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.
Druml T, Grilz-Seger G, Neuditschko M, Brem G.The aim of this study was to determine the allele frequency of the glycogen synthase 1 (GYS1) mutation associated with polysaccharide storage myopathy type 1 in the Austrian Noriker horse. Furthermore, we examined the influence of population substructures on the allele distribution. The study was based upon a comprehensive population sample (208 breeding stallions and 309 mares) and a complete cohort of unselected offspring from the year 2014 (1553 foals). The mean proportion of GYS1 carrier animals in the foal cohort was 33%, ranging from 15% to 50% according to population substructures based...
Na W, Yeom M, Yuk H, Moon H, Kang B, Song D.This study provides information regarding vaccine research and the epidemiology of influenza virus in neglected hosts (horses and dogs). Equine influenza virus (EIV) causes a highly contagious disease in horses and other equids, and outbreaks have occurred worldwide. EIV has resulted in costly damage to the horse industry and has the ability of cross the host species barrier from horses to dogs. Canine influenza is a virus of equine or avian origin and infects companion animals that live in close contact with humans; this results in possible exposure to the seasonal epizootic influenza virus. ...
Chen Y, Caporali E, Stewart M.Bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP-2) is critical for skeletal and cartilage development, homeostasis and repair. This study was conducted to clone and characterize equine BMP-2, develop expression constructs for equine BMP-2, and to determine whether BMP-2 can stimulate chondrogenesis of equine synovial membrane-derived progenitor cells (SMPC). Methods: Equine BMP-2 cDNA was amplified from chondrocyte RNA, and then transferred into an expression plasmid and adenoviral vector. Effective expression of equine BMP-2 was confirmed using a BMP reporter cell line. SMPC were isolated from synovium, ex...
Mentoor JL, Lubisi AB, Gerdes T, Human S, Williams JH, Venter M.We report here the complete genome sequence of a lineage 2 West Nile virus (WNV) strain that resulted in fatal neurological disease in a horse in South Africa. Several recent reports exist of neurological disease associated with lineage 2 WNV in humans and horses in South Africa and Europe; however, there are a lack of sequencing data from recent fatal cases in Southern Africa, where these strains likely originate. A better understanding of the genetic composition of highly neuroinvasive lineage 2 strains may facilitate the identification of putative genetic factors associated with increased v...
Wetmore LA, Pascoe PJ, Shilo-Benjamini Y, Lindsey JC.OBJECTIVE To determine the locomotor response to the administration of fentanyl in horses with and without the G57C polymorphism of the μ-opioid receptor. ANIMALS 20 horses of various breeds and ages (10 horses heterozygous for the G57C polymorphism and 10 age-, breed-, and sex-matched horses that did not have the G57C polymorphism). PROCEDURES The number of steps each horse took was counted over consecutive 2-minute periods for 20 minutes to determine a baseline value. The horse then received a bolus of fentanyl (20 μg/kg, IV), and the number of steps was again counted during consecutive 2-...
Corbin CJ, Legacki EL, Ball BA, Scoggin KE, Stanley SD, Conley AJ.The 5α-reductase enzymes play an important role during male sexual differentiation, and in pregnant females, especially equine species where maintenance relies on 5α-reduced progesterone, 5α-dihydroprogesterone (DHP). Epididymis expresses 5α-reductases but was not studied elaborately in horses. Epididymis from younger and older postpubertal stallions was divided into caput, corpus and cauda and examined for 5α-reductase activity and expression of type 1 and 2 isoforms by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Metabolism of progesterone and testosterone to DHP and dihydro...
Kooyman FN, van Doorn DC, Geurden T, Mughini-Gras L, Ploeger HW, Wagenaar JA.For the control of cyathostomins in horses, the macrocyclic lactones (MLs), moxidectin (MOX) and ivermectin (IVM) are the most commonly used anthelmintics. However, reduced activity, observed as shortening of the egg reappearance period (ERP) has been described. Shortening of the ERP may be caused by a decreased susceptibility of immature worms for MLs. Alternatively, immature worms may develop faster into egg producing adults as a result of repeated ML treatments. The species composition of the larval cultures obtained shortly after ML and pyrantel (PYR) treatment can confirm the hypothesis o...
Janabi AHD, Kerkhof LJ, McGuinness LR, Biddle AS, McKeever KH.There are many choices for methods of extracting bacterial DNA for Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) from fecal samples. Here, we compare our modifications of a phenol/chloroform extraction method plus an inhibitor removal solution (C3) (ph/Chl+C3) to the PowerFecal® DNA Isolation Kit (MoBio-K). DNA quality and quantity coupled to NGS results were used to assess differences in relative abundance, Shannon diversity index, unique species, and principle coordinate analysis (PCoA) between biological replicates. Six replicate samples, taken from a single ball of horse feces manually collected from ...
Kader A, Liu X, Dong K, Song S, Pan J, Yang M, Chen X, He X, Jiang L, Ma Y.Copy number variation (CNV), an essential form of genetic variation, has been increasingly recognized as one promising genetic marker in the analysis of animal genomes. Here, we used the Equine 70K single nucleotide polymorphism genotyping array for the genome-wide detection of CNVs in 96 horses from three diverse Chinese breeds: Debao pony (DB), Mongolian horse (MG) and Yili horse (YL). A total of 287 CNVs were determined and merged into 122 CNV regions (CNVRs) ranging from 199 bp to 2344 kb in size and distributed in a heterogeneous manner on chromosomes. These CNVRs were integrated with s...
Kuzmina TA, Dzeverin I, Kharchenko VA.An extensive analysis of the relationships between strongylid egg shedding in domestic horses and the strongylid community structure in regard to the age of the horses, their breeds and different strategies of horse management, particularly with anthelmintic treatment programs was performed. Domestic horses (n=197) of different ages (5 months to 22 years) and of various breeds from 15 farms with different types of deworming programs were included in this study. Strongylids (totally, 82,767 specimens) were collected in vivo after deworming of the horses with the macrocyclic lactone anthelmintic...
Monk CS, Craft WF, Abbott JR, Farina LL, Reuss SM, Czerwinski SL, Brooks DE, Plummer CE.The objective of this paper is to describe clinical behavior, histopathologic features, and immunohistochemical staining of two-related horses with intraocular teratoid medulloepithelioma. Two-related Quarter Horses with similar intraocular masses presented to the UF-CVM Comparative Ophthalmology Service for evaluation and treatment. The first horse, a 3-year-old gelding, had glaucoma and a cyst-like mass in the anterior chamber. Enucleation was performed. Histopathology revealed a teratoid medulloepithelioma. The tumor was considered to be completely excised. Fifteen months later, the gelding...
BMC research notesJuly 19, 2016
Volume 9 353 doi: 10.1186/s13104-016-2161-9
Tarlinton RE, Alder L, Moreton J, Maboni G, Emes RD, Tötemeyer S.Toll like receptors are one of the major innate immune system pathogen recognition systems. There is little data on the expression of the TLR10 member of this family in the horse. Results: This paper describes the genetic structure of the Equine TLR10 gene and its RNA expression in a range of horse tissues. It describes the phylogenetic analysis of the Equine TLR1,6,10,2 annotations in the horse genome, firmly identifying them in their corresponding gene clades compared to other species and firmly placing the horse gene with other TLR10 genes from odd-toed ungulates. Additional 3' transcript e...
Leeb T, Müller EJ, Roosje P, Welle M.Molecular genetics has made significant advances in the analysis of hereditary dermatoses during the last several years. Objective: To provide an update on currently available genetic tests for skin diseases of dogs, cats and horses, and to aid the veterinary clinician in the appropriate selection and applications of genetic tests. Methods: The scientific literature on the topic was critically reviewed. The list of known causative variants for genodermatoses and hair morphology traits was compiled by searching the Online Mendelian Inheritance in Animals (OMIA) database. Results: Genetic testin...
Sevane N, Dunner S, Boado A, Cañon J.Equine osteochondrosis (OC) is a frequent developmental orthopaedic disease with high economic impact on the equine industry and may lead to premature retirement of the animal as a result of chronic pain and lameness. The genetic background of OC includes different genes affecting several locations; however, these genetic associations have been tested in only one or few populations, lacking the validation in others. The aim of this study was to identify the genetic determinants of OC in the Spanish Purebred horse breed. For that purpose, we used a candidate gene approach to study the associati...
Finley A, Gohari IM, Parreira VR, Abrahams M, Staempfli HR, Prescott JF.NetF-producing Clostridium perfringens have recently been identified as a cause of necrotizing enteritis in neonatal foals, but little is known about its prevalence in clinically normal foals. Foals (n = 88) ranging in age from < 1 wk to 2 to 4 mo (median age 2 to 4 wk) on 8 horse-breeding farms in Ontario were examined on 1 or 2 occasions for the presence of C. perfringens. Of the foals that tested positive, 5 isolates (n = 675) were examined for the netF and enterotoxin (cpe) genes. Colonization by C. perfringens was most marked in foals < 1 wk of age [4.85 ± 2.70 log10 colony-forming...
Ma J, Zhang Z, Yao Q, Su C, Yin X, Wang X.Rev, an important accessory protein of equine infectious anaemia virus (EIAV), induces the nuclear export of incompletely spliced viral mRNAs. Rev is translated from the tat-rev mRNA through leaky scanning of the tat CUG. In this study, the function of the Kozak sequence at the beginning of the rev ORF was investigated. Deletion or attenuation of the Kozak sequence resulted in expression of an N-terminal 11 aa-truncated Rev in addition to WT Rev. Truncated Rev displayed weaker promotion of Gag expression and processing than WT Rev. Furthermore, EIAV rescued from an infectious molecular clon...
Kennedy R, Lappin DF, Dixon PM, Bennett D, Riggio MP.Equine periodontitis is a common and painful condition. However, the disease often goes unnoticed by owners and is thus a major welfare concern. The aetiopathogenesis of the condition remains poorly understood and has been investigated in few studies. The innate immune system is known to play an important role in human periodontitis, but its role in equine periodontitis has not been examined. Objective: To quantify the messenger (m)RNA levels of Toll-like receptors (TLRs) and cytokines in gingival tissue from orally healthy horses and those affected by periodontitis. Methods: Observational stu...
Bottagisio M, Pellegata AF, Boschetti F, Ferroni M, Moretti M, Lovati AB.Tendon ruptures and/or large losses remain to be a great clinical challenge and often require full replacement of the damaged tissue. The use of auto- and allografts or engineered scaffolds is an established approach to restore severe tendon injuries. However, these grafts are commonly related to scarce biocompatibility, site morbidity, chronic inflammation and poor biomechanical properties. Recently, the decellularisation techniques of allo- or xenografts using specific detergents have been studied and have been found to generate biocompatible substitutes that resemble the native tissue. This...
Rafati N, Andersson LS, Mikko S, Feng C, Raudsepp T, Pettersson J, Janecka J, Wattle O, Ameur A, Thyreen G, Eberth J, Huddleston J, Malig M, Bailey E....Skeletal atavism in Shetland ponies is a heritable disorder characterized by abnormal growth of the ulna and fibula that extend the carpal and tarsal joints, respectively. This causes abnormal skeletal structure and impaired movements, and affected foals are usually killed. In order to identify the causal mutation we subjected six confirmed Swedish cases and a DNA pool consisting of 21 control individuals to whole genome resequencing. We screened for polymorphisms where the cases and the control pool were fixed for opposite alleles and observed this signature for only 25 SNPs, most of which we...
Tang YD, Zhang X, Na L, Wang XF, Fu LH, Zhu CH, Wang X, Zhou JH.Equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) is a member of the genus Lentivirus of the family Retroviridae. Horses are the most susceptible equids to EIAV infection and are therefore the primary hosts of this virus. In contrast, infected donkeys do not develop clinically active equine infectious anemia (EIA). This phenomenon is similar to what has been observed with HIV-1, which fails to induce AIDS in non-human primates. Interestingly, Shen et al. developed a donkey-tropic pathogenic virus strain (EIAVDV117, DV117) by serially passaging a horse-tropic pathogenic strain, EIAVLN40 (LN40), in donkeys....
Goodale EC, White SD, Outerbridge CA, Everett AD, Affolter VK.Hyperaesthetic leucotrichia (HL) rarely affects horses and causes painful lesions on the dorsum that result in leucotrichia. This may be a variant of erythema multiforme (EM), but there are no studies investigating this condition. Objective: Describe the clinical and histological features of HL and compare them to the histological features of EM. Methods: A retrospective review of medical records from 1985 to 2015 identified 15 horses with HL. Thirteen biopsies of HL and five of EM were evaluated and compared. Results: Arabian horses and their crosses (χ(2) (1) = 8.56, P < 0.01) and A...
Han H, Mao C, Chen N, Lan X, Chen H, Lei C, Dang R.Kit gene is a genetic determinant of horse white coat color which has been a highly valued trait in horses for at least 2,000 years. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in Kit are of importance due to their strong associations with melanoblast survival during embryonic development. In this study, a mutation analysis of all 21 Kit exons in 14 Chinese domestic horse breeds revealed six SNPs (g.91214T>G, g.143245T>G, g.164297C>T, g.170189C>T, g.171356C>G, and g.171471G>A), which located in 5'-UTR region, intron 6, exon 15, exon 20, intron 20, and exon 21 of the equine Kit gene, respectively. S...
Burk SV, Dangoudoubiyam S, Brewster-Barnes T, Howe DK, Carter CN, Bryant UK, Rossano MG.Parascaris equorum is an intestinal nematode of foals and young horses that can produce mild to severe pathology. Current diagnosis is limited to detection of patent infections, when parasite eggs are identified during fecal examinations. This study examined the use of larval P. equorum excretory-secretory (ES) products in a western blot test for diagnosis of prepatent equine P. equorum infection. Sera from adult mares negative for patent P. equorum infections, foals prior to consuming colostrum, and P. equorum infected foals were used as controls in this study. Study samples included sera fro...
Unger L, Fouché N, Leeb T, Gerber V, Pacholewska A.Circulating miRNAs in body fluids, particularly serum, are promising candidates for future routine biomarker profiling in various pathologic conditions in human and veterinary medicine. However, reliable standardized methods for miRNA extraction from equine serum and fresh or archived whole blood are sorely lacking. We systematically compared various miRNA extraction methods from serum and whole blood after short and long-term storage without addition of RNA stabilizing additives prior to freezing. Time of storage at room temperature prior to freezing did not affect miRNA quality in serum. Fur...
Navarro D, Vargas M, Herrera M, Segura Á, Gómez A, Villalta M, Ramírez N, Williams D, Gutiérrez JM, León G.A chicken-derived antivenom (ChDAv) towards taipan snake (Oxyuranus scutellatus) venom was produced by purifying anti-taipan IgY from egg yolks of hens immunized with taipan venom. The productivity, antivenomic profile, neutralization ability, pharmacokinetic properties and immunogenicity of the ChDAv were compared with those of an antivenom produced in horses (EDAv). We found that 382 eggs are required to produce the mass of anti-taipan antibodies contained in one liter of equine hyperimmune plasma, and that 63 chickens would be needed to generate the amount of anti-taipan antibodies annually...
Ghosh M, Cho HW, Park JW, Choi JY, Chung YH, Sharma N, Singh AK, Kim NE, Mongre RK, Huynh D, Jiao ZJ, Do KT, Lee HK, Song KD, Cho BW, Jeong D.The athletic abilities of the horse serve as a valuable model to understand the physiology and molecular mechanisms of adaptive responses to exercise. We analyzed differentially expressed genes in triceps brachii muscle tissues collected from Eonjena Taeyang and Jigusang Seryeok Thoroughbred horses and their co-expression networks in a large-scale RNA-sequence dataset comparing expression before and after exercise. High-quality horse transcriptome data were generated, with over 22 million 90-bp pair-end reads. By comparing the annotations, we found that MYH3, MPZ, and PDE8B genes in Eonjena Ta...
Johnstone S, Barsova J, Campos I, Frampton AR.Equine herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy (EHM), a disease caused by equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1), is characterized by severe inflammation, thrombosis, and hypoxia in central nervous system (CNS) endothelial cells, which can result in a spectrum of clinical signs including urinary incontinence, ataxia, and paralysis. Strains of EHV-1 that contain a single point mutation within the viral DNA polymerase (nucleotide A2254>G2254: amino acid N752→D752) are isolated from EHM afflicted horses at higher frequencies than EHV-1 strains that do not harbor this mutation. Due to the correlation between...
Suzuki T, Kobayashi H, Kawasaki Y, Okazuka K, Hatano K, Fujiwara S, Oh I, Ohmine K, Kanda Y.Anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) is a key drug in immunosuppressive therapy for patients with aplastic anemia. The mainstay of ATG therapy had been a horse ATG (hATG) formulation, Lymphoglobulin or ATGAM, but Lymphoglobulin was recently discontinued, and Thymoglobulin, a rabbit ATG (rATG) formulation, is currently used as the first-line drug in many countries, including Japan. However, a recent randomized clinical trial reported significantly unfavorable outcomes associated with the use of rATG regimens. We retrospectively analyzed clinical outcomes of adult patients with moderate to severe aplas...
Braid LR, Hu WG, Davies JE, Nagata LP.: Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are being exploited as gene delivery vectors for various disease and injury therapies. We provide proof-of-concept that engineered MSCs can provide a useful, effective platform for protection against infectious disease. Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) is a mosquito-borne pathogen affecting humans and equines and can be used in bio-warfare. No licensed vaccine or antiviral agent currently exists to combat VEEV infection in humans. Direct antibody administration (passive immunity) is an effective, but short-lived, method of providing immediate prote...
Barrera R, Torres N, Freier JE, Navarro JC, García CZ, Salas R, Vasquez C, Weaver SC.The distribution of the sylvatic subtype ID Venezuelan equine encephalitis (VEE) viruses in the lowland tropical forests of western Venezuela was investigated using remote sensing and geographic information system technologies. Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper satellite imagery was used to study the reflectance patterns of VEE endemic foci and to identify other locations with similar reflectance patterns. Enzootic VEE virus variants isolated during this study are the closest genetic relatives of the epizootic viruses that emerged in western Venezuela during 1992-1993. VEE virus surveillance was condu...
Violini S, Gorni C, Pisani LF, Ramelli P, Caniatti M, Mariani P.Stem cells represent an important tool in veterinary therapeutic field such as tissue engineering. In the present study, equine amnion-derived mesenchymal stromal cells were investigated for applications in veterinary science as an alternative source to bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells and adipose stem cells. Amnion stromal cells isolation and characterization protocol is described; the in vitro cell growth rate was calculated by measuring viable cell number over 20 days. The expression of stem cell markers such as Oct-4, Nanog, Sox-2 and CD105 was assessed by retrotranscription quantitativ...
Pethick FE, Lainson AF, Yaga R, Flockhart A, Smith DG, Donachie W, Cerdeira LT, Silva A, Bol E, Lopes TS, Barbosa MS, Pinto AC, Dos Santos AR....Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis causes disease in several animal species, although distinct biovars exist that appear to be restricted to specific hosts. In order to facilitate a better understanding of the differences between biovars, we report here the complete genome sequence of the equine pathogen Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis strain 1/06-A.
Voß K, Blaj I, Tetens JL, Thaller G, Becker D.Since domestication, a wide variety of phenotypes including coat color variation has developed in livestock. This variation is mostly based on selective breeding. During the beginning of selective breeding, potential negative consequences did not become immediately evident due to low frequencies of homozygous animals and have been occasionally neglected. However, numerous studies of coat color genetics have been carried out over more than a century and, meanwhile, pleiotropic effects for several coat color genes, including disorders of even lethal impact, were described. Similar coat color phe...
Bower MA, Whitten M, Nisbet RE, Spencer M, Dominy KM, Murphy AM, Cassidy R, Barrett E, Hill EW, Binns M.The potential future earnings and therefore value of Thoroughbred foals untested in the racing arena are calculated based on the performance of their forebears. Thus, lineage is of key importance. However, previous research indicates that maternally inherited mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) does not correspond to maternal lineage according to recorded pedigree, casting doubt on the voracity of historic pedigrees. We analysed mtDNA of 296 Thoroughbred horses from 33 maternal lineages and identified an interesting trend. Subsequent to the founding of the Thoroughbred breed in the 16th century, well-po...
Stock AE, Bouchard N, Brown K, Spicer AP, Underhill CB, Doré M, Sirois J.In contrast to other species, the preovulatory rise in gonadotropins in mares causes a remarkable expansion of the entire granulosa cell layer in vivo, suggesting that hyaluronan (HA) synthesis may be regulated in mural granulosa cells in this species. The objectives of this study were to clone and characterize equine hyaluronan synthase 2 (HAS2) and investigate the regulation of its transcript and of HA synthesis in equine follicles during human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG)- induced ovulation. Results showed that the equine HAS2 cDNA contains a 5'-untranslated region of 436 bp, an open readin...
Blake CC, Evans PR, Scopes RK.The single peptide chain of 3-phosphoglycerate kinase is folded into two distinct globular units, only one of which seems to be involved in substrate binding.
Dierks C, Komm K, Lampe V, Distl O.In this study, we refine a quantitative trait locus for equine osteochondrosis (OC) on horse chromosome (ECA) 2 to a genome-wide significant interval at 20.08-30.94 Mb. The marker set contained 27 newly developed microsatellites equidistantly distributed over ECA2 and 44 nucleotide polymorphisms, located in 16 positional candidate genes for OC. Genotyping was performed in 211 Hanoverian horses from 14 paternal half-sib groups. A NCDN-associated SNP and haplotype were significantly associated with OC in fetlock and/or hock joints. This study is a further step towards the identification of genes...
Singer-Berk M, Knickelbein KE, Vig S, Liu J, Bentley E, Nunnery C, Reilly C, Dwyer A, Drögemüller C, Unger L, Gerber V, Lassaline M, Bellone RR.Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is the most common cancer affecting the equine eye, with a higher incidence documented in Haflinger horses. Recently, a missense variant in the gene damage specific DNA binding protein 2 (DDB2, p.Thr338Met) on ECA12 was identified as a risk factor for the development of limbal SCC in Haflinger horses. SCC also occurs on the nictitating membrane; therefore, investigating the role of this missense variant in nictitating membrane SCC is warranted. In this study, a common ancestor was identified among Haflinger horses affected with limbal SCC or with nictitating membr...
Velie BD, Raadsma HW, Wade CM, Knight PK, Hamilton NA.Post exercise epistaxis, the manifestation of a severe form of exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage (EIPH), has been observed in many equine racing populations. Although multiple analyses have suggested that non-genetic factors may lead to the development of this condition, relatively little consensus has been reached regarding its genetic aetiology. The objective of this study was to provide insight into both genetic and non-genetic factors that may contribute to the expression of epistaxis in the Australian Thoroughbred racing population. Racing records and reported epistaxis occurrences w...
McGuire TC, O'Rourke KI, Baszler TV, Leib SR, Brassfield AL, Davis WC.Cells infected with vaccinia viruses expressing the equine infectious anaemia virus (EIAV) gag gene (VGag) or gag plus the 5' pol encoding protease (VGag/PR) were evaluated with monoclonal antibody to a p26 capsid protein linear epitope (QEISKFLTD). Both recombinant viruses expressed Gag precursor protein (55K) whereas only VGag/PR expressed a detectable Gag-Pol fusion protein (82K) with a functional protease, shown by subviral particles containing processed p26. Horses inoculated with VGag/PR produced antibodies reactive with EIAV Gag proteins.
Lindbloom SM, Farmerie TA, Clay CM, Seidel GE, Carnevale EM.Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) was administered to mares in estrus with large, dominant ovarian follicles to initiate follicular and oocyte maturation. Follicular contents were collected at 0, 2, 4 and 6 h after hCG. Epiregulin, amphiregulin and phosphodiesterase (PDE) mRNA contents of granulosa cells (PDE 4D) were determined by reverse transcription and real-time PCR; PDE 3A mRNA content of single oocytes was determined similarly. Copy numbers of mRNA did not increase for PDE 3A or 4D over the time interval studied. Amounts of epiregulin and amphiregulin mRNA were correlated (r=0.98) when...
Druml T, Brem G, Horna M, Ricard A, Grilz-Seger G.Melanoma prevalence in gray horses reaches up to 50% and more. Several studies have documented a genetic melanoma predisposition which is referred to the 4.6 kb duplication in intron 6 of STX17 and its surrounding haplotype. However, the genetic background and mechanisms responsible for differences in etiopathogenesis of equine dermal melanomatosis still remain unknown. In the current study, we performed a genome wide association analysis in 141 Lipizzan horses and subsequently identified one candidate gene on chromosome 24 putatively involved in melanoma pathogenesis in gray horses. The assoc...
Tuthill RJ, Clark WH, Levene A.A unique pigmented lesion, judged to be a hamartoma of neural crest origin, occurring in a female patient, is compared with equine melanotic disease, The characteristic perifollicular arrangement of pigment-laden spindle cells is remarkably similar in both. Previously described patch- and plaque-like blue nevi in humans are also closely related. Light and ultrastructural features showed differentiation toward both nevus cells and Schwann cells, and it is proposed that the lesion be termed pilar neurocristic hamartoma.
Dovc P, Kavar T, Sölkner H, Achmann R.The development and a brief history of the Lipizzan horse breed are reviewed. The contribution of several breeds, some of them already extinct, to the development of the Lipizzan horse, gives it a special status representing an important gene pool. This well-documented breed is a part of the common European natural and cultural heritage. Breeding practices establishing stallion and mare family lines as well as availability of pedigrees are described. Molecular analysis of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and microsatellite data allowed us to analyse the structure of the Lipizzan population, to estima...
Andoh K, Takasugi M, Mahmoud HY, Hattori S, Terada Y, Noguchi K, Shimoda H, Bannai H, Tsujimura K, Matsumura T, Kondo T, Maeda K.A major immunogenic region of equine herpesvirus (EHV)-1 glycoprotein E (gE) was identified. Firstly, the various fragments of EHV-1 gE were expressed as fusion proteins with glutathione S-transferase (GST) in Escherichia coli and their antigenicities were compared by immunoblot analysis using sera from horses experimentally infected with EHV-1. Thirty-three amino acids of gE (a.a. 169-201) specifically and sensitively reacted with the antibodies induced by EHV-1 but not EHV-4 infection. The corresponding region of EHV-4 gE (a.a. 169-199) did not react with antibodies to EHV-1, indicating that...
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 ...
Costa GMJ, Avelar GF, Lacerda SMSN, Figueiredo AFA, Tavares AO, Rezende-Neto JV, Martins FGP, França LR.The establishment of proper conditions for spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) cryopreservation and storage represents an important biotechnological approach for the preservation of the genetic stock of valuable animals. This study demonstrates the effects of different cryopreservation protocols on the survival rates and phenotypic expression of SSCs in horses. The cells were enzymatically isolated from testes of eight adult horses. After enrichment and characterization of germ cells in the suspension, the feasibility of several cryopreservation protocols were evaluated. Three different cryomedia...
Miyata H, Itoh R, Sato F, Takebe N, Hada T, Tozaki T.Variants of the Myostatin gene have been shown to have an influence on muscle hypertrophy phenotypes in a wide range of mammalian species. Recently, a Thoroughbred horse with a C-Allele at the g.66493737C/T single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) has been reported to be suited to short-distance racing. In this study, we examined the effect of the Myostatin SNP on muscle fiber properties in young Thoroughbred horses during a training period. To investigate the effect of the Myostatin SNP on muscle fiber before training, several mRNA expressions were relatively quantified in biopsy samples from the...
Rambags BP, van Tol HT, van den Eng MM, Colenbrander B, Stout TA.Progesterone and oestrogen play essential roles in the maintenance of pregnancy in eutherian mammals and are thought to exert their effects on the developing conceptus indirectly, via the endometrium. In some species, early embryos have themselves been shown to express steroid receptors, thereby suggesting that reproductive steroids may also influence embryonic development directly. The aim of this study was to determine whether early intrauterine equine conceptuses express either the classical intracellular progesterone (PR) and oestrogen receptors (ERalpha and ERbeta) or the more recently ch...
Desgorces FD, Berthelot G, Charmantier A, Tafflet M, Schaal K, Jarne P, Toussaint JF.Running speed in animals depends on both genetic and environmental conditions. Maximal speeds were here analysed in horses, dogs and humans using data sets on the 10 best performers covering more than a century of races. This includes a variety of distances in humans (200-1500 m). Speed has been progressing fast in the three species, and this has been followed by a plateau. Based on a Gompertz model, the current best performances reach 97.4% of maximal velocity in greyhounds to 100.3 in humans. Further analysis based on a subset of individuals and using an 'animal model' shows that running spe...
Tirosh-Levy S, Steinman A, Levy H, Katz Y, Shtilman M, Gottlieb Y.Equine piroplasmosis is a highly endemic protozoan disease of horses worldwide, caused by Theileria equi and Babesia caballi. While most horses in endemic areas are subclinically infected, the mechanisms leading to clinical outcome are vastly unknown. Moreover, since clinical signs of disease are not specific, and the prevalence in endemic areas is high, it is difficult to determine if equine piroplasmosis is the cause of disease. To identify possible mechanisms leading to the clinical outcome in an endemic area, we compared parasite loads and genotypes in clinically and subclinically infected...
Sreenivasan CC, Uprety T, Reedy SE, Temeeyasen G, Hause BM, Wang D, Li F, Chambers TM.Antibodies to influenza D virus (IDV) have been detected in horses, but no evidence of disease in the field has been reported. To determine whether IDV is infectious, immunogenic, and pathogenic in horses, four 2-year-old horses seronegative for both influenza A (H3N8) and D viruses were intranasally inoculated with 6.25 × 107 TCID50/animal of D/bovine/California/0363/2019 (D/CA2019) virus, using a portable equine nebulizer system. Horses were observed daily for clinical signs including rectal temperature, nasal discharge, coughing, lung sounds, tachycardia, and tachypnea. No horses exhibited...
Lentz LR, Valberg SJ, Balog EM, Mickelson JR, Gallant EM.To determine whether abnormal regulation of muscle contraction similar to that associated with malignant hyperthermia (MH) was evident in intact external intercostal muscle cells from Thoroughbreds with recurrent exertional rhabdomyolysis (RER). Methods: 5 adult Thoroughbred horses with RER and 7 clinically normal adult Thoroughbred or mixed-breed horses. Methods: Twitch time course variables and contracture responses to various concentrations of potassium, caffeine, and halothane were measured in small bundles of intact external intercostal muscle cells from clinically normal horses and horse...
van Kasteren PB, Knaap RC, van den Elzen P, Snijder EJ, Balasuriya UB, van den Born E, Kikkert M.Arteriviruses are a family of positive-stranded RNA viruses that includes the prototypic equine arteritis virus (EAV) and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV). Although several vaccines against these viruses are commercially available there is room for improvement, especially in the case of PRRSV. The ability of arteriviruses to counteract the immune response is thought to decrease the efficacy of the current modified live virus vaccines. We have recently shown that the deubiquitinase (DUB) activity of EAV papain-like protease 2 (PLP2) is important for the inhibition of ...
Kamyingkird K, Choocherd S, Chimnoi W, Klinkaew N, Kengradomkij C, Phoosangwalthong P, Thammasonthijarern N, Pattanatanang K, Inpankaew T, Phasuk J....African horse sickness (AHS) was reported as an outbreak in Thailand in 2020. Hematophagous insects from the genus Culicoides are the suspected vector responsible for AHS transmission. Horses in Hua Hin district, Prachuab Khiri Khan province, Thailand, were affected and died from AHS in 2020. However, the potential Culicoides species and its host preference blood meal in the affected areas are unknown. To investigate the potential vectors of AHS, Culicoides were collected using ultraviolet light traps placed near horse stables. Six horse farms, including five farms with AHS history and one far...
Ghafar A, Abbas G, Beasley A, Bauquier J, Wilkes EJA, Jacobson C, McConnell E, El-Hage C, Carrigan P, Cudmore L, Tennent-Brown B, Hurley J....This review is aimed to (i) appraise the literature on the use of molecular techniques for the detection, quantification and differentiation of gastrointestinal helminths (GIH) of equids, (ii) identify the knowledge gaps and, (iii) discuss diagnostic prospects in equine parasitology. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines for systematic reviews, we retrieved 54 studies (horses: 50/54; donkeys and zebras: 4/54) from four databases. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was employed in all of the studies whereas PCR amplicons were sequenced...
Kol A, Walker NJ, Galuppo LD, Clark KC, Buerchler S, Bernanke A, Borjesson DL.Autologous cellular therapy products including adipose-derived stromal vascular fraction (SVF), bone marrow mononuclear cells (BMMNs), cord blood mononuclear cells (CBMNs) and platelet rich plasma are options for treatment of acute orthopaedic lesions while mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are culture expanded. These products may contribute to healing by secreting matrix proteins or growth factors, but they may also act on endogenous MSCs to facilitate healing. Objective: To determine the effects of cell therapy products on MSCs function in vitro. The hypothesis was that cell therapy products pro...
Degroote RL, Deeg CA.Horses worldwide suffer from equine recurrent uveitis (ERU), an organ-specific, immune-mediated disease with painful, remitting-relapsing inflammatory attacks alternating with periods of quiescence, which ultimately leads to blindness. In course of disease, both eyes can eventually be affected and since blind horses pose a threat to themselves and their surroundings, these animals have to be killed. Therefore, this disease is highly relevant for veterinary medicine. Additionally, ERU shows strong clinical and pathological resemblance to autoimmune uveitis in man. The exact cause for the onset ...
Pei Y, Dupont C, Sydor T, Haas A, Prescott JF.To analyze further the role in virulence of the prominent cholesterol oxidase (ChoE) of Rhodococcus equi, an allelic exchange choE mutant from strain 103+ was constructed and assessed for virulence in macrophages, in mice, and in foals. There was no difference between the mutant and parent strain in cytotoxic activity for macrophages or in intra-macrophage multiplication. No evidence of attenuation was obtained in macrophages and in mice, but there was slight attenuation apparent in four intra-bronchially infected foals compared to infection of four foals with the virulent parent strain, based...
