The objective of this study was to uncover genomic regions explaining a substantial proportion of the genetic variance in milk production traits and somatic cell score in a Valle del Belice dairy sheep. Weighted single-step genome-wide association studies (WssGWAS) were conducted for milk yield (MY), fat yield (FY), fat percentage (FAT%), protein yield (PY), protein percentage (PROT%), and somatic cell score (SCS). In addition, our aim was also to identify candidate genes within genomic regions that explained the highest proportions of genetic variance. Overall, the full pedigree consists of 5534 animals, of which 1813 ewes had milk data (15,008 records), and 481 ewes were genotyped with a 50 K single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array. The effects of markers and the genomic estimated breeding values (GEBV) of the animals were obtained by five iterations of WssGBLUP. We considered the top 10 genomic regions in terms of their explained genomic variants as candidate window regions for each trait. The results showed that top ranked genomic windows (1 Mb windows) explained 3.49, 4.04, 5.37, 4.09, 3.80, and 5.24% of the genetic variances for MY, FY, FAT%, PY, PROT%, and total SCS, respectively. Among the candidate genes found, some known associations were confirmed, while several novel candidate genes were also revealed, including PPARGC1A, LYPLA1, LEP, and MYH9 for MY; CACNA1C, PTPN1, ROBO2, CHRM3, and ERCC6 for FY and FAT%; PCSK5 and ANGPT1 for PY and PROT%; and IL26, IFNG, PEX26, NEGR1, LAP3, and MED28 for SCS. These findings increase our understanding of the genetic architecture of six examined traits and provide guidance for subsequent genetic improvement through genome selection.

Aging leads to decreased fertility in roosters, which is likely due to increased oxidative stress. This study evaluated the antioxidant effects of gallic acid (GA) supplementation on sperm quality and fertility of aged roosters. This study evaluated whether GA supplementation can mitigate age-related fertility decline. Roosters were randomly assigned to: control, 100 mg/kg GA, or 200 mg/kg GA. Semen parameters, sperm kinetics, hormone levels, fertility rate, and hatchability were assessed. GA increased semen concentration, membrane integrity and viability while decreasing defects versus control (P < 0.01). Testosterone was higher in GA groups (P<0.01) without affecting gonadotropins. Furthermore, 200 mg/kg GA optimized motility, velocity, linearity, and beat cross frequency versus control and 100 mg/kg GA (P < 0.01). Fertility and hatchability were higher in both GA groups. In conclusion, GA supplementation in aged roosters improves sperm quality, antioxidant status, testosterone, and fertility outcomes, likely by mitigating oxidative stress. The 200 mg/kg dose elicited optimal effects on motion parameters.

The aim of this study was to perform a genome-wide association study (GWAS) based on Bayes A and Bayes B statistical methods to identify genomic loci and candidate genes associated with body weight gain, feed intake, and feed conversion ratio in Japanese quail. For this purpose, genomic data obtained from Illumina iSelect 4K quail SNP chip were utilized. After implementing various quality control steps, genotype data from a total of 875 birds for 2,015 SNP markers were used for subsequent analyses. The Bayesian analyses were performed using hibayes package in R (version 4.3.1) and Gibbs sampling algorithm. The results of the analyses showed that Bayes A accounted for 11.43, 11.65, and 11.39% of the phenotypic variance for body weight gain, feed intake, and feed conversion ratio, respectively, while the variance explained by Bayes B was 7.02, 8.61, and 6.48%, respectively. Therefore, in the current study, results obtained from Bayes A were used for further analyses. In order to perform the gene enrichment analysis and to identify the functional pathways and classes of genes that are over-represented in a large set of genes associated with each trait, all markers that accounted for more than 0.1% of the phenotypic variance for each trait were used. The results of this analysis revealed a total of 23, 38, and 14 SNP markers associated with body weight gain, feed intake, and feed conversion ratio in Japanese quail, respectively. The results of the gene enrichment analysis led to the identification of biological pathways (and candidate genes) related to lipid phosphorylation (TTC7A gene) and cell junction (FGFR4 and FLRT2 genes) associated with body weight gain, calcium signaling pathway (ADCY2 and CAMK1D genes) associated with feed intake, and glycerolipid metabolic process (LIPC gene), lipid metabolic process (ADGRF5 and ESR1 genes), and glutathione transferase (GSTK1 gene) associated with feed conversion ratio. Overall, the findings of this study can provide valuable insights into the genetic architecture of growth and feed consumption traits in Japanese quail.

Domestication and selection significantly changed phenotypic traits in modern domestic animals. To identify the genomic regions associated with prolificacy in this study, 837 ewes from three Iranian indigenous sheep breeds, consisting of Baluchi, Lori-Bakhtiari, and Zandi uniparous breeds, and one Greek highly prolific dairy sheep, namely Chios, were genotyped using OvineSNP50K arrays. Statistical tests were then performed using different and complementary methods based on either site frequency (F_ST) and haplotype (hapFLK) between populations, followed by a pathway analysis of the genes contained in the selected regions. The results revealed that for the top 0.01 percentile of the obtained F_ST values, 16 genomic regions on chromosomes 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, 13, 14, 16, 18, 19, and 20, and for hapFLK values, 3 regions located on chromosomes 3, 7, and 13, were under selection. A bioinformatic analysis of these genomic regions showed that these loci overlapped with potential candidate genes associated with prolificacy in sheep including GNAQ, COL5A2, COL3A1, HECW1, FBN1, COMMD3, RYR1, CCL28, SERPINA14, and HSPA2. These regions also overlapped with some quantitative trait loci (QTLs) linked to prolificacy traits, milk yield, and body weight. These findings suggest that future research could further link these genomic regions to prolificacy traits in sheep.

هدف: غشای اسپرم سرشار از اسیدهای چرب غیراشباع است که نسبت به آسیب به‫وجود آمده توسط ROS در نتیجه پراکسیداسیون چربی­ها بسیار حساس می­باشد. استفاده از آنتی‌اکسیدان مناسب در رقیق­کننده­های منی می­تواند سطح ROS را کاهش دهد. پژوهش حاضر در جهت مقایسه غلظت‌های مختلف آنتی‌اکسیدان روتین در فرآیند سردسازی اسپرم قوچ بود.مواد و روش‌ها: بعد از فراوری اسپرم اپی‫دیدمی پارامترهای جنبایی (CASA)، یکپارچگی غشا (HOST)، زنده‌مانی، پراکسیداسیون لیپیدی (MDA) در زمان‌های 0، 24 و 48 ساعت بعد از سردسازی مورد ارزیابی قرار گرفتند. نتایج: داده‌های حاصل از این آزمایش نشان دهنده آن است که در زمان 24 و 48 ساعت بعد از سردسازی افزون آنتی‌اکسیدان روتین در غلظت 75/0 و 1 میلی مولار باعث افزایش معنی‌دار جنبایی کل، جنبایی پیش‌رونده و سرعت در مسیر مستقیم می‌شود. نتایج پژوهش حاضر نشان دهنده آن است که تیمارهای آزمایشی در زمان صفر، 24 و 48 ساعت بعد از سردسازی تاثیری روی VAP، VCL و STR ندارد. نتایج حاصل از این آزمایش نشان دهنده آن است که در زمان 24 و 48 ساعت بعد از سردسازی افزون آنتی‌اکسیدان روتین در غلظت 75/0 و 1 میلی مولار باعث افزایش معنی‌دار زنده­مانی، یکپارچگی غشا می‌شوند. همچنین نتایج نشان دهنده‫ی آن...