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Molecular Characterization and Expression Analysis of Equine Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Alpha (VEGFα) Gene in Horse (Equus caballus).
Abstract: The objective of this study was to determine the molecular characteristics of the horse vascular endothelial growth factor alpha gene (VEGFα) by constructing a phylogenetic tree, and to investigate gene expression profiles in tissues and blood leukocytes after exercise for development of suitable biomarkers. Using published amino acid sequences of other vertebrate species (human, chimpanzee, mouse, rat, cow, pig, chicken and dog), we constructed a phylogenetic tree which showed that equine VEGFα belonged to the same clade of the pig VEGFα. Analysis for synonymous (Ks) and non-synonymous substitution ratios (Ka) revealed that the horse VEGFα underwent positive selection. RNA was extracted from blood samples before and after exercise and different tissue samples of three horses. Expression analyses using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and quantitative-polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) showed ubiquitous expression of VEGFα mRNA in skeletal muscle, kidney, thyroid, lung, appendix, colon, spinal cord, and heart tissues. Analysis of differential expression of VEGFα gene in blood leukocytes after exercise indicated a unimodal pattern. These results will be useful in developing biomarkers that can predict the recovery capacity of racing horses.
Publication Date: 2014-07-23 PubMed ID: 25050010PubMed Central: PMC4093191DOI: 10.5713/ajas.2013.13821Google Scholar: Lookup The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
- Journal Article
Summary
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The research explored the molecular properties of the vascular endothelial growth factor alpha gene (VEGFα) in horses and its expression changes in response to exercise. This study aims to develop potential biomarkers to assess recovery capacity in racing horses.
Molecular Characteristics of Equine VEGFα Gene
- The research used published amino acid sequences from various vertebrate species, including human, chimpanzee, mouse, rat, cow, pig, chicken, and dog, to construct a phylogenetic tree. The tree aided in understanding the evolutionary relationship between these species and the horse.
- Through this analysis, researchers found that the equine VEGFα is closely related to the pig VEGFα, placing them in the same clade.
- The study of synonymous (Ks) and non-synonymous substitution ratios (Ka) – which are methods used to calculate the number of genetic mutations – showed that the VEGFα gene in horses has undergone positive selection, suggesting its evolutionary importance in this species.
Expression Analysis of Equine VEGFα Gene
- The team extracted RNA from the blood samples collected before and after exercise and from different tissues of three horses. Techniques such as Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) and Quantitative-Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR) were used to identify and quantify gene expression.
- The expression of the equine VEGFα gene was found in numerous tissues, including skeletal muscle, kidney, thyroid, lung, appendix, colon, spinal cord, and heart. This ubiquitous expression indicates that the gene has various roles across different tissue types.
- Researchers found that following exercise, there was a unimodal pattern in the differential expression of the VEGFα gene in blood leukocytes, meaning there was a single peak change in expression, which then returned to normal.
Development of Biomarkers
- The finding that expression levels of the VEGFα gene alter in response to exercise suggests possible use as a biomarker for determining the recovery capacity in racing horses. This could provide valuable information to improve training and recovery strategies.
- Future research could expand on these findings to investigate the exact mechanisms behind these changes in expression and the biological implications they have on horse health and performance.
Cite This Article
APA
Song KD, Cho HW, Lee HK, Cho BW.
(2014).
Molecular Characterization and Expression Analysis of Equine Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Alpha (VEGFα) Gene in Horse (Equus caballus).
Asian-Australas J Anim Sci, 27(5), 743-748.
https://doi.org/10.5713/ajas.2013.13821 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Animal Science, College of Nature Resources and Life Science, Pusan National University, Miryang 627-706, Korea .
- Department of Animal Science, College of Nature Resources and Life Science, Pusan National University, Miryang 627-706, Korea .
- Department of Animal Science, College of Nature Resources and Life Science, Pusan National University, Miryang 627-706, Korea .
- Department of Animal Science, College of Nature Resources and Life Science, Pusan National University, Miryang 627-706, Korea .
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Citations
This article has been cited 1 times.- Do KT, Cho HW, Badrinath N, Park JW, Choi JY, Chung YH, Lee HK, Song KD, Cho BW. Molecular Characterization and Expression Analysis of Creatine Kinase Muscle (CK-M) Gene in Horse. Asian-Australas J Anim Sci 2015 Dec;28(12):1680-5.
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