Animals : an Open Access Journal from MDPI最新文献

{"title":"Thrombin as a Potential Proxy to Select for Horn Fly Abundance in Beef Cattle.","authors":"Amanda Warner,&nbsp;Ashley Ling,&nbsp;Taylor Krause,&nbsp;Bradley Heins,&nbsp;Nancy Hinkle,&nbsp;Dean Pringle,&nbsp;Samuel E Aggrey,&nbsp;Romdhane Rekaya","doi":"10.3390/ani12212982","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12212982","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Horn flies are a major nuisance to cattle and induce significant economic losses. Fly abundance varies within and across breeds and genetic analyses have shown sufficient genetic variation to permit selection. A major bottleneck for selecting against horn fly abundance is the complexity of measuring fly attraction phenotypes. Easy-to-measure proxy phenotypes could be an attractive option to indirectly estimate fly abundance. In the current study, thrombin was investigated as a potential proxy to assess fly abundance. Fly counts and blood samples were collected on 355 cows. Pearson correlation between subjective fly count and thrombin was -0.13, indicating a decrease in fly abundance with the increase in thrombin concentration. When thrombin was discretized into three classes, there was a 22% difference in fly count between the top and bottom classes. Heritability estimates of thrombin were 0.38 and 0.39 using linear and threshold models, respectively. The correlation between estimated thrombin breeding values and fly count was around -0.18. There was a noticeably lower density of high fly counts among animals with high breeding values for thrombin. These results indicate that thrombin could be used in combination with other biological factors to estimate fly abundance and as a proxy for selection against fly abundance.</p>","PeriodicalId":519482,"journal":{"name":"Animals : an Open Access Journal from MDPI","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2022-10-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9656636/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40677492","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ultrasound Description of Follicular Development in the Louisiana Pinesnake (<i>Pituophis ruthveni</i>, Stull 1929).","authors":"Matteo Oliveri,&nbsp;Mark R Sandfoss,&nbsp;Steven B Reichling,&nbsp;Melanie M Richter,&nbsp;Jessica R Cantrell,&nbsp;Zdenek Knotek,&nbsp;Beth M Roberts","doi":"10.3390/ani12212983","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12212983","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Accurate monitoring of reproductive activity is necessary for success of captive breeding and recovery of endangered species. Using ultrasonography, we aimed to describe the stages of follicle development of the endangered Louisiana pinesnake (<i>Pituophis ruthveni</i>). Ultrasound procedures were performed weekly for 11 females during the 2020 reproductive season by submerging the last half of an unanesthetized female in water and using a 3.0-10.0 MHz linear array transducer placed and moved along the gastrosteges to explore the whole reproductive tract. The presence of follicles, their size, echogenicity, and stage of development was assessed. We observed small, round, anechoic, linearly aligned previtellogenic follicles in the coelom at the beginning of the reproductive season and found that structures dramatically increased in size and shifted in echogenicity as follicles matured and developed before and after ovulation. We classified follicles according to ultrasonographic appearance into 7 different follicle categories: previtellogenic, early vitellogenic, vitellogenic, preovulatory, peri-ovulatory, post ovulatory, and shelled. Using ultrasound, we developed markers of progressive follicular maturation for the Louisiana pinesnake and identified signs of abnormal development and post ovulatory follicle reabsorption. Detailed description of follicular maturation will be useful to improve captive breeding successes, identify mechanisms of reproductive failure, and develop artificial insemination.</p>","PeriodicalId":519482,"journal":{"name":"Animals : an Open Access Journal from MDPI","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2022-10-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9659107/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40677494","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Integrative Analysis of miRNA-mRNA in Ovarian Granulosa Cells Treated with Kisspeptin in Tan Sheep.","authors":"Tianshu Dai,&nbsp;Xiaolong Kang,&nbsp;Chaoyun Yang,&nbsp;Shan Mei,&nbsp;Shihao Wei,&nbsp;Xingru Guo,&nbsp;Ziming Ma,&nbsp;Yuangang Shi,&nbsp;Yuankui Chu,&nbsp;Xingang Dan","doi":"10.3390/ani12212989","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12212989","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Kisspeptin is a peptide hormone encoded by the kiss-1 gene that regulates animal reproduction. Our studies revealed that kisspeptin can regulate steroid hormone production and promote cell proliferation in ovarian granulosa cells of Tan sheep, but the mechanism has not yet been fully understood. We speculated that kisspeptin might promote steroid hormone production and cell proliferation by mediating the expression of specific miRNA and mRNA in granulosa cells. Accordingly, after granulosa cells were treated with kisspeptin, the RNA of cells was extracted to construct a cDNA library, and miRNA-mRNA sequencing was performed. Results showed that 1303 expressed genes and 605 expressed miRNAs were identified. Furthermore, eight differentially expressed miRNAs were found, and their target genes were significantly enriched in progesterone synthesis/metabolism, hormone biosynthesis, ovulation cycle, and steroid metabolism regulation. Meanwhile, mRNA was significantly enriched in steroid biosynthesis, IL-17 signaling pathway, and GnRH signaling pathway. Integrative analysis of miRNA-mRNA revealed that the significantly different oar-let-7b targets eight genes, of which EGR1 (early growth response-1) might play a significant role in regulating the function of granulosa cells, and miR-10a regulates lipid metabolism and steroid hormone synthesis by targeting HNRNPD. Additionally, PPI analysis revealed genes that are not miRNA targets but crucial to other biological processes in granulosa cells, implying that kisspeptin may also indirectly regulate granulosa cell function by these pathways. The findings of this work may help understand the molecular mechanism of kisspeptin regulating steroid hormone secretion, cell proliferation, and other physiological functions in ovarian granulosa cells of Tan sheep.</p>","PeriodicalId":519482,"journal":{"name":"Animals : an Open Access Journal from MDPI","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2022-10-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9656243/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40677899","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Changes in Management, Welfare, Emotional State, and Human-Related Docility in Stallions.","authors":"Silvana Popescu,&nbsp;Eva Andrea Lazar,&nbsp;Cristin Borda,&nbsp;Anamaria Blaga Petrean,&nbsp;Elena Mitrănescu","doi":"10.3390/ani12212981","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12212981","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Despite an increase in awareness of their essential needs, many stallions continue to be kept in conditions limiting their social interactions and movement. To supplement the studies which highlight the effects of these practices on selected aspects of equine mental and physical wellbeing, we aimed to monitor a group of 32 adult intact stallions during their transition from tethered housing with limited outdoor access to free group housing through the lens of their overall welfare, perceived emotional status, and docility toward humans. Over three visits (before the management change, two weeks, and three months after, respectively), their welfare, qualitative behavior, and docility were assessed. Analysis of the data collected showed an improvement in the stallions' overall welfare and no decrease in their docility after their group-release, with a constant correlation between these two aspects. The evaluation of their emotional states was less relevant, lacking consistency between the assessments for most of the descriptors used, warranting further research in similar conditions. Although our study covered a relatively short period of time, our results provide encouraging support for stallion owners in deciding on a similar management change for the welfare of their animals.</p>","PeriodicalId":519482,"journal":{"name":"Animals : an Open Access Journal from MDPI","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2022-10-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9655772/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40677491","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ability of Garlic and Ginger Oil to Reduce <i>Salmonella</i> in Post-Harvest Poultry.","authors":"Kelsy Robinson,&nbsp;Anna L F V Assumpcao,&nbsp;Komala Arsi,&nbsp;Annie Donoghue,&nbsp;Palmy R R Jesudhasan","doi":"10.3390/ani12212974","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12212974","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Approximately 1.35 million human salmonellosis cases are reported in the United States every year, resulting in over 26,000 hospitalizations and 400 deaths. Consumption of contaminated poultry products is one of the leading causes of human salmonellosis. Poultry meat becomes contaminated when feces from an infected bird comes into contact with the carcass during processing. Additional carcasses can then become cross-contaminated along the processing line. While chemicals such as peracetic acid are currently used to kill microbes such as <i>Salmonella</i>, consumers are increasingly calling for more natural alternatives. Our objective for this study was to determine the ability of the phytochemicals garlic and ginger oil to reduce <i>Salmonella</i> prevalence in the processing environment. In a simulated scalding tank environment, dipping contaminated chicken skin samples in a solution containing both garlic and ginger oil reduced Salmonella by up to 2 log CFU. Furthermore, the oils prevented <i>Salmonella</i> growth in the tank solution. The mechanism of action of garlic and ginger was evaluated using the sub-inhibitory concentration of each oil individually. While both were found to decrease autoinducer-2 (AI-2) levels, no effect was seen on expression of 10 genes involved in <i>Salmonella</i> virulence and survival. In total, this work demonstrates the potential of garlic and ginger to reduce <i>Salmonella</i> prevalence in the post-harvest environment. However, more work remains to be done to understand the mechanism of action.</p>","PeriodicalId":519482,"journal":{"name":"Animals : an Open Access Journal from MDPI","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2022-10-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9656020/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40677003","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Bibliometric Analysis of Research on the Main Genes Involved in Meat Tenderness.","authors":"Jhony Alberto Gonzales-Malca,&nbsp;Vicente Amirpasha Tirado-Kulieva,&nbsp;María Santos Abanto-López,&nbsp;William Lorenzo Aldana-Juárez,&nbsp;Claudia Mabel Palacios-Zapata","doi":"10.3390/ani12212976","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12212976","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Tenderness is one of the main characteristics of meat because it determines its price and acceptability. This is the first bibliometric study on the trend of research on the role of genes in meat tenderness. A total of 175 original and English-language articles published up to 2021 were retrieved from Scopus. The bibliometric analysis was carried out with VOSviewer (version 1.6.18, Eck and Waltman, Leiden, Netherlands) and complemented with the Analyze search results service from Scopus. Erroneous and duplicate data were eliminated, and incomplete information was added to standardize the results. Scientific production was evaluated by means of quantity, quality and structure indicators. As a first glance, 8.816% of authors have published more than 50% of papers mainly related to genes encoding the calpain (CAPN)-calpastatin (CAST) system and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Among other findings, a strong link was found between the contribution of the main countries (led by the United States with) and their institutions (led by the USDA Agricultural Research Service with) to their gross domestic product. Most studies on the topic are published in the <i>Journal of Animal Science</i>, and other journals with high impact according to the number of citations and different metrics. Finally, when evaluating the most cited articles, the occurrence and association of the main keywords, it was confirmed that research is focused on the role of CAPN and CAST genes and of SNPs in beef tenderness. The change in science was emphasized; although marker-assisted selection is still used, genes have an infinitesimal effect on complex traits. Therefore, since about 2010, new research groups adopted genomic selection to evaluate dense panels of SNPs and better explain genetic variation in meat tenderness.</p>","PeriodicalId":519482,"journal":{"name":"Animals : an Open Access Journal from MDPI","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2022-10-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9654910/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40677004","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Feeding Byproduct-Based Concentrates Instead of Human-Edible Feed Ingredients Increases Net Food Production and Improves Performance of High-Producing Holstein Cows.","authors":"Nima Naderi,&nbsp;Gholam Reza Ghorbani,&nbsp;Hamid Erfani,&nbsp;Luiz Felipe Ferraretto","doi":"10.3390/ani12212977","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12212977","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The effect of feeding greater amounts of byproducts (BP) as a replacement for human-edible (HE) feed ingredients on nutrient intake, chewing activity, rumen fermentation, production performance, human-edible feed conversion efficiency (HeFCE) and net food production (NFP) of high-producing Holstein cows was evaluated. Twelve multiparous Holstein cows (BW = 673 ± 44, DIM = 112 ± 8 d; 48 ± 2.25 kg/d of milk; mean ± SE) were used in a replicated 3 × 3 Latin square design with 28-d periods. Each period consisted of 21 d of adaptation followed by 7 d of data collection. Treatments diets were (DM basis): (1) concentrate containing 26% byproducts (BP26; control); (2) concentrate containing 60% byproducts (BP60); and (3) concentrate containing 95% byproducts (BP95). Alfalfa hay (20% dietary DM) and corn silage (20% dietary DM) were included in all diets. Dietary concentrations of neutral detergent fiber (NDF), non-fiber carbohydrates (NFC), starch and ether extract (EE) were 32.1, 41.0, 26.14 and 3.4% (BP 26); 35.3, 36.0, 22.05 and 4.7% (BP60); and 38.2, 32.0, 17.96 and 6.1% (BP95), respectively (DM basis). Dry matter (22.07 kg/d) and NEL (35.16 Mcal/d) intakes did not differ among treatments. However, ether extract and NDF intakes increased, whereas starch intake decreased linearly as BP ingredients increasingly replaced HE feed ingredients. Eating time was not affected by dietary treatment, but ruminating and total chewing time tended to increase with increasing amounts of BP. Replacing HE with BP ingredients did not affect rumen pH. An increased proportion of BP ingredients in the diet linearly decreased propionate, isobutyrate, isovalerate and valerate concentrations in the rumen and increased acetate concentration and the acetate to propionate ratio. Replacing HE with BP ingredients did not affect milk yield. The yield of 3.5% FCM (39.12, 40.14 and 41.33 kg/d for BP26, BP60 and BP95, respectively) and fat content (2.95, 2.99 and 3.13 % for BP26, BP60 and BP95, respectively) linearly increased. Substituting BP ingredients for HE feed ingredients increased unsaturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids, stearic acid, oleic acid and preformed fatty acids but decreased saturated fatty acids, palmitic acid, de novo and mixed fatty acids. Replacing HE with BP feed ingredients increased human-edible efficiency (HeFCE) for crude protein (1.06, 1.66 and 4.14 kg/kg edible for BP26, BP60 and BP95, respectively) and for energy (2.27, 3.62 and 9.22 MJ/MJ edible for BP26, BP60 and BP95, respectively) and also net food production (NFP) for crude protein (0.064, 0.52, and 1.00 kg/d for BP26, BP60, and BP95, respectively) and energy (62.8, 83.0 and 104.7 MJ/d for BP26, BP60 and BP95, respectively). Feeding byproduct-based concentrates instead of human-edible feed ingredients increase human-edible feed conversion efficiency (HeFCE), net food production (NFP) and improved the performance of high-producing Holstein cows.</p>","PeriodicalId":519482,"journal":{"name":"Animals : an Open Access Journal from MDPI","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2022-10-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9659234/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40677005","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Impacts of Female Access during Rearing on the Reproductive Behavior and Physiology of Pekin Drakes, and Flock Fertility.","authors":"Lindsey J Broadus,&nbsp;Brian Lee,&nbsp;Maja M Makagon","doi":"10.3390/ani12212979","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12212979","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Commercially housed Pekin ducks (<i>Anas platyrhynchos</i>) are typically reared in same sex groups to facilitate separate diet provisioning. Several female ducklings are sometimes mixed into the otherwise all-male pens. This practice is thought to increase flock reproductive success. To evaluate this hypothesis, we reared ducklings in alternating same-sex groups (150 hens or 30 drakes/pen; 8 groups/sex) and evaluated the impacts of rearing on drake mounting behavior, testosterone levels, and flock fertility. At 12 days, three females were placed into four of the male duckling pens. At 20-22 weeks of age, adjacent male and female pens were moved into pens within a breeder barn, and combined to form mixed-sex pens. The number of correctly aligned mounts performed by 10 focal drakes per pen was evaluated over 3 days (12 h/day) at 26, 32, and 45 weeks of age. Circulating testosterone concentrations were analyzed from blood plasma samples collected from the focal drakes at 15 (baseline), 22, 28, 34 and 45 weeks of age. Pen-level fertility was determined at 33-34 and 45-46 weeks of age. Mount and testosterone data were analyzed using a Generalized Linear Mixed Model and a Linear Mixed Model in R 4.0.5, with duck in pen as a random effect. A Linear Mixed Model was used to analyze fertility data, with pen as a random effect. None of the measured variables were impacted by rearing treatment, but all varied with flock age. Physical access to female ducklings during rearing did not enhance flock reproductive success.</p>","PeriodicalId":519482,"journal":{"name":"Animals : an Open Access Journal from MDPI","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2022-10-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9657275/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40677006","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Equine Stomach Development in the Fetal Period: An Anatomical, Topographical, and Morphometric Study.","authors":"Dominik Poradowski,&nbsp;Aleksander Chrószcz","doi":"10.3390/ani12212966","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12212966","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Studies of equine stomach prenatal development are very rare, and descriptions usually focus on the processes taking place in the embryonic period. Only general information about gastric organogenesis in the fetal period is available in embryology textbooks on domestic mammals. The material for our study included twenty half-breed horse fetuses divided into three age groups on the basis of known fetal age (verified using the CRL method). Our study consists of the topographical, morphological, and morphometrical description of stomach development between the 4th and 11th months of gestation. Even though the skeletotopy, syntopy, and holotopy of the stomach in the fetal period seems to be relatively unchanged, the organ shape and the proportions between its anatomical parts differed in fetuses from the three age groups. The achieved results were statistically elaborated to estimate the dynamics of the stomach shape. This can be described as changing from medium-wide to wide and from slightly bent to sharply bent. A nonlinear correlation of all metric values with CRL in all age groups was observed. A positive allometric growth rate of different intensity was seen in all metric parameters. All the values increased as the fetal period progressed. Only the parietal surface growth rate gradually changed from strongly positive allometric in the first age group to strongly negative allometric in the third age group. A difference between the non-glandular and glandular mucosa of the stomach was visible in the first group. Development of a well-distinguishable plicated edge margin began in the second age group together with gastric pits and gastric areas. The third age group showed a well-developed gastric groove and angular incisura.</p>","PeriodicalId":519482,"journal":{"name":"Animals : an Open Access Journal from MDPI","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2022-10-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9658733/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40479280","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Development of a Rapid Sex Identification Method for Newborn Pigeons Using Recombinase Polymerase Amplification and a Lateral-Flow Dipstick on Farm.","authors":"Fang-Yu Lai,&nbsp;Kuang-Chih Chang,&nbsp;Chi-Sheng Chang,&nbsp;Pei-Hwa Wang","doi":"10.3390/ani12212969","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12212969","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>According to pigeon racing rules in Taiwan, the pigeon raiser must decide which juveniles will be chosen as soon as possible. Differentiating the sex of young pigeons based on appearances, and other traditional methods, can be time-consuming and require several pieces of equipment. Recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) combined with a lateral-flow dipstick (LFD) could further simplify the presentation of amplification results. A designed reverse primer and probe were labeled with biotin and FAM (fluorescein), respectively, to serve as ligands in the LFD. With the addition of a designed forward primer, the RPA-LFD can be used to perform sex identification of pigeon DNA. The optimal conditions were determined to require at least 6.3 pg of the DNA template, a temperature of 37 °C, and a reaction time of at least 20 min. Under these conditions, the test band area on the strip appeared as a dark color if the sample contained female template DNA, whereas the male DNA samples did not produce any test signal in any of the conditions. The results of random samples using RPA-LFD under the optimal conditions agreed with the results of the same samples determined by PCR-agarose gel electrophoresis. The approach in this study represents a rapid and accurate method for pigeon sexing.</p>","PeriodicalId":519482,"journal":{"name":"Animals : an Open Access Journal from MDPI","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2022-10-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9656852/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40479276","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}