Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) is one of theendocrine hormones that plays an important role in regulatinggrowth and development of animals. In this study, polymorphism in the 5UTRand 3UTR coding region and of the IGF1 gene was detected by DNA sequencingtechnology, and the abundance of IGF1 mRNA in various tissues at three growthstages of the Shitou goose was determined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction(qRT-PCR). Moreover, the differential expression of IGF1 in various tissuesbetween the Shitou goose and Wuzong goose was revealed. Two single nucleotidepolymorphisms (SNPs) were found in the exon3 region of IGF1 in the Shitou goose. IGF1 mRNAwas extensively expressed in various tissues of Shitou geese with highabundant expression in the liver, breast muscle and leg muscle at three growthstages. IGF1 mRNA expression showed a trend of first increase and then decreasein the pituitary, liver, subcutaneous fat and abdominal fat tissues, but itdecreased in the breast muscle and leg muscle of a Shitou goose with growing age.Expression of IGF1 in the liver, leg muscle and pituitary tissues of the Shitou goosewas significantly higher than that of the Wuzong goose. This provides afoundation for further study of regulatory mechanisms of IGF1 in the growth anddevelopment of geese.

This research aimed to determine the effects of body weight, the body condition score (BCS), body measurements, birth type (single offspring or twin birth), birth weight and sex on the gestational length in sheep (). Karayaka sheep raised on a private farm were used in the study. Progeny yield characteristics in sheep were also determined (). Estrus was monitored daily using teaser rams from August to September 2016. According to our findings, the pregnancy rate, infertility rate, fecundity, and twin and single birth rates were 93.52 %, 6.48 %, 93.52 %, 14.62 % and 85.38 % respectively. The effect of age on the BCS in sheep at mating was found to be significant (): BCS decreased as age increased. It was determined that there was a positive association between the BCS and live weight during the mating period (). The chest circumference, front shin circumference and body length were found to be higher in sheep with a BCS at mating time (). The middle rump width was significantly affected by the BCS (). In this study, the lowest and highest gestational lengths were found to be 148.90 and 151.41 d respectively. The gestational length in sheep was not found to be affected by age, the BCS, body measurements, sex or birth type (); however, it was observed that the gestational lengths for male offspring and single offspring (non-multiple births) were longer. In addition, it was detected that the gestational length was different in sheep with a BCS . The time spent in the womb is important with respect to obtaining a healthy lamb. For profitable production, a BCS of between 2.5 and 4 is recommended in sheep. It is thought that the use of body condition scoring, which is easy information for the breeder to utilize, will have a positive effect on determining the bodily reserves of sheep and the reproductive efficiency as well as on obtaining a healthy lamb. More studies on the gestational length in sheep are required.

Chickens kept under free-range, backyard or semi-intensive systems in thedeveloping countries have more diverse use and benefits to rural households.Their use varies from region to region and from community to communitywithin a region. The study investigated growth, laying performance andsurvivability of six improved dual-purpose breeds in five agroecologies ofNigeria represented by the following states: Kebbi (Sudan savanna/northernGuinea savanna); Kwara (northern Guinea savanna/southern Guinea savanna);Nasarawa (southern Guinea savanna/derived savanna); Imo (lowland rainforest/swamp); and Rivers (freshwater swamp/mangrove swamp). On-farm datawere obtained from 2100 smallholder poultry farmers that received an averageof 30 birds (mixed sexes) of any one of the following dual-purpose breeds(Fulani, FUNAAB Alpha, Kuroiler, Noiler, Sasso and Shika-Brown) randomlyallocated to them. The farmers used the backyard, scavenging system ofmanagement. Body weight and mortality records for cocks were taken for 18 weeks, while body weight, mortality, egg production and egg weight data werecollected for hens up to 72 weeks. Compared with the local cocks (680 g),Kuroiler (1391 g), Sasso (1398 g) and Noiler (1461 g) had over 200 %body weight at 18 weeks. Hen day egg production (HDEP) was higher inShika-Brown (45.9 %), FUNAAB Alpha (45.8 %) and Kuroiler (45.7 %)compared with the other breeds. Fulani, FUNAAB Alpha and Shika-Brown hadhigher survivabilities () than Noiler, Sasso and Kuroiler.Ranking of the breeds for growth, laying performance and survivability wasas follows: Shika-Brown/Sasso FUNAAB Alpha/Noiler Kuroiler Fulani. The performance of the breeds was significantly () influenced by the agroecologies. The cockbody weights for Fulani (1121.1 g), FUNAAB Alpha (1502.4 g) and Noiler(1459.2 g) were highest in Kebbi, while for Kuroiler (1561.0 g), Sasso(1695.9 g) and Shika-Brown (1131.6 g) cock body weights were highest in Imo.Across the states, Imo had the highest HDEP (62.8 %). Overall, thelowland rainforest/ freshwater swamp agroecologies supported the highestproduction performance of the breeds.

To speed up the progress of marker-assisted selection (MAS) in cattlebreeding, the dual-specificity tyrosine phosphorylation-regulated kinase 2(DYRK2), cadherin 2 (CDH2), and kinesin family member 1A (KIF1A) genes were chosen basedon our pervious genome-wide association study (GWAS) analysis results.DYRK2 is a kinase that may participate in cell growth and/or development; itshows phosphorylation activity toward serine, threonine, and tyrosinefragments of proteins, and it is different from other protein kinases. The CDH2 geneencodes a classic cadherin, which is a member of the cadherin superfamily. Theprotein encoded by KIF1A is a member of the kinesin family and plays a role inthe transportation of membrane organelles along axon microtubules. Wedetected insertion/deletion (InDel) variation in these three candidate genesin 438 individual cattle (Xinjiang Brown cattle and Wagyu Luxicrossbreed cattle). Only DYRK2-P3-11 bp was polymorphic and genotyped. Thepolymorphism information content of DYRK2-P3-11 bp was 0.336. Correlation analysesshowed that InDel polymorphism was significantly associated with sixdifferent milk traits. These findings may aid future analyses of InDelgenotypes in cattle breeds, and speed up the progress of MAS in cattlebreeding.

This experiment aimed to evaluate the effect of body condition score (BCS) of fat-tailed Barbarine ewes at lambing on their metabolic profile around parturition and lamb's growth. The experiment was carried out on 69 Barbarine ewes, divided into three groups according to BCS, which were inferior to 2, between 2 and 2.5 and superior to 2.5 for the thin, middle and fat group, respectively. Along the trial, all groups received the same dietary treatment based on hay, pasture and concentrate.Birth weight (Bi-W), weights at 30 and 70 d (W30 and W70) and average daily gains (ADGs) of lambs were recorded. Metabolites were determined at late pregnancy and at the beginning of lactation. Ewes' BCS at lambing had no effect on lambs' Bi-W (), which was 3.8, 3.8 and 3.9 kg, respectively, for thin, middle and fat groups. However, W30, W70 and ADG increased with a mother's BCS. A positive correlation between lamb growth parameters and ewe body weight and BCS at weaning was recorded. Energetic metabolites (glucose and triglycerides) and proteic metabolites (creatinine, total protein and urea) were similar among groups according to BCS but significantly different between pregnancy and lactation stages except triglycerides and urea. In conclusion, BCS may be used as dietary management tool during ewe lactation. With the transition from pregnancy to lactation, the content of some metabolites has changed irrespective of BCS; this aspect needs more investigations.

The aim at this study was to determine the relationships among thelamb birth weight, the average cotyledon surface area (ACSA) and cotyledon size.Data were collected from 101 ewes. The general linear model and Pearsoncorrelation coefficient were used for statistical comparison anddetermination of relationships between variables. Average birth weight (BW),placental weight (PW), cotyledon number (CN), placental efficiency (PE),cotyledon density (CD), cotyledon efficiency (CE) and ACSA were, , , ,, and cm, respectively. Therewas no difference between BW and PE for parity; however, PW, CN, CD, CE andACSA were affected () by parity. ACSA was found to be thelowest () with a parity of 2 and the highest ()with a parity of 4. Birth type affected significantly BW, CN, CD (), PW () and ACSA (). As the parityprogressed, cotyledon depth (CDe) () and cotyledon width(CWi) () increased. ACSA, which is a new parameter for uterinecapacity, had positive correlations with BW (0.498; ), PW(0.415; ), large cotyledon number (CNl) (0.685; ), cotyledon length (CL) (0.932; ), CWi (0.920; ) andcotyledon depth (0.388; ). The most important finding of thisstudy was the positive correlation between the birth weight and the averagecotyledon surface area. This study indicates that average cotyledon surfacearea and cotyledon size traits (CL and CWi) may be more effective parametersto produce heavier lambs. In conclusion, it is thought that lamb deaths willdecrease as a result of triggering placental development with proper feedingduring pregnancy. For this purpose, it is recommended to conduct new studiesexamining the relationship between pregnancy feeding and ACSA.Highlights.Cotyledon number and cotyledon density decrease with parity, while CEincreases.The birth type has a significant effect on BW, PW, CN and CD.There are positive correlations between the placental weight and largecotyledon number, cotyledon length and cotyledon width.ACSA can be used as an important parameter to increase the weight of lambs.Especially in multiple birthing, ACSA has been found to be a moredeterminant index to express uterine capacity instead of PE or CE.

The relationship between endometritis and cystic ovarian disease (COD)is still unclear in Japanese Black cattle. Endometritis is classified intoclinical endometritis (CE) and subclinical endometritis (SE). The objectiveof this study was to clarify the interaction between postpartum endometritis(CE and SE) and COD in Japanese Black cattle. Twenty-six suckled cows withCOD (COD group) and 16 suckled cows with cyclical ovarian activity (CAgroup) were submitted for the experiment. Uterine conditions of cows wereclassified into three groups (normal, CE, and SE) with vaginal mucus test andendometrial cytology. The combined data of CE and SE were represented as datafor total endometritis (EMT total). The prevalence of EMT total in the COD group(42.3 %, ) was significantly higher than that of the CA group (12.5 %,). The mean percentage of polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN %) in the CODgroup was significantly higher than that of the CA group at 40–60 DPP (days postpartum). Comparedto 61–295 DPP, the mean PMN % at 40–60 DPP was significantly higher in theCOD group. The diameters of uterine horn and cervix did not differ amongnormal uterine condition, CE and SE in the COD group, and they did not differbetween normal uterine condition and SE in the CA group. However, endometrialthickness during both 40–60 and 61–295 DPP were greater in the COD group than in the CAgroup. In conclusion, Japanese Black cattle with COD have a potentialimplication on endometritis at 40–60 DPP compared to the normal ovarian cycle.As a specific symptom was not observed by transrectal ultrasonography,endometrial cytology is effective for diagnosis of SE in Japanese Blackcattle.

The aim of this work was to assess the technological and nutritional quality of meat from female wild boars. The muscle samples – Musculus longissimus thoracis et lumborum (LTL) and Musculus semimembranosus (SM) – were taken from a total of 40 female wild boar after a hunt. Carcasses were allocated to five groups according to weight (group I – kg; group II – kg; group III – kg; group IV – kg; group V – kg). Studies that have been carried out have shown that technological and nutritional properties of meat from wild boars depend on the mass of carcasses and the type of muscle. The pH of analyzed wild boar meat proved that there was normal glycolysis and glycogenolysis progress in all groups. The water holding capacity (WHC) of SM muscles from the lowest-weight carcasses was significantly () lower as compared to the heavier carcasses. There were significant differences () in the shear force of the LTL muscle between groups I, IV and V. The muscles cut from carcasses of a higher mass represent higher values of this parameter. The higher-mass carcasses were characterized by a darker color, which resulted from the higher concentration of myoglobin. The protein concentration increased with carcass weight. A similar effect of carcass weight on the content of intramuscular fat (IMF) was found. Due to the low calorie content, the meat of young wild boar may be an interesting and attractive component of the diet.

Copy number variations (CNVs) are gains and losses of genomic sequence of more than 50 bp between two individuals of a species. Also, CNV is considered to be one of the main elements affecting the phenotypic diversity and evolutionary adaptation of animals. ORMDL sphingolipid biosynthesis regulator 1 (ORMDL1) is a protein-coding gene associated with diseases and development. In our study, the polymorphism of ORMDL1 gene copy numbers in four Chinese sheep breeds (abbreviated CK, HU, STH, and LTH) was detected. In addition, we analyzed the transcriptional expression level of ORMDL1 gene in different tissues of sheep and examined the association of ORMDL1 CNV with growth traits. The statistical analysis revealed that ORMDL1 CNV was remarkably correlated with body height, heart girth, and circumference of cannon bone in HU sheep (), and there are significant effects on body weight, body height, body length, chest depth, and height of hip cross in STH sheep (). In conclusion, our results provide a basis for the relationship between CNV of ORMDL1 gene and sheep growth traits, suggesting that ORMDL1 CNV may be considered a promising marker for the molecular breeding of Chinese sheep.

In this study, semen seminal plasma contents and the motility of sperm cells were determined in Capoeta trutta via a computer-assisted sperm analysis system. In addition, we evaluated the relationship between semen seminal plasma ions and the velocities of sperm cells. Although the predominant ions were K ( mg L) and Na ( mg L) in the semen seminal plasma, Ca ( mg L) and Mg ( mg L) were not predominate according to our results. However, partially strong relationships between the curvilinear velocity value (VCL) and K (; ) were found, while it was moderate with Mg (; ). There was a weak relationship with Na (; ) and Ca (; ). In our results, while the trace metals were determined as Zn > Al > B > Li > Cu in semen seminal plasma, they are not correlated with sperm cell velocities. Finally, we hope that the present information on the motility parameters of Capoeta trutta in this paper will eventually help artificial insemination in reproduction practices.