Additional file 1. Description of the iterative process to model the potential evolution of PRNP ... more Additional file 1. Description of the iterative process to model the potential evolution of PRNP genotypes under selection for resistance to scrapie.
Heifers are a fundamental resource on farms, and their importance is reflected in both farm manag... more Heifers are a fundamental resource on farms, and their importance is reflected in both farm management and economy. Therefore, the selection of heifers to be reared on a farm should be carefully performed to select only the best animals. Genomic selection is available nowadays to evaluate animals in a fast and economic way. However, it is mainly used on the sire line and on performance traits. Ten farms were selected based on their 5-year records of average somatic cell count and evenly classified into high (>300,000 cells/mL) and low somatic cell count (<150,000 cells/mL). Genomic indexes (regarding both wellness and productive traits) were evaluated in 157 Italian Holstein heifers reared in the selected ten farms (90 from high-cells farms and 67 from low-cells ones). Linear mixed models were fitted to analyze the effects of the abovementioned genomic indexes on related phenotypes. Results have shown that farms classified into low somatic cell count had an overall better anim...
The objective of this study was to demonstrate the usefulness of an immunomagnetic method to puri... more The objective of this study was to demonstrate the usefulness of an immunomagnetic method to purify subpopulations of milk somatic cells. The experiment was conducted on milk samples collected from healthy cows (n = 17) and from cows with clinical mastitis (n = 24) due to a Staphylococcus aureus natural infection. A two-step immunomagnetic purification was applied to simultaneously separate three somatic cell subpopulations from the same milk sample. Total RNA was extracted and qPCR was performed to determinate mRNA levels of innate immunity target genes in purified somatic cell subpopulations. Good quality and quantity of RNA allowed the reference gene analysis in each cell subpopulation. An up-regulation of the main genes involved in innate immune defence was detected in separated polymorphonuclear neutrophilic leucocytes-monocytes and lymphocytes of mastitic milk. These results and flow cytometric analysis suggest that the immunomagnetic purification is an efficient method for th...
RIASSUNTO-Il polimorfismo del gene MUC1 nella pecora. Il gene MUC1 esprime una mucina della membr... more RIASSUNTO-Il polimorfismo del gene MUC1 nella pecora. Il gene MUC1 esprime una mucina della membrana dei globuli di grasso del latte e contiene una regione ripetitiva ipervariabile. La sequenza di MUC1 è nota nel bovino e nella capra ma non nella pecora. Un'analisi preliminare della regione ripetitiva, eseguita mediante PCR su 23 soggetti di razza Tacola utilizzando una coppia di oligonucleotidi disegnati sulla sequenza di capra, ha evidenziato il polimorfismo di lunghezza già noto per MUC1 di uomo, bovino e capra. L'analisi della sequenza di un frammento ha dimostrato l'esistenza di una regione ripetitiva formata da un'unità di 60 bp ripetuta in successione, caratteristica in comune con il gene MUC1 delle altre specie. I risultati ottenuti sono il primo contributo alla conoscenza di MUC1 di pecora e consentono di avviare indagini sul suo polimorfismo nelle razze ovine.
Poultry biodiversity represents a key factor to improve poultry resilience and promote sustainabl... more Poultry biodiversity represents a key factor to improve poultry resilience and promote sustainable and low input farming systems. The EU and member states promote protection of livestock biodiversity and the development of alternative farming through funding projects such as “Local Chicken Breeds in Alternative Production Chain: Welfare, Quality and Sustainability” (funded by the Italian Ministry of Research and University). The aim of the present research was to identify among five different poultry genotypes Bionda Piemontese (BP), Robusta Maculata (RM), RM x Sasso (RMxS), BP x Sasso (BPxS) and a commercial hybrid (Ross 308) the best suitable breed in terms of productivity and welfare for alternative housing system. A total of 300 (60 x genotype), 21 days old male birds were randomly allotted in two housing systems: 1) standard intensive farming (controlled environment, 33 kg/m2 and standard diet) and 2) free-range (“natural” environmental conditions, 21 kg/m2, access to outdoor a...
Simple Summary Bionda Piemontese and Bianca di Saluzzo are two slow growing breeds from northwest... more Simple Summary Bionda Piemontese and Bianca di Saluzzo are two slow growing breeds from northwest Italy, specifically from the Piedmont region. Their low input requirements make them suitable in organic and free-range rearing contexts for both meat and egg production. This research, part of a conservation program for these two breeds, aims to define the meat properties and qualitative attributes of these two breeds, comparing them at different slaughter ages in order to identify the most profitable slaughter period. The results show significant benefits associated with slaughtering at 7 months of age, which outperformed the shorter rearing periods in terms of both better slaughter performances and meat properties. Abstract The slaughter performance and meat quality of two native Italian chicken breeds, Bionda Piemontese (BP, n = 64) and Bianca di Saluzzo (BS, n = 64), were investigated. Two-way ANOVA, considering breed, sex, and their interaction, was used to compare the properties ...
Plasmin activity during ripening of a typical Valle d'Aosta cheese (fromadzo) was determined.... more Plasmin activity during ripening of a typical Valle d'Aosta cheese (fromadzo) was determined. The analysis were performed over a period of three months of ripening and samples were taken at 1, 30, 60 and 90 days. Plasmin activity decreases during ripening and it is influenced by technological parameters, mainly by pH and temperature of the curd. In addition, the results ofourstudy confirm what observed by otherAuthors, i.e. plasmin seems to play an important role on the protein degradation, especially in the first stages of ripening.
Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a motor neuron disease (MND) in humans and diverse animal specie... more Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a motor neuron disease (MND) in humans and diverse animal species: canid, felid, and bovid. To date, bovine SMA has been reported in Brown Swiss, Holstein, Friesian, and Red Danish breed; it has been associated with a genetic mutation of the FVT1 gene, also known as 3-ketodihydrosphingosine reductase (KDSR). The aim of the present case series was to describe clinical presentation, pathological findings, and genetic analysis of five Blond d'Aquitaine calves diagnosed with SMA and to determine whether the mutation was associated with the disease. Five Blonde d'Aquitaine calves (three females and two males) from the same cow-calf operation farm were presented between June 2018 and February 2019 because unable to stand or walk unassisted since birth. Neurological examination aroused suspicion of a diffuse lesion affecting the peripheral nervous system in all calves. Findings from electromyographic investigations and muscle and nerve biopsies were consistent with a non-regenerative, chronic, active axonal neuropathy and marked neurogenic muscular atrophy and assumed to be associated with a neurodegenerative process. Histopathological examination of tissue samples from two animals revealed neuronal loss and several degenerated, shrunken, and hypereosinophilic neurons at the level of the ventral horn of the cervico-thoracic and the lumbo-sacral intumescence, diffuse loss of myelinated axons at the level of the ventral funiculi of all segments of the spinal cord, and moderate diffuse astrocytic reaction. These findings confirmed the diagnosis of SMA. No mutation of the FVT1 gene was found on genetic analysis. Further study into the causative gene mutation of SMA in Blonde D'Aquitaine calves is under way. Identification of a novel genetic mutation could improve our understanding of the disease in human medicine.
An investigation was undertaken with the aim of studying the repetitive region of the MUC1 gene a... more An investigation was undertaken with the aim of studying the repetitive region of the MUC1 gene and analyzing its polymorphisms in some Italian sheep breeds. Two primers previously used for the goat MUC1 gene analyses allowed for the amplification of 4 different alleles. The sequence analysis showed that the repetitive region of the sheep MUC1 gene is an array of 60-bp repeats, in accordance with the information reported in humans, cattle, and goats. The polypeptide sequence encoded by the consensus repeat was very similar to the corresponding sequences of goats and cattle. The average homology of all repeated units was 82%; when the repeats were compared with the derived consensus repeat, homology dropped to 78%. The repeats were not all perfectly conserved, but the sequence homology was nevertheless clearly sufficient to preserve the mechanism giving rise to the variable-number tandem-repeat polymorphism. In spite of their reduced sequence homology, the sheep repeats shared a high number of potential glycosylation sites. The conservation of the exact number and position of glycosylation sites did not seem to be very important for the purpose of functional integrity, but glycosylation appeared to be conserved as a bulk property. Analysis of the polymorphism in 6 Italian breeds showed that the sheep repetitive region seemed to be less variable and smaller in size than the repetitive region of the goat. The findings of this study suggest that ruminants can be a useful model to study the mechanisms by which the variation in the repeat number and the extracellular domain size can modulate the effectiveness of MUC1 as a cell-surface shield.
The aim of this work was to investigate the genetic structure of the casein gene cluster in 5 Ita... more The aim of this work was to investigate the genetic structure of the casein gene cluster in 5 Italian goat breeds and to evaluate the haplotype variability within and among populations. A total of 430 goats from Vallesana, Roccaverano, Jonica, Garganica, and Maltese breeds were genotyped at α s1-casein (CSN1S1), α s2-casein, (CSN1S2), β-casein (CSN2), and κ-casein (CSN3) loci using several genomic techniques and milk protein analysis. Casein haplotype frequencies were estimated for each breed. Principal component analysis was carried out to highlight the relationship among breeds. Allele and haplotype distributions indicated considerable differences among breeds. The haplotype CSN1S1*F-CSN1S2*F-CSN3*D occurred in all breeds with frequencies >0.100 and was the most common haplotype in the Southern breeds. A high frequency of CSN1S1*0-CSN1S2*C-CSN3*A haplotype was found in Vallesana population (0.162). Principal component analysis clearly separated the Northern and Southern breeds by the first component. The variability of the caprine casein loci and variety of resulting haplotypes should be exploited in the future using specific breeding programs aiming to preserve biodiversity and to select goat genetic lines for specific protein production.
Bovine serum amyloid A3: analysis of the genomic region / Soglia, Dominga; Sartore, Stefano; Maio... more Bovine serum amyloid A3: analysis of the genomic region / Soglia, Dominga; Sartore, Stefano; Maione, Sandra; Pepe, Elvira; Gallino, Alice; Rasero, Roberto; Sacchi, Paola. In: ITALIAN JOURNAL OF ANIMAL SCIENCE. ISSN 15944077. 14:Supplement 1(2015), pp. 124-124. ((Intervento presentato al convegno Animal Science and Production Association, 21st Congress tenutosi a Milano nel 9-12 giugno 2015. Original Citation: Bovine serum amyloid A3: analysis of the genomic region
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of high levels of Tenebrio molitor dieta... more The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of high levels of Tenebrio molitor dietary inclusion (15%) on molecular mechanisms that influence poultry health in a broiler chicken diet. The global gene expression of four tissues (breast, liver, jejunum, and caecum) was evaluated using the RNA-Seq approach. The analysis of differentially expressed genes suggested that the use of Tenebrio molitor leads to the overexpression of genes related to protein elongation required for tissue growth and development in the gut and liver. It would also appear to contain nutrients that reduce the expression of genes related to the immune system and inflammation of the mucosa. The dietary inclusion of Tenebrio molitor in poultry could also lead to a possible inactivation of the growth factor and a reduction of tissue free-radicals. No genes alterations have been detected in liver RNA expression that would discourage the use of larvae in feeding broilers.
Aims: To determine the variability of the prion protein gene (PRNP) in goats from Northern and So... more Aims: To determine the variability of the prion protein gene (PRNP) in goats from Northern and Southern Italy. Methods and results: Genomic DNA isolated from goat blood was polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-amplified for the coding region of the PRNP gene and then sequenced. In total, 13 polymorphic sites were identified: G37V, T110P, G127S, M137I, I142M, I142T, H143R, R154H, P168Q, T194P, R211Q, Q222K and S240P (substitutions I142T and T194P are novel) giving rise to 14 haplotypes. Clear frequency differences between Northern and Southern breeds were found and confirmed by genetic distance analysis. Conclusions: Differences in allele distribution were found between Northern and Southern goats, in particular regarding the M142 and K222 alleles, possibly associated to scrapie resistance; philogeographical analysis supported the idea that Northern and Southern breeds may be considered as separate clusters. Significance and impact of the study: In Italy only limited studies have been carried out on caprine PRNP genotype distribution; this study is important to fill this lack of information. Moreover the finding of significant differences among allele distributions in Northern and Southern goats, especially if involved in modulating resistance ⁄ susceptibility, need to be carefully considered for the feasibility of selection plans for resistance to scrapie.
The aim of the present investigation was to analyse genetic variation and relationships of epizoo... more The aim of the present investigation was to analyse genetic variation and relationships of epizootic mange mites from sympatric Alpine chamois and red fox populations. The results of multi-locus genotyping using microsatellite marker loci support the hypothesis that gene flow between mite varieties on sympatric Alpine chamois and red fox is absent or extremely rare. Although the number of samples analysed until now is very small, the transmission of parasites seem to be more frequent when phylogenetically related host species are involved.
RIASSUNTO -Allestimento di due PCR multiple per l'analisi di popolazioni di Camoscio delle Alpi (... more RIASSUNTO -Allestimento di due PCR multiple per l'analisi di popolazioni di Camoscio delle Alpi (Rupicapra r. rupicapra) mediante marcatori microsatelliti. Allo scopo di elaborare un protocollo per l'analisi della struttura genetica di popolazioni di camosci italiani dell'arco alpino, sono stati individuati 16 microsatelliti già utilizzati per gli ungulati selvatici e mappati su cromosomi diversi in capra, pecora e bovino. Sulla base di analisi preliminari condotte su un ristretto numero di campioni dodici marcatori sono risultati sufficientemente polimorfi nel camoscio e coamplificabili. Per automatizzare le analisi e ridurre i tempi sono state messe a punto due PCR multiple con cui sono stati analizzati 42 campioni provenienti da differenti colonie. L'elevato contenuto informativo dei marcatori coamplificati dimostra che le due PCR multiple sono strumenti utili nelle indagini di genetica di popolazione nel camoscio.
Additional file 3. SchemeB1 (i.e. only a closed-nucleus provided genotyped candidates for its own... more Additional file 3. SchemeB1 (i.e. only a closed-nucleus provided genotyped candidates for its own replacement and for the base herds; selection was performed without time limits). Effects of nucleus-selection on the frequency of K-carriers in Chamois Coloured for a range of nucleus size values accounting for 10â 25% of all herds.
Additional file 1. Description of the iterative process to model the potential evolution of PRNP ... more Additional file 1. Description of the iterative process to model the potential evolution of PRNP genotypes under selection for resistance to scrapie.
Heifers are a fundamental resource on farms, and their importance is reflected in both farm manag... more Heifers are a fundamental resource on farms, and their importance is reflected in both farm management and economy. Therefore, the selection of heifers to be reared on a farm should be carefully performed to select only the best animals. Genomic selection is available nowadays to evaluate animals in a fast and economic way. However, it is mainly used on the sire line and on performance traits. Ten farms were selected based on their 5-year records of average somatic cell count and evenly classified into high (>300,000 cells/mL) and low somatic cell count (<150,000 cells/mL). Genomic indexes (regarding both wellness and productive traits) were evaluated in 157 Italian Holstein heifers reared in the selected ten farms (90 from high-cells farms and 67 from low-cells ones). Linear mixed models were fitted to analyze the effects of the abovementioned genomic indexes on related phenotypes. Results have shown that farms classified into low somatic cell count had an overall better anim...
The objective of this study was to demonstrate the usefulness of an immunomagnetic method to puri... more The objective of this study was to demonstrate the usefulness of an immunomagnetic method to purify subpopulations of milk somatic cells. The experiment was conducted on milk samples collected from healthy cows (n = 17) and from cows with clinical mastitis (n = 24) due to a Staphylococcus aureus natural infection. A two-step immunomagnetic purification was applied to simultaneously separate three somatic cell subpopulations from the same milk sample. Total RNA was extracted and qPCR was performed to determinate mRNA levels of innate immunity target genes in purified somatic cell subpopulations. Good quality and quantity of RNA allowed the reference gene analysis in each cell subpopulation. An up-regulation of the main genes involved in innate immune defence was detected in separated polymorphonuclear neutrophilic leucocytes-monocytes and lymphocytes of mastitic milk. These results and flow cytometric analysis suggest that the immunomagnetic purification is an efficient method for th...
RIASSUNTO-Il polimorfismo del gene MUC1 nella pecora. Il gene MUC1 esprime una mucina della membr... more RIASSUNTO-Il polimorfismo del gene MUC1 nella pecora. Il gene MUC1 esprime una mucina della membrana dei globuli di grasso del latte e contiene una regione ripetitiva ipervariabile. La sequenza di MUC1 è nota nel bovino e nella capra ma non nella pecora. Un'analisi preliminare della regione ripetitiva, eseguita mediante PCR su 23 soggetti di razza Tacola utilizzando una coppia di oligonucleotidi disegnati sulla sequenza di capra, ha evidenziato il polimorfismo di lunghezza già noto per MUC1 di uomo, bovino e capra. L'analisi della sequenza di un frammento ha dimostrato l'esistenza di una regione ripetitiva formata da un'unità di 60 bp ripetuta in successione, caratteristica in comune con il gene MUC1 delle altre specie. I risultati ottenuti sono il primo contributo alla conoscenza di MUC1 di pecora e consentono di avviare indagini sul suo polimorfismo nelle razze ovine.
Poultry biodiversity represents a key factor to improve poultry resilience and promote sustainabl... more Poultry biodiversity represents a key factor to improve poultry resilience and promote sustainable and low input farming systems. The EU and member states promote protection of livestock biodiversity and the development of alternative farming through funding projects such as “Local Chicken Breeds in Alternative Production Chain: Welfare, Quality and Sustainability” (funded by the Italian Ministry of Research and University). The aim of the present research was to identify among five different poultry genotypes Bionda Piemontese (BP), Robusta Maculata (RM), RM x Sasso (RMxS), BP x Sasso (BPxS) and a commercial hybrid (Ross 308) the best suitable breed in terms of productivity and welfare for alternative housing system. A total of 300 (60 x genotype), 21 days old male birds were randomly allotted in two housing systems: 1) standard intensive farming (controlled environment, 33 kg/m2 and standard diet) and 2) free-range (“natural” environmental conditions, 21 kg/m2, access to outdoor a...
Simple Summary Bionda Piemontese and Bianca di Saluzzo are two slow growing breeds from northwest... more Simple Summary Bionda Piemontese and Bianca di Saluzzo are two slow growing breeds from northwest Italy, specifically from the Piedmont region. Their low input requirements make them suitable in organic and free-range rearing contexts for both meat and egg production. This research, part of a conservation program for these two breeds, aims to define the meat properties and qualitative attributes of these two breeds, comparing them at different slaughter ages in order to identify the most profitable slaughter period. The results show significant benefits associated with slaughtering at 7 months of age, which outperformed the shorter rearing periods in terms of both better slaughter performances and meat properties. Abstract The slaughter performance and meat quality of two native Italian chicken breeds, Bionda Piemontese (BP, n = 64) and Bianca di Saluzzo (BS, n = 64), were investigated. Two-way ANOVA, considering breed, sex, and their interaction, was used to compare the properties ...
Plasmin activity during ripening of a typical Valle d'Aosta cheese (fromadzo) was determined.... more Plasmin activity during ripening of a typical Valle d'Aosta cheese (fromadzo) was determined. The analysis were performed over a period of three months of ripening and samples were taken at 1, 30, 60 and 90 days. Plasmin activity decreases during ripening and it is influenced by technological parameters, mainly by pH and temperature of the curd. In addition, the results ofourstudy confirm what observed by otherAuthors, i.e. plasmin seems to play an important role on the protein degradation, especially in the first stages of ripening.
Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a motor neuron disease (MND) in humans and diverse animal specie... more Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a motor neuron disease (MND) in humans and diverse animal species: canid, felid, and bovid. To date, bovine SMA has been reported in Brown Swiss, Holstein, Friesian, and Red Danish breed; it has been associated with a genetic mutation of the FVT1 gene, also known as 3-ketodihydrosphingosine reductase (KDSR). The aim of the present case series was to describe clinical presentation, pathological findings, and genetic analysis of five Blond d'Aquitaine calves diagnosed with SMA and to determine whether the mutation was associated with the disease. Five Blonde d'Aquitaine calves (three females and two males) from the same cow-calf operation farm were presented between June 2018 and February 2019 because unable to stand or walk unassisted since birth. Neurological examination aroused suspicion of a diffuse lesion affecting the peripheral nervous system in all calves. Findings from electromyographic investigations and muscle and nerve biopsies were consistent with a non-regenerative, chronic, active axonal neuropathy and marked neurogenic muscular atrophy and assumed to be associated with a neurodegenerative process. Histopathological examination of tissue samples from two animals revealed neuronal loss and several degenerated, shrunken, and hypereosinophilic neurons at the level of the ventral horn of the cervico-thoracic and the lumbo-sacral intumescence, diffuse loss of myelinated axons at the level of the ventral funiculi of all segments of the spinal cord, and moderate diffuse astrocytic reaction. These findings confirmed the diagnosis of SMA. No mutation of the FVT1 gene was found on genetic analysis. Further study into the causative gene mutation of SMA in Blonde D'Aquitaine calves is under way. Identification of a novel genetic mutation could improve our understanding of the disease in human medicine.
An investigation was undertaken with the aim of studying the repetitive region of the MUC1 gene a... more An investigation was undertaken with the aim of studying the repetitive region of the MUC1 gene and analyzing its polymorphisms in some Italian sheep breeds. Two primers previously used for the goat MUC1 gene analyses allowed for the amplification of 4 different alleles. The sequence analysis showed that the repetitive region of the sheep MUC1 gene is an array of 60-bp repeats, in accordance with the information reported in humans, cattle, and goats. The polypeptide sequence encoded by the consensus repeat was very similar to the corresponding sequences of goats and cattle. The average homology of all repeated units was 82%; when the repeats were compared with the derived consensus repeat, homology dropped to 78%. The repeats were not all perfectly conserved, but the sequence homology was nevertheless clearly sufficient to preserve the mechanism giving rise to the variable-number tandem-repeat polymorphism. In spite of their reduced sequence homology, the sheep repeats shared a high number of potential glycosylation sites. The conservation of the exact number and position of glycosylation sites did not seem to be very important for the purpose of functional integrity, but glycosylation appeared to be conserved as a bulk property. Analysis of the polymorphism in 6 Italian breeds showed that the sheep repetitive region seemed to be less variable and smaller in size than the repetitive region of the goat. The findings of this study suggest that ruminants can be a useful model to study the mechanisms by which the variation in the repeat number and the extracellular domain size can modulate the effectiveness of MUC1 as a cell-surface shield.
The aim of this work was to investigate the genetic structure of the casein gene cluster in 5 Ita... more The aim of this work was to investigate the genetic structure of the casein gene cluster in 5 Italian goat breeds and to evaluate the haplotype variability within and among populations. A total of 430 goats from Vallesana, Roccaverano, Jonica, Garganica, and Maltese breeds were genotyped at α s1-casein (CSN1S1), α s2-casein, (CSN1S2), β-casein (CSN2), and κ-casein (CSN3) loci using several genomic techniques and milk protein analysis. Casein haplotype frequencies were estimated for each breed. Principal component analysis was carried out to highlight the relationship among breeds. Allele and haplotype distributions indicated considerable differences among breeds. The haplotype CSN1S1*F-CSN1S2*F-CSN3*D occurred in all breeds with frequencies >0.100 and was the most common haplotype in the Southern breeds. A high frequency of CSN1S1*0-CSN1S2*C-CSN3*A haplotype was found in Vallesana population (0.162). Principal component analysis clearly separated the Northern and Southern breeds by the first component. The variability of the caprine casein loci and variety of resulting haplotypes should be exploited in the future using specific breeding programs aiming to preserve biodiversity and to select goat genetic lines for specific protein production.
Bovine serum amyloid A3: analysis of the genomic region / Soglia, Dominga; Sartore, Stefano; Maio... more Bovine serum amyloid A3: analysis of the genomic region / Soglia, Dominga; Sartore, Stefano; Maione, Sandra; Pepe, Elvira; Gallino, Alice; Rasero, Roberto; Sacchi, Paola. In: ITALIAN JOURNAL OF ANIMAL SCIENCE. ISSN 15944077. 14:Supplement 1(2015), pp. 124-124. ((Intervento presentato al convegno Animal Science and Production Association, 21st Congress tenutosi a Milano nel 9-12 giugno 2015. Original Citation: Bovine serum amyloid A3: analysis of the genomic region
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of high levels of Tenebrio molitor dieta... more The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of high levels of Tenebrio molitor dietary inclusion (15%) on molecular mechanisms that influence poultry health in a broiler chicken diet. The global gene expression of four tissues (breast, liver, jejunum, and caecum) was evaluated using the RNA-Seq approach. The analysis of differentially expressed genes suggested that the use of Tenebrio molitor leads to the overexpression of genes related to protein elongation required for tissue growth and development in the gut and liver. It would also appear to contain nutrients that reduce the expression of genes related to the immune system and inflammation of the mucosa. The dietary inclusion of Tenebrio molitor in poultry could also lead to a possible inactivation of the growth factor and a reduction of tissue free-radicals. No genes alterations have been detected in liver RNA expression that would discourage the use of larvae in feeding broilers.
Aims: To determine the variability of the prion protein gene (PRNP) in goats from Northern and So... more Aims: To determine the variability of the prion protein gene (PRNP) in goats from Northern and Southern Italy. Methods and results: Genomic DNA isolated from goat blood was polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-amplified for the coding region of the PRNP gene and then sequenced. In total, 13 polymorphic sites were identified: G37V, T110P, G127S, M137I, I142M, I142T, H143R, R154H, P168Q, T194P, R211Q, Q222K and S240P (substitutions I142T and T194P are novel) giving rise to 14 haplotypes. Clear frequency differences between Northern and Southern breeds were found and confirmed by genetic distance analysis. Conclusions: Differences in allele distribution were found between Northern and Southern goats, in particular regarding the M142 and K222 alleles, possibly associated to scrapie resistance; philogeographical analysis supported the idea that Northern and Southern breeds may be considered as separate clusters. Significance and impact of the study: In Italy only limited studies have been carried out on caprine PRNP genotype distribution; this study is important to fill this lack of information. Moreover the finding of significant differences among allele distributions in Northern and Southern goats, especially if involved in modulating resistance ⁄ susceptibility, need to be carefully considered for the feasibility of selection plans for resistance to scrapie.
The aim of the present investigation was to analyse genetic variation and relationships of epizoo... more The aim of the present investigation was to analyse genetic variation and relationships of epizootic mange mites from sympatric Alpine chamois and red fox populations. The results of multi-locus genotyping using microsatellite marker loci support the hypothesis that gene flow between mite varieties on sympatric Alpine chamois and red fox is absent or extremely rare. Although the number of samples analysed until now is very small, the transmission of parasites seem to be more frequent when phylogenetically related host species are involved.
RIASSUNTO -Allestimento di due PCR multiple per l'analisi di popolazioni di Camoscio delle Alpi (... more RIASSUNTO -Allestimento di due PCR multiple per l'analisi di popolazioni di Camoscio delle Alpi (Rupicapra r. rupicapra) mediante marcatori microsatelliti. Allo scopo di elaborare un protocollo per l'analisi della struttura genetica di popolazioni di camosci italiani dell'arco alpino, sono stati individuati 16 microsatelliti già utilizzati per gli ungulati selvatici e mappati su cromosomi diversi in capra, pecora e bovino. Sulla base di analisi preliminari condotte su un ristretto numero di campioni dodici marcatori sono risultati sufficientemente polimorfi nel camoscio e coamplificabili. Per automatizzare le analisi e ridurre i tempi sono state messe a punto due PCR multiple con cui sono stati analizzati 42 campioni provenienti da differenti colonie. L'elevato contenuto informativo dei marcatori coamplificati dimostra che le due PCR multiple sono strumenti utili nelle indagini di genetica di popolazione nel camoscio.
Additional file 3. SchemeB1 (i.e. only a closed-nucleus provided genotyped candidates for its own... more Additional file 3. SchemeB1 (i.e. only a closed-nucleus provided genotyped candidates for its own replacement and for the base herds; selection was performed without time limits). Effects of nucleus-selection on the frequency of K-carriers in Chamois Coloured for a range of nucleus size values accounting for 10â 25% of all herds.
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