Utilization of digital differential display to identify differentially expressed genes related to rumen development

This study aimed to identify the genes associated with the development of the rumen epithelium by screening for candidate genes by digital differential display (DDD) in silico. Using DDD in NCBI's UniGene database, expressed sequence tag (EST)‐based gene expression profiles were analyzed in rumen, reticulum, omasum, abomasum and other tissues in cattle. One hundred and ten candidate genes with high expression in the rumen were derived from a library of all tissues. The expression levels of 11 genes in all candidate genes were analyzed in the rumen, reticulum, omasum and abomasum of nine Japanese Black male calves (5‐week‐old pre‐weaning: n = 3; 15‐week‐old weaned calves: n = 6). Among the 11 genes, only 3‐hydroxy‐3‐methylglutaryl‐CoA synthase 2 (HMGCS2), aldo‐keto reductase family 1, member C1‐like (AKR1C1), and fatty acid binding protein 3 (FABP3) showed significant changes in the levels of gene expression in the rumen between the pre‐ and post‐weaning of calves. These results indicate that DDD analysis in silico can be useful for screening candidate genes related to rumen development, and that the changes in expression levels of three genes in the rumen may have been caused by weaning, aging or both. © 2015 Japanese Society of Animal Science     

The effect of lactic acid bacterial starter culture and chemical additives on wilted rice straw silage

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are suitable for rice straw silage fermentation, but have been studied rarely, and rice straw as raw material for ensiling is difficult because of its disadvantages, such as low nutrition for microbial activities and low abundances of natural populations of LAB. So we investigated the effect of application of LAB and chemical additives on the fermentation quality and microbial community of wilted rice straw silage. Treatment with chemical additives increased the concentrations of crude protein (CP), water soluble carbohydrate (WSC), acetic acid and lactic acid, reduced the concentrations of acid detergent fiber (ADF) and neutral detergent fiber (NDF), but did not effectively inhibit the growth of spoilage organisms. Inoculation with LABs did not improve the nutritional value of the silage because of poor growth of LABs in wilted rice straw. Inoculation with LAB and addition of chemical materials improved the quality of silage similar to the effects of addition of chemical materials alone. Growth of aerobic and facultatively anaerobic bacteria was inhibited by this mixed treatment and the LAB gradually dominated the microbial community. In summary, the fermentation quality of wilted rice straw silage had improved by addition of LAB and chemical materials.     

The effect of intravenous fresh frozen plasma administration on fibrinogen and albumin concentrations in sick neonatal foals

This study investigated the immediate (6 h or less) effects of fibrinogen and albumin contained in transfused equine origin fresh frozen plasma on those proteins when measured in sick neonatal foals. Fibrinogen and albumin concentrations were measured in the administered plasma and in 31 sick foals at admission to a referral neonatal intensive care unit. Additional samples were obtained from the foals at 2 and 6 h following transfusion. No changes in albumin concentration were recognised. The main determinant of fibrinogen concentration following transfusion was the concentration of fibrinogen in the foal at admission. Importantly, intravenous transfusion of equine fresh frozen plasma did not result in immediate (6 h or less) increases or decreases in the fibrinogen concentration in the recipient foals. Fibrinogen from the donor contained within transfused plasma will not directly affect fibrinogen concentrations measured at later times.     

Lack of haplotype structuring for two candidate genes for trypanotolerance in cattle

Bovine trypanotolerance is a heritable trait associated to the ability of the individuals to control parasitaemia and anaemia. The INHBA (BTA4) and TICAM1 (BTA7) genes are strong candidates for trypanotolerance‐related traits. The coding sequence of both genes (3951 bp in total) were analysed in a panel including 79 Asian, African and European cattle (Bos taurus and B. indicus) to identify naturally occurring polymorphisms on both genes. In general, the genetic diversity was low. Nineteen of the 33 mutations identified were found just one time. Seventeen different haplotypes were defined for the TICAM1 gene, and 9 and 12 were defined for the exon 1 and the exon 2 of the INHBA gene, respectively. There was no clear separation between cattle groups. The most frequent haplotypes identified in West African taurine samples were also identified in other cattle groups including Asian zebu and European cattle. Phylogenetic trees and principal component analysis confirmed that divergence among the cattle groups analysed was poor, particularly for the INHBA sequences. The European cattle subset had the lowest values of haplotype diversity for both the exon1 (monomorphic) and the exon2 (0.077 ± 0.066) of the INHBA gene. Neutrality tests, in general, did not suggest that the analysed genes were under positive selection. The assessed scenario would be consistent with the identification of recent mutations in evolutionary terms.     

Effects of dietary Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bacillus subtilis on laying performance,egg quality,blood biochemistry and immune response of organic laying hens

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of two different probiotic micro‐organisms on the performance, egg quality and blood parameters of organically reared hens. A total of 900 16‐week‐old Hy‐Line layer hybrids were randomly assigned to three groups of 300 birds each. The control (CTR) group was fed a corn–soya bean cake‐based diet; the L group was fed the same diet supplemented with 0.1% Lactobacillus acidophilus, while the B group was fed the same diet supplemented with 0.05% Bacillus subtilis. Data were recorded at the beginning (weeks 5 and 6: T1) and at the end (weeks 19 and 20: T2) of the experiment, and no differences in hen performance were recorded between dietary groups or sampling times. All of the investigated clinical chemistry parameters, except GGT, were affected by diet (p < 0.05), with the best results recorded for the probiotic‐treated groups. The immune‐response values showed higher blood bactericidal activity in the B and L groups at T2 (p < 0.05) and a lower lysozime concentration in the B group at T1. Higher antibody production against Newcastle disease virus was observed in the L group compared to the CTR (p = 0.013). No differences in oxidative status were recorded, and no effects of diet on egg quality were observed. Among the physical egg characteristics, only the Roche scale colour was affected by diet (p < 0.05): the egg yolk was paler in the L group. The age of the hen was the most relevant factor affecting physical egg characteristics. The chemical parameters of the egg were almost unaffected by supplementation with probiotics except for the lipid content, which decreased with the L diet (p < 0.05). Both probiotic inclusions had beneficial effects on hen metabolism and welfare, and L. acidophilus induced the best immune response.     

Effect of urea supplementation on performance and safety in diets of Dorper crossbred sheep

This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of dietary urea in sheep rations having a 50:50 concentrate:roughage ratio. Sixty‐four Dorper × thin‐tailed Han crossbred ram lambs with an average body weight of 30.8 (±0.02) kg were randomly divided into four groups of 16 sheep each, and each group was fed one of the following diets: a basal diet (CON), or CON supplemented with 0.5% (0.5UTM), 1.5% (1.5UTM) or 2.5% (2.5UTM) urea. Growth performance, carcass characteristics, non‐carcass offals, meat quality and peptic tissue lesions were assayed. The average daily weight gains for CON, 0.5UTM, 1.5UTM and 2.5UTM were 216, 218, 200 and 170 g, respectively, with the CON and 0.5UTM groups higher than 2.5UTM group (p < 0.05). Sheep from the 2.5UTM treatment had a significantly lower dry matter intake (1.29 kg/day) than those from the CON and 0.5UTM treatments (1.42 and 1.43 kg/day, p < 0.05), and the feed conversion ratio in the 2.5UTM group was the highest (p < 0.05). Carcass characteristics, including shrunk body weight, empty body weight, hot carcass weight, dress percentage, and the absolute or relative weight (% body weight) of heart, liver, spleen, lung and kidney, were not altered by the treatments (p > 0.05). The muscular pH of 2.5UTM was higher than that of CON (5.68 vs. 5.52, p < 0.05), and shear force in 0.5UTM was lower compared with CON and 2.5UTM (p < 0.05). The anatomical structure lesions in kidneys became more serious with the increasing dietary urea concentrations, with the 2.5UTM animals showing the most severe lesions compared with CON animals. Therefore, supplementary urea as a non‐protein nitrogen source for sheep should not exceed 1.5% of ration having a 50:50 concentrate:roughage ratio to ensure efficacy and safety.