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.
McGuire TC, Perryman LE, Banks KL.Following the descriptions of immunodeficiencies in horses beginning in 1973, there has been considerable effort to develop methods for differential diagnosis and to determine the cause and prevalence of the disorders. In addition, the equine immunodeficiencies, especially combined immunodeficiency, have been studied from a comparative viewpoint with the goal of finding information applicable to similar diseases of children. Coincident with the development of knowledge about the immunodeficiencies per se, considerable information about several aspects of immunology has been obtained. It is the...
Rowlands IW.The world-wide foaling rate in the mare is low and in the Hannoverian breed has remained asymptotic at about 50 per cent for over 150 years. In an attempt to discover some of the possible reasons for this low fertility rate, the evolutionary history of the perissodactyls, the odd-toed ungulates, is reviewed here. Of the 156 genera of this order, 152 are in the fossil record; this gives them the highest extermination rate of all the mammal groups. Some of the unusual and unique features of the reproductive physiology of the mare and their possible association with low fertility are considered.
Chapus C, Desnuelle P, Foglizzo E.Pig and horse colipases have been purified by a common procedure using trypsin and carboxypeptidase inhibitors as stabilizers. Two forms of pig colipase were identified: a predominant A1 form with about 103-105 residues, and a minor slightly degraded A2 form in which the last two C-terminal residues, Asp and Ser, were lacking. This type of degradation is considerably slowed down by carboxypeptidase inhibitors. A total of four forms of the horse cofactor were characterized: two (A1 and B1) were probably isocolipases which differed by only a few substitutions. Both contained the same number of r...
Blue MG.The objective of this study was to investigate an hypothesis that chromosome anomalies are an important cause of prenatal loss in the mare. An attempt was made to analyse, cytogenetically, a series of 26 equine abortuses. Cell cultures were prepared from a range of tissues, but failed to grow, and chromosome analysis was therefore not possible for any of these specimens. Consequently, a study was made of the metaphase chromosomes prepared from 22 equine embryos after their surgical removal from mares' uteri. The karyotypes prepared for each specimen were normal. The current findings are discus...
Munk Z, Dusek J.The fertility problems were studied in the herd of the English Thoroughbred horse on the Napajedla stud farm. Breeding records for the period from 1880 to 1972 were used as the starting data. The survey comprised 32 stallions. The relationship between fertility and the number of matings was calculated by the chi 2 quantity. The calculated values are highly variable. However, it is generally seen in most of the stallions that the number of matings per heat (i. e. one or several matings) had no significant influence on the pregnancy of mares and on the fertility values of the stallions. A higher...
Blue MG.This study provides accumulated data to assist the definition of karyotypes from normal and infertile horses. The normal karyotype of the horse (2n = 64) was characterized following Giemsa staining and C- banding, and 23% aneuploidy was found among chromosome counts of cells prepared from 44 clinically normal horses and 24 equine embryos. These expected variations in chromosome counts are especially important in the evaluation of potential mosaicism. Centromere staining was shown to be a valuable aid for the identification of specific chromosomes, in particular the sex chromosomes. Sex chromat...
Dal Canto MC, Rabinowitz SG.Arboviruses are important pathogens for both animals and humans. Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis virus (VEEV) is an arbovirus whose pathogenicity for grey matter structures has been previously studied. To our knowledge, the present study is the first to describe extensive inflammation and demyelination in spinal cord white matter of mice infected with VEEV. To probe a possible immunepathogenesis of white matter alterations in this infection, nude mice and heterozygous controls were similarly infected. Whereas controls still showed inflammatory demyelination, nude mice showed no white matte...
Le Vine H, Cuatrecasas P.A cytosolic, macromolecular factor required for the cholera toxin-dependent activation of pigeon erythrocyte adenylate cyclase and cholera toxin-dependent ADP-ribosylation of a membrane-bound 43,000 dalton polypeptide has been purified 1100-fold from horse erythrocyte cytosol using organic solvent precipitation and heat treatment. This factor, 13,000 daltons, does not absorb to anionic or cationic exchange resins, is sensitive to trypsin or 10% trichloroacetic acid and is not extractable by diethyl ether. Activation of adenylate cyclase by cholera toxin requires the simultaneous presence of AT...
Fulka J, Okolski A.Oocytes were removed from follicles 5-30 mm in diameter. The germinal vesicle was present in 69.6% (23/33) of the oocytes at the start of culture, but after 20-24 and 40 h 70.5% (12/17) and 68.2% (43/63) of the oocytes were in metaphase I and metaphase II with first polar body extruded, respectively.
Bouquet Y, Van Zeveren A, Van de Weghe A, Mériaux JC.The inheritance of a new D system red cell antigen, factor 22, is described. It has also been possible to discriminate more efficiently between D system phenogroups enabling genotypes to be identified from phenotypes in the majority of cases. This improves the accuracy of animal identification and gene frequency estimates.
Camici G, Manao G, Cappugi G, Ramponi G.We have predicted the secondary structure of horse muscle acylphosphatase by the statistical method of Chou and Fasman. In addition, we have studied the circular dichroism spectra of the enzyme, obtaining values for comparison to the predicted results. Discrepancies were found for the alpha-helix content estimated by the two methods.
Garma-Aviña A, Valli VE, Lumsden JH.Four cases of equine congenital cutaneous papillomatosis were found during a review of 555 cutaneous tumours received at the pathology department, Ontario Veterinary College, during a 10-year period. A fifth case received after that period was also included. Two of the tumours were found in Thoroughbreds, one in a Standardbred, one in an Arabian and in one case the breed was not specified. The anatomical locations were the rib cage, head, hind leg and 2 on the forehead.
Guttormsen SA, Weitkamp LR.Polymorphism of equine erythrocyte malic enzyme is detactable on starch gel electrophoresis. The frequency of ME1S was 0.06 in 667 Standardbred and 0.09 in 85 Thoroughbred horses. No genetically determined electrophoretic variation in soluble malate dehydrogenase was detected.
The Journal of heredityJanuary 1, 1981
Volume 72, Issue 1 65-66 doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.jhered.a109433
Dring LA, Hintz HF, Van Vleck LD.Average gestation periods for bay, chestnut, dark bay, gray, and black Thoroughbred mares were compared. A total of 1359 gestation periods were used. A linear model including factors for age of mare, sex of foal, month and year of breeding, and sire effects was used in the analysis. Dam and sire coat-color combinations were also investigated in a similar manner. No significant differences in gestation length could be attributed to coat color of the mare of to dam and sire coat-color combinations. Heritability of gestation length was estimated to be 0.38. The results of this study strongly sugg...
Koj A, Kurdowska A.Antithrombin III and alpha 1-proteinase inhibitor isolated simultaneously from horse citrated plasma were tested for inhibitory activity against bovine trypsin and chymotrypsin, as well as elastase-like neutral proteinases from horse leucocytes. The stoichiometry of reaction and kinetic parameters (kass, Ko) were estimated and related to the protein pattern obtained after exposure of these proteinases to horse inhibitors as analyzed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE and PAGE-SDS). As shown by fast reaction rates and low values of dissociation constants the two inhibitors effectively ...
Medeiros LO, Medeiros LF, Barcelos SR, Ferri S, Reiner UR.
Summary:
The authors studied glycolytic and non-glycolytic erythrocytic enzyme activities in 8 thoroughbred horses with equine infectious anemia (EIA) and 16 normal controls. Biochemical lesions were indicated, the most outstanding being a deficiency of pyruvatekinase. Adenvlatekinase could be considered as a “salvage pathway” for the formation of ATP.
Zusammenfassung:
Infektiöse Anemie bei Pferden Mangel an Pirovatokinase in Erythrocyten der Englischen Vollblutpferde
Die Autoren untersuchten die Aktivität der glykolytischen und der nichtglykolytischen Enzyme der Erythrocyt...
Rossdale PD.Diagnosis in veterinary medicine is based upon observations of the manner in which the behavioural patterns differ from those exhibited by normal subjects. The newborn foal adapts to an advanced level of activity within a period which is short relative to many other species, and the behavioural patterns which it exhibits during the period of adaptation are comparatively stereotyped. Because the status of any newborn mammal is affected by its previous experience of foetal development and birth, the behavioural patterns of the mother form an important anamnesis in the life of each individual neo...
Doige CE.A midsagittal centrum cleft of T5-6, malformation and fusion of T3-7, intra- and extraspinal cyst, and myelodysplasia were found in a 3-month-old female Arabian foal that had experienced posterior ataxia since birth. Based on studies in other species, ecto-endodermal adhesions early in embryogenesis leading to formation of an enterogenous cyst is the most probable pathogenesis.