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Differences in heat tolerance between preimplantation embryos from Brahman, Romosinuano, and Angus breeds.

Exposure to 41 degrees C reduces development of embryos of heat-sensitive breeds (Holstein and Angus) more than for embryos of the heat-tolerant Brahman breed. Here it was tested whether embryonic resistance to heat shock occurs for a thermotolerant breed of different genetic origin than the Brahman. In particular, the thermal sensitivity of in vitro produced embryos of the Romosinuano, a Bos taurus, Criollo-derived breed, was compared to that for in vitro produced Brahman and Angus embryos. At d 4 after insemination, embryos > or = 8 cells were randomly assigned to control (38.5 degrees C) or heat shock (41 degrees C for 6 h) treatments. Heat shock reduced the proportion of embryos that developed to the blastocyst stage on d 8 after insemination. At 38.5 degrees C, there were no significant differences in development between breeds. Among embryos exposed to 41 degrees C, however, development was lower for Angus embryos than for Brahman and Romosinuano embryos. Furthermore, an Angus vs. (Brahman + Romosinuano) x temperature interaction occurred because heat shock reduced development more in Angus (30.3 +/- 4.6% at 38.5 degrees C vs. 4.9 +/- 4.6% at 41 degrees C) than in Brahman (25.1 +/- 4.6% vs. 13.6 +/- 4.6%) and Romosinuano (28.3 +/- 4.1% vs. 17.5 +/- 4.1%). Results demonstrate that embryos from Brahman and Romosinuano breeds are more resistant to elevated temperature than embryos from Angus. Thus, the process of adaptation of Brahman and Romosinuano breeds to hot environments resulted in both cases in selection of genes controlling thermotolerance at the cellular level.

Animals↗

Effects of age, temperature-season, and breed on blood characteristics of dairy cattle.

Two hundred twenty four dairy cattle (6 mo to second calving) representing four breeds (169 Holstein, 24 Guernsey, 19 Jersey, 12 Brown Swiss) were used to determine effects of age, temperature-season, and breed on blood characteristics. A total of 1183 blood samples were collected by jugular venipuncture in the middle of each temperature-season. Covariate age affected blood profile except for hemoglobin, oxyhemoglobin, glutamic-oxalacetic transaminase, and albumin. Temperature-season increased or decreased all measures except enzyme creatine phosphokinase, total creatine phosphokinase, calcium and phosphorus. Years differed for all measures except hemoglobin and oxyhemoglobin. Except for enzyme creatine phosphokinase, total creatine phosphokinase, and phosphorus, breeds differed in other measures. There were interactions between temperature-season and year, temperature-season and breed, and year and breed. Differences among temperature-seasons were not consistent from year to year. Breed differences were not consistent from temperature-season to temperature-season for calcium or protein-bound iodine. Breed differences were not consistent from year to year for glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase, total protein, albumin, or calcium.

Aging↗

[Genetic structure of local Ukrainian cattle breeds].

Analysis of 6 cattle breeds (5 local Ukrainian breeds and the Holstain breed) on the 9 polymorphous molecular-genetic markers (transferrin, ceruloplasmin, amylase-1, posttransferrin, receptor to vitamin D, haemoglobin, leptin, kapa-casein) was carried out. The rare allele of transferrin was revealed in two local breeds and the rare allele of leptin--in two another local breeds. Associations between syntenic loci (transferrin, ceruloplasmin, kappa-casein, receptor to vitamin D) were observed only in the local breeds but not in the Holstain one. Locus-specific conservation of the ancestor allelic variants in the local breeds and effect of selection on interloci associations are discussed.

Alleles↗

Transmission pattern of parainfluenza 3 virus in guinea pig breeding herds.

In searching for the cause of experimental variations in respiratory research data, serology revealed the prevalence of antibodies against parainfluenza virus type 3 (PIV 3) in guinea pigs. The aim of the present study was to explore the transmission rate, course, and kinetics of enzootic PIV 3 infection in guinea pig breeding units. In the first part of the study, blood samples to be analyzed for PIV 3 antibodies were collected from guinea pigs of a PIV 3-positive breeding colony at different times after birth. In the same breeding unit, 6 of 12 2-week-old guinea pigs were relocated and separately housed. The PIV 3 serum antibody titers of the two groups were compared at various times from birth to 13 weeks after birth. In the second part of the study, the spread of infectious virus and virus persistence were explored by housing seronegative sentinel animals together with 2- to 3-week-old guinea pigs from three different PIV 3-positive breeding units. The guinea pigs remaining in the breeding colony as well as those removed and housed separately showed declining serum antibody titers for about 1 month after birth, thereafter the titers were stable until about 8 weeks after birth. Five weeks later, the mean antibody titer of the guinea pigs remaining in the breeding colony had increased to a markedly higher level than that of the relocated, separately housed guinea pigs. Seroconversion was demonstrated in 7 of the 14 sentinels housed with the 2- to 3-week-old guinea pigs from PIV 3-positive breeding units. Sentinels housed together with PIV 3-positive guinea pigs 24 weeks after the start of the experiment did not seroconvert. We conclude that young guinea pigs born to PIV 3-positive mothers were protected by maternal immunity against infection with PIV 3 during their first 14 days of life. The guinea pig offspring became infected during the period from about 2 weeks until 8 weeks after birth, as demonstrated by seroconversion of sentinel animals and an increasing mean antibody titer seen beyond 8 weeks of age. The study did not reveal any indication of virus persistence or prolonged carrier status.

Animal Husbandry↗

[Studies of the relationship between the breeding efficiency of anther culture and the use of different hybrid generations as anther-donor plants in wheat].

The wheat haploid plantlets from anther culture were of theoretical and applied interest. Induced haploid spirophytes may play a key role, not only in increasing the efficiency of breeding programs by producing pure lines rapidly, but also in the elucidation of fundamental genetics. However large number of experiments turned out that there are many problems with low rate of green plantlet from anther culture, difficulties of saving plantlets though summer, low rate of double chromosome, extrusive contradiction between technique of wheat anther culture and variety improvement. So wheat anther culture has not played a role in wheat breeding. Studies were carried out on the relationship between the breeding efficiency of anther culture and the use of different hybrid generations as anther-donor plants in wheat. It was shown that previously the low breeding efficiency of anther culture in wheat cross breeding was mainly due to the use of F1 as anther donors. Experimental results demonstrated that the breeding efficiency of anther culture in F1 generation was very low, especially when the doubled haploid population was very small. Based on the experimental results as well as the theoretical analysis this paper proposes that the use of F2 or F3 (especially F3) as anther donors in combination with the conventional selection in the fields will increase the breeding efficiency of anther culture. Under the guidance of this proposal two wheat varieties have been developed within 5-7 years through anther culture.

Culture Techniques↗

Remote sensing as a tool for mapping mosquito breeding habitats and associated health risk to assist control efforts and development plans: a case study in Wadi El Natroun, Egypt.

Limited mosquito ground surveys were combined with remote sensing and GIS technologies to identify mosquito breeding habitats in Natroun lakes area and to delineate associated health risks. Mosquito larval surveys were carried out in a small area to characterize positive breeding habitats and determine their geographic coordinates. Mosquitoes (Anopheles multicolor, Culex antennatus and Cx. theileri) were found breeding in water-flooded habitats with dense vegetation cover spatially associated to existing lakes. Chemical analysis indicated that mosquito breeding water was found to be polluted by several sources including agriculture, industrial and domestic sources. This information served as a training set to characterize the spectral signature of mosquitogenic (mosquito-producing) habitats using reflectance data of the Thematic Mapper (TM) sensor aboard Landsat 5 satellite. Following characterization of the spectral signature, satellite data were used to predict, potential mosquito breeding patches over the whole study area. Field surveys were then carried out to assess the accuracy of predicted habitats and those surveys have indicated that all checked sites were positive for mosquito larvae demonstrating an accuracy of 100%. Based on an average adult mosquito flight range of 2 km, GIS was used to create buffer zones around breeding habitats describing areas at risk from mosquito nuisance and disease transmission. The obtained results could thus provide a new basis for directing the control of mosquito vectors as they provide health authorities with precise maps of mosquito breeding habitats in a timely manner. Moreover, the generated map delineating risk areas could be used by project developers to either re-site the project or invest in mosquito control activities in order to avoid health risks and ensure sustainability of their development. The approach adopted in this investigation demonstrated the practical and successful application of remote sensing and GIS in assisting health and development decision making.

Animals↗

[Studies of random amplified polymorphic DNA(RAPD) of main indigenous sheep breeds in China].

The genetic polymorphism and relationship of 7 indigenous sheep breeds of China and 3 imported sheep breeds were studied using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD). The results indicated that the RAPD was an effective marker for the analysis of genetic relationship among sheep breeds. Among 43 arbitrary primers,35 were polymorphic. The percentage of polymorphic markers was 66.24%,which indicated that the RAPD had higher efficiency of polymorphism detection and sensitivity in studying the genetic variation among sheep breeds. The average index of genetic polymorphism for whole population (Hsp) was 0.9139,which showed that the genetic polymorphism was abundant between sheep populations. The genetic relationship between different indigenous sheep breeds in China was in accord with their localities,the results from archeology and cytogenetics and the genetic relationship between imported sheep breeds was in accord with their breeding history.

English Abstract↗

[Breed variations in feed intake and energy utilization in dairy cows].

In four experimental studies on feed intake, two completely mixed rations containing 0 and 50 per cent of concentrates respectively were fed ad lib. to dairy cattle of four different breeds: the Jersey, the Holstein-Friesian (HF), the Dutch Black-and-White (FH) and the Dutch Red-and-White (Meuse-Rhine-Yssel). There are considerable differences in feed intake between the breeds, particularly between the Jerseys and the heavier breeds (HF + MRY + FH). The experimental studies in the Jerseys showed that there was an interaction between breed and the composition of the feed, which is due to differences in nutrient requirements between breeds. These variations are attributable to differences in composition of the milk. The dairy breeds, Jersey and HF, use a large part of the energy taken up for milk production and a smaller part for maintenance than do the double-purpose breeds: FH and MRY.

Animal Feed↗

Selection of breeds, strains and individual pigs for prolificacy.

Prolificacy, defined as litter size at birth, is currently considered to be the most important component of sow productivity. However, in spite of a spectacular increase in productivity due to management advances, litter size at birth has remained constant for the past 20 years. This situation seems to question the long-term efficiency of the classical methods of genetic improvement such as within-herd selection and crossbreeding between European or American breeds. Some recent developments and research results suggest that one can be optimistic about the possibilities of increasing litter size in the near future. A survey of available breeds world-wide illustrates the important differences in average litter size (5-15 piglets), embryo mortality (15-40%) and heterosis (ranging from 5 to over 30%) on litter size. In particular the high prolificacy of some Chinese breeds can be used to speed up gentic progress in improving litter size either through systematic 3-way (3-4 additional piglets per litter in the F1 compared with European breeds) or 4-way crosses with Western breeds, or by developing composite lines selected for heritable traits such as growth rate and backfat thickness. The efficiency of this system might be improved by combining Chinese breeds with 'hyperprolific' western strains. When using Chinese breeds, special attention should be paid to the choice of the terminal boar, which should be as lean as possible, in order to produce acceptable carcasses for sale. Another potential solution would be to use modern computerized recording systems to detect extreme individuals and then to apply a strong selection intensity. Using this approach, it is then possible to develop a gene pool for prolificacy. Results obtained in France, Great Britain and Australia are encouraging. The expected progress is about 0.5 piglets per litter when strain selection is limited to one sex and about 1 piglet when it includes both sexes. Moreover, using crossbreeding, the heterosis effect seems to be cumulated with the genetic changes mentioned above. The computer can also be an aid in eliminating chromosomal translocations responsible for a reduction in prolificacy ranging from 5 to 50%.

Animals↗

[Incidence of mastitis in cows of various breeds and their crosses-- estimation of the heredity of this disease].

In a large set of cows (24,165 head), consisting prevailingly of Bohemian Pied breed, Black Pied Lowland and Holstein breeds, and of their crosses, significant differences in the incidence of mastitis were proved. Mastitis was demonstrated by the bacteriological findings in milk. The lowest mean incidence was recorded in the cows of the acclimatized Bohemian Pied breed (8.0%). As observed in the examined population, the increasing genetic proportion of solely dairy breeds results in higher demands on the environment, and the susceptibility of animals to mastitis usually increases. In three-breed crosses of this set, mastitis was found in 699 animals, i. e. in 25.4%. With respect to mastitis prevalence, a heritability estimate was performed on the basis of the first and second lactation using the method of alternative characters. In the Bohemian Pied breed, the heritability estimate was ĥ2 = 0.17 +/- +/- 0.08, in the Black Pied Lowland breed ĥ2 = 0.28 +/- 0.14.

Animals↗

Histochemical studies on mucosubstances in the prostate gland of the pulmonate snail Semperula maculata in the annual breeding-aestivation cycle.

Prostate gland of the pulmonate (terrestrial) snail Semperula maculata was studied histochemically for the presence of polysaccharides. PAS technique and differential staining methods employing Alcian blue, aldehyde fuchsin and Azure A at different pH values and combined with enzyme digestion test and lipid extraction were used. Two histochemically different cell types were found in the prostate gland: the type 1 cells which elaborate neutral mucosubstances and supposedly also phospholipoproteins, and type 2 cells producing glycogen. Both these cell types show seasonal fluctuations of the stores of materials secreted by them. Thus in type 1 cells the weakest histochemical reactivity indicating the lowest concentration of their secretion appears just after cessation of the snails' breeding activity (September) and persists throughout the post-breeding and early pre-breeding seasons which both together constitute the aestivation period. During the rest of the pre-breeding season a strong reactivity gradually develops and culminates in May i.e. immediately before the onset of the breeding activities which in turn initiate a decline of the reactivity. The type 2 cells become most reactive in the middle of the pre-breeding season (May) and decrease their reactivity after cessation of the breeding season. The number of both types of cells parallels the reactivity changes.

Adaptation, Physiological↗

[Values of the indices of acid-base blood homeostasis in sows of various breeds].

The indices of the acid-base homeostasis of the blood were studied in 99 sows of the Large White, English Large White, Belgian Landrace, and Hampshire breeds. The blood pH ranged from 7.32 to 7.45, and no significant differences were found between the breeds. The highest pCO2 value of 6.4 kPa was found in the LW breed; in the remaining breeds it was lower. As to base excess values, positive average values ranging from +0.3 to +1.4 mmol .1-1, were found in all the breeds. The values of the buffering stage were fairly balanced and the means ranged from 48.7 to 50.0 mmol .1-1. Balanced average values were also found in standard bicarbonate, where the values ranged from 24.6 to 25.5 mmol .1-1. Actual bicarbonate showed similar values in the Large White breed (27.3 mmol .1-1), English Large White, and Hampshire (26.2 and 26.3 mmol 1-1, respectively). In the Landrace breed the average was only 25.9 mmol .1-1. The average values of CO2 in the blood plasma ranged from 27.1 to 28.7 mmol .1-1.

Acid-Base Equilibrium↗

Susceptibility of different breeds of goats in Kenya to experimental infection with Trypanosoma congolense.

To assess whether there was any evidence of genetic resistance to African trypanosomiasis, five breeds of goat (East African, Galla, and crossbreds between East African and Galla, Nubian or Toggenburg) were experimentally infected with Trypanosoma congolense either by needle inoculation or by tsetse-transmission. The goats had not been previously exposed to trypanosomiasis. With both methods of infection all breeds were found to be highly susceptible and suffered severe disease. Following tsetse-transmitted infection no significant differences were observed between breeds in the development, duration and size of the chancre reaction or in the degree and duration of parasitaemia. While Nubian goats developed anaemia more rapidly than the other breeds, all animals experienced a pronounced reduction in packed red cell volume. Similarly following needle inoculation no differences were found between breeds in the severity of anaemia or in the kinetics of parasitaemia. Immune responses against both metacyclic and bloodstream trypanosomes of the infecting serodeme were similar in all breeds as were the erythropoietic responses to the infection. No alterations in leucocyte parameters occurred.

Animals↗

Genetic diversity and bottleneck studies in the Marwari horse breed.

Genetic diversity within the Marwari breed of horses was evaluated using 26 different microsatellite pairs with 48 DNA samples from unrelated horses. This molecular characterisation was undertaken to evaluate the problem of genetic bottlenecks also, if any, in this breed. The estimated mean (-/+ s.e.) allelic diversity was 5.9 (-/+ 2.24), with a total of 133 alleles. A high level of genetic variability within this breed was observed in terms of high values of mean (-/+ s.e.) effective number of alleles (3.3 -/+ 1.27), observed heterozygosity (0.5306 -/+ 0.22), expected Levene's heterozygosity (0.6612 -/+ 0.15), expected Nei's heterozygosity (0.6535 -/+ 0.14), and polymorphism information content (0.6120 -/+ 0.03). Low values of Wright's fixation index, F(IS) (0.2433 -/+ 0.05) indicated low levels of inbreeding. This basic study indicated the existence of substantial genetic diversity in the Marwari horse population. No significant genotypic linkage disequilibrium was detected across the population, suggesting no evidence of linkage between loci. A normal 'L' shaped distribution of mode-shift test, non-significant heterozygote excess on the basis of different models, as revealed from Sign, Standardized differences and Wilcoxon sign rank tests as well as non-significant M ratio value suggested that there was no recent bottleneck in the existing Marwari breed population, which is important information for equine breeders. This study also revealed that the Marwari breed can be differentiated from some other exotic breeds of horses on the basis of three microsatellite primers.

Alleles↗

Hybrid maize breeding with doubled haploids: II. Optimum type and number of testers in two-stage selection for general combining ability.

Optimum allocation of test resources is of crucial importance for the efficiency of breeding programs. Our objectives were to (1) determine the optimum allocation of the number of lines, test locations, as well as number and type of testers in hybrid maize breeding using doubled haploids with two breeding strategies for improvement of general combining ability (GCA), (2) compare the maximum selection gain (DeltaG) achievable under both strategies, and (3) give recommendations for the optimum implementation of doubled haploids in commercial hybrid maize breeding. We calculated DeltaG by numerical integration for two two-stage selection strategies with evaluation of (1) testcross performance in both stages (BS1) or (2) line per se performance in the first stage followed by testcross performance in the second stage (BS2). Different assumptions were made regarding the budget, variance components (VCs), and the correlation between line per se performance and GCA. Selection gain for GCA increased with a broader genetic base of the tester. Hence, testers combining a large number of divergent lines are advantageous. However, in applied breeding programs, the use of single- or double-cross testers in the first and inbred testers in the second selection stage may be a good compromise between theoretical and practical requirements. With a correlation between line per se performance and GCA of 0.50, DeltaG for BS1 is about 5% higher than for BS2, if an economic weight of line per se performance is neglected. With increasing economic weight of line per se performance, relative efficiency of BS2 increased rapidly resulting in a superiority of BS2 over BS1 already for an economic weight for line per se performance larger than 0.1. Considering the importance of an economic seed production, an economic weight larger than 0.1 seems realistic indicating the necessity of separate breeding strategies for seed and pollen parent heterotic groups.

Breeding↗

Breed classification of Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) and Thai native chickens using synchrotron radiation-based Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and genotyping by sequencing.

Lao PDR harbors substantial genetic diversity in native chicken populations, representing an important resource for sustainable production and long-term food security. This study aimed to classify five Lao native chicken breeds-Ou, Black Bone, Horn Chou, Yolk, and Chae-and to discriminate them from a Thai native breed, Leung Hang Khao (LK), using integrative genotype-based approaches. Blood samples were collected from 50 LK and Lao native chickens (32 Ou, 10 Black Bone, 9 Horn Chou, 121 Yolk, and 41 Chae). Genomic DNA was extracted and analyzed using synchrotron radiation-based Fourier-transform infrared (SR-FTIR) spectroscopy to characterize biochemical composition, while genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) was employed to identify genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). SR-FTIR analysis revealed highly significant differences among breeds in nucleotide-associated functional groups, including thymine, adenine, guanine, cytosine, as well as DNA backbone and deoxyribose components (P < 0.001). Multivariate analyses demonstrated that principal component analysis (PCA) of SR-FTIR spectra effectively discriminated chicken breeds, while hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) further resolved them into two major clusters with distinct sub-clusters, reflecting variation in DNA biochemical composition. In contrast, GBS analysis identified 1484 common SNPs; however, PCA based on SNP data showed limited resolution in clearly separating breeds, despite revealing similar clustering trends. Overall, the results highlight the strong discriminatory power of SR-FTIR spectroscopy for rapid and effective classification of native chicken breeds at the molecular level, outperforming SNP-based differentiation under the current marker density. This study provides novel insights into the application of synchrotron-based spectroscopic techniques in poultry genetics and contributes valuable baseline information for the conservation and utilization of Lao native chicken genetic resources.

Breed classification↗

Effects of breed on kinetics of ovine FSH and ovarian response in superovulated sheep.

Embryo production is a useful tool for ex situ conservation of endangered species and breeds, despite a high variability in the ovarian response to superovulatory treatments. The current study evaluated the incidence and mechanisms of genetic factors in such variability, by determining the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of a standard treatment with ovine FSH (oFSH) in two endangered Spanish sheep breeds (Rubia del Molar, R, and Negra de Colmenar, N) in comparison to Manchega ewes (M, control group). In the first experiment, pharmacokinetics of an i.m. single dose of 1.32 mg of oFSH was evaluated in seven animals of each breed. Plasma FSH concentrations reached their maximum at 4h post-administration in all the ewes, but several of the kinetic parameters (plasma FSH concentration at 4h post-administration, maximum plasma FSH concentration, C(max), and both the area under the plasma concentration-time curve extrapolated to the infinite, AUC(inf), and to the last moment of sampling, AUC(last)) were higher in the N group. In the second trial, 10 animals of each breed were superovulated using eight decreasing doses of oFSH (3 x 1.32 mg, 2 x 1.10 mg, and 3 x 0.88 mg). The R group, when compared to N and M, showed both a higher number of corpora lutea (13.7+/-0.6 versus 10.0+/-0.4 in N and 9.8+/-0.6 in M, P<0.05 for both) and embryos (7.9+/-0.8 versus 4.3+/-0.4 in N, P<0.05, and 6.7+/-0.5 in M, n.s.). Evaluation of pharmacokinetic and dynamic parameters showed that, although there was a trend for a higher hormone availability in R sheep, mean FSH plasma concentrations were similar between breeds (0.54+/-0.08 ng/ml for R, 0.45+/-0.05 ng/ml for N and 0.35+/-0.05 ng/ml for M). However, differences were found in the number of preovulatory follicles growing in response to the FSH treatment between R (24.4+/-2.2), M (18.9+/-1.5, n.s.) and N sheep (14.1+/-1.4; P<0.01). Thus, differences in embryo yields between breeds would be related to differences in the pattern of follicular growth in response to FSH treatment.

Animals↗

Gonadal steroids vary with reproductive stage in a tropically breeding female anuran.

Tropically breeding anurans that require heavy rainfall in order to reproduce are subject to favorable breeding conditions that are sporadic. Although there is an increased probability of rain during the rainy season, the probability of local rainfall is unpredictable and this may influence female anuran reproductive strategies. The female túngara frog, a neotropical frog that requires standing water to breed, maintains readiness to breed at any time via asynchronous oogenesis. Although females constantly produce and maintain oocytes during the breeding season, this study shows that they have cyclic fluctuations in gonadal hormone levels. Plasma levels of estrogen significantly change during three reproductive stages within a single reproductive cycle (P=0.03), as do plasma levels of progesterone and androgen (P<0.001 and P=0.001, respectively). Furthermore, elevation in plasma estrogen and progesterone concentrations occurs during the same reproductive stage in which it has been reported that females display the maximum frequency of reproductive behaviors, the amplexed stage. Androgen levels, however, are elevated prior to the reproductive stage in which females display maximal reproductive behavior, that is, the unamplexed stage. Our study suggests that the pattern of gonadal hormone fluctuation in a tropically breeding female anuran is similar to the classic paradigm in which there is a temporal relationship between the appearance of reproductive hormones and reproductive behaviors.

Androgens↗