Molecular biology in horses involves the study of molecular processes and genetic mechanisms that underpin equine physiology and health. This field encompasses the analysis of DNA, RNA, proteins, and other biomolecules to understand gene expression, genetic variation, and cellular functions in horses. Techniques such as genomic sequencing, gene expression profiling, and molecular diagnostics are employed to explore topics like hereditary diseases, performance traits, and immune responses in equines. This page assembles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that investigate the molecular biology of horses, focusing on genetic research, molecular techniques, and their applications in equine science.
Albrecht BA, MacLeod JN, Daels PF.At the onset of equine chorionic gonadotrophin (eCG) secretion, eCG stimulates luteal androgen and oestrogen production. Although eCG concentrations increase exponentially from day 37 to day 60 of gestation and eCG is detectable in maternal serum until about day 120-150 of gestation, luteal androgen and oestrogen production peaks between 5 and 10 days after initial exposure to eCG and then decreases gradually. It is not clear how eCG regulates luteal androgen and oestrogen production. In the present study, the steady-state mRNA expression of 3beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3beta-HSD), cyto...
Magistrini M, Lindeberg H, Koskinen E, Beau P, Seguin F.The composition of seminal plasma must be determined to assess the possible roles of sex gland secretions in survival of stallion spermatozoa. In the present study, an automated semen collection device and 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy were used to analyse and compare the composition of seminal plasma from fractionated and nonfractionated stallion ejaculates. The contribution of each semen component to the ejaculate (sequence of production of component and concentration) was evaluated and its relationship to biophysical parameters was determined. 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy was use...
Alm H, Neumann H, Torner H, Tomek W, Wollenhaupt K, Kanitz W, Becker F.Equine oocytes were collected by follicle aspiration in vivo or by dissection of material obtained from an abattoir, and the ultrastructure, protein phosphorylation and mRNA status of the oocytes were evaluated. Electron microscopy studies indicated that the nucleus had a smooth membrane in oocytes with a compact cumulus, whereas the nuclear membrane was undulated in all other groups. Oocytes with compact cumuli had only a few microvilli, whereas those with expanded cumuli had more microvilli. There were only small numbers of cortical granules close to the oolemma in oocytes with compact cumul...
Evenson DP, Jost LK, Varner DD.Data from the sperm chromatin structure assay (SCSA), a flow cytometric measurement of susceptibility of sperm nuclear DNA to denaturation, show strong correlation with the fertility potential of bulls, boars, men and stallions. Previous studies showed a strong relationship between stallion spermatozoa with denatured DNA and the presence of DNA strand breaks. In the present study, the relationship between stallion sperm DNA denaturation and the redox status of -SH groups on the cysteine residues of sperm nuclear protamines that are thought to stabilize chromatin was investigated. Semen samples...
Meyers SA, Rosenberger A, Orpneck K.Three protein bands with hyaluronidase activity and molecular masses of 87, 48 and 43 kDa were isolated from purified equine sperm plasma membranes. Indirect immunofluorescence was used to assess sperm labelling patterns using a polyclonal antibody to sperm hyaluronidase. In ejaculated spermatozoa, surface-associated hyaluronidase was localized to the posterior head region of 98 +/- 2% of spermatozoa (n=10). Epididymides were isolated from mature stallions (n=5) and divided into caput, corpus and cauda epididymides in separate Petri dishes. The epididymidal tubules were dissected and washed us...
Ababneh MM, Troedsson MH, Michelson JR, Seguin BE.Equine conceptuses are thought to produce antiluteolytic factors that inhibit endometrial PGF2alpha and, thus, prevent luteolysis in pregnant mares. The aim of the present study was to characterize partially the chemical nature of the prostaglandin inhibitory factor (PIF) produced by equine conceptuses in vitro. Embryos were collected from pregnant mares 13 +/- 0.5 days after ovulation and were cultured for 24 h. Harvested equine conceptus conditioned media (CCM) were assayed for antiluteolytic activity by determining the inhibition of endometrial PGF2alpha synthesis in vitro. Significant anti...
Zheng YH, Sentsui H, Sugita M, Nakaya T, Kishi M, Hagiwara K, Inoshima Y, Ishihara C, Kono Y, Lu JL, Ikuta K.An attenuated equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV), V26, was previously prepared by 50 passages of the Japanese virulent strain V70 in primary horse macrophage culture. The horses inoculated with this V26 virus were shown to raise neutralizing antibodies against V70 without any viremia. Here, we investigated the in vitro and in vivo replication ability of V26. Comparison of the long-terminal repeat (LTR) sequences between V26 and V70 revealed a large insertion within the LTR U3 hypervariable region of V26. V26 with the mutation in the LTR showed much higher promoter activity in vitro than V70...
Kavar T, Habe F, Brem G, Dovc P.Mitochondrial DNA from 49 Lipizzan horses representing 16 maternal lines from the original stud at Lipica was used for SSCP analysis and DNA sequencing. The SSCP analysis of the 444 bp long fragment of the D-loop region extending from the tRNA(Pro) gene to the central conserved sequence block revealed three distinct groups of SSCP patterns. Both ends of the D-loop region (378 bp and 310 bp), which are considered as the most variable regions within the mammalian mitochondrial DNA, were sequenced. According to 49 polymorphic sites identified within the both parts of the D-loop region, the 16 mat...
Brandon RB, Giffard JM, Bell K.Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in exons 13, 15 and 16 of equine transferrin for common, rare and mutant variants were investigated. Compared with previous work a further 13 SNPs have been identified, allowing for the two previously identified clades to be subdivided into 11 groups. A combination of one or more of eight SNPs can be used to classify the equine variants into these 11 groups, since most are co-inherited. Putative sites of glycosylation in exons 13 and 16 showed no polymorphism, suggesting that presence or absence of sugar moieties does not lead to electrophoretic variation...
Leutenegger CM, von Rechenberg B, Huder JB, Zlinsky K, Mislin C, Akens MK, Auer J, Lutz H.Specific amplification and quantitation of nucleic acid sequences by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has been extensively used for the detection of viral infection and gene expression. Although successful amplification of DNA and RNA sequences extracted from paraffin embedded tissue have been described, there are presently no reports available regarding RNA analysis from bone and calcified tissues embedded in hydrophobic acrylic resin. Here we describe a general method for quantitation of specific mRNA sequences extracted from undecalcified bone sections, fixed in paraformaldehyde, and emb...
Lucchesi PM, Parma AE.Horses infected with Leptospira interrogans present several clinical disorders, one of them being recurrent uveitis. An antigenic relationship between this bacterium and equine cornea has been described in previous studies. With the aim to make progress on defining the molecular basis and pathogenesis of equine recurrent uveitis, here we describe the cloning of one DNA fragment from a Leptospira interrogans serovar pomona genomic lambda gt11 library. Although there are references of transcription of leptospiral genes in E. coli from their own leptospiral promoters, in this recombinant construc...
Yachida Y, Kashiwagi M, Mikami T, Tsuchihashi K, Daino T, Akino T, Gasa S.A novel galactosylalkylglycerol modified with a long-chain cyclic acetal at the sugar moiety, 3-O-(4'6'-plasmalogalactosyl) 1-O-alkylglycerol, was isolated from equine brain. The presence of cyclic acetal linkage, its linked position, and the length of the acetal chain of the natural plasmalo lipid were determined by proton NMR spectroscopy and fast-atom bombardment;-mass spectrometry, as well as gas chromatography;-mass spectrometry and gas;-liquid chromatography. To identify the isomeric stereostructure of the natural product, the plasmalo derivative was chemically synthesized from 3-O-galac...
Caballero AR, Lottenberg R, Johnston KH.Streptokinases secreted by nonhuman isolates of group C streptococci (Streptococcus equi, S. equisimilis, and S. zooepidemicus) have been shown to bind to different mammalian plasminogens but exhibit preferential plasminogen activity. The streptokinase genes from S. equisimilis strains which activated either equine or porcine plasminogen were cloned, sequenced, and expressed in Escherichia coli. The streptokinase secreted by the equine isolate had little similarity to any known streptokinases secreted by either human or porcine isolates. The streptokinase secreted by the porcine isolate had li...
Huang Z, Depoortere I, De Clercq P, Peeters T.Motilin is involved in the regulation of the fasting motility pattern in man and in dog, but may have a different role in other species. Immunoreactive motilin has been demonstrated in several species, but the sequence is mostly unknown. The aim of this study was to isolate and sequence the cDNA encoding the motilin precursor from several mammalian species and from chicken. Total RNA was isolated from the duodenal mucosa of the chicken, dog, cow and horse. In each case single stranded cDNA was synthesized. Motilin cDNA fragments were amplified by PCR, ligated into a plasmid and cloned. Clones ...
Camarda G, Spinetti G, Bernardini G, Mair C, Davis-Poynter N, Capogrossi MC, Napolitano M.Several herpesviruses contain open reading frames (ORFs) that encode potential homologs of eucaryotic genes. Equine herpesvirus 2 (EHV-2) is a gammaherpesvirus related to other lymphotropic herpesviruses such as herpesvirus saimiri and Epstein-Barr virus. The E1 ORF of EHV-2, a G protein-coupled receptor homolog, shows 31 to 47% amino acid identity with known CC chemokine receptors. To investigate whether E1 may encode a functional receptor, we cloned the E1 ORF and expressed it in stably transfected cell lines. We report here the identification of the CC chemokine eotaxin as a functional liga...
Collins MD, Rodriguez Jovita M, Lawson PA, Falsen E, Foster G.Two strains of an unknown Gram-positive, catalase-negative, facultatively anaerobic coccus originating from the reproductive tract of horses were characterized by phenotypic and molecular taxonomic methods. Comparative 16S rRNA gene sequencing studies demonstrated that the two strains constitute a new subline within the lactic-acid group of bacteria, close to, but distinct from, Abiotrophia defectiva, Globicatella sanguinis and close relatives. The unknown bacterium was readily distinguished from other described Gram-positive, catalase-negative cocci by biochemical tests and electrophoretic an...
Caetano AR, Lyons LA, Laughlin TF, O'Brien SJ, Murray JD, Bowling AT.Comparative anchor tagged sequences (CATS) from human Chromosome 5 (HSA5) were used as PCR primers to produce molecular markers for synteny mapping in the horse. Primer sets for 21 genes yielded eight horse-specific markers, which were mapped with the UC Davis horse-mouse somatic cell hybrid panel into two synteny groups: UCD14 and UCD21. These data, in conjunction with earlier human chromosome painting studies of the horse karyotype and synteny mapping of horse microsatellite markers physically mapped by FISH, confirm the assignment of UCD21 to ECA21 and suggest that UCD14 is located on ECA14...
Green MK, Johnston MV, Larsen BS.To elucidate the role of high mass accuracy in mass spectrometric peptide mapping and database searching, selected proteins were subjected to tryptic digestion and the resulting mixtures were analyzed by electrospray ionization on a 7 Tesla Fourier transform mass spectrometer with a mass accuracy of 1 ppm. Two extreme cases were examined in detail: equine apomyoglobin, which digested easily and gave very few spurious masses, and bovine alpha-lactalbumin, which under the conditions used, gave many spurious masses. The effectiveness of accurate mass measurements in minimizing false protein match...
Hedges JF, Balasuriya UB, MacLachlan NJ.Open reading frame 3 (ORF 3) of equine arteritis virus (EAV) is predicted to encode a glycosylated membrane protein (GP3) that is uncharacterized. ORF 3 of the American Type Culture Collection strain of EAV was in vitro transcribed and the encoded GP3 protein was in vitro translated with and without canine microsomal membranes. The GP3 protein was approximately 17 kDa after in vitro translation without canine microsomal membranes whereas the glycosylated form, after translation with microsomal membranes, was a diffuse band of 36-42 kDa, indicating that the GP3 protein is extensively glycosylat...
Sharma AK, Singh TP.Lactoferrin binds two Fe(3+) and two CO(2-)(3) ions with high affinity. It can also bind other metal ions and anions. In order to determine the perturbations in the environments of the binding sites in the N and C lobes and elsewhere in the protein, the crystal structure of oxalate-substituted diferric mare lactoferrin has been determined at 2.7 A resolution. The final model has a crystallographic R factor of 21.3% for all data in the resolution range 17.0-2.7 A. The substitution of an oxalate anion does not perturb the overall structure of the protein, but produces several significant changes...
Auvray P, Sourdaine P, Moslemi S, Séralini GE, Sonnet P, Enguehard C, Guillon J, Dallemagne P, Bureau R, Rault S.In this study, we describe the synthesis of a new family of indolizinone derivatives designed to fit an extrahydrophobic pocket within the active site of aromatase and to strongly inhibit human aromatase. This could help improve the specificity of the inhibitors. Equine aromatase, very well characterized biochemically, is used as a comparative model. Indeed, in a previous comparison between both human and equine aromatases, we described the importance of the interaction between the inhibitor and this pocket for the indane derivative MR 20814. MR 20492 and MR 20494 are more potent inhibitors of...
Ikadai H, Xuan X, Igarashi I, Tanaka S, Kanemaru T, Nagasawa H, Fujisaki K, Suzuki N, Mikami T.A cDNA expression library prepared from Babesia caballi merozoite mRNA was screened with a monoclonal antibody BC11D against the rhoptry protein of B. caballi merozoite. A cDNA encoding a 48-kDa protein of B. caballi was cloned and designated BC48. The complete nucleotide sequence of the BC48 gene had 1,828 bp and was shown to contain no intron. Southern blotting analysis indicated that the BC48 gene contained more than two copies in the B. caballi genome. Computer analysis suggested that this sequence contained an open reading frame of 1,374 bp with a coding capacity of approximately 52 kDa. ...
Yokoyama S, Radlwimmer FB.To elucidate the molecular mechanisms of red-green color vision in mammals, we have cloned and sequenced the red and green opsin cDNAs of cat (Felis catus), horse (Equus caballus), gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis), white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), and guinea pig (Cavia porcellus). These opsins were expressed in COS1 cells and reconstituted with 11-cis-retinal. The purified visual pigments of the cat, horse, squirrel, deer, and guinea pig have lambdamax values at 553, 545, 532, 531, and 516 nm, respectively, which are precise to within +/-1 nm. We also regenerated the "true" red ...
Birch HL, Bailey JV, Bailey AJ, Goodship AE.Specific tendons show a high incidence of partial central core rupture which is preceded by degeneration. In the performance horse, the superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) is most often affected. We have described previously the molecular changes that are associated with degeneration in the central core region of the equine SDFT. The pathophysiological mechanism leading to change in synthetic activity of central zone cells in degenerated tendons is not known. In this study, we test the hypothesis that ageing results in matrix composition changes within the central zone of the SDFT. Extrac...
Giguère S, Wilkie BN, Prescott JF.The ability of Rhodococcus equi to induce pneumonia in foals depends on the presence of an 85- to 90-kb plasmid. In this study, we evaluated whether plasmid-encoded products mediate virulence by modulating the cytokine response of foals. Foals infected intrabronchially with a virulence plasmid-containing strain of R. equi had similar gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) and interleukin-12 (IL-12) p35 but significantly higher IL-1beta, IL-10, IL-12 p40, and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) mRNA expression in lung tissue compared to foals infected with the plasmid-cured derivative. IFN-gamma mRNA...
Loubière L, Tiraby M, Cazaux C, Brisson E, Grisoni M, Zhao-Emonet J, Tiraby G, Klatzmann D.The herpes simplex virus type 1 thymidine kinase suicide gene (HSV1tk) together with ganciclovir (GCV) have been successfully used for in vivo treatment of various experimental tumors, and many clinical trials using this system have been launched. With the aim to improve this therapeutic system, we compared the potential efficacy of different herpes virus derived thymidine kinases (HSV1, varicella-zoster virus, equine herpes virus type-4 and Epstein-Barr virus) as suicide genes in association with the nucleoside analogs acyclovir, ganciclovir and bromovinyldeoxyur- idine. Using various murine ...
Wilson SM, Gallagher M, Rakhit S, Remsbury AL, Ko WH.Uridine triphosphate (UTP) evoked inhibition of adrenaline-evoked cAMP accumulation in cultured equine epithelial cells (EC50, 1.8 +/- 0.2 microM) and this effect was mimicked by 5-Br-UTP (EC50, 6.6 +/- 1.8 microM) and uridine diphosphate (UDP; EC50, 96 +/- 26 microM). This inhibitory action of UTP was abolished by pre-treating cells with pertussis toxin (10 ng ml-1, 24 h). UTP (EC50, 2.3 +/- 0.3 microM) and 5-Br-UTP (EC50, 29.4 +/- 9.4 microM) also increased intracellular free calcium ([Ca2+]i) whilst UDP did not; the two effects are thus differentially sensitive to these pyrimidine nucleotid...
Holmes EC, Ellis SA.We carried out an analysis of partial sequences from expressed major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I genes isolated from a range of equid species and more distantly related members of the mammalian order Perissodactyla. Phylogenetic analysis revealed a minimum of six groups, five of which contained genes and alleles that are found in equid species and one group specific to the rhinoceros. Four of the groups contained only one, or very few sequences, indicating the presence of relatively nonpolymorphic loci, while another group contained the majority of the equid sequences identified. ...
Flores M, Wajnberg E, Bemski G.Electron nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) spectroscopy has been used to study protons in nitrosyl horse heart myoglobin (MbNO). (1)H ENDOR spectra were recorded for different settings of the magnetic field. Detailed analysis of the ENDOR powder spectra, using computer simulation, based on the "orientation-selection" principle, leads to the identification of the available protons in the heme pocket. We observe hyperfine interactions of the N(HisF8)-Fe(2+)-N(NO) complex with five protons in axial and with eight protons in the rhombic symmetry along different orientations, including those of the ...
Ignatchenko AP, Bogomaz VI, Tugaĭ VA, Chuĭko AA.Biospecific sorbents for affinity chromatography of proteolytic enzymes have been synthesized by attaching cyclopeptide antibiotic gramicidin S to organo-silica supports. It is shown possible to attach gramicidin S to the organo-silica supports using glutaric aldehyde, p-benzoquinone, soluble and insoluble carbodiimides. The sorbents prepared by these methods were successfully applied for the purification of the crude pepsin from horse gastric juice and proteolytic complex produced by Acremonium chrysogenum.
Wang Z, Takezawa Y, Aoyagi H, Abe S, Hikage T, Watanabe Y, Kitagawa S, Ueno T.Apo-ferritin (apo-Fr) mutants are used as scaffolds to accommodate palladium (allyl) complexes. Various coordination arrangements of the Pd complexes are achieved by adjusting the positions of cysteine and histidine residues on the interior surface of the apo-Fr cage.
Sahagun-Ruiz A, Waghela SD, Holman PJ, Chieves LP, Wagner GG.A DNA probe from Babesia caballi (Bc1) was selected by antibody screening of a genomic library. The Bc1 probe hybridized specifically to B. caballi genomic DNA. A polymerase-chain-reaction-based assay for B. caballi DNA was developed from primers deduced from the probe nucleotide sequence. An amplified product of 1.6 kb was detected from as little as 500 fg B. caballi template DNA. Sensitivity increased 1000-fold when the biotin-labeled Bc1 probe was hybridized to the amplicons in a Southern blot.
Chang M, Overk CR, Kastrati I, Peng KW, Yao P, Qin ZH, Petukhov P, Bolton JL, Thatcher GR.Oxidative metabolism of estrogens has been associated with genotoxicity. O-methylation of catechol estrogens is considered as a protective mechanism. 4-Methoxyequilenin (4-MeOEN) is the O-methylated product of 4-hydroxyequilenin (4-OHEN). 4-OHEN, the major catechol metabolite of the equine estrogens present in the most widely prescribed hormone replacement therapeutics, causes DNA damage via quinone formation. In this study, estrogen receptor (ERa) binding of 4-MeOEN was compared with estradiol (E2) and equilenin derivatives including 4-BrEN using computer modeling, estrogen response element (...
Russell EB, Courtman NF, Santos LL, Tennent-Brown BS.Fibrinogen heterogeneity has been observed in humans and can influence fibrinogen measurements when using the modified Clauss assay. We hypothesized that fibrinogen heterogeneity also exists in horses. Objective: To determine whether fibrinogen heterogeneity exists in horses. Methods: Five clinically healthy horses from the university equine teaching herd. Methods: Presumed fibrinogen was purified from pooled citrated plasma and electrophoresis performed. The purified protein was subjected to Western blotting using sheep antiserum against human fibrinogen, and liquid chromatography-tandem ma...
The Journal of parasitologyFebruary 24, 2001
Volume 86, Issue 6 1366-1368 doi: 10.1645/0022-3395(2000)086[1366:ARAPDP]2.0.CO;2
Spencer JA, Witherow AK, Blagburn BL.Neospora caninum is a recently described coccidial parasite that was first isolated from a dog in 1988 and has subsequently been shown to infect a wide range of mammals. Neospora hughesi, a new species of this genus, has recently been isolated from the spinal cord of horses showing clinical signs of equine protozoal myeloencephalitis. The random amplified polymorphic DNA polymerase chain reaction technique is capable of differentiating between N. caninum and N. hughesi.
Aldrovandi AL, Osugui L, Acqua Coutinho SD.The objective of this study was to characterize genotypically Malassezia spp. isolated from the external ear canal of healthy horses. Fifty-five horses, 39 (70.9%) males and 16 (29.1%) females, from different breeds and adults were studied. External ear canals were cleaned and a sterile cotton swab was introduced to collect cerumen. A total of 110 samples were cultured into Dixon medium and were incubated at 32°C for up to 15 days. Macro- and micromorphology and phenotypic identification were performed. DNA was extracted, strains were submitted to polymerase chain reaction technique, and the ...
Sheppard M, Drysdale SM, Studdert MJ.Physical maps were constructed for the genome of equine adenovirus 1 (EAV1) using the restriction enzymes; DraI, EcoRV, NotI and SfiI. The total size of the EAV1 genome was 34.4 kb estimated by comparison with known DNA standards and the polarity of the fragment order, with respect to the left and right molecular ends, was determined by hybridization with known regions of the human adenovirus 2 (HAV2) genome.
Dubin A, Potempa J, Silberring J.Horse leucocyte neutral proteinase inhibitor reacts with all tested elastases at the molar ratios of 1:1 and yielding stable complexes (Ki = 10(-10) M). The above reactions are very rapid, characterized by the high values of association rate constant kon = 10(7) M-1s-1.
Tokunaga S, Fujiki M, Yabuki A, Misumi K.Cartilage-derived retinoic acid-sensitive protein (CD-RAP)/melanoma inhibitory activity (MIA), which appears abundantly in hypertrophic cartilage at the stage of endochondral ossification, is also detected in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) following spinal cord injury. In this study, the localization of the CD-RAP/MIA molecule in normal tissues of the spine and brain obtained from mice, rats, dogs, cattle and horses was examined using immunohistochemistry with a specific antibody. The positive signals of CD-RAP/MIA were found at nerve cells in the spinal cords of all species and were especially str...
Dubin A, Potempa J, Schnebli HP, Koj A.Highly purified horse leucocyte proteinases 1, 2A and 2B hydrolyze synthetic substrates which are decomposed also by human leucocyte elastase but they are unable to hydrolyze typical substrates of cathepsin G. Thus in distinction to other mammalian species horse leucocytes are devoid of cathepsin G and contain only elastases.
Howard RD, McIlwraith CW, Trotter GW, Nyborg JK.To clone equine interleukin 1 alpha (IL-1 alpha) and equine interleukin 1 beta (IL-1 beta) and determine their full-length cDNA sequences. Methods: The mRNA isolated from lipopolysaccharide-stimulated cultured equine monocytes was reverse transcribed, and a cDNA library was constructed in a lambda phage. The cDNA library was screened by means of plaque hybridization with radiolabeled human IL-1 alpha and IL-1 beta cDNA probes. The cDNA nucleotide sequences for equine IL-1 alpha and equine IL-1 beta were determined by use of the dideoxy chain termination technique. The cDNA sequences were analy...
Alghamdi AS, Fedorka CE, Scoggin KE, Esteller-Vico A, Beatty K, Davolli G, Ball BA, Troedsson MHT.Sperm-neutrophil binding is an important facet of breeding and significantly impacts fertility. While a specific seminal plasma protein has been found to reduce this binding and improve fertility (CRISP-3), additional molecule(s) appear to promote binding between defective sperm and neutrophils. Recent work has suggested one of these proteins is lactoferrin (LF), an 80 kDa iron-binding protein found throughout the body, but the purity of the protein was not confirmed. It is unknown if LF binds to sperm selectively based on viability, and if receptors for LF are located on equine sperm. To eval...
Vandergrifft EV, Horohov DW.We have cloned equine IL-2 cDNA in vitro using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and primers based on the human IL-2 sequence. The cloned product appears to contain the entire coding region for equine IL-2 based on homology with other known sequences. When expressed in COS cells, the recombinant product augmented the proliferative response of equine peripheral blood mononuclear cells to concanavalin A, however, it failed to support the continued proliferation of murine CTLL-2 cells. Specific substitutions in those regions associated with p55 and p75 binding appear to account for this species...
Lucchesi PM, Parma AE, Arroyo GH.Horses infected with Leptospira present several clinical disorders, one of them being recurrent uveitis. A common endpoint of equine recurrent uveitis is blindness. Serovar pomona has often been incriminated, although others have also been reported. An antigenic relationship between this bacterium and equine cornea has been described in previous studies. A leptospiral DNA fragment that encodes cross-reacting epitopes was previously cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. Results: A region of that DNA fragment was subcloned and sequenced. Samples of leptospiral DNA from several sources were a...
Hospes R, Hospes BI, Reiss I, Bostedt H, Gortner L.In the following, we describe the isolation and sequencing of the equine surfactant protein A (Sp-A) as found in both the cDNA and the genomic DNA. We found a length of the cDNA sequence of 747 bp (base pairs), in translation into amino acids of 248. Compared with the known molecular biological facts about Sp-A in other species, the cDNA sequence obtained showed highest homology with that of sheep (85.01%). The genomic DNA of equine Sp-A, as in other species, includes three introns. There were no hints for the existence of two different Sp-A genes. These results should form the basis for a bet...
Fujimura S, Hondo E, Kobayashi T, Yamanouchi K, Inoue N, Nagata S, Watanabe G, Taya K, Kitamura N, Yamada J.Inhibin is believed to play roles in the pituitary secretion of FSH and in the paracrine regulation of testicular function. Although it has been generally accepted that inhibin is produced in Sertoli cells, there was a recent evidence for the localization of inhibin in Leydig cells of primates, rat and sheep. However, there is no report on the expression of inhibin in the adult horse testis. Therefore, using immunohistochemistry, western blotting and in situ hybridization techniques, the present study examined inhibin alpha-subunit (Ih-alpha) expression in the adult horse testis. For the detec...
Dzieciatkowski T, Chmielewska A, Turowska A, Tucholska A, Bańbura MW.In previous experiments, we have demonstrated that the presence of equine herpesvirus 2 (EHV-2) enhanced plaque formation in cell cultures infected with equine herpesvirus type 1. To determine whether a specific region of the EHV-2 genome is responsible for this effect, we have constructed a library of Bam HI fragments of the EHV-2 genome ligated into pcDNA plasmid. Equine dermal (ED) cell cultures were subsequently transfected with the constructs, passaged 5 times, tested for the presence of the plasmids and infected with EHV-1 at MOI = 0.01. Only in cultures transfected with the pcDNA/Bam HI...
Vliegenthart JF.This research focuses on the study of glycoproteins, specifically investigating their carbohydrate chains and their various functions in living organisms. The article highlights the challenges in isolating specific carbohydrate chains […]
Yu YT, Olarte Castillo X, Reboul G, Zehr J, Sun Y, Anderson R, Wang M, Sun Q, Tallmadge R, Sams K, Brown J, Marra N, Stanhope B, Grenier J.... is a parvovirus that was identified in the blood of four horses in the United States. Here, we report one genome from a horse in New York State. This genome may represent a new species within the genus .
Koch DW.Our understanding of tendon homeostasis and repair following injury has made great strides through basic science, clinical veterinary medicine, and preclinical translational research. We have now gleaned a greater understanding of the cellular and matrix dynamics that are being orchestrated within the tendon, which provide therapeutic opportunities. This article will focus on how utilizing the horse and equine tissues have advanced our understanding of tendinopathy and the cellular and matrix dynamics at play while also identifying continued gaps in our knowledge where the horse as a veterinar...
Ganbaatar O, Ganzorig S, Tseren-Ochir EO, Suzuki Y, Takai S.In 2024, 90 soil samples and 11 fecal samples were collected from nine Mongolian provinces. Using NANAT selective agar, R. equi was successfully isolated from 23 soil samples (25.6%) across five provinces and from three fecal samples (27.3%) collected in two provinces. A total of 122 isolates were identified as R. equi via choE-targeted polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and subsequently screened for virulence-associated genes (vapA, vapB, and vapN) by PCR. Of these, 17 isolates tested positive for the vapA gene, while the remaining 105 isolates were negative for both vapB and vapN. Plasmid prof...
Da Silva E, Martín-Cano FE, Gómez-Arrones V, Gaitskell-Phillips G, Alonso JM, Rey J, Becerro L, Gil MC, Peña FJ, Ortega-Ferrusola C.Equine endometritis is one of the main causes of subfertility in the mare. Unraveling the molecular mechanisms involved in this condition and pinpointing proteins with biomarker potential could be crucial in both diagnosing and treating this condition. This study aimed to identify the endometritis-induced changes in the endometrial proteome in mares and to elucidate potential biological processes in which these proteins may be involved. Secondly, biomarkers related to bacterial endometritis (BE) in mares were identified. Uterine lavage fluid samples were collected from 28 mares (14 healthy: ne...
Podstawski P, Witarski W, Szmatoła T, Bugno-Poniewierska M, Ropka-Molik K.Sarcoids are the most common skin neoplasm in the Equidae family. Sarcoids are benign, but may cause severe damage in affected animals. Due to the high risk of post-treatment recurrence and the lack of an effective method of treatment, it is reasonable to perform studies on the molecular aspects of this neoplasm. Therefore, the present studies analyzed five genes (cell cycle control binding protein alpha, coronin 1b, metalloproteinase 2, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases 3 and vimentin) related to cell mobility and invasion traits. Primary healthy fibroblasts and sarcoid cells were obtain...
Herrler A, Stewart F, Crossett B, Pell JM, Ellis PD, Beier HM, Allen WR.An acellular embryonic capsule envelops equine conceptuses between day 6 and day 23 after ovulation. As all of the factors mediating embryo-mother signalling must pass through the capsule, it acts like a 'mailbox'. Therefore, we have started to map the proteins in this special extracellular matrix at the interface between mother and embryo. In the present study, one- and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis were used to examine a range of proteins. Use of western blotting identified three specific proteins in the capsules of equine conceptuses recovered on day 16 after ovulation: insulin-like g...
Javed R, Taku AK, Sharma RK, Badroo GA.The aim was to determine the occurrence of in equines and their environment in Jammu (R.S. Pura, Katra), molecular characterization and to determine the antibiotic resistance pattern of . Methods: A total of 96 nasopharyngeal swab samples were collected from equines. The organism was isolated on Columbia nalidixic acid agar containing 5% sheep blood as well as on sheep blood agar and was later confirmed by cultural characteristics and biochemical tests. Molecular detection of isolates was done by gene amplification followed by virulence associated protein A () gene amplification. Antibiogra...
Johnson PE, Maister SG, Knowles JR.Phosphoglycerate kinase has been isolated in crystalline form from horse muscle. A convenient isolation procedure is described that yields homogeneous enzyme of specific activity 700 units/mg (30 degrees C). The enzyme is monomeric, and has a molecular weight 47 000. Of the eight cysteine residues in the protein, two react rapidly with Nbs21 with the concomitant loss of the catalytic activity. Since the isolation of phosphoglycerate kinase from yeast (Bücher, 1955) there have been several reports of purification methods yielding enzyme approaching molecular homogeneity, from rabbit muscle (Be...
de Kok PM, Beijer NA, Buck HM, Sluyterman LA, Meijer EM.The geometry of seven NAD+ analogues bound to horse liver alcohol dehydrogenase (LADH) modified only in their nicotinamide group, have been studied using AMBER molecular mechanics energy-minimization procedures. Starting geometries were taken from X-ray crystallographic data for NAD+/Me2SO/LADH reported by Eklund and co-workers. In this study the NAD+ analogues were encaged by the constituent amino acids of the enzyme within a range of 0.6 nm from the initial NAD+/Me2SO/Zn2+ complex. The calculational method used is able to rationalize individual substituent effects and to evaluate the essenti...
Moulay S, Zientara S, Sailleau C, Cruciere C.In order to develop a non-radioactive dot-blot hybridization assay, for the detection of African-horse sickness virus (AHSV), genome segment 7 from 9 serotypes was amplified by RT-PCR. The resulting PCR products were denatured, immobilized on nylon membranes and then hybridized to a non-radioactive digoxigenin-labelled probe. This probe (265 bp in length) was generated by nested-PCR using genome segment 7 of AHSV, serotype 4 as a template. The dot-blot was visualized by chemiluminescence. Positives were obtained from the PCR products amplified from all 9 AHSV serotypes, but not from any other ...
