Size Matters at the Sales

Pagan, Joe D.; Koch, Anthony; Caddel, Steve

doi:10.7313/upo9781908062130.024

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…Intuitively, maternal age effects may be mediated through declining quality of parental care. As well as primiparous mares, older multiparous females have been found to produce lighter foals [36,51], and lighter offspring are viewed less favourably within the industry [34,52]. However, in a cohort study of 409 UK-born foals, no association between foal weight and later race performance was detected [53].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evidence of maternal and paternal age effects on speed in thoroughbred racehorses

2022

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Effects of parental age on offspring viability have been reported in a wide range of species. However, to what extent parental age influences offspring traits beyond viability remains unclear. Moreover, previous research has primarily focused on maternal age effects. The purpose of this study was to test for paternal and maternal age effects on offspring speed in thoroughbred racehorses. We analysed over 900 000 race performances by over 100 000 horses on British racecourses between 1996 and 2019. With knowledge of the age of all 41 107 dams and 2 887 sires at offspring conception, we jointly modelled maternal and paternal age effects using a ‘within-individual centring’ approach. Within-parents, we identified a significant effect of maternal age on offspring speed of −0.017 yards s −1 yr −1 and a corresponding paternal age effect of −0.011 yards s −1 yr −1 . Although maternal age effects were stronger (more negative), the existence and magnitude of paternal effects is particularly noteworthy, given thoroughbred sires have no involvement in parental care. Our results also suggest that the selective disappearance of both sires and dams is ongoing. These findings could potentially be used to optimize thoroughbred racehorse breeding decisions, and more generally, add to the increasing body of evidence that both maternal and paternal age affect a range of offspring characteristics.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evidence of maternal and paternal age effects on speed in thoroughbred racehorses

2022

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“…Furthermore, there are strict breeding seasons implemented by the industry in the northern and southern hemispheres. Foals born early in the season gain a chronologic and physiological advantage over late born foals in both the sales ring (Robbins & Kennedy 2001, Pagan et al 2005 and at the race track (Oki et al 1994, Gramm & Marksteiner 2010, Takahashi 2015, thus placing immense pressure on breeders to produce foals as close to the start of the season as possible.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

What makes a fertile sperm? Unique molecular attributes of stallion fertility

et al. 2019

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Stallions experience lower per-cycle conception rates compared to other livestock species, largely because they are selected for breeding based on athletic prowess and not reproductive fitness. Mares are seasonal breeders, and pregnancies cannot be detected until 10-14 days post cover via transrectal ultrasonography. This means the detection of stallion fertility fluctuations is delayed by at least 2 weeks, which within the short breeding season employed by the thoroughbred horse breeding industry, can prove quite costly. For these reasons, there is increased demand for robust laboratory assays aimed at the accurate assessment of stallion fertility. This paper reviews our existing knowledge concerning the molecular mechanisms that underpin the functional competence of stallion spermatozoa, highlighting the relative importance of oxidative stress, DNA damage, sperm proteomics and RNA profile. We also consider the way in which fundamental improvements in our understanding of stallion sperm biology are informing the identification and development of possible biomarkers of fertility and thus avenues for the development of specific assays for fertility prediction. Reproduction (2019) 158 R125-R137A Swegen and Z Gibb: co-senior authors.

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Mass spectrometry reveals distinct proteomic profiles in high- and low-quality stallion spermatozoa

et al. 2020

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The horse breeding industry relies upon optimal stallion fertility. Conventional sperm assessments provide limited information regarding ejaculate quality and are not individually predictive of fertilising potential. The aim of this study was to harness mass spectrometry to compare the proteomic profiles of high- and low-quality stallion spermatozoa, with the ultimate goal of identifying fertility biomarker candidates. Extended stallion semen (n=12) was fractionated using Percoll density gradients to isolate low-quality and high-quality sperm populations. Motility and morphological assessments were carried out, and proteomic analyses was conducted using UHPLC-MS/MS. High-quality spermatozoa recorded higher total (95.2±0.52% vs 70.6±4.20%; P≤0.001) and progressive motilities (43.4±3.42% vs 27.3±4.32%; P≤0.05), and a higher proportion of morphologically normal cells (50.2±4.34% vs 38.8±2.72%; P≤0.05). 1,069 proteins were quantified by UHPLC-MS/MS, of which 22 proteins were significantly more abundant in the high-quality sperm population (P≤0.05). A-kinase anchor protein 4 (AKAP4) and Hexokinase 1 (HK1) were considered possible biomarker candidates and their differential expression was confirmed by immunoblot. Protein expression was significantly correlated with total (AKAP4 R2=0.38, P≤0.01; HK1 R2=0.46, P≤0.001) and progressive motilities (AKAP4 R2=0.51, P≤0.001; HK1 R2=0.55, P≤0.01), percentage rapid (AKAP4 R2=0.29, P≤0.05; HK1 R2=0.58, P≤0.001), straight line velocity (HK1 R2=0.50, P≤0.01) and straightness (HK1 R2=0.40, P≤0.01). Furthermore, AKAP4 was highly susceptible to adduction by 4-hydroxynonenal (4HNE), which resulted in a global reduction in the phosphorylation profiles following capacitation. In conclusion, the proteomic profiles of high- and low-quality stallion spermatozoa differ substantially, and proteins such as AKAP4 and HK1 could serve as biomarkers of ejaculate quality.

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Size Matters at the Sales

Cited by 3 publications

References 0 publications

Evidence of maternal and paternal age effects on speed in thoroughbred racehorses

Evidence of maternal and paternal age effects on speed in thoroughbred racehorses

What makes a fertile sperm? Unique molecular attributes of stallion fertility

Mass spectrometry reveals distinct proteomic profiles in high- and low-quality stallion spermatozoa

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