Effect of different dietary fibre sources on the zootechnical performance, feeding behaviour and intestinal physiology of growing and finishing pigs

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of different sources of fibre in the diets of fattening pigs on performance, feeding behaviour and intestinal physiology. A total of 60 barrows and gilts (initial body weight 28.4 ± 0.4 kg) were allotted to four dietary treatments: control (CON), lignocellulose (LC), mycelium (MYC) and corn gluten feed (CGF). Diets were calculated to provide balanced available nutrient contents. Including MYC in the diet resulted in an increased average daily gain (P < 0.05) compared to CON and CGF, and improved gain to feed ratio (P < 0.05) compared to LC. Pigs in CON (P < 0.05) ate the fewest but largest meals, whereas treatment CGF (P < 0.05) showed the opposite effect, resulting in the same daily feeder occupation time. Regarding intestinal physiology, in ileum, no differences were observed between the contents of short chain fatty acids (SCFA), lactic acid and biogenic amines. In the colon, MYC showed an increased concentration of acetic acid (P < 0.05) as well as the total content of SCFA (P < 0.05), compared to LC and CGF. Distinct fermentation profiles of ammonia were recorded in ileal and colonic digesta, although contents remained below harmful concentrations. Morphometrical measurements showed differences between the fibre sources LC and MYC, as well as LC and the CON in all investigated gut sections. These results provide evidence that the inclusion of specific dietary fibre sources/contents can positively influence the gut morphology and performance of pigs. However, further studies are needed regarding the mode of action and physico-chemical characteristics of the different fibre sources as a precondition for their successful application in pig diets.

Study on the temperament of cows of the Aberdeen Angus cattle breed

The present study examined the temperament of 699 cows of the Aberdeen Angus cattle breed, reared in 14 farms in Bulgaria. It was carried out within the period 2017–2020. The animals subject to the study were between two and eight years old. The temperament was visually evaluated following a scoring system from 1 to 5. The assessment method involved the behavioural reaction of the cows upon manipulation, passing through a chute and fixation into a cattle crush. The temperament of cows reared in two different systems – intensive and semi-intensive farming was compared. The temperament of the Aberdeen Angus cows had an average rate of 2.74 ± 0.04. The cows which had frequent contact with people had a calmer temperament. The manner of rearing (P < 0.001) as well as the age group (P < 0.001) had a significant influence on the parameter examined. The young animals were calmer and got accustomed to working in a crush more easily when they were reared together with cows of different ages.

Fleckscore system of exterior evaluation as a more accurate indirect predictor of longevity in Slovak Simmental dairy cows

The goal of the work was to discover the influence of conformation traits evaluated by the Fleckscore system on the length of productive life of Slovak Simmental dairy cows. Evaluation of body conformation traits according to the Fleckscore system was performed on 3 452 cows. The relationship of individual traits to longevity was analysed using the Weibull proportional hazard model. The results confirmed that smaller and longer cows, which were well muscular and with a deeper body, had a lower risk of early culling than cows in the reference group. Hock angularity, pastern and hoof height scored with low or high marks were associated with an early culling of cows. In terms of the length of productive life, a slightly more elastic pattern is required. Cows with a deeper udder and a stronger and tighter fore udder attachment, which were also average in notching and height central ligament and centrally placed teats, reached a longer productive life.

Effects of folic acid supplementation to basal diets of broilers on growth performance, slaughter performance, IGF2 gene expression and methylation

Folic acid (FA) is an important water-soluble vitamin and plays an important role as a cofactor and coenzyme in animal growth and development, and regulation of gene expression and methylation. A total of 270 female broiler chickens (1-day-old) were randomly allotted to three dietary treatments supplemented with 0 mg/kg (control group), 5 mg/kg, and 10 mg/kg FA in basal diets for 42 days, respectively. Each treatment had six replicate cages with 15 birds per cage. Dietary supplementation of 5 mg/kg FA significantly enhanced average body weight and average daily gain of 21-day-old broilers (P < 0.05), but significantly reduced subcutaneous fat thickness and widths of an intermuscular fat band of 42-day-old broilers by dietary FA treatments (P < 0.05). Also, a diet with 10 mg/kg FA supplementation significantly increased the relative heart weight of 42-day-old chickens (P < 0.05). Furthermore, dietary FA supplementation significantly improved the serum insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF2) concentrations (P < 0.01) and IGF2 mRNA expression in the abdominal fat (P < 0.05), but no statistical differences were found in the methylation of IGF2 promoter (P > 0.05). The present study demonstrated that dietary FA supplementation may have positive effects on chicken growth through increased IGF2 gene expression.

Copy number variation of amylase alpha 2B gene is associated with feed efficiency traits in Large White pigs--title not given--

Copy number variation (CNV) of the AMY gene in humans has been enthusiastically studied for its association with starch digestibility and obesity. The alpha-amylase (AMY) is a major starch digestive enzyme in mammals. This study aimed to determine the association between CNV of the porcine pancreatic amylase (AMY2B) gene and feed efficiency. Improvement of feed efficiency in growing pigs is of great economic interest. We assayed the copy number of AMY2B by using real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) in a Large White pig population. We identified three genotypes for AMY2B CNVs, namely I/I (homozygotes of haplotype I; a chromosome with one copy of AMY2B), I/II (heterozygotes of haplotype I and II; a chromosome with two copies) and II/II (homozygotes of haplotype II). We tested the genotypes of the parental generation consisting of six males, 21 females and 265 offspring piglets to validate the AMY2B CNV genotyping. With very few mistyping exceptions, copy numbers of AMY2B were transmitted to piglets in segregation ratios following Mendelian inheritance. Finally, we performed an association analysis between the CNV of the AMY2B gene and feed efficiency traits in 207 uncastrated male pigs. The generalised linear model analysis showed the significant effects of AMY2B CNV genotype on average daily feed intake, total feed intake and feed conversion ratio during growth from 30 kg to 100 kg body weight. However, it was not associated with average daily gain, backfat thickness and loin eye muscle area. Individuals with the genotype I/I had about 76.6 ± 27.1 g lower average daily feed intake, 5.35 ± 1.90 kg lower total feed intake and 0.089 8 ± 0.026 5 lower feed conversion ratio than individuals with I/II and II/II genotypes. Thus, AMY2B CNV has the potential to be an effective genetic marker that could reduce feed costs for pig farming.

Changes in milk ketone and fatty acid concentrations during early lactation in Holstein and Fleckvieh cows

The aim of this study was to compare the changes in milk composition postpartum, especially ketones and milk fatty acids (FAs), in Holstein and Fleckvieh cows kept under identical management conditions. Milk composite samples were collected from 66 cows during afternoon milking, at weekly intervals from one to eight weeks postpartum, and their components were determined by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The Holstein cows had higher (P < 0.05) concentrations of long-chain FAs (ranging from 6% to 16% in different weeks), monounsaturated FAs (6% to 12%), and C18:1 (5% to 16%), as well as lower (P < 0.05) concentrations of saturated FAs (3% to 8%) and short-chain FAs (7% to 17%) in their milk than the Fleckvieh cows for almost the entire monitored period. These differences can be explained by pronounced lipomobilization, due to a negative energy balance, when mainly long-chain FAs from adipose tissue are incorporated into milk and significantly inhibit the de novo synthesis of FAs in the mammary gland. In conclusion, it can be assumed that breed-related metabolic changes during the first weeks of lactation have a large effect on the milk FA composition. This reflection of the metabolic load changes and lipomobilization in differing milk FA profiles would allow for the use of selected milk FAs to detect energy imbalances and their associated diseases in early lactation cows.

Modelling the growth of rearing cattle

Scientific growth literature often uses the models of Brody, Gompertz, Verhulst, and von Bertalanffy. The versatile five-parameter Bertalanffy-Pütter (BP) model generalizes them. Using the least-squares method, we fitted the BP model to mass-at-age data of 161 calves, cows, bulls, and oxen of cattle breeds that are common in Austria and Southern Germany. We used three measures to assess the goodness of fit: R-squared, normalized root-mean squared error, and the Akaike information criterion together with a correction for sample size. Although the BP model improved the fit of the linear growth model considerably in terms of R-squared, the better fit did not, in general, justify the use of its additional parameters, because most of the data had a non-sigmoidal character. In terms of the Akaike criterion, we could identify only a small core of data (15%) where sigmoidal models were indispensable.

Molecular cloning, functional characterization, tissue expression and polymorphism analysis of buffalo PRDX6 gene

PRDX6 is a bifunctional protein involved in antioxidant regulation and phospholipid metabolism. Previous studies have shown that PRDX6 is involved in some biological pathways and networks related to lactation. The aim of this study was to explore the characteristics, function, tissue expression and variation of buffalo PRDX6 gene. We cloned and characterized the complete coding sequence (CDS) of buffalo PRDX6. The CDS of PRDX6 for swamp and river buffalo is the same, which consists of 675 nucleotides and encodes a protein of 224 amino acids. Buffalo PRDX6 contains one PRX_1cys functional domain (AA 7–222), which is probably related to the regulation of oxidative stress. Multi-tissue differential expression analysis showed that buffalo PRDX6 was highly expressed in the muscle, brain, lung and small intestine during non-lactation and lactation, and there were significant differences in expression in all the tissues except the small intestine between the two periods. It is worth noting that the mRNA abundance of buffalo PRDX6 in non-lactating mammary gland is higher than that in lactating mammary gland. Among the two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) identified in the CDS in this study, c.261C>T is shared by the two types of buffalo with different allelic frequencies, and c.426T>G is found only in river buffalo. The c.426T>G is non-synonymous, resulting in the amino acid substitution p.Asn142Lys. Only one nucleotide differential site is identified in PRDX6 gene between buffalo and other species of Bovidae. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that buffalo PRDX6 has a closer genetic relationship with that of the species in Bovidae. These results indicate that PRDX6 probably plays a crucial role in the mammary gland of buffalo. This study provides the foundation for further functional studies of PRDX6 in buffalo.

Molecular cloning, functional characterization, tissue expression and polymorphism analysis of buffalo PRDX6 gene

PRDX6 is a bifunctional protein involved in antioxidant regulation and phospholipid metabolism. Previous studies have shown that PRDX6 is involved in some biological pathways and networks related to lactation. The aim of this study was to explore the characteristics, function, tissue expression and variation of buffalo PRDX6 gene. We cloned and characterized the complete coding sequence (CDS) of buffalo PRDX6. The CDS of PRDX6 for swamp and river buffalo is the same, which consists of 675 nucleotides and encodes a protein of 224 amino acids. Buffalo PRDX6 contains one PRX_1cys functional domain (AA 7–222), which is probably related to the regulation of oxidative stress. Multi-tissue differential expression analysis showed that buffalo PRDX6 was highly expressed in the muscle, brain, lung and small intestine during non-lactation and lactation, and there were significant differences in expression in all the tissues except the small intestine between the two periods. It is worth noting that the mRNA abundance of buffalo PRDX6 in non-lactating mammary gland is higher than that in lactating mammary gland. Among the two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) identified in the CDS in this study, c.261C>T is shared by the two types of buffalo with different allelic frequencies, and c.426T>G is found only in river buffalo. The c.426T>G is non-synonymous, resulting in the amino acid substitution p.Asn142Lys. Only one nucleotide differential site is identified in PRDX6 gene between buffalo and other species of Bovidae. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that buffalo PRDX6 has a closer genetic relationship with that of the species in Bovidae. These results indicate that PRDX6 probably plays a crucial role in the mammary gland of buffalo. This study provides the foundation for further functional studies of PRDX6 in buffalo.

The role of quercetin in primary culture of ovine spermatogonial stem cells

The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of quercetin on the survival and primary culture of ovine spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs). The two-time enzymatic digestion process was employed to obtain SSCs from lamb testes. In the next step, the use of filtration and differential plating methods caused an increase in the number of SSCs in the cell suspension resulting from enzymatic and mechanical digestions. Mitomycin-C-treated Sertoli cells were used to prepare the feeder layer. The stem cells were then cultured on the Sertoli cell feeder layer. The identification of the colonies was done through alkaline phosphatase staining methods and specific gene expression of ram’s SSCs (nanog and Plzf). The results of methylthiazolyldiphenyl-tetrazolium bromide assay on SSCs 72 h after culture with different treatments of quercetin demonstrated that the highest percentage of survival was for 5 μM and 10 μM concentrations, respectively; however, compared to the control, no significant difference was observed. In comparison with the control, the concentration equal to and greater than 20 μM quercetin caused a significant decrease in the survival of SSCs (P < 0.05). Seven days after culture, 40 μM quercetin caused a substantial reduction in the mean number of colonies, compared to the control (P < 0.05). The results demonstrated that compared to the control, 5 μM to 40 μM of quercetin significantly reduced Plzf gene expression. Furthermore, the concentration equal to and higher than 10 μM quercetin significantly decreased bcl-2 gene expression in the cells under study (P < 0.05). Based on the findings of the present study, the use of quercetin for the primary culture of ovine SSCs is not recommended. It is suggested that the function of this antioxidant should be investigated on the differentiation of SSCs.