Journal of animal science最新文献

{"title":"PSVIII-9 Longitudinal characterization of lymphocyte subsets and humoral immune markers in growing Labrador retrievers.","authors":"Fiona B Mccracken, Claire L Timlin, Sarah M Dickerson, Jason W Fowler, Patrick M Skaggs, Craig N Coon","doi":"10.1093/jas/skaf300.529","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skaf300.529","url":null,"abstract":"This study aimed to characterize the development of the immune system from puppyhood to adulthood in Labrador retrievers. Monthly blood samples were collected from 21 puppies (11M/10F) from 1 month to 1 year of age. For flow cytometry, EDTA whole blood was stained with a multi-color panel including LIVE/DEAD lime viability stain, anti-canine CD4 antibody conjugated to super bright 600, anti-canine CD8 antibody conjugated to super bright 702, anti-canine CD3 antibody conjugated to FITC, anti-canine CD21 antibody conjugated to r-PE, anti-canine CD5 antibody conjugated to PerCP-eFluor 710, and super bright staining buffer. Samples were then lysed and analyzed on an Attune NxT flow cytometer. Gates were determined according to unstained samples, and data was recorded as the percentage of lymphocytes, with the exception of CD4+ and CD8+ cells which were recorded as the percent of CD3+ cells. Plasma samples were utilized for D2Dx analysis at 12, 24, 36, and 50 weeks of age. Data was analyzed in SAS using a repeated measures mixed model with fixed effects of age, sex, and age*sex with dog as the repeated subject, and visualized in JMP. As expected, there were significant effects of age, sex, and age*sex on weight (P ≤ 0.003), with puppies growing over the source of the study, and males on average weighing more than females. There were significant age and sex effects (P ≤ 0.024) for the percentage of CD3+ T cells, which increased throughout the study and which was higher in females. There was an age effect (P < 0.001) for the percentage of CD21+ B cells which decreased as the subjects aged. There were age and sex effects (P ≤ 0.043) for CD5dim cells, tentatively identified as natural killer cells, with levels decreasing over time, and males on average having lower levels than females. The percentage of CD3+CD4+ T cells had significant effects of age and age*sex (P ≤ 0.044), with percentages increasing over time. The percentage of CD3+CD8+ T cells had significant age and sex effects (P ≤ 0.022) with percentages decreasing as the subjects aged, and males having overall lower percentages compared to females. The ratio between CD3+CD4+ and CD3+CD8+ cells had a significant age effect (P < 0.001), but unexpectedly increased considerably over the course of the study. D2Dx scores, a measure of non-cellular humoral immunity, increased significantly between 12, 24, and 36 weeks (P < 0.001), but remained stable between week 36 and the end of the study. Overall, these findings provide valuable insights for researchers and clinicians regarding immune system maturation in Labrador retrievers.","PeriodicalId":14895,"journal":{"name":"Journal of animal science","volume":"31 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-10-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145226686","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"15 Biochar additions as a catalyst for climate-smart agriculture and a sustainable solution to greenhouse gas emissions.","authors":"Hossam Ismael, Byeng Ryel Min, Mariline Hilaire, Santosh Chaudhary, Vivian Kanyi, Heba Abdo","doi":"10.1093/jas/skaf300.081","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skaf300.081","url":null,"abstract":"The role of biochar application in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and refining soil health is a subject of extensive research, yet its effects remain questioned. Two sets of experiments were conducted to determine the effects of two varieties of biochar (natural and industrial) on soil fluxes of CH4, N2O, CO2, H2O, soil moister, soil temperature, and aggregate-associated carbon measured at the Caprine Research and Education Unit, Tuskegee University, AL during 12-week. The first experiment (Exp. 1) was conducted to evaluate the effects of industrial biochar on GHG emissions, while the second experiment (Exp. 2) was conducted to evaluate the effects of utilizing natural biochar on GHG emissions from grazing lands. The objectives of this study were 1) to measure the soil fluxes of CH4, N2O, CO2, H2O, soil moister, and soil temperature throughout the experiments using twelve soil chambers (n = 3) without or with the addition of different levels of both industrial and natural biochar (0, 10%, 20%, and 30%/kg soil) measured using LI-COR LI-7810 and LI-7820 Trace Gas Analyzers. Our preliminary results in Exp. 1 showed that industrial biochar amendment linearly decreased the cumulative CO2 emissions by 6% during the experiment (P ≤ 0.05). Compared to the control treatment, the effects of biochar amendment on CH4 (P = 0.24) and N2O (P = 0.13) emissions were not significantly different across the experimental period. In contrast, industrial biochar tends to reduce GHG emissions when its quantity in the soil increases. In Exp.2, natural biochar amendment significantly decreased (P < 0.001) in the cumulative CH4 and CO2 emissions by 26% and 84 % during the experiment, respectively. Industrial and natural biochar has no apparent effects on decreasing N2O emissions because N2O needs time for nitrogen fermentation by soil bacteria. Neither industrial biochar nor natural biochar addition affected soil temperature, but soil temperature was significantly affected by the interactions among biochar, N fertilizer, and time (all p < 0.05). Our study concluded that biochar has the highest potential for reducing CH4 and N2O gasses while increasing soil temperature by increasing the proportion of carbon stored inside. This provides a unique method for biochar’s contribution to soil carbon sequestration. However, the long-term sustainability of biochar effects on varied soil types remains challenging.","PeriodicalId":14895,"journal":{"name":"Journal of animal science","volume":"8 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-10-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145226604","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"217 Understanding tail-biting in pigs: Effects of time of day, posture, and feeder occupancy.","authors":"Courtney A Archer, Storey L Forster, Benny E Mote, Ty B Schmidt, Jon Anderson, Lee J Johnston, Yuzhi Li","doi":"10.1093/jas/skaf300.011","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skaf300.011","url":null,"abstract":"The objective of this study was to identify when and where tail-biting occurs and analyze pig postures to inform management strategies that reduce tail-biting and improve pig welfare. Pigs (N = 315; initial weight = 22.07 ± 3.76 kg) with intact tails were assigned to small (SG, 9 pigs/pen, 4.80 x 1.55 m) or large (LG, 18 pigs/pen, 4.80 x 3.10 m) pens, with SG having 4 feeder spaces and LG having 8 feeder spaces. Pig behavior was recorded continuously for 14 weeks using the NUtrack Livestock Monitoring System. Videos were manually viewed from 0800 to 1500 h on the day before the first tail-biting outbreak in each pen to register behavior when tail-biting occurred. Data were analyzed using the FREQ procedure in SAS. Standardized residuals (> 2 or < -2) were used to identify significant deviations in temporal distribution and feeder occupancy. Residuals of hourly tail-biting events indicated a higher-than-expected occurrence between 0800 – 0900 h (r = 3.21) and 1400 – 1500 h (r = 3.72), whereas lower-than-expected occurrences were observed between 0900 – 1000 h (r = -3.26) and 1000 – 1100 h (r = -4.36). Victimized pigs were primarily lying sternal (χ2 = 1818.06, df = 5; P < 0.0001), while pigs engaging in tail-biting were more likely to be standing compared to non-biting pigs (χ2 = 1008.6, df = 3; P < 0.0001) during tail-biting events. Tail-biting predominantly occurred in the middle of the pen rather than near the front or rear of the pen (χ2 = 24.41, df = 2; P < 0.0001). Tail-biting was more likely to occur when feeder occupancy was low, specifically when 50% or fewer of the feeder spaces were occupied, in both SG (χ² = 362.55, df = 4; P < 0.0001) and LG (χ² = 224.86, df = 8; P < 0.0001). In SG, biting was significantly overrepresented when 0 or 1 pigs were at the feeder (r = 9.70, 9.34). Pigs in LG exhibited a similar trend, with tail-biting overrepresented when 0, 1, 2, or 3 pigs were at the feeder (r = 3.0, 2.04, 6.35, 7.62). These results indicate that tail-biting occurred more frequently when victimized pigs were lying sternally in the middle of the pen during the morning and late afternoon, particularly when most feeder spaces were unoccupied. Further research is needed to validate these findings for the development of management strategies to minimize tail-biting and improve pig welfare.","PeriodicalId":14895,"journal":{"name":"Journal of animal science","volume":"157 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-10-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145226643","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"PSII-11 Selection signatures in a Rarámuri Criollo cattle population introduced to the Southwestern United States.","authors":"Maximiliano J Spetter, Santiago A Utsumi, Eileen M Armstrong, Felipe A Rodríguez Almeida, Pablo J Ross, Lara Macon, Eugenio Jara, Andrew Cox, Andres R Perea, Micah Funk, Matthew Redd, Andres F Cibils, Sheri A Spiegal, Rick E Estell","doi":"10.1093/jas/skaf300.396","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skaf300.396","url":null,"abstract":"Rarámuri Criollo (RC) is a heritage cattle biotype introduced to the U.S. Southwest from the Sierra Madre region of the Copper Canyon of Chihuahua, Mexico. These cattle have been raised by the Tarahumara communities for approximately five centuries with minimal artificial selection or crossbreeding. Research conducted at the USDA-ARS Jornada Experimental Range (JER) in the Chihuahuan Desert has demonstrated the phenotypic plasticity and adaptation of RC cattle to the harsh ecological and climatic conditions of southwestern rangelands. Additionally, genomic studies have shown that the RC cattle constitute a distinct genetic pool within the Criollo cattle biotypes. The objective of this study was to further characterize the genetic diversity of the RC biotype by identifying selection signatures potentially associated with valuable adaptation and performance traits. Ear tissue samples were collected from 152 animals and genotyped using a ~64K SNP Chip (Genetic Visions-STTM). Genotype quality control and relatedness test were conducted using PLINK v2.0, resulting in the retention of 53,752 SNPs and 90 animals. Selection signatures were identified using three methods: Tajima’s D statistics, Runs of Homozygosity, and integrated Haplotype Score. Only SNPs identified by at least two methods were considered under positive selection. Candidate regions were defined as those located within ± 250 kb of each candidate SNP. Genes were annotated using the BovineMine Database v1.6, with coordinates based on the ARS-UCD1.2 genome assembly. Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL) annotation and enrichment analysis were performed using the R package GALLO v1.1, with annotations derived from the Animal Genome cattle QTL database. In total, 42 SNPs spanning 7 chromosomes (1, 2, 6, 7, 13, 18, and 22) were detected. Gene annotation identified 89 candidate genes associated with a wide range of traits, including milk yield and composition, growth, meat and carcass, reproduction, metabolic homeostasis, health, and coat color. A total of 517 QTL were annotated within the candidate regions. The two most frequent QTL types were associated with ‘milk’ and ‘meat and carcass’, while ‘reproduction’, ‘production’, ‘exterior (morphology)’ and ‘health’ were less frequently identified. Enrichment analysis revealed that the most significantly enriched traits included tenderness score, shear force, milk casein content, milk mineral content, and birth index, among others. These findings should be further supported by additional genome-wide association studies, transcriptome profiling, fine mapping, and other analyses. The identification of selection signatures in RC cattle support the adaptation of these cattle to the harsh climatic and nutritional conditions of the southwestern US while retaining desirable levels of production, reproductive and maternal attributes.","PeriodicalId":14895,"journal":{"name":"Journal of animal science","volume":"5 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-10-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145226645","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"362 Late-Breaking: Use of wheat straw and oilseed fines in diets for gestating beef cows.","authors":"Kylie Grimes, Kathy A Larson, Herbert A Lardner, Gabriel O Ribeiro Junior, Gregory B Penner","doi":"10.1093/jas/skaf300.343","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skaf300.343","url":null,"abstract":"Incorporating byproducts and crop residues such as oilseed fines and wheat straw into beef rations could improve sustainability, mitigate feed shortages during droughts, and reduce costs. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of feeding a wheat-straw based diet with high- or low-fat oilseed fines [added to achieve 6% fat on diet dry atter (DM) basis] on dry matter intake (DMI), average daily gain (ADG), body condition score (BCS), rib fat, and rump fat of beef cows during the 2nd and 3rd trimesters of gestation. Seventy-two pregnant crossbred beef cows were selected and stratified by BW, BCS, age, parity, and days pregnant and randomly allocated to 12 pens (6 cows/pen). Each pen was randomly assigned to a diet treatment (4 replicates/ treatment). The experiment was set up as a completely randomized design and lasted 126 d. The diet treatments were: 1) a control diet with barley silage and hay; 2) a diet of wheat straw with low-fat (8.24%) oilseed fines; and 3) a diet of wheat straw with high-fat (19.27%) oilseed fines. All diets were formulated to be isoenergetic (~60% TDN) and the diets with fines both contained 6% ether extract. Statistical analysis was conducted using the MIXED procedure of SAS (SAS Institute Inc.) with dietary treatment included as a fixed effect. Repeated measures were used for BCS, and rib and rump fat measurements. Differences among treatment means were separated using Tukey’s test and were declared significant when P≤0.05. There were no differences among treatments for initial BW (665 kg; P = 0.83), final BW (805 kg; P= 0.48), or ADG (1.10 kg/d; P= 0.41). Cows fed high-fat oilseed fines had lower (P <0.01) DMI as a % of BW than cows fed the control and low-fat oilseed fines treatments. However, DMI expressed in kg/d was lower for cows fed either the high-fat or low-fat oilseed fines treatments (P<0.01) when compared to the control diet. There were no differences among treatments for BCS, rib fat, and rump fat; however, these increased (P<0.01) for all cows from d 1 to 63 to 126. In conclusion, wheat straw diets that include high- or low-fat oilseed fines promoted similar BW change as cows fed a barley silage and grass-hay control diet but consumed less feed likely due to the greater concentrations of dietary fat.","PeriodicalId":14895,"journal":{"name":"Journal of animal science","volume":"158 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-10-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145226646","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"PSIV-27 Genomic prediction of novel profitability traits in feedlot under different approaches in Nelore cattle.","authors":"Leticia Pereira, Cláudio Ulhoa Magnabosco, Eduardo Eifert, Minos Carvalho, Tiago Albertini, Guilherme J M Rosa, Fernando S Baldi","doi":"10.1093/jas/skaf300.406","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skaf300.406","url":null,"abstract":"Several economic traits used in genetic improvement programs have helped increase production, but most are evaluated in pre- and post-weaning periods. After the yearling period, few traits are measured directly in the animal, with some only being indicators in the finishing phase, leaving a gap in information and responses to be explored from a bioeconomic point of view. The incorporation of new characteristics in the finishing phase to identify more efficient animals is of great importance since this phase represents the peak of the animal’s productive potential. Therefore, the aim was to assess the accuracy, bias, and dispersion of genomic predictions accumulated profitability (AFP) and profit per kilogram of liveweight gain (PFT) in Nelore cattle using different prediction approaches. The data set consisted of 3,969 phenotypic records for each trait. The pedigree harbored information from 38,930 animals born between 1998 and 2016, 2,691 sires, and 19,884 dams. A total of 2,449 animals were genotyped with the Clarifide® Nelore 3.0 SNP panel. Nine models for genomic prediction were evaluated: a linear animal model was applied to estimate the genetic parameters and to perform the genomic single-trait best linear unbiased prediction (ST_ss - default), bi-trait ssGBLUP (TT_CAR, TT_W450, and TT_DMI), and multi-trait ssGBLUP (MT_ss), and finally, two models using the weighted linear (ST_sswl1 and ST_sswl2) and nonlinear (ST_sswnl1 and ST_sswnl2) single-step genomic approach (WssGBLUP) were implemented to predict genomic breeding values (GEBV). The ability to predict future performance was calculated as the correlation between GEBV and adjusted phenotypes. The average prediction accuracy of the GEBV of the models ranged from 0.345 to 0.665 for PFT and from 0.425 to 0.603 for APF. The predictive capability of the MT_ss model (0.665) was significantly higher than that of the other models for PFT, except for the TT_CAR model (0.604), which also showed improvements in predictive capacity. For APF, the MT_ss (0.561) and TT_W450 (0.556) models demonstrated improvements in genomic prediction accuracy compared to the other models. In general, the single trait ssGBLUP (ST_ss – default) models and the nonlinear weighting did not increase the accuracy of predictions for both traits. For the phenotypic prediction ability of PFT, the linear WssGBLUP models ST_sswl1 (0.65) and ST_sswl2 (0.70), TT_W450 W450 (0.64), and ssGBLUP-M (0.66) demonstrated the highest prediction abilities. Similar results were observed for the phenotypic prediction ability of AFP for both models. However, the linear WssGBLUP model ST_sswl1 (0.84) and ST_sswl2 (0.94) provided higher prediction compared to the bi-trait and multi-trait models. The results indicate that the multi-trait model achieved better predictive ability for the new traits of PFT and APF. Multi-trait genomic selection may provide greater genetic gains than other models for these new economically important traits in breedin","PeriodicalId":14895,"journal":{"name":"Journal of animal science","volume":"33 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-10-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145226672","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"PSII-13 Effect of Clomiphene citrate on the transcriptome of porcine oocytes in vitro.","authors":"Brooke Newell, Paul W Dyce, Priyanka Banerjee","doi":"10.1093/jas/skaf300.565","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skaf300.565","url":null,"abstract":"In vitro reproductive technologies offer significant potential to accelerate genetic improvement and enhance reproductive efficiency in livestock systems. By reducing generation intervals and increasing selection intensity, these technologies can accelerate genetic improvement. However, current in vitro maturation (IVM) and embryo development rates remain suboptimal, limiting the overall effectiveness of these technologies. One contributor to inefficiencies remains suboptimal oocyte maturation, in vitro, in response to precocious meiotic resumption when oocytes are removed from the follicle and placed in culture. Therefore, our objective was to investigate the effects of Clomiphene citrate (CC), a selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM), on porcine oocyte maturation and gene expression. Traditionally used in oral form to induce ovulation in anovulatory women, an aqueous formulation of CC was used in this study to investigate the effects on porcine oocyte in vitro maturation and transcriptional activity. To address this, cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) were treated for 22 hours in vitro with 10-6M CC, followed by 22 hours in a medium without CC. For the control (untreated) samples, COCs were cultured in the maturation medium without CC for 44 hours. Following 44 hours of maturation, total RNA was extracted from both treated and untreated oocytes (groups of 25 oocytes, n = 6 biological replicates per group) and subjected to library preparation and RNA sequencing using the SMART-seq ultra-low input system. The read counts were obtained after data filtering and quality control using FastQC v0.12.1 and MultiQC v1.21 and alignment to the Ensemble’s Sscrofa11.1 Sus scrofa genome reference using STAR aligner v2.7.11 for the samples. The filtered data was subjected to differential expression analysis using DESeq2. We identified 510 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), including 391 upregulated and 119 downregulated genes in the CC-treated group compared to control (p ≤ 0.05, absolute log2 fold change ≥ 0.5). Functional analysis using KEGG pathway analysis on ClueGO indicated pathways relevant to oocyte development and cellular signaling. Notably, the estrogen, phosphatidylinositol, phospholipase D, cAMP, and ErbB signaling pathways were among the most enriched. These pathways are critical for meiotic progression, follicular development, and cell survival. Several upregulated genes in the CC-treated oocytes—including MAPK3 (mitogen-activated protein kinase 3), AKT1 (AKT serine/threonine kinase 1), TOX3 (TOX high mobility group family member 3), SOCS1 (suppressor of cytokine signaling 1), and NCOA3 (nuclear receptor coactivator 3)—are associated with oocyte competence, estrogen signaling, and embryo development, suggesting that CC could potentially alter the molecular environment of maturing oocytes. However, further studies investigating the effect of CC on oocyte developmental competence are warranted.","PeriodicalId":14895,"journal":{"name":"Journal of animal science","volume":"350 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-10-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145226674","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"383 PBMC transcriptome changes in beef steers with negative or positive residual feed intake following in vitro LPS stimulation.","authors":"Yarahy Leal, Samanthia R Johnson, Modoluwamu Idowu, Godstime Taiwo, Taylor S Sidney, Emily Treon, Deborah Ologunagba, Olanrewaju Morenikeji, Ibukun M Ogunade","doi":"10.1093/jas/skaf300.056","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skaf300.056","url":null,"abstract":"We investigated the changes in the PBMC transcriptome profile of beef steers with divergent residual feed intake (RFI) following in vitro LPS stimulation. Negative-RFI beef steers (n =8, RFI= -2.00) and positive-RFI beef steers (n = 8, RFI = +1.59) were identified from a group of 40 crossbred beef steers (average BW = 360 ± 7.3 kg) after a 56-d RFI testing period. Whole blood samples were collected for PBMC extraction and were stimulated for 2 hours with LPS, followed by total RNA extraction and sequencing. The gene expression profiles of LPS-stimulated PBMCs and the LPS-unstimulated control group from negative- or positive- RFI beef steers were compared and analyzed. Differentially expressed genes were determined using FDR ≤ 0.05. In negative-RFI beef steers, there were 37 differentially expressed genes; the expression of 28 genes such as CD14, TREM1, THBS1, S100A12, S100A8, S100A9, CXCL5, IL1RN, and CCL20 were downregulated, whereas expression of 9 genes including CCL22, CD83, TRAF1, NFKBIZ, RSG16, CD60, and IL17A were upregulated in LPS-stimulated PBMC. In positive-RFI beef steers, we found 9 differentially expressed genes (CCL22, CD83, NFKBIZ, E1BK63, TRAF1, BCL2A1, IFNLR1, RSG16, and CD40), all of which were all upregulated. Gene ontology analysis of the differentially expressed genes revealed the enrichment of biological pathways related to defense and innate immune response, cell migration, and cellular response to lipopolysaccharide in negative-RFI beef steers, characteristic of a prompt and efficient immune reaction. In positive-RFI beef steers, biological processes associated with T cell activation and differentiation, positive regulation of adaptive immune response, and immune cell surface receptors were differentially enriched. Taken together, these findings suggest that negative-RFI beef steers may possess a more competent and energy-conserving immune response, marked by a quicker resolution of inflammation and a balanced pro- and anti-inflammatory response. These results enhance the understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying feed efficiency, highlighting the potential role of immunocompetence in improving livestock productivity.","PeriodicalId":14895,"journal":{"name":"Journal of animal science","volume":"7 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-10-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145226680","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"125 Stimulation of the hypothalamus and pituitary with exogenous kisspeptin and GnRH showed a similar response in LH pulsatile secretion in ovariectomized Bos taurus and Bos indicus beef heifers.","authors":"Sarah M West, Lucas e Silva, Viviana Garza, Jessica F Sustaita-Monroe, Leslie N King, Hayden Feist, Ryan Keener, George A Perry, Roberto Sartori, Rodolfo C Cardoso","doi":"10.1093/jas/skaf300.239","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skaf300.239","url":null,"abstract":"In the U.S., Bos indicus-influenced females represent ~30% of the cow herd. Nonetheless, these females have phenotypic characteristics that impair reproductive efficiency compared to Bos taurus females, including delayed puberty and inefficiencies related to the pharmacological control of ovulatory cycles. The mechanisms underlying these differences have yet to be fully elucidated at the hypothalamic-pituitary level. In this study, it was hypothesized that Bos indicus (Brahman) heifers have a decreased LH secretory response following serial stimulation with kisspeptin and GnRH under high progesterone (P4) negative-feedback conditions compared to Bos taurus (Hereford) heifers. Fourteen post-pubertal heifers (Brahman BR; n=8 and Hereford HF; n=6) were ovariectomized and received two estradiol-17β (E2) implants to create basal E2 concentrations. On d-5, all heifers received two intravaginal P4 devices (1.34 g), which were retained throughout the study. On d0, jugular catheters were placed. Each heifer was submitted to three distinct conditions: Kisspeptin (Kiss; 0.4 µg/Kg BW), GnRH (Gonadorelin; 1 µg/Kg BW), and Control (Saline). Intravenous injections were administered hourly for 8h with blood samples collected every 15 min. Circulating LH concentrations were determined via radioimmunoassay and statistical analysis was performed by one-way ANOVA with Tukey’s HSD. Under control conditions, no differences in endogenous LH pulse frequency (BR: 2.4±0.8 pulses; HF: 1.8±0.7 pulses), LH pulse peak (BR: 1.49±0.2 ng/ml; HF: 1.53±0.34 ng/ml), and pulse amplitude (BR: 1.11±0.19 ng/ml; HF: 1.17±0.28 ng/ml) were observed between BR and HF heifers. Nevertheless, under the same P4 suppressive environment, GnRH administration induced concomitant LH pulses resulting in higher LH pulse frequency compared to control conditions but did not differ between breeds (BR=7±0.7 pulses; HF=6±0.8 pulses). Overall, GnRH administration resulted in detectable LH pulses in 86% of BR and 90% of HF heifers. Similarly, Kiss administration successfully stimulated high frequency of LH pulses compared to heifers under control conditions, potentially acting on the hypothalamic pulse generator, but did not differ between genetic groups (BR=5.9±1.1 pulses; HF=5.2±1.1 pulses). Overall, Kiss administration resulted in detectable LH pulses in 86% of BR and 83% of HF heifers. Unexpectedly, LH pulse peak was not influenced by GnRH administration or Kiss stimulation between BR (GnRH=2.29±0.15 ng/ml; Kiss=1.71±0.09 ng/ml) and HF (GnRH=2.44±0.2 ng/ml; Kiss=1.84±0.15 ng/ml) heifers. Additionally, no differences were detected in LH pulse amplitude between the genetic groups during GnRH (BR=1.51±0.12 ng/ml; HF=1.50±0.16 ng/ml) or Kiss stimulation (BR=1.03±0.04 ng/ml; HF=1.84±0.15 ng/ml). In conclusion, both GnRH and Kiss administration effectively increased LH pulse frequency despite P4 suppression, potentially by acting directly at the pituitary and the hypothalamic GnRH pulse generator, respectivel","PeriodicalId":14895,"journal":{"name":"Journal of animal science","volume":"28 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-10-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145226687","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"81 Genetic relationships among feed intake, growth, and body weight in Holstein calves.","authors":"Avalon G R Phillips, Bayode O Makanjuola, Filippo Miglior, Flavio S Schenkel, Christine F Baes, Ricarda E Jahnel","doi":"10.1093/jas/skaf300.146","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skaf300.146","url":null,"abstract":"Ensuring high feed intake and growth rates early in life has been positively associated with improved calf wellbeing and milk production in dairy cattle. Genetic selection for these early-life traits could produce calves that achieve high growth rates without increasing feed resources, reducing operational costs and environmental impact. However, feed efficiency is a composite trait with contributions from underlying genetic relationships among feed intake and energy sink traits. The objective of this study was to estimate genetic parameters for calf feed efficiency related traits in the pre-weaning and peri-weaning period, including metabolizable energy intake (MEI), average daily gain (ADG), and metabolic body weight (MBW). In total, 4,662 weekly average records for feed intake, ADG, and MBW from 938 Holstein dairy calves from 2016 to 2024 were provided by the Ontario Dairy Research Centre. MEI was calculated from the metabolizable energy content in the milk replacer and concentrated feed to capture the nutrient utilisation of both diets fed to calves in the pre-weaning and peri-weaning periods. Average MEI was 5.50 ± 1.62 Mcal for the pre-weaning period and 5.78 ± 1.43 Mcal for the peri-weaning period. Average MBW was 19.82 ± 2.16 kg0.75 for the pre-weaning period and 28.46 ± 2.27 kg0.75 for the peri-weaning period. Average ADG was 0.83 ± 0.21 kg/day in the pre-weaning period and 0.93 ± 0.16 kg/day in the peri-weaning period. A three-trait repeated records model for both time periods was fit in ASREML 4.2. Heritability estimates for pre-weaning MEI, ADG, and MBW were 0.32 ± 0.02, 0.20 ± 0.04, and 0.54 ± 0.06, respectively. Repeatability estimates for pre-weaning MEI, ADG, and MBW were 0.52 ± 0.02, 0.36 ± 0.02, and 0.88 ± 0.01, respectively. Strong positive genetic correlations were estimated between MEI and MBW (0.72 ± 0.06), MEI and ADG (0.86 ± 0.06), and MBW and ADG (0.76 ± 0.06) for the pre-weaning period. Heritability estimates for peri-weaning MEI, ADG, and MBW were 0.36 ± 0.02, 0.20 ± 0.04, and 0.51 ± 0.07 respectively. Repeatability estimates for peri-weaning MEI, ADG, and MBW were 0.68 ± 0.02, 0.36 ± 0.02, and 0.88 ± 0.01, respectively. Genetic correlations between all studied traits were lower in the peri-weaning period (0.44 ± 0.11 (MEI-MBW), 0.43 ± 0.12 (MEI-ADG), and 0.72 ± 0.06 (ADG-MBW)) in comparison to the pre-weaning period. These results highlight the opportunity for genetic selection as a strategy to improve early-life feed efficiency in Canadian dairy cattle. Estimates from this analysis will be used to derive genetic parameters for residual metabolizable energy intake as a measure of calf feed efficiency.","PeriodicalId":14895,"journal":{"name":"Journal of animal science","volume":"158 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-10-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145226692","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}