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Veterinary Sciences
Special Issues
Genetic Improvement and Reproductive Biotechnologies
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Genetic Improvement and Reproductive Biotechnologies

A special issue of Veterinary Sciences (ISSN 2306-7381). This special issue belongs to the section "Veterinary Biomedical Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 March 2025 | Viewed by 7171

Special Issue Editors

Dr. María-Luz García

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Centro de Investigación e Innovación Agroalimentariay Agroambiental (CIAGRO-UMH), Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche, Ctra. Beniel km 3.2, 03312 Alicante, Spain
Interests: animal breeding; animal physiology; animal genetics; animal biotechnology; embryos; embryo cryopreservation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. María-José Argente

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Centro de Investigación e Innovación Agroalimentariay Agroambiental (CIAGRO-UMH), Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche, Ctra. Beniel km 3.2, 03312 Alicante, Spain
Interests: animal genetics; animal physiology; embryo development; microbiome; metabolome; selection; welfare
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Classical breeding programs have increased the production and quality of animal products; however, breeders now face new challenges, such as improving sustainability, disease resistance, greenhouse gas reduction, animal welfare and others, which need to be considered in genetic programs. In addition, an increasing amount of genomic and metagenomic information have become available that could be incorporated into genetic programs.

Reproductive biotechnologies help to enhance livestock production by improving the reproductive insufficiencies of animals through different techniques. The most common reproductive biotechnology in animal production is artificial insemination, in conjunction with sperm preservation/cryopreservation. Some other methods include cloning, estrus synchronization, embryo transfer, transgenesis and in vitro fertilization. These reproductive biotechnologies have a crucial effect on the world’s economy as they boost livestock genetics, prevent disease, facilitate transportation, protect endangered animals and reduce economic loss.

For this Special Issue, original research manuscripts and reviews covering all aspects of animal genetics, animal breeding, quantitative genetics, genetic variability, gene expression, metagenomic, metabolomic, and applications of reproductive biotechnologies to improve animal production are welcome.

Dr. María-Luz García
Dr. María-José Argente
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Veterinary Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2100 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • cryopreservation
  • embryo
  • lab animals
  • omics
  • quantitative genetics
  • reproduction
  • small ruminants
  • small monogastrics

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 1924 KiB  
Article
Transcriptomic Signatures of the Foetal Liver and Late Prenatal Development in Vitrified Rabbit Embryos
by José Salvador Vicente, Jesús Valdés-Hernández and Francisco Marco-Jiménez
Vet. Sci. 2024, 11(8), 347; https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci11080347 - 1 Aug 2024
Viewed by 1091
Abstract
Assisted reproduction technologies (ARTs) are generally considered safe; however, emerging evidence highlights the need to evaluate potential risks in adulthood to improve safety further. ART procedures like rederivation of embryos by vitrification differ from natural conditions, causing significant disparities between in vitro and [...] Read more.
Assisted reproduction technologies (ARTs) are generally considered safe; however, emerging evidence highlights the need to evaluate potential risks in adulthood to improve safety further. ART procedures like rederivation of embryos by vitrification differ from natural conditions, causing significant disparities between in vitro and in vivo embryos, affecting foetal physiology and postnatal life. This study aims to investigate whether hepatic transcriptome and metabolome changes observed postnatally are already present in foetal livers at the end of gestation. This study compared fresh and vitrified rabbit embryos, finding differences between foetuses obtained by the transfer of fresh and vitrified embryos at 24 days of gestation. Rederived embryos had reduced foetal and liver weights and crown-rump length. However, the offspring of vitrified embryos tended to be born with higher weight, showing compensatory growth in the final week of gestation (59.2 vs. 49.8 g). RNA-Seq analysis revealed 43 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the foetal liver of vitrified embryos compared to the fresh group. Notably, downregulated genes included BRAT1, CYP4A7, CYP2B4, RPL23, RPL22L1, PPILAL1, A1BG, IFGGC1, LRRC57, DIPP2, UGT2B14, IRGM1, NUTF2, MPST, and PPP1R1B, while upregulated genes included ACOT8, ERICH3, UBXN2A, METTL9, ALDH3A2, DERPC-like, NR5A2-like, AP-1, COG8, INHBE, and PLA2G4C. Overall, a functional annotation of these DEGs indicated an involvement in lipid metabolism and the stress and inflammatory process or immune response. Thus, our results suggest that vitrification and embryo transfer manipulation induce an adaptive response that can be observed in the liver during the last week of gestation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genetic Improvement and Reproductive Biotechnologies)
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10 pages, 3229 KiB  
Article
Estimates of Genetic Parameters, Growth Curve, and Environmental Effects for Nellore Cattle in the Pantanal
by Karla Mendonça Vaz, Julio Cesar de Souza, André Luiz Julien Ferraz, Mauricio Vargas da Silveira, Rosana Moreira da Silva de Arruda, Carolina Fregonesi de Souza, Paulo Bahiense Ferraz Filho, Carlos Henrique Cavallari Machado, Mariana Pereira Alencar and Urbano Gomes Pinto de Abreu
Vet. Sci. 2024, 11(7), 318; https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci11070318 - 16 Jul 2024
Viewed by 829
Abstract
The objective was to estimate the growth curves and genetic parameters using random regression methodology for Nellore cattle raised in Pantanal, MS, Brazil (6974 calves; n = 53,233 weights), with at least four weighings per individual. The model considered direct and maternal genetic [...] Read more.
The objective was to estimate the growth curves and genetic parameters using random regression methodology for Nellore cattle raised in Pantanal, MS, Brazil (6974 calves; n = 53,233 weights), with at least four weighings per individual. The model considered direct and maternal genetic additives and maternal permanent environmental effects at random. Orthogonal Legendre polynomials of cubic order were used to fit the growth curve. Analyses of variance were performed using the GLM procedure. The model used contained the fixed effects of sex, year of birth, farm, and the covariates calf birth month (linear and quadratic) and cow age at calving (linear and quadratic). The adjusted mean weight at 120 days of age was 93.43 ± 19.78 kg, and for 205 days of age, it was 180.42 ± 26.58 kg. Animals born in the dry season had a higher average weight [kg] (219.57 vs. 211.78, 3.7% higher) and, consequently, had higher weights at 646 days of age. Estimates of direct heritabilities (h2a) ranged from 0.35 to 0.75 (high magnitudes), and maternal heritabilities (h2m) along the trajectory of low magnitudes ranged from 0.03 to 0.08, respectively. The use of random regression to evaluate beef animals allows for adjusting the growth curve and selecting the best animals to be the parents of future generations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genetic Improvement and Reproductive Biotechnologies)
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13 pages, 1889 KiB  
Article
Identify Candidate Genes Associated with the Weight and Egg Quality Traits in Wenshui Green Shell-Laying Chickens by the Copy Number Variation-Based Genome-Wide Association Study
by Suozhou Yang, Chao Ning, Cheng Yang, Wenqiang Li, Qin Zhang, Dan Wang and Hui Tang
Vet. Sci. 2024, 11(2), 76; https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci11020076 - 6 Feb 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2088
Abstract
Copy number variation (CNV), as an essential source of genetic variation, can have an impact on gene expression, genetic diversity, disease susceptibility, and species evolution in animals. To better understand the weight and egg quality traits of chickens, this paper aimed to detect [...] Read more.
Copy number variation (CNV), as an essential source of genetic variation, can have an impact on gene expression, genetic diversity, disease susceptibility, and species evolution in animals. To better understand the weight and egg quality traits of chickens, this paper aimed to detect CNVs in Wenshui green shell-laying chickens and conduct a copy number variation regions (CNVRs)-based genome-wide association study (GWAS) to identify variants and candidate genes associated with their weight and egg quality traits to support related breeding efforts. In our paper, we identified 11,035 CNVRs in Wenshui green shell-laying chickens, which collectively spanned a length of 13.1 Mb, representing approximately 1.4% of its autosomal genome. Out of these CNVRs, there were 10,446 loss types, 491 gain types, and 98 mixed types. Notably, two CNVRs showed significant correlations with egg quality, while four CNVRs exhibited significant associations with body weight. These significant CNVRs are located on chromosome 4. Further analysis identified potential candidate genes that influence weight and egg quality traits, including FAM184B, MED28, LAP3, ATOH8, ST3GAL5, LDB2, and SORCS2. In this paper, the CNV map of the Wenshui green shell-laying chicken genome was constructed for the first time through population genotyping. Additionally, CNVRs can be employed as molecular markers to genetically improve chickens’ weight and egg quality traits. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genetic Improvement and Reproductive Biotechnologies)
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10 pages, 259 KiB  
Article
Genetic and Phenotypic Parameters of Rabbit Individual Body Weight in the Preweaning Period
by Rafik Belabbas, Rym Ezzeroug, Maria De la Luz García, Naouel Feknous, Djamel Talaziza and Maria José Argente
Vet. Sci. 2024, 11(1), 14; https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci11010014 - 27 Dec 2023
Viewed by 1736
Abstract
The preweaning weight of kits has been related to their mortality during the suckling period. Selecting rabbit kits for individual body weight in the first days of life could be interesting; however, better knowledge of body weight’s heritability during the preweaning period is [...] Read more.
The preweaning weight of kits has been related to their mortality during the suckling period. Selecting rabbit kits for individual body weight in the first days of life could be interesting; however, better knowledge of body weight’s heritability during the preweaning period is necessary to determine the opportune moment for selection. A total of 1696 growth records of kits from 81 females of the ITLEV2006 synthetic line were analysed in order to estimate the genetic and non-genetic parameters for individual body weight at birth as well as at 5, 7, 14, 21, 28, and 35 days of age. The estimates of heritability (h2) for individual weight were between low (0.11 at birth, 0.16 at 5 days, and 0.17 at 7 days) and moderate (0.21, 0.21, 0.24, and 0.21 at 14, 21, 28, and 35 days, respectively). Weight at birth showed a strong and positive genetic correlation with weight at 5 days (+0.79) and 7 days of age (+0.78), but the correlation was low for the rest of the weight measurements (+0.41, +0.49, +0.54, and +0.54 with weight at 14, 21, 28, and 35 days, respectively). Weight at 5 days and 7 days displayed strong and positive genetic correlations with the rest of the weight measurements (higher than +0.83). The values of the common litter effect (c2) were high, and they increased with age from 0.43 at birth to 0.66 at 35 days of age. The values of the maternal permanent effect (p2) were low compared to those of the common litter effect (c2), varying between 0.04 and 0.11. In conclusion, opting to select for body weight at 5 or 7 days of age would yield a greater response compared to selecting for birth weight. This approach would indirectly increase the kits’ weight at birth and at weaning, thereby reducing preweaning losses. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genetic Improvement and Reproductive Biotechnologies)
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