•Analysis of a complete genome sequence of Oryctes rhinoceros nudivirus (OrNV) isolated from Korean rhinoceros beetles, referred to Trypoxylus dichotomus nudivirus (TdNV-Korea).•TdNV-Korea genome has ...a sequence similarity between 94.5%-96.4% compared to all available OrNV genomes.•TdNV-Korea has the least number of open reading frames of all available OrNV genomes; three hypothetical genes were notably absent only in TdNV-Korea, whereas two fused ORFs, made functional genes.•Genomic alterations such as insertions, deletions, and nonsynonymous mutations in nudivirus core genes of TdNV-Korea could be the consequences of cross-species transmission of virus.
Nudivirus-infected Korean rhinoceros beetles (Trypoxylus dichotomus) were first identified in 2015, and while a complete genome sequence of the virus has long been uploaded to the NCBI database, it has not been examined in detail. Here, we describe the genomic characteristics of Trypoxylus dichotomus nudivirus (TdNV), which represents a new Oryctes rhinoceros nudivirus (OrNV) strain, isolated from infected T. dichotomus in the Republic of Korea. We examined factors derived by the cross-species infection of OrNV from nucleotide levels to the whole genome level. Our genomic analysis study suggests that TdNV-Korea is highly conserved with other OrNVs in terms of genomic structures and genome size. Our investigation of the genomic structure revealed that TdNV-Korea has the least number of open reading frames (ORFs) of all available OrNV genomes; three hypothetical genes were notably absent only in TdNV-Korea. In addition, the genomic alteration of the nudivirus core genes discloses that various amino acid mutations caused by single-nucleotide polymorphism and short indels (insertion/deletion) were found in most of the nudivirus core genes of TdNV-Korea. Our findings provide a valuable resource for those seeking a greater understanding of cross-species nudivirus transmission and will certainly provide valuable insight for reconstruction and reinterpretation of future and previously identified OrNV strains.
The
larva (yellow mealworm) holds great potential as a sustainable ingredient in food and feed. Optimizing its growth under mass farming requires careful water management. However, the availability ...and cost of fresh fruit and vegetables, which are the most widely used sources of water, can vary geographically, which calls for the search for relatively affordable, effective, and readily available alternatives. We evaluated the effect of three water sources (bean sprouts, lettuce leaves, and milk) as well as their quantity on weights and nutrient profiles of reared
larvae. Newly hatched mealworm larvae were maintained in controlled conditions of 25 °C and 60% relative humidity under a 12-h light-dark cycle for 15 weeks. When provided as sole-supplements, bean sprouts induced the highest larval weight gains compared to fresh lettuce leaves, which in turn performed better than milk and water. However, the addition of milk to the vegetable supplements enhanced growth. Furthermore, doubling the level of water supply resulted in 70% higher larval weights by week 14 post hatching. Moreover, water sources did not change the nutrient content of the harvested larvae. These findings suggest that mealworm productivity can be enhanced by increasing water feed levels and that bean sprouts may be a superior alternative to lettuce.
The Holstein breed is the mainstay of dairy production in Korea. In this study, we evaluated the genomic prediction accuracy for body conformation traits in Korean Holstein cattle, using a range of π ...levels (0.75, 0.90, 0.99, and 0.995) in Bayesian methods (BayesB and BayesC). Focusing on 24 traits, we analyzed the impact of different π levels on prediction accuracy. We observed a general increase in accuracy at higher levels for specific traits, with variations depending on the Bayesian method applied. Notably, the highest accuracy was achieved for rear teat angle when using deregressed estimated breeding values including parent average as a response variable. We further demonstrated that incorporating parent average into deregressed estimated breeding values enhances genomic prediction accuracy, showcasing the effectiveness of the model in integrating both offspring and parental genetic information. Additionally, we identified 18 significant window regions through genome-wide association studies, which are crucial for future fine mapping and discovery of causal mutations. These findings provide valuable insights into the efficiency of genomic selection for body conformation traits in Korean Holstein cattle and highlight the potential for advancements in the prediction accuracy using larger datasets and more sophisticated genomic models.
Longevity is closely related to the survival rate of dairy cattle and refers to the period during which the cow has economic value, from first calving to culling. The purpose of this study was to ...analyze the culling patterns and survival rates of Korean Holstein cows and evaluate genetic characteristics related to parity and longevity of each lactation by using the test day milk yield collected in South Korea. The performance data of the dairy cattle were collected from 2004 to 2019 by the Nonghyup Dairy Cattle Improvement Center. The collected 1,702,304 records were used as pedigree data through the Korea Animal Improvement Association. The lactation period was divided into early-lactation (0-90 days: L1.1, L2.1, and L3.1), mid-lactation (91-299 days: L1.2, L2.2, and L3.2), and late-lactation (300 days-next parity: L1.3, L2.3, and L3.3). The heritability of longevity for the first, second, and third parity was 0.020, 0.028, and 0.039, respectively. In all parities, the heritability in late-lactation was higher than that in early- and mid-lactation. Most genetic correlations for survival in the first parity were higher than those in the second and third parities. The results of this study may serve as a basis for developing a more accurate model for evaluating longevity traits in South Korea.
The objective of this study was to investigate the genetic components of daily milk yield and to re-rank bulls in South Korea by estimated breeding value (EBV) under heat stress using the ...temperature-humidity index (THI).
This study was conducted using 125,312 monthly test-day records, collected from January 2000 to February 2017 for 19,889 Holstein cows from 647 farms in South Korea. Milk production data were collected from two agencies, the Dairy Cattle Genetic Improvement Center and the Korea Animal Improvement Association, and meteorological data were obtained from 41 regional weather stations using the Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS) installed throughout South Korea. A random regression model using the THI was applied to estimate genetic parameters of heat tolerance based on the test-day records. The model included herd-year-season, calving age, and days-in-milk as fixed effects, as well as heat tolerance as an additive genetic effect, permanent environmental effect, and direct additive and permanent environmental effect.
Below the THI threshold (≤72; no heat stress), the variance in heat tolerance was zero. However, the heat tolerance variance began to increase as THI exceeded the threshold. The covariance between the genetic additive effect and the heat tolerance effect was -0.33. Heritability estimates of milk yield ranged from 0.111 to 0.176 (average: 0.128). Heritability decreased slightly as THI increased, and began to increase at a THI of 79. The predicted bull EBV ranking varied with THI.
We conclude that genetic evaluation using the THI function could be useful for selecting bulls for heat tolerance in South Korea.
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.
The objectives of this study were to compare identified informative regions through two genome-wide association study (GWAS) approaches and determine the accuracy and bias of the direct genomic value ...(DGV) for milk production traits in Korean Holstein cattle, using two genomic prediction approaches: single-step GBLUP (ss-GBLUP) and Bayesian Bayes-B.
From 265,271 first parity cows, records on production traits such as adjusted 305-day milk (MY305), fat (FY305), and protein (PY305) yields were collected. After quality control, 50,765 SNP genotypes were available for analysis. In GWAS for ss-GBLUP (ssGWAS) and Bayes-B (BayesGWAS), the proportion of genetic variance for each 1-Mb genomic window was calculated and used to identify informative genomic regions. Accuracy of the DGV was estimated by a five-fold cross-validation with random clustering. As a measure of accuracy for DGV, we also assessed the correlation between DGV and deregressed-estimated breeding value (DEBV). The bias of DGV for each method was obtained by determining regression coefficients.
A total of nine and five significant windows (1 Mb) were identified for MY305 using ssGWAS and BayesGWAS, respectively. Using ssGWAS and BayesGWAS, we also detected multiple significant regions for FY305 (12 & 7) and PY305 (14 & 2), respectively. Both single-step DGV and Bayes DGV also showed somewhat moderate accuracy ranges for MY305 (0.32-0.34), FY305 (0.37-0.39), and PY305 (0.35-0.36) traits, respectively. The mean biases of DGVs determined using the single-step and Bayesian methods were 1.50 ± 0.21 and 1.18 ± 0.26 for MY305, 1.75 ± 0.33 and 1.14 ± 0.20 for FY305, and 1.59 ± 0.20 and 1.14 ± 0.15 for PY305, respectively.
From the bias perspective, we believe that genomic selection based on the application of Bayesian approaches would be more suitable than application of single-step GBLUP in Korean Holstein populations.
Leukocyte cell-derived chemotaxin 2 (LECT2) is associated with several physiological processes including inflammation, tumorigenesis, and natural killer T cell generation. Chicken LECT2 (chLECT2) ...gene was originally identified as one of the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in chicken kidney tissue, where the chickens were fed with different calcium doses. In this study, the molecular characteristics and gene expression of chLECT2 were analyzed under the stimulation of Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) ligand to understand the involvement of chLECT2 expression in chicken metabolic disorders.
Amino acid sequence of LECT2 proteins from various species including fowl, fish, and mammal were retrieved from the Ensembl database and subjected to Insilco analyses. In addition, the time- and dose-dependent expression of chLECT2 was examined in DF-1 cells which were stimulated with polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid (poly (I:C)), a TLR3 ligand. Further, to explore the transcription factors required for the transcription of chLECT2, DF-1 cells were treated with poly (I:C) in the presence or absence of the nuclear factor κB (NFκB) and activated protein 1 (AP-1) inhibitors.
The amino acid sequence prediction of chLECT2 protein revealed that along with duLECT2, it has unique signal peptide different from other vertebrate orthologs, and only chLECT2 and duLECT2 have an additional 157 and 161 amino acids on their carboxyl terminus, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that chLECT2 is evolved from a common ancestor along with the actinopterygii hence, more closely related than to the mammals. Our qPCR results showed that, the expression of chLECT2 was up-regulated significantly in DF-1 cells under the stimulation of poly (I:C) (p<0.05). However, in the presence of NFκB or AP-1 inhibitors, the expression of chLECT2 is suppressed suggesting that both NFκB and AP-1 transcription factors are required for the induction of chLECT2 expression.
The present results suggest that chLECT2 gene might be a target gene of TLR3 signaling. For the future, the expression pattern or molecular mechanism of chLECT2 under stimulation of other innate immune receptors shall be studied. The protein function of chLECT2 will be more clearly understood if further investigation about the mechanism of LECT2 in TLR pathways is conducted.
The objective of this study was to estimate the genetic parameters for milk β-hydroxybutyrate (BHBA), acetone (Ac), fat protein ratio (FPR) and energy balance (EB) using milk test day records and ...investigate the effect of early lactation FPR and EB on milk ketone body concentrations.
Total 262,940 test-day records collected from Korea Animal Improvement Association (KAIA) during the period of 2012 to 2016 were used in this study. BHBA and Ac concentrations in milk were measured by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). FPR values were obtained using test day records of fat and protein percentage. EB was calculated using previously developed equation based on parity, lactation week, and milk composition data. Genetic parameters, were estimated by restricted maximum likelihood procedure based on repeatability model using Wombat program.
Elevated milk BHBA and Ac concentrations were observed during the early lactation under the negative energy balance (NEB). Milk FPR tends to decrease with the decreasing ketone body concentrations. Heritability estimates for milk BHBA, Ac, EB and FPR were ranged from 0.09 to 0.14, 0.23 to 0.31, 0.19 to 0.52 and 0.16 to 0.42 respectively at parity 1,2,3 and 4. The overall heritability for BHBA, Ac, EB and FPR were 0.29, 0.32, 0.58 and 0.38 respectively. A common pattern was observed in heritability of EB and FPR along with parities.
FPR and EB can be suggested as potential predictors for risk of hyperketonemia. The heritability estimates of milk BHBA, Ac, EB and FPR indicate that the selective breeding may contribute to maintain the milk ketone bodies at optimum level during early lactation.
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