Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: M. Ketta Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Animal Husbandry, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: E. Tůmová Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Animal Husbandry, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Title: Eggshell structure, measurements, and quality-affecting factors in laying hens: a review Abstract: Eggshell quality is one of the most significant factors affecting poultry industry; it economically influences egg production and hatchability. Eggshell consists of shell membranes and the true shell that includes mammillary layer, palisade layer, and cuticle. Measurements of eggshell quality include eggshell weight, shell percentage, breaking strength, thickness, and density. Mainly eggshell thickness and strength are affected by the time of egg components passage through the shell gland (uterus), eggshell ultra-structure (deposition of major units), and micro-structure (crystals size and orientation). Shell quality is affected by several internal and external factors. Major factors determining the quality or structure of eggshell are oviposition time, age, genotype, and housing system. Eggshell quality can be improved through optimization of genotype, housing system, and mineral nutrition. Keywords: eggshell composition, eggshell quality, oviposition time, genotype, housing system Journal: Czech Journal of Animal Science Pages: 299-309 Volume: 61 Issue: 7 Year: 2016 DOI: 10.17221/46/2015-CJAS File-URL: http://cjas.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/46/2015-CJAS.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/cjs-201607-0001.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlcjs:v:61:y:2016:i:7:id:46-2015-CJAS Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: A. Petelák Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: V. Krylov Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Title: Cryopreservation of fluorescence activated cell sorted boar spermatozoa based on extracellular ubiquitination Abstract: The present study is focused on the methodology of fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS) of spermatozoa stained by the antibody against extracellular surface marker ubiquitin (eUb) and subsequent protocol for their long term storage in liquid nitrogen (LN). High level of spermatozoa surface ubiquitination has been previously discussed as a negative quality marker. From a general point of view, any other outer membrane antigen would be compatible with our approach. Regarding our experimental design we found that only those insemination doses with at least 40% of motile spermatozoa after freezing and thawing (F/T) in the egg-yolk medium with lactose are suitable for the subsequent antibody staining and FACS. The sorting rate was sufficient for the preparation of up to 20 spermatozoa aliquots for intracytoplasmic sperm injections (ICSI). Two significantly different groups with good freezability were prepared and stored in LN (0.73% contamination of spermatozoa with high eUb level in non-ubiquitinated group and reversely 6.65% spermatozoa without eUb in highly ubiquitinated group). Sperm viability after FACS varied from 11 to 28% regardless of the used media (P = 0.15). Required viability of F/T sorted spermatozoa was obtained by using Solusem® extender as a load and collection medium. In this case 12% of viable spermatozoa with progressive motility in low eUb level group and 7% in high eUb level group (P < 0.05) were detected. Our approach allows obtaining sufficient number of viable spermatozoa for subsequent artificial fertilization by ICSI. This procedure could be used for a wide variety of spermatozoa sorting based on different surface markers. Keywords: pig, antibody staining, quality marker, porcine sperm, FACS, ubiquitin, cryopreservation Journal: Czech Journal of Animal Science Pages: 310-316 Volume: 61 Issue: 7 Year: 2016 DOI: 10.17221/27/2015-CJAS File-URL: http://cjas.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/27/2015-CJAS.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/cjs-201607-0002.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlcjs:v:61:y:2016:i:7:id:27-2015-CJAS Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: B. Moioli Author-Workplace-Name: Council for Agricultural Research and Analysis of Agricultural Economics, Monterotondo, Italy Author-Name: L. De Grossi Author-Workplace-Name: Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale, Viterbo, Italy Author-Name: R. Steri Author-Workplace-Name: Council for Agricultural Research and Analysis of Agricultural Economics, Monterotondo, Italy Author-Name: F. Pilla Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Animal, Vegetable and Environmental Sciences, University of Molise, Campobasso, Italy Title: Identification of missense mutations in the PCP4 and CD109 genes to validate the effect of neutral genetic markers Abstract: The marker-assisted selection exploits anonymous genetic markers that have been associated with measurable differences on complex traits. Because it is based on the linkage disequilibrium (LD) between the polymorphic markers and the polymorphisms which code for the trait, its success is limited to the population in which the association has been assessed. The identification of the gene with effect on the target trait and the detection of the functional mutations will allow selection in independent populations, while encouraging studies on gene expression. In a flock of sheep infected with M. paratuberculosis, a genome-wide scan, performed with the Illumina OvineSNP50 BeadChip, had identified two candidate genes, the PCP4 and the CD109, located in proximity of the markers with significant allele substitution effect on the positivity level at paratuberculosis serological assessment. The coding region of the two genes was directly sequenced. Three missense mutations were detected: two in the PCP4 gene and one in the second exon of the CD109 gene, the latter showing a strong LD with the anonymous marker. Direct sequencing of the DNA of sheep of different populations showed that disequilibrium was maintained. Allele frequency at the hypothesized marker associated to immune response, calculated for other breeds of sheep, showed that the marker allele potentially associated to disease resistance is more frequent in the local breeds and in breeds that have not been submitted to selection programs. Keywords: immune response, local sheep, genomics, genome-wide association Journal: Czech Journal of Animal Science Pages: 317-325 Volume: 61 Issue: 7 Year: 2016 DOI: 10.17221/30/2015-CJAS File-URL: http://cjas.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/30/2015-CJAS.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/cjs-201607-0003.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlcjs:v:61:y:2016:i:7:id:30-2015-CJAS Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Z.-H. Li Author-Workplace-Name: Key Field Station for Fishery Resource and Environment in Upper-Middle Reaches of Yangtze River (Ministry of Agriculture), Key Laboratory of Freshwater Biodiversity Conservation (Ministry of Agriculture), Yangtze River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Wuhan, P.R. China Author-Workplace-Name: South Bohemian Research Center of Aquaculture and Biodiversity of Hydrocenoses, Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Vodňany, Czech Republic Author-Name: L.-Q. Zhong Author-Workplace-Name: Key Field Station for Fishery Resource and Environment in Upper-Middle Reaches of Yangtze River (Ministry of Agriculture), Key Laboratory of Freshwater Biodiversity Conservation (Ministry of Agriculture), Yangtze River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Wuhan, P.R. China Author-Name: W.-N. Mu Author-Workplace-Name: Key Field Station for Fishery Resource and Environment in Upper-Middle Reaches of Yangtze River (Ministry of Agriculture), Key Laboratory of Freshwater Biodiversity Conservation (Ministry of Agriculture), Yangtze River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Wuhan, P.R. China Author-Workplace-Name: College of Fisheries, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, P.R. China Author-Name: Y.-H. Wu Author-Workplace-Name: Key Field Station for Fishery Resource and Environment in Upper-Middle Reaches of Yangtze River (Ministry of Agriculture), Key Laboratory of Freshwater Biodiversity Conservation (Ministry of Agriculture), Yangtze River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Wuhan, P.R. China Author-Workplace-Name: Key Laboratory of Aquatic Science of Chongqing, School of Life Science, Southwest University, Chongqing, P.R. China Title: Alteration of parameters of energy metabolism and ATPase enzymatic system in juvenile common carp (Cyprinus carpio) chronically exposed to tributyltin Abstract: The effect of long-term exposure to tributyltin (TBT) on energy metabolism and adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) enzymatic system in freshwater teleost was investigated. The impact on the parameters of energy metabolism (the content of glucose (Glu) and lactate (LA), and the activities of hexokinase (HK), pyruvate kinase (PK), and lactate dehydrogenase(LDH)) in the muscle tissue, as well as on the ATP enzymatic system (ATP content, Total-ATPase, Na+-K+-ATPase, and Ca2+-Mg2+-ATPase) in the gill tissue of common carp was evaluated. Fish were exposed to sublethal concentrations of TBT (75, 0.75, and 7.5 µg/l) for 60 days. Based on the results, long-term exposure to TBT could lead to obvious ATP enzymatic system responses, including the decreased ATP content and Na+-K+-ATPase activity, and the increased activities of Total-ATPase and Ca2+-Mg2+-ATPase. Moreover, the parameters of energy metabolism in muscle were also regulated, such as induced indices of the levels of Glu and LA, and the activities of HK and PK, and inhibited indices of LDH activity. Shortly, the measured physiological responses in fish could provide useful information to better understand the mechanisms of TBT-induced bio-toxicity, and could be used as potential biomarkers for monitoring the TBT pollution in the field. Keywords: organotin, fish, physiological indices, chronic toxicity, biomarkers Journal: Czech Journal of Animal Science Pages: 326-332 Volume: 61 Issue: 7 Year: 2016 DOI: 10.17221/69/2015-CJAS File-URL: http://cjas.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/69/2015-CJAS.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/cjs-201607-0004.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlcjs:v:61:y:2016:i:7:id:69-2015-CJAS Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: W. Wang Author-Workplace-Name: School of Psychology, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, P.R. China Author-Name: W. Xue Author-Workplace-Name: School of Basic Biomedical Science, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, P.R. China Author-Name: X. Xu Author-Workplace-Name: College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, P.R. China Author-Name: B. Jin Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, P.R. China Author-Name: X. Zhang Author-Workplace-Name: Institute of Husbandry and Poultry Research, Nanjing, P.R. China Title: Correlations of genes expression in PPAR signalling pathway with porcine meat quality traits Abstract: The correlation of expression pattern of candidate genes in PPAR signalling pathway with meat quality traits in Longissimus dorsi muscle of pigs was investigated. Meat quality traits were measured and correlated with the candidate genes mRNA expression, which included peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha gene (PPARα), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma gene (PPARγ), stearoyl-CoA desaturase gene (SCD), lipoprotein lipase gene (LPL), and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase 2 gene (PCK2). Results showed that expressions of SCD and PCK2 were correlated with intramuscular fat content (P < 0.05). PPARα and PPARγ showed negative correlations with water loss and colour score (P < 0.05). SCD was positively correlated with marbling score and negatively correlated with shear force (P < 0.05). LPL was correlated with b* value, shear force, and moisture content (P < 0.05). PCK2 had a positive correlation (P < 0.05) with colour score. The revealed correlations indicate that these genes in PPAR signalling pathway are important for meat quality traits in pigs, and the further evaluation and investigation of these genes would help us better understand and utilize the regulation mechanisms of porcine meat quality. Keywords: genetic markers, Real-time PCR, IMF, Longissimus dorsi muscle, pig Journal: Czech Journal of Animal Science Pages: 333-339 Volume: 61 Issue: 7 Year: 2016 DOI: 10.17221/85/2015-CJAS File-URL: http://cjas.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/85/2015-CJAS.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/cjs-201607-0005.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlcjs:v:61:y:2016:i:7:id:85-2015-CJAS