RNA-Seq analysis was used to characterize transcriptome response of Holstein calves to thermal stress. A total of eight animals aged between 2 and 3 months were randomly selected and subjected to ...thermal stress corresponding to a temperature humidity index of 95 in an environmentally controlled house for 12 h consecutively for 3 days. A set of 15,787 unigenes were found to be expressed and after a threshold of threefold change, and a
Q
value <0.05; 502, 394, and 376 genes were found to be differentially expressed on days 1, 2, and 3 out of which 343, 261 and 256 genes were upregulated and 159, 133, and 120 genes were downregulated. Only 356 genes out of these were expressed on all 3 days, and only they were considered as significantly differentially expressed. KEGG pathway analysis revealed that ten pathways were significantly enriched; the top two among them were protein processing in endoplasmic reticulum and MAPK signaling pathways. These results suggest that thermal stress triggered a complex response in Holstein calves and the animals adjusted their physiological and metabolic processes to survive. Many of the genes identified in this study have not been previously reported to be involved in thermal stress response. The results of this study extend our understanding of the animal’s response to thermal stress and some of the identified genes may prove useful in the efforts to breed Holstein cattle with superior thermotolerance, which might help in minimizing production loss due to thermal stress.
To improve reproductive performance in cattle, the accurate detection of estrus and optimization of insemination relative to ovulation are necessary. However, poor heat detection by farm staff leads ...to a decreased conception rate, thus inflicting economic damage to the beef and dairy industries. This study aimed to develop monoclonal antibodies (mAb) that can specifically bind to the bovine lactoferrin (bLF) protein, which we have previously demonstrated to be overexpressed in bovine cervical mucus during estrus. Female rats were intraperitoneally immunized with bLF protein as the antigen. Anti-bLF mAbs were then purified by affinity chromatography, and their binding affinity for the bLF antigen was examined using ELISA. We found a high binding affinity between mAbs and bLF. Finally, we developed a rapid bovine heat detection kit using the anti-bLF mAbs that we generated and tested on cervical mucus from 12 cows (estrous synchronization, n = 2; natural cycling, n = 10). We found that the kits accurately detected estrus. Overall, our fabricated heat detection kit based on rat anti-bLF mAbs could pave the way for the development of potent tools for heat detection devices for dairy cattle, thereby preventing economic loss.
A pregnancy diagnosis is an important standard for control of livestock’s reproduction in paricular dairy cattle. High reproductive performance in dairy animals is a essential condition to realize of ...high life-time production. Pregnancy diagnosis is crucial to shortening the calving interval by enabling the farmer to identify open animals so as to treat or re-breed them at the earliest opportunity. MicroRNAs are short RNA molecules which are critically involved in regulating gene expression during both health and disease. This study is sought to establish the feasible of circulating miRNAs as biomarkers of early pregnancy in cattle. We applied Illumina small-RNA sequencing to profile miRNAs in plasma samples collected from 12 non-pregnant cows (“open” cows: samples were collected before insemination (non-pregnant state) and after pregnancy check at the indicated time points) on weeks 0, 4, 8, 12 and 16. Using small RNA sequencing we identified a total of 115 miRNAs that were differentially expressed weeks 16 relative to non-pregnancy (“open” cows). Weeks 8, 12 and 16 of pregnancy commonly showed a distinct increase in circulating levels of miR-221 and miR-320a. Through genome-wide analyses we have successfully profiled plasma miRNA populations associated with pregnancy in cattle. Their application in the field of reproductive biology has opened up opportunities for research communities to look for pregnancy biomarker molecules in dairy cattle.
Abstract
Horses have played a significant role in the development of human society. As an important domestic animal, horses have been used for transport, labor, food and recreation. It is widely ...accepted that the horse was probably first domesticated on the Eurasian steppes from Ukraine to Turkestan between the fifth and fourth millennium BC, and the earliest domesticated horses subsequently spread out from their original range. However, we currently have little genetic evidence to demonstrate whether Korean domestic horse breeds originated in Korea or if it came into the area via an ancient migration route. In the present study, to obtain more knowledge of the origin and genetic diversity of Korean domestic horses, we analyzed seventeen 247-bp mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) D-loop sequences of ancient horse bones excavated from seven archaeological sites located in the southern Korean Peninsula and Mongolia, aged between the fifth century B.C and nineteenth century A.D. The seventeen ancient horses revealed 9 variable positions when compared with the reference sequence (GenBank X79547). All the substitutions were transitions, and defined a total of 11 unique haplotypes with the haplotype diversity value of 0.9118±0.056. Among the 11 haplotypes, 3 haplotypes were detected more than once and were thus shared by individuals from the same or close archaeological sites. The largest haplotype consisted of 5 individuals, with another two haplotypes containing 2 individuals respectively, and eight haplotypes were singletons. The data indicate an abundant genetic diversity of the Korean ancient horses, and also suggest that the origin of Korean domestic horses is complex, and several maternal lines were introduced into the gene pool of Korean horses after their initial domestication.
A pregnancy diagnosis is an important standard for control of livestock's reproduction in paricular dairy cattle. High reproductive performance in dairy animals is a essential condition to realize of ...high life-time production. Pregnancy diagnosis is crucial to shortening the calving interval by enabling the farmer to identify open animals so as to treat or re-breed them at the earliest opportunity. MicroRNAs are short RNA molecules which are critically involved in regulating gene expression during both health and disease. This study is sought to establish the feasible of circulating miRNAs as biomarkers of early pregnancy in cattle. We applied Illumina small-RNA sequencing to profile miRNAs in plasma samples collected from 12 non-pregnant cows ("open" cows: samples were collected before insemination (non-pregnant state) and after pregnancy check at the indicated time points) on weeks 0, 4, 8, 12 and 16. Using small RNA sequencing we identified a total of 115 miRNAs that were differentially expressed weeks 16 relative to non-pregnancy ("open" cows). Weeks 8, 12 and 16 of pregnancy commonly showed a distinct increase in circulating levels of miR-221 and miR-320a. Through genome-wide analyses we have successfully profiled plasma miRNA populations associated with pregnancy in cattle. Their application in the field of reproductive biology has opened up opportunities for research communities to look for pregnancy biomarker molecules in dairy cattle.
The
fibronectin type III and SPRY domain containing 2
(
FSD2
) on porcine chromosome 7 is considered a candidate gene for pork quality, since its two domains, which were present in fibronectin and ...ryanodine receptor. The fibronectin type III and SPRY domains were first identified in
fibronectin
and
ryanodine receptor
, respectively, which are candidate genes for meat quality. The aim of this study was to elucidate the genomic structure of
FSD2
and functions of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within
FSD2
that are related to meat quality in pigs. Using a bacterial artificial chromosome clone sequence, we revealed that porcine
FSD2
consisted of 13 exons encoding 750 amino acids. In addition,
FSD2
was expressed in heart,
longissimus dorsi
muscle,
psoas
muscle, and tendon among 23 kinds of porcine tissues tested. A total of ten SNPs, including four missense mutations, were identified in the exonic region of
FSD2
, and two major haplotypes were obtained based on the SNP genotypes of 633 Berkshire pigs. Both haplotypes were associated significantly with intramuscular fat content (IMF,
P
< 0.020) and moisture percentage (MP,
P
< 0.002). Moreover, haplotype 2 was associated with meat color, affecting yellowness (
P
= 0.002). These haplotype effects were further supported by the alteration of putative protein structures with amino acid substitutions. Taken together, our results suggest that
FSD2
haplotypes are involved in regulating meat quality including IMF, MP, and meat color in pigs, and may be used as meaningful molecular makers to identify pigs with preferable pork quality.
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