Myocardial infarction (MI) results in dysfunction and irreversible loss of cardiomyocytes and is among the most serious health threats today. Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs), with their capacity for multidirectional differentiation, low immunogenicity, and high portability, can serve as ideal seed cells in cardiovascular disease therapy. In this review, we examine recent literature concerning the application of BMSCs for the treatment of MI and consider the following aspects: activity of transplanted cells, migration and homing of BMSCs, immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory effects of BMSCs, anti-fibrotic activity of BMSCs, the role of BMSCs in angiogenesis, and differentiation of BMSCs into cardiomyocyte-like cells and endothelial cells. Each aspect is complementary to the others and together they promote the repair of cardiomyocytes by BMSCs after MI. Although transplantation of BMSCs has enabled new options for MI treatment, the critical issue we must now address is the reduced viability of transplanted BMSCs due to inadequate blood supply, poor nourishment of cells, and generation of free radicals. More clinical trials are needed to prove the therapeutic potential of BMSCs in MI.

Five single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) of the chicken insulin-like factor binding protein 2 (IGFBP2) gene were selected to genotype a F2 designed population with restriction fragment length polymorphisms and single stranded-conformation polymorphisms. The associations of the SNP and their haplotypes with chicken growth and carcass traits were analyzed. Results showed that the difference induced by the haplotypes derived from the 5 SNP was more significant than that by the single SNP in the genotype-phenotype association analysis. The haplotypes were associated with BW at hatch and at 21, 28, 42, 49, 56, and 90 d of age, as well as eviscerated weight with giblets (EWG), eviscerated weight (EW), and weights of heart, liver, and gizzard (HLGW) (P < or = 0.01). The haplotypes were also related to BW at 7, 14, and 35 d of age, breast depth, carcass weight, and breast muscle weight (P < or = 0.05). Significant and suggestive dominant effects of H1H5 diplotype were detected for BW at 7, 14, 21, 28, and 90 d of age, as well as breast depth, carcass weight, eviscerated weight with giblets, eviscerated weight, breast muscle weight, leg muscle weight, and weights of heart, liver, and gizzard. It was concluded that H1H5 was the most advantageous diplotype, and H4H10 was the negative diplotype for growth and carcass traits.

The chicken growth hormone (cGH) gene plays a crucial role in controlling growth and metabolism, leading to potential correlations between cGH polymorphisms and economic traits. In this study, DNA from four divergent chicken breeds were screened for single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the cGH gene using denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography and sequencing. A total of 46 SNPs were identified, of which 4 were in the 5' untranslated region, 1 in the 3' untranslated region, 5 in exons (two of which are nonsynonymous), with the remaining 36 in introns. The nucleotide diversity in the cGH gene ( theta = 2.7 x 10(-3)) was higher than that reported for other chicken genes, even within the same breeds. The associations of five of these SNPs and their haplotypes with chicken growth and carcass traits were determined using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis in a F2 resource population cross of two of the four chicken breeds (White Recessive Rock and Xinghua). This analysis shows that, among other correlations, G+1705A was significantly associated with body weight at all ages measured, shank length at three of four ages measured, and average daily gain within weeks 0 to 4. Thus, this cGH polymorphism, or another polymorphism that is in linkage disequilibrium with G+1705A, appears to correspond to a significant growth-related quantitative trait locus difference between the two breeds used to construct the resource population.

Thirty single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) and one 6-bp insertion-deletion (indel) from 8 genes of somatotropic axis were used to study the association with chicken fatness and muscle fibers. The allele frequency difference between Xinghua and White Plymouth Rock chickens was observed, and their effects on fatness and muscle fiber traits were also evaluated by linkage analyses. The G143831A (G+1705A) SNP of the growth hormone (GH) gene was related to fat width, and the G144762A (G+119A) SNP of the GH gene was significantly associated with abdominal fat pad weight, abdominal fat pad ratio, and crude fatty content of the breast muscle. The 6-bp indel of the growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHSR) gene was significantly linked with the fat traits. The C51978309T SNP of the insulin-like factor-I (IGF-I) gene was significantly linked with the transversal area of the leg muscle fiber and transversal area of the breast muscle fiber. There was significant linkage between the insulin (INS) gene and 2 traits of the transversal area of transversal area of the leg muscle fiber and transversal area of the breast muscle fiber. Association of 30 SNP and one 6-bp indel from 8 genes of somatotropic axis with chicken fatness and muscle fiber traits was analyzed in the present study. The GH, GHSR, and leptin receptor genes were significantly related to chicken fatness. The INS and IGF-I genes were linked with muscle fiber density. Therefore, the genes of somatotropic axis not only affected chicken growth and body composition but also were associated with fatness and muscle fiber traits.