This study describes the muscle transcriptome profile of Bandur breed, a consumer favoured, meat type sheep of India. The transcriptome was compared to the less desirable, unregistered local sheep population, in order to understand the molecular factors related to muscle traits in Indian sheep breeds. Bandur sheep have tender muscles and higher backfat thickness than local sheep. The longissimus thoracis transcriptome profiles of Bandur and local sheep were obtained using RNA sequencing (RNA Seq). The animals were male, non-castrated, with uniform age and reared under similar environment, as well as management conditions. We could identify 568 significantly up-regulated and 538 significantly down-regulated genes in Bandur sheep (p≤0.05). Among these, 181 up-regulated and 142 down-regulated genes in Bandur sheep, with a fold change ≥1.5, were considered for further analysis. Significant Gene Ontology terms for the up-regulated dataset in Bandur sheep included transporter activity, substrate specific transmembrane, lipid and fatty acid binding. The down-regulated activities in Bandur sheep were mainly related to RNA degradation, regulation of ERK1 and ERK2 cascades and innate immune response. The MAPK signaling pathway, Adipocytokine signaling pathway and PPAR signaling pathway were enriched for Bandur sheep. The highly connected genes identified by network analysis were CNOT2 , CNOT6 , HSPB1 , HSPA6 , MAP3K14 and PPARD , which may be important regulators of energy metabolism, cellular stress and fatty acid metabolism in the skeletal muscles. These key genes affect the CCR4-NOT complex, PPAR and MAPK signaling pathways. The highly connected genes identified in this study, form interesting candidates for further research on muscle traits in Bandur sheep.

The study presents the miRNA profiles of two Indian sheep populations with divergent carcass and muscle traits. The RNA sequencing of longissimus thoracis muscles from the two populations revealed a total of 400 known miRNAs. Myomirs or miRNAs specific to skeletal muscles identified in our data included oar-miR-1, oar-miR-133b, oar-miR-206 and oar-miR-486. Comparison of the two populations led to identification of 100 differentially expressed miRNAs (p < 0.05). A total of 45 miRNAs exhibited a log2 fold change of ≥ ( ±) 3.0. Gene Ontology analysis revealed cell proliferation, epithelial to mesenchymal transition, apoptosis, immune response and cell differentiation as the most significant functions of the differentially expressed miRNAs. The differential expression of some miRNAs was validated by qRT-PCR analysis. Enriched pathways included metabolism of proteins and lipids, PI3K-Akt, EGFR and cellular response to stress. The microRNA-gene interaction network revealed miR-21, miR-155, miR-143, miR-221 and miR-23a as the nodal miRNAs, with multiple targets. MicroRNA-21 formed the focal point of the network with 42 interactions. The hub miRNAs identified in our study form putative regulatory candidates for future research on meat quality traits in Indian sheep. Our results provide insight into the biological pathways and regulatory molecules implicated in muscling traits of sheep.

The dynamic synergy of genes and pathways in muscles in relation to age affects the muscle characteristics. Investigating the temporal changes in gene expression will help illustrate the molecular mechanisms underlying muscle development. Here we report the gene expression changes in skeletal muscles through successive age groups in Bandur, a meat type sheep of India. RNA sequencing data was generated from the longissimus thoracis muscles from four age groups, ranging from lamb to adult. Analysis of 20 highest expressed genes common across the groups revealed muscle protein, phosphorylation, acetylation, metal binding and transport as significant functions. Maximum differentiation was observed after 2.5–3 years on transition from lambs to adult. Transcriptional regulation by the TFAP2 transcription factors, IL-6 signaling and PI3K/AKT signaling pathways were enriched in younger animals. The gene-protein network demarcated key interactive genes involved in muscle development and proliferation that can be used as candidates for future research on improvement of muscle characteristics.

In the present cross-sectional study, eggs collected from retail outlets were analyzed for physicochemical and microbial quality. Comparisons were made between "sanitized" (cleaned, sanitized, and retailed after packaging) and "unsanitized" (not subjected to cleaning, sanitization, and packaging) retail table eggs that originated from "commercial" and "backyard" (eggs retailed loose without any cleaning, sanitization, or packaging) farms. A total of 1120 eggs collected from retail markets were analyzed for physicochemical (weight, shell thickness, shape, yolk index, albumen index, Haugh unit, color, and pH) and microbial (total viable count, and yeast and mold counts) characteristics. Eggs collected from retail markets were found to significantly differ with respect to weight, shell thickness, yolk index, albumen index, Haugh unit, yolk color, and total viable counts (P < 0.01), but not shape index, pH, or yeast and mold counts. Discriminant analysis corroborated the categorization of table eggs and results of the present study showed differentiation of origin of table eggs based on physicochemical characteristics whereby processed eggs possessed better microbial quality attributes than unprocessed and backyard eggs. Processing of table eggs encompassing hygienic handling, cold storage, and treatment of eggs would deliver wholesome eggs to the consumers through the retail table egg supply chain.

Aims: The synthetic polymer plastics have become an integral part of contemporary life. Excess use of plastics and indiscriminate dumping of it in soil and water is polluting the environment. In order to overcome this problem, the production and applications of eco-friendly biodegradable products from microbes are becoming inevitable from the last decade and also are the good alternatives for synthetic polymers. Methods and Results: Polyhydroxyalkanoate producing bacterial strains were confirmed by serial dilution of sewage samples from dairies and pour plating using modified nutrient agar medium with 2% glucose and 0.3% sudan black. Commercial dairy sewage sample from III Dairy showed highest count of PHA producers (3.80 log10cfu/ml) followed by II Dairy (3.68 log10cfu/ml) and I Dairy (3.35 log10cfu/ml). On an average, 70 per cent were PHA producers among TBC of sewage samples. Conclusion: Dairy sewage sample from III Dairy showed highest count of PHA producers (3.80log10cfu/ml) Significance and Impact of the Study: This study provides importance of polyhydroxyalkanoates and their role against synthetic plastic by enumerating the polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) producing bacteria from Dairy sewage samples that can be effectively utilized for the synthesis of bioplastics.

Foods are analyzed for food safety hazards in order to comply with food safety standards. Among food-borne pathogens Salmonella enterica and Listeria monocytogenes are recognized as major foodborne pathogens of public health significance worldwide. In the present study, multiplex polymerase chain reaction (mPCR) was used to screen for S. enterica and L. monocytogenes in table eggs collected from different markets (840 eggs). Pooled egg samples categorized as commercial and backyard eggs based on the source of collection. Collected eggs were screened for S. enterica and L. monocytogenes using mPCR assays. Conserved regions viz. invA and prfA genes were targeted for the specific detection of S. enterica and L. monocytogenes, respectively. mPCR and conventional method showed same results, prevalence of S. enterica at 12.5 and 33.3 per cent in commercial and backyard eggs, respectively. While, L. monocytogenes was undetectable in commercial eggs; but, detected only in backyard table egg sample (8.3%). Present study indicated complete concordance between specific pre-enrichment mPCR and conventional cultural methods. Results of the study underscored mPCR as steadfast rapid tool for the screening of table eggs for listed food safety hazards S. enterica and L. monocytogenes in table eggs. Keywords: Eggs; Listeria; mPCR; Public Health; Salmonella