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.
KAMINSKI M, GAJOS E.TWENTY-THREE fresh and 28 frozen (1–11 years old) samples of horse sera, 62 frozen donkey sera (3–11 years old), 24 frozen mule sera (2–10 years old), and 1 frozen 2-year-old serum sample of a hinny (offspring of a she-ass by a stallion) were studied by starch- and agar-gel electrophoresis (starch gel: horizontal migration, discontinued buffer system; tris-citrate pH 8.7 and borate 0.3 M, pH 8.2; 2 V/cm for 14 h; 10 samples analysed simultaneously; 0.1 ml. serum mixed with soluble starch Merck; agar gel: 0.8 per cent agar in veronal buffer 0.025 M, pH 8.2; 4.5 V/cm; 2½ h; 10 samples on ...
STORMONT C, SUZUKI Y.By means of a starch-gel technique suggested by Kristjansson, 3 albumin phenotypes A, AB and B are demonstrable in the serum of horses. As indicated by data on the inheritance of these phenotypes and by a gene-frequency analysis of the distribution of the phenotypes in 2 breeds of horses, the results are consistent with the interpretation that the 3 phenotypes are controlled by a pair of codominant, autosomal alleles. These 3 phenotypes can be diagnosed by examining either the albumin region or the post-albumin region of the gels. Hence, diagnosis in one region serves as an independent check o...
Journal of biochemistryNovember 1, 1963
Volume 54 388-397 doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.jbchem.a127804
JOHKE T.This research article investigates the differences in acid-soluble nucleotides in the milk of various species including cows, goats, mares, and humans through different stages of lactation, and compares the nucleotide […]
SAXENA BB, McSHAN WH, MEYER RK.Fresh horse-pituitary glands were extracted with 40% ethanol and the gonadotropins were recovered by increasing the alcohol concentration to 85% followed by drying with acetone. This preparation was further extracted with water at pH 5, and the extract was adjusted to pH 7 and lyophilized. The follicle-stimulating hormone in the pH-5-souluble fraction was purified by zone electrophoresis and resolved into six components by starch-gel electrophoresis. One of these components contained follicle-stimulating hormone which was recovered in the elution cell and the contaminating starch was separated...
HORI J, AOKI K.Electrophoretic studies were made of normal horse and human serum albumins over the pH range 3.6–6.8 and at 25 °. The ionic strength of acetate or phosphate buffer used was 0.1, and the concentration of protein was 0.5% (g./100 ml.). Patterns were usually enantiographic and there were two (N and F1) or three (N, F1, and F2) boundaries in the pH range 3.6–5.2. The areas of the N and F1 boundaries changed continuously with pH, and the area of F2 was almost constant. The results were interpreted, in the same way as was previously done in the case of bovine serum albumin, by the isomerization...
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...
Nocera I, Bonelli F, Meucci V, Rinnovati R, Spadari A, Intorre L, Pretti C, Sgorbini M.Literature on the protein carbonyl content (PCC) evaluation in horses is scarce, thus the aims were to evaluate the PCC in healthy and SIRS (Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome) horses and to investigate the performances of PCC in terms of sensitivity, specificity, and likelihood ratio in identifying SIRS positive and negative horses. A total of 72 adult horses were included. All the horses underwent to a complete physical examination, blood analysis, and were evaluated for the SIRS status. Blood samples were collected once in healthy horses and at admission time, then 24, 48, 72, and 96 h...
Folin M, Gennari G, Jori G.The irradiation of horse and sperm-whale Fe” or Fez’ myoglobins with visible light
showed that axial ligands that render the heme diamagnetic (e.g. 02, CO or CN-) endow the
hemoproteins with a marked photosensitivity. In contrast, high-spin myoglobins are unaffected by
visible light. These findings appear to be of general validity for all hemo-proteins and are in agreement
with the involvment of the triplet state of the heme as the reactive intermediate. In all cases, the overall
photoprocess occurs within a very narrow spatial range, leading to specific modification of these
photoox...
Berti A, Tremori E, Pazzagli L, Degl'Innocenti D, Camici G, Cappugi G, Manao G, Ramponi G.Acylphosphatase was purified from rat skeletal muscle essentially by gel filtration and high-performance ion-exchange chromatography. The complete amino acid sequence was reconstructed by using the sequence data obtained from tryptic, peptic, and S. aureus V8 protease peptides. The protein consists of 96 amino acid residues and is acetylated at the NH2-terminus. The immunological cross-reactivity of acylphosphatase from rat and horse skeletal muscle was examined by ELISA. The reaction with rabbit antiserum revealed the presence of at least five antigenic sites on rat enzyme, two of which are c...
Spengler MI, Rasia M.The aggregation capacity of human erythrocytes lies between that of the non-aggregating bovine erythrocytes and the remarkably aggregating equine ones. As the ability to aggregate is attributed to cell factors and the composition of the plasma proteins, the role that plasma proteins play in the aggregation process in these three species was studied. Washed erythrocytes were suspended in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS; pH 7.4, 300 mOsm/L) plus polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) in a suitable concentration to obtain an average intensity of aggregation (control media). The superimposed effect of replacin...
Kolyganova TI, Arzumanyan VG, Matvienko MA, Rodionova AA, Korshunova DS, Shatunova PO, Yastrebova NE.Antimicrobial activity of milk whey in different mammals against Candida albicans yeast cells was studied by a spectrophotometric method. The activity increased in the order goat→horse→camel→cow→human→mouse. The level of whey activity in mice was higher by 3 and 10 times than in humans and goats, respectively. Similar changes were noted for activity of the whey fraction <100 kDa containing a complex of antimicrobial polypeptides, and there was a direct correlation between these two parameters (r=0.881; p<0.05). The total activity of whey had a high degree of correlation with th...
Bjorland J, Steinum T, Sunde M, Waage S, Heir E.We identified a novel plasmid-borne gene (designated qacJ) encoding resistance to quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) in three staphylococcal species associated with chronic infections in four horses. qacJ was located on a 2,650-bp plasmid (designated pNVH01), a new member of the pC194 family of rolling-circle replication plasmids. The 107-amino-acid protein, QacJ, showed similarities to known proteins of the small multidrug resistance family: Smr/QacC (72.5%), QacG (82.6%), and QacH (73.4%). The benzalkonium chloride MIC for a qacJ-containing recombinant was higher than those for otherwise i...
Dagleish MP, Pemberton AD, McAleese SM, Thornton EM, Miller HR, Scudamore CL.Equine alpha-1-proteinase inhibitor (API) consists of three, occasionally four, serum glycoproteins. This study investigated the immunohistochemical localisation of equine API in paraformaldehyde fixed, paraffin embedded equine tissue samples of liver, lung, stomach, pancreas, jejunum and colon in five horses using affinity purified sheep polyclonal and protein A purified mouse monoclonal antibodies, whose specificities were verified by Western blotting. Exposing tissue sections to boiling citrate buffer greatly enhanced antigen recovery and improved immunostaining with both antibodies, result...
Riond B, Wenger-Riggenbach B, Hofmann-Lehmann R, Lutz H.Serum protein electrophoresis is a useful screening test in equine laboratory medicine. The method can provide valuable information about changes in the concentrations of albumin and alpha-, beta-, and gamma-globulins and thereby help characterize dysproteinemias in equine patients. Reference values for horses using agarose gel as a support medium have not been reported. Objective: The purpose of this study was to establish reference intervals for serum protein concentrations in adult horses using agarose gel electrophoresis and to assess differences between warm-blooded and heavy draught hors...
Hoshiba H, Sinowatz F.Spermadhesins are proteins with various functions in sperm capacitation and zona pellucida binding. In this study the cellular localization of the spermadhesin AWN-1 has been examined in the equine male genital tract. Results obtained by immunohistochemical methods reveal that in the horse AWN-1 is synthesized in spermatogonia, in the rete testis, the ductus epididymidis and the seminal vesicles. These findings indicate that the cellular origin of spermadhesins is species-specific.
Velineni S, DeNegri R, Artiushin SC, Timoney JF.Streptococcus zooepidemicus (Sz) and its clonal derivative Streptococcus equi (Se) share greater than 96% DNA identity and elicit immune responses to many shared proteins. Identification of proteins uniquely targeted by the immune response to each infection would have diagnostic value. Objective: The aim of the study was to compare serum antibody responses of horses infected by Se or Sz. Methods: Antibody levels were measured to panels of recombinant proteins of Sz and Se in sera of horses and ponies before and after experimental and naturally occurring invasive infections by these organisms. ...
Metz GE, Serena MS, Panei CJ, Nosetto EO, Echeverria MG.A semen sample from a stallion infected during the 2010 equine arteritis virus (EAV) outbreak was received for viral isolation prior to castration of the animal. The virus was identified using a polyclonal antibody immunofluorescence test. Reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to amplify a region of the GP5 gene with primers GL105F and GL673R. The PCR products were purified and sequences of both strands were determined in a MegaBACE™1000 with inner primers CR2 and EAV32. A phylogenetic dataset was built with the previously reported sequences of five strains isolat...
Rabinovsky ED, Yang TJ.A tumor antigen (TA) associated with murine leukemia-lymphoma L5178Y cells has been identified by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) techniques. The antigen was present in both non-solubilized and 0.5% NP-40 solubilized membrane extracts. Rabbit anti-L5178Y lymphoma serum (RALS), extensively absorbed with normal mouse tissues, identified TA in extracts of L5178Y lymphoma and L5178Y leukemia cells grown in horse serum (L5178Y/HS), but not in extracts of L5178Y cells grown in fetal calf serum (L5178Y/FCS). Similarly, absorbed rabbit anti-L5178Y/HS...
Riihimäki M, Fegraeus K, Nordlund J, Waern I, Wernersson S, Akula S, Hellman L, Raine A.Equine asthma (EA) is a heterogenous, complex disease, with a significant negative impact on horse welfare and performance. EA and human asthma share fundamental similarities, making EA a useful model for studying the disease. One relevant sample type for investigating chronic lung inflammation is bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), which provides a snapshot of the immune cells present in the alveolar space. To investigate the immune cell landscape of the respiratory tract in horses with mild-to-moderate equine asthma (mEA) and healthy controls, single-cell RNA sequencing was conducted on equ...
Jayathilake WMNK, de Laat MA, Furr M, Risco C, Lacombe VA.Hyperinsulinemia is the key feature of equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) which leads to debilitating sequelae. Hyperinsulinemia-associated laminitis (HAL) is one of the major sequelae of EMS, although the pathophysiological mechanisms are not well elucidated. Using an equine model, we hypothesized that expression of inflammatory markers would be increased in digital lamellae and striated muscle following prolonged hyperinsulinemia. Healthy Standardbred horses (5.4 ± 1.9 years) were alternately assigned to a prolonged euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamp (pEHC) or control group (n = 4 per group...
de-Lima TC, de-Sobral GG, de-França Queiroz AES, Chinelate GCB, Porto TS, Oliveira JTC, Carneiro GF.Foals require maternal colostrum in the first hours of life to prevent failure of transfer of passive immunity (FTIP). Innovative storage methods such as lyophilization may enable conservation of colostrum immunoglobulins by a differentiated process of dehydration. The current study aimed to compare the quality of equine colostrum after freezing and after the lyophilization process. Thirty-one pregnant Quarter Horse mares were used. The IgG concentration of frozen and lyophilized colostrum was determined by simple radial immunodiffusion (SRID) and Brix refractometry. The physical-chemical comp...
Bourebaba L, Serwotka-Suszczak A, Bourebaba N, Zyzak M, Marycz K.Hyperactivation of protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTP1B) has been associated with several metabolic malfunctions ranging from insulin resistance, metaflammation, lipotoxicity, and hyperglycaemia. Liver metabolism failure has been proposed as a core element in underlying endocrine disorders through persistent inflammation and highly fibrotic phenotype. Unassigned: In this study, the outcomes of PTP1B inhibition using trodusquemine (MSI-1436) on key equine metabolic syndrome (EMS)-related alterations including inflammation, fibrosis, and glucose uptake have been analyzed in liver explants collect...
Jammes M, Cassé F, Velot E, Bianchi A, Audigié F, Contentin R, Galéra P.Osteoarthritis (OA) is a widespread osteoarticular pathology characterized by progressive hyaline cartilage degradation, exposing horses to impaired well-being, premature career termination, alongside substantial financial losses for horse owners. Among the new therapeutic strategies for OA, using mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC)-derived exosomes (MSC-exos) appears to be a promising option for conveying MSC therapeutic potential, yet avoiding the limitations inherent to cell therapy. Here, we first purified and characterized exosomes from MSCs by membrane affinity capture (MAC) and size-exclusio...
Bourebaba N, Sikora M, Qasem B, Bourebaba L, Marycz K.Equine metabolic syndrome (EMS), which encompasses insulin resistance, low-grade inflammation and predisposition to laminitis is a critical endocrine disorder among the most prevalent conditions affecting horses from different breeds. According to the most recent research, low human sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) serum levels correlate with an increased risk of obesity, insulin resistance and diabetes, and may contribute to overall metabolic dysregulations. This study aimed to test whether exogenous SHBG could protect EMS affected adipose-derived stromal stem cells (EqASC) from apoptosis,...
Tau RL, Ferreccio C, Bachir N, Torales F, Romera SA, Maidana SS.High-throughput sequencing of genomes has expanded our knowledge of the Alphaherpesvirinae, a widely extended subfamily of DNA viruses that recombine to increase their genetic diversity. It has been acknowledged that equid herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) and equid herpesvirus 4 (EHV-4), two alphaherpesviruses with an economic impact on the horse industry, can recombine. This work aimed to analyze interspecific recombination between all equid alphaherpesvirus species, using genomes of EHV-1, EHV-3, EHV-4, EHV-6, EHV-8, and EHV-9 available in GenBank. 14 events of recombination by RDP4 and Simplot between...
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...
Alshut F, Venner M, Martinsson G, Vervuert I.Electrolyte supplementation may be a risk factor for gastric mucosal lesions, but relevant evidence is limited in horses. Objective: Investigate the effects of PO sodium chloride (NaCl) supplementation on the gastric mucosa of exercising horses. We hypothesized that NaCl supplementation would neither cause nor exacerbate existing gastric mucosal damage. Methods: Fifteen 3-year-old healthy Warmblood stallions from a stud farm. Methods: Placebo-controlled study with a crossover design. Horses were fed either a NaCl pellet at a dosage adequate to replace the electrolyte losses in 10 L sweat or ...
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 ...
Xiao T, Zeng J, Zhao C, Hou Y, Wu T, Deng Z, Zheng L.An infant in vitro digestion model was utilized to investigate protein digestion characteristics in human and diverse mammalian milk (i.e., cow, goat, sheep, mare, and camel milk) using electrophoresis and chromatography. Digestive differences among milks were mainly manifested in the infant gastric phase, as evidenced by varying degrees of protein digestion. Notably, proteins (i.e., lactoferrin, serum albumin, and immunoglobulin G-heavy chain) remained partially intact in human milk, whereas these proteins in animal milk were exclusively degraded after gastrointestinal digestion. The peptide ...
Anderson JR, Johnson E, Jenkins R, Jacobsen S, Green D, Walters M, Bundgaard L, Hausmans BAC, van den Akker G, Welting TJM, Chabronova A, Kharaz YA....Extracellular vesicles (EVs) contribute to osteoarthritis pathogenesis through their release into joint tissues and synovial fluid. Synovial fluid-derived EVs have the potential to be direct biomarkers in the causal pathway of disease but also enable understanding of their role in disease progression. Utilizing a temporal model of osteoarthritis, we defined the changes in matched synovial fluid and plasma-derived EV small non-coding RNA and protein cargo using sequencing and mass spectrometry. Data exploration included time series clustering, factor analysis and gene enrichment interrogation. ...
Egyptien S, Deleuze S, Ledeck J, Ponthier J.Stallion sperm analysis is indicated for infertility diagnosis, pre-sale expertise, production of fresh or frozen doses, and frozen straw quality control. Various collection methods are described, and numerous assays can be performed on semen. Determining an approach for each of these cases is challenging. This review aims to discuss how to obtain relevant clinical results, answering stallion owners' concerns. Semen can be collected with an artificial vagina on a phantom or a mare, by electro-ejaculation under anesthesia, or after pharmacological induction. The collection method influences the...
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...
Borovikov S, Ryskeldina A, Tursunov K, Syzdykova A, Akibekov O. abortion in mares is caused by subspecies serovar infection and is characterized by premature (abortion) or non-viable fetus birth. Although all horses are susceptible to infection, the condition is more often clinically manifested in pregnant mares, with most abortions recorded in young females. In addition, nonspecific clinical disease signs and poorly sensitive and effective bacteriological diagnostic methods hinder rapid and reliable infection diagnoses. Immunochemical methods such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and immunochromatography assays can facilitate effective and...
Stejskalova K, Janova E, Splichalova P, Futas J, Oppelt J, Vodicka R, Horin P.Toll-like receptors (TLRs) represent an important part of the innate immune system. While human and murine TLRs have been intensively studied, little is known about TLRs in non-model species. The order Perissodactyla comprises a variety of free-living and domesticated species exposed to different pathogens in different habitats and is therefore suitable for analyzing the diversity and evolution of immunity-related genes. We analyzed TLR genes in the order Perissodactyla with a focus on the family Equidae. Twelve TLRs were identified by bioinformatic analyses of online genomic resources; their ...
Longland AC, Barfoot C, Harris PA.The digestibility and nutritive values of pastures that were either freely or strip-grazed for 28 days were compared. Twelve ponies were individually grazed in adjacent, 10 m wide, rectangular paddocks. On day -1, each paddock length was adjusted to contain a 28-day supply of herbage DM at 1.5 % of pony BW/d. Ponies, (4/treatment) either accessed the entire 28-day supply from day 1 (TA), or gradually via strip-grazing treatments, SG1 and SG2. SG1 had a 'lead' fence spanning the paddock width that from day 3 was moved forward 1/26th of the paddock length daily, whereas SG2 had an additional 'b...
