Mitochondria are organelles found in the cells of horses that are responsible for producing energy through the process of oxidative phosphorylation. They play a role in various cellular functions, including energy metabolism, regulation of the cell cycle, and apoptosis. Mitochondria contain their own DNA, which is maternally inherited and can provide insights into genetic lineage and population studies in equines. Research on equine mitochondria encompasses topics such as mitochondrial function, genetic variation, and their implications for health and performance. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the structure, function, and genetic aspects of mitochondria in horses.
Kvist L, Honka J, Salazar D, Kirkinen T, Hemmann K.We used historical DNA samples to examine the history of a native horse breed, the Finnhorse. Samples were collected from private collections, museums, schools and excavations, representing the times prior to, during, and after the foundation of the breed; from the end of the 19th century and throughout the 20th century. We sequenced a fragment of mitochondrial DNA from these historical samples to study the history and evolution of maternal lineages of horses back to the early days of the breed, compared the mitochondrial DNA sequence diversity of different historical periods and modern day Fi...
Cacciamali A, Pascucci L, Villa R, Dotti S.Nanoscience and nanotechnologies have recently gained importance in several fields, such as industry and medicine. A big issue of the increasing application of nanomaterials is the poor literature regarding their potential toxicity in humans and animals. Recently, adult stem cells have been proposed as putative targets of nanoparticles (NPs). This study aims to investigate the effects of zerovalent-metallic NPs on isolated and amplified equine Adipose tissue derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells (eAdMSCs). Cells were treated with Cobalt (Co-), Iron (Fe-), and Nickel (Ni-) nanoparticles (NPs) at diffe...
Dzięgielewska A, Dunislawska A.Mitochondria are an essential part of most eukaryotic cells. The crucial role of these organelles is the production of metabolic energy, which is converted into ATP in oxidative phosphorylation. They are also involved in and constitute apoptosis, the site of many metabolic processes. Some of the factors that negatively affect mitochondria are stress, excessive exercise, disease, and the aging process. Exercise can cause the release of large amounts of free radicals, inflammation, injury, and stress. All of these factors can contribute to mitochondrial dysfunction, which can consistently lead t...
Chodkowski M, Słońska A, Gregorczyk-Zboroch K, Nowak-Zyczynska Z, Golke A, Krzyżowska M, Bańbura MW, Cymerys J.Mitochondria are key cellular organelles responsible for many essential functions, including ATP production, ion homeostasis and apoptosis induction. Recent studies indicate their significant role during viral infection. In the present study, we examined the effects of equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) infection on the morphology and mitochondrial function in primary murine neurons in vitro. We used three EHV-1 strains: two non-neuropathogenic (Jan-E and Rac-H) and one neuropathogenic (EHV-1 26). The organization of the mitochondrial network during EHV-1 infection was assessed by immunofluores...
Busse NI, Gonzalez ML, Wagner AL, Johnson SE.Optimal athletic performance requires meeting the energetic demands of the muscle fibers, which are a function of myosin ATPase enzymatic activity. Skeletal muscle with a predominant oxidative metabolism underlies equine athletic success. Sodium butyrate, a short-chain fatty acid, can affect muscle fiber composition in pigs. To determine if a similar scenario exists in horses, 12 adult Thoroughbred geldings (7.4 ± 0.6 yr of age; mean ± SEM) were fed 16 g of calcium butyrate (CB) or an equivalent amount of carrier (CON) daily for 30 d in a crossover design. Middle gluteal muscle biopsies were...
Owen RN, Semanchik PL, Latham CM, Brennan KM, White-Springer SH.Maintenance of mitochondrial health, which is supported in part by dietary antioxidants such as selenium (Se) and vitamin E (vitE), is pertinent to optimizing athletic performance. Deficiencies in Se and vitE negatively impact muscle health but mitochondrial adaptations to various levels of dietary Se and vitE are poorly understood. Young Quarter Horses (mean ± SD: 17.6 ± 0.9 mo) undergoing submaximal exercise training were used to test the hypothesis that a proprietary antioxidant blend containing elevated Se yeast (EconomasE, Alltech, Inc., Nicholasville, KY) would improve mitochondrial ch...
Delsol N, Stucky BJ, Oswald JA, Reitz EJ, Emery KF, Guralnick R.Unlike other European domesticates introduced in the Americas after the European invasion, equids (Equidae) were previously in the Western Hemisphere but were extinct by the late Holocene era. The return of equids to the Americas through the introduction of the domestic horse (Equus caballus) is documented in the historical literature but is not explored fully either archaeologically or genetically. Historical documents suggest that the first domestic horses were brought from the Iberian Peninsula to the Caribbean in the late 15th century CE, but archaeological remains of these early introduct...
Mularczyk M, Bourebaba N, Marycz K, Bourebaba L.Astaxanthin is gaining recognition as a natural bioactive component. This study aimed to test whether astaxanthin could protect adipose-derived stromal stem cells (ASCs) from apoptosis, mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress. was used to extract astaxanthin, whose biocompatibility was tested after 24, 48 and 72 h of incubation with the cells; no harmful impact was found. ASCs were treated with optimal concentrations of astaxanthin. Several parameters were examined: cell viability, apoptosis, reactive oxygen levels, mitochondrial dynamics and metabolism, superoxide dismutase activity, ...
Myćka G, Klecel W, Stefaniuk-Szmukier M, Jaworska J, Musiał AD, Ropka-Molik K.The Polish draft horse (PDH) breed is a result of crossing local mares with imported cold-blooded stallions, such as Belgians, Ardennes, Fjords, and others. A part of the broodmare stock investigated in this study was also imported from various countries, such as Denmark. In this study, we investigate the genetic composition of the PDH by analyzing the whole mitochondrial d-loop variability and comparing it to previously demonstrated whole d-loop sequences of other cold-blooded breeds: Ardennais, Belgian, Breton, Clydesdale, Noriker, Norwegian Fjord, Percheron, and Suffolk. Our results show hi...
Podico G, Canisso IF.This study aimed to assess the parameters of epididymal sperm harvested by retrograde flushing (RF) followed by slicing float-up (SF). Epididymides from donkeys (n = 18) and horses (n = 28) were subjected to RF with a freezing extender and then SF technique. The retrieved sperm after RF and SF was evaluated for volume, concentration, and total sperm and then cryopreserved separately. Post-thaw total motility (TM) and progressive motility (PM) were evaluated with CASA. Sperm membrane integrity (SMI) and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) were assessed with flow cytometry. Sperm concentratio...
Adalbert R, Cahalan S, Hopkins EL, Almuhanna A, Loreto A, Pór E, Körmöczy L, Perkins J, Coleman MP, Piercy RJ.Neurological disorders are prevalent in horses, but their study is challenging due to anatomic constraints and the large body size; very few host-specific in vitro models have been established to study these types of diseases, particularly from adult donor tissue. Here we report the generation of primary neuronal dorsal root ganglia (DRG) cultures from adult horses: the mixed, dissociated cultures, containing neurons and glial cells, remained viable for at least 90 days. Similar to DRG neurons in vivo, cultured neurons varied in size, and they developed long neurites. The mitochondrial movem...
Nogueira BG, Pereira RR, Bitencourt JL, Milan B, Reis WVA, Junior MV, Acácio BR, Sampaio BFB, I L Souza M.The objective of the experiment was to evaluate the effect of the addition of different concentrations of the antioxidants Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) and melatonin to equine semen freezing diluent, alone or in combination, during the cryopreservation process. Twenty ejaculates (n = 5 stallions) were divided in groups: Control (C, without the addition of antioxidants), melatonin 0.75 mM (MEL1), melatonin 1.5 mM (MEL2), CoQ10 40 μg/mL (Q1), CoQ10 200 μg/mL (Q2), and CoQ10 40 μg/mL+ 0.75 mM melatonin (Q1 +MEL1). Q1 and Q2 groups demonstrated intact plasma membrane and high mitochondrial me...
Derisoud E, Jouneau L, Dubois C, Archilla C, Jaszczyszyn Y, Legendre R, Daniel N, Peynot N, Dahirel M, Auclair-Ronzaud J, Wimel L, Duranthon V....Breeding a mare until she is not fertile or even until her death is common in equine industry but the fertility decreases as the mare age increases. Embryo loss due to reduced embryo quality is partly accountable for this observation. Here, the effect of mare's age on blastocysts' gene expression was explored. Day 8 post-ovulation embryos were collected from multiparous young (YM, 6-year-old, N = 5) and older (OM, > 10-year-old, N = 6) non-nursing Saddlebred mares, inseminated with the semen of one stallion. Pure or inner cell mass (ICM) enriched trophoblast, obtained by embryo bise...
Contreras MJ, Arias ME, Silva M, Cabrera P, Felmer R.Cryopreservation of stallion semen is less efficient than other species such as bovine. This is mainly because of the greater susceptibility of stallion sperm to the freezing damage that generates oxidative stress and plasma membrane injury, resulting in DNA fragmentation and cell death. These data suggest the need to develop new strategies of sperm cryopreservation that can improve the efficiency of this technique in stallions by reducing or preventing membrane damage and cell death. The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of adding membrane stabilizers to the freezing medium and asses...
Talluri TR, Kumaresan A, Paul N, Sinha MK, Ebenezer Samuel King JP, Elango K, Sharma A, Raval K, Legha RA, Pal Y.Seminal plasma proteins and pathways associated with sperm motility have not been elucidated in stallions. Therefore, in the current study, using the high throughput LC/MS-MS approach, we profiled stallion seminal plasma proteins and identified the proteins and pathways associated with sperm motility. Seminal plasma from six stallions producing semen with contrasting sperm motility ( = 3 each high-and low-motile group) was utilized for proteomic analysis. We identified a total of 1687 proteins in stallion seminal plasma, of which 1627 and 1496 proteins were expressed in high- (HM) and low-...
Maniego J, Pesko B, Habershon-Butcher J, Hincks P, Taylor P, Tozaki T, Ohnuma A, Stewart G, Proudman C, Ryder E.Gene editing and subsequent cloning techniques offer great potential not only in genetic disease correction in domestic animals but also in livestock production by enhancement of desirable traits. The existence of the technology, however, leaves it open to potential misuse in performance-led sports such as horseracing and other equestrian events. Recent advances in equine gene editing, regarding the generation of gene-edited embryos using CRISPR/Cas9 technology and somatic cell nuclear transfer, have highlighted the need to develop tools to detect potential prohibited use of the technology. On...
Smieszek A, Marcinkowska K, Pielok A, Sikora M, Valihrach L, Carnevale E, Marycz K.The study aimed to investigate the influence of obesity on cellular features of equine endometrial progenitor cells (Eca EPCs), including viability, proliferation capacity, mitochondrial metabolism, and oxidative homeostasis. Eca EPCs derived from non-obese (non-OB) and obese (OB) mares were characterized by cellular phenotype and multipotency. Obesity-induced changes in the activity of Eca EPCs include the decline of their proliferative activity, clonogenic potential, mitochondrial metabolism, and enhanced oxidative stress. Eca EPCs isolated from obese mares were characterized by an increased...
Medica AJ, Gibb Z, Sheridan A, Harrison N, Aitken RJ.MTT is a commonly used cell vitality probe, due to its ability to form insoluble formazan deposits at cellular locations of intense oxidoreductase activity. Although this response is considered a reflection of mitochondrial redox activity, extra-mitochondrial sites of MTT reduction have been recognized within the spermatozoa of several mammalian species. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the major sites and causative mechanisms of MTT reduction in stallion spermatozoa. Our results show that stallion spermatozoa displayed substantial mitochondrial formazan deposition, as well as...
Giaretta E, Mislei B, Martínez-Pastor F, Nesci S, Spinaci M, Galeati G, Nerozzi C, Mari G, Tamanini C, Bucci D.Equine spermatozoa highly rely on oxidative phosphorylation for their energy management. The present work aimed to characterize the role of mitochondria on horse sperm motility and ROS production by incubating spermatozoa with specific inhibitors of the different mitochondrial complexes. Equine spermatozoa were incubated 1 h and 3 h at 37 °C with: complex I inhibitor rotenone (5 μM, ROT), complex II inhibitor dimethyl-malonate (10 mM, DMM), complex III inhibitor antimycin A (1.8 μM, ANTI), the uncoupling agent carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenyl hydrazine (5 μM, CCCP), ATP synthase inhi...
Hong JH, Oh CS, Kim S, Kang IU, Shin DH.To understand the domestication and spread of horses in history, genetic information is essential. However, mitogenetic traits of ancient or medieval horses have yet to be comprehensively revealed, especially for East Asia. This study thus set out to reveal the maternal lineage of skeletal horse remains retrieved from a 15th century archaeological site (Gongpyeongdong) at Old Seoul City in South Korea. Methods: We extracted DNA from the femur of Equus caballus (SNU-A001) from Joseon period Gongpyeongdong site. Mitochondrial (mt) DNA (HRS 15128-16116) of E. caballus was amplified by polymerase ...
Catalán J, Yánez-Ortiz I, Tvarijonaviciute A, González-Arostegui LG, Rubio CP, Yeste M, Miró J, Barranco I.This study investigated whether the activities of the antioxidant components of donkey seminal plasma (SP)-both enzymatic (superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase-like (CAT), glutathione peroxidase-like (GPX), and paraoxonase type 1 (PON1)) and non-enzymatic (measured in terms of total thiol, copper-reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC), ferric-reducing ability of plasma (FRAP), and Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC))-and oxidative stress index (OSI) are related to sperm cryotolerance. For this purpose, 15 ejaculates from jackasses (one per individual) were collected and split into tw...
Monteiro RA, Cunha RM, Guerra MMP, de Almeida VM, Peña-Alfaro CE, Silva SV.The aim of this study was to test equine semen cryopreservation techniques for the conservation of donkey germplasm. Ejaculates of three male donkeys were used (n = 18; six ejaculates per donkey; six repetitions), collected by the artificial vagina method. To remove the seminal plasma, the ejaculates were split and submitted to filtration or centrifugation methods. To assess the freezing method, each fraction was submitted to the automated system or the conventional system, and groups were formed: automated centrifuge, automated filtrate, conventional centrifuge and conventional filtrate. Af...
Wolfsberger WW, Ayala NM, Castro-Marquez SO, Irizarry-Negron VM, Potapchuk A, Shchubelka K, Potish L, Majeske AJ, Oliver LF, Lameiro AD....Since the first Spanish settlers brought horses to America centuries ago, several local varieties and breeds have been established in the New World. These were generally a consequence of the admixture of the different breeds arriving from Europe. In some instances, local horses have been selectively bred for specific traits, such as appearance, endurance, strength, and gait. We looked at the genetics of two breeds, the Puerto Rican Non-Purebred (PRNPB) (also known as the "Criollo") horses and the Puerto Rican Paso Fino (PRPF), from the Caribbean Island of Puerto Rico. While it is reasonable ...
Macêdo IN, Arruda LCP, de Santana BB, de Moura TCM, Guerra MMP, Bezerra DG, Carneiro GF, Silva SV.The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of the addition of different concentrations of ozone to quarter horse semen submitted to cryopreservation. Six ejaculates from four stallions were collected and were divided in four experimental groups: a control group (BotuCRIO® extender) and three other groups with BotuCRIO® ozonized at concentrations of 6, 8 and 12 μg of O/mL. The semen samples were diluted (200 x 10 spermatozoa/mL), filled in straws and frozen. After thawing (37 ºC, 30s), the samples were evaluated at 0, 30 and 60 minutes of incubation regarding sperm kinetics by ...
Atsenova N, Palova N, Mehandjyiski I, Neov B, Radoslavov G, Hristov P.The question about the time and the place of horse domestication, a process which had a profound impact on the progress of mankind, is disputable. According to the most widely accepted hypothesis, the earliest domestication of the horse happened in the western parts of the Eurasian steppes, between the Northern Black Sea region and present-day Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. It seems that it occurred not earlier than the first half and most probably during the middle (even the last third) of the fourth millennium BC (from ∼ 5.5 kya). The next steps of large-scale horse breeding occurred almost ...
Spinaci M, Nerozzi C, Mislei B, Blanco-Prieto O, Mari G, Galeati G, Bucci D.The growing and widespread use of glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs) has raised an intense public debate about the impact of environmental contamination on animal and human health, including male fertility. The aim of this study was to deepen the impact of glyphosate (Gly) and GBHs on mammalian sperm investigating the effect of in vitro exposure of stallion spermatozoa to Gly and to its commercial formulation Roundup® (R). Spermatozoa were incubated at 37 °C with different Gly or R concentrations (from 0.5 to 720 μg/mL Gly or R at the same Gly-equivalent concentrations). After 1 h of in...
Moura TCM, Arruda LCP, Araújo Silva RAJ, Silva RPF, Oliveira AS, Tobal LFM, Batista AM, Carneiro GF, Guerra MMP.The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of sucrose on post-thawed equine semen quality. Semen samples (n = 24) were collected from six stallions. They were diluted (200 × 10 sperm/mL) in a freezing medium based on skimmed milk, egg yolk, dimethylformamide, and supplemented with sucrose at concentrations of 0 (Control), 25, 50, and 100 mM and in a commercial extender (BotuCrio). Subsequently, they were filled in straws (0.5 mL) and subjected to freezing and storage (-196°C). Immediately after thawing (37°C, 30 seconds), semen samples were evaluated for kinetics (CASA), plasm...
Mathis D, Sass JO, Graubner C, Schoster A.Atypical myopathy (AM), an acquired multiple acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency (MADD) in horses, induce changes in mitochondrial metabolism. Only few veterinary laboratories offer diagnostic testing for this disease. Inborn and acquired MADD exist in humans, therefore determination of organic acids (OA) in urine and acylcarnitines (AC) in blood by assays available in medical laboratories can serve as AM diagnostics. The evolution of OA and AC profiles in surviving horses is unreported. Methods: AC profiles using electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS) and OA in urine using...
Mach N, Moroldo M, Rau A, Lecardonnel J, Le Moyec L, Robert C, Barrey E.Endurance exercise has a dramatic impact on the functionality of mitochondria and on the composition of the intestinal microbiome, but the mechanisms regulating the crosstalk between these two components are still largely unknown. Here, we sampled 20 elite horses before and after an endurance race and used blood transcriptome, blood metabolome and fecal microbiome to describe the gut-mitochondria crosstalk. A subset of mitochondria-related differentially expressed genes involved in pathways such as energy metabolism, oxidative stress and inflammation was discovered and then shown to be associa...
Catandi GD, Obeidat YM, Broeckling CD, Chen TW, Chicco AJ, Carnevale EM.Advanced maternal age is associated with a decline in fertility and oocyte quality. We used novel metabolic microsensors to assess effects of mare age on single oocyte and embryo metabolic function, which has not yet been similarly investigated in mammalian species. We hypothesized that equine maternal aging affects the metabolic function of oocytes and in vitro-produced early embryos, oocyte mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy number, and relative abundance of metabolites involved in energy metabolism in oocytes and cumulus cells. Samples were collected from preovulatory follicles from young (≤1...
The Bering Land Bridge (BLB) last connected Eurasia and North America during the Late Pleistocene. Although the BLB would have enabled transfers of terrestrial biota in both directions, it also acted as an ecological filter whose permeability varied considerably over time. Here we explore the possible impacts of this ecological corridor on genetic diversity within, and connectivity among, populations of a once wide-ranging group, the caballine horses (Equus spp.). Using a panel of 187 mitochondrial and eight nuclear genomes recovered from present-day and extinct caballine horses sampled acros...
Sessions-Bresnahan DR, Schauer KL, Heuberger AL, Carnevale EM.Obesity is associated with disrupted reproductive cycles in mares, but the impact of obesity on follicles and oocytes has received minimal attention. We investigated the impact of obesity on 1) expression of selected genes in follicle cells for carbohydrate metabolism, inflammatory cytokines, lipid homeostasis, endoplasmic reticulum stress, and mitochondrial function; 2) follicular fluid content of metabolic hormones and metabolites; and 3) lipid fingerprint of oocytes. Mares (9-13 yr) were classified as control (n = 8, normal weight, body condition score [BCS] 5.1, 10.4% body fat) or obese (n...
Journal of proteomicsApril 2, 2020
Volume 221 103765 doi: 10.1016/j.jprot.2020.103765
Martín-Cano FE, Gaitskell-Phillips G, Ortiz-Rodríguez JM, Silva-Rodríguez A, Román Á, Rojo-Domínguez P, Alonso-Rodríguez E, Tapia JA, Gil MC....Proteomic technologies allow the detection of thousands of proteins at the same time, being a powerful technique to reveal molecular regulatory mechanisms in spermatozoa and also sperm damage linked to low fertility or specific biotechnologies. Modifications induced by the cryopreservation in the stallion sperm proteome were studied using UHPLC/MS/MS. Ejaculates from fertile stallions were collected and split in two subsamples, one was investigated as fresh (control) samples, and the other aliquot frozen and thawed using standard procedures and investigated as frozen thawed subsamples. UHPLC/M...
Rooney MF, Porter RK, Katz LM, Hill EW.Variation in the myostatin (MSTN) gene has been reported to be associated with race distance, body composition and skeletal muscle fibre composition in the horse. The aim of the present study was to test the hypothesis that MSTN variation influences mitochondrial phenotypes in equine skeletal muscle. Mitochondrial abundance and skeletal muscle fibre types were measured in whole muscle biopsies from the gluteus medius of n = 82 untrained (21 ± 3 months) Thoroughbred horses. Skeletal muscle fibre type proportions were significantly (p < 0.01) different among the three MSTN genotypes and mito...
Marklund S, Chaudhary R, Marklund L, Sandberg K, Andersson L.The hypervariable D-loop region of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) was amplified with the polymerase chain reaction using total horse DNA samples. Analysis of single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) of denatured amplification products was carried out by native polyacrylamide (8%) gel electrophoresis followed by silver staining. As many as 15 distinct SSCP variants were revealed when screening a total of 78 maternally unrelated horses representing five different breeds. All breeds showed a high degree of polymorphism and the estimated probability (PImt) that two maternally unrelated individual...
Peña FJ, Ball BA, Squires EL.Multiparametric assessment of stallion sperm quality using flow cytometry can be a useful adjunct in semen evaluation; however, the availability of flow cytometers in veterinary practice is limited. The ability to preserve and transport sperm samples for later flow cytometric analysis using fixable probes would potentially facilitate this process. In the current study, we validated the combination of live/dead Zombie Green (a fixable dye used to assess live and dead sperm) and MitoTracker Deep Red (used to assess mitochondrial membrane potential). The assay was validated against classic, non-f...
Hendriks WK, Colleoni S, Galli C, Paris DB, Colenbrander B, Roelen BA, Stout TA.Advanced maternal age and in vitro embryo production (IVP) predispose to pregnancy loss in horses. We investigated whether mare age and IVP were associated with alterations in mitochondrial (mt) DNA copy number or function that could compromise oocyte and embryo development. Effects of mare age (<12 vs ≥12 years) on mtDNA copy number, ATP content and expression of genes involved in mitochondrial replication (mitochondrial transcription factor (TFAM), mtDNA polymerase γ subunit B (mtPOLB) and mitochondrial single-stranded DNA-binding protein (SSB)), energy production (ATP synthase-couplin...
The Journal of heredityApril 13, 2012
Volume 103, Issue 3 380-390 doi: 10.1093/jhered/ess003
Prystupa JM, Hind P, Cothran EG, Plante Y.A 378-bp section of the mitochondrial displacement loop was used to estimate genetic diversity in the native Canadian equine populations. The inclusion of 10 Mountain and Moorland, 3 Nordic pony breeds, 2 feral populations, and 5 horse breeds were also investigated as they may have influenced the development (or rejuvenation) of the native Canadian populations. A total of 281 samples were sequenced, which produced 75 haplotypes derived from 54 informative sites. On further investigation, 36 of these 75 haplotypes were found to be previously unreported. Overall, total diversity was lowest in th...
Peña FJ, Plaza Davila M, Ball BA, Squires EL, Martin Muñoz P, Ortega Ferrusola C, Balao da Silva C.The traditional assessment of stallion sperm comprises evaluation of sperm motility and membrane integrity and identification of abnormal morphology of the spermatozoa. More recently, the progressive introduction of flow cytometry is increasing the number of tests available. However, compared with other sperm structures and functions, the evaluation of mitochondria has received less attention in stallion andrology. Recent research indicates that sperm mitochondria are key structures in sperm function suffering major changes during biotechnological procedures such as cryopreservation. In this p...
Abdullaev ZKh, Bodrova ME, Chernyak BV, Dolgikh DA, Kluck RM, Pereverzev MO, Arseniev AS, Efremov RG, Kirpichnikov MP, Mokhova EN, Newmeyer DD....A cytochrome c mutant lacking apoptogenic function but competent in electron transfer and antioxidant activities has been constructed. To this end, mutant species of horse and yeast cytochromes c with substitutions in the N-terminal alpha-helix or position 72 were obtained. It was found that yeast cytochrome c was much less effective than the horse protein in activating respiration of rat liver mitoplasts deficient in endogenous cytochrome c as well as in inhibition of H(2)O(2) production by the initial segment of the respiratory chain of intact rat heart mitochondria. The major role in the di...
Macías García B, Ortega Ferrusola C, Aparicio IM, Miró-Morán A, Morillo Rodriguez A, Gallardo Bolaños JM, González Fernández L....Glycerol is, to date, the most widely used cryoprotectant to freeze stallion spermatozoa at concentrations between 2% and 5%. Cryoprotectant toxicity has been claimed to be the single most limiting factor for the success of cryopreservation. In order to evaluate the toxic effects of the concentrations of glycerol used in practice, stallion spermatozoa were incubated in Biggers Whitten and Whittingham (BWW) media supplemented with 0%, 0.5%, 1.5%, 2.5%, 3.5%, and 5% glycerol. In two additional experiments, a hyposmotic (75 mOsm/kg) and a hyperosmotic (900 mOsm/kg) control media were included. Sp...
Barrey E, Mucher E, Jeansoule N, Larcher T, Guigand L, Herszberg B, Chaffaux S, Guérin G, Mata X, Benech P, Canale M, Alibert O, Maltere P, Gidrol X.Several cases of myopathies have been observed in the horse Norman Cob breed. Muscle histology examinations revealed that some families suffer from a polysaccharide storage myopathy (PSSM). It is assumed that a gene expression signature related to PSSM should be observed at the transcriptional level because the glycogen storage disease could also be linked to other dysfunctions in gene regulation. Thus, the functional genomic approach could be conducted in order to provide new knowledge about the metabolic disorders related to PSSM. We propose exploring the PSSM muscle fiber metabolic disorder...
Williams TM, Dobson GP, Mathieu-Costello O, Morsbach D, Worley MB, Phillips JA.To establish a skeletal muscle profile for elite sprinters, we obtained muscle biopsy samples from the vastus lateralis, gastrocnemius and soleus of African cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus). Muscle ultrastructure was characterized by the fiber type composition and mitochondrial volume density of each sample. Maximum enzyme activity, myoglobin content and mixed fiber metabolite content were used to assess the major biochemical pathways. The results demonstrate a preponderance of fast-twitch fibers in the locomotor muscles of cheetahs; 83% of the total number of fibers examined in the vastus laterali...
Torner H, Alm H, Kanitz W, Goellnitz K, Becker F, Poehland R, Bruessow KP, Tuchscherer A.The aim of this investigation was to examine the chromatin configuration of the nucleus, pattern of mitochondrial aggregation and mitochondrial activity in parallel studies in the same horse oocytes. Horse oocytes recovered by ultrasound-guided follicle aspiration in vivo were classified according to two main initial cumulus morphologies as having compact or expanded cumulus. The percentage of oocytes with a diplotene meiotic configuration at the time of recovery from the follicles was highest in compact oocytes. Oocytes with expanded cumulus layers at the time of recovery matured more rapidly...
Giontella A, Sarti FM, Cardinali I, Giovannini S, Cherchi R, Lancioni H, Silvestrelli M, Pieramati C.The Sardinian Anglo Arab (SAA) is a famous horse breed in Italy, with a significant historical background in the island of Sardinia. The aim of the study is to perform an evaluation of genetic variability in SAA using pedigree and mitochondrial data. In the current population, pedigree completeness was observed to be close to 100%, while the inbreeding coefficient and the average relatedness were lower than 3%. The ratio of effective founders/numbers of ancestors was 3.68 for the whole pedigree. The effective population size (N) computed by an individual increase in inbreeding (N) was 456.86, ...
Cassart D, Baise E, Cherel Y, Delguste C, Antoine N, Votion D, Amory H, Rollin F, Linden A, Coignoul F, Desmecht D.There is a lack of well documented studies about muscular lesions in equine atypical myopathy (EAM). Objective: To characterise morphopathological changes of striated muscles and myocardium, to progress understanding of this disease. Methods: Thirty-two horses age 0.5-7 years kept on pasture were referred for a sudden ataxia/myoglobinuria syndrome. Clinical examination (stiffness, muscle pain, muscle fasciculations, abnormal gait, recumbency, myoglobinuria, tachycardia, sweating) and plasma CPK, LDH and AST levels were consistent with extensive myonecrosis and, together with anamnestic data, w...
Waller AP, Geor RJ, Spriet LL, Heigenhauser GJ, Lindinger MI.Oral acetate supplementation enhances glycogen synthesis in some mammals. However, while acetate is a significant energy source for skeletal muscle at rest in horses, its effects on glycogen resynthesis are unknown. We hypothesized that administration of an oral sodium acetate-acetic acid solution with a typical grain and hay meal after glycogen-depleting exercise would result in a rapid appearance of acetate in blood with rapid uptake by skeletal muscle. It was further hypothesized that acetate taken up by muscle would be converted to acetyl CoA (and acetylcarnitine), which would be metaboliz...
Lansade L, Foury A, Reigner F, Vidament M, Guettier E, Bouvet G, Soulet D, Parias C, Ruet A, Mach N, Lévy F, Moisan MP.Early and definitive separation between offspring and their mothers has negative consequences on behavioral and physiological responses. This study compared sudden and definitive weaning (Sudd group, N = 16) and weaning involving progressive habituation to separation using a fence line during the month preceding definitive separation (Prog group, N = 18). The impact of these two methods was assessed in both foals and their mothers through behavioral and biological parameters, including salivary cortisol, telomere length and blood transcriptomes. On the day of definitive separation, Pro...
Kim HJ, Yong TS, Shin MH, Lee KJ, Park GM, Suvonkulov U, Kovalenko D, Yu HS.Echinococcosis occurs mainly in areas with heavy livestock farming, such as Central Asia, America, and Australia. Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato (s.l.) infection causes echinococcosis in intermediate hosts, such as sheep, cattle, goats, camels, and horses. Numerous cases of echinococcosis occur in Uzbekistan as stock farming is a primary industry. Epidemiological and genetic studies of E. granulosus s.l. are very important for mitigating its impact on public health and the economy; however, there are no such studies on E. granulosus s.l. in Uzbekistan. In the present study, to determine wh...
Johansson J, von Bahr-Lindström H, Jeck R, Woenckhaus C, Jörnvall H.The primary structure of the mitochondrial form of horse liver aldehyde dehydrogenase has been determined, utilizing peptide analyses and homology with other enzyme forms. The subunit exhibits N-terminal heterogeneity in size similar to that for the corresponding human mitochondrial protein, the longest form having 500 residues. Catalase was identified as a contaminant of the preparations. All four pairs within a set of aldehyde dehydrogenases can now be compared, including the same two species variants (horse and human) for both the cytosolic and mitochondrial enzyme, revealing characteristic...
Love CC, Thompson JA, Brinsko SP, Rigby SL, Blanchard TL, Lowry VK, Varner DD.Relationships between sperm motility parameters and viability were evaluated using two fluorescent staining techniques in fresh extended semen (fresh and after 24 h storage at 5 degrees C) that had various concentrations of dead sperm added to simulate different levels of viable and nonviable sperm. Both protocols incorporated SYBR-14 and propidium iodide (PI) while the second protocol added the mitochondrial probe JC-1. The relationship between total sperm motility and percent viable sperm was high between staining protocols (r = 0.98). Time (0 h versus 24 h, P<0.0001) and treatment (0, 10, 2...
Lewis N, Hinrichs K, Leese HJ, McG Argo C, Brison DR, Sturmey R.Horses are one of the few species, beside humans, in which assisted reproductive technology has important clinical applications. Furthermore, the horse can serve as a valuable model for the study of comparative reproductive biology. Here we present the first comprehensive characterisation of energy metabolism and mitochondrial efficiency in equine cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) during in vitro maturation (IVM), as determined using a combination of non-invasive consumption and release assays and mitochondrial function analysis. These data reveal notable species-specific differences in the rate...
Yang Y, Zhu Q, Liu S, Zhao C, Wu C.The origin of domestic horses in China was a controversial issue and several hypotheses including autochthonous domestication, introduction from other areas, and multiple-origins from both introduction and local wild horse introgression have been proposed, but none of them have been fully supported by DNA data. In the present study, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences of 714 Chinese indigenous horses were analyzed. The results showed that Chinese domestic horses harbor some novel mtDNA haplogroups and suggested that local domestication events may have occurred, but they are not the dominant ha...
Moridi M, Masoudi AA, Vaez Torshizi R, Hill EW.To understand the origin and genetic diversity of Iranian native horses, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) D-loop sequences were generated for 95 horses from five breeds sampled in eight geographical locations in Iran. Sequence analysis of a 247-bp segment revealed a total of 27 haplotypes with 38 polymorphic sites. Twelve of 19 mtDNA haplogroups were identified in the samples. The most common haplotypes were found within haplogroup X2. Within-population haplotype and nucleotide diversities of the five breeds ranged from 0.838 ± 0.056 to 0.974 ± 0.022 and 0.011 ± 0.002 to 0.021 ± 0.001 res...
The Estonian Native Horse (ENH) is a medium-size pony found mainly in the western islands of Estonia and is well-adapted to the harsh northern climate and poor pastures. The ancestry of the ENH is debated, including alleged claims about direct descendance from the extinct Tarpan. Here we conducted a detailed analysis of the genetic makeup and relationships of the ENH based on the genotypes of 15 autosomal short tandem repeats (STRs), 18 Y chromosomal single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), mitochondrial D-loop sequence and lateral gait allele in DMRT3. The study encompassed 2890 horses of 61 b...
Han L, Zhu S, Ning C, Cai D, Wang K, Chen Q, Hu S, Yang J, Shao J, Zhu H, Zhou H.The donkey (Equus asinus) is an important domestic animal that provides a reliable source of protein and method of transportation for many human populations. However, the process of domestication and the dispersal routes of the Chinese donkey are still unclear, as donkey remains are sparse in the archaeological record and often confused with horse remains. To explore the maternal origins and dispersal route of Chinese donkeys, both mitochondrial DNA D-loop and cytochrome b gene fragments of 21 suspected donkey remains from four archaeological sites in China were amplified and sequenced. Result...
Oakenfull EA, Ryder OA.Variation in the control region and the 12S rRNA gene of all surviving mitochondrial lineages of Przewalski's horse was investigated. Variation is low despite the present day population being descended from 13 individuals probably representing animals from three different regions of its range. Phylogenetic comparison of these sequences, with sequences for the domestic horse, does not resolve the ancestral status of either horse.
McCutcheon LJ, Byrd SK, Hodgson DR.Thoroughbred horses were exercised to fatigue at 40, 85, and 100% of their maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) on a treadmill and completed a 1,600-m gallop on a track to identify the effect of exercise of various durations and intensities on the ultrastructure of mitochondria and sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) from the middle gluteal muscle. The percentage of the total area occupied by mitochondria and SR increased in electron micrographs of muscle samples collected at the termination of exercise and at 30 and 60 min of recovery compared with those collected before exercise. Mitochondrial area i...
