Meat Science Commons^™

Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A 165 Rescues Steroids, Inflammation And Follicle Arrest In High Androstenedione Cows, Mohamed A. Abedal-Majed, Shelby A. Springman, Courtney M. Sutton, Alexandria P. Snider, Brooke E. Bell, Mariah Hart, Scott G. Kurz, Jeffrey Bergman, Adam F. Summers, Renee M. Mcfee, John S. Davis, Jennifer R. Wood, Andrea S. Cupp

Faculty Papers and Publications in Animal Science

A population of cows with excess androstenedione (A4; High A4) in follicular fluid, with follicular arrest, granulosa cell dysfunction, and a 17% reduction in calving rate was previously identified. We hypothesized that excess A4 in the ovarian microenvironment caused the follicular arrest in High A4 cows and that vascular endothelial growth factor A would rescue the High A4 phenotype. In trial 1, prior to culture, High A4 ovarian cortex (n=9) had greater numbers of early stage follicles (primordial) and fewer later-stage follicles compared to controls (n=11). Culture for 7 days did not relieve this follicular arrest; …

Adaptive Selection Signatures In River Buffalo With Emphasis On Immune And Major Histocompatibility Complex Genes, Yan Ren, Callum Macphillamy, Thu Hien To, Timothy P. L. Smith, John L. Williams, Wai Yee Low

Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center

River buffalo is an agriculturally important species with many traits, such as disease tolerance, which promote its use worldwide. Highly contiguous genome assemblies of the river buffalo, goat, pig, human and two cattle subspecies were aligned to study gene gains and losses and signs of positive selection. The gene families that have changed significantly in river buffalo since divergence from cattle play important roles in protein degradation, the olfactory receptor system, detoxification and the immune system. We used the branch site model in PAML to analyse single-copy orthologs to identify positively selected genes that may be involved in skin differentiation, …

Evaluating Large Spontaneous Deletions In A Bovine Cell Line Selected For Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus Resistance, Aspen M. Workman, Michael P. Heaton, Dennis A. Webster, Gregory P. Harhay, Theodore S. Kalbfleisch, Timothy P.L. Smith, Shollie M. Falkenberg, Daniel F. Carlson, Tad S. Sonstegard

Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center

Bovine viral diarrhea virus’s (BVDV) entry into bovine cells involves attachment of virions to cellular receptors, internalization, and pH-dependent fusion with endosomal membranes. The primary host receptor for BVDV is CD46; however, the complete set of host factors required for virus entry is unknown. The Madin-Darby bovine kidney (MDBK) cell line is susceptible to BVDV infection, while a derivative cell line (CRIB) is resistant at the level of virus entry. We performed complete genome sequencing of each to identify genomic variation underlying the resistant phenotype with the aim of identifying host factors essential for BVDV entry. Three large compound deletions …

Decoding The Equine Genome: Lessons From Encode, Sichong Peng, Jessica L. Petersen, Rebecca R. Bellone, Ted Kalbfleisch, N. B. Kingsley, Alexa Barber, Eleonora Cappelletti, Elena Giulotto, Carrie J. Finno

Faculty Papers and Publications in Animal Science

The horse reference genome assemblies, EquCab2.0 and EquCab3.0, have enabled great advancements in the equine genomics field, from tools to novel discoveries. However, significant gaps of knowledge regarding genome function remain, hindering the study of complex traits in horses. In an effort to address these gaps and with inspiration from the Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE) project, the equine Functional Annotation of Animal Genome (FAANG) initiative was proposed to bridge the gap between genome and gene expression, providing further insights into functional regulation within the horse genome. Three years after launching the initiative, the equine FAANG group has generated data …

Perches As Cooling Devices For Reducing Heat Stress In Caged Laying Hens: A Review, Jiaying Hu, Yijie Xiong

Faculty Papers and Publications in Animal Science

Heat stress is one of the most detrimental environmental challenges affecting the biological process and the related production performance of farm animals, especially in poultry. Commercial laying hens have been bred (selected) for high egg production, resulting in increased sensitivity to heat stress due to breeding-linked metabolic heat production. In addition, laying hens are prone to heat stress due to their inadequate species-specific cooling mechanisms resulting in low heat tolerance. In addition, hens have no sweat glands and feathering covers almost their entire body to minimize body heat loss. The poultry industry and scientists are developing cooling methods to prevent …

Micrornas As Biomarkers For Early Diagnosis, Prognosis, And Therapeutic Targeting Of Ovarian Cancer, Yegane Mirahmadi, Reza Nabavi, Fourough Taheri, Mohammad Mahdi Samadian, Zari Naderi Ghale-Noie, Mahsa Farjami, Abbas Samadi-Khouzani, Meysam Yousefi, Sara Azhdari, Arash Salmaninejad, Amirhossein Sahebkar

Faculty Papers and Publications in Animal Science

Ovarian cancer is the major cause of gynecologic cancer-related mortality. Regardless of outstanding advances, which have been made for improving the prognosis, diagnosis, and treatment of ovarian cancer, the majority of the patients will die of the disease. Late-stage diagnosis and the occurrence of recurrent cancer after treatment are the most important causes of the high mortality rate observed in ovarian cancer patients. Unraveling the molecular mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of ovarian cancer may help find new biomarkers and therapeutic targets for ovarian cancer. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs that regulate gene expression, mostly at the posttranscriptional stage, …

Profile Of Producers And Production Of Dry-Aged Beef In Brazil, Jonatã Henrique Rezende-De-Souza, Flavio Andre Bolini Cardello, Ana Paula Moraes De Paula, Felipe A. Ribeiro, Chase C. Calkins, Sérgio Bertelli Pflanzer

Faculty Papers and Publications in Animal Science

No information is currently available on the profile of producers and production process of dry-aged beef in Brazil, to the best of the authors’ knowledge. We surveyed 37 Brazilian companies that were producing dry-aged beef in 2020 to investigate this market. The absolute and relative frequency of responses was calculated to obtain the sum, average, minimum, and maximum values. From the respondents, dry-aged beef was first produced in 2009, and most producers are located in big cities. Most respondents control and monitor chamber temperature; however, humidity and air velocity only are monitored. The aging period (mostly between 22 to 60 …

Predicting Carcass Cut Yields In Cattle From Digital Images Using Artificial Intelligence, Darragh Matthews, Thierry Pabiou, Ross D. Evans, Christian Beder, Aengus Daly

Department of Mathematics Publications

Deep Learning (DL) has proven to be a successful tool for many image classification problems but has yet to be applied to carcass images. The aim of this study was to train DL models to predict carcass cut yields and compare predictions to more standard machine learning (ML) methods. Three approaches were undertaken to predict the grouped carcass cut yields of Grilling cuts and Roasting cuts from a large dataset of 54,598 and 69,246 animals respectively. The approaches taken were (1) animal phenotypic data used as features for a range of ML algorithms, (2) carcass images used to train Convolutional …

Localization Of Kisspeptin, Nkb, And Nk3r In The Hypothalamus Of Gilts Treated With The Progestin Altrenogest, Ashley N. Lindo, Jennifer F. Thorson, Michelle N. Bedenbaugh, Richard B. Mccosh, Justin A. Lopez, Samantha A. Young, Lanny J. Meadows, Elizabeth C. Bowdridge, Chrysanthi Fergani, Bradley A. Freking, Michael N. Lehman, Stanley M. Hileman, Clay A. Lents

Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center

Mechanisms in the brain controlling secretion of gonadotropin hormones in pigs, particularly luteinizing hormone (LH), are poorly understood. Kisspeptin is a potent LH stimulant that is essential for fertility in many species, including pigs. Neurokinin B (NKB) acting through neurokinin 3 receptor (NK3R) is involved in kisspeptin-stimulated LH release, but organization of NKB and NK3R within the porcine hypothalamus is unknown. Hypothalamic tissue from ovariectomized (OVX) gilts was used to determine the distribution of immunoreactive kisspeptin, NKB, and NK3R cells in the arcuate nucleus (ARC). Almost all kisspeptin neurons coexpressed NKB in the porcine ARC. Immunostaining for NK3R was distributed …

Impact Of Feeding Syngenta Enogen® Feed Corn Compared To Control Corn In Different Diet Scenarios To Finishing Beef Cattle, Stacia M. Volk, Hannah H. Wilson, Kathryn J. Hanford, James C. Macdonald, Galen E. Erickson

Faculty Papers and Publications in Animal Science

The objective of this pooled statistical analysis was to evaluate Syngenta Enogen® Feed Corn (EFC) versus conventional corn (CON) when fed as either dry-rolled corn (DRC) or highmoisture corn (HMC) for effects on finishing beef cattle performance and carcass characteristics. Corns were evaluated in diets with byproduct inclusion rates of 0, 15, 18, 20, and 30% distiller grains or 25 and 35% Sweet Bran® (a commercial corn gluten feed product). Seven trials (n = 1856) consisting of 200 pen means comparing 26 diet treatments were analyzed using regression in a pooled analysis. When EFC was processed as DRC, the gain …

Non - Naturally Occurring Porcine Reproductive And Respiratory Syndrome Virus ( Prrsv ) And Methods Of Using, Hiep Lai Xuan Vu, Fernando Osorio, William W. Laegreid, Asit K. Pattnaik, Fangrui Ma

Faculty Papers and Publications in Animal Science

A non - naturally occurring porcine reproductive and respi ratory syndrome virus ( PRRSV ) is provided herein , and methods of making and using the non - naturally occurring PRRSV also are provided

Genomic Analysis Of Shiga Toxin-Containing Escherichia Coli O157:H7 Isolated From Argentinean Cattle, Ariel Amadio, James L. Bono, Matías Irazoqui, Mariano Larzábal, Wanderson Marques Da Silva, María Florencia Eberhardt, Nahuel A. Riviere, David Gally, Shannon D. Manning, Angel Cataldi

Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center

Cattle are the main reservoir of Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC), with O157:H7 the distinctive serotype. EHEC is the main causative agent of a severe systemic disease, Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS). Argentina has the highest pediatric HUS incidence worldwide with 12–14 cases per 100,000 children. Herein, we assessed the genomes of EHEC O157:H7 isolates recovered from cattle in the humid Pampas of Argentina. According to phylogenetic studies, EHEC O157 can be divided into clades. Clade 8 strains that were classified as hypervirulent. Most of the strains of this clade have a Shiga toxin stx2a-stx2c genotype. To better understand the molecular bases …

Validation Of High-Resolution Melting Assays For The Detection Of Virulent Strains Of Escherichia Coli O26 And O111 In Beef And Pork Enrichment Broths, Frank J. Velez, Joseph M. Bosilevac, Prashant Singh

Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center

Extensive validation of diagnostic assays using widely collected surveillance samples is critical for developing pathogen detection assays. The detection of potentially virulent E. coli strains is critical to the red meat industry. We previously developed two high-resolution melting (HRM) assays for detecting potentially virulent and avirulent E. coli O26 and O111 strains. Assays were validated using enriched beef (n = 36) and pork (n = 36) samples collected as part of a U.S. federal regulatory surveillance program. Data from this study showed more than 90% sensitivity and specificity for both the HRM assays, demonstrating suitability for the red meat industry …

Relationship Of Molecular Breeding Value For Beef Tenderness With Heifer Traits Through Weaning Of Their First Calf, Robert A. Cushman, Gary L. Bennett, Richard G. Tait, Anthony K. Mcneel, Eduardo Casas, Timothy P.L. Smith, Harvey C. Freetly

Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center

Polymorphisms in μ-calpain (CAPN1) that beneficially associate with beef tenderness are reported to antagonistically associate with calving day in beef heifers and post-partum interval to estrus in beef cows. We, therefore, hypothesized that a molecular breeding value for slice shear force, calculated based on CAPN1 and calpastatin (CAST) genotypes, would demonstrate an antagonistic relationship between genomically predicted slice shear force and ordinal calving date in replacement beef heifers. A secondary objective of this study was to evaluate the association of a polymorphism in diacylglycerol O-acyltransferase (DGAT1) with reproductive traits in beef heifers. One hundred eighty-seven MARC III heifers (¼ Angus, …

Using Beet Pulp To Adapt Cattle To Finishing Diets Compared To Traditional Grain Adaptation With Alfalfa Hay, C. J. Schneider, Matt K. Luebbe, K. H. Jenkins, Stephanie A. Furman Furman, Galen E. Erickson, Terry J. Klopfenstein

Faculty Papers and Publications in Animal Science

A study was conducted to compare grain adaptation programs using beet pulp (BP) to traditional grain adaptation with alfalfa hay (AH). Yearling crossbred steers (n = 232; BW = 326 ± 14.5 kg) were separated into 3 weight blocks, stratified by BW, and assigned randomly, within strata, to 18 feedlot pens, with 12 or 13 steers per pen. Treatments were imposed during grain adaptation (21 d) using 3 grain adaptation programs. Within each grain adaptation program, 4 step rations were fed for 3, 4, 7, and 7 d. Each program increased dry-rolled corn inclusion while roughage inclusion decreased. In the …

Characterisation Of Early Positive Mcr‐1 Resistance Gene And Plasmidome In Escherichia Coli Pathogenic Strains Associated With Variable Phylogroups Under Colistin Selection, Guerrino Macori, Scott V. Nguyen, Ankita Naithani, Daniel Hurley, Li Bai, Farid El Garch, Frédérique Woehrlé, Christine Miossec, Benjamin Roques, Peadar O’Gaora, James L. Bono, Séamus Fanning

Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center

An antibiotic susceptibility monitoring programme was conducted from 2004 to 2010, re-sulting in a collection of 143 Escherichia coli cultured from bovine faecal samples (diarrhoea) and milk‐aliquots (mastitis). The isolates were subjected to whole‐genome sequencing and were distrib-uted in phylogroups A, B1, B2, C, D, E, and G with no correlation for particular genotypes with pathotypes. In fact, the population structure showed that the strains belonging to the different phy-logroups matched broadly to ST complexes; however, the isolates are randomly associated with the diseases, highlighting the necessity to investigate the virulence factors more accurately in order to identify the mechanisms …

Meat Tenderness: Advances In Biology, Biochemistry, Molecular Mechanisms And New Technologies, Robyn D. Warner, Tommy L. Wheeler, Minh Ha, Xin Li, Alaa El-Din Bekhit, James Morton, Rozita Vaskoska, Frank R. Dunshea, Rui Lui, Peter Purslow, Wangang Zhang

Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center

Meat tenderness is an important quality trait critical to consumer acceptance, and determines satisfaction, repeat purchase and willingness-to-pay premium prices. Recent advances in tenderness research from a variety of perspectives are presented. Our understanding of molecular factors influencing tenderization are discussed in relation to glycolysis, calcium release, protease activation, apoptosis and heat shock proteins, the use of proteomic analysis for monitoring changes, proteomic biomarkers and oxidative/nitrosative stress. Each of these structural, metabolic and molecular determinants of meat tenderness are then discussed in greater detail in relation to animal variation, postmortem influences, and changes during cooking, with a focus on recent …

Effect Of A Trace Mineral Injection On Performance And Trace Mineral Status Of Beef Cows And Calves, Carmen J. Willmore, John B. Hall, Mary E. Drewnoski

Faculty Papers and Publications in Animal Science

The objective was to determine the effects of an injectable trace mineral (TMI; Multimin 90) containing copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), selenium (Se), and zinc (Zn) on trace mineral status and the resulting impacts on reproduction of beef cows and the growth of their calves. Beef cows (n = 200) were assigned to receive TMI or no injection (CON) prior to calving and breeding over two consecutive years. Calves born to cows receiving TMI also received TMI at birth in both years and at 49 ± 1.3 days of age in year 1. The TMI increased (p = 0.01) liver Zn …

Classifying Ingestive Behavior Of Dairy Cows Via Automatic Sound Recognition, Guoming Li, Yijie Xiong, Qian Du, Zhengxiang Shi, Richard S. Gates

Faculty Papers and Publications in Animal Science

Determining ingestive behaviors of dairy cows is critical to evaluate their productivity and health status. The objectives of this research were to (1) develop the relationship between forage species/heights and sound characteristics of three different ingestive behaviors (bites, chews, and chew-bites); (2) comparatively evaluate three deep learning models and optimization strategies for classifying the three behaviors; and (3) examine the ability of deep learning modeling for classifying the three ingestive behaviors under various forage characteristics. The results show that the amplitude and duration of the bite, chew, and chew-bite sounds were mostly larger for tall forages (tall fescue and alfalfa) …

Economic Contribution Of The Agricultural Sector To The Arkansas Economy In 2019, Leah English, Jennie Popp, Wayne Miller

Research Reports and Research Bulletins

Agriculture and associated agricultural activities are major contributors to the Arkansas economy. Agriculture is defined as the sum of agricultural production and processing activities, unless otherwise specified, and includes crop and animal production and processing, agricultural support industries, forestry and forest products, and textile goods. Agriculture contributes to the economy through direct agricultural production and value-added processing, leading to economic activity in other parts of the economy.

This report is the fourteenth in a series that examines agriculture’s economic contribution to the Arkansas economy. The total economic contribution of agriculture (direct, indirect, and induced effects) on value added, employment, and …