• Animal Bioscience
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.791-803
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• 2022

Genome/gene-editing (GE) techniques, characterized by a low technological barrier, high efficiency, and broad application among organisms, are now being employed not only in medical science but also in agriculture/veterinary science. Different engineered CRISPR/Cas9s have been identified to expand the application of this technology. In pig production, GE is a precise new breeding technology (NBT), and promising outcomes in improving economic traits, such as growth, lean or healthy meat production, animal welfare, and disease resistance, have already been documented and reviewed. These promising achievements in porcine gene editing, including the Myostatin gene knockout (KO) in indigenous breeds to improve lean meat production, the uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) gene knock-in to enhance piglet thermogenesis and survival under cold stress, the generation of GGTA1 and CMP-N-glycolylneuraminic acid hydroxylase (CMAH) gene double KO (dKO) pigs to produce healthy red meat, and the KO or deletion of exon 7 of the CD163 gene to confer resistance to porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus infection, are described in the present article. Other related approaches for such purposes are also discussed. The current trend of global regulations or legislation for GE organisms is that they are exempted from classification as genetically modified organisms (GMOs) if no exogenes are integrated into the genome, according to product-based and not process-based methods. Moreover, an updated case study in the EU showed that current GMO legislation is not fit for purpose in term of NBTs, which contribute to the objectives of the EU's Green Deal and biodiversity strategies and even meet the United Nations' sustainable development goals for a more resilient and sustainable agri-food system. The GE pigs generated via NBT will be exempted from classification as GMOs, and their global valorization and commercialization can be foreseen.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.521-525
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• 2006

The present study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of flushing of ewes with concentrate pellets just before the mating season on their nutrient utilization and reproductive performance on farms. Forty-eight Malpura ewes, 1-5 years old were randomly divided into 2 groups of 24 each (G1and G2). Ewes in both the groups were grazed on natural rangeland from 07.00 to 18.00 hr followed by night shelter in animal shed. G1 ewes were maintained on sole grazing while G2 ewes, in addition to grazing, received concentrate pellets at the rate of 1.5% of their body weight. The mean biomass yield of the community rangeland was 0.46 ton DM/hectare. The intakes of DM (g/kg $W^{0.75}$), DCP (g/kg $W^{0.75}$) and ME (MJ/kg $W^{0.75}$) were higher (p<0.01) in G2 as compared to that of G1 being 86.5, 10.2 and 1.15 and 57.5, 4.7 and 0.75, respectively. The digestibility of DM, OM, CP, NDF and hemicellulose were also higher (p<0.01) in G2 as compared to that of G1 being 57.2, 76.7, 78.9, 51.9 and 81.6 and 50.8, 68.7, 68.4, 45.4 and 74.4, respectively. The conception rate was higher (79.2%) in flushed ewes as compared to that of non-flushed (66.7%). Five of the pregnant ewes died and another 5 aborted in G1 while in G2, 5 ewes aborted with no mortality. The lambing was higher (73.7%) in G2 than that in G1 (37.5%). The birth weight of lambs was higher (p<0.05) in G2 (3.47 kg) than that in G1 (2.95 kg). Further, the birth weight of male lambs was higher (3.28) than that of female lambs (3.14). It is concluded that the biomass yield of the community rangeland in semi-arid region of India is low and insufficient to meet the nutrient requirement of ewes prior to mating season. However, concentrate supplementation at the rate of 1.5% of body weight to ewes during this critical stage enhanced their plane of nutrition, reproductive performance, body condition and birth weights of lambs.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.18.1-18.5
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• 2020

Finding publications that propose alternative methods to animal experiments is an important but time-consuming task since researchers need to perform various queries to literature databases and screen many articles to assess two important aspects: the relevance of the article to the research question, and whether the article's proposed approach qualifies to being an alternative method. We are currently developing a Web application to support finding alternative methods to animal experiments. The current (under development) version of the application utilizes external tools and resources for document processing, and relies on the PubAnnotation ecosystem for annotation querying, annotation storage, dictionary-based tagging of cell lines, and annotation visualization. Currently, our two PubAnnotation repositories for discourse elements contain annotations for more than 110k PubMed documents. Further, we created an annotator for cell lines that contain more than 196k terms from Cellosaurus. Finally, we are experimenting with TextAE for annotation visualization and for user feedback.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.452-457
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• 2016

Lactoferrin is a glycoprotein with various biological effects, with antibacterial activity being one of the first effects reported. This glycoprotein suppresses bacterial growth through bacteriostatic or bactericidal action. It also stimulates the growth of certain kinds of bacteria such as lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria. In this study, Asn-Leu-Asn-Arg was selected and chemically synthesized based on the partial sequences of bovine lactoferrin tryptic fragments. Synthetic Asn-Leu-Asn-Arg suppressed the growth of Pseudomonas fluorescens, P. syringae and Escherichia coli. P. fluorescens is a major psychrotrophic bacteria found in raw and pasteurized milk, which decreases milk quality. P. syringae is a harmful infectious bacterium that damages plants. However, synthetic Asn-Leu-Asn-Arg did not inhibit the growth of Lactobacillus acidophilus. It is expected that this synthetic peptide would be the first peptide sequence from the bovine lactoferrin C-lobe that shows antibacterial activity.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.236-243
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• 2000

A number of developments have occurred over recent years that are being used commercially or have the potential to increase the milk yield and consequently the efficiency of dairy cows. Bovine growth hormone is the most widely known of several attempts that have been made to alter the metabolic endocrinology of dairy cows to increase the rate of milk secretion. The factors affecting the milk yield response to growth hormone, growth hormone-releasing factor, thyroxine and placental lactogen as well as to the immuno-neutralization of somatostatin are briefly considered. Secondly, the recent greater understanding of the mechanism by which the milk yield is increased following more frequent milking, which has resulted from the identification and characterization of the feedback inhibitor of lactation (FIL) protein, is reviewed. The identification of this protein provides new avenues of research which may lead to a reduction in the rate of decline in milk yield with advancing lactation or to undiminished milk yields despite a reduction in frequency with which the animals are milked.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.10 no.5
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• pp.510-513
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• 1997

This study examined the effects of ignoring inbreeding depression on (co)variance components for weaning weight through the use of Monte Carlo simulation. Weaning weight is of particular interest as a trait for which additive direct and maternal genetic components exist and there then is the potential for a direct-maternal genetic covariance. Ignoring inbreeding depression in the analytical model (.8 kg reduction of phenotypic value per 1% inbreeding) led to biased estimates of all genetic (co) variance components, all estimates being larger than the true values of the parameters. In particular, a negative bias in the direct-maternal genetic covariance was observed in analyses that ignored inbreeding depression. A small spurious sire-by-year interaction variance was also observed.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.368-371
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• 2016

A four month-old intact female Maltese (weighing 1.8 kg) was present with major complaints of severe coughing and dyspnea. Diagnostic imaging studies revealed abnormally elongated chordae tendineae attached to anterior leaflet and shortened chordae tendineae attached to posterior leaflet of mitral valve causing mitral insufficiency and regurgitant blood flow into left atrium, indicating congenital mitral valve dysplasia. Therapy was directed to control existing clinical signs and to prevent further deterioration of cardiac enlargement using conventional cardiac medications. The dog is currently survived and being monitored at regular interval. This is the first case report describing mitral valve dysplasia causing mitral insufficiency of dog in Korea.

• Korean Journal of Exercise Nutrition
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.1-6
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• 2020

[Purpose] Exercise is a fundamental way to maintain and improve health and physical fitness. Many human studies have demonstrated the beneficial effects of exercise on various biological parameters. However, studies investigating the effects of exercise in dogs are limited. This review summarized the current data from studies that examined the effects of different exercise conditions (treadmill vs. non-treadmill and acute vs. chronic) on physiological and hematological parameters in dogs. [Methods] Papers addressing the effects of exercise in dogs published from January 2000 to October 2020 were retrieved from the online databases of Scopus, Google Scholar, and PubMed and were selected and reviewed. [Results] The exercise conditions differentially affected physiological and hematological responses and adaptation in dogs. Therefore, the development and comprehensive evaluation of scientific exercise programs for dogs are necessary. [Conclusion] The dog would be a valuable exercise science animal model, and studies aiming at the optimal health, well-being, and quality of life of dogs need to be conducted.

• Journal of Practical Agriculture & Fisheries Research
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.36-56
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• 2003

Selenium(Se) is an essential trace element in the human body. Main function of this element is a catalytic part of antioxidant enzymes that protect cells against the attacks of free radicals that are produced during normal metabolism of the body. Se is also essential for normal function of the immune system and thyroid gland. It also appears to be a key nutrient in counteracting the development of virulence and inhibiting HIV(human immunodeficiency virus) progression to AIDS. It is also required for sperm motility and reduces the depression. Therefore, it is very meaningful that livestock producers generate Se-fortified animal products, such as Se-egg, Se-milk, Se-pork, Se-chicken and Se-beef from the point of producers as well as human heath. However, regulation on Se usage and Se-fortified food/feed is far from being clear in Korea even though Se should be carefully monitored because of its toxicity. Thus, one has to be aware of Se properties when designing Se-fortified animal products.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.237-241
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• 2013

It is generally accepted that chronic stress impairs female reproduction. It negatively affects ovarian function and the number of ovulated oocytes. Chronic stress lowers the number of retrieved oocytes. Ovarian follicular development is regulated by both pituitary-derived gonadotropins and intraovarian regulatory factors. The main corticosteroids are cortisol, cortisone, 11-deoxycortisol and corticosterone, cortisol being one of the most commonly used welfare and stress physiological indicator. In this study, we investigated the effect of cortisol level on progesterone patterns and ovulation in the dog. Cortisol and progesterone level of serum were analyzed by radioimmunoassay. The day of ovulation was considered as the day when serum progesterone concentration was 6.0~8.0 ng/ml. In vivo dog oocytes were collected by flushing oviducts of mixed-breed bitches at three days after ovulation. We classified dogs as having group 1 (cortisol level, 0 ${\leq}$ or < $2{\mu}g/dl$), group 2 (corisol level, 2 ${\leq}$ or < $4{\mu}g/dl$), group 3 (cortisol level, 4 ${\leq}$ or < $6{\mu}g/dl$) and group 4 (cortisol level, $6{\mu}g/dl$ ${\leq}$). The patterns of progesterone were not different in four cortisol groups. The average numbers of retrieved oocytes was not different in four cortisol groups. These results suggest that different cortisol levels on estrus dogs do not affect ovulation, number of ovulated oocytes and progesterone changes.