Genetics in horses encompasses the study of hereditary traits and the genetic makeup that influences various characteristics and health conditions in equine populations. This field involves the analysis of genes and their functions, inheritance patterns, and the impact of genetic variations on traits such as coat color, performance ability, and susceptibility to diseases. Research in equine genetics employs techniques such as genome mapping, sequencing, and genetic testing to identify specific genes and mutations associated with these traits. This page gathers peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the genetic basis of equine traits, the methodologies used in genetic research, and the implications for breeding, health management, and conservation of horse breeds.
Tozaki T, Ohnuma A, Kikuchi M, Ishige T, Kakoi H, Hirota KI, Takahashi Y, Nagata SI.Thoroughbreds are some of the most famous racehorses worldwide and are currently animals of high economic value. To understand genomic variability in Thoroughbreds, we identified genome-wide insertions and deletions (INDELs) and obtained their allele frequencies in this study. INDELs were obtained from whole-genome sequencing data of 101 Thoroughbred racehorses by mapping sequence reads to the horse reference genome. By integrating individual data, 1,453,349 and 113,047 INDELs were identified in the autosomal (1-31) and X chromosomes, respectively, while 18 INDELs were identified on the mitoch...
Hifumi T, Tanaka T, Sato M, Akioka K, Fujimata C, Miyoshi N.Alveolar echinococcosis in slaughtered horses remains a public health issue. This study aimed to develop a Recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) assay targeting the mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase subunit 5 () gene of for the rapid detection of equine alveolar echinococcosis. Thirty-six hepatic solid nodules obtained from each horse ( = 36) were evaluated based on histopathological examination and -targeted PCR and then submitted to the RPA assay. The results of the developed RPA assay were 94.4% consistent with those of PCR and Cohen's kappa coefficient value was 0.89 statistically,...
Ciamillo SA, Pownder SL, Potter HG, Stefanovski D, Nixon AJ, Ortved KF.Injury of articular cartilage is common, and due to the poor intrinsic capabilities of chondrocytes, it can precipitate joint degradation and osteoarthritis (OA). Implantation of autologous chondrocytes into cartilaginous defects has been used to bolster repair. Accurate assessment of the quality of repair tissue remains challenging. This study aimed to investigate the utility of noninvasive imaging modalities, including arthroscopic grading and optical coherence tomography (OCT) for assessment of early cartilage repair (8 weeks), and MRI to determine long-term healing (8 months). Large (15 mm...
Peng S, Dahlgren AR, Donnelly CG, Hales EN, Petersen JL, Bellone RR, Kalbfleisch T, Finno CJ.The genomic sequence of the horse has been available since 2009, providing critical resources for discovering important genomic variants regarding both animal health and population structures. However, to fully understand the functional implications of these variants, detailed annotation of the horse genome is required. Due to the limited availability of functional data for the equine genome, as well as the technical limitations of short-read RNA-seq, existing annotation of the equine genome contains limited information about important aspects of gene regulation, such as alternate isoforms and...
Gebremedhn S, Gad A, Ishak GM, Menjivar NG, Gastal MO, Feugang JM, Prochazka R, Tesfaye D, Gastal EL.Innumerable similarities in reproductive cyclicity and hormonal alterations highlight the considerable utility of the mare to study aspects of follicular dynamics and reproductive function in view of the largely constricted, human research subjects. The bi-directional communication between the growing oocyte and the surrounding somatic cells embodies the hallmark of mammalian follicular development, partially mediated by extracellular vesicles (EVs) encapsulated with microRNAs (miRNAs) and present in the follicular fluid (FF). Here, we aimed to decipher the dynamics of the miRNAs in EVs from e...
Turco S, Gabbianelli F, Mavian CN, Pietrucci D, De Paolis L, Gialletti R, Mechelli L, De Ciucis CG, Cappelli K, Dell'Anno F, Mecocci S, Donato GG....Papillomaviruses (PVs) are small, non-enveloped viruses, ubiquitous across the animal kingdom. PVs induce diverse forms of infection, such as cutaneous papillomas, genital papillomatosis, and carcinomas. During a survey on the fertility status of a mare, a novel PV (EcPV) has been identified using Next Generation Sequencing, and it was further confirmed with genome-walking PCR and Sanger sequencing. The complete circular genome 7607 bp long shares 67% average percentage of identity with EcPV9, EcPV2, EcPV1, and EcPV6, justifying a new classification as PV 10 (EcPV10). All EcPV genes are cons...
Nazari-Ghadikolaei A, Fikse F, Gelinder Viklund Å, Eriksson S.Assessment protocols to describe the various aspects of conformation, gait and jumping traits on a linear scale were introduced at young horse tests for Swedish Warmblood horses in 2013. The traits scored on a linear scale are assumed to be less subjective and more easily compared across populations than the traditional evaluated traits that are scored relative to the breeding goal. However, the resulting number of traits is considerable, and several of the traits are correlated. The aim of this study was to investigate the interrelationship between the different evaluated and linearly scored ...
Bio SystemsFebruary 27, 2023
Volume 225 104871 doi: 10.1016/j.biosystems.2023.104871
Bhattacharjee S.Adaptations in equine limbs, including fusion of its bones, such as the metapodials II and IV (splint bones) with metapodial III (cannon bone), have been debated. It is argued that cursorial adaptations in equine limbs with a progressive reduction in the number of digits lighten up the limbs and facilitate fast running. Similar fusions in other bones, such as the radius and ulna, tend to exhibit similar traits. For example, the fusion often occurs in a disto-proximal direction while leaving sharp ridges. This article proposes a model to understand the biomechanical advantages that a fused symm...
Theelen MJP, Luiken REC, Wagenaar JA, Sloet van Oldruitenborgh-Oosterbaan MM, Rossen JWA, Schaafstra FJWC, van Doorn DA, Zomer AL.Hospitalisation and antimicrobial treatment are common in horses and significantly impact the intestinal microbiota. Antimicrobial treatment might also increase levels of resistant bacteria in faeces, which could spread to other ecological compartments, such as the environment, other animals and humans. In this study, we aimed to characterise the short- and long-term effects of transportation, hospitalisation and trimethoprim-sulfadiazine (TMS) administration on the faecal microbiota and resistome of healthy equids. In a longitudinal experimental study design, in which the ponies served as the...
Powell BB, Horvath KC, Gilliam TL, Sibille KT, Keil A, Miller-Cushon EK, Wickens CL, Brooks SA.The startle response can be defined as a reflexive reaction to the sudden appearance of a novel stimulus that influences the survival and resilience of animals. In domesticated species, the behavioral component of the startle response can, in some cases, cause serious injury to the animal or human handlers if inappropriately expressed. Here, we describe a longitudinal study in a population of stock-type horses that quantified behavioral startle responses elicited by the presentation of a sudden novel object (rapidly opening umbrella). The study was performed in weanling foals across four conse...
Hill EW, McGivney BA, MacHugh DE.The proportion of the genome containing runs of homozygosity (ROH) affects production traits in livestock populations. In European and Australasian Thoroughbreds inbreeding, quantified using ROH (F ), is associated with the probability of ever racing. Here, we measured F using 333 K SNP genotypes from 768 Thoroughbred horses born in North America to evaluate the effect of inbreeding on racing traits in that region. Among North American horses, F was not associated (p = 0.518) with the probability of ever racing but was significantly associated with the number of race starts (p = 0.002). ...
Verhaar N, de Buhr N, von Köckritz-Blickwede M, Dümmer K, Hewicker-Trautwein M, Pfarrer C, Dengler F, Kästner S.Hypoxia inducible factors (HIF) are widely researched in human medicine for their role in different disease processes. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression and distribution of HIF in experimental small intestinal ischemia in the horse. Unassigned: In 14 horses under general anesthesia, segmental jejunal ischemia with 90% reduction in blood flow was induced. The horses were randomly divided into two groups of seven horses, one subjected to ischemic postconditioning (IPoC) by delayed reperfusion, and a control group (group C) undergoing undelayed reperfusion. Intestinal sample...
Chapard L, Van Thillo A, Meyermans R, Gorssen W, Buys N, Janssens S.Show jumping is one of the most popular disciplines in the horse sector, which makes success in show jumping competitions an important breeding goal for many studbooks. Therefore, the genetic evaluation of show jumping performance is of major interest and this is the case for two Belgian Warmblood studbooks: the Belgian Warmblood horse and Zangersheide. In this study, first an improved phenotype for show jumping performance was developed, i.e. adjusted fence height based on a new non-arbitrary method to scale ranking and competition level, which are two major components of success in competiti...
Yokomori T, Ohnuma A, Tozaki T, Segawa T, Itou T.Considering the personality traits of racehorses (e.g., flightiness, anxiety, and affability) is considered essential to improve training efficiency and decrease accident frequency, especially when retraining for a second career that may involve contact with inexperienced personnel after retiring from racing. Studies on human personality-related genes are frequently conducted; however, such studies are rare in horses because a consistent methodology for personality evaluation is lacking. Using the recently published whole genome variant database of 101 Thoroughbred horses, we compared horse ge...
Piras FM, Cappelletti E, Abdelgadir WA, Salamon G, Vignati S, Santagostino M, Sola L, Nergadze SG, Giulotto E.In mammals, centromeres are epigenetically specified by the histone H3 variant CENP-A and are typically associated with satellite DNA. We previously described the first example of a natural satellite-free centromere on Equus caballus chromosome 11 (ECA11) and, subsequently, on several chromosomes in other species of the genus Equus. We discovered that these satellite-free neocentromeres arose recently during evolution through centromere repositioning and/or chromosomal fusion, after inactivation of the ancestral centromere, where, in many cases, blocks of satellite sequences were maintained. H...
Albert E, Sahin-Tóth J, Horváth A, Papp M, Biksi I, Dobay O.Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bearing the mecC gene (mecC-MRSA) has been reported from animals and humans in recent years. This study describes the first mecC-MRSA isolates of human and equine origin in Hungary (two isolates from horses and one from a veterinarian, who treated one of the infected horses, but was asymptomatic). MRSA isolates were identified by cultivation and PCR detection of the species-specific spa gene and mecA/mecC methicillin resistance genes. The isolates were characterized by antibiotic susceptibility testing, MLST, spa, SCCmec typing, PFGE and whole genome...
Al-Kass Z, Ntallaris T, Morrell JM, Johannisson A.Although previous studies have examined the relationship between the sperm DNA fragmentation index and fertility in stallions, other aspects of chromatin structure or packaging and fertility have not been explored. In the present study, relationships between fertility and DNA fragmentation index, protamine deficiency, total thiols, free thiols and disulfide bonds in stallion spermatozoa were investigated. Ejaculates (n = 36) were collected from 12 stallions and extended to prepare semen doses for insemination. One dose from each ejaculate was sent to the Swedish University of Agricultural Sc...
Pimentel F, McManus C, Soares K, Caetano AR, de Faria DA, Paiva SR, Ianella P.Optimization of DNA collection for National gene bank and conservation programs requires information on spatial and genetic distribution of animals countrywide. The relationship between genetic and geographic distances were examined in 8 Brazilian horse breeds (Baixadeiro, Crioulo, Campeiro, Lavradeiro, Marajoara, Mangalarga Marchador, Pantaneiro and Puruca) using Single Nucleotide Polymorphism markers and collection point locations. Mantel correlations, Genetic Landscape Shape Interpolation, Allelic Aggregation Index Analyses and Spatial autocorrelation tests indicated a nonrandom distributio...
Karamendin K, Abishov A, Kydyrmanov A, Akhmetzhanova M.In 2011, there was an outbreak of a disease with mass abortions among horses in southeastern Kazakhstan. The AK-2011 strain was isolated from an aborted fetus and subsequently identified as equid alphaherpesvirus 1. Here, we describe the nearly complete genome sequence of the AK-2011 strain, attenuated for vaccine development.
Petry S, Breuil MF, Duquesne F.Contagious equine metritis (CEM) detection by PCR is recognized by the European Union according to Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 846/2014, and real-time PCR is now recommended by the World Organisation for Animal Health Terrestrial Manual at the same level as the culture method. The present study highlights the creation of an efficient network of approved laboratories in France in 2017 for CEM detection by real-time PCR. The network currently consists of 20 laboratories. A first proficiency test (PT) was organized by the national reference laboratory for CEM in 2017 to evaluate th...
de Almeida Campos AC, Cicolo S, de Oliveira CM, Molina CV, Navas-Suárez PE, Dos Santos TP, da Silveira VB, Barbosa CM, Baccarin RYA, Durigon EL....No abstract available
Boisseau M, Mach N, Basiaga M, Kuzmina T, Laugier C, Sallé G.Equine strongyles encompass more than 64 species of nematode worms that are responsible for growth retardation and the death of animals. The factors underpinning variation in the structure of the equine strongyle community remain unknown. Methods: Using horse-based strongyle community data collected after horse deworming (48 horses in Poland, 197 horses in Ukraine), we regressed species richness and the Gini-Simpson index upon the horse's age, faecal egg count, sex and operation of origin. Using the Ukrainian observations, we applied a hierarchical diversity partitioning framework to estimate ...
Klecel W, Drobik-Czwarno W, Martyniuk E.Arabian show horses are well known for their exceptional beauty and elegance. The breed type, body conformation and movement are assessed during horse shows by licensed judges. The 5 judging categories are type, head and neck, body and topline, legs and movement, which are scored on a 20 point scale. It can be hypothesized that the scores in different categories are related to each other, and that the score for the most subjective type category depends on the scores for conformation categories. We analyzed 762 sets of average scores obtained by 583 unique horses at the World Championships. Cor...
Fukushi N, Badr Y, Fukushi H.Equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) UL11 is a 74-amino-acid (aa) protein encoded by ORF51. UL11 is modified by acylation including myristoylation and palmitoylation. Myristoylation of EHV-1 UL11 is assumed to occur on the N-terminal glycine, while palmitoylation is assumed to occur on the seventh and ninth cysteines. ORF51, which encodes the first 24 aa, overlaps ORF50 encoding UL12. We previously demonstrated that UL11 was essential for EHV-1 replication in cultured cells and that UL11 was localized at the Golgi apparatus where herpesviruses obtain their final envelope. It is unclear whether th...
Fanelli D, Moroni R, Bocci C, Camillo F, Rota A, Panzani D.Horses and donkeys differ phenotypically and karyotypically, although they can interbreed freely. Eight Standardbred mares and nine Amiata donkey jennies were included in the study. Semen was collected from two horses and two donkey stallions of proven fertility. A first pregnancy diagnosis was performed on day 10 after ovulation and repeated every day until embryo detection or until day 16. Irrespectively of the sire species, pregnancy rates in horse females (20/30, 66.7%) were significantly higher than in donkey females (19/70, 27.1%) (p < 0.05), while horse and donkey males did not affect p...
Seo MG, Ouh IO, Kwak D.A clinical case of was reported for the first time in our previous study (2019) in a horse, a nondefinitive host. Although is a ruminant and not a zoonotic pathogen, it is responsible for persistent infections in horses. In this follow-up study, the prevalence of spp., including , was assessed in horse blood and lung tissue samples to fully understand spp. pathogen distribution and the potential risk factors of infection. Among 1696 samples, including 1433 blood samples from farms nationwide and 263 lung tissue samples from horse abattoirs on Jeju Island, a total of 29 samples (1.7%) teste...
Liu X, Seguin-Orlando A, Chauvey L, Tressières G, Schiavinato S, Tonasso-Calvière L, Aury JM, Perdereau A, Wagner S, Clavel P, Estrada O, Pan J....Age profiling of archaeological bone assemblages can inform on past animal management practices, but is limited by the fragmentary nature of the fossil record and the lack of universal skeletal markers for age. DNA methylation clocks offer new, albeit challenging, alternatives for estimating the age-at-death of ancient individuals. Here, we take advantage of the availability of a DNA methylation clock based on 31,836 CpG sites and dental age markers in horses to assess age predictions in 84 ancient remains. We evaluate our approach using whole-genome sequencing data and develop a capture assay...
Alshahrani SH, Alameri AA, Kahar F, Alexis Ramírez-Coronel A, Fadhel Obaid R, Alsaikhan F, Zabibah RS, Qasim QA, Altalbawy FMA, Fakri Mustafa Y....Recently in vivo and in vitro studies have provided evidence establishing the significance of microRNAs (miRNAs) in both physiological and pathological conditions. In this regard, the role of miRNA-128 (miR-128) in health and diseases has been found, and its critical regulatory role in the context of some viral diseases has been recently identified. For instance, it has been found that miR-128 can serve as an antiviral mediator and significantly limit the replication and dissemination of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). Besides, it has been noted that poliovirus receptor-related 4 ...
Lewis N, Canesin H, Choi YH, Foss R, Felix M, Rader K, Hinrichs K.Information on factors associated with developmental competence of equine in vitro -produced (IVP) blastocysts is lacking. Objective: To determine the relationships of stage, grade, day of development, and specific morphological parameters of equine IVP blastocysts, to pregnancy and foaling rates. Methods: Photomicrographs of 316 IVP embryos with known pregnancy outcomes were scrutinised individually by four observers. Inter-observer variation was assessed, and pregnancy outcome evaluated in relation to day of blastocyst development and assigned grade and stage. Individual component analysis w...
Demyda-Peyrás S, Laseca N, Anaya G, Kij-Mitka B, Molina A, Karlau A, Valera M.Chromosomal abnormalities are largely associated with fertility impairments in the domestic horse. To date, over 600 cases of individuals carrying abnormal chromosome complements have been reported, making the domestic horse the species with the highest prevalence. However, studies analyzing the prevalence of chromosomal diseases in whole populations are scarce. We, therefore, employed a two-step molecular tool to screen and diagnose chromosomal abnormalities in a large population of 25,237 Pura Raza Español horses. Individuals were first screened using short tandem repeats parentage testing ...
Feh C.A study of a herd of Camargue horses Equus caballus, showed that while the majority of high-ranking stallions held single-male harems, some sons of low-ranking mares, being low ranking themselves, formed alliances that could last a lifetime. The two stallions were each other's closest associate and preferential grooming partner. Alliances were based on coalitions in which either both partners confronted an intruder synchronously or the dominant of the pair tended the female(s) while the subordinate simultaneously displayed towards the rival. Alliance partners were of similar age but were not m...
Harris SR, Robinson C, Steward KF, Webb KS, Paillot R, Parkhill J, Holden MT, Waller AS.Strangles, the most frequently diagnosed infectious disease of horses worldwide, is caused by Streptococcus equi. Despite its prevalence, the global diversity and mechanisms underlying the evolution of S. equi as a host-restricted pathogen remain poorly understood. Here, we define the global population structure of this important pathogen and reveal a population replacement in the late 19th or early 20th Century. Our data reveal a dynamic genome that continues to mutate and decay, but also to amplify and acquire genes despite the organism having lost its natural competence and become host-rest...
Breton A, Sharma R, Diaz AC, Parham AG, Graham A, Neil C, Whitelaw CB, Milne E, Donadeu FX.Pluripotent stem cells offer unprecedented potential not only for human medicine but also for veterinary medicine, particularly in relation to the horse. Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are particularly promising, as they are functionally similar to embryonic stem cells and can be generated in vitro in a patient-specific manner. In this study, we report the generation of equine iPSCs from skin fibroblasts obtained from a foal and reprogrammed using viral vectors coding for murine Oct4, Sox2, c-Myc, and Klf4 sequences. The reprogrammed cell lines were morphologically similar to iPSCs rep...
Lin C, Stahl DA.A total of six 16S rRNA targeted oligonucleotide probes were used to quantify Fibrobacter abundance and diversity in the gastrointestinal contents of a pony. Approximately 12% of the total 16S rRNA extracted from cecal contents hybridized with a Fibrobacter genus-specific probe and a Fibrobacter succinogenes species-specific probe. However, no significant hybridization was observed with a probe for the species. Fibrobacter intestinalis or with three probes for F. succinogenes subspecies. This suggested the presence of a previously undescribed population of F. succinogenes-like organisms. Novel...
Switonski M, Mankowska M, Salamon S.The melanocortin receptor gene family consists of five single-exon members, which are located on autosomes. Three genes (MC2R, MC4R and MC5R) are syntenic in the human, mouse, cattle and dog genomes, while in the pig, the syntenic group comprises MC1R, MC2R and MC5R. Two genes (MC1R and MC4R) have been extensively studied due to their function in melanogenesis (MC1R) and energy control (MC4R). Conservative organisation of these genes in five mammalian species (human, mouse, cattle, pig and dog), in terms of the encoded amino acid sequence, is higher in the case of MC4R compared to MC1R. Polymo...
Amtmann E, Müller H, Sauer G.Bovine papilloma virus (BPV) appears to be the etiological agent of common equine connective tissue tumors. We investigated the physical state of the viral DNA within such tumors and found no indication for integration into the host genome. The BPV genomes were present as free circular episomes. Two equine sarcoids were shown to contain multiple copies of free circular BPV type 1 (BPV-1) DNA. When the tumors were digested with several single-cut restriction enzymes, there were only form III BPV-1 DNA sequences could be revealed. One of the sarcoids contained, apart from wild-type BPV-1 DNA, a ...
Patterson-Kane JC, Rich T.Superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) injury in equine athletes is one of the most well-accepted, scientifically supported companion animal models of human disease (i.e., exercise-induced Achilles tendon [AT] injury). The SDFT and AT are functionally and clinically equivalent (and important) energy-storing structures for which no equally appropriate rodent, rabbit, or other analogues exist. Access to equine tissues has facilitated significant advances in knowledge of tendon maturation and aging, determination of specific exercise effects (including early life), and definition of some of the...
Schuffenecker I, Peyrefitte CN, el Harrak M, Murri S, Leblond A, Zeller HG.West Nile virus (WNV) reemerged in Morocco in September 2003, causing an equine outbreak. A WNV strain isolated from a brain biopsy was completely sequenced. On the basis of phylogenetic analyses, Moroccan WNV strains isolated during the 1996 and 2003 outbreaks were closely related to other strains responsible for equine outbreaks in the western Mediterranean basin.
Knowles DP, Kappmeyer LS, Stiller D, Hennager SG, Perryman LE.Horses infected with Babesia equi were previously identified by the presence of antibodies reactive with a merozoite surface protein epitope (D. P. Knowles, Jr., L. E. Perryman, L. S. Kappmeyer, and S. G. Hennager. J. Clin. Microbiol. 29:2056-2058, 1991). The antibodies were detected in a competitive inhibition enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (CI ELISA) by using monoclonal antibody 36/133.97, which defines a protein epitope on the merozoite surface. The gene encoding this B. equi merozoite epitope was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. The recombinant merozoite protein, designated equ...
Benavides JA, Salgado-Caxito M, Opazo-Capurro A, González Muñoz P, Piñeiro A, Otto Medina M, Rivas L, Munita J, Millán J.Antibiotic-resistant bacteria of critical importance for global health such as extended-spectrum beta-lactamases-producing (ESBL)- have been detected in livestock, dogs, and wildlife worldwide. However, the dynamics of ESBL- between these animals remains poorly understood, particularly in small-scale farms of low and middle-income countries where contact between species can be frequent. We compared the prevalence of fecal carriage of ESBL- among 332 livestock (207 cows, 15 pigs, 60 horses, 40 sheep, 6 goats, 4 chickens), 82 dogs, and wildlife including 131 European rabbits, 30 rodents, and 12 ...
Morvan B, Bonnemoy F, Fonty G, Gouet P.Total number of bacteria, cellulolytic bacteria, and H2-utilizing microbial populations (methanogenic archaea, acetogenic and sulfate-reducing bacteria) were enumerated in fresh rumen samples from sheep, cattle, buffaloes, deer, llamas, and caecal samples from horses. Methanogens and sulfate reducers were found in all samples, whereas acetogenes were not detected in some samples of each animal. Archaea methanogens were the largest H2-utilizing populations in all animals, and a correlation was observed between the numbers of methanogens and those of cellulolytic microorganisms. Higher counts of...
Zhao Y, Li B, Bai D, Huang J, Shiraigo W, Yang L, Zhao Q, Ren X, Wu J, Bao W, Dugarjaviin M.The hindgut of horses is an anaerobic fermentative chamber for a complex and dynamic microbial population, which plays a critical role in health and energy requirements. Research on the gut microbiota of Mongolian horses has not been reported until now as far as we know. Mongolian horse is a major local breed in China. We performed high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA genes V4 hypervariable regions from gut fecal material to characterize the gut microbiota of Mongolian horses and compare them to the microbiota in Thoroughbred horses. Fourteen Mongolian and 19 Thoroughbred horses were use...
Poissant J, Gavriliuc S, Bellaw J, Redman EM, Avramenko RW, Robinson D, Workentine ML, Shury TK, Jenkins EJ, McLoughlin PD, Nielsen MK, Gilleard JS.Horses are ubiquitously infected by a diversity of gastro-intestinal parasitic helminths. Of particular importance are nematodes of the family Strongylidae, which can significantly impact horse health and performance. However, knowledge about equine strongyles remains limited due to our inability to identify most species non-invasively using traditional morphological techniques. We developed a new internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) DNA metabarcoding 'nemabiome' assay to characterise mixed strongyle infections in horses and assessed its performance by applying it to pools of infective larvae ...
Asher RJ, Bennett N, Lehmann T.An unprecedented level of confidence has recently crystallized around a new hypothesis of how living placental mammals share a pattern of common descent. The major groups are afrotheres (e.g., aardvarks, elephants), xenarthrans (e.g., anteaters, sloths), laurasiatheres (e.g., horses, shrews), and euarchontoglires (e.g., humans, rodents). Compared with previous hypotheses this tree is remarkably stable; however, some uncertainty persists about the location of the placental root, and (for example) the position of bats within laurasiatheres, of sea cows and aardvarks within afrotheres, and of der...
Scepek S, Coorssen JR, Lindau M.Using the patch-clamp technique, we studied the role of protein phosphorylation and dephosphorylation on the exocytotic fusion of secretory granules with the plasma membrane in horse eosinophils. Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) had no effect on the amplitude and dynamics of degranulation, indicating that the formation of fusion pores is insensitive to activation of protein kinase C (PKC). Fusion pore expansion, however, was accelerated approximately 2-fold by PMA, and this effect was abolished by staurosporine. Elevating intracellular Ca2+ to 1.5 microM also resulted in a 2-fold accelera...
Dobbe JC, van der Meer Y, Spaan WJ, Snijder EJ.The recent development of arterivirus full-length cDNA clones makes possible the construction of chimeric arteriviruses for fundamental and applied studies. Using an equine arteritis virus (EAV) infectious cDNA clone, we have engineered chimeras in which the ectodomains of the two major envelope proteins, the glycoprotein GP(5) and the membrane protein M, were replaced by sequences from envelope proteins of related and unrelated RNA viruses. Using immunofluorescence microscopy, we monitored the transport of the hybrid GP(5) and M proteins to the Golgi complex, which depends on their heterodime...
Scheinberg P, Marte M, Nunez O, Young NS.Clones of glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchor protein-deficient cells are characteristic in paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria and are present in about 40-50% of patients with severe aplastic anemia. Flow cytometry has allowed for sensitive and precise measurement of glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchor protein-deficient red blood cells and neutrophils in severe aplastic anemia. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria clones measured by flow cytometry in 207 consecutive severe aplastic anemia patients who received immunosuppressive therapy with a h...
Nikiforov TT, Rendle RB, Goelet P, Rogers YH, Kotewicz ML, Anderson S, Trainor GL, Knapp MR.A new method for typing single nucleotide polymorphisms in DNA is described. In this method, specific fragments of genomic DNA containing the polymorphic site(s) are first amplified by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using one regular and one phosphorothioate-modified primer. The double-stranded PCR product is rendered single-stranded by treatment with the enzyme T7 gene 6 exonuclease, and captured onto individual wells of a 96 well polystyrene plate by hybridization to an immobilized oligonucleotide primer. This primer is designed to hybridize to the single-stranded target DNA immediately...
Oue Y, Morita Y, Kondo T, Nemoto M.Equine coronavirus (ECoV) outbreaks have occurred three times at Obihiro Racecourse in Hokkaido, Japan. The third ECoV outbreak occurred between late February and early April 2012. The main clinical signs of affected horses were anorexia, pyrexia and leucopenia; gastrointestinal disease was observed in about 10% of affected horses. Two ECoV strains were isolated from diarrheal samples. All paired sera (9/9) collected from febrile horses showed seroconversion by neutralization test. Sequence and phylogenetic analysis of the ECoV isolated showed that putative amino acid sequences in S and N gene...
Hill EW, Gu J, McGivney BA, MacHugh DE.Athletic performance is influenced by a complex interplay among the environment and a suite of genes, which contributes to system-wide structure and function. In a panel of elite and non-elite Thoroughbred horses (n=148), we genotyped 68 SNPs in 17 putative exercise-relevant genes chosen from a genome scan for selection. We performed a series of case-control and quantitative association tests for relationships with racecourse performance. Thirteen SNPs in nine genes were significantly (P<0.05) associated with a performance phenotype. We selected five SNPs in four genes (ACSS1, ACN9, COX4I1,...
Science (New York, N.Y.)February 12, 2017
Volume 355, Issue 6325 627-630 doi: 10.1126/science.aag1772
Cantalapiedra JL, Prado JL, Hernández Fernández M, Alberdi MT.Evolutionary theory has long proposed a connection between trait evolution and diversification rates. In this work, we used phylogenetic methods to evaluate the relationship of lineage-specific speciation rates and the mode of evolution of body size and tooth morphology in the Neogene and Quaternary radiation of horses (7 living and 131 extinct species). We show that diversification pulses are a recurrent feature of equid evolution but that these pulses are not correlated with rapid bursts in phenotypic evolution. Instead, rapid cladogenesis seems repeatedly associated with extrinsic factors t...
Kennedy R, Lappin DF, Dixon PM, Buijs MJ, Zaura E, Crielaard W, O'Donnell L, Bennett D, Brandt BW, Riggio MP.Equine periodontal disease is a common and painful condition and its severe form, periodontitis, can lead to tooth loss. Its aetiopathogenesis remains poorly understood despite recent increased awareness of this disorder amongst the veterinary profession. Bacteria have been found to be causative agents of the disease in other species, but current understanding of their role in equine periodontitis is extremely limited. The aim of this study was to use high-throughput sequencing to identify the microbiome associated with equine periodontitis and oral health. Subgingival plaque samples from 24 h...
Lu G, Ou J, Ji J, Ren Z, Hu X, Wang C, Li S.Getah virus (GETV) is a mosquito-borne virus that was first determined in Malaysia in 1955, and can infect humans and multiple other mammals. GETV infection in horses has been reported in Japan and India, and causes great economic losses. In China, GETV has been identified in mosquitoes, pigs, foxes, and cattle with a wide geographical distribution, but has not been detected in horses. In August 2018, a sudden onset of fever was observed in racehorse in an equestrian training center in Guangdong Province in southern China. Blood samples were collected from the sick horse, and PCR/RT-PCR analys...
Lindenberg F, Krych L, Kot W, Fielden J, Frøkiær H, van Galen G, Nielsen DS, Hansen AK.Shortly after birth the mammalian gut is colonized, by a transient microbiota, highly susceptible to environment and diet, that eventually stabilizes and becomes the resident gut microbiota. In a window of opportunity during the colonization, oral tolerance is established towards resident bacteria. In this study, the development of the equine gut microbiota was investigated in ten foals from parturition until post weaning. We found great differences in the core species of the gut microbiota composition between time-matched samples on Day 7 and 20 post-partum. Between day 20 and Day 50 post-par...
Balaggan KS, Binley K, Esapa M, MacLaren RE, Iqball S, Duran Y, Pearson RA, Kan O, Barker SE, Smith AJ, Bainbridge JW, Naylor S, Ali RR.We evaluated the efficacy of equine infectious anaemia virus (EIAV)-based lentiviral vectors encoding endostatin (EIAV.endostatin) or angiostatin (EIAV.angiostatin) in inhibiting angiogenesis and vascular hyperpermeability in the laser-induced model of choroidal neovascularisation (CNV). Equine infectious anaemia virus.endostatin, EIAV.angiostatin or control (EIAV.null) vectors were administered into the subretinal space of C57Bl/6J mice. Two weeks after laser injury CNV areas and the degree of vascular hyperpermeability were measured by image analysis of in vivo fluorescein angiograms. Compar...
Johnson PJ.Certain management practices tend to promote the development of obesity (metabolic syndrome) in mature horses as they enter their teenage years. These management practices include the provision of starch-rich (high glycemic index) and fat-supplemented rations to healthy horses that are relatively inactive. Some horse breeds and ponies appear to be genetically predisposed to metabolic syndrome. The accretion of intra-abdominal adiposity by equids is associated with the development of insulin insensitivity (hyperinsulinemia), glucose intolerance, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and insidious-onset l...
McDonald RE, Fleming RI, Beeley JG, Bovell DL, Lu JR, Zhao X, Cooper A, Kennedy MW.Horses are unusual in producing protein-rich sweat for thermoregulation, a major component of which is latherin, a highly surface-active, non-glycosylated protein. The amino acid sequence of latherin, determined from cDNA analysis, is highly conserved across four geographically dispersed equid species (horse, zebra, onager, ass), and is similar to a family of proteins only found previously in the oral cavity and associated tissues of mammals. Latherin produces a significant reduction in water surface tension at low concentrations (< or = 1 mg ml(-1)), and therefore probably acts as a wettin...
Ablondi M, Viklund Å, Lindgren G, Eriksson S, Mikko S.A growing demand for improved physical skills and mental attitude in modern sport horses has led to strong selection for performance in many warmblood studbooks. The aim of this study was to detect genomic regions with low diversity, and therefore potentially under selection, in Swedish Warmblood horses (SWB) by analysing high-density SNP data. To investigate if such signatures could be the result of selection for equestrian sport performance, we compared our SWB SNP data with those from Exmoor ponies, a horse breed not selected for sport performance traits. Results: The genomic scan for homoz...
Milinovich GJ, Trott DJ, Burrell PC, van Eps AW, Thoefner MB, Blackall LL, Al Jassim RA, Morton JM, Pollitt CC.In the horse, carbohydrate overload is thought to play an integral role in the onset of laminitis by drastically altering the profile of bacterial populations in the hindgut. The objectives of this study were to develop and validate microbial ecology methods to monitor changes in bacterial populations throughout the course of experimentally induced laminitis and to identify the predominant oligofructose-utilizing organisms. Laminitis was induced in five horses by administration of oligofructose. Faecal specimens were collected at 8 h intervals from 72 h before to 72 h after the administration ...
Börjesson S, Greko C, Myrenås M, Landén A, Nilsson O, Pedersen K.The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence of the newly described transferable colistin resistance gene mcr-9 in extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing clinical Enterobacteriaceae isolates from horses in Sweden. A total of 56 whole-genome sequenced ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae isolates from horses were subjected to in silico detection of antimicrobial resistance genes and identification of plasmid replicons types. The colistin minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for mcr-positive isolates was determined by broth microdilution. Relatedness between Enterobacteriaceae...
