Comprehensive information on genetic diversity and introgression is desirable for the design of rational breed improvement and conservation programs. Despite the concerns regarding the genetic introgression of Western pig breeds into the gene pool of the Korean native pig (KNP), the level of this admixture has not yet been quantified. In the present study, we genotyped 93 animals, representing ...

this study aimed to identify genes that show signatures of selection for mutations in iranian native cattle breeds. the data consisted of genotypes for ~777962 snp markers of 90 animals from eight iranian native cattle breeds distributing over the country. therefore, the aim was to identifying divergently selected regions of the genome. study of population differentiation across the genome usin...

Sheep are a valuable resource for meat and wool production. During the dry summer, pastures are scarce and animals face Seasonal Weight Loss (SWL), which decreases production yields. The study of breeds tolerant to SWL is important to understand the physiological mechanisms of tolerance to nutritional scarcity, and define breeding strategies. Merino, Damara and Dorper sheep breeds have been des...

Coat color dilution in several breeds of dog is characterized by a specific pigmentation phenotype and sometimes accompanied by hair loss and recurrent skin inflammation, the so-called color dilution alopecia or black hair follicular dysplasia. Coat color dilution (d) is inherited as a Mendelian autosomal recessive trait. In a previous study, MLPH polymorphisms showed perfect cosegregation with...

The age associated decline in immune function is preceded in mammals by a reduction in thymic output. Furthermore, there is increasing evidence of a link between immune competence and lifespan. One approach to determining thymic output is to quantify signal joint T cell receptor excision circles (sj-TRECs), a method which has been developed and used in several mammalian species. Life expectancy...

Background Helminths constitute one of the most important constraints to livestock production in the tropics. Widespread infection with internal parasites in grazing animals, associated production losses, costs of anthelmintics and death of infected animals are some of the major concerns. Current control methods focus on reducing contamination of pastures through anthelmintic treatment and/or c...

Progressive retinal atrophies (PRA) are a heterogeneous group of inherited eye diseases common to both dogs and man. Over 100 individual canine breeds display some sort of retinal degeneration, making the dog an extremely valuable resource both for finding the genetic determinants of inherited blindness and for developing naturally occurring animal models that mimic human disease. Progressive r...

Electrophoretic separation of creatine kinase (ATP: creatine phosphotransferase, E.C. 2.7.3.2) isoenzymes in agarose gel was made in the serum of 93 sheep of three Slovenian domestic breeds (Solcavska, Pramenka and Bovska breeds). 44 sheep were pregnant between 112 and 135 days at the time of the blood collection. The median value of serum total CK activity for all animals investigated was 82 U...

In dairy cattle breeding, there is a clear trend toward the use of only few high-yielding breeds. One main reason that efficient breeding programs require certain population size. Since some numerically small breeds are well known for their functional traits, they might be an interesting crossing partner with aim to utilize heterosis. This simulation study investigated transition period impleme...