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Two breeds of chickens were used to develop reference family and detect QTLs affecting egg quality traits: cocks of a native Polish breed Green-Legged Partidgenous (GlP) and hens of Rhode Island Red (RIR). During the first 100 days of the laying period, the GlP hens lay about 40 eggs weighting on average 50 g, whilst the RIR flock laid 83 eggs with a mean weight of 60 g. QTL analysis of egg quality traits was performed on 552 birds of the F2 generation with the aid of 19 microsatellite loci on chromosomes 6, 7, 8, Z and linkage groups 9 (E 36), 19 (E 52) and 26 (E 46). Linkage analysis was performed for 19 microsatellite markers within the mapped population and ten QTLs were found to affect seven egg quality traits: at week 53-shell thickness, shell strength, albumen weight, egg specific gravity and percent of yolk in egg; and at week 33- percent of yolk in egg and Hugh's units. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Different percentages of cells with a female sheep or male goat karyotype were found in kidney (12.0% vs. 88.0%) and lung (42.6% vs. 57.4%) cell cultures from a 10-year-old chimera. Skin biopsies from patches with goat hair or sheep wool showed different, age-related goat-to-sheep fibroblast ratios. Karyotypic analysis of lymphocytes obtained from peripheral blood of the chimera at 6 and 10 yr of age showed no chimerism. Two weeks after birth, however, lymphocytes with both sheep (54,XX) and goat (60,XY) karyotypes were apparent in the blood of this chimera. Twenty percent of the blood cells examined at 2 wk had a caprine karyotype; this proportion declined with time, until it was totally eliminated at age 6. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the current study was to characterize Polish Black-and-White cattle by morphological study of the Y chromosome. A total of 14 Y-linked microsatellites from UMN and INRA group were genotyped and assessed for polymorphism in a total 22 bulls. Cytogenetic studies in Polish Black-and-White bulls showed the existence of two morphological forms of Y chromosome. Among the 22 karyotypic analyzed bulls, 12 had submetacentric and 10 metacentric Y chromosome. The centromeric index of Y chromosome measured as percentage length of the p arm to total length ratio in the first case was 28 ± 3.97% and in the second 47 ± 7.28%, whereas the relative size of these chromosomes remained within the same range. Morphology and G- and C-banding patterns of both forms of Y chromosome were typical for other cattle breeds originating from Bos taurus . Out of a total of 14 microsatellite loci examined, 13 showed specific alleles for two forms of Y chromosome. In a pool of 62 alleles, 43 (69.3%) were common in the two groups of cattle, 19 (30.7%) can be considered as specific for the group; among them 8 were typical for metacentric group of Y chromosome and 11 for submetacentric.

The studies conducted aimed at evaluating the genetic diversity within and between varieties of conservative flocks of geese, using the polymorphism of 14 microsatellite sequences. The experimental material included conservative flocks of geese the following indigenous breeds and varieties kept in Poland: Kielecka (Ki), Kartuska (Ka), Lubelska (Lu), Suvalska (Su), Rypinska (Ry), Sub-Carpathian (SC), Hunched Beak (HB) and Pomeranian (Po). Among the 14 microsatellite sequences a total of 97 microsatellite alleles were identified. The number of alleles at one locus ranged from 3 to 19. In the overall pool of 97 alleles, 26 (26.8%) were specific for individual breeds and varieties of geese. The values of the expected heterozygosity (He) for individual geese ranged from 0.38 (Sub-Carpathian) to 0.51 (HB). Similarly, the mean values for the observed heterozygosity (Ho) ranged from 0.45 (Po) to 0.55 (Ki and Su). The polymorphic information content reached the highest value of 0.80 at loci CKW21 (Ki) and TTUCG5 (Po and Su). The greatest genetic distance was observed between the HB and Ry (0.44) and between the HB and Po (0.39) varieties, while the smallest-between the Lu and Po as well as Lu and Ki (0.028) varieties. The phylogenetic tree, elaborated on the basis of the genetic distances, clearly confirms the specificity of the HB goose as compared to the remaining breeds and varieties.

The quantitative traits of mass and percentage of abdominal fat in chicken and various types of obesity in mammals are homologous and functionally similar. Therefore, the genes involved in obesity development in humans and laboratory rodents as well as those responsible for pig lard thickness could be involved in abdominal fat deposition in broilers. Expression of candidate genes FABP1, FABP2, FABP3, HMGA1, MC4R, PPARG, PPARGC1A, POMC and PTPN1 was studied in fat, liver, colon, muscle, hypophysis, and brain in chicken (broilers) using real-time PCR. Significant difference in the HMGA1 gene expression in the liver of broiler chicken with high (3.5 +/- 0.18%) and low (1.9 +/- 0.56%) abdominal fat concentration has been revealed. The expression of this gene was been shown to correlate with the amount (0.7, P < or = 0.01) and mass (0.7, P < or = 0.01) of abdominal fat. The PPARG gene expression in liver in the same chicken subsets was also significantly different. Correlation coefficients of the gene expression with the abdominal fat amount and mass were respectively 0.55 (P < or = 0.05) and 0.57 (P < or = 0.01). Based on these results, we suggest that the HMGA1 and PPARG genes are involved in abdominal fat deposition. The search for single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the HMGA and PPARG regulatory regions could facilitate identifying genetic markers for broiler breeding according to the mass and percentage of abdominal fat.

The expression of nine functional candidates for QT abdominal fat weight and relative abdominal fat content was investigated by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in the liver, adipose tissue, colon, muscle, pituitary gland and brain of broilers. The high mobility group AT-hook 1 (HMG1A) gene was up-regulated in liver with a ratio of means of 2.90 (P ≤ 0.01) in the "fatty" group (relative abdominal fat content 3.5 ± 0.18%, abdominal fat weight 35.4 ± 6.09 g) relative to the "lean" group (relative abdominal fat content 1.9 ± 0.56%, abdominal fat weight 19.2 ± 5.06 g). Expression of this gene was highly correlated with the relative abdominal fat content (0.70, P ≤ 0.01) and abdominal fat weight (0.70, P ≤ 0.01). The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARG) gene was also up-regulated in the liver with a ratio of means of 3.34 (P ≤ 0.01) in the "fatty" group relative to the "lean" group. Correlation of its expression was significant with both the relative abdominal fat content (0.55, P ≤ 0.05) and the abdominal fat weight (0.57, P ≤ 0.01). These data suggest that the HMG1A and PPARG genes were candidate genes for abdominal fat deposition in chickens. Searching of rSNPs in regulatory regions of the HMG1A and PPARG genes could provide a tool for gene-assisted selection.

Considering the involvement of the opioid system in alcoholism, depression and metabolism - known risk factors in human obesity, we studied the effects of chronic mild stress (CMS) and alcohol intake on body weight in two mouse lines selected for high (HA-high analgesia) or low (LA-low analgesia) swim stress-induced analgesia. In comparison to LA mice, HA mice exhibit an upregulation of opioid receptor system function, different depression-like behavior and reduced energy expenditure in stress. LA animals showed enhanced basal and CMS-induced alcohol drinking versus HA. Now we report different effects of alcohol under no stress (control) and CMS conditions on food intake and body weight between the lines. CMS in animals with no access to alcohol increased body weight in both HA and LA mice, with no effect of CMS on food intake in either line and without differences between the lines. In LA mice alcohol reduced body weight under both conditions although significantly more under the control than CMS conditions. In contrast, in HA mice alcohol increased body weight more under the CMS than under control conditions. The results suggest that opioid system may modulate effects of alcohol on stress -induced changes in body weight., ((c) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The safety assessment of genetically modified (GM) food and feed is performed to identify the possible effects upon animal and human health, also the long-term, multigenerational influence upon functioning of different organs and systems, such as the immune system. In this study C57BL/6J mice were fed for five consecutive generations with pellets containing 20% of conventional triticale grain (control) vs. pellets containing 20% of the transgenic triticale grain resistant to BASTA herbicide (experimental). The F5 experimental animals showed enlarged inguinal and axillary lymph nodes, but not spleens, and increased WBC counts in blood (but within the norm for Mus musculus). Immunophenotyped cell suspensions derived from spleens, inguinal and axillaris lymph nodes and PBMCs from blood showed the significant decrease in the percentage of T cells in spleen and lymph nodes and the B cells in lymph nodes and blood of the F5 experimental mice in comparison to the control F5 mice. Immunoblotting analysis of IL-2, IL-4, IL-10, IL-12, IL- 6, IFN-gamma levels in serum showed significantly increased IL-2 levels and decreased IL-6 levels in the F5-experimental mice sera. No significant changes in the levels of IgE in sera in both mice groups were observed. The obtained results indicate that multigenerational use of feeds for rodents containing the GM-triticale leads to expansion of the B cell compartment in the secondary lymphoid organs, but it is not caused by malignant processes or the allergic response.

The role of the opioid system in mediating effects of alcoholism and stress in depression is far from clear. We studied, therefore, the effects of chronic mild stress (CMS) and alcohol drinking on depression-like behavior and nociception in lines of mice selected for high (HA) or low (LA) swim stress-induced analgesia. Compared to the LA mice, the HA animals display up-regulation of opioid receptor system function and depression-like behavior in tail suspension test (TST). We report now that alcohol reverses depressive and pronociceptive effect of CMS in HA mice. In contrast, in LA mice CMS does not affect nociception or behavior in TST and the animals are not susceptible to alcohol under CMS. The results suggest that opioid system activity may determine the effects of alcohol on behavior under stress and, therefore, link predispositions to depression and to alcoholism.

Alcoholism is a complex disorder, still not fully understood, in which environmental and inherited risk factors play essential roles. Of particular importance may be chronic exposure to stress thought to increase preference for ethanol in genetically susceptible individuals. Animal and human data suggest that the opioid system may be involved in the development of alcohol dependence. We studied the effects of chronic mild stress (CMS) on the voluntary intake of 8% ethanol in the mouse lines displaying high (HA) or low (LA) swim stress-induced analgesia. These lines differ in the activity of the endogenous opioid system. Normally, 8% ethanol is aversive to rodents. We found that LA mice with the low opioid system activity exposed to CMS manifested greater ethanol intake than under no stress conditions. No such effect of CMS on ethanol consumption was observed in HA mice that display the enhanced opioid system activity. We conclude that CMS imposed on individuals with a genetically determined low opioid activity may favor the development of ethanol abuse.