Comparison of colostrum and milk extracellular vesicles small RNA cargo in water buffalo.

Recently, much interest has been raised for the characterization of signaling molecules carried by extracellular vesicles (EVs), which are particularly enriched in milk (mEVs). Such interest is linked to the capability of EVs to cross biological barriers, resist acidification in the gastric environment, and exert modulation of the immune system, mainly through their microRNA (miRNA) content. We characterized the small-RNA cargo of colostrum EVs (colosEVs) and mEVs from Italian Mediterranean buffalo through next generation sequencing.

Genome-wide epigenetic modifications in sports horses during training as an adaptation phenomenon.

With his bicentennial breeding history based on athletic performance, the Thoroughbred horse can be considered the equine sport breed. Although genomic and transcriptomic tools and knowledge are at the state of the art in equine species, the epigenome and its modifications in response to environmental stimuli, such as training, are less studied. One of the major epigenetic modifications is cytosine methylation at 5' of DNA molecules.

Exploring the Italian equine gene pool high-throughput genotyping.

The Italian peninsula is in the center of the Mediterranean area, and historically it has been a hub for numerous human populations, cultures, and also animal species that enriched the hosted biodiversity. Horses are no exception to this phenomenon, with the peculiarity that the gene pool has been impacted by warfare and subsequent "colonization". In this study, using a comprehensive dataset for almost the entire Italian equine population, in addition to the most influential cosmopolitan breeds, we describe the current status of the modern Italian gene pool.

-Mediated Colistin Resistance and Genomic Characterization of Antimicrobial Resistance in ESBL-Producing Infantis Strains from a Broiler Meat Production Chain in Italy.

This work aimed to evaluate phenotypically and genotypically the colistin susceptibility of 85 Infantis strains isolated in Italy from the broiler production chain, and to apply a whole-genome approach for the determination of genes conferring antimicrobial resistance (AMR). All isolates were tested by the broth microdilution method to evaluate the colistin minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs). A multiplex PCR was performed in all isolates for the screening of , , , genes and whole-genome sequencing (WGS) of six .

Circulating Transcriptional Profile Modulation in Response to Metabolic Unbalance Due to Long-Term Exercise in Equine Athletes: A Pilot Study.

Physical exercise has been associated with the modulation of micro RNAs (miRNAs), actively released in body fluids and recognized as accurate biomarkers. The aim of this study was to measure serum miRNA profiles in 18 horses taking part in endurance competitions, which represents a good model to test metabolic responses to moderate intensity prolonged efforts. Serum levels of miRNAs of eight horses that were eliminated due to metabolic unbalance (Non Performer-NP) were compared to those of 10 horses that finished an endurance competition in excellent metabolic condition (Performer-P).

Transcriptomic Characterization of Cow, Donkey and Goat Milk Extracellular Vesicles Reveals Their Anti-Inflammatory and Immunomodulatory Potential.

Milk extracellular vesicles (mEVs) seem to be one of the main maternal messages delivery systems. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are micro/nano-sized membrane-bound structures enclosing signaling molecules and thus acting as signal mediators between distant cells and/or tissues, exerting biological effects such as immune modulation and pro-regenerative activity. Milk is also a unique, scalable, and reliable source of EVs.

Differential Expression Pattern of Retroviral Envelope Gene in the Equine Placenta.

Endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) are proviral phases of exogenous retroviruses, which have coevolved with vertebrate genomes for millions of years. The conservation of ERV genes throughout evolution suggests their beneficial effects on their hosts' survival. An example of such positive selection is demonstrated by the syncytin gene, which encodes a protein with affinity for various mammalian placentas that is involved in the formation of syncytiotrophoblasts.

Selective symmetrical necrotizing encephalopathy secondary to primary mitochondrial disorder in a cat.

A 2-year-old female cat was referred for progressive neurological signs indicative of involvement of the prosencephalon, cerebellum, and brainstem. Magnetic resonance imaging identified multifocal, bilateral, symmetrical lesions with strong contrast enhancement, affecting multiple areas of the brain. Neuropathology at necropsy showed demyelination, necrotic lesions, spongiosis, and neuropil edema with reactive astrogliosis and neovascularization.

Genetic Regulation of Biomarkers as Stress Proxies in Dairy Cows.

Stress in livestock reduces productivity and is a welfare concern. At a physiological level, stress is associated with the activation of inflammatory responses and increased levels of harmful reactive oxygen species. Biomarkers that are indicative of stress could facilitate the identification of more stress-resilient animals.

Differential Effects of Dietary Oregano Essential Oil on the Inflammation Related Gene Expression in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells From Outdoor and Indoor Reared Pigs.

Intensive farming systems represent a stressful environment for pigs and negatively influence neuroendocrine functions, behavior, and performance. Outdoor farming is an alternative option, which is thought to imply several beneficial effects for the animal. Dietary essential oils are known to be an innovative strategy to improve pig health and performance, and oregano essential oil (ORE) possesses beneficial effects due to its antimicrobial, anti-fungal, and antioxidant properties.

Shedding light on cashmere goat hair follicle biology: from morphology analyses to transcriptomic landascape.

Background: Cashmere goat is known for its precious undercoat. Being photoperiod-dictated, cashmere growth has been studied focusing mainly on hair follicle cycle phases (anagen, catagen and telogen). An accurate molecular knowledge of the goat hair follicle cycle, disentangling gene expression changes during phases and recognizing timing boundaries, could be useful to improve cashmere goat management and ultimately cashmere production.

Gallop Racing Shifts Mature mRNA towards Introns: Does Exercise-Induced Stress Enhance Genome Plasticity?

Physical exercise is universally recognized as stressful. Among the "sport species", the horse is probably the most appropriate model for investigating the genomic response to stress due to the homogeneity of its genetic background. The aim of this work is to dissect the whole transcription modulation in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells (PBMCs) after exercise with a time course framework focusing on unexplored regions related to introns and intergenic portions.

MCSeEd (Methylation Context Sensitive Enzyme ddRAD): A New Method to Analyze DNA Methylation.

Methylation context sensitive enzyme ddRAD (MCSeEd) is a NGS-based method for genome-wide investigations of DNA methylation at different contexts requiring only low to moderate sequencing depth. It is particularly useful for identifying methylation changes in experimental systems challenged by biotic or abiotic stresses or at different developmental stages.

Metabolic and Biomolecular Changes Induced by Incremental Long-Term Training in Young Thoroughbred Racehorses during First Workout Season.

Training has a huge effect on physiological homeostasis. The Thoroughbred racehorse is a valid animal model to investigate such changes for training schedule fine-tuning. As happens in human athletes, it is hypothesized that biochemical and immune response changes and related biomolecular variations could be induced by training programs.

PANEV: an R package for a pathway-based network visualization.

Background: During the last decade, with the aim to solve the challenge of post-genomic and transcriptomic data mining, a plethora of tools have been developed to create, edit and analyze metabolic pathways. In particular, when a complex phenomenon is considered, the creation of a network of multiple interconnected pathways of interest could be useful to investigate the underlying biology and ultimately identify functional candidate genes affecting the trait under investigation.

Results: PANEV (PAthway NEtwork Visualizer) is an R package set for gene/pathway-based network visualization.

Different expression of Defensin-B gene in the endometrium of mares of different age during the breeding season.

Background: Despite being one of the major causes of infertility in mares, the mechanisms responsible for equine endometrosis are still unclear and controversial. In the last few years, many investigations focused on local immune response modulation. Since it is generally accepted that endometrial fibrosis increases with age, we hypothesize that older mares could show altered local immune modulation, initiating a pro-inflammatory and tissue remodeling cascade of events that could lead to endometrosis.

Evaluation of circulating leukocyte transcriptome and its relationship with immune function and blood markers in dairy cows during the transition period.

Dairy cows during the transition period are faced with important physiological changes which include a dysfunctional immune system and an increased inflammatory state. New data are necessary to understand the key factors involved in the immune system regulation. Six dairy cows were sampled during transition period to investigate the leukocyte transcriptome changes and its relationship with blood biomarkers.

Methylation content sensitive enzyme ddRAD (MCSeEd): a reference-free, whole genome profiling system to address cytosine/adenine methylation changes.

Methods for investigating DNA methylation nowadays either require a reference genome and high coverage, or investigate only CG methylation. Moreover, no large-scale analysis can be performed for N-methyladenosine (6 mA) at an affordable price. Here we describe the methylation content sensitive enzyme double-digest restriction-site-associated DNA (ddRAD) technique (MCSeEd), a reduced-representation, reference-free, cost-effective approach for characterizing whole genome methylation patterns across different methylation contexts (e.

Guanylin, Uroguanylin and Guanylate Cyclase-C Are Expressed in the Gastrointestinal Tract of Horses.

Guanylate cyclase-C (GC-C) is a multifunctional receptor encoded by the gene, representing an attractive target for therapy in several gastrointestinal diseases in humans. Little is known about this system in horses. We investigated for the first time the gene expression of guanylin, uroguanylin and GC-C receptors in different horse's gastrointestinal tracts.

Equine Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Release Extracellular Vesicles Enclosing Different Subsets of Small RNAs.

Background: Equine adipose-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (e-AdMSC) exhibit attractive proregenerative properties strongly related to the delivery of extracellular vesicles (EVs) that enclose different kinds of molecules including RNAs. In this study, we investigated small RNA content of EVs produced by e-AdMSC with the aim of speculating on their possible biological role.

Methods: EVs were obtained by ultracentrifugation of the conditioned medium of e-AdMSC of 4 subjects.

PDGFA in Cashmere Goat: A Motivation for the Hair Follicle Stem Cells to Activate.

The cashmere hair follicle (HF) perpetually goes through cycles of growth, involution and rest. The photoperiod is the main factor in the control of seasonal coat change in cashmere goats while stem cells play a crucial role in the HF growth. Several factors, including Platelet-Derived Growth Factor A (PDGFA), Bone Morphogenetic Protein 2 (BMP2) and Lim-Homeobox gene 2 (LHX2) are implicated in HF morphogenesis and cycle.

Genome-wide association study of milk fatty acid composition in Italian Simmental and Italian Holstein cows using single nucleotide polymorphism arrays.

Bovine milk is important for human nutrition, but its fat content is often criticized as a risk factor in cardiovascular disease. Selective breeding programs could be used to alter the fatty acid (FA) composition of bovine milk to improve the healthiness of dairy products for human consumption. Here, we performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) on bovine milk to identify genomic regions or specific genes associated with FA profile and to investigate genetic differences between the Italian Simmental (IS) and Italian Holstein (IH) breeds.

Dietary supplementation with olive mill wastewaters induces modifications on chicken jejunum epithelial cell transcriptome and modulates jejunum morphology.

Background: The Mediterranean diet is considered one of the healthier food habits and olive oil is one of its key components. Olive oil polyphenols are known to induce beneficial effects in several pathological conditions, such as inflammatory bowel disease, and to contrast the proliferation of cancer cells or hypercholesterolemia. Polyphenols are also present in waste products derived from the olive industry: olive mill wastewaters (OMWW) are rich in polyphenols and there is an increasing interest in using OMWW in animal nutrition.

Circulating miRNAs as Putative Biomarkers of Exercise Adaptation in Endurance Horses.

Endurance exercise induces metabolic adaptations and has recently been reported associated with the modulation of a particular class of small noncoding RNAs, microRNAs, that act as post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression. Released into body fluids, they termed circulating miRNAs, and they have been recognized as more effective and accurate biomarkers than classical serum markers. This study examined serum profile of miRNAs through massive parallel sequencing in response to prolonged endurance exercise in samples obtained from four competitive Arabian horses before and 2 h after the end of competition.

Gene co-expression networks in liver and muscle transcriptome reveal sex-specific gene expression in lambs fed with a mix of essential oils.

Background: Essential oil (EO) dietary supplementation is a new strategy to improve animal health. EO compounds have antiparasitic, antimicrobial, antiviral, antimycotic, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory proprieties. Nutrigenomics investigations represent innovative approaches in understanding the relation between diet effect and gene expression related to the animal performance.