Proteins are essential macromolecules that play diverse roles in the physiology and health of horses. They are composed of amino acids and are involved in various biological processes, including tissue growth, repair, and the synthesis of enzymes and hormones. Dietary proteins are a key component of equine nutrition, influencing muscle development, immune function, and overall performance. Horses require a balanced intake of essential amino acids, which must be obtained through their diet, as they cannot be synthesized endogenously. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the types, functions, and dietary requirements of proteins in horses, as well as their impact on equine health and performance.
Fjeldsgaard BE, Paulsen BS.Extracts of horse dander (HD) and horse hair and skin scrapings (HHSS) have been compared with respect to their content of proteins and carbohydrates. The protein content of HD is more than double that of HHSS, while the carbohydrate content is of the same order. SDS-PAGE and IEF, both combined with immunoblotting, and CIE/CRIE showed the IgE-binding ability of the proteins/glycoproteins present in the two extracts. SDS-PAGE/immunoblotting showed the presence of mainly the same IgE-binding bands in the two extracts. Nine were detected in HD, and seven in HHSS. Four of these were glycoproteins....
Watson TD, Packard CJ, Shepherd J.1. Equine plasma contains lipoproteins corresponding to very low density (VLDL), low density (LDL) and high density lipoproteins (HDL). 2. HDL accounts for approximately 60% of plasma lipoprotein mass and consists of a single population of particles. 3. LDL is heterogeneous comprising three discrete subfractions. 4. Two proteins are found in the region of apolipoprotein (apo) B-100 in VLDL and LDL and a third similar to apoB-48 is in VLDL. 5. Lecithin:cholesterol acyl transferase is active in plasma and hepatic lipase and lipoprotein lipase are evident in post-heparin plasma. 6. There is no si...
Boschwitz JS, Timoney JF.A rapid method for purifying equine C3 which yields milligram quantities of pure C3 is described. Protein from equine plasma was selectively precipitated with polyethylene glycol, and the C3 was purified by anionic and cationic exchange HPLC. The yield from this procedure was 12%. The purified C3 was composed of an alpha chain (118 kD) and a beta chain (68 kD) linked by at least one disulfide bond, and it had an isoelectric point of 4.7. Amino acid analysis indicated a strong conservation of amino acid usage between equine and human C3. The N-terminal sequences of the alpha and beta chains wer...
Rosin-Arbesfeld R, Rivlin M, Noiman S, Mashiah P, Yaniv A, Miki T, Tronick SR, Gazit A.Three cDNA clones representing structurally distinct transcripts were isolated from a cDNA library prepared from cells infected with equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) by using a probe representing the S3 open reading frame, which is thought to encode Rev. One species, designated p2/2, contained four exons and was identical to a previously described polycistronic mRNA that encodes Tat. This transcript was predicted to also direct the synthesis of a truncated form of the transmembrane protein and a putative Rev protein whose N-terminal 29 amino acids, derived from env, are linked to S3 seque...
Komori M, Higami A, Imai Y, Imaoka S, Funae Y.A form of P450 [termed P450(h-1)] was purified from the liver microsomes of a male horse to electrophoretic homogeneity. The specific content of the final P450(h-1) preparation was 14.8 nmol/mg of protein and the recovery was 0.38% of the microsomal P450. The apparent molecular weight of P450(h-1) was 52,000 Da. The absorption spectra of P450(h-1) indicated that P450(h-1) was a low- and high-spin mixed type P450 in the oxidized form. The reconstituted system containing P450(h-1) could catalyze benzphetamine N-demethylation, 7-ethoxycoumarin O-deethylation, and testosterone 16 alpha-hydroxylati...
Takeda S, Ohta M, Ebina S, Nagayama K.Horse L-ferritin cDNA was cloned from horse liver, and the base sequence was determined. The L-ferritin was expressed using pTZ18U encoding lac promoter, and found to possess an additional 8-amino acid sequence at the N-terminus as compared with commercially obtained horse spleen (natural) ferritin. It was determined that there was Pro at position 94 in both the recombinant and natural L-ferritin, although it was previously reported that Leu was in this position in the natural species. Transmission electron microscopy showed that this recombinant ferritin formed a 24-mer shell.
Bolann BJ, Ulvik RJ.The redox interaction between O2.- and ferritin cannot solely be regarded as as a Fe(II) release reaction. We demonstrate that native copper bound to horse spleen ferritin and apoferritin, stimulated the decay of O2.- in a catalytic reaction. Copper was determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Decay of O2.- was monitored spectrophotometrically as the decrease in (A250-A360) at pH 9.5. The catalytic effect was linearly related to the copper content of the protein. Ferritin copper was less efficient than equimolar CuCl2, and iron-poor ferritin was more efficient than iron-rich ferritin...
Strange R, Morante S, Stefanini S, Chiancone E, Desideri A.Extended X-ray absorbance fine structure measurements have been carried out on the initial Fe(III)-apoferritin complex at a Fe/subunit ratio of 2 in native and modified horse spleen apoferritin. Analysis of the data indicates that in the native protein the iron forms a protein-bound polynuclear cluster (Fe-Fe distance 3.4 A) with a first coordination sphere constituted by 5-6 low-Z atoms, e.g., nitrogen atoms, carboxylate-like ligands or oxo bridges between the iron atoms. Modification of Cys-126, a residue localized on the outer surface of the hydrophilic three-fold channels, with p-chloromer...
Mihajlovic V, Cascone O, Biscoglio de Jiménez Bonino MJ.1. Reactivity of methionine residues towards Chloramine-T was studied in the equine growth hormone. 2. With a 20.0-fold molar excess of reagent over methionine, full oxidation of the four residues of the protein is achieved. 3. Methionine 4 is the most reactive group, followed by methionines 72 and 178--methionine 123 being the less reactive residue. 4. As judged by circular dichroism spectra and binding assays, protein conformation and binding capacity to specific receptors remains unchanged even after full oxidation of all four methionine residues. 5. Results agree with data previously obtai...
Santucci R, Ascoli F, La Mar GN, Pandey RK, Smith KM.The reconstitution kinetics of horse heart myoglobin, as met-cyano derivative, with two synthetic hemins in which the 6- or the 7-propionate is replaced by a methyl group, has been investigated by circular dichroism, in order to gain information on the heme re-orientation process following the heme insertion into the globin pocket. The results obtained confirm that the preferred heme orientation places the sole propionate into the position occupied by the 6-propionate in the crystal structure, supporting the importance of the salt bridge occurring between this propionate and the basic CD3 resi...
Harty RN, Caughman GB, Holden VR, O'Callaghan DJ.Equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1, Kentucky A strain) preparations enriched for defective interfering particles (DIPs) can readily establish persistent infection. The UL1 gene, which is conserved in the genome of DIPs that mediate persistent infection, maps between nucleotides 1418 and 2192 (258 amino acids) from the L (long) terminus. UL1 has no homology with any known gene encoded by herpes simplex virus type 1 but has limited homology to open reading frame 2 of varicella-zoster virus and the "circ" gene of bovine herpesvirus type 1. Previous work showed that the EHV-1 UL1 gene belongs to the earl...
Dennis VA, Klei TR, Chapman MR.Supernatants generated by stimulation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from Strongylus vulgaris sensitized or immunized ponies were assayed in vitro for eosinophil chemotactic activity (ECA) using the filter system in blind well chambers. The supernatants from these cultures were chemotactic for eosinophils, but not for neutrophils. Supernates from cultures of unsensitized PBMC stimulated with S. vulgaris antigen were not chemotactic for eosinophils. ECA was first detected in culture supernatants after 1.5 h of incubation and was dependent on both antigen and PBMC concentrations, b...
Ho JX, Holowachuk EW, Norton EJ, Twigg PD, Carter DC.The amino-acid sequence and three-dimensional structure of equine serum albumin have been determined. The amino-acid sequence was deduced from cDNA isolated from equine liver. Comparisons of the primary structure of equine serum albumin with human serum albumin and bovine serum albumin reveal 76.1% and 73.9% sequence identity, respectively. The three-dimensional structure was determined crystallographically by the molecular-replacement method using molecular coordinates from the previously determined structure of human serum albumin, to a resolution of 0.27 nm. In accordance with the primary s...
Scudamore CL, Pemberton A, Watson ED, Miller HR.Studies have demonstrated that as a result of proteolytic inactivation or complex formation (with neutrophil elastase), human alpha-1-proteinase inhibitor (API) becomes a potent chemoattractant for human neutrophils. The present study aimed to investigate the in vitro chemotactic response of equine neutrophils to an equivalent complex of equine API and neutrophil elastase. No evidence of neutrophil migration was observed towards purified complex derived from equine neutrophil elastase and the Spi 1 isoform of equine API, or to crude mixtures of porcine pancreatic elastase and unseparated equin...
Kordula T, Dubin A, Schooltink H, Koj A, Heinrich PC, Rose-John S.Horse blood leucocytes contain an elastase inhibitor (HLEI) belonging to the serpin family. Poly(A)+RNA isolated from these cells was used to construct a cDNA library in lambda gt10, which was first screened with a synthetic degenerate oligonucleotide probe corresponding to the amino acid sequence of the reactive centre of the inhibitor. Three clones were obtained covering the entire coding region of the protein. Sequencing of these clones showed identity with the amino acid sequence obtained from Edman degradation of the elastase inhibitor. The coding sequence of the HLEI cDNA was cloned into...
Coyne CP, Fenwick BW, Iandola J, Williams D, Griffith G.Objectives of this investigation were to extract and isolate protein fractions inhibitory to the cytotoxic properties of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha). In this context, mixed populations of WBC were harvested from equine blood and were stimulated with a combination of a synthetic chemotactic peptide and a calcium ionophore. Several methods were subsequently applied for the initial preparation of cell-free crude protein extracts, including fractional precipitation with gradient concentrations of ammonium sulfate and preparative-scale isoelectric focusing. In addition, protein fraction...
Post F, Doster W, Karvounis G, Settles M.The geminate recombination kinetics of CO-myoglobin strongly deviates from single exponential behavior in contrast to what is expected for unimolecular reactions (1). At low temperatures, this result was attributed to slowly exchanging conformational states which differ substantially in barrier height for ligand binding. Above 160 K the kinetics apparently slow down with temperature increase. Agmon and Hopfield (2) explain this result in terms of structural relaxation perpendicular to the reaction coordinate, which enhances the activation energy. In their model, structural relaxation homogeniz...
Carpenter MA, Broad TE.The cDNA sequence of horse transferrin was determined by sequencing clones isolated from a horse liver cDNA library and clones obtained by PCR. The 2305 bp horse transferrin cDNA sequence included part of the 5' untranslated region and extended to the poly(A) tail. It had 80% sequence identity with the human transferrin cDNA, and encoded a protein of 706 residues, including a signal sequence of 19 amino acids. The horse transferrin sequence had the duplicated structure and conserved iron binding and cysteine residues which are characteristic of the transferrin family.
Edens LM, Morris DD, Prasse KW, Anver MR.Protein C is a vitamin K-dependent serine protease with anticoagulant and profibrinolytic activity which is synthesized in the liver. Decreased protein C activity was detected in a Thoroughbred colt with clinical and histopathologic evidence of recurrent venous thrombosis. Although protein C activity was reduced, protein C antigen concentration was normal. Consumptive coagulopathies produce a decrease in both the functional and antigenic concentrations of protein C, thus a defect in protein C synthesis was suspected. Inhibition of gamma-carboxylation secondary to vitamin K antagonism results i...
Sellon DC, Cullen JM, Whetter LE, Gebhard DH, Coggins L, Fuller FJ.An IgG1 mouse monoclonal antibody, designated 1.646, is described which recognizes a cytoplasmic antigen of equine mononuclear phagocytes. Indirect fluorescent antibody staining of peripheral blood leukocytes reveals a granular cytoplasmic staining, predominantly in adherent blood mononuclear cells. Indirect fluorescent antibody staining is positive for alveolar and peritoneal macrophages. In some horses, a few neutrophils are also stained. In equine tissue samples stained by immunohistochemistry, the distribution of positive cells is consistent with the distribution of tissue macrophages. The...
Southwood LL, Evans DL, Bryden WL, Rose RJ.Twenty-five Thoroughbred (TB) and 25 Standardbred (SB) stables were visited to determine their feeding practices. The ingredients of the main feed of the day for a mature gelding of average size in full training were weighted at each stable. Nutrient content of diets was calculated using published data for the individual ingredients. Results are expressed as mean +/- sd. The estimated body weight of TB horses was 493 +/- 34 kg and 437 +/- 32 kg for SB horses. There was considerable variation in diet composition and nutrient intake between stables. The TB trainers fed 11.0 +/- 2.4 kg and SB tra...
Piller K, Portmann P.Four new basic proteins were isolated from horse eosinophils and purified. The eosinophils release these proteins after permeabilization with saponin and degranulation stimulized by guanosine 5'-O-thiotriphosphate. The proteins were separated and purified on a Superose P12- and a Mono S-column by fast protein liquid chromatography. The amino acid composition, the relative molecular mass, the isoelectric point and the partial N-terminal sequence of the four proteins were determined. Papain-activation and ribonuclease activity of the four proteins were tested for comparison with the human eosino...
de Haas GH, Dijkman R, Lugtigheid RB, Dekker N, Van den Berg L, Egmond MR, Verheij HM.The inhibitory power (Z) of a number of (R)-1-alkyl-2-acylamino phospholipid analogues was determined for three mammalian phospholipases A2 from pig, ox and horse pancreas. All three enzymes display a clear preference for anionic (phosphoglycol) inhibitors over the zwitterionic (phosphocholine) derivatives; this effect is most pronounced for the bovine enzyme. Upon variation of the 1-alkyl chain length, the bovine and equine phospholipases, like the porcine enzyme in previous studies, show an optimum in Z for a six-carbon alkyl group. The introduction of a double bond in the 2-acylamino group ...
Tözsér J, Friedman D, Weber IT, Bláha I, Oroszlan S.The proteinase of the equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV), a lentivirus closely related to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), was purified from concentrated virus. The specificity of the enzyme was characterized using oligopeptides representing naturally occurring cleavage sites in the Gag and Gag-Pol polyproteins. The length of the substrate binding pocket was found to be 1-2 residues longer than that of HIV proteinases. Although the EIAV and HIV proteinases cleaved most of the peptides at the same bond, some were hydrolyzed by only the EIAV enzyme. Oligopeptides representing cleavage site...
Oriol JG, Betteridge KJ, Clarke AJ, Sharom FJ.The equine embryonic capsule replaces the zona pellucida and envelopes the conceptus during the second and third weeks of pregnancy. Although this capsule was described more than 100 years ago, its molecular structure has not been characterized. Here we present evidence that the glycoprotein(s) of the equine capsule resembles those of the mucin glycoprotein family. The resistance of the capsule to chemical and enzymatic solubilization was confirmed, and, as in mucins, protein constituted only 35-40% of its total dry mass. Determination of the sugar composition of the capsule using colorimetric...
Rode HJ, Janssen W, Rösen-Wolff A, Bugert JJ, Thein P, Becker Y, Darai G.A gene was identified within the DNA sequences of the EcoRI DNA fragment N (4.3 kbp) of the genome of equine herpesvirus type 2 (EHV-2) coding for a protein (179 amino acid residues) homologous to the cytokine synthesis inhibitory factor (CSIF; interleukin 10) of the human and mouse, and to the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) protein BCRF1. This finding is further significant evidence that the interleukin 10 (IL-10) and/or IL-10-like gene can indeed be present in the genomes of members of the herpesviral family.
Nitta K, Tsuge H, Iwamoto H.Unfolding profiles of two calcium-binding lysozymes, equine milk lysozyme and pigeon egg-white lysozyme, were obtained by circular dichroism and proton NMR measurements. Equine lysozyme unfolds through a stable molten globule intermediate. The molten globule of equine lysozyme was characterized as more ordered than that of bovine alpha-lactalbumin. On the other hand, pigeon lysozyme unfolds by a two-state mechanism and the intermediate could not be observed in guanidine or thermal unfolding, the same as with conventional non-calcium-binding lysozymes. Thus, from the point of view of the unfold...
Beisel CE, Edwards JF, Dunn LL, Rice NR.Transcription of pathogenic equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) in an acutely infected horse was examined by using the polymerase chain reaction and nucleotide sequencing. Four spliced transcripts were identified in liver tissue, in contrast to the multiplicity of alternatively spliced messages reported for in vitro-propagated human immunodeficiency virus, simian immunodeficiency virus, and, to a lesser extent, EIAV. Nucleotide sequence analysis demonstrated that three of these mRNAs encode known viral proteins: the envelope precursor, the product of the S2 open reading frame, and the regula...
Pérez MD, Puyol P, Ena JM, Calvo M.The interaction of sheep, horse, pig, human and guinea-pig whey proteins with fatty acids has been studied. Using gel filtration and autoradiography, it was found that sheep beta-lactoglobulin and serum albumin from all species had the ability to bind fatty acids in vitro. Sheep beta-lactoglobulin, isolated from milk, had approximately 0.5 mol fatty acids bound per mol monomer protein, and albumin from sheep, horse and pig contained approximately 4.5, 2.9 and 4.7 mol fatty acids/mol protein respectively. However, beta-lactoglobulin from horse and pig milk had neither fatty acids physiologicall...
Stewart DR, Papkoff H.It has been previously determined that the equine placenta is the sole significant source of relaxin during pregnancy and that relaxin immunoactivity is also present in term placentas. Therefore, placentas obtained at the time of foaling were selected for starting material for purification of equine relaxin. Frozen whole placentas were ground and then extracted with 0.5 N HCl-85% acetone. Relaxin was precipitated by raising the acetone concentration to 97%. Equine relaxin was further purified by stepwise elution ion exchange, gel filtration, and gradient elution ion exchange chromatographies a...
Wilson S, Laurie G, Logan L.Multiple injections of horses with the membrane-microsome fraction from human thymocytes plus Freund's adjuvant gave rise to antithymocyte membrane serum with the immunosuppressive activity located in the γ2 region. Use of lymphoblast membrane-microsome fraction as antigen did not reduce the level of absorption required. Batch purification with QAE-Sephadex combined with ammonium sulfate fractionation gave 100% pure γG-globulins in good yield with reduced γ1-globulin content. The antithymocyte membrane globulin prolonged skin allografts in the cynomolgus monkey, chimpanzee, and man, showed ...
Rifkind JM.The reduced glutathione in the erythrocyte was found to inhibit the autoxidation of purified horse hemoglobin. It was observed that much higher concentrations of oxidized glutathione also stabilize hemoglobin. The stabilization by oxidized glutathione most likely involves the formation of a mixed disulfide with the reactive β-93 sulfhydryl groups on the hemoglobin. A similar effect is also observed with N-ethyl- maleimide and HgCl2 which also react with the sulfhydryl groups. The apparent stabilization by reduced glutathione is partially due to the reduction of ferrihemoglobin formed by autox...
Seralini GE, Tomilin A, Auvray P, Nativelle-Serpentini C, Sourdaine P, Moslemi S.We characterized testicular equine aromatase and its expression. A 2707 bp cDNA was isolated, it encoded a polypeptide of 503 residues with a deduced molecular mass of 57.8 kDa. The sequence features were those of a cytochrome P450 aromatase, with a 78% polypeptide identity with the human counterpart. The gene has a minimal length of 74 kb comprising at least 9 exons and expresses a 2.8 kb mRNA in the testis. Transient cDNA transfections in E293 cells and in vitro translations in a reticulocyte lysate system allowed aromatase protein and activity detections. The activity increased with androst...
Jung HS, Yun JU, Jung MJ, Song HS, Kim YB, Kim Y, Kim JG, Jeon CO, Roh SW, Whon TW, Lee SH.A novel, anaerobic, Gram-stain-positive coccoid strain, CBA3646, was isolated from the faeces of a thoroughbred racehorse. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing yielded results indicative of CBA3646 representing a member of the genus , with the species most closely related to it being DSM 20463, with a similarity of 94.79 %. DNA-DNA relatedness and average nucleotide identity values between CBA3646 and DSM 20463 were 21.4 and 67.6 %, respectively. CBA3646 has a circular chromosomal genome of 1 709 189 bp (45.5 mol% DNA G+C content), containing 1652 genes in tota...
Flood J, Byrne D, Bauquier J, Agne GF, Wise JC, Medina-Torres CE, Wood K, Sullivan O, Stewart AJ.Right dorsal colitis (RDC) is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) induced, protein losing enteropathy in horses associated with a high case fatality rate. Objective: To describe signalment, NSAID usage, clinical presentations, clinical pathology, ultrasonographic findings, treatments, outcomes, and factors associated with survival in horses diagnosed with RDC. Methods: Thirty-five horses from 7 Australian equine hospitals diagnosed with RDC. Methods: Retrospective case series. Clinical records of cases were accepted if definitively or presumptively diagnosed by an internist with RDC ...
Sola D, Artigas R, Mediano DR, Zaragoza P, Badiola JJ, Martín-Burriel I, Acín C.Prion diseases are fatal neurodegenerative disorders in which the main pathogenic event is the conversion of the cellular prion protein (PrP) into an abnormal and misfolded isoform known as PrP. Most prion diseases and their susceptibility and pathogenesis are mainly modulated by the PRNP gene that codes for PrP. Mutations and polymorphisms in the PRNP gene can alter PrP amino acid sequence, leading to a change in transmission efficiency depending on the place where it occurs. Horses are animals that are considered to be highly resistant to prions. Several studies have attempted to identify po...
Nissen SD, Saljic A, Carstensen H, Braunstein TH, Hesselkilde EM, Kjeldsen ST, Hopster-Iversen C, D'Souza A, Jespersen T, Buhl R.Second-degree atrioventricular (AV) block at rest is very common in horses. The underlying molecular mechanisms are unexplored, but commonly attributed to high vagal tone. Unassigned: To assess whether AV block in horses is due to altered expression of the effectors of vagal signalling in the AV node, with specific emphasis on the muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (M) and the G protein-gated inwardly rectifying K (GIRK4) channel that mediates the cardiac current. Unassigned: Eighteen horses with a low burden of second-degree AV block (median 8 block per 20 h, IQR: 32 per 20 h) were assign...
Nocera I, Sgorbini M, Meucci V, Gracia-Calvo LA, Tapio H, Camisi M, Sala G, Citi S.Early diagnosis of joint diseases is fundamental for prompt and appropriate management, particularly in septic arthritis. Procalcitonin (PCT) and protein carbonylated content (PCC) have been investigated in both human and veterinary medicine. An increase in PCT has been shown in infectious bacterial diseases, while higher levels of PCC have been shown in inflammatory pathologies characterized by oxidative damage. This study evaluated PCT and PCC in plasma and synovial fluid (SF), in healthy and pathological equine joints, affected by different types of arthropathy. Twenty-nine joints were eval...
Qasem B, Dąbrowska A, Króliczewski J, Łyczko J, Marycz K.Equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) is a significant global health concern in veterinary medicine. There is increasing interest in utilizing molecular agents to modulate hepatocyte function for potential clinical applications. Recent studies have shown promising results in inhibiting protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTP1B) to maintain cell function in various models. In this study, we investigated the effects of the inhibitor Trodusquemine (MSI-1436) on equine hepatic progenitor cells (HPCs) under lipotoxic conditions. We examined proliferative activity, glucose uptake, and mitochondrial morphogenesi...
Filho HCM, Trindade KLG, Silva CJFL, Cruz RKS, Vilela CF, Coelho CS, Filho JDR, Manso HECCC.Equestrian sports require precise animal welfare and health evaluations. To test the hypothesis that horses maintain their welfare when subjected to two three-barrel (3TB) races with 2 min intervals, an experiment was designed to evaluate their surface temperature using infrared thermography (IRT) in regions of interest (barrel, flank, neck, jaw, corner of the mouth, and ocular caruncle) and also measure blood biomarkers (hemogram, total plasma protein, fibrinogen, urea, creatinine, GGT, CK, cortisol, IL-6, and IL-1β). Ten Quarter Horses were monitored through thermography (pre-race, +1, +4, ...
Jentsch MC, Lübke S, Schrödl W, Volke D, Krizsan A, Hoffmann R, Kaiser-Thom S, Gerber V, Marti E, Wagner B, Schnabel CL.Severe equine asthma (SEA) is a common chronic disease of adult horses with characteristic recurrent airway obstruction and similarities to neutrophilic asthma in humans. As an extrinsic stimulus, hay dust exposure is a major risk factor and induces acute exacerbation in susceptible horses. However, single inducing agents of SEA have hardly been identified on a molecular basis. () is a common mold species in hay and has been described as a major provoking agent of SEA. Unassigned: Aiming to identify disease-relevant antigens, we analyzed using an immunoproteomics approach on two-dimensional ...
Köninger M, von Velsen-Zerweck A, Eiberger C, Löffler C, Töpper A, Visscher C, Reckels B, Vervuert I.The aim of this study was to examine the nutrient composition and feed hygiene of alfalfa as well as investigate the feed intake, blood, urine and faecal parameters of horses fed alfalfa haylage (AS) compared with alfalfa hay (AH) and meadow hay (MH). A total of 11 geldings were fed ad libitum (2.1% dry matter (DM) of body weight (BW)) with alfalfa haylage, alfalfa hay and meadow hay (MH) in a Latin square design. On days 0 and 21 of the feeding period, blood samples were analysed for kidney and liver parameters. Faecal samples were analysed for pH, DM and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). Spon...
Whitfield-Cargile CM, Chung HC, Coleman MC, Cohen ND, Chamoun-Emanuelli AM, Ivanov I, Goldsby JS, Davidson LA, Gaynanova I, Ni Y, Chapkin RS.The equine gastrointestinal (GI) microbiome has been described in the context of various diseases. The observed changes, however, have not been linked to host function and therefore it remains unclear how specific changes in the microbiome alter cellular and molecular pathways within the GI tract. Further, non-invasive techniques to examine the host gene expression profile of the GI mucosa have been described in horses but not evaluated in response to interventions. Therefore, the objectives of our study were to (1) profile gene expression and metabolomic changes in an equine model of non-ster...
Santiviparat S, Swangchan-Uthai T, Stout TAE, Buranapraditkun S, Setthawong P, Taephatthanasagon T, Rodprasert W, Sawangmake C, Tharasanit T.To better understand molecular aspects of equine endometrial function, there is a need for advanced in vitro culture systems that more closely imitate the intricate 3-dimensional (3D) in vivo endometrial structure than current techniques. However, development of a 3D in vitro model of this complex tissue is challenging. This study aimed to develop an in vitro 3D endometrial tissue (3D-ET) with an epithelial cell phenotype optimized by treatment with a Rho-associated protein kinase (ROCK) inhibitor. Equine endometrial epithelial (eECs) and mesenchymal stromal (eMSCs) cells were isolated separat...
Meissner JM, Chmielińska A, Ofri R, Cisło-Sankowska A, Marycz K.Corneal ulcers, characterized by severe inflammation of the cornea, can lead to serious, debilitating complications and may be vision-threatening for horses. In this study, we aimed to investigate the role of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in corneal stem progenitor cell (CSSC) dysfunction and explore the potential of equine adipose-derived stromal stem cell (ASC)-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) to improve corneal wound healing. We showed that CSSCs expressed high levels of CD44, CD45, and CD90 surface markers, indicating their stemness. Supplementation of the ER-stress-inducer tunicam...
Muñoz-Prieto A, Llamas-Amor E, Cerón JJ, Hansen S.Equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS) is a prevalent condition in horses, affecting up to 93% of racehorses. Comprising the equine squamous gastric disease (ESGD) and the equine glandular gastric disease (EGGD), EGUS poses significant health challenges. Saliva, a non-invasive and easily obtainable sample, is increasingly recognized for its potential as a source of biomarkers in horses. This study investigates changes in saliva analytes using automated assays before and after EGUS treatment, aiming to identify biomarkers indicative of treatment success or failure. A total of 28 horses diagnosed ...
Rajabimashhadi Z, Gallo N, Russo F, Ghiyami S, Mele C, Giordano ME, Lionetto MG, Salvatore L, Lionetto F.In recent years, significant academic and commercial interest has focused on collagen derived from horse tendons, with potential applications across diverse sectors such as medicine, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics. Nano collagen, with its enhanced wound penetration, improved cell contact, and heightened cellular regeneration and repair capabilities due to its high surface area, holds promise for a wide range of applications. In this study, we present a novel method for producing nano collagen from the equine tendon. Our approach is characterized by its speed, affordability, simplicity and envi...
Holmes CM, Babasyan S, Eady N, Schnabel CL, Wagner B.Equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) is one of the most prevalent respiratory pathogens in horses with a high impact on animal health worldwide. Entry of the virus into epithelial cells of the upper respiratory tract and rapid local viral replication is followed by infection of local lymphoid tissues leading to cell-associated viremia and disease progression. Pre-existing mucosal immunity has previously been shown to reduce viral shedding and prevent viremia, consequently limiting severe disease manifestations. Here, nasopharyngeal transcriptomic profiling was used to identify differentially expr...
Li X, Du M, Liu Y, Wang M, Shen Y, Xing J, Zhang L, Zhao Y, Bou G, Bai D, Dugarjaviin M, Xia W.During follicular development, changes in the composition of the follicular fluid are synchronized with the development of oocytes. Our aim was to screen the key factors affecting oocyte maturation and optimize the in vitro culture protocol by understanding the changes of proteins and metabolites in follicular fluid. Follicles are divided into three groups according to their diameter (small follicle fluid (SFF): 10 mm < d < 20 mm; medium follicle fluid (MFF): 20 mm < d < 30 mm; large follicle fluid (LFF): 30 mm < d). Proteins and metabolites from the follicular fluid w...
Zhou S, Zhang X, Zhang J, Zang C, Fan R, Wang J, Guo T, Han R, Yang Y.Milk powder, a nutrient-rich dairy product, lacks comprehensive information summarizing its specific properties when produced by spray- and freeze-dried technologies from different sources. Therefore, this study investigated the differences in physicochemical properties, microstructure, and proteome of spray- and freeze-dried milk powders from bovine, goat, and horse sources. The results revealed that spray-dried milk powder exhibited a smaller particle size, lower air content within the powder particles, inferior reconstitution properties, and lower lactose crystallinity compared with freeze-...
Elashry MI, Speer J, De Marco I, Klymiuk MC, Wenisch S, Arnhold S.Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic progressive degenerative joint disease that affects a significant portion of the equine population and humans worldwide. Current treatment options for equine OA are limited and incompletely curative. Horses provide an excellent large-animal model for studying human OA. Recent advances in the field of regenerative medicine have led to the exploration of extracellular vesicles (EVs)-cargoes of microRNA, proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids-to evaluate their diagnostic value in terms of disease progression and severity, as well as a potential cell-free therapeutic ...
Byambaragchaa M, Park SH, Park MH, Kang MH, Min KS.Equine chorionic gonadotropin (eCG) hormone, comprising highly glycosylated α- and β-subunits, elicits responses similar to follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) in non-equid species. This study aimed to establish a mass production of recombinant eCG (rec-eCG) using CHO DG44 cells. Single-chain rec-eCG β/α was expressed in CHO DG44 cells. FSH- and LH-like activities were evaluated in CHO-K1 and HEK 293 cells expressing the equine LH/CG receptor (eLH/CGR), rat LH/CGR (rLH/CGR), and rFSHR. pERK1/2 activation and β-arrestin 2 recruitment were assessed in PathHunter ...
Du W, Sun Q, Hu S, Yu P, Kan S, Zhang W.Mitochondria are semi-autonomous organelles that play a crucial role in the energy budget of animal cells and are closely related to the locomotor abilities of animals. Equidae is renowned for including two domesticated species with distinct purposes: the endurance-oriented donkey and the power-driven horse, making it an ideal system for studying the relationship between mitochondria and locomotor abilities. In this study, to cover the genetic diversity of donkeys, we sequenced and assembled six new mitochondrial genomes from China. Meanwhile, we downloaded the published mitochondrial genomes ...
Bae JW, Hwang JM, Lee WJ, Kim DH, Yi JK, Ha JJ, Oh DY, Kwon WS.The selection of superior sires is paramount for enhancing the efficiency of animal production in the livestock industry. However, semen quality assessment still relies on conventional semen analysis techniques in both animals and humans. Despite extensive efforts to develop various biomarkers for more accurate and precise predictions of male fertility potential, more effective physiological indicators and advance potential biomarkers are needed. Herein, we aimed to develop new potential biomarkers related to sperm motion kinematics for male fertility prediction. We first evaluated sperm motio...
Luciani M, Armillotta G, Di Febo T, Krasteva I, Ulisse S, Di Pancrazio C, Laguardia C, Perletta F, Serroni A, Maggetti M, Testa L, Sacchini F....The significance of as the causative agent of dourine cannot be understated, especially given its high mortality rate among equids. International movement of equids should be subject to thorough health checks and screenings to ensure that animals are not infected with . This involves the implementation of quarantine protocols, testing procedures, and the issuance of health certificates to certify the health status of the animals. Three proteins, the peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase (A0A1G4I8N3), the GrpE protein homolog (A0A1G4I464) and the transport protein particle (TRAPP) component, put...
Pickett BW, Faulkner LC, Voss JL.Season had a pronounced effect upon seminal pH and refractometer 'protein', total carbohydrate, dry weight, total N2 and lactic acid in seminal plasma of first and second ejaculates. In addition, total seminal volume, spermatozoa per ml and per ejaculate, non-protein sulphhydryl and glycerylphosphorylcholine of second ejaculates were also influenced. There was a season difference in the concentrations of lactic acid in spermatozoa from first and in total N2 from spermatozoa in second ejaculates. The effects of season on seminal plasma were greater than those on spermatozoa. Spermatozoa in firs...
Schroeder E, Wollmer A, Kubicki J, Ohlenbusch HD.The effect of proton concentration upon the subunit dissociation of horse methemoglobin has been investigated at two ionic strengths by light scattering photometry at 700 nm. Differential refractometry revealed a slight but systematic decrease of the specific refractive index increment with decreasing protein concentration for solutions in dialytic equilibrium with the solvent. In the pH range 4.8-7.2 the dissociation can be described by a simple equilibrium between tetramers and dimers. The dissociation constant Kd of the met derivative is found to be very similar to those of the O2- and CO-l...
Hart LT, Braymer HD, Larson AD, Broussard EA.Equine infectious anemia (EIA) antigen extracted from the spleen of horses infected with EIA virus was purified by pH treatment, (NH4)2SO4 fractionation and affinity chromatography. The homogeneity of the antigen was indicated by sedimentation rate and sedimentation equilibrium experiments. A S20,w of 0.51 was determined and a molecular weight of 7600 was calculated from sedimentation equilibrium analysis. The amino acid composition of the pure antigen indicated the antigen is an acidic protein. Employing radical immunodiffusion (RID) and pure antigen a method for quantitating antigen content ...
