Identification of a new haplotype within the promoter region of the MSTN gene in horses from five of the most common breeds in Poland. Folia Biologica (Kraków) $ : 219-222. Myostatin (GDF-8) encoded by the MSTN gene is a negative regulator of muscle growth and development and belongs to the TGF-â superfamily of secreted growth and differentiation factors. In Thoroughbred horses, an MSTN sequence polymorphism (g.66493737C>T) is associated with optimum race distance. In the present study, a genetic polymorphism of a predicted promoter of the MSTN gene was investigated in 451 horses belonging to five different breeds: Arabian, Thoroughbred, Polish Konik, Hucul and Polish Heavy Draft. Two SNPs located at g.66495826T>C and g.66495696T>C (chr;18 EquCab 2.0) showed three haplotypes previously described:
Myostatin, also known as GDF8 (growth differentiation factor 8), belongs to one of the biggest groups of proteins, called transforming growth factors (TGF-β). The protein regulates embryonic development and maintains homeostasis of full-grown individuals. When the process of maturation is over, GDF8 becomes a negative regulator of skeletal muscle growth. The physiological role of myostatin is to prevent overgrowth of muscle tissue in various stages of organism development. It also inhibits the regeneration of skeletal muscles by weakening activation and proliferation of satellite cells and the migration of macrophages and myoblasts to the site of injury. Several mutations within the sequence of MSTN have been described; they may affect the activity of the protein in the tissues, and hence the level of the functional characteristics of the animals, which determine the value of breeding animals. Understanding the impact of individual mutations in the gene encoding the protein is particularly important in relation to production traits of livestock.
Growth and development of foals is highly influenced by different factors during the period they spend with their mothers. One of the most interesting and not really recognised phenomena is first foals’ diarrhoea called ‘heat diarrhoea’ or ‘heat scours’. This diarrhoea occurs during first 2-3 weeks after birth in most of horse breeds (Deskur et al. 1978, Gustafsson 1998). Until today there is no exact explanation of this phenomenon – most vets describe it as a pathological infection due to viruses or bacteria, parasitologists explain it as an early invasion of some nematodes, physiologists describe it as a result of changes in intestines and breeders clarify it as a result of changing in mare's milk composition related to her heat. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between first diarrhoea occurrence, its duration and intensity and mares’ milk composition.The research was carried out on 30 Arabian mares and their foals. Milk samples were collected to evaluate the main components and macroelements.
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