Publications by authors named "Laura Patterson Rosa"

Article Synopsis
  • Horses have been shaped by human needs through selective breeding, leading to a very uniform male-specific portion of the Y chromosome (MSY) across modern breeds.
  • The study analyzed 1,517 males from 189 horse breeds, revealing the significant influence of Oriental stallions, especially Arabian and English Thoroughbred, over the past few centuries.
  • Additionally, the research uncovered two major historical waves of horse dissemination, including the "Spanish influence" from the Iberian Peninsula and the spread during the Ottoman Empire's expansion, highlighting the complex ancestry of modern horses.
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The genetic diversity of Breton horses in Brazil is a critical concern, mainly due to the small population size and low number of births per year. Given that the inbreeding was overlooked by breeders for multiple generations, we estimated the genetic diversity of this population utilizing pedigree-based measures of population diversity. A total of 1394 six-generation pedigrees representing the full population of registered Breton horses in Brazil defined a total population (TP,  = 2679), with horses born between 2000 and 2022, reproductively active and alive, as reported by the breed association, representing the reference population (RP,  = 731).

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The Y chromosome carries information about the demography of paternal lineages, and thus, can prove invaluable for retracing both the evolutionary trajectory of wild animals and the breeding history of domesticates. In horses, the Y chromosome shows a limited, but highly informative, sequence diversity, supporting the increasing breeding influence of Oriental lineages during the last 1500 years. Here, we augment the primary horse Y-phylogeny, which is currently mainly based on modern horse breeds of economic interest, with haplotypes (HT) segregating in remote horse populations around the world.

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  • Horses played a crucial role in Indigenous cultures in the American Southwest and Great Plains, but the timeline and methods of their integration remain debated.
  • A study analyzing historic horse remains combined genomic, isotopic, and other evidence, revealing strong genetic ties to Iberian horses, with later British influences.
  • By the early 17th century, horses were widely adopted in Indigenous societies, impacting herd management, ceremonies, and cultural practices before European observers arrived in the 18th century.
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  • Donkeys played a crucial role in human history as reliable transport animals, especially in tough terrains, yet their significance is not thoroughly researched.
  • A study analyzed the genomes of 207 modern and 31 ancient donkeys, revealing that they were domesticated in Africa around 5000 BCE, with subsequent expansions across Africa and Eurasia.
  • The research discovered a new genetic lineage from the Levant around 200 BCE, which contributed to donkey ancestry in Asia, highlighting the historical importance of donkeys in economies, particularly during the Roman era when mules were vital.
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Over 40 identified genetic variants contribute to white spotting in the horse. White markings and spotting are under selection for their impact on the economic value of an equine, yet many phenotypes have an unknown genetic basis. Previous studies also demonstrate an interaction between MC1R and ASIP pigmentation loci and white spotting associated with KIT and MITF.

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Pedigrees and horse written ancestry contain numerous inconsistencies and divergence between farm histories, owner accounts and registration records. In particular, the origins of the Brazilian Mangalarga, or "Mangalarga Paulista'' horse breed is controversial, and the breed's popular history claims that one of its most famous individuals, Turbante J.O.

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Macrolide drugs are the treatment of choice for infections, despite severe side-effects temporary anhidrosis as a. To better understand the molecular biology leading to macrolide induced anhidrosis, we performed skin biopsies and Quantitative Intradermal Terbutaline Sweat Tests (QITSTs) in six healthy pony-cross foals for three different timepoints during erythromycin administration-pre-treatment (baseline), during anhidrosis and post-recovery. RNA sequencing of biopsies followed by differential gene expression analysis compared both pre and post normal sweating timepoints to the erythromycin induced anhidrosis episode.

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The traits of two subspecies of western honey bees, Apis mellifera scutellata and A.m. capensis, endemic to the Republic of South Africa (RSA), are of biological and commercial relevance.

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Hereditary Equine Regional Dermal Asthenia (HERDA) is an autosomal recessive condition present in the American Quarter Horse and other related breeds. Resulting from a mutation in the peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase B (PPIB) gene, HERDA is homologous to Ehlers-Danlos syndrome in humans. Characterized by fragile, hyperelastic, skin, HERDA affected horses often present first with slow-healing wounds usually on the dorsum, and resulting in atrophic scars, seromas, and ulcers.

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Over 30 polymorphisms in the KIT Proto-Oncogene Receptor Tyrosine Kinase (KIT) gene have been implicated in white spotting patterns ranging from small areas to full dermal depigmentation in the horse. We performed a candidate-gene exon sequencing approach on KIT and MITF, 2 known causatives of white spotting patterns, within 2 families of horses of unknown white spotting. Family 1 (Fam1, N = 5) consisted of a Quarter Horse stallion and 4 offspring with white spotting pattern ranging from legs, lower ventral, and head regions with jagged borders, to almost complete white.

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Similar to humans, the horse relies predominantly on the evaporation of sweat from the skin surface to dissipate excess body heat. Loss of the sweat response or anhidrosis can result in life-threatening hyperthermia. Anhidrosis occurs more frequently in some breeds as well as occurs at an increased frequency among individuals with a family history, suggesting a heritable component to the pathology.

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An analogous condition to human metabolic syndrome, Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS) is defined by several clinical signs including obesity, hyperinsulinemia, and peripheral insulin dysregulation (ID). Affected horses may also exhibit hypertension, hyperlipemia and systemic inflammation. Measures of ID typically comprise the gold-standard for diagnosis in veterinary care.

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