Tissues Of Cattle Research Articles

Sarcocystis cruzi in Egyptian slaughtered cattle (Bos taurus): epidemiology, morphology and molecular description of the findings.

Sarcocystis spp. are one of the most common foodborne tissue cyst-forming coccidia with a public health and veterinary concern. The existing study aimed to rectify the epidemiological profile of Sarcocystis spp. infection in the cattle carcasses as well as to explore the structure and phylogenetic features of Sarcocystis spp. isolates. A total of 292 cattle carcasses were checked for the existence of sarcocysts using light microscopy (LM) via muscle squash (MS) and peptic digestion (PD) analysis from January 2020 to December 2020. Individual sarcocysts from different cattle tissues were selected for morphologic characterization and DNA extraction. Each sarcocyst's 18S rDNA gene was amplified, sequenced, and analyzed. Overall, 92.5% (270/292) of cattle tissue samples contained microscopic thin walled sarcocysts and were exclusively found in esophagus by light microscopy. A statistically insignificant relationship exists between the prevalence of infection and age groups, gender of cattle, and the seasonal dynamics (P>0.05). Sarcocysts ultrastructural features were completely discussed. Sequencing of 18S rDNA Sarcocystis gene confirmed S. cruzi (identity 99-100%), which was the first molecular identification of the current isolate in the study region. The current survey initially provides a brief account of knowledge about the epidemiology of Sarcocystis spp. infecting cattle and it is considered a starting point for the development of health awareness and efficient preventive schemes for this zoonotic protozoan parasite.

Fibrosis and Collagen-I Accumulation in Bali Cattle Liver Tissue Infected with Fasciola gigantica

This study aims to determine the histopathological changes of fibrosis and accumulation of collagen I in liver tissue of Bali cattle infected with Fasciola gigantica in the Badung district, Bali Indonesia. On examination of 100 Bali cattle livers at the traditional abattoir of Badung, 37 of them were found to contain F. gigantica worms in both the bladder and bile ducts. The liver tissue was then fixed with 10% formalin for processing and stained with hematoxylin-eosin dyes. The liver sample preparation in the coating slide was also reacted with rabbit anti-collagen-I antibody. On histopathological examination, it was found that the distribution of fibrosis varied in the portal, interlobular, and bridging fibrosis areas. Immunohistochemical examination showed an immunoreactive reaction using rabbit anti-collagen I in the portal area with strong and weak intensity in the interlobular area and in bridging fibrosis. Fibrosis and accumulation of collagen I in Bali cattle infected with F. gigantica at the traditional abattoir of Badung district, Bali Indonesia was found in the portal, interlobular, and bridging fibrosis areas.

Copper and Zinc Levels in the Liver Tissue of Healthy Cattle Affected by Fasciola hepatica in a Slaughterhouse

Fasciolosis is considered the most important liver disease in animals, the most notorious damages are caused by death, it causes a reduction in the production of meat, wool and milk, seizure of affected organs, secondary infections by bacteria, interference with fertility and expenses derived from its treatment. The objective of this research was to determine the relationship of Cu and Zn levels in the liver with the affectation by Fasciola hepatica in slaughterhouse cattle. Determinations of Cu, Zn, ash and dry matter were carried out using the atomic absorption spectrophotometry technique in healthy liver tissue affected by fasciolosis in 40 cattle slaughtered in the slaughterhouse. The association between possible risk factors for hepatic Cu and Zn values below the critical limit and the event of livers affected by F. hepatica was carried out in a retrospective case-control observational study. The levels of Cu and Zn in healthy livers affected by F. hepatica in cattle slaughtered in the municipal slaughterhouse of Sagua la Grande, Villa Clara, Cuba are deficient and show low reserves of these microelements with values below the critical value. No association was found between Cu and Zn levels in liver tissue with liver involvement by F. hepatica in slaughterhouse cattle, although it was observed that slaughtered cattle with hepatic Zinc values lower than the critical limit are affected approximately two times more due to fasciolosis than bovines with normal hepatic zinc values.

Monitoring of heavy metals in fodder and animal husbandry products of the Polissia zone of Ukraine

With a significant concentration of pollutants in the environment, they accumulate in plants, the feeding of which will lead to the transfer of toxic elements to the animal’s body. Even a small concentration of heavy metals or radionuclides adversely affects both the animal and human bodies. Therefore, the monitoring of Pb and Cd in feed, milk, and meat during their production in the territory of the Polissia zone of Ukraine is relevant and requires further comprehensive study. The purpose of this study was to investigate the content of heavy metals in feed and slaughter products of animals raised in the Polissia zone with various levels of radioactive contamination. The research was carried out on young pigs and steers, which were put to fattening. The paper used the atomic absorption method for determining the content of toxicants in samples and the method of variation statistics for processing the results of the study. The results of studies of the content of Pb and Cd in the samples indicate the presence of substantial fluctuations in heavy metals within individual farms. As the level of 137Cs soil contamination increases, the concentration of toxicants in feed, milk, and the longest back muscle of the animals under study increases. Exceeding of the maximum permissible concentration of Pb in milk (33.8 %) and Cd (41.2 %) was established. The concentration of Cd exceeded the established level in 72.2% of the examined samples of the longest back muscle of cattle and 80.0% of the samples of the longest back muscle of pigs. The Cd content in all feed samples under study was considerably higher than the established norm. The greatest excess of the toxicant was found in samples of hay, straw (41.9 %), cake and meal (60 %). Thus, indicators of the quality of feed and livestock products produced in the farms of the Polissia zone of Zhytomyr Oblast, affected by the accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, indicate that the concentration of Pb and Cd in the milk of dairy cows, muscle tissue of young cattle and pigs in most of the analysed sample exceeds sanitary and hygienic requirements. Therefore, to obtain milk and meat within the limits of current regulatory requirements, reducing the accumulation of heavy metals in feed for feeding animals and poultry stays a topical issue.

Circular RNA Expression and Regulation Profiling in Testicular Tissues of Immature and Mature Wandong Cattle (Bos taurus).

Wandong cattle are an autochthonous Chinese breed used extensively for beef production. The breed tolerates extreme weather conditions and raw feed and is resistant to tick-borne diseases. However, the genetic basis of testis development and sperm production as well as breeding management is not well established in local cattle. Therefore, improving the reproductive efficiency of bulls via genetic selection is crucial as a single bull can breed thousands of cows through artificial insemination (AI). Testis development and spermatogenesis are regulated by hundreds of genes and transcriptomes. However, circular RNAs (circRNAs) are the key players in many biological developmental processes that have not been methodically described and compared between immature and mature stages in Bovine testes. In this study, we performed total RNA-seq and comprehensively analyzed the circRNA expression profiling of the testis samples of six bulls at 3 years and 3 months of developmental age. In total, 17,013 circRNAs were identified, of which 681 circRNAs (p-adjust < 0.05) were differentially expressed (DE). Among these DE circRNAs, 579 were upregulated and 103 were downregulated in calf and bull testes. The Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses revealed that the identified target genes were classified into three broad functional categories, including biological process, cellular component, and molecular function, and were enriched in the lysine degradation, cell cycle, and cell adhesion molecule pathways. The binding interactions between DE circRNAs and microRNAs (miRNAs) were subsequently constructed using bioinformatics approaches. The source genes ATM, CCNA1, GSK3B, KMT2C, KMT2E, NSD2, SUCLG2, QKI, HOMER1, and SNAP91 were found to be actively associated with bull sexual maturity and spermatogenesis. In addition, a real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) analysis showed a strong correlation with the sequencing data. Moreover, the developed model of Bovine testes in the current study provides a suitable framework for understanding the mechanism of circRNAs in the development of testes and spermatogenesis.

Half-lives of several polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in cattle serum and tissues

ABSTRACT Cattle that were at steady-state serum polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) concentrations due to several years of exposure to water contaminated by residues of Aqueous Film-Forming (AFFF) firefighting foam had perfluorooctane sulphonate (PFOS) isomers, perfluoroheptane sulphonate (PFHpS), perfluorohexane sulphonate (PFHxS), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) and perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA) in serum. Elimination serum half-lives were determined in five heifers from serial blood sampling over 215 days. Eleven additional animals that had blood sampled on day 19 (d19) were euthanised on d63. PFAS half-life estimates from the serial blood sampling and from d19/d63 data were not significantly different. The combined (n = 16) serum half-lives (in days) were: total PFOS (tPFOS, 74.1 ± 13.4), PFHpS (45.7 ± 9.4), PFHxS (9.3 ± 1.3), PFNA (12.3 ± 3.2) and PFDA (60.4 ± 10.4). The half-lives of linear PFOS (L-PFOS, 69.4 ± 11.6) and mono branched PFOS isomers (m-PFOS, 83.6 ± 19) were not significantly different from tPFOS, but for the di-branched isomers (di-PFOS), the serum half-life was significantly lower (29.9 ± 5.8). Animal age (1.4–12.3 years old) and serum concentration at the start of depuration did not influence half-lives, and there was no difference between steers and heifers. Consideration of serum and tissue PFAS concentrations at d63 and d215 indicated there was no difference in tPFOS depuration from serum or muscle, but elimination from liver and kidney may be slightly longer. Depuration of PFHpS is essentially the same in serum, kidney and liver, and it is expected depletion from muscle would be comparable. The short half-life of di-PFOS, PFHxS and PFNA did not allow an assessment of clearance from tissues because they were not measurable at d215 but based on the results for PFOS and PFHpS, elimination of PFHxS from tissues is expected to mirror that from serum. Human health risk assessment implications are discussed.

Comprehensive Analysis of miRNAs and Target mRNAs between Immature and Mature Testis Tissue in Chinese Red Steppes Cattle.

Simple SummaryMicroRNAs are small molecules that can regulate the relative abundance of their target genes by binding to the 3′ untranslated region of the target genes at the post-transcriptional level to affect various biological processes, such as biosynthesis, fat metabolism and proliferation, apoptosis, and cell differentiation. Fertility is one of the most important economic traits in livestock production. Bulls require the continuous production of high-quality spermatozoa in abundance. The quality of semen is an exceptionally important factor affecting the fertilization rate of the dairy cow and is also associated with the increasing conception rate in the process of artificial insemination. Therefore, accurately predicting fertility potential for a semen sample from donor bull for artificial insemination is crucial for consistently high reproductive efficiency. The present study performed a genome-wide sequencing analysis of microRNAs and mRNAs between immature and mature testes of Chinese Red Steppes. These results provide novel candidate microRNAs and functional genes related to bull reproduction traits and the networks between microRNAs and target genes, which will provide a useful genetic mechanism and epigenetic information for marker-assisted selection of bulls with excellent sperm quality in the future.This study aims to screen potential regulators and regulate fecundity networks between microRNAs (miRNAs) and target genes. The bovine testes of immature and mature Chinese Red Steppes were performed by genome-wide analysis of mRNAs and miRNAs. Compared with testicular tissues of newborns, 6051 upregulated genes and 7104 downregulated genes in adult cattle were identified as differentially expressed genes (DEGs). The DEGs were significantly enriched in 808 GO terms (p < 0.05) including male gonad development, male genitalia development, spermatogenesis, and sperm motility. Moreover, DEGs were also significantly enriched in 105 KEGG pathways (p < 0.05), including cGMP-PKG signaling pathway and calcium signaling pathway. To explore the expression of miRNA-regulated gene expression, 896 differentially expressed target genes negatively regulated with the expression levels of 31 differentially expressed miRNAs (DERs) were predicted and analyzed, and a network-integrated analysis was constructed. Furthermore, real-time PCR was performed to verify the expression levels of DEGs and DERs. Our results identified novel candidate DEGs and DERs correlated with male reproduction and intricate regulating networks between miRNAs and genes, which will be valuable for future genetic and epigenetic studies of sperm development and maturity, as well as providing valuable insights into the molecular mechanisms of male fertility and spermatogenesis in cattle.

Selection of candidate genes for differences in fat metabolism between cattle subcutaneous and perirenal adipose tissue based on RNA-seq

The site of fat deposition plays an important role in meat quality and body health. Biologically, the perirenal visceral fat (PF) and back subcutaneous fat (BF) are distinct. Angus and Simmental cattle (Bos taurus) were used as models. HE staining, triglyceride assay kit and RNA-seq were used to analyze the differences in tissue morphology and lipid accumulation, co-genes, and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the two tissues. According to the findings, BF has a smaller cell area and greater lipid deposition ability than PF. RNA-seq generated approximately 10.99 Gb of data in each library, and 23,472 genes were identified. The genes FABP4, ADIRF, and SCD that are related to adipose deposition were highly expressed in four tissues. There were 1678 DEGs and 1955 DEGs between BF and PF in Angus and Simmental cattle respectively. Gene Ontology function analysis identified several DEGs involved in metabolism. KEGG pathway analysis showed that four pathways related to fat metabolism were enriched. In the BF, seven genes (COL1A1, COL1A2, COL3A1, COL2A1, RXRA, C1QTNF7, and MOGAT2) were up-regulated. Five genes (ADRB3, ABHD5, CPT1B, CD36, LPIN1) were down-regulated. This study identified candidate genes that led to differences in fat metabolism, which could be useful in cattle breeding.

PSXV-30 Late-Breaking: Oxidative stress biomarkers in blood plasma and pre-rigor tissues of beef cattle induced by hydrogen peroxide

Abstract This study examined the oxidative stress biomarkers in blood plasma and pre-rigor tissues of beef heifers induced by hydrogen peroxide. Cattle (365 ± 38 kg; n = 18) were supplemented with ground corn and soybean hulls while grazing cool and warm-season pastures, then shipped and finished at a commercial feedlot in Iowa. Animals were blocked into three groups based on initial clusters of oxidative stress markers. Two treatments of either 20 mg hydrogen peroxide/kg BW (OX, n = 9) or 10 mL of saline (CON, n = 9) were equally and randomly assigned to animals within each group. On the day before slaughter, the OX and CON treatments were administered intravenously through the jugular vein. Blood samples were collected immediately before (T0) and 90 min after (T90) treatment and centrifuged into plasma and pre-rigor muscles were collected at the neck (splenius) during slaughter; both were frozen in liquid nitrogen and stored at -80ºC. Blood plasma and muscle tissues were analyzed for total antioxidant capacity (TAC), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), and glutathione peroxidase activity (GPx). Muscle tissues were also analyzed for glutathione (GSH). The data were analyzed as a randomized complete block design with repeated measures with treatment, time, and their interaction as fixed effects. Oxidative stress treatment did not affect TAC and TBARS values (P ≥ 0.137). However, T0 plasma had 0.47 mM less (P = 0.009) and 5.84 μM more (P &amp;lt; 0.001) of TAC and TBARS, respectively, than T90 plasma. Although CON had 27.73 nmol/min/mL more GPx at T0 (P = 0.039), such activity did not differ in both groups at T90 (P = 0.542). Treatment did not affect oxidative stress markers in pre-rigor tissues (P ≥ 0.184). Inducing oxidative stress by hydrogen peroxide had minimal effects on biomarkers in blood and muscle tissues.

20 Profiling circRNA and lncRNA Expression in Key Bovine Metabolic Tissues

Abstract CircRNAs and lncRNAs are non-coding RNAs that regulate many biological processes at the cellular level. However, knowledge of their function and expression patterns in cattle remains scarce. We investigated circRNA and lncRNA expression profiles in four key metabolic tissues of beef cattle (rumen, liver, muscle, and subcutaneous adipose) using RNA-Seq. Bioinformatic analysis of 189 samples collected from 48 cattle identified 19,766 circRNAs and 10,615 lncRNAs across all four tissues. PCA revealed the expression profiles of both circ- and lncRNA were clearly separated by tissue, suggesting their expression patterns are tissue dependent. Moreover, both datasets contained large numbers of transcripts that were unique to each tissue, underlining the divergence in function across metabolic sites. Further functional analysis of tissue specific circRNAs using the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) showed that lysine degradation, peroxisome, insulin resistance, and ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis unique to the rumen, liver, muscle, and adipose tissues, respectively. The same analysis of the lncRNAs revealed that purine metabolism, fatty acid degradation, cAMP signaling pathway, and AGE-RAGE signaling pathway in diabetic complications were uniquely enriched in the rumen, liver, muscle, and subcutaneous adipose tissues, respectively. Together, these results revealed tissue specific metabolic pathways that may be regulated by the multiple non-coding RNAs. More specifically, circDLG1 and lncMSTRG.12092.8 were predicted to regulate the expression of Lymphocyte Antigen 6 Family Member G5B (LY6G5B) and pyruvate kinase M1/2 (PKM), Adenylate Kinase 1 (AK1), and Mitofusin 2 (MFN2), respectively, indicating regulatory roles in host immune response, glycolysis, energy balance control, and mitochondrial fusion, all of which may contribute to regulation of energy metabolism. Our findings show that expression profiles of circRNAs and lncRNAs differ among metabolic tissues, and these transcripts may play crucial roles in regulating metabolism in cattle.

Chromatin accessibility and regulatory vocabulary across indicine cattle tissues

BackgroundSpatiotemporal changes in the chromatin accessibility landscape are essential to cell differentiation, development, health, and disease. The quest of identifying regulatory elements in open chromatin regions across different tissues and developmental stages is led by large international collaborative efforts mostly focusing on model organisms, such as ENCODE. Recently, the Functional Annotation of Animal Genomes (FAANG) has been established to unravel the regulatory elements in non-model organisms, including cattle. Now, we can transition from prediction to validation by experimentally identifying the regulatory elements in tropical indicine cattle. The identification of regulatory elements, their annotation and comparison with the taurine counterpart, holds high promise to link regulatory regions to adaptability traits and improve animal productivity and welfare.ResultsWe generate open chromatin profiles for liver, muscle, and hypothalamus of indicine cattle through ATAC-seq. Using robust methods for motif discovery, motif enrichment and transcription factor binding sites, we identify potential master regulators of the epigenomic profile in these three tissues, namely HNF4, MEF2, and SOX factors, respectively. Integration with transcriptomic data allows us to confirm some of their target genes. Finally, by comparing our results with Bos taurus data we identify potential indicine-specific open chromatin regions and overlaps with indicine selective sweeps.ConclusionsOur findings provide insights into the identification and analysis of regulatory elements in non-model organisms, the evolution of regulatory elements within two cattle subspecies as well as having an immediate impact on the animal genetics community in particular for a relevant productive species such as tropical cattle.

Cloning of oligopeptide transport carrier PepT2 and comparative analysis of PepT2 expression in response to dietary nitrogen levels in yak and cattle

The objectives of this study were clone oligopeptide transport carrier PepT2 and compare its abundance in kidney tissues of yak and cattle in response to different dietary nitrogen levels. Four adult female yaks were enrolled as donor animals for profiling the molecular characteristics and expression specificity of yak PepT2 (yPepT2), and twenty-four castrated males of each of two genotypes, yak (Bos grunniens) and indigenous cattle (Bos taurus) were used to explore PepT2 mRNA expression in kidney tissue in different nitrogen (N) levels (10.3, 19.5, 28.5 or 37.6 g N/kg dry matter; DM). Our results showed that the yPepT2 coding sequence region contains 2190 bp, and encodes a putative protein of 729 amino acids (AA) residues. The yPepT2 AA sequence identified eight putative extracellular N-glycosylation sites (Asn7, Asn80, Asn373, Asn435, Asn472, Asn508, Asn528, Asn587) and eight intracellular putative protein kinase C sites (Ser34, Ser264, Ser274, Ser376, Ser442, Ser586, Ser640, Ser724). The yPepT2 AA sequence was 98 and 94% identical to PepT2 from zebu cattle (Bos indicus) and sheep (Ovis aries), respectively. The relative PepT2 expression in kidney tissue for yak was greater than of indigenous cattle in the10.3 and 28.5 N/kg DM diet, but it was lower for yaks in 37.6 N/kg DM diet. These implied that relative PepT2 mRNA expression was higher in yak kidney than that in indigenous cattle at lower dietary N supplies, but more research on PepT2 will be required to determine the renal regulatory mechanisms.

Characterization of microRNA expression in B cells derived from Japanese black cattle naturally infected with bovine leukemia virus by deep sequencing.

Bovine leukemia virus (BLV) is the causative agent of enzootic bovine leukosis (EBL), a malignant B cell lymphoma. However, the mechanisms of BLV-associated lymphomagenesis remain poorly understood. Here, after deep sequencing, we performed comparative analyses of B cell microRNAs (miRNAs) in cattle infected with BLV and those without BLV. In BLV-infected cattle, BLV-derived miRNAs (blv-miRNAs) accounted for 38% of all miRNAs in B cells. Four of these blv-miRNAs (blv-miR-B1-5p, blv-miR-B2-5p, blv-miR-B4-3p, and blv-miR-B5-5p) had highly significant positive correlations with BLV proviral load (PVL). The read counts of 90 host-derived miRNAs (bta-miRNAs) were significantly down-regulated in BLV-infected cattle compared to those in uninfected cattle. Only bta-miR-375 had a positive correlation with PVL in BLV-infected cattle and was highly expressed in the B cell lymphoma tissue of EBL cattle. There were a few bta-miRNAs that correlated with BLV tax/rex gene expression; however, BLV AS1 expression had a significant negative correlation with many of the down-regulated bta-miRNAs that are important for tumor development and/or tumor suppression. These results suggest that BLV promotes lymphomagenesis via AS1 and blv-miRNAs, rather than tax/rex, by down-regulating the expression of bta-miRNAs that have a tumor-suppressing function, and this downregulation is linked to increased PVL.

Effects of dietary tallow containing trace amounts of ractopamine on beef cattle performance and tissue residue levels and the effect of withdrawal time on ractopamine residues in the gastrointestinal-tract digesta

The objectives of these experiments were to evaluate (1) if inclusion of inedible tallow containing ractopamine (RAC) in the cattle diet influences feedlot performance, carcass characteristics, and results in detectable RAC in tissues and (2) the effect of withdrawal time on RAC residues in the gastrointestinal-tract digesta of cattle. In Exp. 1, beef steers (n = 28) were assigned to dietary treatments formulated with feed tallow ranging from 100% inedible tallow to 100% technical tallow. After 91 d, steers were transported to a commercial abattoir and slaughtered, and tissues were collected for RAC analysis. In Exp. 2, steers fitted with ruminal and duodenal cannulas were assigned to the control group (no RAC) or a group in which RAC was supplemented at 400 mg of RAC∙animal −1 ∙d −1 for 28 d. On d 29, RAC supplementation was withdrawn. Daily ruminal, duodenal, and fecal samples were obtained for RAC analysis beginning 3 d before RAC withdrawal and continuing to d 13 after withdrawal. No treatment effects of dietary inedible tallow inclusion was observed for final BW ( P < 0.67), ADG ( P < 0.70), DMI ( P < 0.26), feed efficiency (G:F; P < 0.48), hot carcass weight ( P < 0.26), DP ( P < 0.24), or YG ( P < 0.32). However, RAC was detected in abomasum and fat tissues. By the end of the 10-d withdrawal period, RAC concentrations in all samples from treated steers were numerically similar to controls, and RAC was detectable in all samples, including controls, at all time points measured. The results indicate that RAC residue in feed tallow does not affect animal performance or carcass characteristics. Detectable RAC in sampled tissues and gastrointestinal digesta suggests a need for further investigation of RAC residues to maintain compliance for exported beef products.

Cadmium concentration in cattle tissues in the Czech Republic

The aim of this paper was to evaluate the cadmium concentrations in the muscles, liver, and kidney of three age categories (≤ 8 months; ≤ 2 years; ≥ 2 years) of cattle during the period of years 2014–2019 and to determine the age limit at which the concentration of cadmium in an organ with the highest accumulation increases health risk for consumers. In cattle above two years of age, there was a higher average cadmium concentration in the liver (0.10 mg/kg) and kidney (0.62 mg/kg), when compared with cadmium concentration in the liver (0.06 mg/kg) and kidney (0.24 mg/kg) of cattle under two years of age. A paired correlation coefficient r = 0.825 8 (P &amp;lt; 0.006) and Spearman’s coefficient ρ = 0.92 (P &amp;lt; 0.000 1) were calculated for the dependence of the cadmium concentration on the age. The correlation analysis statistically demonstrated a significant positive correlation between the concentration of cadmium in the kidney and the age of the cattle. A non-significant difference between the maximum limit and the average concentration of the cadmium in the kidney of the cattle from the age of 6 years (P = 0.029) was demonstrated using the t-test. The cadmium concentration in the muscles was low and was not significantly affected by the cattle’s age.

Synthesis, characterization and application of gelatine and dithiocarbamylated chitin

Introduction: Gelatin or gelatine is a translucent, colorless, flavorless, and biodegradable material obtained from collagen present in animal body parts, such as skin, bones, and connective tissues of animals, e.g., domestic cattle, chicken, pigs, and fish. It is a mixture of peptides and proteins obtained by acid and alkaline processing of collagen and is commonly used as a gelling agent in food, pharmaceuticals, photographic films and papers, and cosmetics. Dithiocarbamates (DTC) are well known adsorbents (1-2). We reported preparation and characterization of dithiocarbamylated chitin (CHDTC) in a previous communication (3). CHDTC was found to possess good adsorption capacity, but recovery of adsorbent was not convenient. Therefore, it was envisaged to blend CHDTC with gelatine to not only enhance adsorption capacity but enable reuse of adsorbent also. Methods: Gelatine was blended with CHDTC and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) to prepare an asymmetric membrane (AMCG), which was characterized by FTIR spectral analysis, powder X-ray diffraction measurements and scanning electron microscopy. Results & Discussion: Adsorption of crystal violet dye from its aqueous solution in 5 to 30 mg/L concentration range by AMCG was investigated using ultraviolet spectrophotometric measurements. Adsorption isotherm study indicated that Langmuir equation fitted better than the Freundlich, Temkin and Dubinin-Radushkevich equations, indicating adsorption process mainly to be monolayer. Adsorption kinetics studies suggested pseudo second order kinetics. AMCG was found to be very efficient adsorbent and maximum adsorption capacity was found to be 500 mg/g for crystal violet. Adsorption was studied at pH 4, 7 and 9. Adsorption was most rapid at pH 9 and almost 95% of crystal violet was observed within 1 h. Further, four adsorption/desorption cycles were followed, which clearly indicated AMCG to be a potential adsorbent for recycling of water from industrial effluents. Conclusions: AMCG is a suitable adsorbent for recycling of wastewater especially from industrial effluents. It shows high adsorbent capacity and fast removal of crystal violet as a model pollutant. Monolayer adsorption process enables recycling of adsorbent and recovery of the valuable compounds/ materials from effluents. Keywords: Recycling of water, Gelatine, Dithiocarbamylated chitin, Dye adsorption. Acknowledgment: Authors are thankful to Central Instrumentation Facility Laboratory, Govt. Science College, Jabalpur for XRD and FTIR spectral analysis.

Redox Biomarker Baseline Levels in Cattle Tissues and Their Relationships with Meat Quality.

Cattle breeds or crossbreds with high productivity traits have been developed to meet a growing demand for food. When intensive farming practices are followed, animals face several challenges which can result in poor performance, compromised welfare and the reduced quality of their products. Our study aims to highlight the resting values of the physiological oxidative stress that three cattle breeds exhibit, and their potential relationship with meat quality. For this purpose, we determined the levels of five common redox biomarkers (glutathione (GSH), catalase (CAT), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), thiobarbituric reactive substances (TBARS) and protein carbonyls (CARBS)) in the tissues of three commonly used beef cattle breeds (Charolais (CHA), Limousin (LIM) and Simmental (SIM)) and their association with specific meat quality traits that depend on color, pH and texture. The results revealed that LIM cattle breed animals have elevated intrinsic antioxidant defense systems in comparison to CHA and SIM cattle breed animals. In addition, the meat quality parameters were associated with the redox biomarkers. We propose that the determination of specific antioxidant parameters in the blood might be used as potential biomarkers to predict meat quality. This would allow farmers to nutritionally intervene to improve the quality of their products.

Protective effect of myricetin on LPS-induced mastitis in mice through ERK1/2 and p38 protein author.

The inflammatory reaction of mammary gland tissue in dairy cattle leads to the occurrence of mastitis disease and causes huge economic loss. Myricetin (Myr), a flavonoid natural product, is extracted from the root, stem, and leaves of Myrica rubra. It has a wide range of biological activities, such as anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-tumor. The purpose of this experiment is to further explore the effect of Myr on mastitis and further explore its potential mechanism in LPS-induced mice mastitis model and LPS-induced mice mammary epithelial cells (mMECs). The results showed that Myr could significantly inhibit the expression of TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β in the mammary gland of mice. Furthermore, the results of mechanism studies show that Myr can significantly inhibit P38 and ERK1/2 protein phosphorylation levels in mice mammary tissue, and this result has been further verified at the cellular level. These results confirm that Myr can significantly inhibit mammary inflammation, and its potential mechanism is to play a protective role by inhibiting the phosphorylation level of P38 and ERK1/2 protein.

18 Relative expression of the neonatal crystallizable fragment receptor (FcRn) in equine tissues

The neonatal crystallizable fragment receptor (FcRn) is an important immune system receptor with several functions including bi-directional transport of immunoglobulin G across cell surfaces and involvement in antigen presentation. Research regarding the FcRn is robust in human medicine, but has lagged in livestock species. Although the FcRn has been characterized in several body tissues in cattle, sheep and pigs, there is only one published report regarding examination of the FcRn in intestine from a single horse in China. Therefore, the objective of this study was to identify relative FcRn mRNA expression in various equine body tissues. To meet the objective, tissues were collected from 2 horses (H1, H2) within 30 min of euthanasia. Collection sites were standardized for each location to minimize variation. Tissues included lung (4 locations), stomach (2 locations), small intestine (3 locations), cecum (3 locations), large colon (6 locations), and joints (2 locations). A minimum of 5 tissue samples (500 mg each) were collected from each location to obtain representative samples and preserved in RNAlater. Total RNA was extracted using the RNeasy Plus Universal Mini Kit (Qiagen). Reverse transcription to cDNA was performed with the High-Capacity cDNA Reverse Transcription kit (ThermoFisher Scientific). Pre-designed TaqMan probe sets for FcRn (Assay ID 07049868_g1) and 3 reference genes (ACTB, GADPH, HPRT1) were obtained from ThermoFisher Scientific. Relative quantification of mRNA expression of FcRn in each tissue was measured by qPCR using TaqMan Fast Advanced Master Mix (ThermoFisher Scientific) and calculated using the 2 −ΔΔCT method and normalized to the geometric mean of the 3 reference genes. Realtive quantity (RQ) of FcRn expression for tissues from the 2 horses was grouped qualitatively into high, moderate, and low designations. RQ of FcRn expression was highest in the joints (RQ range 2.37–3.98) and small intestine (RQ range 2.28–3.18) with individual variation present in the duodenum (H1 RQ 2.60; H2 RQ 0.82) and ileum (H1 RQ 1.08; H2 RQ 2.47). FcRn expression was moderate in tissues from the cecum (RQ range 1.02–1.75) and lung (RQ 1.42–2.32) with individual variation present in the distal cecum (H1 RQ 1.02; H2 RQ 0.67) and main bronchi tissue (H1 RQ 2.06; H2 RQ 0.47). Expression was lowest in the stomach (RQ range 0.24–1.12) and colon (RQ range 0.56–1.35). FcRn location within specific cell types was not determined and requires further examination. In summary, this novel qualitative study indicates FcRn expression in numerous equine tissues and provides base knowledge from which to expand future investigation.

Genetic potential for residual feed intake and diet fed during early- to mid-gestation influences post-natal DNA methylation of imprinted genes in muscle and liver tissues in beef cattle.

Discovery of epigenetic modifications associated with feed efficiency or other economically important traits would increase our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying these traits. In combination with known genetic markers, this would provide opportunity to improve genomic selection accuracy in cattle breeding programs. It would also allow cattle to be managed to improve favorable gene expression. The objective of this study was to identify variation in DNA methylation between beef cattle of differential pre-natal nutrition and divergent genetic potential for residual feed intake (RFI). Purebred Angus offspring with the genetic potential for either high (HRFI) or low (LRFI) RFI were prenatally exposed to either a restricted maternal diet of 0.5 kg/d average daily gain (ADG) or a moderate maternal diet of 0.7 kg/d ADG from 30 to 150 d of gestation. We performed DNA methylation analysis of differentially methylated regions (DMR) of imprinted genes (Insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF2) DMR2, IGF2/H19 imprinting control region (ICR) and IGF2 receptor (IGF2R) DMR2) using post-natal samples of longissimus dorsi (LD) muscle taken from male and female calves at birth and weaning, and of LD muscle, semimembranosus (SM) muscle, and liver samples collected from steers at slaughter (17 months of age). Interestingly, for all three DMR investigated in liver, LRFI steers had higher levels of methylation than HRFI steers. In LD muscle, IGF2/H19 ICR methylation differences for heifers at birth were due to pre-natal diet, while for steers at birth they were mostly the result of genetic potential for RFI with LRFI steers again having higher levels of methylation than HRFI steers. While results from repeated measures analysis of DNA methylation in steers grouped by RFI revealed few differences, in steers grouped by diet, we found higher methylation levels of IGF2 DMR2 and IGF2R DMR2 in LD muscle of restricted diet steers at weaning and slaughter than at birth, as well as increased methylation in LD muscle of restricted diet steers compared with moderate diet steers at weaning and/or slaughter. Our results suggest that differential pre-natal nutrition, and divergent genetic potential for RFI, induces tissue- and sex-specific alterations in post-natal IGF2 and IGF2R methylation patterns and that these patterns can vary with age in Angus beef cattle.