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Until recently, the construction of a reference genome was performed using Sanger sequencing alone. The emergence of next-generation sequencing platforms now means reference genomes may incorporate sequence data generated from a range of sequencing platforms, each of which have different read length, systematic biases and mate-pair characteristics. The objective of this review is to inform the mammalian genomics community about the experimental strategy being pursued by the International Sheep Genomics Consortium (ISGC) to construct the draft reference genome of sheep ( Ovis aries). Component activities such as data generation, sequence assembly and annotation are described, along with information concerning the key researchers performing the work. This aims to foster future participation from across the research community through the coordinated activities of the consortium. The review also serves as a ‘marker paper’ by providing information concerning the pre-publication release of the reference genome. This ensures the ISGC adheres to the framework for data sharing established at the recent Toronto International Data Release Workshop and provides guidelines for data users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Long-term effects of dietary supplements on productivity, economics, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of 2 beef enterprises were simulated, using AusBeef integrated with AusFarm®, across 30 years: Enterprise 1. Angus steers (1.5 head/ha) in New South Wales, Australia, grazing for 238 days/year, and Enterprise 2. British x Charolais steers (1.0 head/ha) in California, USA, grazing for 148 days/year. Simulation effects of 3 supplements with potential to reduce enteric methane (CH 4) emissions were evaluated: (1) nitrate (NO 3 ¯), (2) lipid, and (3) NO 3 ¯ + lipid. All supplementation effects were evaluated against a baseline simulation (i.e., no supplement). Results on beef production, rumen products, GHG emissions, and enterprise gross margins are reported. Simulations indicated that supplementing steers with lipid alone relative to the baseline in Enterprises 1 and 2: increased final live weight (LW) by 68 and 25 kg, decreased emissions intensity (EI) by 69 and 49 g CH 4 /kg live weight gain (LWG), and decreased total GHG by 0.08 and 0.04 t CO 2 -e/ha/year, respectively. Supplementing steers with NO 3 ¯ + lipid relative to the baseline: increased final LW by 70 and 30 kg, decreased EI by 89 and 77 g CH 4 /kg LWG, and decreased total GHG by 0.27 and 0.12 t CO 2 -e/ha/year for Enterprises 1 and 2 respectively. The most profitable mitigation strategy, across all years, for Enterprise 1 was the lipid supplement with a median gross margin of $AUD753/ha and for Enterprise 2 was the NO 3 ¯ + lipid supplement with a median gross margin of $AUD224/ha. The NO 3 ¯ supplement alone was the least preferred option across both enterprises, consistently delivering lower returns than other options across the entire probability range. The results indicate the potential economic benefit of lipid supplementation, either alone or in combination with NO 3 ¯, as GHG mitigation strategies that increase profitability and inhibit methanogenesis for beef production across diverse environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The longissimus (n = 118) (LL), semimembranosus (n = 104) (SM) and biceps femoris (n = 134) (BF) muscles were collected from lamb and sheep carcases and aged for 5 days (LL and SM) and 14 days (BF) to study the impact of muscle characteristics on tenderness as assessed by shear force (SF) and sensory evaluation. The impact of gender, animal age, collagen content, sarcomere length (SL), desmin degradation, ultimate pH and intramuscular fat (IMF) on tenderness was examined. The main factors which influenced SF of the LL were IMF, SL and desmin degradation, but for sensory tenderness, IMF, ultimate pH and gender were the main factors. The SF and sensory tenderness of the SM was best predicted by the degree of desmin degradation. For the BF soluble collagen and animal age both influenced SF. Different factors affect tenderness across muscles and not one prediction model applied across all muscles equally well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]