First report of cerebellar abiotrophy in an Arabian foal from Argentina

Evidence of cerebellar abiotrophy (CA) was found in a six-month-old Arabian filly with signs of incoordination, head tremor, wobbling, loss of balance and falling over, consistent with a cerebellar lesion. Normal hematology profile blood test and cerebrospinal fluid analysis excluded infectious encephalitis, and serological testing for Sarcocystis neurona was negative. The filly was euthanized. Postmortem X-ray radiography of the cervical cephalic region identified not abnormalities, discounting spinal trauma. The histopathological analysis of serial transverse cerebellar sections by electron microscopy revealed morphological characteristics of apoptotic cells with pyknotic nuclei and degenerate mitochondria, cytoplasmic condensation and areas with absence of Purkinje cells, matching with CA histopathological characteristics. The indirect DNA test for CA was positive in the filly, and DNA test confirmed the CA carrier state in the parents and the recessive inheritance of the disease. To our knowledge this is the first report of a CA case in Argentina.Instituto de Genética VeterinariaFacultad de Ciencias Veterinaria

Glucocorticoid-induced apoptosis in lymphoid organs is associated with a delayed increase in circulating deoxyribonucleic acid

Pathological processes like cancer, chronic inflammation and autoimmune phenomena, all of which involve massive cell death, are associated with significant increases in circulating DNA. In order to clarify whether massive apoptosis occurring under physiological circumstances also causes DNA release into the circulation, we correlated the time-course of dexamethasone-induced intra thymic cell apoptosis with plasma DNA dynamics in rats. Animals were given 10 mg/l dexamethasone in their drinking water for up to 7 days. Sequential plasma samples were obtained during the treatment and DNA was quantitated by a micro fluorometric assay. Thymus and spleen weight as well as apoptotic cell levels were assessed at different times. Seven days of glucocorticoid treatment reduced thymic and spleen mass by 82 and 31%, respectively. Intra thymic apoptosis was maximal 24 h after the beginning of glucocorticoid treatment, declining markedly by 48 h. Very little apoptosis was observed in the spleen. Plasma DNA increased steadily during the first 4 days of glucocorticoid treatment (11.8 ± 1.2 μg/ml on day 0; 24.2 ± 1.6 μg/ml on day 4) beginning to decline afterward. Thymectomy but not splenectomy, drastically reduced the glucocorticoid-induced increase in plasma DNA. It is concluded that hormone-induced massive intra thymic cell death is followed by a delayed release of nucleosomal DNA into the circulation.Facultad de Ciencias Médica

Comparison of the effectiveness of microsatellites and SNP panels for genetic identification, traceability and assessment of parentage in an inbred Angus herd

During the last decade, microsatellites (short tandem repeats or STRs) have been successfully used for animal genetic identification, traceability and paternity, although in recent year single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been increasingly used for this purpose. An efficient SNP identification system requires a marker set with enough power to identify individuals and their parents. Genetic diagnostics generally include the analysis of related animals. In this work, the degree of information provided by SNPs for a consanguineous herd of cattle was compared with that provided by STRs. Thirty-six closely related Angus cattle were genotyped for 18 STRs and 116 SNPs. Cumulative SNPs exclusion power values (Q) for paternity and sample matching probability (MP) yielded values greater than 0.9998 and 4.32E-42, respectively. Generally 2-3 SNPs per STR were needed to obtain an equivalent Q value. The MP showed that 24 SNPs were equivalent to the ISAG (International Society for Animal Genetics) minimal recommended set of 12 STRs (MP ~ 10-11). These results provide valuable genetic data that support the consensus SNP panel for bovine genetic identification developed by the Parentage Recording Working Group of ICAR (International Committee for Animal Recording).Facultad de Ciencias Veterinaria

Comparison of the effectiveness of microsatellites and SNP panels for genetic identification, traceability and assessment of parentage in an inbred Angus herd

During the last decade, microsatellites (short tandem repeats or STRs) have been successfully used for animal genetic identification, traceability and paternity, although in recent year single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been increasingly used for this purpose. An efficient SNP identification system requires a marker set with enough power to identify individuals and their parents. Genetic diagnostics generally include the analysis of related animals. In this work, the degree of information provided by SNPs for a consanguineous herd of cattle was compared with that provided by STRs. Thirty-six closely related Angus cattle were genotyped for 18 STRs and 116 SNPs. Cumulative SNPs exclusion power values (Q) for paternity and sample matching probability (MP) yielded values greater than 0.9998 and 4.32E-42, respectively. Generally 2-3 SNPs per STR were needed to obtain an equivalent Q value. The MP showed that 24 SNPs were equivalent to the ISAG (International Society for Animal Genetics) minimal recommended set of 12 STRs (MP ~ 10-11). These results provide valuable genetic data that support the consensus SNP panel for bovine genetic identification developed by the Parentage Recording Working Group of ICAR (International Committee for Animal Recording).Facultad de Ciencias Veterinaria

Design of a Conservation Program Assited by Genetic Markers in a Herd of YacumeñO Cattle in Santa Cruz – Bolivia

La Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias de la UAGRM consolido un programa de conservación del ganado Bovino Criollo Yacumeño a partir del año 2004. La conservación de recursos zoogenéticos generalmente se realiza en poblaciones pequeñas, las cuales tienen un tamaño poblacional efectivo muy reducido. En estos casos es importante realizar apareamientos que mantengan la variabilidad genética alta y los niveles de consanguinidad bajos. El objetivo del presente trabajo consistió en determinar las paternidades y los linajes paternos mediante el uso de marcadores moleculares. El ADN se extrajo partir de muestras de sangre de los 149 animales del hato y se procedió a genotipificar todos los individuos utilizando 18 microsatélites y 7 marcadores del cromosoma Y. Los resultados obtenidos permitieron identificar dos grandes grupos de vacas y 3 linajes paternos. Esta información servirá para diseñar un programa reproductivo que evite en lo posible la perdida de la variabilidad genética y mantenga niveles aceptables de consaguinidad en el hato a conservar.The Faculty of Veterinary Science of the UAGRM consolidated a conservation program of the Yacumeño Creole cattle. The conservation of zoogenetic resources is performed generally in small populations, which usually has a reduced effective population size. In those cases it is important to keep high genetic variability and low levels of consanguinity by performing specific mating among the animals. The main objective of this research consisted in determine the paternity and male lines by using molecular markers. The DNA was extracted from blood sample of 149 animals and were genotyped all the individuals using 18 microsatellites and 7 markers of the Y chromosome. The results obtained allowed to identify two groups of cows and 3 male lines. This information will be useful to design a reproductive program that avoids to a certain degree the lost of genetic variability and will keep acceptable levels of consanguinity among the herd.Instituto de Genética Veterinari

Design of a Conservation Program Assited by Genetic Markers in a Herd of YacumeñO Cattle in Santa Cruz – Bolivia

La Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias de la UAGRM consolido un programa de conservación del ganado Bovino Criollo Yacumeño a partir del año 2004. La conservación de recursos zoogenéticos generalmente se realiza en poblaciones pequeñas, las cuales tienen un tamaño poblacional efectivo muy reducido. En estos casos es importante realizar apareamientos que mantengan la variabilidad genética alta y los niveles de consanguinidad bajos. El objetivo del presente trabajo consistió en determinar las paternidades y los linajes paternos mediante el uso de marcadores moleculares. El ADN se extrajo partir de muestras de sangre de los 149 animales del hato y se procedió a genotipificar todos los individuos utilizando 18 microsatélites y 7 marcadores del cromosoma Y. Los resultados obtenidos permitieron identificar dos grandes grupos de vacas y 3 linajes paternos. Esta información servirá para diseñar un programa reproductivo que evite en lo posible la perdida de la variabilidad genética y mantenga niveles aceptables de consaguinidad en el hato a conservar.The Faculty of Veterinary Science of the UAGRM consolidated a conservation program of the Yacumeño Creole cattle. The conservation of zoogenetic resources is performed generally in small populations, which usually has a reduced effective population size. In those cases it is important to keep high genetic variability and low levels of consanguinity by performing specific mating among the animals. The main objective of this research consisted in determine the paternity and male lines by using molecular markers. The DNA was extracted from blood sample of 149 animals and were genotyped all the individuals using 18 microsatellites and 7 markers of the Y chromosome. The results obtained allowed to identify two groups of cows and 3 male lines. This information will be useful to design a reproductive program that avoids to a certain degree the lost of genetic variability and will keep acceptable levels of consanguinity among the herd.Instituto de Genética Veterinari

First report of cerebellar abiotrophy in an Arabian foal from Argentina

Evidence of cerebellar abiotrophy (CA) was found in a six-month-old Arabian filly with signs of incoordination, head tremor, wobbling, loss of balance and falling over, consistent with a cerebellar lesion. Normal hematology profile blood test and cerebrospinal fluid analysis excluded infectious encephalitis, and serological testing for Sarcocystis neurona was negative. The filly was euthanized. Postmortem X-ray radiography of the cervical cephalic region identified not abnormalities, discounting spinal trauma. The histopathological analysis of serial transverse cerebellar sections by electron microscopy revealed morphological characteristics of apoptotic cells with pyknotic nuclei and degenerate mitochondria, cytoplasmic condensation and areas with absence of Purkinje cells, matching with CA histopathological characteristics. The indirect DNA test for CA was positive in the filly, and DNA test confirmed the CA carrier state in the parents and the recessive inheritance of the disease. To our knowledge this is the first report of a CA case in Argentina.Instituto de Genética VeterinariaFacultad de Ciencias Veterinaria

Comparison of the effectiveness of microsatellites and SNP panels for genetic identification, traceability and assessment of parentage in an inbred Angus herd

During the last decade, microsatellites (short tandem repeats or STRs) have been successfully used for animal genetic identification, traceability and paternity, although in recent year single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been increasingly used for this purpose. An efficient SNP identification system requires a marker set with enough power to identify individuals and their parents. Genetic diagnostics generally include the analysis of related animals. In this work, the degree of information provided by SNPs for a consanguineous herd of cattle was compared with that provided by STRs. Thirty-six closely related Angus cattle were genotyped for 18 STRs and 116 SNPs. Cumulative SNPs exclusion power values (Q) for paternity and sample matching probability (MP) yielded values greater than 0.9998 and 4.32E-42, respectively. Generally 2-3 SNPs per STR were needed to obtain an equivalent Q value. The MP showed that 24 SNPs were equivalent to the ISAG (International Society for Animal Genetics) minimal recommended set of 12 STRs (MP ~ 10-11). These results provide valuable genetic data that support the consensus SNP panel for bovine genetic identification developed by the Parentage Recording Working Group of ICAR (International Committee for Animal Recording).Facultad de Ciencias Veterinaria

La genética molecular de bovinos y equinos criollos en los albores del siglo XXI

American Creole bovines and equines are direct descendant from the animals introduced by European conquerors during XV an XVI centuries. At the beginning of the last decade, new technologies based in DNA emerged for genetic analysis, and Creole breeds were not the exception for these kind of studies. During the last years, these methodologies evolved vertiginously. In a short time, the amount of available information increased, and the analysis of few loci turned into analysis of complete genomes. This work describes the evolution of Creole, cattle and equines, molecular genetic studies during the last fifteen years. Even though, Creole breeds have not entered yet into genomic and proteomic era, its study is relevant because they are suffering a progressive population reduction. In this sense, information about infectious diseases resistance, adaptability, forensic genetics, animal production and phylogeography, among others, can be obtained from them. Furthermore, Creole breeds are a unique natural reservoir of genetic variability, and strategies for its conservation should be implemented.Los bovinos y equinos criollos americanos son descendientes directos de los animales introducidos al Nuevo Mundo por los europeos durante los siglos XV y XVI. En los comienzos de la década pasada, surgieron tecnologías basadas en el estudio del ADN que permitieron profundizar el análisis genético, por su parte, las especies criollas americanas no quedaron fuera de dichos estudios. En los últimos años, estas metodologías evolucionaron en forma vertiginosa, y en poco tiempo, el aumento de información creció significativamente de modo tal que las investigaciones pasaron de unos pocos loci a la secuenciación y el análisis de los genomas completos de ambas especies. En el presente trabajo se describe como ha evolucionado el estado del arte de la genética molecular de bovinos y equinos criollos en los últimos 15 años. Si bien las razas criollas aun no han entrado en la era de la genómica y la proteómica, su estudio es valioso dado que actualmente se encuentran en progresiva reducción poblacional. Su importancia radica en que aporta información relacionada con la resistencia a enfermedades infecciosas, la adaptabilidad ante condiciones desfavorables, la genética forense, la producción animal y la filigeografía, entre otras. Además, las razas criollas son un reservorio natural e irremplazable de variabilidad genética, y el conocimiento pormenorizado de ellas es clave para la planificación de estrategias de conservación sustentables a lo largo del tiempo.Instituto de Genética Veterinari

Effectiveness of Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms to investigate cattle rustling

Short tandem repeats (STR)s have been the eligible markers for forensic animal genetics, despite single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP)s became acceptable. The technology, the type, and amount of markers could limit the investigation in degraded forensic samples. The performance of a 32-SNP panel genotyped through OpenArraysTM (real-time PCR based) was evaluated to resolve cattle-specific forensic cases. DNA from different biological sources was used, including samples from an alleged instance of cattle rustling. SNPs and STRs performance and repeatability were compared. SNP call rate was variable among sample type (average = 80.18%), while forensic samples showed the lowest value (70.94%). The repeatability obtained (98.7%) supports the used technology. SNPs had better call rates than STRs in 12 of 20 casework samples, while forensic index values were similar for both panels. In conclusion, the 32-SNPs used are as informative as the standard bovine STR battery and hence are suitable to resolve cattle rustling investigations.Fil: Fernandez, María Elena. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico la Plata. Instituto de Genética Veterinaria "ingeniero Fernando Noel Dulout"; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; ArgentinaFil: Rogberg Muñoz, Andres. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico la Plata. Instituto de Genética Veterinaria "ingeniero Fernando Noel Dulout"; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; ArgentinaFil: Liron, Juan Pedro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico la Plata. Instituto de Genética Veterinaria "ingeniero Fernando Noel Dulout"; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; ArgentinaFil: Goszczynski, Daniel Estanislao. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico la Plata. Instituto de Genética Veterinaria "ingeniero Fernando Noel Dulout"; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; ArgentinaFil: Ripoli, María Verónica. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico la Plata. Instituto de Genética Veterinaria "ingeniero Fernando Noel Dulout"; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; ArgentinaFil: Carino, Mónica H.. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico la Plata. Instituto de Genética Veterinaria "ingeniero Fernando Noel Dulout"; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; Argentina. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas; ArgentinaFil: Peral Garcia, Pilar. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico la Plata. Instituto de Genética Veterinaria "ingeniero Fernando Noel Dulout"; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; ArgentinaFil: Giovambattista, Guillermo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico la Plata. Instituto de Genética Veterinaria "ingeniero Fernando Noel Dulout"; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; Argentin