Over the second half of 20(th) century much research on lipogenesis has been conducted, especially focused on increasing the production efficiency and improving the quality of animal derived products. However, many diferences are observed in the physiology of lipogenesis between species. Recently, many studies have also elucidated the involvement of numerous genes in this procedure, highlighting diferences not only at physiology but also at the molecular level. The main scope of this review is to point out the major differences between ruminant and non ruminant species, that are observed in key regulatory genes involved in lipogenesis. Human is used as a central reference and according to the findinggs, main differences are analysed. These findings could serve not only as basis for understanding the main physiology of lipogenesis and further basic research, but also as a basis for any animal scientist to develop new concepts and methods for use in improving animal production and modern genetic improvement.

Climate change is a contemporary global challenge that requires comprehensive solutions to mitigate its adverse effects. All human activities contribute to climate change, mainly through atmospheric emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs), such as nitrous oxide (N₂O), carbon dioxide (CO₂), and methane (CH₄). While most of these emissions are primarily due to fossil fuel use, agriculture and livestock production also contribute to a significant share of approximately 12% of global emissions. Most processes that are implemented within an animal husbandry unit are associated with greenhouse gas emissions, including manure management. This review explores the interconnection between climate change and manure management practices, highlighting the potential for sustainable approaches to mitigating GHG emissions. The key strategies for manure management, such as anaerobic digestion, nutrient management, composting, manure separation and treatment, and improved storage and handling, are discussed, as they are implemented in different livestock production systems (ruminants, poultry, and pigs). Despite the technological progress, there is still a place for further improving manure management approaches, especially in non-ruminant species leading to a higher mitigation potential and a reduction in greenhouse gases emissions. Moreover, policy support and incentives for sustainable practices are crucial for widespread adoption.

Background: The presence of antimicrobial-resistant pathogens such as Klebsiella pneumoniae strains in the food supply is dangerous. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of Klebsiella pneumonia strains in Greek meat products and evaluate their phenotypes and genotypes. Methods: One hundred and ten meat specimens were cultured for the isolation of K. pneumoniae. In positive specimens, PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) analysis was performed to confirm the presence of K. pneumoniae. Genotypic and phenotypic evaluation of the isolated strains included multiplex immunoassay for the detection of carbapenemases, and PCR screening for the detection of resistance and virulence genes. Results:K. pneumoniae strains were recovered in 90 (81.8%) meat samples. The ecpA gene was identified in 30 (33.3%) isolates, while the fimH-1 and mrkA genes were present in 15 (16.7%) and 65 (72.2%) isolates, respectively. Sixty-five K. pneumoniae isolates (72.2%) were found to carry at least one resistance gene; of these, the blaNDM-like was the most commonly identified gene in 40 (61.5%) isolates, followed by the blaOXA-48 like gene in 20 isolates (30.8%). Conclusions: A high frequency of foodborne K. pneumoniae in Greece was found. Our results indicate that most strains carried resistance and virulence genes, indicating a high pathogenic potential and a significant risk to human health.

This e research focused on the detection and identification of genetic polymorphisms in exon 7 of the β-casein CSN2 gene in blood samples from Greek Holstein cows and from local breeds of cattle, such as Vrachykeratiki, Katerinis, and Sykias. For this purpose, DNA was isolated from 780 blood samples obtained from Greek Holstein cows, 86 from three local breeds of cattle, namely Brachyceros, Katerinis, and Sykias, and 14 from Greek buffalo. The desired region of exon 7 was amplified by PCR, resulting in 121 and 251 bp products in bovine and buffalo samples. The PCR product was digested with restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) on agarose gels. The restriction enzymes DdeI and TaqI were used. All of the blood samples had the amplified size. The results showed that 74.4% of the Greek Holstein cows had the A2A2 β-casein genotype, the three native breads Vrachykeratiki had 57.7%, and the other two had 100% of the A2A2 β-casein. From the 14 Greek buffalo, 100% had the A2A2 β-casein.

Background: The indigenous cattle populations from Greece and Cyprus have decreased to small numbers and are currently at risk of extinction due to socio-economic reasons, geographic isolation and crossbreeding with commercial breeds. This study represents the first comprehensive genome-wide analysis of 10 indigenous cattle populations from continental Greece and the Greek islands, and one from Cyprus, and compares them with 104 international breeds using more than 46,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Results: We estimated several parameters of genetic diversity (e.g. heterozygosity and allelic diversity) that indicated a severe loss of genetic diversity for the island populations compared to the mainland populations, which is mainly due to the declining size of their population in recent years and subsequent inbreeding. This high inbreeding status also resulted in higher genetic differentiation within the Greek and Cyprus cattle group compared to the remaining geographical breed groups. Supervised and unsupervised cluster analyses revealed that the phylogenetic patterns in the indigenous Greek breeds were consistent with their geographical origin and historical information regarding crosses with breeds of Anatolian or Balkan origin. Cyprus cattle showed a relatively high indicine ancestry. Greek island populations are placed close to the root of the tree as defined by Gir and the outgroup Yak, whereas the mainland breeds share a common historical origin with Buša. Unsupervised clustering and D-statistics analyses provided strong support for Bos indicus introgression in almost all the investigated local cattle breeds along the route from Anatolia up to the southern foothills of the Alps, as well as in most cattle breeds along the Apennine peninsula to the southern foothills of the Alps. Conclusions: All investigated Cyprus and Greek breeds present complex mosaic genomes as a result of historical and recent admixture events between neighbor and well-separated breeds. While the contribution of some mainland breeds to the genetic diversity pool seems important, some island and fragmented mainland breeds suffer from a severe decline of population size and loss of alleles due to genetic drift. Conservation programs that are a compromise between what is feasible and what is desirable should focus not only on the still highly diverse mainland breeds but also promote and explore the conservation possibilities for island breeds.