Beata Horecka

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

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.

IGF1 Gene Polymorphism in Selected Species of the Canidae Family

Abstract The gene IGF1 has been shown to have a significant influence on the size of individuals, including animals of the Canidae family. In this study we determined SNP mutations of the IGF1 gene in dogs, raccoon dogs and farmed and free-living red foxes from Poland and Canada. No SNP mutations were noted in dogs or raccoon dogs, but a total of 14 single nucleotide polymorphisms were identified in foxes, including 12 substitutions, as well as one new mutation missense variant (exon 6) in wild Polish foxes and one synonymous mutation variant in wild foxes from Canada. We identified specific SNP profiles characteristic only for farmed foxes and only for wild foxes, as well as specific SNP profiles or wild foxes from North America (Canada) and from Europe (Poland).