Live yeasts as a non-hormonal alternative to improve the performance of dairy cows

The present study aimed to evaluate live yeast dietary supply instead of rbST application in lactating dairy cows. Thirty-five Holstein cows (37.1 ± 7.8 kg/d of milk yield and 524 ± 27 kg of body weight; mean ± SD) were used in a completely random trial to evaluate: 1) rbST: animals treated with 500 mg of rbST every 14 d; and 2) Yeast: animals fed diets containing 40 g/d of live yeast. The trial lasted for five subsequent 14-d periods. Treatments showed no effects on cows’ feed intake. Yeast reduced large and small particles selection indexes compared, feed residue and starch in feces compared to rbST. Cows treated with rbST had increased glucose, triglycerides, and AST, and decreased cholesterol and urea serum concentration. In addition, yeast reduced somatic cells count and increased milk yield and cows’ production efficiency. Although treatments showed no effects on milk chemical composition, yeast increased saturated to unsaturated fatty acids ratio. Yeast increased saturated and short-chain fatty acids, whereas reduced unsaturated and cis-9 trans-11 C18:2 FA content in milk fat. Thus, yeast could be used instead of rbST to improve milk yield and the productive efficiency of cows in a short-term evaluatio

Comparative chromosome painting in hummingbirds (Trochilidae).

Hummingbirds (Trochilidae) are one of the most enigmatic avian groups, and also among the most diverse, with approximately 360 recognized species in 106 genera, of which 43 are monotypic. This fact has generated considerable interest in the evolutionary biology of the hummingbirds, which is reflected in a number of DNA-based studies. However, only a few of them explored chromosomal data. Given this, the present study provides an analysis of the karyotypes of three species of Neotropical hummingbirds, Anthracothorax nigricollis (ANI), Campylopterus largipennis (CLA), and Hylocharis chrysura (HCH), in order to analyze the chromosomal processes associated with the evolution of the Trochilidae. The diploid number of ANI is 2n=80 chromosomes, while CLA and HCH have identical karyotypes, with 2n=78. Chromosome painting with Gallus gallus probes (GGA1-12) shows that the hummingbirds have a karyotype close to the proposed ancestral bird karyotype. Despite this, an informative rearrangement was detected: an in-tandem fusion between GGA7 and GGA9 found in CLA and HCH, but absent in ANI. A comparative analysis with the tree of life of the hummingbirds indicated that this fusion must have arisen following the divergence of a number of hummingbird species

Comparative chromosome painting in hummingbirds (Trochilidae)

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e TecnológicoUniversidade Estadual de Ponta Grossa. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Evolutiva. Ponta Grossa, PR, Brazil.Universidade Federal Rural da Amazônia. Laboratório de Reprodução Animal. Parauapebas, PA, Brazil / University of Cambridge. Department of Veterinary Medicine. Cambridge Resource Centre for Comparative Genomics. Cambridge, UK.Universidade Federal do Pará. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Genética e Biologia Molecular. Belém, PA, Brazil / Ministério da Saúde. Secretaria de Vigilância em Saúde. Instituto Evandro Chagas. Ananindeua, PA, Brasil.Universidade Federal do Pampa. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Biológicas. São Gabriel, RS, Brazil.University of Cambridge. Department of Veterinary Medicine. Cambridge Resource Centre for Comparative Genomics. Cambridge, UK.University of Cambridge. Department of Veterinary Medicine. Cambridge Resource Centre for Comparative Genomics. Cambridge, UK.University of Trás‐os‐Montes and Alto Douro. Animal and Veterinary Research Centre. Vila Real, Portugal.Universidade Federal do Pampa. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Biológicas. São Gabriel, RS, Brazil.Universidade Federal do Pampa. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Biológicas. São Gabriel, RS, Brazil.Universidade Estadual de Ponta Grossa. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Evolutiva. Ponta Grossa, PR, Brazil.Hummingbirds (Trochilidae) are one of the most enigmatic avian groups, and also among the most diverse, with approximately 360 recognized species in 106 genera, of which 43 are monotypic. This fact has generated considerable interest in the evolutionary biology of the hummingbirds, which is reflected in a number of DNA-based studies. However, only a few of them explored chromosomal data. Given this, the present study provides an analysis of the karyotypes of three species of Neotropical hummingbirds, Anthracothorax nigricollis (ANI), Campylopterus largipennis (CLA), and Hylocharis chrysura (HCH), in order to analyze the chromosomal processes associated with the evolution of the Trochilidae. The diploid number of ANI is 2n=80 chromosomes, while CLA and HCH have identical karyotypes, with 2n=78. Chromosome painting with Gallus gallus probes (GGA1–12) shows that the hummingbirds have a karyotype close to the proposed ancestral bird karyotype. Despite this, an informative rearrangement was detected: an in-tandem fusion between GGA7 and GGA9 found in CLA and HCH, but absent in ANI. A comparative analysis with the tree of life of the hummingbirds indicated that this fusion must have arisen following the divergence of a number of hummingbird species

Comparative analyses of three swallow species (Aves, passeriformes, hirundinidae): insights on karyotype evolution and genomic organization

This study was financed in part by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - Brasil (CAPES) - Finance Code 001Universidade Federal do Pampa. Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciências Biológicas. São Gabriel, RS, Brazil.Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul. Programa de Pós-graduação em Genética e Biologia Molecular. Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.Universidade Federal do Pampa. Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciências Biológicas. São Gabriel, RS, Brazil.Universidade Federal do Pampa. Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciências Biológicas. São Gabriel, RS, Brazil.Universidade Federal do Paraná. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Genética. Curitiba, PR, Brazil.Universidade Federal do Pampa. Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciências Biológicas. São Gabriel, RS, Brazil.University of Cambridge. Department of Veterinary Medicine. Cambridge Resource Centre for Comparative Genomics. Cambridge, United Kingdom.University of Cambridge. Department of Veterinary Medicine. Cambridge Resource Centre for Comparative Genomics. Cambridge, United Kingdom.Universidade Federal do Pará. Instituto de Ciências Exatas e Naturais. Belém, PA, Brazil / Ministério da Saúde. Secretaria de Vigilância em Saúde. Instituto Evandro Chagas. Ananindeua, PA, Brasil.Universidade Federal do Pampa. Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciências Biológicas. São Gabriel, RS, Brazil.Universidade Federal do Pampa. Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciências Biológicas. São Gabriel, RS, Brazil.Despite the richness of species in the Hirudinidae family, little is known about the genome organization of swallows. The Progne tapera species presents genetic and morphological difference when compared to other members of the same genus. Hence, the aims of this study were to analyze the chromosomal evolution of three species Progne tapera, Progne chalybea and Pygochelidon cyanoleuca - by comparative chromosome painting using two sets of probes, Gallus gallus and Zenaida auriculata, in order to determine chromosome homologies and the relationship between these species. All karyotypes exhibited 76 chromosomes with similar morphology, except for the 5th, 6th and 7th chromosome pairs in P. cyanoleuca. Additionally, comparative chromosome painting demonstrated the same hybridization pattern in the two Progne, which was similar to the putative avian ancestral karyotype, except for the centric fission in the first pair, as found in other Passeriformes. Thus, these data display a close relationship between the Progne species. Although P. cyanoleuca demonstrated the same fission in the first pair of the ancestral syntenic (GGA1), it also showed an additional chromosomal rearrangement for this species, namely a fusion with a microchromosome in the seventh pai

Novel insights into chromosome evolution of Charadriiformes: extensive genomic reshuffling in the wattled jacana (Jacana jacana, Charadriiformes, Jacanidae)

Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul. Programa de Pós-graduação em Genética e Biologia Molecular. Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil / University of Cambridge. Department of Veterinary Medicine. Cambridge Resource Centre for Comparative Genomics. Cambridge, United KingdomUniversidade Federal do Pampa. Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciências Biológicas. São Gabriel, RS, Brazil.Universidade Federal do Pampa. Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciências Biológicas. São Gabriel, RS, Brazil.Universidade Federal do Paraná. Programa de Pós-graduação em Genética. Laboratório de Citogenética e Genética da Conservação Animal. Curitiba, PR, Brazil.University of Cambridge. Department of Veterinary Medicine. Cambridge Resource Centre for Comparative Genomics. Cambridge, United Kingdom.University of Cambridge. Department of Veterinary Medicine. Cambridge Resource Centre for Comparative Genomics. Cambridge, United Kingdom.University of Cambridge. Department of Veterinary Medicine. Cambridge Resource Centre for Comparative Genomics. Cambridge, United Kingdom.Universidade Federal do Pampa. Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciências Biológicas. São Gabriel, RS, Brazil.Universidade Federal do Pampa. Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciências Biológicas. São Gabriel, RS, Brazil.Universidade Federal do Pará. Instituto de Ciências Exatas e Naturais. Belém, PA, Brazil / Ministério da Saúde. Secretaria de Vigilância em Saúde. Instituto Evandro Chagas. Laboratório de Cultura de Tecidos e Citogenética. Ananindeua, PA, Brasil.Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul. Programa de Pós-graduação em Genética e Biologia Molecular. Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.The order Charadriiformes comprises three major clades: Lari and Scolopaci as sister group to Charadrii. Until now, only three Charadriiformes species have been studied by chromosome painting: Larus argentatus (Lari), Burhinus oedicnemus and Vanellus chilensis (Charadrii). Hence, there is a lack of information concerning the third clade, Scolapaci. Based on this, and to gain a better understanding of karyotype evolution in the order Charadriiformes, we applied conventional and molecular cytogenetic approaches in a species belonging to clade Scolopaci - the wattled jacana (Jacana jacana) - using Gallus gallus and Zenaida auriculata chromosome-specific probes. Cross-species evaluation of J. jacana chromosomes shows extensive genomic reshuffling within macrochromosomes during evolution, with multiple fission and fusion events, although the diploid number remains at high level (2n=82). Interestingly, this species does not have the GGA7-8 fusion, which was found in two representatives of Charadrii clade, reinforcing the idea that this fusion may be exclusive to the Charadrii clade. In addition, it is shown that the chromosome evolution in Charadriiformes is complex and resulted in species with typical and atypical karyotypes. The karyotypic features of Scolopaci are very different from those of Charadrii and Lari, indicating that after divergence, each suborder has undergone different chromosome rearrangements