Genomics in horses involves the study and analysis of the horse genome to understand genetic variations and their implications for equine health, performance, and breeding. This field encompasses the identification and mapping of genes associated with specific traits, diseases, and conditions in horses. Techniques such as whole-genome sequencing and genome-wide association studies (GWAS) are employed to explore genetic diversity and inheritance patterns among different horse breeds. Genomics provides insights into hereditary disorders, informs selective breeding practices, and aids in the development of personalized veterinary care. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the applications, methodologies, and findings of genomic research in equine science.
Tozaki T, Hirota K, Mashima S, Tomita M, Mukoyama H.A genomic clone isolated from an equine genomic library probed with an oligonucleotide (CAG)10 showed high sequence similarity to the human F18 gene and was tentatively named equine F18 gene. Because the human F18 gene is expressed in many tissues, we examined whether this equine clone was also expressed in equine tissues. The cDNA encoding equine F18 was obtained by the reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) from equine thymus. The nucleotide sequence of the equine F18 cDNA (1940 bp) was determined and contained both the ATG initiation codon and a poly(A) sequence. The cDNA ...
Archambault D, Laganière G, St-Laurent G.The genetic variation in equine arteritis virus (EAV) nonstructural (NS) protein-encoding open reading frames (ORF) 3 and 4 genes was investigated. Nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequences from seven different EAV isolates (one European, one American and five Canadian isolates) and the Arvac vaccine strain were compared with those of the Bucyrus reference strain. ORF 3 nucleotide and amino acid sequence identities amongst these isolates (including the Arvac vaccine strain) and the Bucyrus reference strain ranged from 85.6 to 98.8%, and 85.3 to 98.2%, respectively, whereas ORF 4 nucleotide a...
Lindgren G, Sandberg K, Persson H, Marklund S, Breen M, Sandgren B, Carlstén J, Ellegren H.A primary male autosomal linkage map of the domestic horse (Equus caballus) has been developed by segregation analysis of 140 genetic markers within eight half-sib families. The family material comprised four Standardbred trotters and four Icelandic horses, with a total of 263 offspring. The marker set included 121 microsatellite markers, eight protein polymorphisms, five RFLPs, three blood group polymorphisms, two PCR-RFLPs, and one single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP). One hundred markers were arranged into 25 linkage groups, 22 of which could be assigned physically to 18 different...
Schambony A, Gentzel M, Wolfes H, Raida M, Neumann U, Töpfer-Petersen E.Although originally described in the male rodent genital tract, cysteine-rich secretory proteins (CRISPs) are expressed in a variety of mammalian tissue and cell types. The proteins of the male genital tract have been observed associated to spermatozoa and are believed to play a role in mammalian fertilization. Here we describe the identification and primary structure of the first equine member of the CRISP family. Equine CRISP-3 is transcribed and expressed in the stallion salivary gland, in the ampulla and the seminal vesicle. It displays all 16 conserved cysteine residues and shows 82% homo...
Galosi CM, Norimine J, Echeverría MG, Oliva GA, Nosetto EO, Etcheverrigaray ME, Tohya Y, Mikami T.The genomes of 10 equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) strains isolated in Argentina from 1979 to 1991, and a Japanese HH1 reference strain were compared by restriction endonuclease analysis. Two restriction enzymes, BamHI and BglII, were used and analysis of the electropherotypes did not show significant differences among isolates obtained from horses with different clinical signs. This suggests that the EHV-1 isolates studied, which circulated in Argentina for more than 10 years, belong to a single genotype.
Godard S, Schibler L, Oustry A, Cribiu EP, Guérin G.A horse BAC library was constructed with about 40,000 clones and mean insert size of 110 kb representing a 1.5 genome equivalent coverage and a probability of finding a single sequence of 0.75. It was characterized by PCR screening of about 130 sequences of horse microsatellites and exonic gene sequences retrieved from databases. BACs containing 8 microsatellites and 12 genes were subsequently localized by fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) on chromosomes. Two linkage groups were newly assigned to chromosomes: LG2 to ECA3 and LG5 to ECA24, and five linkage groups were also oriented--LG3,...
Yang GC, Croaker D, Zhang AL, Manglick P, Cartmill T, Cass D.Lethal white foal syndrome (LWFS) is a congenital anomaly of horses characterized by a white coat colour and aganglionosis of the bowel, which is similar to Hirschsprung disease (HSCR). We decided to investigate possible mutations of the endothelin-B receptor gene ( EDNRB ) in LWFS as recent studies in mutant rodents and some patients have demonstrated EDNRB defects. First, we identified a full-length cDNA for horse EDNRB . This cDNA fragment contained a 1329 bp open reading frame which encoded 443 amino acid residues. The predicted amino acid sequence was 89, 91 and 85% identical to human, bo...
Howard RD, McIlwraith CW, Trotter GW, Nyborg JK.To clone equine interleukin 1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra) and determine its full-length cDNA sequence. Methods: A cDNA library derived from lipopolysaccharide-stimulated equine monocytes was screened by means of plaque hybridization to radiolabeled equine IL-1ra DNA probes generated by means of the polymerase chain reaction. The cDNA nucleotide sequence for equine IL-1ra was determined by use of the dideoxy chain termination technique, analyzed by use of computer software for sequence characteristics, and compared with sequences reported for IL-1ra of other species. Results: The cDNA of equin...
Otte K, Choudhury D, Charalambous M, Engström W, Rozell B.The equine IGF2 gene has been cloned and characterised. It spans a 9 kb region, which is substantially less than the corresponding human gene. Three coding exons and three untranslated leader exons, all highly homologous to those in other species, were identified. Downstream of the polyadenylation site in exon 6, a dinucleotide repeat sequence was identified. Three putative promoters (P1-P3) were localised in the 5' region of the gene. RNase protection analysis revealed two active promoters in fetal tissues, P2 and P3, whereas P3 was the only promoter active in adult tissues. This represents a...
Metallinos DL, Bowling AT, Rine J.Lethal White Foal Syndrome is a disease associated with horse breeds that register white coat spotting patterns. Breedings between particular spotted horses, generally described as frame overo, produce some foals that, in contrast to their parents, are all white or nearly all white and die shortly after birth of severe intestinal blockage. These foals have aganglionosis characterized by a lack of submucosal and myenteric ganglia from the distal small intestine to the large intestine, similar to human Hirschsprung Disease. Some sporadic and familial cases of Hirschsprung Disease are due to muta...
Eggleston-Stott ML, Delvalle A, Dileanis S, Wictum E, Bowling AT.The equine dinucleotide microsatellite HMS7 is part of a microsatellite panel utilized in a parentage verification programme at the Veterinary Genetics Laboratory (Davis, California, USA). Apparent non-Mendelian inheritance was noted when a Quarter Horse mare was excluded as the parent of two offspring based on analysis of the HMS7 locus. The mare's DNA type qualified her as a parent of the offspring at an additional 20 microsatellite loci. The three animals appeared homozygous for HMS7 with each possessing an allele different from that of the other two animals. Polymerase chain reaction prime...
Wagner B, Siebenkotten G, Leibold W, Radbruch A.We provide a restriction map of the equine c epsilon and c alpha genes as a molecular basis for isotype classification. Human and murine DNA probes were used for identification of homologous equine DNA sequences and for isolation of the equine c epsilon and c alpha genes from a genomic DNA library. A detailed map of the equine 5'-s epsilon/c epsilon-s alpha/c alpha-3' gene region was obtained. Equine c epsilon and c alpha DNA probes were prepared and used for restriction analysis of immunoglobulin heavy chain gene loci from different horses. This analysis indicated the presence of only one equ...
Koepf EK, Hewitt J, Vo H, Macgillivray RT, Burtnick LD.We have generated and characterized the cDNA from equine smooth muscle that encodes gelsolin, an actin-modulating protein. Overlapping cDNA clones synthesized by the reverse transcriptase/polymerase chain reaction and clones isolated from a horse genomic library provided the complete primary structure for the intracellular isoform of gelsolin, while cDNA complemented with protein sequence data produced the full-length primary transcript of the gelsolin isoform found circulating in equine plasma. The deduced amino acid sequences of the intracellular and secreted versions of equine gelsolin infe...
The Journal of heredityMarch 6, 1998
Volume 89, Issue 1 104-106 doi: 10.1093/jhered/89.1.104
Duffield DA, Goldie PL.In a study of 2,786 tobiano and non-tobiano horses involved in paint horse breeding programs throughout the United States, the inheritance of the tobiano color pattern gene was tracked in pedigrees using the tightly linked polymorphic albumin gene. The dominant tobiano allele (T(o)), which produces the tobiano spotting pattern in horses, was in coupling with both AIA and AIB alleles at the albumin locus. The frequency of the T(o):AIA linkage phase among all the homozygous tobiano horses in this study including offspring and parents (N = 127), was 0.08. The T(o):AIB linkage phase was the most f...
Marti E, Binns M.This research study discusses the importance of creating a gene map for horses to enhance understanding of horse genetics, improve selective breeding methods, and aid in the diagnosis and treatment […]
Deriusheva SE, Loginova IuA, Chiriaeva OG, Iaschak K, Smirnov AF.Distribution of blocks of ribosomal RNA genes along metaphase chromosomes of 26 horses from five breeds was determined by means of a modified method of fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) in combination with simultaneous R- banding. Gene loci coding for rRNA were mapped to the region of secondary constriction on the short arm of chromosome 1, and to the pericentromeric regions of chromosomes 27, 28, and 31. The nucleolar organizer region (NOR) on chromosome 27 was not described earlier. Interindividual and interchromosomal NOR polymorphism was detected With the use of a semiquantitative ...
Archambault D, Laganière G, Carman S, St-Laurent G.The genetic variation in equine arteritis virus (EAV) protein-encoding open reading frames (ORFs) 3 and 4 genes was investigated. Nucleic and deduced amino acid sequences from seven different EAV isolates (one European, one American and five Canadian isolates) and the Arvac vaccine strain were compared with those of Bucyrus reference strain. ORF 3 nucleotide and amino acid sequence identities between these isolates (including the Arvac vaccine strain) and the Bucyrus reference strain ranged from 85.6 to 98.8%, and 85.3 to 98.2%, respectively, whereas ORF 4 nucleotide and amino acid sequence id...
Leroux C, Issel CJ, Montelaro RC.We have investigated the genetic evolution of three functionally distinct regions of the equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) genome (env, rev, and long terminal repeat) during recurring febrile episodes in a pony experimentally infected with a well-characterized reference biological clone designated EIAV(PV). Viral populations present in the plasma of an EIAV(PV)-infected pony during sequential febrile episodes (18, 34, 80, 106, and 337 days postinfection) were amplified from viral RNA, analyzed, and compared to the inoculated strain. The comparison of the viral quasispecies showed that the ...
Farmerie TA, Abbud RA, Budworth PR, Clay CM, Keri RA, McDowell KJ, Wolfe MW, Nilson JH.The equine glycoprotein hormone alpha-subunit gene is expressed in both pituitary and placenta, unlike that of all other nonprimate mammals studied, in which expression is limited to pituitary. Previous studies of the 5'-flanking region of the equine alpha-subunit promoter have revealed unique characteristics as well as similarities with the human alpha-subunit promoter, which demonstrates a similar pattern of tissue-specific expression. We have cloned and sequenced the equine alpha-subunit gene and have used tissue culture systems and transgenic mice to characterize its expression. Unlike the...
Ennulat D, Brown CA, Brown SA.To evaluate the effects of epidermal growth factor (EGF) and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) on canine and equine mesangial cell (MC) proliferation in vitro. Methods: Third- through eighth-passage canine and equine MC were obtained from explant outgrowth after differential sieving of glomeruli isolated from the kidneys of clinically normal dogs and horses. Methods: Mitogenic effects of serum, insulin, EGF, and PDGF were evaluated in MC by induction of DNA synthesis, measured as stimulation of [3H]thymidine incorporation and increase in cell numbers. Results: Epidermal growth factor was a...
The Journal of heredityNovember 5, 1997
Volume 88, Issue 5 355-357 doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.jhered.a023117
Short RV.Haldane's law states that in interspecific hybrids, it is the heterogametic sex that is likely to be absent, rare, or sterile. In mammals, there is increasing evidence to suggest that this may be due to the high mutation rate of male sex-determining genes on the Y chromosome. The mule, humanity's first successful attempt at genetic engineering, provides some support for this concept. Interspecific hybrids may also shed new light on the importance of the maternal transmission of mitochondrial DNA and the phenomenon of genomic imprinting.
Hisey EA, Ross PJ, Meyers S.As standard in vitro fertilization is not a viable technique in horses yet, many different techniques have been used to create equine embryos for research purposes. One such method is parthenogenesis in which an oocyte is induced to mature into an embryo-like state without the introduction of a spermatozoon, and thus they are not considered true embryos. Another method is somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), in which a somatic cell nucleus from an extant horse is inserted into an enucleated oocyte, creating a genetic clone of the donor horse. Due to limited availability of equine oocytes in t...
Falcão MVD, Laroucau K, Vorimore F, Deshayes T, Santana VLA, Silva KPC, do Nascimento SA, de Castro RS, Araújo FR, Mota RA.Glanders is an infectious zoonosis caused by Burkholderia (B.) mallei that mainly affects equids. The objective of this work was to provide additional knowledge on the diversity of the strains circulating in Brazil. Six Burkholderia mallei isolates obtained during necropsies of glanderous horses between 2014 and 2017 in two different states (Pernambuco and Alagoas) were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction-high-resolution melting (PCR-HRM). While four strains (9902 RSC, BM_campo 1, BM_campo 3 and UFAL2) clustered in the L3B2 branch, which already includes the Brazilian 16-2438_BM#8 strain, tw...
Tomić S, Sesartić L, Tomasić J.1. 14C-labelled methyl 2,6-di-O-pivaloyl-alpha-D-glucopyranoside (1) was used as a substrate for esterases from rabbit, guinea pig, mouse, donkey, pig, horse, sheep and human sera. 2. Stepwise de-esterification of the diester substrate 1 occurred with rabbit, guinea pig and mouse serum. Data on time-course experiments and kinetic data are reported. 3. The use of donkey, pig, horse, sheep and human serum led to the migration of the 2-O-pivaloyl group in substrate 1 to the position 4- in the sugar molecule, followed by stepwise de-esterifications of both 1 and the newly formed methyl 4,6-di-O-pi...
Brangsch H, Saqib M, Sial AUR, Melzer F, Linde J, Elschner MC.Burkholderia (B.) mallei is a host-adapted equine pathogen that causes glanders, a re-emerging zoonotic disease, which is endemic in Pakistan and other developing countries and seriously impacts the global equine movement. Due to globalization, the geographical restriction of diseases vanishes and the lack of awareness of and experience with eradicated diseases in industrialized countries also promotes the re-introduction of infections in these regions. Owing to the high equine population, the Pakistani province Punjab is a potential hotspot where several glanders outbreaks have been seen over...
Ruiz-López MJ, Muñoz-Chimeno M, Figuerola J, Gavilán AM, Varona S, Cuesta I, Martínez-de la Puente J, Zaballos Á, Molero F, Soriguer RC....Emerging infectious diseases are one of the most important global health challenges because of their impact on human and animal health. The vector-borne West Nile virus (WNV) is transmitted between birds by mosquitos, but it can also infect humans and horses causing disease. The local circulation of WNV in Spain has been known for decades, and since 2010, there have been regular outbreaks in horses, although only six cases were reported in humans until 2019. In 2020, Spain experienced a major outbreak with 77 human cases, which was followed by 6 additional cases in 2021, most of them in the An...
Kusliy MA, Yurlova AA, Neumestova AI, Vorobieva NV, Gutorova NV, Molodtseva AS, Trifonov VA, Popova KO, Polosmak NV, Molodin VI, Vasiliev SK....This study focuses on expanding knowledge about the genetic diversity of the Altai horse native to Siberia. While studying modern horses from two Altai regions, where horses were subjected to less crossbreeding, we tested the hypothesis, formulated on the basis of morphological data, that the Altai horse is represented by two populations (Eastern and Southern) and that the Mongolian horse has a greater genetic proximity to Eastern Altai horses. Bone samples of ancient horses from different cultures of Altai were investigated to clarify the genetic history of this horse breed. As a genetic mark...
Bou T, Han H, Mongke T, Zhao R, La X, Ding W, Jia Z, Liu H, Tiemuqier A, An T, Dugarjaviin M, Bai D.The heterogeneity and plasticity of muscle fibers are essential for the athletic performance of horses, mainly at the adaption of exercises and the effect on muscle diseases. Skeletal muscle fibers can be generally distinguished by their characteristics of contraction as slow and fast type myofibers. The diversity of contractile properties and metabolism enable skeletal muscles to respond to the variable functional requirements. We investigated the muscle fiber composition and metabolic enzyme activities of splenius muscle and gluteus medius muscle from Mongolian horses. The deep RNA-seq analy...
Gysens L, Vanmechelen B, Maes P, Martens A, Haspeslagh M.Infection with bovine papillomavirus (BPV) types 1 and 2 results in the most common skin tumor of horses, termed equine sarcoid. The persistent and recurrent nature of this tumor stands in contrast to the regressive nature of BPV-1/- 2 induced cutaneous papillomas in cattle. The circulation of horse-specific BPV-1/- 2 variants within equine populations has been suggested as a possible explanation for the difference in clinical presentation of BPV-1/- 2 infection between horses and cattle. In order to investigate this hypothesis, we identified 98 complete BPV-1/- 2 genomes using a Nanopore ...
Ahrens E, Stranzinger G.Previous research revealed that the karyotypes of Equus przewalskii (2n = 66) and Equus caballus (2n = 64) differ by one pair of metacentric chromosomes, present in ECA but not in EPR, and two pairs of acrocentric chromosomes found only in the EPR karyotype. The formation of a trivalent during meiosis in a male F1 hybrid and the homologies in G-banding patterns suggest that ECA 5 corresponds to two acrocentric EPR chromosomes resulting from a Robertsonian fusion or fission event. Chromosomal investigations of a female interspecies F1 hybrid including banded karyograms and fluorescence in situ ...
Becker K, Keller B, von Eiff C, Brück M, Lubritz G, Etienne J, Peters G.Staphylococcal food poisoning (SFP) caused by enterotoxigenic staphylococci is one of the main food-borne diseases. In contrast to Staphylococcus aureus, a systematic screening for the enterotoxins has not yet been performed on the genomic level for the coagulase-positive species S. intermedius. Therefore, the enterotoxigenic potential of 281 different veterinary (canine, n = 247; equine, n = 23; feline, n = 9; other, n = 2) and 11 human isolates of S. intermedius was tested by using a multiplex PCR DNA-enzyme immunoassay system targeting the staphylococcal enterotoxin genes sea, seb, sec, sed...
Navas C, Manso T, Martins F, Minto L, Moreira R, Minozzo J, Antunes B, Vale A, McDaniel JR, Ippolito GC, Felicori LF.The antibody repertoire (Rep-seq) sequencing revolutionized the diversity of antigen B cell receptor studies, allowing deep and quantitative analysis to decipher the role of adaptive immunity in health and disease. Particularly, horse (Equus caballus) polyclonal antibodies have been produced and used since the century XIX to treat and prophylaxis diphtheria, tuberculosis, tetanus, pneumonia, and, more recently, COVID-19. However, our knowledge about the horse B cell receptors repertories is minimal. We present a deep horse antibody heavy chain repertoire (IGH) characterization of non-infected ...
Zhao R, Yihan W, Zhao Y, Li B, Han H, Mongke T, Bao T, Wang W, Dugarjaviin M, Bai D.Different morphological structures of hairs having properties like defense and camouflage help animals survive in the wild environment. Horse is one of the rare kinds of animals with complex hair phenotypes in one individual; however, knowledge of horse hair follicle is limited in literature and their molecular basis remains unclear. Therefore, the investigation of horse hair follicle morphogenesis and pigmentogenesis attracts considerable interest. Results: Histological studies revealed the morphology and pigment synthesis of hair follicles are different in between four different parts (mane,...
Breen M, Lindgren G, Binns MM, Norman J, Irvin Z, Bell K, Sandberg K, Ellegren H.Twenty equine microsatellites were isolated from a genomic phage library, and their genetical and physical localization was sought by linkage mapping and fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH). Nineteen of the markers were found to be polymorphic with, in most cases, heterozygosities exceeding 50%. The markers were mapped in a Swedish reference family for gene mapping, comprising eight half-sib families from Standardbred and Icelandic horse sires. Segregation was analyzed against a set of 35 other markers typed in the pedigree. Thirteen of the microsatellites showed linkage to at least one o...
Druml T, Brem G, Velie B, Lindgren G, Horna M, Ricard A, Grilz-Seger G.In horses, the autoimmune disease vitiligo is characterized by the loss of melanocytes and results in patchy depigmentation of the skin around the eyes, muzzle and the perianal region. Vitiligo-like depigmentation occurs predominantly in horses displaying the grey coat colour and is observed at a prevalence level of 26.0-67.0% in grey horses compared with only 0.8-3.5% in non-grey horses. While the polygenetic background of this complex disease is well documented in humans, the underlying candidate genes for this skin disorder in horses remain unknown. In this study we aim to perform a genome-...
Stefanetti V, Pascucci L, Wilsher S, Cappelli K, Capomaccio S, Reale L, Passamonti F, Coletti M, Crociati M, Monaci M, Marenzoni ML.Endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) are proviral phases of exogenous retroviruses, which have coevolved with vertebrate genomes for millions of years. The conservation of ERV genes throughout evolution suggests their beneficial effects on their hosts' survival. An example of such positive selection is demonstrated by the syncytin gene, which encodes a protein with affinity for various mammalian placentas that is involved in the formation of syncytiotrophoblasts. Although the horse has an epitheliochorial placenta, in which the fetal trophoblasts are simply apposed to the intact uterine epithelium, ...
Yoon SH, Kim J, Shin D, Cho S, Kwak W, Lee HK, Park KD, Kim H.The Korean native horse (Jeju horse) is one of the most important animals in Korean historical, cultural, and economical viewpoints. In the early 1980s, the Jeju horse was close to extinction. The aim of this study is to explore the phylogenomics of Korean native horse focusing on spatio-temporal dynamics. We determined complete mitochondrial genome sequences for the first Korean native (n = 6) and additional Mongolian (n = 2) horses. Those sequences were analyzed together with 143 published ones using Bayesian coalescent approach as well as three different phylogenetic analysis method...
Plumlee Q, Meason-Smith C, Dieterly A, Gomez G, Porter BF, Rodrigues Hoffmann A.Many previously unrecognized fungi are emerging as potential pathogens. One such group is dematiaceous fungi of the Chaetomiaceae family (phylum Ascomycota, class Sordariomycetes). These fungi are rare causes of opportunistic, neurotropic phaeohyphomycosis in humans but are not known to cause similar infections in animals. The aims of this study were to investigate equine hyphal mycotic encephalitis, characterize key histopathologic features, and classify causative organisms with molecular diagnostic techniques. Seven cases were evaluated by histopathology. Panfungal PCR targeting the ribosoma...
Cappelli K, Porceddu A, Verini-Supplizi A, Capomaccio S, Marchis FD, Falcinelli M, Gaiti A, Silvestrelli M.The identification of differentially expressed genes is a fundamental prerequisite for understanding the molecular regulation of most physiological and pathological processes. Among the procedures employed to compare mRNA populations, those that are gel-based appear to hold great promise and are considered excellent tools for studying gene expression in species, such as the equine one, for which little genomic information is available. In the present study, we evaluated two techniques for studying mRNA profiles in horse tissue, one referred to the cDNA-amplified fragment length polymorphism (A...
Alim S, Laitaoja M, Pawar SS, Talluri TR, Jänis J, Swamy MJ.Major proteins of the seminal plasma in a variety of mammals such as bovine PDC-109, equine HSP-1/2, and donkey DSP-1 contain fibronectin type-II (FnII) domains and are referred to as FnII family proteins. To further our understanding on these proteins, we carried out detailed studies on DSP-3, another FnII protein of donkey seminal plasma. High-resolution mass-spectrometric studies revealed that DSP-3 contains 106 amino acid residues and is heterogeneously glycosylated with multiple acetylations on the glycans. Interestingly, high homology was observed between DSP-1 and HSP-1 (118 identical r...
de Vries AA, Glaser AL, Raamsman MJ, de Haan CA, Sarnataro S, Godeke GJ, Rottier PJ.Equine arteritis virus (EAV) is an enveloped, positive-stranded RNA virus belonging to the family Arteriviridae of the order Nidovirales. The unsegmented, infectious genome of EAV is 12,704 nt in length [exclusive of the poly(A) tail] and contains eight overlapping genes that are expressed from a 3'-coterminal nested set of seven leader-containing mRNAs. To investigate the importance of the overlapping gene arrangement in the viral life-cycle and to facilitate the genetic manipulation of the viral genome, a series of mutant full-length cDNA clones was constructed in which either EAV open readi...
Shinwari MW, Annand EJ, Driver L, Warrilow D, Harrower B, Allcock RJ, Pukallus D, Harper J, Bingham J, Kung N, Diallo IS.In May 2013, the first cases of Australian bat lyssavirus infections in domestic animals were identified in Australia. Two horses (filly-H1 and gelding-H2) were infected with the Yellow-bellied sheathtail bat (YBST) variant of Australian bat lyssavirus (ABLV). The horses presented with neurological signs, pyrexia and progressing ataxia. Intra-cytoplasmic inclusion bodies (Negri bodies) were detected in some Purkinje neurons in haematoxylin and eosin (H&E) stained sections from the brain of one of the two infected horses (H2) by histological examination. A morphological diagnosis of sub-acute m...
Yun J, Oyungerel B, Kong HS.This study aimed to identify the genetic diversity and population structure of Mongolian horse populations according to the province of residence (Khentii, KTP; Uvs, USP; Omnogovi and Dundgovi, GOP; Khovsgol, KGP) using 14 microsatellite (MS) markers. Methods: A total of 269 whole blood samples were obtained from the four populations (KTP, USP, GOP, KGP) geographically distinct provinces. Multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was conducted using 14 MS markers (AHT4, ASB2, ASB17, ASB23, CA425, HMS1, HMS2, HMS3, HMS6, HMS7, HTG4, HTG6, HTG7, and VHL20), as recommended by the International So...
Curi RA, Pereira GL, Alvarez MVN, Baldassini WA, Machado Neto OR, Chardulo LAL.The main objectives of this study were to identify and functionally classify SNPs and indels by exome sequencing of animals of the racing line of Quarter Horses. Based on the individual genomic estimated breeding values (GEBVs) for maximum speed index (SImax) obtained for 349 animals, two groups of 20 extreme animals were formed. Of these individuals, 20 animals with high GEBVs for SImax and 19 with low GEBVs for SImax had their exons and 5' and 3' UTRs sequenced. Considering SNPs and indels, 105 182 variants were identified in the expressed regions of the Quarter Horse genome. Of these, 72 ...
Schrimpf R, Dierks C, Martinsson G, Sieme H, Distl O.A consistently high level of stallion fertility plays an economically important role in modern horse breeding. We performed a genome-wide association study for estimated breeding values of the paternal component of the pregnancy rate per estrus cycle (EBV-PAT) in Hanoverian stallions. A total of 228 Hanoverian stallions were genotyped using the Equine SNP50 Beadchip. The most significant association was found on horse chromosome 6 for a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) within phospholipase C zeta 1 (PLCz1). In the close neighbourhood to PLCz1 is located CAPZA3 (capping protein (actin filam...
Nam B, Mekuria Z, Carossino M, Li G, Zheng Y, Zhang J, Cook RF, Shuck KM, Campos JR, Squires EL, Troedsson MHT, Timoney PJ, Balasuriya UBR.Equine arteritis virus (EAV) is the causative agent of equine viral arteritis (EVA), a reproductive and respiratory disease of horses. Following natural infection, 10 to 70% of infected stallions can become carriers of EAV and continue to shed virus in the semen. In this study, sequential viruses isolated from nasal secretions, buffy coat cells, and semen of seven experimentally infected and two naturally infected EAV carrier stallions were deep sequenced to elucidate the intrahost microevolutionary process after a single transmission event. Analysis of variants from nasal secretions and buffy...
Momen M, Brounts SH, Binversie EE, Sample SJ, Rosa GJM, Davis BW, Muir P.Degenerative suspensory ligament desmitis is a progressive idiopathic condition that leads to scarring and rupture of suspensory ligament fibers in multiple limbs in horses. The prevalence of degenerative suspensory ligament desmitis is breed related. Risk is high in the Peruvian Horse, whereas pony and draft breeds have low breed risk. Degenerative suspensory ligament desmitis occurs in families of Peruvian Horses, but its genetic architecture has not been definitively determined. We investigated contrasts between breeds with differing risk of degenerative suspensory ligament desmitis and ide...
Toh X, Wang Y, Rajapakse MP, Lee B, Songkasupa T, Suwankitwat N, Kamlangdee A, Judith Fernandez C, Huangfu T.African horse sickness (AHS) is a highly infectious and deadly disease despite availability of vaccines. Molecular characterization of African horse sickness virus (AHSV) detected from the March 2020 Thailand outbreak was carried out by whole-genome sequencing using Nanopore with a Sequence-Independent Single Primer Amplification (SISPA) approach. Nucleotide sequence of the whole genome was compared with closest matching AHSV strains using phylogenetic analyses and the AHSV-1 virus shared high sequence identity with isolates from the same outbreak. Substitution analysis revealed non-synonymous...
Zevenhoven-Dobbe JC, Greve S, van Tol H, Spaan WJM, Snijder EJ.Equine arteritis virus (EAV) contains seven structural proteins that are all required to produce infectious progeny. Alphavirus-based expression vectors have been generated for each of these proteins to explore the possibilities for their constitutive expression in cell lines. This approach was successful for minor glycoproteins GP(2b), GP(3) and GP(4) and for the E protein. Subsequently, it was demonstrated that cell lines expressing these proteins could rescue EAV mutants that were disabled in the expression of the corresponding gene, resulting in the production of virus particles carrying t...
den Boon JA, Snijder EJ, Chirnside ED, de Vries AA, Horzinek MC, Spaan WJ.The nucleotide sequence of the genome of equine arteritis virus (EAV) was determined from a set of overlapping cDNA clones and was found to contain eight open reading frames (ORFs). ORFs 2 through 7 are expressed from six 3'-coterminal subgenomic mRNAs, which are transcribed from the 3'-terminal quarter of the viral genome. A number of these ORFs are predicted to encode structural EAV proteins. The organization and expression of the 3' part of the EAV genome are remarkably similar to those of coronaviruses and toroviruses. The 5'-terminal three-quarters of the genome contain the putative EAV p...
Lapan G, Awad-Masalmeh M, Hartig A, Silber R.In this study 55 strains of Taylorella equigenitalis isolated from horses of four different studs in Austria, and a comparative strain from the Federal Republic of Germany were investigated by different methods. These investigations were carried out with the help of SDS-PAGE, immunoblotting, the analyses of genomes and by proof of plasmids. Furthermore, pathogenic mechanisms such as adhesion or the formation of toxins were investigated in vitro. On the basis of the results carried out by means of SDS-PAGE and immunoblotting all tested strains of Taylorella equigenitalis were alike, whereas by ...
