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In the Mediterranean basin countries, the dairy sheep production is usually based on local breeds, which are very well-adapted to their production systems and environments and can indeed guarantee income, employment, and economic viability in areas where production alternatives are scarce or non-existent. Mastitis is still one of the greatest problems affecting commercial milk production. However, genetic evaluation of mastitis is particularly difficult because of its low heritability and the categorical nature of the trait. The aim of this study was to identify genomic regions putatively associated with somatic cells count (SCC) in the local economically important Valle del Belice sheep breed using of deregressed breeding values (DEBV) as response variables. All the samples were genotyped using the Illumina OvineSNP50K BeadChip. Genome-wide association analysis was carried out based on regression of DEBV. A total of eight markers were found to be significantly associated with log-transformed SCC. Several candidate genes associated with SCC were identified related to immunity system and udder conformation. The results can help improving the competitiveness of the local Valle del Belìce breed. Further studies considering a higher sample size or independent population will be needed to confirm our results.

In the Mediterranean basin countries, the dairy sheep production is usually based on local breeds, which are very well-adapted to their production systems and environments and can indeed guarantee income, employment, and economic viability in areas where production alternatives are scarce or non-existent. Mastitis is still one of the greatest problems affecting commercial milk production. However, genetic evaluation of mastitis is particularly difficult because of its low heritability and the categorical nature of the trait. The aim of this study was to identify genomic regions putatively associated with somatic cells count (SCC) in the local economically important Valle del Belice sheep breed using of deregressed breeding values (DEBV) as response variables. All the samples were genotyped using the Illumina OvineSNP50K BeadChip. Genome-wide association analysis was carried out based on regression of DEBV. A total of eight markers were found to be significantly associated with log-transformed SCC. Several candidate genes associated with SCC were identified related to immunity system and udder conformation. The results can help improving the competitiveness of the local Valle del Belìce breed. Further studies considering a higher sample size or independent population will be needed to confirm our results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Melanoma is the leading cause of death among cutaneous neoplasms. For the great majority of melanocytic tumors histopathologic examination can reliably distinguish nevi from melanomas; however, there is a subset of melanocytic neoplasms that defy an accurate diagnosis using histopathological criteria alone. For such tumors, additional ancillary tests would be beneficial in adjudicating a more definitive diagnosis. Conventional ancillary studies such as immunohistochemistry have only a limited utility in distinguishing an atypical nevus from melanoma. In recent years few molecular ancillary tests have been developed to help guide the diagnosis of ambiguous melanocytic proliferations. These tests are based either on the identification of genomic copy number changes or on the differential expression pattern of selected genes in nevi and melanomas. This review will present an updated overview of the major ancillary tests used in clinical practice for the diagnosis of challenging melanocytic neoplasms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]