The aim of the study was to find a possible association between the β- and κ-casein and β-lactoglobulin genotypes and important milk physiochemical and technological characteristics such as acidity, alcohol stability, the contents of some minerals and the parameters of acid fermentation ability (FEA) in Czech Fleckvieh Cattle. Milk and blood samples were collected from 338 primiparous Czech Fleckvieh cows at the same stage of lactation. The genotypes of individual cows for κ-casein (alleles A, B, and E) and β-lactoglobulin (alleles A and B) were ascertained by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism, while their β-casein (alleles A1, A2, A3, and B) genotype was determined using melting curve genotyping analysis. The data collected were i) milk traits including active acidity (pH), titratable acidity (TA), alcohol stability (AS); calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), sodium (Na), magnesium (Mg), and potassium (K) contents; and ii) yoghurt traits including active acidity (Y-pH), titratable acidity (Y-TA), and the counts of both Lactobacilli and Streptococci in 1 mL of yoghurt. A linear model was assumed with fixed effects of herd, year, and season of calving, an effect of the age of the cow at first calving and effects of the casein and lactoglobulin genotypes of β-CN (β-casein, CSN2), κ-CN (κ-casein, CSN3), and β-LG (β-lactoglobulin, LGB), or the three-way interaction between those genes. The genetic polymorphisms were related to the milk TA, AS, content of P and Ca, Y-pH and Lactobacilli number in the fresh yoghurt. The CSN3 genotype was significantly associated with milk AS (p<0.05). The effect of the composite CSN2-CSN3-LGB genotype on the investigated traits mostly reflected the effects of the individual genes. It significantly influenced TA (p<0.01), Y-pH (p<0.05) and the log of the Lactobacilli count (p<0.05). Our findings indicate that the yoghurt fermentation test together with milk proteins genotyping could contribute to milk quality control and highlight new perspectives in dairy cattle selection.

General resilience in dairy cows: A review | Eva Kašná, Ludmila Zavadilová, Jan Vařeka, Jitka Kyselová | Agricultural Journals

The use of genetic markers can help to enhance reproduction in cattle, which is a very important trait for profitability in dairy production systems. This study evaluated the association between genotypes of leptin (LEP), toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), and chemokine receptor of interleukin 8 C-X-C motif (CXCR1) genes and fertility traits in Czech Fleckvieh cattle. Phenotypic data from 786 Czech Fleckvieh cows raised on 5 farms in the Czech Republic were used, along with information from the 1st three parities. To determine genotype, the polymerase chain reaction- restriction fragment length polymorphism method was used. Except for LEP g.-963C>T, all studied genotype frequencies of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were distributed according to the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Two LEP SNPs (g.-963C>T and c.357C>T) were associated with the age at the 1st calving, days open (DO), pregnancy rate after 1st service (PR), and calving interval (CLI). In LEP g.-963C>T the TT genotype heifers firstly calved 24 days earlier than CC genotype and the CT genotype cow showed a tendency for shorter DO and higher PR. In LEP c.357C>T we observed longer CLI and DO period in TT cows. In general, we can propose the TT genotype of g.-963C>T as favorable and the TT genotype of c.357C>T as unfavorable for a cow´s fertility. Heterozygotes in TLR4 c.-226C>G were significantly associated with shorter CLI, and presented a nonsignificant tendency to be associated with higher PR. In CXCR1 c.777 C>G, we did not observe any relationship of this SNP with reproduction. Overall, the results showed that LEP could be an effective marker for improving reproduction in Czech Fleckvieh cattle. This study also provides novel insights into the relationship between TLR4 and CXCR1 SNPs and reproduction in dual-purpose cattle.

The role of molecular genetics in animal breeding: A minireview | Jitka Kyselová, Ladislav Tichý, Kateřina Jochová | Agricultural Journals

The 4 casein loci were evaluated as haplotypes in 2 dairy goat breeds kept in the Czech Republic. Analysis of 41 White Shorthaired (WSH) trio families and 44 Brown Shorthaired (BSH) trio families revealed 14 and 20 haplotypes, respectively. Various genomic techniques were used to type the casein loci. Twenty-two different combinations of these alleles (casein haplotypes, in the order CSN1S1-CSN2-CSN1S2-CSN3) were found. Only 5 haplotypes in the WSH breed and 6 haplotypes in the BSH breed occurred at frequencies >0.05. For the WSH breed, the most common haplotype was FCFB (0.260), whereas for the BSH breed, the most common haplotype was FCFA (0.217). The information on the haplotype variability in both breeds could be used in breeding programs aimed at preserving biodiversity or selecting animals for specific protein production and cheesemaking.

Caseous lymphadenitis (CL) is a chronic contagious disease that affects small ruminants and is characterized by the formation of pyogranulomas in lymph nodes and other organs. However, the pathogenesis of this disease and the response of the host genome to infection are not yet fully understood. This study aimed to investigate the whole blood transcriptome and evaluate differential gene expression during the later stages of CL in naturally infected ewes. The study included diseased, serologically positive (EP), exposed, serologically negative (EN) ewes from the same infected flock and healthy ewes (CN) from a different flock. RNA sequencing was performed using the Illumina NextSeq system, and differential gene expression was estimated using DESeq2 and Edge R approaches. The analysis identified 191 annotated differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the EP group (102 upregulated and 89 downregulated) and 256 DEGs in the EN group (106 upregulated and 150 downregulated) compared to the CN group. Numerous immunoregulatory interactions between lymphoid and nonlymphoid cells were influenced in both EP and EN ewes. Immune DEGs were preferentially assigned to antigen presentation through the MHC complex, T lymphocyte-mediated immunity, and extracellular matrix interactions. Furthermore, the EP group showed altered regulation of cytokine and chemokine signaling and activation and recombination of B-cell receptors. Conversely, NF-kappa B signaling, apoptosis, and stress response were the main processes influenced in the EN group. In addition, statistically significant enrichment of the essential immune pathways of binding and uptake of ligands by scavenger receptors in EP and p53 signaling in the EN group was found. In conclusion, this study provides new insights into the disease course and host–pathogen interaction in naturally CL-infected sheep by investigating the blood transcriptome.