Canine fertility: The consequences of selection for special traits

Pedigree dogs and cats are bred aiming to conform breed standards with very poor consideration for breeding stock fertility. At the same time, the genetic asset underlining reproductive traits could be effectively analysed like in other species under selection. The definition of selection targets is very important in breeding protocols determination. The aim of the present work is to present an overview of the different correlations between reproduction and genetics, starting from selection procedure and inbreeding coefficient moving to genomic and the application of SNPs and GWAS on population study and identification of genes involved in phenotypical variation of reproductive traits in dogs. Particular relevance has been given to the concept of inbreeding which effects on canine reproduction have been presented. The use of genomic information in inbreeding coefficient calculation can be considered an improved effective procedure in the evaluation of the genetic variability loss in canine population and its negative effects on reproductive traits.     

玉米赤霉烯酮的生殖毒性研究进展

玉米赤霉烯酮是一种特殊毒性的生物毒素,它的强雌激素样作用对动物机体的伤害很大,不仅引起动物流产、死胎、低产仔率等生殖机能异常,还可以导致繁殖功能下降、不育、畸形等.已有研究表明,ZEA对肝脏、肾脏、生殖系统和免疫系统产生明显的损伤,对细胞和遗传性也有毒性作用.目前,虽然国内外学者做了大量的研究,来揭示玉米赤霉烯酮损害机体生殖功能的机制,但关于它影响机体的生殖性能更详尽的机制还亟待进一步的研究.文章主要针对玉米赤霉烯酮的生殖毒性进行了综述,总结出ZEA对生殖系统的毒性机制,从而为临床预防及治疗繁殖疾病提供理论依据.     

秦川牛血液蛋白多态性与繁殖性状关系的研究

采用聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳技术测定了秦川牛（148头）血红蛋白（Hb）、运铁蛋白（Tf）、后运铁蛋白（PTf）、血清白蛋白（Alb）和后白蛋白（Pa）的遗传多样性。分析了各多态座位不同基因型与秦川牛若干繁殖性状的关系。结果表明：HbAA型母牛的初情期年龄（AFS），初产年龄（AFC）极显著早于HbAB型母牛（P〈0．01）。TfAA型母牛的初情期和初产年龄显著早于TfDD型母牛（P〈0．05）。PTf SS型母牛的初情期显著早于PTf FS型母牛和PTf FF型母牛（P〈0．05）。Alb AA型母牛的初情期显著早于Alb AC型母牛（P〈0．05）。Tf A基因对D基因的替代平均效应值初情期提前1．68d，初产年龄提前19．89d。AlbA基因对B基因的替代平均效应值初情期提前8．06d。     

大白猪繁殖性状遗传参数估计及影响因素的效应分析

本研究对7 945窝大白母猪妊娠周期、总产仔数、产活仔数、健仔数、弱仔数、畸形数、死仔数、木乃伊及死胎数9个繁殖性状进行了最小二乘分析,分析了胎次、配种季节及妊娠周期分类对母猪繁殖性能的影响;并利用动物模型REML(约束最大似然)方法估计动物繁殖性状的遗传力及性状之间的遗传相关.结果表明,胎次对畸形数(P=0.2619)和木乃伊(P=0.4639)影响不显著(P >0.05),对其他7个繁殖性状影响极显著(P <0.01);配种季节对妊娠周期、产活仔数、弱仔数、木乃伊、死仔数及健仔数影响极显著(P <0.01),对畸形数(P=0.3993)影响不显著(P> 0.05),对总产仔数和死胎数影响显著(P <0.05).妊娠周期对木乃伊影响显著(P <0.05),对其他7个性状影响极显著(P <0.01).妊娠周期遗传力最高,为0.34,其他繁殖性状遗传力都低于0.2,为低遗传力性状.总产仔数与妊娠周期之间存在负遗传相关(r_g=-0.10),与产活仔数及健仔数之间存在较强的正遗传相关,遗传相关都超过0.80.妊娠周期与其他繁殖性状之间的遗传相关较小,最高的为妊娠周期与畸形数之间的遗传相关为-0.17.由此得出结论,妊娠周期属于中等遗传力性状,妊娠周期不仅受到胎次、季节等环境因素的影响,而且也受总产仔数等繁殖性状的影响,妊娠周期可作为养猪生产的间接指标.     

The complex relationship between welfare and reproduction in cattle

Using reproduction parameters as indicators for cattle welfare has limitations and, at best, these parameters should only be viewed as indirect indicators of welfare. On a farm level, measures such as fertility rates emphasize biological performance of the herd but fail to consider the welfare of individual animals. Even on an individual level, the relationship between reproductive effectiveness and animal welfare is complex. Good reproductive performance does not automatically signify good welfare, as domestication and targeted breeding programmes have led to prioritization of high productive and reproductive performance in most modern farm animal species. In this review, we synthesize literature regarding cattle husbandry, reproduction, welfare and their multidimensional relationships. We argue that practices such as artificial insemination or the use of sexed semen may provide potential welfare advantages as these practices reduce the risk of disease transmission and injury or enable selection of specific beneficial traits. Furthermore, they may offer a solution to current practices jeopardizing welfare, such as the management of surplus bull calves in the dairy industry. Conversely, the animals’ ability to perform natural behaviours such as oestrous expression, an aspect arguably contributing to welfare, is often limited on commercial farms; this limitation is particularly evident in housing systems such as tie stalls where movement is restricted. Moreover, common management practices such as oestrus manipulation may lead to negative attitudes in citizens who often regard naturalness as important element of animal welfare.     

热应激影响动物生殖的表观遗传学机制研究进展

随着全球温室效应剧增,夏季高温作为一种热应激源对动物生殖产生越来越大的影响,对世界各国的畜牧生产带来严重损失,因此,亟需对热应激影响动物生殖的机制进行深入研究。同时,越来越多的报道指出,在动物生殖的诸多生理过程中,表观遗传机制起到广泛而又重要的作用。基于此,文章总结了近期国内外热应激影响动物生殖的表观机制的研究进展,以便为解决实际生产中的问题提供理论支持。     

Age-related declines in ejaculate quality and sperm kinematics vary among strains of Japanese Quail (Coturnix japonica)

For successful breeding programs, it is important to quantify the useful period of a male's reproductive life and it is often done simply by measurement of semen quality. This information is lacking for Japanese quail so we tested whether there is a decline in ejaculate quality and sperm kinematics with age, and whether the decline varies among strains. Nine males (n = 9) from each of 5 strains (A, B, C, D and E) were subjected to 4 semen collections (n = 16 per male) at 8, 16, 26 and 36 weeks of age. Ejaculate volume, sperm concentration and total sperm per ejaculate were measured, and sperm kinematics were analysed using a Sperm Class Analyser (SCA^®). There was a significant effect of age for ejaculate volume, total sperm per ejaculate and per cent medium sperm. The effect of the interaction between age and strain was significant for percent progressive motile sperm, percent rapid sperm, velocity curvilinear, velocity straight line, velocity average path, linearity, straightness and beat cross frequency. Ejaculate volume peaked at Week 26 in all strains, while peak values for sperm concentration and total sperm per ejaculate were observed at Week 16 for most strains. There were declines in percent motile sperm, progressive motile sperm and rapid sperm, and in velocity curvilinear velocity, velocity straight line and velocity average path, by Week 16 for most strains. Linearity declined by Week 26 in some strains, and all strains showed a significant decline in beat cross frequency by that age. In conclusion, the ability of CASA to detect age-related changes in sperm kinematics makes it a valuable tool for identifying the best males and thus improving quail flock fertility. It is essential that breeders understand that age affects both sperm production and sperm kinematics, and that the changes vary with strain.