Objectives: The present study aimed to determine the inheritance pattern and genetic cause of congenital radial hemimelia (RH) in cats. Methods: Clinical and genetic analyses were conducted on a Siamese cat family (n = 18), including two siblings with RH. Radiographs were obtained for the affected kittens and echocardiograms of an affected kitten and sire. Whole genome sequencing was completed on the two cases and the parents. Genomic data were compared with the 99 Lives Cat Genome data set of 420 additional domestic cats with whole genome and whole exome sequencing data. Variants were considered as homozygous in the two cases of the siblings with RH and heterozygous in the parents. Candidate variants were genotyped by Sanger sequencing in the extended pedigree. Results: Radiographs of the female kitten revealed bilateral absence of the radii and bowing of the humeri, while the male kitten showed a dysplastic right radius. Echocardiography suggested the female kitten had restrictive cardiomyopathy with a positive left atrial-to-aortic root ratio (LA:Ao = 1.83 cm), whereas hypertrophic cardiomyopathy was more likely in the sire, showing diastolic dysfunction using tissue Doppler imaging (59.06 cm/s). Twenty-two DNA variants were unique and homozygous in the affected kittens and heterozygous in the parents. Seven variants clustered in one chromosomal region, including two frameshift variants in cardiomyopathy associated 5 ( CMYA5) and five variants in junction mediating and regulatory protein, P53 cofactor ( JMY ), including a missense and an in-frame deletion. Conclusions and relevance: The present study suggested an autosomal recessive mode of inheritance with variable expression for RH in the Siamese cat family. Candidate variants for the phenotype were identified, implicating their roles in bone development. These genes should be considered as potentially causal for other cats with RH. Siamese cat breeders should consider genetically testing their cats for these variants to prevent further dissemination of the suspected variants within the breed.

This research aimed to investigate the sensitivity to the drug (ivermectin) in Kangal and Akbaş breed dogs, which are dog breeds native to Turkey, via the MDR1 gene mutation. For the research, blood, hair and intraoral swap samples were taken from 30 Kangal and 20 Akbaş breed dogs (male-female mixed, adult) with ethical permission and approval forms. Kangal dog samples were taken from the dogs bred in the farms in Sivas center and Kangal village, and Akbaş dog samples were taken from the dogs bred in the farms in the Sivrihisar center, Ankara and Eskişehir regions. The samples taken were evaluated based on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) from the wool and subsequent two-way dideoxy chain termination reaction in the presence of 4 base farm deletions (c.296-299delAGAT) in the 4th exon of the ABCB1 gene that encodes the P-glycoprotein (P-gp) drug transporter protein. According to the obtained DNA sequence results, the deletion of “AGAT” was not determined in any of the individuals screened. The results of this study, which is preliminary research, showed that Kangal and Akbaş breed dogs are safe in terms of sensitivity to drugs that are set to be absorbed and excreted by the P-gp pump, especially ivermectin. However, it would be useful to repeat the analysis of both breeds with more examples.

Gen kaynaklarının korunmasına odaklanan çalışmaların ilk aşaması, mevcut ırkların fenotipik ve genetik karakterizasyonunu içermektedir. Genetik analizler için oldukça uygun olan mitokondriyal DNA (mtDNA) seviyesindeki farklılıkların açıklanması, yerel ırklar arasında genetik mesafelerin hesaplanabilmesini, evrimsel analizler aracılığıyla potansiyel evcilleştirme merkezlerinin belirlenebilmesini ve ırklar arasındaki akrabalık ilişkilerini gösteren filogeni ağaçlarının oluşturulabilmesini mümkün kılar. Şanlıurfa, geleneksel güvercin yetiştiriciliğinin uzun bir geçmişe sahip olması ve güvercin evcilleştirmesi merkezlerinden biri olması nedeniyle güvercin yetiştiriciliğinde önem taşımaktadır. Bu çalışma, Şanlıurfa iline özgü güvercin ırklarından Şebap güvercinini tüm mtDNA dizisi açısından karakterize etmeyi amaçlamaktadır. Şebap güvercininin mitokondriyal genomu, 17,232 bp boyutunda olup, 13 Protein-Kodlayan Gen (PCG), iki Ribozomal RNA (rRNA) ve 22 Transfer RNA (tRNA) içermektedir. Genel mitokondriyal genom kompozisyonu, sırasıyla %29.6 A, %24.5 T, %31.2 C ve %14.7 G içermekte olup, belirgin bir şekilde %54.1 A-T zenginliğine sahiptir. Özellikle, ND6 L zincirinde kodlanırken diğerleri H zincirinde kodlanmaktadır.

This study was carried out on the effect of different amounts of whey on the kefir production process and the bacterial microbiota of the beverages. Fermentation was carried out by mixing commercial kefir grains with cow, sheep, and goat milk with their whey at concentrations of 0% (control group), 25%, 50%, and 75%. The bacterial microbiota in the produced beverages and the relative abundances of seven microorganisms (Lactobacillus kefiranofaciens, Lactobacillus kefiri, Lactobacillus delbrueckii, Lactococcus lactis, Streptococcus thermophilus, Leuconostoc mesenteroides, and acetic acid bacteria) were determined using metagenomic analysis targeting the V3-V4 region of 16 S rRNA gene, and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), respectively. Lactococcus lactis and Leuconostoc mesenteroides were detected in higher abundance in whey-containing goat samples. While Lactobacillus was dominant in the cow milk samples containing 0%, 25%, and 50% whey, Enterococcus was dominant in the samples containing 75% whey. In sheep milk samples, Lactobacillus was dominant in samples with 75% and 50% whey, Lactococcus was dominant in samples with 25% whey, and Enterococcus was dominant in samples with no (0%) whey. Lactobacillus was dominant in all goat milk samples. In conclusion, high levels of lactic acid bacteria were shown to preserve their viability in the experimentally produced beverages with the addition of whey at different concentrations, and the whey could be used to produce kefir.

Beef meat quality and value are influenced by the breed, sex, and age of slaughtered animals. This study aimed to evaluate lipofuscin pigment autofluorescence as a method for age classification in beef meat samples and to determine the sex of market-obtained meat using PCR-based amelogenin gene amplification. Deboned beef meat samples from M. longissimus dorsi and M. biceps femoris were collected from 67 slaughtered cows with known age and sex. Additionally, 48 market samples were tested for sex identification and age classification using the same methods. Lipofuscin deposition was first observed at 1.5 years, and autofluorescence analysis effectively distinguished between meat from younger animals (1.5–2.2 years) and older ones (3–13 years), with a statistically significant difference (p < 0.001). Lipofuscin levels and excitation intensity increased with age, and no differences were found between the two muscles analyzed. The sex determination results were fully consistent with the records, and 55.2% of animals aged 3 years and older were identified as female. These findings demonstrate the reliability of lipofuscin autofluorescence for binary age determination in beef and support the potential of combining age and sex classification to identify meat derived from older dairy cows in the marketplace.