Transcriptomic signature related to poor welfare of sport horses.
Abstract: The improvement of horse welfare through housing conditions has become a real issue in recent years and have highlighted the detrimental effect of individual housing of horses on their health and behaviour. In this new study, we analysed the blood transcriptome of 45 sport horses housed individually that were previously examined for their behaviour and gut microbiota. We performed differential and regression analyses of gene expression, followed by downstream bioinformatic analyses, to unveil the molecular pathways related to the behavioural changes associated with welfare impairment in these sport horses. We found that aggressiveness towards humans was the behavioural indicator the most correlated to blood gene expression and that the pathways involved belonged mainly to systemic inflammation. In contrast, the correlations between genes, alert postures and unresponsiveness towards the environment were weak. When blood gene expression profiling was combined with faecal microbiota of a sub-population of horses, stereotypies came out as the most correlated to blood gene expression. This study shows that aggressiveness towards humans and stereotypies are behavioural indicators that covary with physiological alterations. Further studies are needed regarding the biological correlates of unresponsiveness to the environment and alert postures.
© 2023 The Authors.
Publication Date: 2023-08-17 PubMed ID: 37655309PubMed Central: PMC10465861DOI: 10.1016/j.cpnec.2023.100201Google 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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This study investigates the impact of individual housing conditions on the health and behavior of sport horses. It found a correlation between these conditions and certain behavioral changes including increased aggressiveness towards humans, observed through changes in gene expression.
Research context and methodology
- The researchers embarked on this study due to the overarching concerns about the welfare of sport horses and the impact that the currently used housing conditions can have on these horses health and behavior.
- The study involved analyzing the blood transcriptome, a complete set of RNA transcripts produced by the genome, of 45 sport horses that were housed individually.
- The horses in the study were previously examined for their behavior and gut microbiota, which is the collection of micro-organisms living in the digestive tracts, primarily the intestines.
- The team performed differential and regression analyses on gene expression, and followed up with bioinformatic analyses to delve deeper into the molecular pathways that could relate to the changes in behavior in relation to the welfare impairment seen in the horses.
Key findings
- The study found that the horses’ aggressiveness towards humans was the main behavioral change related to the gene expressions in the blood.
- The pathways involved in this aggressiveness were primarily aligned with systemic inflammation.
- However, the connection between genes, the presence of alert postures, and the horses’ unresponsiveness to their environment were weak.
- When the gene expression in the blood was cross-examined with the faecal microbiota of a sub-population of the horses, the behavior of stereotypies was found to be most associated with blood gene expression. Stereotypies are repetitive or ritualistic movements, postures, or utterances, which demonstrate an individual’s state of stress or boredom.
Implications
- The finding of this study implies that individual housing of sport horses can have detrimental effects on their behavior and health, witnessed in their increased aggressiveness towards humans.
- This aggression and stereotypies are indicators that align with alterations in the horses’ physiology.
- This study flags the importance of more research and studies into the biological associations of unresponsiveness towards the environment and alert postures in horses.
Cite This Article
APA
Foury A, Mach N, Ruet A, Lansade L, Moisan MP.
(2023).
Transcriptomic signature related to poor welfare of sport horses.
Compr Psychoneuroendocrinol, 16, 100201.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpnec.2023.100201 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Univ. Bordeaux, INRAE, INP, UMR 1286 Nutrineuro, Team Nutripsy, 33076, Bordeaux, France.
- IHAP, Universitu00e9 de Toulouse, INRAE, ENVT, Toulouse, France.
- Universitu00e9 Paris-Saclay, INRAE, AgroParisTech, GABI, 78350, Jouy-en-Josas, France.
- INRAE, UMR 85 PRC, CNRS, UMR 7247, IFCE, University of Tours, Nouzilly, France.
- INRAE, UMR 85 PRC, CNRS, UMR 7247, IFCE, University of Tours, Nouzilly, France.
- Univ. Bordeaux, INRAE, INP, UMR 1286 Nutrineuro, Team Nutripsy, 33076, Bordeaux, France.
Conflict of Interest Statement
The authors have no interest to declare.
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