Use of proximity loggers to Estimate Affiliative and Agonistic Relationships among Group-housed Holstein calves.

We used proximity loggers to map the social network of 15 group-housed suckling Holstein calves over a 70-day period divided into five trial periods. Tag ID, encountered tag ID, and encounter start time and length were collected from the proximity loggers. Use of 3D matrices and trendlines distinguished three encounter types: "rapid decline" (up to ~ 120 s), "moderate decline" (~120 to ~ 600 s), and "exponential decline" (longer than ~ 600 s).

Re-Evaluation of Genotyping Methodologies in Cattle: The Proficiency of Imputation.

In dairy cattle, identifying polymorphisms that contribute to complex economical traits such as residual feed intake (RFI) is challenging and demands accurate genotyping. In this study, we compared imputed genotypes ( = 192 cows) to those obtained using the TaqMan and high-resolution melting (HRM) methods ( = 114 cows), for mutations in the gene that had been suggested to have a large effect on RFI. Combining the whole genome sequence ( = 19 bulls) and the cows' BovineHD BeadChip allowed imputing genotypes for these mutations that were verified by Sanger sequencing, whereas, an error rate of 11.

The Meat Quality Characteristics of Holstein Calves: The Story of Israeli 'Dairy Beef'.

Global animal production systems are often criticized for their lack of sustainability and insufficient resilience to ensure food security. The 'farm-to-fork' approach aims at orienting food systems towards the creation of a positive environmental impact, nutritious, healthy, safe and sufficient foods, and fairer economic returns for primary producers. Many countries rely on an imported supply of live animals to fulfill their needs for fresh meat.

Dietary pomegranate peel improves milk quality of lactating ewes: Emphasis on milk fat globule membrane properties and antioxidative traits.

Concentrated pomegranate peel extract (CPE) was supplemented to ewes, and milk yield and fat content-fatty acid (FA) and phospholipid (PL) composition-were monitored. CPE-fed ewes had higher milk yield, and fat, protein and lactose contents than controls. Milk PL content-20% higher in the CPE-supplemented group-was regulated by treatment and not by total fat content; milk phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylcholine increased by 22 and 26%, respectively, in CPE-supplemented vs.

gene has a very large effect on feed efficiency in lactating Israeli Holstein cows.

Improving feed efficiency (FE) is a major goal for the livestock industry. Previously, we have identified 48 SNP markers distributed over 32 genes significantly associated with residual feed intake (RFI) in Israeli Holstein male calves, the most significant of which are located in the bovine gene. In the present study, we tested associations of eight of the markers with RFI and feed conversion ratio (FCR), along with milk composition and feeding behavioral traits, in 114 lactating Israeli Holstein cows.

Eating behavior, milk production, rumination, and digestibility characteristics of high- and low-efficiency lactating cows fed a low-roughage diet.

This study aimed to identify individual characteristics differing among high-efficiency (HEf; upper 20%, n = 31), low-efficiency (LEf; lower 20%, n = 31), and mid-efficiency (MEf, 60% n = 93) lactating cows. Primiparous (37) and multiparous (118) high-producing milking cows at 30 to 180 d in milk were fed individually a low-roughage diet [31.6% of dry matter (DM)] for 4 wk.

Consistency of feed efficiency ranking and mechanisms associated with inter-animal variation among growing calves.

This study investigated the possible mechanisms for explaining interanimal variation in efficiency of feed utilization in intact male Holstein calves. Additionally, we examined whether the feed efficiency (FE) ranking of calves (n = 26) changed due to age and/or diet quality. Calves were evaluated during three periods (P1, P2, and P3) while fed a high-quality diet (calculated mobilizable energy [ME] of 11.

FABP4 is a leading candidate gene associated with residual feed intake in growing Holstein calves.

Ecological and economic concerns drive the need to improve feed utilization by domestic animals. Residual feed intake (RFI) is one of the most acceptable measures for feed efficiency (FE). However, phenotyping RFI-related traits is complex and expensive and requires special equipment.

"Chrono-functional milk": The difference between melatonin concentrations in night-milk versus day-milk under different night illumination conditions.

Pineal melatonin (MLT) is produced at highest levels during the night, under dark conditions. We evaluated differences in MLT-concentration by comparing daytime versus night time milk samples, from two dairy farms with different night illumination conditions: (1) natural dark (Dark-Night); (2) short wavelength Artificial Light at Night (ALAN, Night-Illuminated). Samples were collected from 14 Israeli Holstein cows from each commercial dairy farm at 04:30 h ("Night-milk") 12:30 h ("Day-milk") and analyzed for MLT-concentration.

Structural maintenance of chromosome complexes and bone development: the beginning of a wonderful relationship?

Bone development depends on environmental, nutritional and hormonal factors. Yet, an ordered and timed activation of genes and their associated molecular pathways are central for the growth and development of healthy bones. The correct expression of genes depends on both cis- and trans-regulatory elements.

The genetic pleiotropy of musculoskeletal aging.

Musculoskeletal aging is detrimental to multiple bodily functions and starts early, probably in the fourth decade of an individual's life. Sarcopenia is a health problem that is expected to only increase as a greater portion of the population lives longer; prevalence of the related musculoskeletal diseases is similarly expected to increase. Unraveling the biological and biomechanical associations and molecular mechanisms underlying these diseases represents a formidable challenge.

Whole-genome resequencing of two elite sires for the detection of haplotypes under selection in dairy cattle.

Using a combination of whole-genome resequencing and high-density genotyping arrays, genome-wide haplotypes were reconstructed for two of the most important bulls in the history of the dairy cattle industry, Pawnee Farm Arlinda Chief ("Chief") and his son Walkway Chief Mark ("Mark"), each accounting for ∼7% of all current genomes. We aligned 20.5 Gbp (∼7.

Osteoporosis genetics: year 2011 in review.

Increased rates of osteoporotic fractures represent a worldwide phenomenon, which result from a progressing aging in the population around the world and creating socioeconomic problems. This review will focus mostly on human genetic studies identifying genomic regions, genes and mutations associated with osteoporosis (bone mineral density (BMD) and bone loss) and related fractures, which were published during 2011. Although multiple genome-wide association studies (GWAS) were performed to date, the genetic cause of osteoporosis and fractures has not yet been found, and only a small fraction of high heritability of bone mass was successfully explained.

Multisite haplotype on cattle chromosome 3 is associated with quantitative trait locus effects on lactation traits.

The goal of this study was to identify candidate genes and DNA polymorphisms for quantitative trait loci (QTL) affecting milk yield (MY), fat yield (FY), and protein yield (PY) previously mapped to bovine chromosome 3 (BTA3). To accomplish this, 373 half-siblings sired by three bulls previously shown to be segregating for lactation trait QTL, and 263 additional sires in the U.S.

Short communication: a polymorphism in ABCG2 in Bos indicus and Bos taurus cattle breeds.

A single nucleotide change (A/C) in exon 14 is capable of encoding a substitution of tyrosine-581 to serine (Y581S) in the ABCG2 (ATP binding cassette, subfamily G, member 2) gene and affects milk production traits. The ABCG2(A) allele decreases milk yield and increases protein and fat concentration. The allele frequencies were determined in 32 Bos taurus and 3 Bos indicus breeds; ABCG2(A) was predominant in all populations.

Accelerated expansion of group IID-like phospholipase A2 genes in Bos taurus.

Low-molecular-weight, calcium-dependent phospholipase A2 genes (PLA2s) that belong to the secreted type of PLA2s are clustered within a syntenic group on human 1p35-p36 and mouse 4qD3. We reassembled trace files available from the Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) Project, obtaining an 86-kb contig with three tandem PLA2G2D duplications in the Hereford strain. We used mate-pair data to monitor the assembly and to exclude chimeric clones, demonstrating that the current WGS data may be assembled even in a highly repetitive region with a coverage exceeding fivefold.

Efficient inference of haplotypes from genotypes on a large animal pedigree.

We present a simple algorithm for reconstruction of haplotypes from a sample of multilocus genotypes. The algorithm is aimed specifically for analysis of very large pedigrees for small chromosomal segments, where recombination frequency within the chromosomal segment can be assumed to be zero. The algorithm was tested both on simulated pedigrees of 155 individuals in a family structure of three generations and on real data of 1149 animals from the Israeli Holstein dairy cattle population, including 406 bulls with genotypes, but no females with genotypes.

Identification of a missense mutation in the bovine ABCG2 gene with a major effect on the QTL on chromosome 6 affecting milk yield and composition in Holstein cattle.

We previously localized a quantitative trait locus (QTL) on chromosome 6 affecting milk fat and protein concentration to a 4-cM confidence interval, centered on the microsatellite BM143. We characterized the genes and sequence variation in this region and identified common haplotypes spanning five polymorphic sites in the genes IBSP, SPP1, PKD2, and ABCG2 for two sires heterozygous for this QTL. Expression of SPP1 and ABCG2 in the bovine mammary gland increased from parturition through lactation.

Aminopeptidase N gene expression and abundance in caprine mammary gland is influenced by circulating plasma peptide.

This study examined the localization and the effect of circulating peptides on the expression of aminopeptidase N (EC 3.4.11.