• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.31 no.12
• /
• pp.1088-1093
• /
• 2021

Jeju horse (Equus ferus caballus) is a Korean horse breed that has been native to Jeju Island for a long time. Jeju horses are used as racehorses, and their racing ability is a major economic trait. The role of the myostatin (MSTN) gene in skeletal muscle mass has been studied in various mammals, and mutations in the MSTN gene are known to affect the racing ability and stamina of thoroughbreds. In this study, we compared the frequency of mutations in the MSTN gene in several horse breeds, including 1,433 Jeju horses. Among the mutations (ECA18 g.66493737C>T) in the MSTN gene, the long-distance aptitude genotype (TT) was found to have a frequency of 0.826 in Jeju horses, which was higher than that in Halla horses (0.285) and thoroughbreds (0.252). The genotypes and arrival records of Jeju horses were compared according to various distances (400 m, 800 m, 900 m, 1,000 m, 1,110 m, and 1,200 m). According to the results, the CT type showed a faster-reaching record than the TT type in races of less than 1,000 m. However, almost identical results were confirmed in races over 1,110 m. This study suggests that the MSTN mutation in Jeju horses may be related to race distance aptitude. In future research, the data in this study can be used for developing markers related to race distance aptitude and racing abilities in Jeju horses.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
• /
• v.32 no.3
• /
• pp.285-287
• /
• 2015

Wolf teeth have been reported with incidence rate of 13% to 31.9% in horses of both sexes. However, there is no report about the incidence of wolf teeth in pony breeds. In order to determine the incidence of wolf teeth in Jeju Ponies and Jeju Pony crossbreds, oral examination and palpation of the interdental space of ponies at the Jeju Race Park were performed from 2006 to 2010. Results of this study showed that a total of 90 (3.4%) of the 2,675 examined Jeju Ponies and Jeju Pony crossbreds had wolf teeth. Among 30 Jeju Ponies that had wolf teeth, 22 were male (73.3%) and 8 were female (26.7%). Among 60 Jeju Pony crossbreds that had wolf teeth, 25 were male (41.7%) and 35 were female (58.3%). In Jeju Ponies, wolf teeth were most common in 3-years-old, followed by ${\geq}4$-years-old, then 2-years-old. For Jeju Pony crossbreds, wolf teeth were most common in 3-years-old, followed by 2-yearsold, then ${\geq}4$-years-old. In conclusion, the incidence of wolf teeth in Jeju Ponies and Jeju Pony crossbreds was considerably lower than what has been reported for horses in other countries.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
• /
• v.64 no.4
• /
• pp.800-811
• /
• 2022

The integration of metabolomics and transcriptomics may elucidate the correlation between the genotypic and phenotypic patterns in organisms. In equine physiology, various metabolite levels vary during exercise, which may be correlated with a modified gene expression pattern of related genes. Integrated metabolomic and transcriptomic studies in horses have not been conducted to date. The objective of this study was to detect the effect of moderate exercise on the metabolomic and transcriptomic levels in horses. In this study, using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, we analyzed the concentrations of metabolites in muscle and plasma; we also determined the gene expression patterns of branched chain (alpha) keto acid dehydrogenase kinase complex (BCKDK), which encodes the key regulatory enzymes in branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) catabolism, in two breeds of horses, Thoroughbred and Jeju, at different time intervals. The concentrations of metabolites in muscle and plasma were measured by ¹H NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) spectroscopy, and the relative metabolite levels before and after exercise in the two samples were compared. Subsequently, multivariate data analysis based on the metabolic profiles was performed using orthogonal partial least square discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA), and variable important plots and t-test were used for basic statistical analysis. The stress-induced expression patterns of BCKDK genes in horse muscle-derived cells were examined using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) to gain insight into the role of transcript in response to exercise stress. In this study, we found higher concentrations of aspartate, leucine, isoleucine, and lysine in the skeletal muscle of Jeju horses than in Thoroughbred horses. In plasma, compared with Jeju horses, Thoroughbred horses had higher levels of alanine and methionine before exercise; whereas post-exercise, lysine levels were increased. Gene expression analysis revealed a decreased expression level of BCKDK in the post-exercise period in Thoroughbred horses.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.16 no.4
• /
• pp.626-631
• /
• 2006

This study was carried out to investigate the physical characteristics (height, body lenght, chest depth, head type, ear type, body color, eye type and tail type) and genetic diversity using 15 microsatellite DNA markers (PEZ 1, 5, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17, 20, 21, FHC 2010, FHC 2054 and FHC 2079) in 44 random Miryang native dogs(6 months${\sim}$12 years old). The height, body lenght, and chest depth of Miryang native dogs were 43-55 cm(mean 49.5 cm), 45-60 cm(mean 54.3 cm), and 50-64 cm(mean 57.9 cm), respectively. Miryang native dog was medium sized. The head and eye type were reverse-triangle(100%), triangle (90.9%) and newborn moon(9.1%), respectively. Most of body color had white coat color(93.2%), light pink tongue color(100%), light black anal color(90,9%) and pink claw color(100%). The ear type showed erect ear(100%), and half-curled(56.8%), upward(34.1%), curled(9.1%) in tail type, respectively. Number of alleles observed at a single locus ranged from 2 (PEZ 21 and FHC 2010) to 14 (PEZ 13), with average number of alleles per locus of 6.13. The expected heterozygosities of 15 microsatellite loci were estimated based on gene frequencies. The highest expected heterozygosity, 0.863 was estimated in PEZ 13 locus and the lowest, 0.455 in PEZ 21 and FHC 2010 locus. And the mean expected heterozygosity of 15 microsatellite markers was calculated as 0.635. Polymorphic information content (PIC) values were ranged from 0.348 (PEZ 21 and FHC 2010) to 0.837 (PEZ 13), and the mean PIC value was calculated as 0.570. Of the 15 markers, PEZ 10, PEZ 13, PEZ 17 and FHC 2054 loci have relatively high PIC value (> 0.7) in Miryang native dog. In order to determine the efficieney of parentage control, exclusion probabilities (PE) were calculated for each allele. The highest PE 1 and PE 2 in PEZ 13 locus was caculated to 0.548 and 0.710, respectively. And the total exclusion power in PE 1 and PE 2 was calculated to 0.9895 and 0.9996, respectively. These results can give basic information for perservation and research in Miryang native dog, and phylogenetic relationships of the Korean native dog and Asian dog breeds.