Topic:Species Comparison
Species comparison in horses involves examining the physiological, anatomical, and behavioral differences and similarities between horses and other animal species. This area of study can provide insights into the evolutionary adaptations and ecological roles of horses. Researchers often focus on aspects such as digestive systems, locomotion, sensory capabilities, and social structures to understand how horses have evolved to meet their environmental and survival needs. Comparative studies may also explore genetic differences and similarities, contributing to a broader understanding of species evolution and adaptation. This page aggregates peer-reviewed research and scholarly articles that analyze various aspects of species comparison involving horses, highlighting significant findings and methodologies used in the field.
A pilot study on interaction between donkey tetherin and EIAV stains with different virulent and replication characteristics. Tetherin (BST-2) is an important host restriction factor that can inhibit the release of a diverse array of enveloped viruses from infected cells. Conversely, to facilitate their release and spread, many viruses have evolved various strategies to overcome the antiviral effect of tetherin in a species-specific manner. During the development of an attenuated equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) vaccine in our laboratory, we found that serial passage of a field-isolated virulent EIAV strains in horse and donkey as well as the cultivated donkey cells, produces several typical EIAV strains, includ...
Neutral solute transport across osteochondral interface: A finite element approach. Investigation of the solute transfer across articular cartilage and subchondral bone plate could nurture the understanding of the mechanisms of osteoarthritis (OA) progression. In the current study, we approached the transport of neutral solutes in human (slight OA) and equine (healthy) samples using both computed tomography and biphasic-solute finite element modeling. We developed a multi-zone biphasic-solute finite element model (FEM) accounting for the inhomogeneity of articular cartilage (superficial, middle and deep zones) and subchondral bone plate. Fitting the FEM model to the concentra...
Intranasal Location and Immunohistochemical Characterization of the Equine Olfactory Epithelium. The olfactory epithelium (OE) is the only body site where neurons contact directly the environment and are therefore exposed to a broad variation of substances and insults. It can serve as portal of entry for neurotropic viruses which spread via the olfactory pathway to the central nervous system. For horses, it has been proposed and concluded mainly from rodent studies that different viruses, e.g., Borna disease virus, equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1), hendra virus, influenza virus, rabies virus, vesicular stomatitis virus can use this route. However, little is yet known about cytoarchitecture, p...
The Evolutionary Origin and Genetic Makeup of Domestic Horses. The horse was domesticated only 5.5 KYA, thousands of years after dogs, cattle, pigs, sheep, and goats. The horse nonetheless represents the domestic animal that most impacted human history; providing us with rapid transportation, which has considerably changed the speed and magnitude of the circulation of goods and people, as well as their cultures and diseases. By revolutionizing warfare and agriculture, horses also deeply influenced the politico-economic trajectory of human societies. Reciprocally, human activities have circled back on the recent evolution of the horse, by creating hundreds...
Microvesicle-mediated Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling Promotes Interspecies Mammary Stem/Progenitor Cell Growth. Signaling mechanisms that regulate mammary stem/progenitor cell (MaSC) self-renewal are essential for developmental changes that occur in the mammary gland during pregnancy, lactation, and involution. We observed that equine MaSCs (eMaSCs) maintain their growth potential in culture for an indefinite period, whereas canine MaSCs (cMaSCs) lose their growth potential in long term cultures. We then used this system to investigate the role of microvesicles (MVs) in promoting self-renewal properties. We found that Wnt3a and Wnt1 were expressed at higher levels in MVs isolated from eMaSCs compared wi...
Substrate Specificity of Equine and Human Influenza A Virus Sialidase to Molecular Species of Sialic Acid. Most equine influenza A viruses (IAVs) show strong binding to glycoconjugates containing N-glycolylneuraminic acid (Neu5Gc) as well as N-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac). Therefore, the progeny of equine IAV is thought to be released from the infected cell surface through removal of sialic acids by the viral sialidase. In the present study, equine IAV sialidases showed significantly lower substrate affinity than that of human IAV sialidases to artificial and natural Neu5Gc-conjugated substrates. The substrate specificity of equine IAV sialidases is in disagreement with their binding specificity ...
Genetic diversity and population structure of Kazakh horses (Equus caballus) inferred from mtDNA sequences. The Kazakh horse is an important old horse breed in Xinjiang. They have contributed greatly to the breeding and improvement of other local horse breeds, yet their genetic diversity and population structure are not well understood. In the present study, we evaluated the genetic diversity of Kazakh horses and their relationship with other horse breeds using the mtDNA D-loop region, Cyt b gene, and a DNA fragment (nps 7974-9963, containing COX3, tRNA-Gly, ND3, and tRNA-Arg). A total of 130 Kazakh horses from 8 populations in China and Kazakhstan were analyzed. A total of 88 haplotypes (haplotype ...
Neoplasia in 125 donkeys (Equus asinus): literature review and a survey of five veterinary schools in the United States and Canada. A diagnosis of neoplasia was noted in 125 of 357 donkeys (35%) in our review of medical records from 5 veterinary schools in the United States and Canada. Equine sarcoid was the most common tumor in our study, accounting for 72% of all tumors and 82% of cutaneous tumors. Soft-tissue sarcomas were the second most common skin tumors. All other types of neoplasia were rare. Important differences in the occurrence of neoplasia in donkeys compared to horses included the rarity or absence of squamous cell carcinoma in any organ system and gray horse melanoma. Lymphosarcoma, the most common malignant...
Equivalent seminal characteristics in human and stallion at first and second ejaculated fractions. Sperm quality was assessed in normozoospermic human (n = 10) and Spanish breed stallion (n = 10) after sperm fractionation during ejaculation. The first ejaculated fraction was separated from the second. A third sample was reconstituted using equivalent proportion of both fractions (RAW). Fraction 1, Fraction 2 and RAW semen were incubated for 30 min at 37°C to homogenise the impact of iatrogenic damage between both species. Sperm concentration, motility and sperm DNA damage were assessed in each fraction and RAW semen. The results showed two important facts: (i) spermatozoa confined at ...
N-glycosylation proteomic characterization and cross-species comparison of milk fat globule membrane proteins from mammals. Glycosylation of proteins has been implicated in various biological functions and has received much attention; however, glycoprotein components and inter-species complexity have not yet been elucidated fully in milk proteins. N-linked glycosylation sites and glycoproteins in milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) fractions were investigated by combining N-glycosylated peptides enrichment and high-accuracy Q Exactive identification, to map the N-glycoproteome profiles in Holstein and Jersey cows, buffaloes, yaks, goats, camels, horses, and humans. A total of 399 N-glycoproteins with 677 glycosylation...
Evaluation and Comparison of Vitamin D Responsive Gene Expression in Ovine, Canine and Equine Kidney. The aim of this study was to determine the relative abundance and relationship of vitamin D responsive and calcium transporting transcripts (TRPV5, TRPV6, calD9k, calD28k, PMCA, NCX1, CYP27B1, CYP24A1, and VDR) in ovine, canine and, equine kidney using quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR), and then perform a comparison between the three species. Renal tissue samples were harvested post-mortem from 10 horses, 10 sheep, and five dogs. Primers were designed for each gene. For each sample total RNA was extracted, cDNA synthesised, and RT-qPCR was performed. RT-qPCR data were normalised and statist...
Species determination using the red blood cells morphometry in domestic animals. This investigation is placed in the context of continuity of a preliminary study already published; it was conducted in cattle, sheep, goats, horses, and dogs; the main aim is to reveal and develop criteria for the animal species determination based on the morphometric parameters of red blood cells. Methods: Blood samples were taken from the jugular vein; and the smears were confectioned on slides immediately after the blood collection and stained according to the May-Gründwald Giemsa method. For the morphometric study, three parameters were considered which are: The diameter, the circumferen...
Factors that influence outcome in experimental osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common joint disease but an effective pharmacological therapy has not been developed yet. To identify targets for treatment and ways to interfere with OA development and progression both spontaneous and induced OA models are still needed. In this narrative review it is discussed what variables can be identified that lead to variation in OA animal model studies. Literature was screened (Pubmed) with the following terms; OA animal models in combination with species, age, strain, gender/sex, housing, diet, fighting, circadian rhythm, transgenic. Relevant articles ...
Comparison of three different methods for the quantification of equine insulin. Exact analysis of equine insulin in blood samples is the key element for assessing insulin resistance or insulin dysregulation in horses. However, previous studies indicated marked differences in insulin concentrations obtained from sample analyses with different immunoassays. Most assays used in veterinary medicine are originally designed for use in human diagnostics and are based on antibodies directed against human insulin, although amino acid sequences between equine and human insulin differ. Species-specific assays are being used more frequently and seem to provide advantages compared to ...
Identification, characterization and bioactivity of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-related apoptosis-inducing ligand from Equus caballus. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) is a member of the TNF superfamily and plays multifunctional roles in the immune system. In the present study, a homolog of TRAIL from the Mongolian horse (named ecTRAIL) was identified and characterized. The 870-bp open reading frame encodes a polypeptide of 289 amino acid residues with a predicted molecular weight of 33.47 kDa and pI of 8.47. The genomic structure of ecTRAIL shares a five-exon/six-intron arrangement similar to its orthologs. Multiple alignments show that ecTRAIL is a type II transmembrane protein with a t...
Age-Related Changes in Locomotor Performance Reveal a Similar Pattern for Caenorhabditis elegans, Mus domesticus, Canis familiaris, Equus caballus, and Homo sapiens. Locomotion is one of the major physiological functions for most animals. Previous studies have described aging mechanisms linked to locomotor performance among different species. However, the precise dynamics of these age-related changes, and their interactions with development and senescence, are largely unknown. Here, we use the same conceptual framework to describe locomotor performances in Caenorhabditis elegans, Mus domesticus, Canis familiaris, Equus caballus, and Homo sapiens. We show that locomotion is a consistent biomarker of age-related changes, with an asymmetrical pattern througho...
Friesian horses as a possible model for human acquired aortopulmonary fistulation. Acquired aortopulmonary fistulation is a rare condition in humans. It usually results as a late complication of a true or pseudoaneurysm of the thoracic aorta. It is most commonly associated with trauma or surgery, less commonly with atherosclerosis, inflammation, hypertension or Marfan's syndrome. Aortopulmonary fistulation is also seen as a rare complication of acute aortic dissection. On rare occasions, acquired aortopulmonary fistulation is reported in aged patients without any of the above mentioned triggering factors. Thus, these cases should be considered as idiopathic aortopulmonary fi...
Climatic suitability influences species specific abundance patterns of Australian flying foxes and risk of Hendra virus spillover. Hendra virus is a paramyxovirus of Australian flying fox bats. It was first detected in August 1994, after the death of 20 horses and one human. Since then it has occurred regularly within a portion of the geographical distribution of all Australian flying fox (fruit bat) species. There is, however, little understanding about which species are most likely responsible for spillover, or why spillover does not occur in other areas occupied by reservoir and spillover hosts. Using ecological niche models of the four flying fox species we were able to identify which species are most likely linked to...
Treatment of endotoxaemia and septicaemia in the equine patient. Endotoxins, constituents of the cell wall of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, regularly result in severe illness and death in horses. In endotoxaemia, these constituents are present in the systemic circulation; in septicaemia, whole microbes invade normally sterile parts of the body. Interaction of these endotoxins with pathogen recognition receptors leads to an inflammatory response that cannot always be sufficiently contained and hence needs direct treatment. Over the last decennia, our understanding of the pathophysiology of endotoxaemia and septicaemia has significantly increased....
RNA expression of TLR10 in normal equine tissues. Toll like receptors are one of the major innate immune system pathogen recognition systems. There is little data on the expression of the TLR10 member of this family in the horse. Results: This paper describes the genetic structure of the Equine TLR10 gene and its RNA expression in a range of horse tissues. It describes the phylogenetic analysis of the Equine TLR1,6,10,2 annotations in the horse genome, firmly identifying them in their corresponding gene clades compared to other species and firmly placing the horse gene with other TLR10 genes from odd-toed ungulates. Additional 3' transcript e...
Comparative transcriptome analysis of equine alveolar macrophages. Alveolar macrophages (AMs) are the first line of defence against pathogens in the lungs of all mammalian species and thus may constitute appropriate therapeutic target cells in the treatment and prevention of opportunistic airway infections. Therefore, acquiring a better understanding of equine macrophage biology is of paramount importance in addressing this issue in relation to the horse. Objective: To compare the transcriptome of equine AMs with that of equine peritoneal macrophages (PMs) and to investigate the effect of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on equine AM. Methods: Gene expression study o...
A concise review of common animal models for the study of limb regeneration. Correct selection of an appropriate animal mode to closely mimic human extremity diseases or to exhibit desirable phenotypes of limb regeneration is the first critical step for all scientists in biomedical and regenerative researches. The commonly-used animals in limb regeneration and repairing studies, such as axolotl, mice, and rats, are discussed in the review and other models including cockroaches, dogs, and horses are also mentioned. The review weighs the general advantages, disadvantages, and precedent uses of each model in the context of limb and peripheral injury and subsequent regener...
Double-stranded-RNA-specific adenosine deaminase 1 (ADAR1) is proposed to contribute to the adaptation of equine infectious anemia virus from horses to donkeys. Equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) is a member of the genus Lentivirus of the family Retroviridae. Horses are the most susceptible equids to EIAV infection and are therefore the primary hosts of this virus. In contrast, infected donkeys do not develop clinically active equine infectious anemia (EIA). This phenomenon is similar to what has been observed with HIV-1, which fails to induce AIDS in non-human primates. Interestingly, Shen et al. developed a donkey-tropic pathogenic virus strain (EIAVDV117, DV117) by serially passaging a horse-tropic pathogenic strain, EIAVLN40 (LN40), in donkeys....
Development of a chicken-derived antivenom against the taipan snake (Oxyuranus scutellatus) venom and comparison with an equine antivenom. A chicken-derived antivenom (ChDAv) towards taipan snake (Oxyuranus scutellatus) venom was produced by purifying anti-taipan IgY from egg yolks of hens immunized with taipan venom. The productivity, antivenomic profile, neutralization ability, pharmacokinetic properties and immunogenicity of the ChDAv were compared with those of an antivenom produced in horses (EDAv). We found that 382 eggs are required to produce the mass of anti-taipan antibodies contained in one liter of equine hyperimmune plasma, and that 63 chickens would be needed to generate the amount of anti-taipan antibodies annually...
A comparison between the equine and bovine hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenocortical axis. In this review, we address the function of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis with special emphasis on the comparison between the bovine and equine species. The pars intermedia of the pituitary gland is particularly well developed in horses and cattle. However, its function is not well appreciated in cattle yet. The Wulzen's cone of the adenohypophysis is a special feature of ruminants. Total basal cortisol concentration is much higher in horses than that in cows with similar free cortisol fractions. Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) concentrations in equine pituitary veno...
Convergent evolution of pregnancy-specific glycoproteins in human and horse. Pregnancy-specific glycoproteins (PSGs) are members of the carcinoembryonic antigen cell adhesion molecule (CEACAM) family that are secreted by trophoblast cells. PSGs may modulate immune, angiogenic and platelet responses during pregnancy. Until now, PSGs are only found in species that have a highly invasive (hemochorial) placentation including humans, mice and rats. Surprisingly, analyzing the CEACAM gene family of the horse, which has a non-invasive epitheliochorial placenta, with the exception of the transient endometrial cups, we identified equine CEACAM family members that seem to be rel...
Mitochondrial diversity in mountain horse population from the South-Eastern Europe. It is believed that population structure of mountain horse breeds is preserved from any genetic introgression, because of their geographical isolation and specific semi-wild life style of husbandry. Till date there are no molecular data for the Balkan horses. In this study we try to give information about some autochthonous mountain horse breeds from Bulgaria. A total of 121 horses from three different mountain massifs are presented: Stara Planina (the Balkan mountain), the Rhodopes and Rila-Pirin massif were genotyped according to mitochondrial D-loop region. The results showed huge diversity...
Polymorphism and preadaptation of horses (Equus) of the mountains surrounding Lake Baikal in Pleistocene. The first data on polymorphism and preadaptation of the Pleistocene horses in the mountains surrounding Lake Baikal are presented. It has been shown that disregard of intraspecific polymorphism leads to unreasonable ignoring of their diversity, phylogenetically false constructions, and incorrect interpretation of natural environment.
Distribution of coat-color-associated alleles in the domestic horse population and Przewalski’s horse. Considering the hidden mode of inheritance of some coat-color-associated alleles, we investigated the presence/absence of coat-color-associated alleles in 1093 domestic horses of 55 breeds and 20 specimens of Przewalski's horse. For coat-color genotyping, allele specific PCR, pyrosequencing and Li-Cor analyses were conducted on 12 coat-color-associated alleles of five genes. Our data provide deep insight into the distribution of coat-color-associated alleles within breeds. We found that the alleles for the basic colorations (bay, black, and chestnut) are widely distributed and occur in nearly ...
Effective population sizes in cattle, sheep, horses, pigs and goats estimated from census and herdbook data. Accurate measures of effective population sizes (Ne ) in livestock require good quality data and specialized skills for their computation and analysis. Ne can be estimated by Wright's equation Ne =4MF/(M+ F) (M, F being sires and dams, respectively), but this requires assumptions which are often not met. Total census sizes Nc of livestock breeds are collated globally. This paper investigates whether estimates of Ne can be made from Nc ; this would facilitate conservation monitoring. Some Ne methodologies avoid the assumptions of Wright's equation and permit measurement, rather than estimation,...