The progesterone receptor (PGR) gene is a key factor in the initiation and maintenance of pregnancy and in embryo development. Currently, it is unknown what variants of the PGR gene are related to fertility traits in cattle. Identification of such variants would allow the implementation of marker-assisted selection in breeding schemes. The objective of this study was to investigate the association of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) of PGR with fertility traits in Holstein dairy cattle. An in vitro fertilization system was used to maximize the efficiency of the identification of genetic factors affecting fertility. This in vitro fertilization system would allow the assessment of fertilization and embryonic survival rates independently of influences from the uterine environment. A total of 5,566 fertilization attempts were performed, and a total of 3,679 embryos were produced using oocytes from 324 Holstein cows and semen from 10 Holstein bulls. Sequencing of pooled DNA samples from ovaries revealed an SNP (G/C) in intron 3 of PGR. A generalized linear model was used to analyze the association of this SNP with fertilization and embryonic survival rates for each ovary. Oocytes obtained from CC ovaries showed a 61% fertilization rate, compared with 68 and 69% for GC and GG ovaries, respectively. The survival rate of embryos produced from GG ovaries was 5 and 6% higher than that of GC and CC ovaries . These results indicate that the PGR SNP could be used in marker-assisted selection breeding programs in Holstein dairy cattle.

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Kratak sadr`aj: Beta-trace protein (BTP), tako|e poznat kao prostaglandin D sintaza, je protein male molekulske mase koji pripada familiji lipokalinskih proteina. Prona|eno je da je pove}an u serumu pacijenata sa renalnim bolestima. Cilj ovog rada je bio da se uporedi klini~ka korisnost serumskih nivoa beta-trace proteina u detekciji renalne disfunkcije kod pacijenata sa hroni~nom bole{}u bubrega (CKD) sa nivoima drugih renalnih markera: krea tinina, cistatina C i b 2 -mikroglo bu lina (B2M). Studija je uklju~ila 134 pacijenta sa {irokim opsegom renalne disfunkcije koji obuhvata svih 5 CKD stadijuma. Dobijeni podaci su pokazali da beta-trace pro tein veoma dobro koreli{e (Spearmanov test) sa kreatininom (r = 0,890), cistatinom C (r = 0,904) i B2M (r = 0,933) i da se njegovi nivoi u serumu zna~ajno pove }avaju od (1. do 5.) CKD stadijuma. Osim to ga, vrednosti ja~ine glomerulske filtracije (GFR) procenjene iz formule ba zirane na BTP zna~ajno koreli{u sa GFR izra~unatom iz formula baziranih na kreatininu i cistatinu C. ROC ana liza je pokazala da BTP ima sli~nu dijagnosti~ku ta~nost za detekciju redukovane renalne funkcije u CKD stadiju mima kao drugi renalni markeri, pri procenjenim GFR od < 30, < 60 i < 90 mL/min/1,73 m 2 . Povr{ine ispod ROC krivih (AUC) za BTP, za ove nivoe GFR, bile su od 0,983 do 0,917 i one se nisu zna~ajno razlikovale od AUC za druge renalne markere. Rezultati ove studije su pokazali da BTP mo`e biti koristan i pouzdan serumski marker za identi fi kaciju obima renalne disfunkcije kod pacijenata sa CKD i mo`e se koristiti uz serumski cistatin C i kreatinin kao alternativni endogeni GFR marker.Klju~ne re~i: beta-trace protein, kreatinin, cistatin C, b 2 -mikroglobulin, hroni~na bolest bubrega Summary: Beta-trace protein (BTP), also known as prostaglandin D synthase, is a low-molecular-mass protein which belongs to the lipocalin protein family. It was found to be increased in the serum of patients with renal diseases. The aim of this study was to compare the clinical usefulness of serum levels of beta-trace protein for the detection of renal dysfunction in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) with levels of other renal markers: creatinine, cystatin C and b 2 -microglobulin (B2M). The study included 134 patients with a wide range of renal dysfunction that encom passed all five CKD stages. Obtained data showed that beta-trace protein highly correlated (Spearman test) with creatinine (r = 0.890), cystatin C (r = 0.904) and B2M (r = 0.933) and its levels in serum significantly increased from CKD stage 1 to 5. Furthermore, the values of glomerular filtra tion rate (GFR) estimated from a BTP-based formula signi fi cantly correlated with GFR calculated from creatinine-based and cystatin Cbased formulas. ROC analyses showed that BTP had similar diagnostic accuracy for detection of reduced renal function in CKD stages as other renal markers, for estimated GFRs of < 30, < 60 and < 90 mL/min/1.73 m 2 . The areas under the ROC curves (AUC) for BTP, for these GFR limits, were from 0.983 to 0.917 an...