Exploration of genes in relation to body measurement traits through large-scaled mutation identification is highly conductive for the genomics-assisted breeding of superior productivity cattle. In this investigation, 31 objective mutations were genotyped synchronously in 384 yellow cattle of 8 breeds through the application of optimized MALDI-TOF-MS and multiplex PCR techniques. High genotyping rate

Nutritional constraints including not only caloric restriction or protein deficiency, but also energy-dense diets affect metabolic health and frequently lead to obesity and insulin resistance, as well as glucose intolerance and type 2 diabetes. The effects of these environmental factors are often mediated via epigenetic modifiers that target the expression of metabolic genes. More recently, it was

Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a neurodegenerative disorder that causes irreversible vision loss in over 1.5 million individuals world-wide. The genetic heterogeneity of RP necessitates a broad therapy that is able to provide treatment in a gene- and mutation- non-specific manner. In this study, we identify the therapeutic benefits of metabolic reprogramming by targeting pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) in

RNA polymerase III is an essential enzyme in eukaryotes for synthesis of tRNA, 5S rRNA, and other small nuclear and cytoplasmic RNAs. Thus, RNA polymerase III promoters are often used in small hairpin RNA (shRNA) expression. In this study, the porcine H1, U6, and 7SK RNA polymerase III type promoters were cloned into a pcDNA3.1( +) expression vector containing a shRNA sequence targeting enhanced green

Maintaining genome stability is essential to an organism's health and survival. Breakdown of the mechanisms protecting the genome and the resulting genome instability are an important aspect of the aging process and have been linked to diseases such as cancer. Thus, a large network of interconnected pathways is responsible for ensuring genome integrity in the face of the continuous challenges that

External temperature change has been shown to modify epigenetic patterns, such as DNA methylation, which regulates gene expression. DNA methylation is heritable, and as such provides a mechanism to convey environmental information to subsequent generations. Studies on epigenetic response to temperature increase are still scarce in wild mammals, even more so studies that compare tissue-specific epigenetic

Obesity is a worldwide epidemic and contributes to global morbidity and mortality mediated via the development of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), type 2 diabetes (T2D), cardiovascular (CVD) and other diseases. It is a consequence of an elevated caloric intake, a sedentary lifestyle and a genetic as well as an epigenetic predisposition. This review summarizes changes in DNA methylation and

Cellular heterogeneity is revolutionizing the way to study, monitor and dissect complex diseases. This has been possible with the technological and computational advances associated to single-cell genomics and epigenomics. Deeper understanding of cell-to-cell variation and its impact on tissue function will open new avenues for early disease detection, accurate diagnosis and personalized treatments

The availability of an in vitro canine cell line would reduce the need for dogs for primary in vitro cell culture and reduce overall cost in pre-clinical studies. An immortalized canine muscle cell line, named Myok9, from primary myoblasts of a normal dog has been developed by the authors. Immortalization was performed by SV40 viral transfection of the large T antigen into the primary muscle cells

In an alignment of closely related genomic sequences, the existence of discordant mutation sites, which do not reflect the phylogenetic relationship of the genomes, is often observed. Although these discordant mutation sites are thought to have emerged by ancestral polymorphism or gene flow, their frequency and distribution in the genome have not yet been analyzed in detail. Using the genome sequences

Scientists from 12 countries met at the International Mammalian Genome Conference (IMGC) to share advances in mammalian genetics and genomics research. The event was held in Strasbourg, France and represents the city's second time hosting the IMGC. A diverse attendance of pre-doctoral and post-doctoral trainees, young investigators, established researchers, clinicians, bioinformaticians, and computational

The proprotein convertase subtilisin/Kexin type 1 (PCSK1/PC1) protein processes inactive pro-hormone precursors into biologically active hormones in a number of neuroendocrine and endocrine cell types. Patients with recessive mutations in PCSK1 exhibit a complex spectrum of traits including obesity, diarrhoea and endocrine disorders. We describe here a new mouse model with a point mutation in the Pcsk1

Design and production of genetically engineered mouse strains by individual research laboratories, research teams, large-scale consortia, and the biopharmaceutical industry have magnified the need for qualified personnel to identify, annotate, and validate (phenotype) these potentially new mouse models of human disease. The PATHBIO project has been recently established and funded by the European Union's

Stabilin2 (Stab2) encodes a large transmembrane protein which is predominantly expressed in the liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs) and functions as a scavenger receptor for various macromolecules including hyaluronans (HA). In DBA/2J mice, plasma HA concentration is ten times higher than in 129S6 or C57BL/6J mice, and this phenotype is genetically linked to the Stab2 locus. Stab2 mRNA in the

The collaborative cross (CC) is a large panel of mouse-inbred lines derived from eight founder strains (NOD/ShiLtJ, NZO/HILtJ, A/J, C57BL/6J, 129S1/SvImJ, CAST/EiJ, PWK/PhJ, and WSB/EiJ). Here, we performed a comprehensive and comparative phenotyping screening to identify phenotypic differences and similarities between the eight founder strains. In total, more than 300 parameters including allergy

Actinobacillus (A.) pleuropneumoniae is one of the most important respiratory pathogens in global pig production. Antimicrobial treatment and vaccination provide only limited protection, but genetic disease resistance is a very promising alternative for sustainable prophylaxis. Previous studies have discovered multiple QTL that may explain up to 30% of phenotypic variance. Based on these findings,

Maximizing the number of offspring born per female is a key functionality trait in commercial- and/or subsistence-oriented livestock enterprises. Although the number of offspring born is closely associated with female fertility and reproductive success, the genetic control of these traits remains poorly understood in sub-Saharan Africa livestock. Using selection signature analysis performed on Ovine

Visualizing regions of conserved synteny between two genomes is supported by numerous software applications. However, none of the current applications allow researchers to select genome features to display or highlight in blocks of synteny based on the annotated biological properties of the features (e.g., type, function, and/or phenotype association). To address this usability gap, we developed an

Genetic factors play a significant role in risk for mood and anxiety disorders. Polymorphisms in genes that regulate the brain monoamine systems, such as catabolic enzymes and transporters, are attractive candidates for being risk factors for emotional disorders given the weight of evidence implicating monoamines involvement in these conditions. Several common genetic variants have been identified

Cysteine-rich transmembrane bone morphogenetic protein regulator 1 (CRIM1) is a type I transmembrane protein involved in the organogenesis of many tissues via its interactions with growth factors including BMP, TGF-β, and VEGF. In this study, we used whole-exome sequencing and linkage analysis to identify a novel Crim1 mutant allele generated by ENU mutagenesis in mice. This allele is a missense mutation

The study investigated the effects of four single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the activated leukocyte cell adhesion molecule (ALCAM) gene on liver fluke (Fasciola hepatica) infections (FH-INF), gastrointestinal nematode infections (GIN-INF) and disease indicator traits [e.g. somatic cell score (SCS), fat-to-protein ratio (FPR)] in German dual-purpose cattle (DSN). A genome-wide association study

Hepatic gene expression is known to differ between healthy and type 2 diabetes conditions. Identifying these variations will provide better knowledge to the development of gene-targeted therapies. The aim of this study is to assess diet-induced hepatic gene expression of susceptible versus resistant CC lines to T2D development. Next-generation RNA-sequencing was performed for 84 livers of diabetic

Tumor multiplicity in the ApcMin (Min) mouse model of CRC is a classic quantitative trait that is subject to complex genetic and environmental factors, and therefore serves as an ideal platform to study modifiers of disease. While disparate inbred genetic backgrounds have well-characterized modifying effects on tumor multiplicity, it is unclear whether more closely related backgrounds such as C57BL/6J

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and functional genomic analyses have implicated several ITGAM (CD11b) single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the development of SLE and other disorders. ITGAM encodes the αM chain of the β2 integrin Mac-1, a receptor that plays important roles in myeloid cell functions. The ITGAM SNP rs1143679, which results in an arginine to histidine change at amino acid

Increasing evidence shows that miRNAs play pivotal roles in cardiovascular diseases, including heart failure (HF). The aim of this study was to investigate the role of miR-129-5p in chronic heart failure and the underlying mechanisms. The levels of miR-129-5p and HMGB1 in chronic heart failure patients (CHF) and normal controls were examined by RT-qPCR and ELISA. Cardiac function, hemodynamics parameters

Naturally occurring diseases in dogs provide an important animal model for studying human disease including cancer, heart disease, and autoimmune disorders. Transposable elements (TEs) make up ~ 31% of the dog (Canis lupus familiaris) genome and are one of main drivers to cause genomic variations and alter gene expression patterns of the host genes, which could result in genetic diseases. To detect

Surprisingly we remain ignorant of the function of the majority of genes in the human and mouse genomes. The dark genome is a major obstacle to the interpretation of the function of human genetic variation and its impact on disease. At the same time, pleiotropy, how individual variants influence multiple phenotypes, is key to understanding gene function and the role of genes and genetic networks in

The increase in the number of both patients and healthcare practitioners who grew up using the Internet and computers (so-called "digital natives") is likely to impact the practice of precision medicine, and requires novel platforms for data integration and mining, as well as contextualized information retrieval. The "Illuminating the Druggable Genome Knowledge Management Center" (IDG KMC) quantifies

The central concept underlying precision medicine is a mechanistic understanding of each disease and its response to therapy sufficient to direct a specific intervention. To execute on this vision requires parsing incompletely defined disease syndromes into discrete mechanistic subsets and developing interventions to precisely address each of these etiologically distinct entities. This will require

BALB/cJ mice exhibit considerable phenotypic differences with other BALB/c substrains. Some of these traits involve the liver, including persistent postnatal expression of genes that are normally expressed only in the fetal liver and reduced expression of major urinary proteins. These traits are due to a mutation that dramatically reduces expression of the gene encoding the transcription factor Zinc

Gene deletion or gene amplification acts as a driving factor of onset, progress, and metastasis in various cancers, including ovarian cancers. By mining the whole genome data of ovarian cancer patients, we identify the long noncoding RNA PVT1 as the most amplified gene. Knockdown of PVT1 was then achieved using a shRNA in two ovarian cancer cell lines, and cell viability was determined by trypan blue

Neurodegenerative disease encompasses a wide range of disorders afflicting the central and peripheral nervous systems and is a major unmet biomedical need of our time. There are very limited treatments, and no cures, for most of these diseases, including Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's Disease, Huntington Disease, and Motor Neuron Diseases. Mouse and other animal models provide hope by analysing them

The International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium (IMPC) continues to expand the catalogue of mammalian gene function by conducting genome and phenome-wide phenotyping on knockout mouse lines. The extensive and standardized phenotype screens allow the identification of new potential models for human disease through cross-species comparison by computing the similarity between the phenotypes observed in

Inbreeding depression has been demonstrated to impact vital rates, productivity, and performance in human populations, wild and endangered species, and in recent years, the domestic species. In all cases, standardized, high-quality phenotype data on all individuals are invaluable for longitudinal analyses such as those required to evaluate vital rates of a study cohort. Further, many investigators

Spongiform encephalopathy is an intriguing yet poorly understood neuropathology characterized by vacuoles, demyelination, and gliosis. It is observed in patients with prion disease, primary mitochondrial disease, HIV-1 infection of the brain, and some inherited disorders, but the underlying mechanism of disease remains unclear. The brains of mice lacking the MGRN1 E3 ubiquitin ligase develop vacuoles

Spermatogenesis-associated protein 13 (Spata13) is a guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) enriched in discrete brain regions in the adult, with pronounced expression in the extended central amygdala (CeA). Loss of Spata13, also known as the adenomatous polyposis coli exchange factor Asef2, has no identifiable phenotype although it has been shown to reduce the number and size of intestinal tumours

We constructed a high-density genetic map for Mongolian gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus). We genotyped 137 F2 individuals with a genotype-by-sequencing (GBS) approach at over 10,000 loci and built the genetic map using a two-step approach. First, we chose the highest-quality set of 485 markers to construct a robust map of 1239 cM with 22 linkage groups as expected from the published karyotype. Second

The promise of personalized medicine is that each patient's treatment can be optimally tailored to their disease. In turn, their disease, as well as their response to the treatment, is determined by their genetic makeup and the "environment," which relates to their general health, medical history, personal habits, and surroundings. Developing such optimized treatment strategies is an admirable goal

Over 150 scientists from more than 50 research institutions and eight countries attended the 32nd annual meeting of the International Mammalian Genome Society (IMGS) held in Rio Mar, Puerto Rico. Attendees included predoctoral and postdoctoral trainees, junior investigators, clinicians, industry professionals, and established leaders in mammalian genetics and genomics. From November 11-14, major scientific

Fat deposition in muscle includes intramuscular fat (IMF) and intermuscular fat. IMF content is an index of pork quality; however, because IMF content is difficult to measure in vivo in young animals, conventional breeding for IMF content is difficult to carry out. The mechanism and progression of animal fat deposition is not well understood, and there are currently no effective control methods. In

With the increase in knowledge resulting from the sequencing of the human genome, the genetic basis for the underlying differences in individuals, their diseases, and how they respond to therapies is starting to be understood. This has formed the foundation for the era of precision medicine in many human diseases that is beginning to be implemented in the clinic, particularly in cancer. However, preclinical

Rare diseases are very difficult to study mechanistically and to develop therapies for because of the scarcity of patients. Here, the rare neuro-metabolic disorder Rett syndrome (RTT) is discussed as a prototype for precision medicine, demonstrating how mouse models have led to an understanding of the development of symptoms. RTT is caused by mutations in the X-linked gene methyl-CpG-binding protein

A genetic disorder, osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is broadly characterized by connective tissue abnormalities and bone fragility most commonly attributed to alterations in Type I collagen. Two Red Angus calves by the same sire presented with severe bone and dental fragility, blue sclera, and evidence of in utero fractures consistent with OI congenita. Comparative analyses with human cases suggested

Maternal and fetal sources of thyroid hormone are important for the development of many organ systems. Thyroid hormone deficiency causes variable intellectual disability and hearing impairment in mouse and man, but the basis for this variation is not clear. To explore this variation, we studied two thyroid hormone-deficient mouse mutants with mutations in pituitary-specific transcription factors, POU1F1

Genome editing is revolutionising our ability to modify genomes with exquisite precision for medical and agricultural applications, and in basic research. The first International Summit on Human Genome Editing, organised jointly by the US National Academies of Sciences and Medicine, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the UK Royal Society, was held in Washington DC at the end of 2015. Its aim was to

The Long-Evans Agouti (LEA/Tohm) rat has recently been established as a new rat model of type 2 diabetes. The onset of diabetes mellitus was observed only in male LEA/Tohm rats; however, urinary glucose appeared before the onset of diabetes. To clarify the genetic basis of urinary glucose, we performed genetic linkage analysis using (BN × LEA) F2 intercross progeny. A recessively acting locus responsible

Increasing evidence suggests that miRNA binding-site polymorphism in the 3'-untranslated region (3'UTR) of a target gene could affect that gene's expression, and can be associated with a variety of complex traits. In this study, we find that miR-18a and cell division cycle 42 (CDC42) mRNA, whose expression was inversely correlated, are differentially expressed in porcine placentas during critical stages

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Some parts of the Abstract, Introduction and Discussion included uncited text from the following previously published chapter.

Current excitement about cancer immunotherapy is the result of unprecedented clinical impact from immune checkpoint inhibitors, particularly those that target programmed death (PD)-1 and PD-ligand (L)-1. Numerous other immunotherapeutics are also finding their way into the clinic either alone or in combination, and these have potential applications in many cancer types. Therapeutic cancer vaccines

Genetic and genomic technologies have facilitated a greater understanding of the Tasmanian devil immune system and the origins, evolution and spread of devil facial tumour disease (DFTD). DFTD is a contagious cancer that has caused significant declines in devil populations across Tasmania. Immune responses to DFTD are rarely detected, allowing the cancer to pass between individuals and proliferate

Necdin (Ndn) transgenic (Tg) mice were generated with a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) clone. Droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) and inverse PCR methods revealed that the transgene consisted of four fragments with a total length of 171 kb. Two of these fragments were tandem tail-to-tail duplicates of 77 kb and 37 kb that both contained a Ndn gene. The transgene was inserted in chromosome 15qD1. Ndn

A low level of inflammation is an integral part of the balance between the immune system and the microbiota in the high antigen environment of the gastrointestinal tract and maintains homeostasis. A failure of this balance can lead to chronic intestinal inflammation and increase the chances to develop colorectal cancer significantly. The underlying mechanisms that link inflammation and carcinogenesis

Emerging evidence indicates that thymocyte self-renewal induced by progenitor deprivation carries an oncogenic risk that is modulated by intra-thymic competition from differentiation-committed cells. Here we discuss formative studies demonstrating that, in mice, early thymocytes acquire self-renewing potential when thymic progenitor supply is sub-physiological and the importance of cellular competition

Radiation is an important component of cancer treatment with more than half of all patients receive radiotherapy during their cancer experience. While the impact of radiation on tumour morphology is routinely examined in the pre-clinical and clinical setting, the impact of radiation on the tumour microenvironment and more specifically the inflammatory/immune response is less well characterised. Inflammation

Natural killer (NK) cells have long been recognized for their anti-cancer activity and are now included in the large family of innate lymphoid cells (ILCs). The discovery of new ILC subsets that, similarly to NK cells, are able to kill tumor cells encourages us to redefine NK cell role in anti-tumor immunity. Conventional NK cells circulate through the blood and screen the body for "stressed" cells

Recent developments in the immuno-oncology field strongly support a role for the immune system in both the prevention and progression of melanoma. Melanoma is a highly immunogenic cancer, including its ability to induce tumour antigen-specific B cell and antibody responses through largely unknown mechanisms. This review considers likely hypothetical mechanisms by which anti-tumour surveillance detects