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.
Nathan H, Gloobe H.The myocardial fibres of the posterior wall of the atrio-venous junctions were examined in 35 large domestic mammals. In the majority of specimens a common pattern in the course and organization of the fibres could be observed. The most obvious features were the following: (1) a main circular fascicle surrounding the pulmonary trunks; (2) fibres encircling the atriovenous junctions; and (3) myocardial sleeves extending along the veins, occasionally as far as the lung. The superior part of the left atrial wall was consistently thicker than the inferior section. Individual variations of this wal...
Richter GW, Moppert GA, Lee JC.1. Fingerprints of tryptic digests of apoferritins from a human liver, horse spleens and ACI rat livers were made by means of electrophoresis and chromatography on microcrystalline cellulose, and were compared.
2. All tryptic peptides also present in apoferritins from the human liver and the horse spleens were also present in apoferritin from the rat livers.
3. In the digests of horse and of rat apoferritin there was a peptide that was not present in the digests of human apoferritin. Another peptide was obtained from human and from rat apoferritin, but not from horse apoferritin.
4. T...
Ek N.A method for the rapid electrophoresis on a cellulose acetate membrane of serum proteins from horses, sheep and pigs is discussed. The various main globulin fractions in the serum of these animals were experimentally identified. Normal values for the percentage composition of serum from normal horses, sheep and pigs were calculated. In the horse there was great individual variation in the shape of the β-fraction, assumed to be due to different transferrin types. The mean value for β-globulin of 19.5 % in the horse was higher than for the other two species. The albumin percentage was highest ...
Müller F, Segerling M.Complement activity in the serum of eight species has been studied in two ways: by immobilization of sensitized with human or rabbit antibody and by haemolysis of sheep red cells sensitized with rabbit antibody. Serum of the pig, monkey and man was actively haemolytic but contained a heatlabile factor that immobilized unsensitized in the presence of guinea-pig complement and precluded the detection of immune immobilizing activity. Sera of other species, although without action on unsensitized treponemes, even with added guinea-pig complement, differed in their relative haemolytic and immobil...
Allen TE, Bligh J.1. The temporal patterns of cutaneous water vapour loss from the skin of the sheep, goat, ox, horse, donkey and llama during exposure to 40°C Ta and during i.v. injections and infusions of adrenaline are examined.
2. It is concluded that there are marked species variations in the extent to which the discharge of sweat is affected by periodic contractions of the myoepithelium, or by simple displacement of fluid from the filled lumen as more fluid is secreted into it.
Srivastava SK, Beutler E.1. Erythrocytes from normal and glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase-deficient humans were subjected to hydrogen peroxide diffusion to oxidize the GSH. Studies were carried out in the presence and absence of chromate to inhibit glutathione reductase and with or without the addition of glucose. 2. The GSH content of erythrocytes from other species was oxidized by subjecting them to hydrogen peroxide diffusion in the presence of chromate and glucose. 3. Chromate (1.3mm) inhibited glutathione reductase by about 80%, whereas glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase, 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase, hexokin...
Ma L, Sang M, Zhang J, Zhang S.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...
Palmieri G, Panu R, Asole A, Farina V, Sanna L.The various types of sensory nerve endings found in the peroneus tertius muscle in the ass and in the horse have been studied with Ruffini's gold chloride method. Free nerve endings have been described as well as encapsulated receptors. These corpuscles are classified as Pacini-like, Ruffini's terminations and also Golgi's tendon-organs. The authors have pointed out the morphology, topography and structural characteristics of the above named nervous terminations and have hypothesized that a probable functional relation existed between these nervous corpuscles and the considered tendinous struc...
Monet-Kuntz C, Guillou F, Fontaine I, Combarnous Y.Using a suspension of seminiferous tubule cells, we had previously shown that equine FSH is superactive in the male rat, i.e. that it exhibits a higher biological potency than expected from its binding activity. In this work we investigated equine FSH superactivity in rat, pig and sheep, by comparing in each species the equine FSH with the homologous FSH, both for their binding activities (in a radioreceptor assay using a testicular membrane fraction) and for their in vitro biological potencies (in a plasminogen activator assay using a Sertoli cell-enriched population cultured on plastic). In ...
Rodrigues LT, Segabinazzi LG, Oliveira SN, Frasson M, Papa FO.Pregnancy rates after embryo transfer (ET) are disappointing in donkey species. This study aims to report two successful ET of mini-donkey embryos using Brazilian Northeastern jennies as recipients. Eighteen embryo flushes were performed 9 days post-ovulation in two non-pregnant mini-donkeys jennies (11 and 7 cycles per jenny). Eleven embryos (61%, 11/18) were collected and transferred to Brazilian Northeastern jennies 4-6 days post-ovulation by conventional (n = 6) or an alternative (n = 5) technique. The alternative method consisted of inserting a Polansky equine vaginal speculum smear...
Galeano R, Germanà A, Abbate F, Calvo D, Naves FJ, Hidaka H, Germanà G, Vega JA.Neurocalcin (NC) is a recently characterized EF-hand calcium-binding protein present in a discrete population of sensory neurons and their peripheral mechanoreceptors, but its presence in peripheral nervous system neurons other than in the rat is still unknown. The present study was designed to investigate the occurrence of NC in the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) of several mammalian species (horse, buffalo, cow, sheep, pig, dog, and rat), including humans. DRG were fixed, embedded in paraffin, and processed for immunohistochemistry using a polyclonal antibody against NC. The size of the immunorea...
Frape DL, Tuck MG, Sutcliffe NH, Jones DB.1. The rate of passage of chromic oxide (Cr) was similar in the pony and rhinoceros. 2. Higher apparent amounts digested were found using 4N-HCl-insoluble ash (AIA) than those determined by Cr, but overall digestibilities were similar for the two species. 3. An abrupt increase in the starch content of the horse diets increased the number of faecal ciliate protozoa. Only when the overall feed intake was increased in horses receiving a high dietary proportion of starch were the numbers depressed. 4. When the rhinoceros received 109 kJ apparent DE per kg bodyweight daily (716 kJ/W0.75 daily) it m...
Caporali EH, Kuykendall T, Stewart MC.To fully sequence and characterize equine aggrecan and confirm conservation of major aggrecanase, calpain and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) cleavage sites. Methods: Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and rapid amplification of cDNA ends were used to generate clones that encompassed the complete equine aggrecan sequence. Clones were sequenced and compared with the equine genome database to determine intron-exon boundaries. Results: The aggrecan gene spans over 61 kb on chromosome 1 and is encoded by 17 exons. Two major variants of aggrecan were cloned; one containing 8187 bp (2728...
Martin-Pelaez S, Rabow Z, de la Fuente A, Draheim P, Loynachan A, Fiehn O, Meyers S, Lyman C, Dini P.Postmortem and pre-euthanasia oocyte retrieval provides the last opportunity to preserve the genetic material in mares. Pentobarbital (PB) is the most common euthanasia agent; however, its effect on the developmental competence of oocytes has not been determined. Here, we evaluated the concentration of PB in equine follicular fluid (FF) and investigated its effect on the developmental competence of oocytes using a bovine IVF model to overcome the low availability of equine oocytes. The concentration of PB was measured by gas-chromatography/mass-spectrometry in FF collected from mare ovaries im...
Karsai F, Szaniszló F, Pethes G.The levels of the two primary bile acids, cholic acid (CA) and chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA), were determined by radioimmunoassay in cattle, horse, pig and dog serum. The mean serum cholic acid (SCA) and deoxycholic acid (SCDCA) levels of cows varied with their reproductive status, being 7.8 (+/- 3.3) and 1.5 (+/- 1.0) mumol/l in dry cows, 17.8 (+/- 6.9) and 2.3 (+/- 1.0) mumol/l in freshly calved dams, and 15.8 (+/- 5.7) and 2.3 (+/- 0.8) mumol/l, respectively, in lactating cows. The SCA level found in the immediate prepartal period and also on the day of calving corresponded to those found du...
Al-Wabel NA.Semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase (SSAO) activity was measured spectrophotometrically using benzylamine as a substrate, in the serum of healthy males and females of horses, camels, cattle, sheep and goats. The animals were born and raised in the same area, and the blood collection was made on the same day to avoid variations. Also the concentrations of protein and copper were measured in the same samples. There were no significant gender-related differences in SSAO activity between the tested animals regardless of species. Activities of SSAO in either male or female of horse were significa...
Xie FY, Feng YL, Wang HH, Ma YF, Yang Y, Wang YC, Shen W, Pan QJ, Yin S, Sun YJ, Ma JY.Prior to the mechanization of agriculture and labor-intensive tasks, humans used donkeys (Equus africanus asinus) for farm work and packing. However, as mechanization increased, donkeys have been increasingly raised for meat, milk, and fur in China. To maintain the development of the donkey industry, breeding programs should focus on traits related to these new uses. Compared to conventional marker-assisted breeding plans, genome- and transcriptome-based selection methods are more efficient and effective. To analyze the coding genes of the donkey genome, we assembled the transcriptome of donke...
Gürelli G, Lyons ET, Kesbiç FI.Species composition and distribution of hindgut ciliates were investigated in the feces of 20 thoroughbred mares in Kentucky, USA. Thirty-three species and six morphotypes belonging to 21 genera were identified. The average density of hindgut ciliates in mares was 13.5 ± 13.7 × 104 cells ml-1, whereas mean number of ciliate species per host was 14.4 ± 5.3. Bundleia nana, B. elongata, B. piriformis, Blepharoconus hemiciliatus, Holophryoides ovalis, H. macrotricha, Blepharoprosthium polytrichum, Prorodonopsis coli, Paraisotrichopsis composita, Blepharocorys microcorys, and Ochoterenaia append...
Mia AS, Koger HD.Serum concentrations of arginase, glutamic pyruvic transaminase (SGPT) and glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (SGOT) in dogs, cats, horses, cattle, sheep and pigs were determined before and after oral administration of CCl(4) at doses known to cause hepatic necrosis. Following CCl(4) administration, serum concentration of arginase and SGOT increased to a level of diagnostic significance in all animals. SGPT increased markedly in dogs and cats and marginally in 1 of 3 cattle and 2 of 3 pigs. In the surviving animals, the serum concentration of arginase returned to normal range much earlier than ...
Colton SW, Downing DT.The relative efficiency of acetate and glucose as substrates for the biosynthesis of lipids in the skin of the rat and horse was examined using in vivo pulse labelling of skin with [1-14C]acetate and [U-14C]glucose by intradermal injections. The resulting radiolabelled lipids were recovered in the rat by punch biopsy as well as by daily, long-term skin surface lipid collections and in the horse by punch biopsy of the injection sites. The lipids were examined by liquid scintillation and by a combination of thin-layer chromatography and autoradiography. In both species the recovery of radiolabel...
Heap RB, Hamon MH, Allen WR.Aromatase distribution in membranes of preimplantation horse and donkey conceptuses was compared by measuring the incorporation of [3H]androstenedione into oestrone and oestradiol-17 beta. In the donkey conceptus, aromatase activity was similar in all the tissues examined (yolk sac, chorionic girdle and allantochorion), whereas in the horse it was generally lower and showed the relationship chorionic girdle greater than yolk sac greater than allantochorion. A higher proportion of labelled precursor was incorporated into oestradiol-17 beta by extra-embryonic tissues of the donkey compared with ...
Condò SG, Coletta M, Cicchetti R, Argentin G, Guerrieri P, Marini S, el-Sherbini S, Giardina B.The equilibrium O2-binding properties of the hybrid haemoglobin (Hb) present in vivo in erythrocytes from mule and of its parent Hbs from horse and donkey were compared with special reference to the effect of heterotropic ligands such as Cl-, D-glycerate 2,3-bisphosphate (DPG) and inositol hexakisphosphate. All these Hbs display a decreased effect by polyphosphates, confirming that what has been observed for horse Hb [Giardina, Brix, Clementi, Scatena, Nicoletti, Cicchetti, Argentin & Condò (1990) Biochem. J. 266, 897-900] is common to other equine species, at least from a qualitative sta...
Kaikkonen M, Hyyppä S.Like potassium (K+), caesium (Cs+) tends to concentrate intracellularly. The aim here was to determine how moderate exercise affects the uptake of Cs+ from blood plasma. Methods: After an intravenous Cs+ dose of 5 micromol kg(-1), plasma Cs+ concentration was followed for 100 min in goats and for 60 min in horses. The latter were divided into two groups, one resting and the other trotting on a treadmill (inclination 3 degrees, speed 5 m s(-1)). Results: The plasma Cs+ concentration follows a multiphase exponential decay curve, which initially could be approximated with a two-phase curve. The i...
Yamanouchi K, Yoshida S, Hasegawa T, Ikeda A, Chang KT, Matsuyama S, Nishihara M, Miyazawa K, Takahashi M.cDNA encoding equine inhibin alpha-subunit precursor protein was isolated from an equine ovarian cDNA library. For screening, the DNA probe was amplified by the RT-PCR using primers designed based on the rat inhibin alpha-subunit cDNA sequence. Out of 1.2 x 10(5) plaques screened, 19 positive clones were isolated, and one of these clones (Eq-alpha-11) contained a complete open reading frame encoding 367 amino acids. The similarity of the deduced amino acid sequences of both equine inhibin alpha-subunit precursor protein and the mature protein were greater than 80% to those of other six mammali...
Nasu T, Sueishi A, Morimoto M.We used immunohistochemical techniques to analyze the localization and distribution of the catecholamine-synthesizing enzyme tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and the neuropeptides methionine-endephalin (M-Enk), neuropeptide Y (NPY), vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP), calretinin (Cal), calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), substance P (SP), and galanin (Gal) in the stellate ganglia of two species of domestic animal (cattle and horses). NPY, VIP and Gal immunoreactive neurons (both cell body and nerve fiber) were observed in the stellate ganglia of both animals. M-Enk and CGRP immunoreactive ne...
Koterba AM, Kosch PC.Breathing pattern, respiratory muscle activation pattern, lung volumes and volume-pressure characteristics of the respiratory system of normal, term, neonatal foals on Days 2 and 7 of age were determined to test the hypothesis that the foal actively maintains end-expiratory lung volume (EEV) greater than the relaxation volume of the respiratory system (Vrx) because of a highly compliant chest wall. Breathing pattern was measured in the awake, unsedated foal during quiet breathing in lateral and standing positions. The typical neonatal foal breathing pattern was characterized by a monophasic in...
Sugiyama S, Fujiwara K.The angles related to the coxal joints were comparatively studied in four-limbed walking animals and two-limbed ones including man and birds. Between animals with both types of walking, no significant difference was observed in the neck-shaft angles (NSA), which was equivalent to the acetabulum angles (ACA) at the connection of the femoral head with the acetabulum. The anteversion angles (AVA) were equivalent to the horizontal ACA. Canine species showed two different forms of the femoral neck with or without modification by the femoral AVA, probably being breed-specific and nutrition-dependent...
Beech J, Fletcher JE, Erwin K, Lindborg SR.To determine sensitivity of equine skeletal muscle to tetrodotoxin and compare that with sensitivity of murine and human skeletal muscles. Methods: Semimembranosus, vastus lateralis, triceps brachii, and masseter muscle specimens from 22 euthanatized horses, vastus lateralis muscle biopsy specimens from 25 clinically normal humans, and diaphragmatic muscle specimens from 6 mice. Methods: Electrically elicited twitch responses were measured in muscle specimens incubated in medium alone and with tetrodotoxin (100 nM, 400 nM, 1.6 microM for equine specimens and 100 nM, 200 nM, 400 nM, 800 nM, 1.6...
Landry Z, Roloson MJ, Fraser D.The metapodials of extinct horses have long been regarded as one of the most useful skeletal elements to determine taxonomic identity. However, recent research on both extant and extinct horses has revealed the possibility for plasticity in metapodial morphology, leading to notable variability within taxa. This calls into question the reliability of metapodials in species identification, particularly for species identified from fragmentary remains. Here, we use ten measurements of metapodials from 203 specimens of four Pleistocene horse species from eastern Beringia to test whether there are s...
Wakuri H, Sakuma Y, Mutoh K, Watanabe S.In 6 equine specimens of both sexes, the morphological features of the cleavage lines of the skin over the entire body were examined using a metal probe with a sharp conical point. Wounds were produced on the skin with the probe and painted with Chinese white or Indian ink. The direction of running of the cleavage lines was determined from their relationship to the long axis of each region or area of the physical structure. The cleavage lines of the head and face revealed a fixed pattern in all specimens. They were similar to those of equine fetuses of 6 to 7 months of age. A transverse patter...
Weiser MG.Using a single channel electronic cell counter and attached particle size analyzer, leukocyte size distribution histograms were determined on canine, feline, bovine, and equine blood diluted with chloride-based diluent and treated with a conventional stromatolysin. Histograms were usually unimodal, but a few were bimodal. Mean values for mean lysed leukocyte particle volume were 49.2, 51.1, 55.4, and 65.0 fl for canine, feline, equine, and bovine blood, respectively. From inspection of histograms, a lower threshold of 30 fl referenced to latex spheres was interpreted to be appropriate for coun...
Kalmykov NP.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.
Frewein J, Buff E.In the anatomical literature there are inconsistencies in the description of the levatores costarum muscles in man and in the domestic animals, and their innervation either by the dorsal or the ventral branches of the thoracic nerves. Therefore we studied the form, structure and, with the aid of the dissecting microscope, the innervation of these muscles in 7 dogs, 8 cats, 5 horses and 12 pigs. In the dog, cat and horse, mm. levatores costarum are present from the second to the last rib. In the pig, these muscles are present from the second to the 15th rib, even in individuals with 16 pairs of...
Baker JM, Stidworthy M, Gull T, Novak J, Miller JM, Antczak DF.Serological and cellular assays and molecular techniques were used to define features of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) of the donkey With this information in hand, immune recognition of MHC determinants within and between donkeys and horses was compared. An antibody-mediated, complement-dependent, microcytotoxicity assay using a variety of antisera to donkey histocompatibility antigens, including those induced as a result of intraspecies or interspecies pregnancy in horse mares and jenny donkeys, delineated five donkey leukocyte antigen (DoLA) specificities. Antisera raised across...
Clark RJ, Valderrama XP, Furlan MA, Chedrese PJ.We report the equine (Equs equs) and elk (Cervus elaphus) pituitary pre-prolactin (PRL) cDNA cloning, and their nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequences. Pre-PRL cDNA was obtained by RNA ligation mediated-rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RLM-RACE) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The elk pre-PRL cDNA exhibits two polymorphisms at positions 96 and 672, which are silent since they encode for the same amino acids, proline and isoleucine, respectively. We found no polymorphisms in the equine pre-PRL cDNA. The deduced amino acid sequence of the equine pre-PRL is 99% identical to the previou...
Dong J, Bao H, Mang L.Rhinoestrus sp. (Diptera: Oestridae) is an economically important parasite that can cause severe nasal myiasis in equids and can also affect humans. The ultrastructure of all Rhinoestrus sp. larval instars from Mongolian horse was examined by light and scanning electron microscopy to characterize the features of Rhinoestrus. The structure of the anterior region, posterior region, and the spines of the third segment was analyzed for 10 specimens in each larval stage. Additionally, 34 third-instar (L3) larvae of Rhinoestrus sp. from Mongolian horse were subjected to molecular characterization by...
