Andrzej Jakubczak

Effect of HMB and 2-Ox administered during pregnancy on bone properties in primiparous and multiparous minks (Neivison vison)

Abstract The aim of the study was to determine the mechanical and geometric properties as well as bone tissue density of long bones in primiparous and multiparous dams of minks supplemented with β-hydroxy β-methylbutyrate (HMB) and/or 2-oxoketoglutarate (2-Ox) during gestation. Powdered 2-Ox was given at the daily dosage of 0.4 g/kg b.w. separately or simultaneously with HMB, which was administered at the daily dosage of 0.02 g/kg b.w. The study demonstrates for the first time that administration of 2-Ox and/or HMB to dams markedly influences bone tissue density and the mechanical and geometrical properties of mother`s bones in minks. Moreover, it was demonstrated that the supplementation was more effective in the thoracic limb, which was comprehensively used in contrast to the pelvic limb. The mechanical parameters and bone tissue density significantly increased in the humerus in multiparous minks. Only such diet may provide satisfactory production results in the animals. Nutritional deficiencies occurring during pregnancies may trigger body`s own reserves to cover the bone mass increase in developing foetuses and support milk production. This can prevent regeneration of dams’ organisms, which negatively affects their reproductive performance. 2-Ox or HMB may be regarded as a protective metabolite when administered orally to minks, counteracting the negative influences of pregnancy and lactation periods on bones condition. Both simultaneous treatment with 2-Ox and HMB and their separate administration were equally effective.

Analysis of genetic variability in farmed and wild populations of raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides) using microsatellite sequences.

Abstract The aim of this study was to detect possible differences between farmed and wild-living raccoon dogs. Analysis of polymorphism in 15 microsatellite sequences led to the conclusion that raccoon dogs raised on Polish farms and wild raccoon dogs living in Poland are two genetically distinct groups of animals. Wild Polish raccoon dogs are genetically more similar to the population of wild animals from the Kaliningrad Region than to farmed animals. The analysis of microsatellite loci showed clear genetic differences between farmed and wild-living populations of raccoon dog, despite only 50 years of isolation of the two groups of animals. The farmed population was characterized by higher genetic variation than the wild-living population. On the basis of the analyses three microsatellite loci (INU014, Ren13J22 and Ren41D20) were proposed for determination of the origin of animals that have escaped from farms.

Genetic variability of farmed and free-living populations of red foxes (Vulpes vulpes)

Abstract This study was designed to determine the degree of genetic distinctiveness between farmed and wild foxes (Vulpes vulpes). Analysis of polymorphism in 16 microsatellite sequences led to the conclusion that red foxes raised on Polish farms and wild foxes living in Poland are two groups of genetically distinct animals. Farmed Polish foxes are genetically more similar to the population of wild animals from North America than they are to the free-living population in Poland, as confirmed by the fact that the farmed animals are descended from animals raised in Canada. The small genetic distance between wild Canadian foxes (indicated as the progenitor of farmed Polish foxes) and farmed Polish foxes possibly suggests that the differences between the farmed and wild Polish populations may result from the fact that Canadian and Polish foxes took separate evolutionary paths. Sreszczenie Polimorfizm szesnastu sekwencji mikrosatelitarnych (Ren01E05, Ren02K21, Ren06C11, Ren13J22, Ren37H09, Ren39L15, Ren41D20, Ren44K10, Ren67C18, Ren02C20, Ren02P03, Ren04M22, INU013, INU014, INU019, INU020) badano w celu oceny zróżnicowania genetycznego polskiej populacji hodowlanej oraz dwóch populacji wolno żyjących (z Polski i Kanady) należących do gatunku Vulpesvulpes. Wyższymi wartościami indeksu stopnia polimorfizmu oraz heterozygotyczności obserwowanej i oczekiwanej charakteryzowały się obie grupy osobników dziko żyjących. Na podstawie frekwencji alleli ustalono dystans genetyczny dzielący badane populacje zwierząt. Stwierdzono, iż polskie lisy hodowlane wykazują większe podobieństwo genetyczne do populacji osobników dzikich z Ameryki Północnej niż do rodzimej populacji wolno żyjącej. Zatem lisy pospolite hodowane na polskich fermach i lisy dziko żyjące zamieszkujące tereny Polski stanowią dwie grupy zwierząt wysoce odrębne pod względem genetycznym.

Genetic Differentiation of Common Fox Vulpes Vulpes (Linnaeus, 1758) on the Basis of the Insulin-Like Growth Factor 1 (Igf1), Myosin-Xv (Myo15a) and Paired Box Homeotic 3 (Pax3) Genes Fragments Polymorphism

Abstract Single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) was analysed for selected fragments of three genes - insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1), myosin-XV (MYO15A) and paired box homeotic gene 3 (PAX3) - in farm and wild red foxes from two continents. The study was undertaken in order to verify whether the SNP characteristics of these genes enable farm-bred foxes to be distinguished from free-living foxes. The greatest number of changes were detected in the IGF1 gene. For each of the genes investigated specific SNP profiles characteristic only for farm foxes and only for wild foxes were noted. At the same time, specific SNP profiles were noted for wild foxes from North America and from Europe. The frequency of SNP (bases per SNP) in the gene fragments examined was 22 bp for IGF1, 34 bp for PAX3 and 56 bp for MYO15A. Single-nucleotide polymorphism is a very good molecular marker enabling characterization of nucleotide variation in the genes investigated between wild and farm individuals

Assessment of Selenium Concentration in Selected Organs of Farmed Raccoon Dogs (Nyctereutes Procyonoides)

Assessment of Selenium Concentration in Selected Organs of Farmed Raccoon Dogs (Nyctereutes Procyonoides) The aim of the study was to determine selenium concentrations in the liver, kidneys, lungs, heart and muscles of farmed raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides) and to evaluate their impact on hair coat quality. Selenium concentration was determined using the modified Watkinsons spectrofluorometric method. Subjects were 20 farmed raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides) at the age of 8-9 months, which were kept on a farm in south-eastern Poland. The results show that liver selenium content averaged 0.23±0.10 μg/g w.w. (wet weight). The concentrations ranged from 0.04 to 0.49 μg/g w.w. Kidney selenium concentration (0.49±0.17 μg/g w.w. on average) was over twice that of liver concentration. Animals with higher scores for hair coat quality had lower selenium concentrations in the kidneys and liver, and higher selenium concentrations in muscles, but the differences were not significant. When relating Se concentrations determined in the liver of raccoon dogs to the biochemical criteria, it is concluded that 80% of the analysed raccoon dogs were deficient in this element and 20% had marginal levels. The results obtained in our study suggest that the food used on the farm did not fully meet the Se requirement of the raccoon dogs. Ocena stężenia selenu w wybranych narządach jenotów hodowlanych (Nyctereutes procyonoides) Celem pracy było określenie stężenia selenu w wątrobie, nerkach, płucach, sercu oraz mięśniach jenotów hodowlanych (Nyctereutes procyonoides) oraz ocena jego wpływu na jakość pozyskiwanych skór. Stężenie selenu oznaczano zmodyfikowaną metodą spektrofluorymetryczną Watkinsona. Materiał badawczy stanowiło 20 jenotów hodowlanych (Nyctereutes procyonoides) w wieku 8-9 miesięcy, utrzymywanych na fermie w Polsce południowo-wschodniej. Z uzyskanych danych wynika, że średnia zawartość selenu w wątrobie jenotów wyniosła 0,23±0,10 μg/g m.m. (mokrej masy). Odnotowane koncentracje wahały się w zakresie od 0,04 do 0,49 μg/g m.m. W wątrobie odnotowano ponad dwukrotnie niższą zawartość selenu niż w nerkach, średnio w nerkach 0,49±0,17 μg/g m.m. Osobniki, które otrzymały wyższą ocenę jakości okrywy włosowej charakteryzowały się niższym stężeniem selenu w nerkach i wątrobie, natomiast wyższym w mięśniach. Różnice te nie były jednak statystycznie istotne. Odnosząc oznaczone koncentracje Se w wątrobie jenotów do biochemicznych kryteriów należy stwierdzić, że u 80% badanych jenotów hodowlanych występuje niedobór tego pierwiastka, u 20% poziom marginalny. Uzyskane wyniki mogą sugerować, że stosowana na fermie karma nie pokrywała w pełni zapotrzebowania jenotów na selen.

Polymorphism of a DCT gene fragment sequence between the dog and the raccoon dog and its potential effect on binding of transcription factors – in silico analysis of a sequenced fragment

Domestication of dogs involved strong artificial selection. After their introduction into the human environment, dogs were exposed to factors that were not encountered in the wild. The skin and hair are barriers separating the organism from the environment, and melanin plays a significant role in their protective function. The study compared a fragment of the sequence of the DCT gene, which is involved in melanin synthesis, between two species: the dog, which is exposed to similar carcinogenic factors as humans, and the raccoon dog, a species related to the dog but less exposed to anthropogenic factors.A fragment of the DCT gene 443 base pairs in length was obtained. Two genotypes were distinguished within the raccoon dog population, differing in one nucleotide in the intron sequence (145A>G). Between the DNA profile of the dog and the consensus sequence of the raccoon dog, 18 polymorphic sites were found – 15 in the intron sequence and 3 in the exon sequence. One change in the exon (191G>A) caused an ami...

Single-nucleotide polymorphism of MC1R, ASIP, and TYRP2 genes in wild and farmed foxes (Vulpes vulpes)

Abstract: DNA mutations within genes associated with melanogenesis can affect melanin production, leading to dyschromias. Genes that are involved in synthesis of melatonin and may affect the color of skin are melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R), agouti locus (ASIP), and tyrosinase-related protein-2 (TYRP2). In this study, SNP identification within ASIP, MC1R, and TYRP2 gene fragments in wild and farmed foxes (Vulpes vulpes) was performed. Nine mutations in the ASIP gene which allowed us to distinguish seven SNP profiles, fourteen mutations and five SNP profiles in the MC1R gene, and seven SNP profiles based on four polymorphic nucleotides in the TYRP2 gene were detected. Analyses of obtained profiles indicate that ASIP did not undergo mutations in the wild, and significant variability of SNP profiles was found for TYRP2, with specific haplotypes noted for farm foxes and American and European wild foxes.

A comparative molecular characterization of AMDV strains isolated from cases of clinical and subclinical infection

The Aleutian mink disease virus (AMDV) is one of the most serious threats to modern mink breeding. The disease can have various courses, from progressive to subclinical infections. The objective of the study was to provide a comparative molecular characterization of isolates of AMDV from farms with a clinical and subclinical course of the disease. The qPCR analysis showed a difference of two orders of magnitude between the number of copies of the viral DNA on the farm with the clinical course of the disease (105) and the farm with the subclinical course (103). The sequencing results confirm a high level of homogeneity within each farm and variation between them. The phylogenetic analysis indicates that the variants belonging to different farms are closely related and occupy different branches of the same clade. The in silico analysis of the effect of differences in the sequence encoding the VP2 protein between the farms revealed no effect of the polymorphism on its functionality. The close phylogenetic relationship between the isolates from the two farms, the synonymous nature of most of the polymorphisms and the potentially minor effect on the functionality of the protein indicate that the differences in the clinical picture may be due not only to polymorphisms in the nucleotide and amino acid sequences, but also to the stage of infection on the farm and the degree of stabilization of the pathogen–host relationship.

Molecular markers used in forensic genetics

Abstract Forensic genetics is a field that has become subject to increasing interest in recent years. Both the technology and the markers used for forensic purposes have changed since the 1980s. The minisatellite sequences used in the famous Pitchfork case introduced genetics to the forensic sciences. Minisatellite sequences have now been replaced by more sensitive microsatellite markers, which have become the basis for the creation of genetic profile databases. Modern molecular methods also exploit single nucleotide polymorphisms, which are often the only way to identify degraded DNA samples. The same type of variation is taken into consideration in attempting to establish the ethnicity of a perpetrator and to determine phenotypic traits such as the eye or hair colour of the individual who is the source of the genetic material. This paper contains a review of the techniques and molecular markers used in human and animal forensic genetics, and also presents the potential trends in forensic genetics such as phenotyping.

Comparative molecular analysis of strains of the Aleutian Disease Virus isolated from farmed and wild mink

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE Aleutian Disease is a significant biological factor causing substantial losses in mink farming. The virus inducing the disease also infects wild populations which may constitute an asymptomatic reservoir. To compare genetic variants of the AMD virus occurring in wild and farmed mink populations, an analysis was performed on a fragment of the VP2 protein sequence of the virus infecting both populations, taken from different living environments. MATERIAL AND METHODS Genetic material was isolated from 11 farmed animals in which anti-AMDV antibodies had been detected and from 20 wild animals. The DNA obtained was amplified using primers specific for the fragment encoding the VP2 protein. The product obtained was sequenced and bioinformatic analysis was performed. RESULTS Viral material was detected in 11 farmed and 7 free-living animals. Similarity of sequences averaged 99% within groups and 94% between groups. The sequencing results made it possible to identify characteristic changes for each group. In the isolates from the wild animals, the following changes were observed in the epitope region with respect to the reference sequence: C3704T, G3710A, T3722C, T3746C and A3749G. In the isolates from the farmed animals a G3779A transition was noted. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the variants infecting the two groups occupy separate branches of the phylogenetic tree. CONCLUSIONS The variants of the virus infecting the two groups may have a common origin, but at present they constitute two separate groups, with characteristic differences making it possible to recognize their genotype.