan goose (Anser cygnoides), have high tolerance of energy intake resembling their ancestor species. Thus, goose is potentially a model species to study mechanisms associated with adipogenesis.

The rich genetic diversity in Citrullus lanatus and the other six species in the Citrullus genus provides important sources in watermelon breeding. Here, we present the Citrullus genus pan-genome based on the 400 Citrullus genus resequencing data, showing that 477 Mb contigs and 6249 protein-coding genes were absent in the Citrullus lanatus reference genome. In the Citrullus genus pan-genome, there are a total of 8795 (30.5%) genes that exhibit presence/absence variations (PAVs). Presence/absence variation (PAV) analysis showed that a lot of gene PAV were selected during the domestication and improvement, such as 53 favorable genes and 40 unfavorable genes were identified during the C. mucosospermus to C. lanatus landrace domestication. We also identified 661 resistance gene analogs (RGAs) in the Citrullus genus pan-genome, which contains 90 RGAs (89 variable and 1 core gene) located on the pangenome additional contigs. By gene PAV-based GWAS, 8 gene presence/absence variations were found associated with flesh color. Finally, based on the results of gene PAV selection analysis between watermelon populations with different fruit colors, we identified four non-reference candidate genes associated with carotenoid accumulation, which had a significantly higher frequency in the white flesh. These results will provide an important source for watermelon breeding.

There are hundreds of phenotypically distinguishable domestic chicken breeds or lines with highly specialized traits worldwide, which provide a unique opportunity to illustrate how selection shapes patterns of genetic variation. There are many local chicken breeds in China.