The Role of Vitamins in Mitigating the Effects of Various Stress Factors in Pigs Breeding.

Good practices in farm animal care are crucial for upholding animal well-being, efficiency, and health. Pigs, like other farm animals, are exposed to various stressors, including environmental, nutritional, chemical, psychological, physiological, and metabolic stressors, which can disrupt their internal balance and compromise their well-being. Oxidative stress can adversely affect animal performance, fertility, and immunity, leading to economic losses for farmers.

Omics as a Tool to Help Determine the Effectiveness of Supplements.

There has been considerable interest in dietary supplements in the last two decades. Companies are releasing new specifics at an alarming pace, while dietary supplements are one of the less-studied substances released for public consumption. However, access to state-of-the-art and high-throughput techniques, such as the ones used in omics, make it possible to check the impact of a substance on human transcriptome or proteome and provide answers to whether its use is reasonable and beneficial.

Differentiating Pigs from Wild Boars Based on and Gene Polymorphisms.

This preliminary study aimed to differentiate domestic pigs from wild boars based on and polymorphisms and to identify admixture between these genomes. We studied samples obtained from wild boars from two regions of Poland and five pig breeds: Polish Landrace, Polish Large White, Złotnicka White, Pulawska and Duroc. Along the gene sequence, we identified four polymorphic loci comprising three codons.

Microsatellite DNA Analysis for Diversity Study, Individual Identification and Parentage Control in Pig Breeds in Poland.

Swine DNA profiling is of high importance for animal identification and parentage verification. The aim of this study was to test a set of 14 microsatellite (STR) markers recommended by ISAG for parentage verification in Polish Landrace (PL, = 900), Polish Large White (PLW, = 482), Pulawska (PUL, = 127), and Duroc pigs (DU = 108). The studied breeds showed a medium level of genetic differentiation.

A genome-wide association study for prolificacy in three Polish sheep breeds.

Reproductive traits (especially litter size) are usually characterized by low heritability, and thus, phenotypic selection is often ineffective and slow. In order to improve fertility characteristics such as ovulation rate and litter size, it seems more effective to select breeding animals based on their genotype. The aim of the study was to use genome-wide association study (GWAS) in three sheep breeds to identify the genetic variants affecting the litter size in sheep.

3'quant mRNA-Seq of Porcine Liver Reveals Alterations in UPR, Acute Phase Response, and Cholesterol and Bile Acid Metabolism in Response to Different Dietary Fats.

Animal fats are considered to be unhealthy, in contrast to vegetable fats, which are rich in unsaturated fatty acids. However, the use of some fats, such as coconut oil, is still controversial. In our experiment, we divided experimental animals (domestic pigs) into three groups differing only in the type of fat used in the diet: group R: rapeseed oil ( = 5); group B: beef tallow ( = 5); group C: coconut oil ( = 6).

Breeding and Economic Aspects of Cytogenetic Screening Studies of Pigs Qualified for Reproduction.

Cytogenetic monitoring allows the identification and early removal of pigs affected by inherited karyotype defects from breeding herds. These abnormalities cause developmental anomalies, considerably reducing the fertility (by several dozen to 100%) and performance parameters of breeding herds, resulting in substantial financial losses. This mainly concerns reciprocal translocations, typical of pigs, which are highly prevalent (about 0.

Use of the HRM Method in Quick Identification of FecX Mutation in Highly Prolific Olkuska Sheep.

Olkuska is a highly prolific sheep breed in Poland. Thanks to earlier identification of the genetic basis of its prolificacy, a mutation in the gene, we can use molecular biology tools to identify this causative mutation affecting prolificacy. In our research, we used the High-Resolution Melting (HRM) and Sanger sequencing methods to identify the genotypes of the studied animals.

Polymorphism of the Myostatin () Gene in Landes and Kielecka Geese Breeds.

Myostatin, also known as growth differentiation factor 8 (GDF8), belongs to the TGF-β superfamily of proteins. MSTN is a highly conserved protein that acts as a negative regulator of skeletal muscle growth. Loss of myostatin functionality causes the phenotype to appear in the form of 'double musculature', among others in cattle, sheep, and house mice.

Early Diagnostics of Freemartinism in Polish Holstein-Friesian Female Calves.

Freemartinism in females born from heterosexual multiple pregnancies is characterized by the presence of XX/XY cell lines due to the formation of a shared blood system by anastomoses between fetal membranes of co-twins and leads to disturbed development of the reproductive system, including infertility. The aim of this study was to estimate the most precise and effective diagnostic method, especially useful for early identification of freemartinism in young female calves. The cytomolecular evaluation results of 24 Holstein-Friesian heifers from heterosexual twins was verified by molecular techniques: PCR, short tandem repeats (STRs), and relative quantitative PCR.

Characterization of PRNP and SPRN coding regions from atypical scrapie cases diagnosed in Poland.

Scrapie, a fatal transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) occurs in two phenotypes: classical and atypical. Many authors point out that the polymorphism of three codons (136, 154, 171) of the PRNP (PrP gene) is associated with a sheep susceptibility to classical scrapie. Until now, only one PRNP gene variant coding phenylalanine at codon 141 has been found to be associated with atypical scrapie.