Effect of vaccination against foot-and-mouth disease during mid-pregnancy on the neutralizing antibody response in the cow.

As pregnancy can adversely affect the immune response of vaccination against foot and mouth disease virus (FMDV) due to physiological immunosuppressive milieu, we tested the effect of FMDV vaccination during mid-gestation on the antibody response. Pregnant and non-pregnant cows of crossbred and indigenous breed (n = 28/group) were vaccinated with inactivated FMD vaccine covering O, A, and Asia1 serotypes and the sera were harvested at weekly interval till day 42 post-vaccination. Virus neutralization test (VNT) was done and the analysis of log VN antibody titer by mixed model ANOVA indicated that pregnancy did not significantly affect the log VN titer for FMDV serotype O and Asia1.

Novel Interacting Partners of MGP-40, a Chitinase-Like Protein in Buffalo Mammary Epithelial Cells.

Mammary Gland Protein-40 (MGP-40), also known as chitinase-3-like protein 1 (CHI3L1), is involved in critical biological processes such as inflammation, tissue remodeling, and cell proliferation, especially during the involution phase of the mammary gland. This study aimed to explore the molecular mechanisms of MGP-40 by identifying its novel interacting partners in buffalo mammary epithelial cells (BuMECs). Stable overexpression of MGP-40 in BuMECs was achieved through transfection with the pCIneo-MGP-40 vector, followed by G418 selection and confirmation by Western blot analysis.

Chronic heat stress upregulates pyruvate metabolic process and gluconeogenesis but downregulates immune responses in Sahiwal cattle.

Climate change and growing population and their strain on animal production are the impending challenges that the developing countries, like India, need to tackle in the coming days. This study aimed to detect and analyze the uncharacterized variation in the gene expression patterns with the change of condition, from thermoneutral to chronic hot-humid, in the Sahiwal cattle, one of the best breeds of milk-producing cattle in India, known for being heat-tolerant. Using RNA-Seq analysis on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), 4021 differentially expressed mRNAs (2772 upregulated, 1249 downregulated) and 1303 differentially expressed long non-coding RNAs (769 upregulated, 534 downregulated) were identified, with the thresholds of false discovery rate < 0.

Genomic insights into adaptation and inbreeding among Sub-Saharan African cattle from pastoral and agropastoral systems.

Background: In Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), cattle are crucial for socioeconomic stability yet face numerous environmental stressors such as diseases, parasites, and extreme heat within pastoral and agropastoral systems. Despite their significance, gaps remain in understanding how genetic diversity and inbreeding influence traits essential for disease resistance and environmental adaptability. This study examines the genomic adaptations that enable SSA cattle to thrive under these conditions and assesses the impact of inbreeding on such adaptive traits.

Characterization of runs of Homozygosity revealed genomic inbreeding and patterns of selection in indigenous sahiwal cattle.

Runs of homozygosity (ROH) are contiguous genomic regions, homozygous across all sites which arise in an individual due to the parents transmitting identical haplotypes to their offspring. The genetic improvement program of Sahiwal cattle after decades of selection needs re-assessment of breeding strategy and population phenomena. Hence, the present study was carried out to optimize input parameters in PLINK for ROH estimates, to explore ROH islands and assessment of pedigree and genome-based inbreeding in Sahiwal cattle.

Genetic admixture and population structure analysis of Indian water buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) using STR markers.

Background: India has a vast riverine and swamp buffalo diversity adapted to various agro-ecological conditions. In the present study, genetic diversity data for 10 different buffalo populations of India, using 20 highly polymorphic microsatellite markers has been generated for the genetic diversity analysis. The buffalo populations of Eastern Odisha state, were the primary focus.

Characterization of Anti-Müllerian Hormone (AMH) Gene in Buffaloes and Goats.

The Anti-Müllerian Hormone (AMH) is a member of the transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) superfamily, playing a significant role in cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis. In females, AMH is secreted throughout their reproductive life span from ovaries, whereas in males it is secreted by gonadal cells at a very early stage of testicular development. AMH is a promising marker of ovarian reserve in women and can be used to measure the female reproductive lifespan.

Effect of pH and Heat Treatment on the Antioxidant Activity of Egg White Protein-Derived Peptides after Simulated In-Vitro Gastrointestinal Digestion.

The study aimed to analyze pH and heat treatment's effect in modulating the release of peptides with antioxidant activity after simulated gastrointestinal (GI) digestion of Egg white powder (EWP). EWP samples with neutral (EWPN) and alkaline (EWPA) pH were heat-treated at 20, 60, and 90 °C and analyzed for protein aggregation, solubility, and GI digestibility. Heat treatment decreased solubility and induced protein aggregation, which was higher for EWPN as compared to EWPA.

Effect of different fat and protein levels in calf ration on performance of Sahiwal calves.

Objective: The current study was carried out to examine the response of different levels of fat and protein in calf starter on nutrient utilisation, nitrogen metabolism, weight gain, blood parameters and immunity level in pre-ruminant calves.

Methods: Twenty four calves (5 days old) were divided into six groups in a 2x3 factorial design, with two levels of fat (10% and 14 %) and three levels of protein (18%, 21% and 24%). The calves were kept in individual pens for 120 days and fed with whole milk (1/10th of body weight) and calf starter ad-libitum.

Comparative diversity analysis of ruminal methanogens in Murrah buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) in four states of North India.

We compared the community structure of methanogens in Murrah breed of buffaloes of four states of north India using 16S rRNA gene clone library method. The results revealed the dominance of methanogens related to Methanobrevibacter in three states, while Methanomicrobium-related methanogens were abundant in one state.

Catalytic Interactions and Molecular Docking of Bile Salt Hydrolase (BSH) from RYPR1 and Its Prebiotic Utilization.

Prebiotics are the non-digestible carbohydrate, which passes through the small intestine into unmetabolized form, reaches the large intestine and undergoes fermentation by the colonic bacteria thus; prebiotics stimulate the growth of probiotic bacteria. Further, bile salt hydrolase (BSH) is an enzyme that catalyses the deconjugation of bile salt, so it has enormous potential toward utilizing such capability of RYPR1 toward detoxifying through BSH enzyme activity. In the present study, six isolates of were evaluated for the co-aggregation assay and the isolate RYPR1 was further selected for studies of prebiotic utilization, catalytic interactions and molecular docking.

Modulation of intestinal barrier function to ameliorate Salmonella infection in mice by oral administration of fermented milks produced with Lactobacillus plantarum MTCC 5690 - a probiotic strain of Indian gut origin.

Probiotic Lactobacillus plantarum MTCC 5690, a probiotic strain of Indian gut origin, and milk formulations produced with the same were explored in this study as biotherapeutics by evaluating their functional efficacy against Salmonella infection in mice. The efficacy of milk formulations (fermented/unfermented) of MTCC 5690 for enhancement of intestinal barrier function was determined by monitoring the permeability and histopathology of the intestine. Infected mice fed with probiotic Dahi, fermented probiotic drink and sweetened fermented probiotic drink maintained the health and integrity of the intestinal epithelium as compared to those fed with PBS, milk, unfermented probiotic milk and Dahi.

Identifying factors affecting age at first semen freezing and age at first semen use in Sahiwal bulls.

Aim: The objective of the study was to evaluate the effects of non-genetic factors on reproduction traits viz. age at first semen freezing and age at first semen use of breeding bulls in Sahiwal bulls by fitting least-squares analysis.

Materials And Methods: The information on reproduction traits of 43 Sahiwal breeding bulls belonging to 8 sets of Sahiwal breeding program at Indian Council of Agricultural Research-National Dairy Research Institute (ICAR-NDRI), Karnal (Haryana), India during 27 years (1987-2013) were analyzed using fixed linear model.