Segregation of a major gene influencing ovulation in progeny of Lacaune meat sheep

Inheritance of the ovulation rate (OR) in the Lacaune meat breed was studied through records from a small nucleus of 36 hyper-prolific ewes screened on farms on the basis of their natural litter size, and from progeny data of three selected Lacaune sires. These sires were chosen at the AI centre according to their breeding values estimated for the mean and the variability of their daughters'' litter size. Non-carrier Lacaune dairy ewes were inseminated to produce 121 F1 daughters and 27 F1 sons. Twelve sons (four from each sire) were used in turn to inseminate non-carrier Lacaune dairy ewes providing 260 BC progeny ewes. F1 and BC progeny were brought from private farms and gathered after weaning on an experimental farm where ovulation rates were recorded in the first and second breeding seasons. With an average of 6.5 records each, the mean OR of hyper-prolific ewes was very high (5.34), and 38.4% of records showed a rate of 6 or more. F1 data showed high repeatability of OR (r = 0.54) within ewe, with significant variability among ewes. High OR (≥ 4) were observed in each family. A segregation analysis provided a significant likelihood ratio and classified the three founders as heterozygous. BC ewes also displayed high repeatability of OR (r = 0.47) and the mean OR varied considerably between families (from 1.24 to 1.78). Seven of the 12 BC families presented high-ovulating ewes (at least one record ≥ 4) and segregation analysis yielded a highly significant likelihood ratio as compared to an empirical test distribution. The high variability of the mean ovulation rate shown by a small group of daughters of BC ewes inseminated by putative carrier F1 rams, and the very high ovulation rate observed for some of these ewe lambs, confirmed the segregation of a major gene with two co-dominant alleles borne by an autosome. The difference between homozygous non-carriers and heterozygous ewes was about one ovulation on the observed scale and 2.2 standard deviations on the underlying scale.     

Paternal inheritance of mitochondrial DNA in the sheep (Ovine aries)

Paternal inheritance of mitochondria DNA in sheep was discovered by examination of 152 sheep from 38 hybrid families for mtDNA D-loop polymorphisms using PCR-RFLP, amplification of repeated sequence somain, and PCR-SSCP of the D-loop 5' end region of a 253 bp fragment. Our findings have provided the first evidence of paternal inheritance of mtDNA in sheep and possible mechanisms of paternal inheritance were discussed.     

绵羊粒细胞集落刺激因子原核表达与提纯及用于颗粒细胞培养的效果

文中旨在研究粒细胞集落刺激因子(Granule cell stimulating factor,GCSF)对绵羊颗粒细胞体外培养过程中细胞增殖和凋亡的影响,明确GCSF对绵羊颗粒细胞生存的调节作用,为今后该蛋白用于羊繁育方面的研究奠定基础。原核克隆表达纯化羊GCSF蛋白,纯化的蛋白用M-NSF60细胞检测生物学活性,将纯化的GCSF添加到颗粒细胞培养基中作为试验组,以培养基中未添加GCSF的细胞为对照,利用Alarmarblue检测细胞增殖情况,流式细胞仪检测细胞周期和凋亡的变化。结果表明,羊GCSF可以原核表达并纯化,并且具有生物学活性。在24 h和48 h时,在0.06–600 ng/mL的范围内随着加入GCSF的终浓度增加,细胞活力升高。试验组颗粒细胞体外培养24 h后,与阴性对照相比,细胞周期的分布显著改变,S期细胞比例显著减少(P0.05),G2/M期细胞比例显著增多(P0.05)。试验组凋亡率和对照组相比,48 h检测时凋亡率显著降低(P0.05)。综上表明,GCSF在体外培养的绵羊颗粒细胞中,可调控绵羊颗粒细胞周期,促进细胞增殖,抑制细胞凋亡。     

新疆塔什库尔干野生动物自然保护区马可波罗盘羊生境适宜性评价

马可波罗盘羊是帕米尔高原的代表性物种,开展生境适宜性评价对于该物种的保护与管理具有重要意义。综合考虑植被、地形等影响马可波罗盘羊生境选择的关键因子,以及道路和牧场等人为干扰因子,借助ArcGIS,构建生境适宜性指数模型,在不同尺度上评价分析马可波罗盘羊的生境适宜性及其季节变化特征。结果表明:15836 km~2保护区内马可波罗盘羊夏季潜在适宜生境面积为2127.19 km~2,冬季为1915.70 km~2。保护区西北部面积3767.73 km~2的马可波罗盘羊实际分布区内,夏季潜在适宜生境面积为1095.48 km~2,冬季为1072.82 km~2,马可波罗盘羊适宜生境集中分布于保护区内该物种实际分布区。受人为干扰,保护区内马可波罗盘羊夏季和冬季实际适宜生境丧失率分别为18.43%和17.78%,实际分布区内适宜生境丧失率分别为33.65%和29.73%,表明实际分布区马可波罗盘羊适宜生境受人类活动影响较大,应予以重点保护。总体而言,影响马可波罗盘羊生境适宜性的关键因素是国道314和放牧。基于上述研究结果,作者提出了4点关于马可波罗盘羊生境保护,以及保护区管理与规划的建议与思考。     

Twenty-four-hour rhythm patterns of plasma melatonin in short-day and long-day breeders maintained under natural environmental conditions

ABSTRACT

Photoperiodic treatments have been of practical interest in controlling seasonal reproduction in sheep, goats and horses. Melatonin is the principal mediator of the environmental photoperiodic message. To investigate the intra- and inter-subject variability of melatonin 24 h rhythm, ten female Italian Saddle horses (8–10 yrs old, mean body weight 525 ± 30 kg), ten female Sarda breed sheep (2–3 yrs old, mean body weight 40.5 ± 2.8 kg) and ten female Sarda breed goats (3–4 yrs old, mean body weight 38.9 ± 4.1 kg), housed individually in a 4 × 4 m soundproof box equipped with 50 × 100 cm opening windows, were subjected to a natural photoperiod of the vernal equinox (sunrise 06:00 h; sunset 18:00 h). Blood samples were collected from each animal, every 3 h over a 48 h period starting at 00:00 h of day 1 and ending at 00:00 h of day 3. Plasma melatonin concentrations were determined by direct radioimmunoassay (MelatoninDirect RIA, Labor Diagnostika Nord GmbH, Nordhorn, Germany). The application of single cosinor method substantiated a circadian rhythm of melatonin with a nocturnal peak in all studied species. The application of two-way ANOVA on the rhythmic parameters indicated statistically significant differences between the three species in all of the cosinor analysis-derived parameters of MESOR, amplitude, acrophase and robustness of rhythm. Analyses of intra- and inter-subject variability indicate that organization of the melatonin 24 h rhythm is characterized by great accuracy of control within and between the individuals of a breed. In conclusion, features of the 24 h rhythm of melatonin among species; however, the 24 h rhythmicity of melatonin each species showed high stability within the various subjects and within the same subject. These findings must be taken into consideration when applying photoperiod and melatonin treatments for breeding purposes.     

Adipose tissue-derived stem cells upon decellularized ovine small intestine submucosa for tissue regeneration: An optimization and comparison method

The extracellular matrix of different mammalian tissues is commonly used as scaffolds in the field of tissue engineering. One of these tissues, which has frequently been studied due to its structural and biological features, is the small intestine submucosal membrane. These research are mainly done on the porcine small intestine. However, a report has recently been published about a scaffold produced from the submucosal layer of the ovine small intestine. In the present study, ovine small intestine submucosal (OSIS) was decellularized in a modified manner and its histological, morphological, and biomechanical properties were studied. Decellularization was performed in two phases: physical and chemical. In this method, a chloroform-methanol mixture, enzymatic digestion, and a constant dose of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) was used in the least agitation time and its histological property and biocompatibility were evaluated in the presence of adipose tissue-derived stem cells (ADSCs); furthermore, ADSCs were isolated with a simple method (modified physical washing non-enzymatic isolation). The results were showed that the use of OSIS could be effective and operative. Mechanical properties, histological structure and shape, and glycosaminoglycan content were preserved. In the SDS-treated group, more than 90% of the native cells of tissue were deleted, and also in this group, no toxicity was observed and cell proliferation was supported, compared to the untreated group. Therefore, our results indicate that ADSCs seeded on OSIS scaffold could be used as a new approach in regenerative medicine as hybrid or hydrogel application.     

Environmental Influences on Dall's Sheep Survival

Understanding how species respond to environmental conditions can assist with conservation strategies and harvest management, especially in arctic and boreal regions that are experiencing rapid climate change. Although climatic influences on species distributions have been studied, broad-scale effects of climate on survival are less well known. We examined the interactive effects of meteorological and remotely sensed environmental variables on survival of Dall's sheep (Ovis dalli dalli) lambs and adults by synthesizing radio-telemetry data across their range. We used data from 9 studies of adult sheep and 2 studies of lambs that were conducted between 1997 and 2012 at sites spanning the species' range in Alaska, USA, and northwestern Canada. We obtained environmental variables throughout the range of Dall's sheep, including the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) from optical remote sensing, freeze-thaw frequency (FTF) from passive microwave remote sensing, and gridded climate variables such as snow water equivalent, temperature, and precipitation. We used Cox proportional hazard regression to investigate the effects of environmental variables recorded during summer, winter, and the previous winter on annual survival rates of Dall's sheep lambs and adults. Summer NDVI was the most influential environmental factor affecting lamb survival, with improved lamb survival occurring in years with a high maximum NDVI. Also, lamb predation by coyotes (Canis latrans) and golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) decreased substantially with increasing NDVI. The previous winter FTF had the strongest effect on adult survival, with decreased survival occurring after winters with high FTF. In addition, these remotely sensed environmental factors interacted with meteorological factors to affect survival, such that effects of winter temperature depended on summer NDVI and winter FTF. Warm winters increased lamb survival only when preceded by summers with high NDVI, and warm winters increased adult survival only when winter FTF was low. Thus, potential benefits of climate warming may be counteracted if wintertime freeze-thaw events markedly increase. Correlations among environmental variables across sites were low, and regional climate cycles such as the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) had weak effects, indicating substantial local variability in climatic conditions experienced by Dall's sheep across their range. These findings can help managers anticipate how Dall's sheep populations will respond to changes in local environmental conditions. Our results also highlight the utility of multiple remotely sensed environmental conditions for ungulate management, especially passive microwave products that provide valuable information on winter icing events. © 2020 The Wildlife Society.     

A novel lncRNA PLK4 up‐regulated by talazoparib represses hepatocellular carcinoma progression by promoting YAP‐mediated cell senescence

A growing number of studies recognize that long non‐coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are essential to mediate multiple tumorigenic processes, including hepatic tumorigenesis. However, the pathological mechanism of lncRNA‐regulated liver cancer cell growth remains poorly understood. In this study, we identified a novel function lncRNA, named polo‐like kinase 4 associated lncRNA (lncRNA PLK4, GenBank Accession No. RP11‐50D9.3), whose expression was dramatically down‐regulated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissues and cells. Interestingly, talazoparib, a novel and highly potent poly‐ADP‐ribose polymerase 1/2 (PARP1/2) inhibitor, could increase lncRNA PLK4 expression in HepG2 cells. Importantly, we showed that talazoparib‐induced lncRNA PLK4 could function as a tumour suppressor gene by Yes‐associated protein (YAP) inactivation and induction of cellular senescence to inhibit liver cancer cell viability and growth. In summary, our findings reveal the molecular mechanism of talazoparib‐induced anti‐tumor effect, and suggest a potential clinical use of talazoparib‐targeted lncRNA PLK4/YAP‐dependent cellular senescence for the treatment of HCC.