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
This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.
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 .
References
This article includes 24 references
- Auer DE, Ng JC, Hrdlicka J, Seawright AA. The elimination of injected superoxide dismutase from synovial fluid of the horse.. Aust Vet J 1989 Apr;66(4):117-9.
- Bertone AL, Palmer JL, Jones J. Synovial fluid cytokines and eicosanoids as markers of joint disease in horses.. Vet Surg 2001 Nov-Dec;30(6):528-38.
- Breen EC, Johnson EC, Wagner H, Tseng HM, Sung LA, Wagner PD. Angiogenic growth factor mRNA responses in muscle to a single bout of exercise.. J Appl Physiol (1985) 1996 Jul;81(1):355-61.
- Brodal P, Ingjer F, Hermansen L. Capillary supply of skeletal muscle fibers in untrained and endurance-trained men.. Am J Physiol 1977 Jun;232(6):H705-12.
- Brutsaert TD, Gavin TP, Fu Z, Breen EC, Tang K, Mathieu-Costello O, Wagner PD. Regional differences in expression of VEGF mRNA in rat gastrocnemius following 1 hr exercise or electrical stimulation.. BMC Physiol 2002 Jun 19;2:8.
- Bustamante CD, Fledel-Alon A, Williamson S, Nielsen R, Hubisz MT, Glanowski S, Tanenbaum DM, White TJ, Sninsky JJ, Hernandez RD, Civello D, Adams MD, Cargill M, Clark AG. Natural selection on protein-coding genes in the human genome.. Nature 2005 Oct 20;437(7062):1153-7.
- Essén-Gustavsson B, Lindholm A. Muscle fibre characteristics of active and inactive standardbred horses.. Equine Vet J 1985 Nov;17(6):434-8.
- Firth EC. The response of bone, articular cartilage and tendon to exercise in the horse.. J Anat 2006 Apr;208(4):513-26.
- Hinchcliff KW, Geor RJ. Equine exercise physiology: The science of exercise in the atheletic horse. Edinburgh, UK, New York, USA: 2008. The Horse as an Athlete: A Physiological Overview; p. ix.p. 463.
- Hyyppä S, Räsänen LA, Pösö AR. Resynthesis of glycogen in skeletal muscle from standardbred trotters after repeated bouts of exercise.. Am J Vet Res 1997 Feb;58(2):162-6.
- Jiang BH, Rue E, Wang GL, Roe R, Semenza GL. Dimerization, DNA binding, and transactivation properties of hypoxia-inducible factor 1.. J Biol Chem 1996 Jul 26;271(30):17771-8.
- Lamprecht ED, Bagnell CA, Williams CA. Inflammatory responses to three modes of intense exercise in Standardbred mares-A pilot study. Comp Exer Physiol 2008;5:115–125.
- Lindner A, Signorini R, Brero L, Arn E, Mancini R, Enrique A. Effect of conditioning horses with short intervals at high speed on biochemical variables in blood.. Equine Vet J Suppl 2006 Aug;(36):88-92.
- Lindner A, Mosen H, Kissenbeck S, Fuhrmann H, Sallmann HP. Effect of blood lactate-guided conditioning of horses with exercises of differing durations and intensities on heart rate and biochemical blood variables.. J Anim Sci 2009 Oct;87(10):3211-7.
- Livak KJ, Schmittgen TD. Analysis of relative gene expression data using real-time quantitative PCR and the 2(-Delta Delta C(T)) Method.. Methods 2001 Dec;25(4):402-8.
- Park KD, Park J, Ko J, Kim BC, Kim HS, Ahn K, Do KT, Choi H, Kim HM, Song S, Lee S, Jho S, Kong HS, Yang YM, Jhun BH, Kim C, Kim TH, Hwang S, Bhak J, Lee HK, Cho BW. Whole transcriptome analyses of six thoroughbred horses before and after exercise using RNA-Seq.. BMC Genomics 2012 Sep 12;13:473.
- Petersen HH, Nielsen JP, Heegaard PM. Application of acute phase protein measurements in veterinary clinical chemistry.. Vet Res 2004 Mar-Apr;35(2):163-87.
- Pösö AR, Essén-Gustavsson B, Persson SG. Metabolic response to standardised exercise test in standardbred trotters with red cell hypervolaemia.. Equine Vet J 1993 Nov;25(6):527-31.
- Richardson RS, Wagner H, Mudaliar SR, Henry R, Noyszewski EA, Wagner PD. Human VEGF gene expression in skeletal muscle: effect of acute normoxic and hypoxic exercise.. Am J Physiol 1999 Dec;277(6):H2247-52.
- Richardson RS, Wagner H, Mudaliar SR, Saucedo E, Henry R, Wagner PD. Exercise adaptation attenuates VEGF gene expression in human skeletal muscle.. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 2000 Aug;279(2):H772-8.
- Roca J, Gavin TP, Jordan M, Siafakas N, Wagner H, Benoit H, Breen E, Wagner PD. Angiogenic growth factor mRNA responses to passive and contraction-induced hyperperfusion in skeletal muscle.. J Appl Physiol (1985) 1998 Sep;85(3):1142-9.
- Saitou N, Nei M. The neighbor-joining method: a new method for reconstructing phylogenetic trees.. Mol Biol Evol 1987 Jul;4(4):406-25.
- Streltsova JM, McKeever KH, Liburt NR, Gordon ME, Filhoa HM, Horohova DW, Rosena RT, Frankeet W. Effect of orange peel and black tea extracts on markers of performance and cytokine markers of inflammation. Equine Comp Exerc Physiol 2006;3:121–130.
- Tamura K, Peterson D, Peterson N, Stecher G, Nei M, Kumar S. MEGA5: molecular evolutionary genetics analysis using maximum likelihood, evolutionary distance, and maximum parsimony methods.. Mol Biol Evol 2011 Oct;28(10):2731-9.
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.
Use Nutrition Calculator
Check if your horse's diet meets their nutrition requirements with our easy-to-use tool Check your horse's diet with our easy-to-use tool
Talk to a Nutritionist
Discuss your horse's feeding plan with our experts over a free phone consultation Discuss your horse's diet over a phone consultation
Submit Diet Evaluation
Get a customized feeding plan for your horse formulated by our equine nutritionists Get a custom feeding plan formulated by our nutritionists