1. The objective of this study was to determine muscle structure and gene expression in pectoralis major (p. major) muscle of broilers in response to deep pectoral myopathy (DPM) induction. 2. A total of 160 chickens from slow- and fast-growing broilers were raised under same conditions. Half of the broilers from each strain were encouraged to wing flap when they reached 2800 g body weight. Pectoralis minor (p. minor) muscle of the broilers was inspected for the occurrence of DPM and p. major samples were collected from broilers with or without DPM. The muscle fibre area and number, capillary number and the signalling pathways of vascular development (vascular endothelial growth factor A, VEGFA) and muscle contraction regulation (actin alpha 1, ACTA1; myosin light chain kinase 2, MYLK2 and ATPase Ca⁺² transporting gene 1, ATP2A1) were studied in p. major muscle. 3. DPM induction increased fibre area of p. major muscle with a greater rate in the slow-growing strain compared with fast-growing line. Although the capillary number was higher in slow-growing compared with fast-growing broilers, in the case of DPM induction, the number of capillaries was similar between strains. 4. Expression of VEGFA, MYLK2 and ATP2A1 was greater in slow- than in fast-growing broilers. DPM induction increased expression of ACTA1, VEGFA and ATP2A1 in p. major muscle of broilers from both strains; however, MYLK2 expression was downregulated. 5. Changes in capillary density and expression of VEGFA found in the p. major muscle of broilers with DPM suggest increased blood flow to increase oxygen availability. The upregulation of ATP2A1 by DPM induction could be attributable to alterations in calcium ion transportation from the cytoplasm into the sarcoplasmic reticulum. 6. The results are evidence of changes in muscle structure and gene expression pathways in p. major muscle of broilers with DPM.

The present study was aimed to investigate the genetic diversity among 17 Turkish water buffalo populations. A total of 837 individuals from 17 provincial populations were genotyped, using 20 microsatellites markers. The microsatellite markers analyzed were highly polymorphic with a mean number of alleles of (7.28) ranging from 6 (ILSTS005) to 17 (ETH003). The mean observed and expected heterozygosity values across all polymorphic loci in all studied buffalo populations were 0.61 and 0.70, respectively. Observed heterozygosity varied from 0.55 (Bursa (BUR)) to 0.70 (Muş (MUS)). It was lower than expected heterozygosity in most of the populations indicating a deviation from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium. The overall value for the polymorphic information content of noted microsatellite loci was 0.655, indicating their suitability for genetic diversity analysis in buffalo. The mean F_IS value was 0.091 and all loci were observed significantly deviated from Hardy–Weinberg Equilibrium (HWE), most likely based on non-random breeding. The 17 buffalo populations were genetically less diverse as indicated by a small mean F_ST value (0.032 ± 0.018). The analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) analysis indicated that about 2% of the total genetic diversity was clarified by population distinctions and 88 percent corresponded to differences among individuals. The information produced by this study can be used to establish a base of national conservation and breeding strategy of water buffalo population in Turkey.

This study was conducted to determine the polymorphisms of the POU1F1 gene and their relationships with milk yield and components, litter size, birth weight, and weaning weight in goats. For this purpose, a total of 108 Saanen goats from two different farms (Bornova and Manisa) were used as animal materials. Polymorphisms at the exon 6 and the 3^′ flanking region of the POU1F1 gene were determined by using PCR-RFLP with PstI and AluI restriction enzymes and DNA sequencing analyses. Two alleles and three genotypes were identified by AluI or PstI digestions of the POU1F1 gene. The genotypes frequencies of TT, TC, and CC were 64.8 %, 31.5 % and 3.7 % for the PstI locus; 54.6 %, 31.5 % and 13.9 % for the AluI locus, respectively. T allele frequencies (0.56 and 0.88 for the AluI locus, 0.80 and 0.81 for the PstI locus, respectively) were predominant in both loci at the Bornova and Manisa farms. In terms of POU1F1-AluI and POU1F1-PstI loci, two populations were found to be in Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium. In the POU1F1-AluI locus, significant associations were found between genotypes and lactation milk yield and litter size. Similarly, a significant relationship between genotypes and birth weight in the POU1F1-PstI locus (p<0.05) was determined. The TC and CC genotypes were observed to be higher than the TT genotype for lactation milk yield and litter size at the POU1F1-AluI locus. Birth weight was found to be higher in animals that have the CC genotype at the POU1F1-PstI locus. In conclusion, the POU1F1 gene can be used as a molecular marker for economic features like reproduction, growth, milk content and yield in Saanen goats.

The present study has been one of the first attempts to thoroughly examine the effects of different kefir sources on fermentation characteristics, aerobic stability, and microbial communities of alfalfa silages. The effects of commercial kefir (CK) and homemade kefir culture (HK) applied with untreated a common control (CON) and three different application doses (5.0, 5.7, and 6.0 log cfu g⁻¹) on wilted alfalfa and stored at an ambient temperature of 25–30 °C are studied. After 45 days of ensiling, fermentation characteristics and aerobic stability of silages were measured, and bacterial diversity was investigated by 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing using the GenomeLab™ GeXP platform. Both CK and HK accelerate more lactic acid production and reduced ammonia nitrogen concentration. Factor analysis of kefir sources suggests that the addition of kefir improves the aerobic stability of silages, even the initial water-soluble carbohydrate (WSC) content is inadequate via its antimicrobial effect on yeast and mold formation. Enterococcus faecium, Pediococcus pentosaceous and Lactobacillus brevis were dominant bacterial species among the treated groups at silo opening, while Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus brevis became dominant bacterial species after 7 days of aerobic exposure. In conclusion, the application of kefir on alfalfa silages improves fermentation quality and aerobic stability even with low WSC content.