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Objective: This study investigates the expression patterns of toll-like receptors (TLRs) and intracellular mediators in horse muscle cells after exercise, and the relationship between TLRS expression in stressed horse muscle cells and immune cell migration toward them.Methods: The expression patterns of the TLRs (TLR2, TLR4, and TLR8) and downstream signaling pathway-related genes (myeloid differentiation primary response 88 [MYD88]; activating transcription factor 3 [ATF3]) are examined in horse tissues, and horse peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), polymorphonuclear cells (PMNs) and muscles in response to exercise, using the quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Expressions of chemokine receptor genes, i.e., C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 2 (CXCR2) and C-C motif chemokine receptor 5 (CCR5), are studied in PBMCs and PMNs. A horse muscle cell line is developed by transfecting SV-T antigen into fetal muscle cells, followed by examination of muscle-specific genes. Horse muscle cells are treated with stressors, i.e., cortisol, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and heat, to mimic stress conditions in vitro, and the expression of TLR4 and TLR8 are examined in stressed muscle cells, in addition to migration activity of PBMCs toward stressed muscle cells.Results: The qPCR revealed that TLR4 message was expressed in cerebrum, cerebellum, thymus, lung, liver, kidney, and muscle, whereas TLR8 expressed in thymus, lung, and kidney, while TLR2 expressed in thymus, lung, and kidney. Expressions of TLRs, i.e., TLR4 and TLR8, and mediators, i.e., MYD88 and ATF3, were upregulated in muscle, PBMCs and PMNs in response to exercise. Expressions of CXCR2 and CCR5 were also upregulated in PBMCs and PMNs after exercise. In the muscle cell line, TLR4 and TLR8 expressions were upregulated when cells were treated with stressors such as cortisol, H2O2, and heat. Migration of PBMCs toward stressed muscle cells was increased by exercise and oxidative stresses, and combinations of these. Treatment with methylsulfonylmethane (MSM), an antioxidant on stressed muscle cells, reduced migration of PBMCs toward stressed muscle cells.Conclusion: In this study, we have successfully cultured horse skeletal muscle cells, isolated horse PBMCs, and established an in vitro system for studying stress-related gene expressions and function. Expression of TLR4, TLR8, CXCR2, and CCR5 in horse muscle cells was higher in response to stressors such as cortisol, H2O2, and heat, or combinations of these. In addition, migration of PBMCs toward muscle cells was increased when muscle cells were under stress, but inhibition of reactive oxygen species by MSM modulated migratory activity of PBMCs to stressed muscle cells. Further study is necessary to investigate the biological function(s) of the TLR gene family in horse muscle cells.

Objective: To understand the athletic characteristics of Thoroughbreds, high-throughput analysis has been conducted using horse muscle tissue. However, an in vitro system has been lacking for studying and validating genes from in silico data. The aim of this study is to validate genes from differentially expressed genes (DEGs) of our previous RNA-sequencing data in vitro. Also, we investigated the effects of exercise-induced stress including heat, oxidative, hypoxic and cortisol stress on horse skeletal muscle derived cells with the top six upregulated genes of DEGs.Methods: Enriched pathway analysis was conducted using the Database for Annotation, Visualization, and Integrated Discovery (DAVID) tool with upregulated genes in horse skeletal muscle tissue after exercise. Among the candidates, the top six genes were analysed through geneMANIA to investigate gene networks. Muscle cells derived from neonatal horse skeletal tissue were maintained and subjected to exercise-related stressors. Transcriptional changes in the top six genes followed by stressors were investigated using quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR).Results: The inflammation response pathway was the most commonly upregulated pathway after horse exercise. Under non-cytotoxic conditions of exercise-related stressors, the transcriptional response of the top six genes was different among types of stress. Oxidative stress yielded the most similar expression pattern to DEGs.Conclusion: Our results indicate that transcriptional change after horse exercise in skeletal muscle tissue strongly relates to stress response. The qRT-PCR results showed that stressors contribute differently to the transcriptional regulation. These results would be valuable information to understand horse exercise in the stress aspect.

The integration of metabolomics and transcriptomics may elucidate the correlation between the genotypic and phenotypic patterns in organisms. In equine physiology, various metabolite levels vary during exercise, which may be correlated with a modified gene expression pattern of related genes. Integrated metabolomic and transcriptomic studies in horses have not been conducted to date. The objective of this study was to detect the effect of moderate exercise on the metabolomic and transcriptomic levels in horses. In this study, using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, we analyzed the concentrations of metabolites in muscle and plasma; we also determined the gene expression patterns of branched chain (alpha) keto acid dehydrogenase kinase complex (

Objective Among stress responses, the unfolded protein response (UPR) is a well-known mechanism related to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. ER stress is induced by a variety of external and environmental factors such as starvation, ischemia, hypoxia, oxidative stress, and heat stress. Inositol requiring enzyme 1α (IRE1α)-X-box protein 1 (XBP1) is the most conserved pathway involved in the UPR and is the main component that mediates IRE1α signalling to downstream ER-associated degradation (ERAD)- or UPR-related genes. XBP1 is a transcription factor synthesised via a novel mechanism called 'frame switch splicing', and this process has not yet been studied in the horse XBP1 gene. Therefore, the aim of this study was to confirm the frame switch splicing of horse XBP1 and characterise its dynamics using Thoroughbred muscle cells exposed to heat stress. Methods Primary horse muscle cells were used to investigate heat stress-induced frame switch splicing of horse XBP1. Frame switch splicing was confirmed by sequencing analysis. XBP1 amino acid sequences and promoter sequences of various species were aligned to confirm the sequence homology and to find conserved cis-acting elements, respectively. The expression of the potential XBP1 downstream genes were analysed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results We confirmed that splicing of horse XBP1 mRNA was affected by the duration of thermal stress. Twenty-six nucleotides in the mRNA of XBP1 were deleted after heat stress. The protein sequence and the cis-regulatory elements on the promoter of horse XBP1 are highly conserved among the mammals. Induction of putative downstream genes of horse XBP1 was dependent on the duration of heat stress. We confirmed that both the mechanisms of XBP1 frame switch splicing and various binding elements found in downstream gene promoters are highly evolutionarily conserved. Conclusion The frame switch splicing of horse XBP1 and its dynamics were highly conserved among species. These results facilitate studies of ER-stress in horse.

Objective: Stress-induced cytotoxicity caused by xenobiotics and endogenous metabolites induces the production of reactive oxygen species and often results in damage to cellular components such as DNA, proteins, and lipids. The cytochrome P450 (CYP) family of enzymes are most abundant in hepatocytes, where they play key roles in regulating cellular stress responses. We aimed to determine the effects of the antioxidant compound, methylsulfonylmethane (MSM), on oxidative stress response, and study the cytochrome P450 family 3 subfamily A (CYP3A) gene expression in fetal horse hepatocytes.Methods: The expression of hepatocyte markers and CYP3A family genes (CYP3A89, CYP3A93, CYP3A94, CYP3A95, CYP3A96, and CYP3A97) were assessed in different organ tissues of the horse and fetal horse liver-derived cells (FHLCs) using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. To elucidate the antioxidant effects of MSM on FHLCs, cell viability, levels of oxidative markers, and gene expression of CYP3A were investigated in H2O2-induced oxidative stress in the presence and absence of MSM.Results: FHLCs exhibited features of liver cells and simultaneously maintained the typical genetic characteristics of normal liver tissue; however, the expression profiles of some liver markers and CYP3A genes, except that of CYP3A93, were different. The expression of CYP3A93 specifically increased after the addition of H2O2 to the culture medium. MSM treatment reduced oxidative stress as well as the expression of CYP3A93 and heme oxygenase 1, an oxidative marker in FHLCs.Conclusion: MSM could reduce oxidative stress and hepatotoxicity in FHLCs by altering CYP3A93 expression and related signaling pathways.

Objective To examine the regulatory effects of exercise on myokine expression in horse skeletal muscle cells, we compared the expression of several myokine genes (interleukin 6 [IL-6], IL-8, chemokine [C-X-C motif] ligand 2 [CXCL2], and chemokine [C-C motif] ligand 4 [CCL4]) after a single bout of exercise in horses. Furthermore, to establish in vitro systems for the validation of exercise effects, we cultured horse skeletal muscle cells and confirmed the expression of these genes after treatment with hydrogen peroxide. Methods The mRNA expression of IL-6, IL-8, CXCL2, and CCL4 after exercise in skeletal muscle tissue was confirmed using quantitative-reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reactions (qRT-PCR). We then extracted horse muscle cells from the skeletal muscle tissue of a neonatal Thoroughbred. Myokine expression after hydrogen peroxide treatments was confirmed using qRT-PCR in horse skeletal muscle cells. Results IL-6, IL-8, CXCL2, and CCL4 expression in Thoroughbred and Jeju horse skeletal muscles significantly increased after exercise. We stably maintained horse skeletal muscle cells in culture and confirmed the expression of the myogenic marker, myoblast determination protein (MyoD). Moreover, myokine expression was validated using hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-treated horse skeletal muscle cells. The patterns of myokine expression in muscle cells were found to be similar to those observed in skeletal muscle tissue. Conclusion We confirmed that several myokines involved in inflammation were induced by exercise in horse skeletal muscle tissue. In addition, we successfully cultured horse skeletal muscle cells and established an in vitro system to validate associated gene expression and function. This study will provide a valuable system for studying the function of exercise-related genes in the future.

Objective Evaluation of exercise effects in racehorses is important in horseracing industry and animal health care. In this study, we compared metabolic patterns between before and after exercise to screen metabolic biomarkers for exercise effects in thoroughbreds. Methods The concentration of metabolites in muscle, plasma, and urine was measured by 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy analysis and the relative metabolite levels in the three samples were compared between before and after exercise. Subsequently, multivariate data analysis based on the metabolic profiles was performed using orthogonal partial least square discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) and variable important plots and t-test was used for basic statistical analysis. Results From 1H NMR spectroscopy analysis, 35, 25, and 34 metabolites were detected in the muscle, plasma, and urine. Aspartate, betaine, choline, cysteine, ethanol, and threonine were increased over 2-fold in the muscle; propionate and trimethylamine were increased over 2-fold in the plasma; and alanine, glycerol, inosine, lactate, and pyruvate were increased over 2-fold whereas acetoacetate, arginine, citrulline, creatine, glutamine, glutarate, hippurate, lysine, methionine, phenylacetylglycine, taurine, trigonelline, trimethylamine, and trimethylamine N-oxide were decreased below 0.5-fold in the urine. The OPLS-DA showed clear separation of the metabolic patterns before and after exercise in the muscle, plasma, and urine. Statistical analysis showed that after exercise, acetoacetate, arginine, glutamine, hippurate, phenylacetylglycine trimethylamine, trimethylamine N-oxide, and trigonelline were significantly decreased and alanine, glycerol, inosine, lactate, and pyruvate were significantly increased in the urine (p

Objective This study was conducted to isolate the cellulolytic microorganism from the rumen of Holstein steers and characterize endoglucanase gene (Cel5A) from the isolated microorganism. Methods To isolate anaerobic microbes having endoglucanase, rumen fluid was obtained from Holstein steers fed roughage diet. The isolated anaerobic bacteria had 98% similarity with Eubacterium cellulosolvens (E. cellulosolvens) Ce2 (Accession number: AB163733). The Cel5A from isolated E. cellulolsovens sp. was cloned using the published genome sequence and expressed through the Escherichia coli BL21. Results The maximum activity of recombinant Cel5A (rCel5A) was observed at 50°C and pH 4.0. The enzyme was constant at the temperature range of 20°C to 40°C but also, at the pH range of 3 to 9. The metal ions including Ca2+, K+, Ni2+, Mg2+, and Fe2+ increased the endoglucanase activity but the addition of Mn2+, Cu2+, and Zn2+ decreased. The Km and Vmax value of rCel5A were 14.05 mg/mL and 45.66 μmol/min/mg. Turnover number, Kcat and catalytic efficiency, Kcat/Km values of rCel5A was 96.69 (s-1) and 6.88 (mL/mg/s), respectively. Conclusion Our results indicated that rCel5A of E. cellulosolvens isolated from Holstein steers had a broad pH range with high stability under various conditions, which might be one of the beneficial characteristics of this enzyme for possible industrial application.

Objective This study was performed to reveal the molecular structure and expression patterns of horse glutamate-cysteine ligase catalytic subunit (GCLC) and glutamate-cysteine ligase modifier subunit (GCLM) genes whose products form glutamate cysteine ligase, which were identified as differentially expressed genes in the previous study. Methods We performed bioinformatics analyses, and gene expression assay with quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) for horse GCLC and GCLM genes in muscle and blood leukocytes of Thoroughbred horses. Results Expression of GCLC showed the same pattern in both blood and muscle tissues after exercise. Expression of GCLC increased in the muscle and blood of Thoroughbreds, suggesting a tissue-specific regulatory mechanism for the expression of GCLC. In addition, expression of the GCLM gene increased after exercise in both the blood and muscle of Thoroughbreds. Conclusion We established the expression patterns of GCLC and GCLM in the skeletal muscle and blood of Thoroughbred horses in response to exercise. Further study is now warranted to uncover the functional importance of these genes in exercise and recovery in racehorses.

OBJECTIVE The present study investigates pre- and post-implantation developmental competence of nuclear-transferred porcine embryos derived from male and female fetal fibroblasts. METHODS Male and female fetal fibroblasts were transferred to in vitro-matured enucleated oocytes and in vitro and in vivo developmental competence of reconstructed embryos was investigated. And, a total of 6,789 female fibroblast nuclear-transferred embryos were surgically transferred into 41 surrogate gilts and 4,746 male fibroblast nuclear-transferred embryos were surgically transferred into 25 surrogate gilts. RESULTS The competence to develop into blastocysts was not significantly different between the sexes. The mean cell number of female and male cloned blastocysts obtained by in vivo culture (143.8±10.5 to 159.2±14.8) was higher than that of in vitro culture of somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) groups (31.4±8.3 to 33.4±11.1). After embryo transfer, 5 pregnant gilts from each treatment delivered 15 female and 22 male piglets. The average birth weight of the cloned piglets, gestation length, and the postnatal survival rates were not significantly different (p

Since ancient days, domestic horses have been closely associated with human civilization. Today, horse racing is an important industry. Various genes involved in energy production and muscle contraction are differentially regulated during a race. Among them, creatine kinase (CK) is well known for its regulation of energy preservation in animal cells. CK is an iso-enzyme, encoded by different genes and expressed in skeletal muscle, heart, brain and leucocytes. We confirmed that the expression of CK-M significantly increased in the blood after a 30 minute exercise period, while no considerable change was observed in skeletal muscle. Analysis of various tissues showed an ubiquitous expression of the CK-M gene in the horse; CK-M mRNA expression was predominant in the skeletal muscle and the cardiac muscle compared to other tissues. An evolutionary study by synonymous and non-synonymous single nucleotide polymorphism ratio of CK-M gene revealed a positive selection that was conserved in the horse. More studies are warranted in order to develop the expression of CK-M gene as a biomarker in blood of thoroughbred horses.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the alternative splicing in equine cordon-bleu WH2 repeat protein-like 1 (COBLL1) gene that was identified in horse muscle and blood leukocytes, and to predict functional consequences of alternative splicing by bioinformatics analysis. In a previous study, RNA-seq analysis predicted the presence of alternative spliced isoforms of equine COBLL1, namely COBLL1a as a long form and COBLL1b as a short form. In this study, we validated two isoforms of COBLL1 transcripts in horse tissues by the real-time polymerase chain reaction, and cloned them for Sanger sequencing. The sequencing results showed that the alternative splicing occurs at exon 9. Prediction of protein structure of these isoforms revealed three putative phosphorylation sites at the amino acid sequences encoded in exon 9, which is deleted in COBLL1b. In expression analysis, it was found that COBLL1b was expressed ubiquitously and equivalently in all the analyzed tissues, whereas COBLL1a showed strong expression in kidney, spinal cord and lung, moderate expression in heart and skeletal muscle, and low expression in thyroid and colon. In muscle, both COBLL1a and COBLL1b expression decreased after exercise. It is assumed that the regulation of COBLL1 expression may be important for regulating glucose level or switching of energy source, possibly through an insulin signaling pathway, in muscle after exercise. Further study is warranted to reveal the functional importance of COBLL1 on athletic performance in race horses.

The adrenergic receptor beta 2 (ADRB2) plays a role in various physiological responses of the muscle to exercise, such as contraction and relaxation. Given its important role in muscle function, we investigated the structure of the horse ADRB2 gene and its expression pattern after exercise to determine if it can serve as a putative biomarker for recovery. Evolutionary analyses using synonymous and non-synonymous mutation ratios, were compared with other species (human, chimpanzee, mouse, rat, cow, pig, chicken, dog, and cat), and revealed the occurrence of positive selection in the horse ADRB2 gene. In addition, expression analyses by quantitative polymerase chain reaction exhibited ubiquitous distribution of horse ADRB2 in various tissues including lung, skeletal muscle, kidney, thyroid, appendix, colon, spinal cord and heart, with the highest expression observed in the lung. The expression of ADRB2 in skeletal muscle was significantly up-regulated about four folds 30 minutes post-exercise compared to pre-exercise. The expression level of ADRB2 in leukocytes, which could be collected with convenience compared with other tissues in horse, increased until 60 min after exercise but decreased afterward until 120 min, suggesting the ADRB2 expression levels in leukocytes could be a useful biomarker to check the early recovery status of horse after exercise. In conclusion, we identified horse ADRB2 gene and analyzed expression profiles in various tissues. Additionally, analysis of ADBR2 gene expression in leukocytes could be a useful biomarker useful for evaluation of early recovery status after exercise in racing horses.

While athletic abilities such as speed, endurance and recovery are important in the horse, genes related to these abilities have not been extensively investigated. Here, we characterized the horse peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor delta (PPARδ) gene and analyzed the expression of PPARδ during exercise. PPARδ is a known regulator of β-oxidation, muscle fiber transformation, and running endurance. Through evolutionary analysis using the synonymous and non-synonymous mutation ratio, it was revealed that positive selection occurred in the horse PPARδ gene. Two important domains related to nuclear hormone receptors, C4 zinc finger and ligand binding domain, were also found to be conserved well in horse PPARδ. Horse PPARδ was expressed ubiquitously in many tissues, but the expression level was various depending on the tissues. In the skeletal muscle, PPARδ increased about 2.5 folds after 30 min of exercise. Unlike in muscle, the increase of PPARδ expression was observed at 60 min but not 30 min of exercise in leukocytes. This finding might be useful for testing the endurance of horse using blood samples. Conclusively, the horse PPARδ gene is evolutionarily conserved well and can be used as a biomarker of endurance in horse. (Key Words: Horse, Peroxisome Proliferator-activated Receptor Delta, Exercise, Endurance)

Background Acquisition of pluripotency by transcriptional regulatory factors is an initial developmental event that is required for regulation of cell fate and lineage specification during early embryonic development. The evolutionarily conserved core transcriptional factors regulating the pluripotency network in fishes, amphibians, and mammals have been elucidated. There are also species-specific maternally inherited transcriptional factors and their intricate transcriptional networks important in the acquisition of pluripotency. In avian species, however, the core transcriptional network that governs the acquisition of pluripotency during early embryonic development is not well understood. Results We found that chicken NANOG (cNANOG) was expressed in the stages between the pre-ovulatory follicle and oocyte and was continuously detected in Eyal-Giladi and Kochav stage I (EGK.I) to X. However, cPOUV was not expressed during folliculogenesis, but began to be detectable between EGK.V and VI. Unexpectedly, cSOX2 could not be detected during folliculogenesis and intrauterine embryonic development. Instead of cSOX2, cSOX3 was maternally inherited and continuously expressed during chicken intrauterine development. In addition, we found that the pluripotency-related genes such as cENS-1, cKIT, cLIN28A, cMYC, cPRDM14, and cSALL4 began to be dramatically upregulated between EGK.VI and VIII. Conclusion These results suggest that chickens have a unique pluripotent circuitry since maternally inherited cNANOG and cSOX3 may play an important role in the initial acquisition of pluripotency. Moreover, the acquisition of pluripotency in chicken embryos occurs at around EGK.VI to VIII.

Objective: Since athletic performance is a most importance trait in horses, most research focused on physiological and physical studies of horse athletic abilities. In contrast, the molecular analysis as well as the regulatory pathway studies remain insufficient for evaluation and prediction of horse athletic abilities. In our previous study, we identified AXL receptor tyrosine kinase (AXL) gene which was expressed as alternative spliced isoforms in skeletal muscle during exercise. In the present study, we validated two AXL alternative splicing transcripts (named as AXLa for long form and AXLb for short form) in equine skeletal muscle to gain insight(s) into the role of each alternative transcript during exercise. Methods: We validated two isoforms of AXL transcripts in horse tissues by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and then cloned the transcripts to confirm the alternative locus and its sequences. Additionally, we examined the expression patterns of AXLa and AXLb trans-cripts in horse tissues by quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR). Results: Both of AXLa and AXLb transcripts were expressed in horse skeletal muscle and the expression levels were significantly increased after exercise. The sequencing analysis showed that there was an alternative splicing event at exon 11 between AXLa and AXLb transcripts. 3-dimentional (3D) prediction of the alternative protein structures revealed that the structural distance of the connective region between fibronectin type 3 (FN3) and immunoglobin (Ig) domain was different between two alternative isoforms. Conclusion: It is assumed that the expression patterns of AXLa and AXLb transcripts would be involved in regulation of exercise-induced stress in horse muscle possibly through an NF-kappa B signaling pathway. Further study is necessary to uncover biological function(s) and significance of the alternative splicing isoforms in race horse skeletal muscle.

Genetics is important for breeding and selection of horses but there is a lack of well-established horse-related browsers or databases. In order to better understand horses, more variants and other integrated information are needed. Thus, we construct a horse genomic variants database including expression and other information. Horse Single Nucleotide Polymorphism and Expression Database (HSDB) (http://snugenome2.snu.ac.kr/HSDB) provides the number of unexplored genomic variants still remaining to be identified in the horse genome including rare variants by using population genome sequences of eighteen horses and RNA-seq of four horses. The identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were confirmed by comparing them with SNP chip data and variants of RNA-seq, which showed a concordance level of 99.02% and 96.6%, respectively. Moreover, the database provides the genomic variants with their corresponding transcriptional profiles from the same individuals to help understand the functional aspects of these variants. The database will contribute to genetic improvement and breeding strategies of Thoroughbreds.

The objective of this study was to determine the molecular characteristics of the horse vascular endothelial growth factor alpha gene (VEGFα) by constructing a phylogenetic tree, and to investigate gene expression profiles in tissues and blood leukocytes after exercise for development of suitable biomarkers. Using published amino acid sequences of other vertebrate species (human, chimpanzee, mouse, rat, cow, pig, chicken and dog), we constructed a phylogenetic tree which showed that equine VEGFα belonged to the same clade of the pig VEGFα. Analysis for synonymous (Ks) and non-synonymous substitution ratios (Ka) revealed that the horse VEGFα underwent positive selection. RNA was extracted from blood samples before and after exercise and different tissue samples of three horses. Expression analyses using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and quantitative-polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) showed ubiquitous expression of VEGFα mRNA in skeletal muscle, kidney, thyroid, lung, appendix, colon, spinal cord, and heart tissues. Analysis of differential expression of VEGFα gene in blood leukocytes after exercise indicated a unimodal pattern. These results will be useful in developing biomarkers that can predict the recovery capacity of racing horses.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of dietary Flammulina velutipes mycelium (FVM) on broiler chick performance, pathogenic bacterial (E. coli, Salmonella) counts in caecal contents and amount of NH3 in excreta. Ninety-six broiler chicks (HanHyup No. 3, Korea) were divided into four groups: 1) Control (basal diet), 2) T1 (supplemented with 1% FVM), 3) T2 (3% FVM), and T3 (5% FVM), and rose for 7 weeks. In results, there were no significant differences among treatments in weight gain, feed intake, feed efficiency and carcass yield. However, giblets were significantly increased in FVM treatments compared with control group (p

Quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with fat deposition traits in pigs are important gene positions in a chromosome that influence meat quality of pork. For QTL study, a three generation resource population was constructed from a cross between Korean native boars and Landrace sows. A total of 240 F2 animals from intercross of F1 were produced. 80 microsatellite markers covering chromosomes 1 to 10 were selected to genotype the resource population. Intervals between adjacent markers were approximately 19 cM. Linkage analysis was performed using CRIMAP software version 2.4 with a FIXED option to obtain the map distances. For QTL analysis, the public web-based software, QTL express (http://www.qtl.cap.ed.ac.uk) was used. Two significant and two suggestive QTL were identified on SSC 6, 7, and 8 as affecting body fat and IMF traits. For QTL affecting IMF, the most significant association was detected between marker sw71 and sw1881 on SSC 6, and a suggestive QTL was identified between sw268 and sw205 on SSC8. These QTL accounted for 26.58% and 12.31% of the phenotypic variance, respectively. A significant QTL affecting IMF was detected at position 105 cM between markers sw71 and sw1881 on SSC 6.

The present study evaluated the difference in objective and subjective meat quality properties among the pure-breed boars of Duroc, Berkshire and Yorkshire. Ten longissimus lumborum (LD) muscles were collected from each breed after 24 h slaughtering. The breed type showed a significant effect on intramuscular fat content, moisture (p

Shingu University, Seongnam, 462-743, KoreaABSTRACTThis study was conducted to analyze demerits of the sire evaluation system using annual earnings and to examine relationship between annual earnings and finish time in home-produced thoroughbred racehorses. The average number of progenies and number of starts per sire were 34 heads and 221 times, respectively. On the other hand, the number of progenies with the average age of 2 years and the number of starts were 9 heads and 25 times, respectively. The earnings of the horses with the age of 2 years accounted for 8.3% of annual earnings. The simple correlation coefficient between the number of progenies and the number of starts in annual earnings were 0.922 and 0.934, respectively. The correlation coefficient between the number of progenies and the number of starts was very high(0.985). The number of progenies and starts of sires for the first year of test career were very low(6 heads and 17 times), and there was very close relationship between number of progenies and annual earnings by the year of test career. The number of progenies was over 40 heads during the first 4 years of test career, and as the number of progenies increased the average earning index increased. The average earning index of sires with less than 30 progenies was lower than 1.00. When the number of progenies was less than 10, the average earning index was in the range of 0.06~0.13, indicating that the number of progenies affects much for determining the ranking of sires. The correlation coefficient between breeding value for finish time and annual earnings per start was very high( 0.524~ 0.633) compared with other traits. (Key words : Annual earnings, Number of starts, Average earning index, Test career)

We attempted to generate a linkage map using Illumina Porcine 60K SNP Beadchip genotypes of the F2 offspring from Korean native pig (KNP) crossed with Yorkshire (YS) pig, and to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) using the line-cross model. Among the genotype information of the 62,136 SNPs obtained from the high-density SNP analysis, 45,308 SNPs were used to select informative markers with allelic frequencies >0.7 between the KNP (n = 16) and YS (n = 8) F0 animals. Of the selected SNP markers, a final set of 500 SNPs with polymorphic information contents (PIC) values of >0.300 in the F2 groups (n = 252) was used for detection of thirty meat quality-related QTL on chromosomes at the 5% significance level and 10 QTL at the 1% significance level. The QTL for crude protein were detected on SSC2, SSC3, SSC6, SSC9 and SSC12; for intramuscular fat and marbling on SSC2, SSC8, SSC12, SSC14 and SSC18; meat color measurements on SSC1, SSC3, SSC4, SSC5, SSC6, SSC10, SSC11, SSC12, SSC16 and SSC18; water content related measurements in pork were detected on SSC4, SSC6, SSC7, SSC10, SSC12 and SSC14. Additional QTL of pork quality traits such as texture, tenderness and pH were detected on SSC6, SSC12, SSC13 and SSC16. The most important chromosomal region of superior pork quality in KNP compared to YS was identified on SSC12. Our results demonstrated that a QTL linkage map of the F2 design in the pig breed can be generated with a selected data set of high density SNP genotypes. The QTL regions detected in this study

To investigate the influences of candidate genes on the birth weight and the early stages of life, genotyping of the prolactin receptor 3 (PRLR3) and retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4) genes was performed in 156 and 141 Berkshire pigs, respectively. The frequency of both PRLR3 alleles A and a was 0.50. The frequencies of the RBP4 alleles B and b were 0.42 and 0.58, respectively. Neither locus was in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. No significant associations of the PRLR3 alleles with birth or weaning weights and of the RBP4 alleles with birth weight were observed. The proportions of the phenotype variances due to the genotypes of PRLR3 in the feeder weights was 4.0% and those of RBP4 in the weaning and feeder weights were 11.9 and 3.3%, respectively (P < 0.05). The dominance effect of PRLR3 and RBP4 on feeder weights was 2.40 and 1.86 kg, respectively (P < 0.01). The additive and dominance effects of RBP4 on weaning weights were 0.332 and 0.682 kg, respectively (P < 0.01). Even if no significant epistasis of PRLR3 and RBP4 was detected, a considerable trend of consistent positive epistasis estimates of AA/BB and Aa/Bb was observed for all traits. The results of this study may have a considerable impact on early-stage growth by both loci, and a selection strategy should be designed separately for each marker in Berkshire pigs. (Key words : Prolactin receptor, Retinol-binding protein, Candidate genes)

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the variation in ultimate pH of commercial populations of pure-breed (Landrace, Duroc and Yorkshire) pig’s longissimus muscles and their effect on objective meat quality traits and sensory characteristics. Fifty boars were sampled from 184 pigs, which were reared at three breeding farms and slaughtered at a commercial abattoir. The selection was determined based on ultimate pH, and animals were segregated into three groups: low pH (pH ≤ 5.5, n=13), medium pH (pH 5.5 to 5.6, n=18) and high pH (pH ≥ 5.6, n=16). The breeds had no significant effects; however, pigs with a higher ultimate pH had significantly (p

This study was carried out to establish the standard karyotype of Jeju horse by G-, C- and AgNOR-banding patterns. Blood samples were collected from 37 Jeju horses and 24 Thoroughbred that had been raised at the National Institute of Subtropical Agriculture in Jeju. The lymphocytes were cultured in vitro and then chromosomes prepared. The diploid chromosome number of Jeju horse is 64, which consists of 31 pairs of autosomes and X, Y sex chromosomes. The Jeju horse has 13 pairs of metacentric/submetacentric and 18 pairs of acrocentric autosomes. The X chromosome is the fifth largest submetacentric, while the Y chromosome is one of the smallest acrocentric chromosomes. The G-banding pattern of Jeju horse chromosomes showed a light band at centromeres in all autosomes, and also exhibited a typical and identical banding pattern in each homologous chromosome. Overall chromosomal morphology and positions of typical landmarks of the Jeju horse were virtually identical to those of International Committee for the Standardization of the Domestic Horse Karyotype. C-bands of Jeju horse chromosomes appeared on centromeres of almost all autosomes, but chromosome 8 showed a heterochromatin heteromorphism. The NORs in Jeju horse chromosomes showed polymorphic patterns within breed, individuals and cells. By the AgNOR staining, the NORs were located at the terminal of p-arm on chromosome 1 and near centromeres on the chromosome 26 and 31. The mean number of NORs per metaphase was 4.68 in Jeju horse. (Key words : Jeju horse, G-banding, C-banding, AgNORs, Karyotype)

Insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF2) is the first identified imprinted gene, which is paternally expressed in multiple mammalian species. A paternally expressed QTL for muscle growth and backfat thickness (BFT) has previously been identified near the IGF2 locus on the distal tip of pig chromosome 2 (SSC2p). Therefore the IGF2 gene is considered an economically important candidate gene for pig industry. Herein, this study explored genetic variation of IGF2 for in3-G3072A, in7-G162C and a new SNP in intron7 (C1589T) in Korean native pig (KNP) and commercial pig breeds, and detected their linkage disequilibrium within these breeds. Furthermore we investigated the effect of in3-G3072A on IGF2 gene expression in post-natal muscle and backfat tissues. The real-time quantitative PCR results showed that animals inherited allele G from a KNP sire had significant higher IGF2 gene expression in backfat tissue than those inherited allele A from a Yorkshire sire, however opposite situation in muscle. These results demonstrated the allele 3072G is associated with a higher IGF2 gene expression in fat tissues, but low gene expression in muscle tissues when compared with the 3072A allele. These results suggest that KNP with lower muscle mass and higher fat deposition might be associated with a higher frequency of the 3072G allele, and selecting KNP based on IGF2 genotypes could result in an economic benefit to KNP producers.

This study was carried out to calculate genetic trends on racing speed traits of Thoroughbred racehorses, using a total 208,043 racing records of 9,934 heads collected from January, 1990 to December, 2006 in Gwacheon racecourse. Repeated time, winning time and annual best time were used racing speed traits. The estimated heritabilities and repeatabilities for repeated time, winning time and annual best time were 0.288, 0.275, 0.341 and 0.502, 0.475, 0.496, respectively. Average phenotypic improvement per race year for racing speed traits were ranged from 0.115 to 0.148 second. The other side, the genetic improvement per race year for repeated time was 0.027 second but winning time and annual best time were not shown consistent trends. Therefore, we concluded that repeated time is recommended improvement trait of Thoroughbred racehorses.( Key words : Repeated time, Winning time, Annual best time, Genetic trend) . 서 론 1922년 경마가 도입된 이래 국내 말 산업은 한국마사회를 중심으로 말의 사육, 조련, 경마의 시행, 경주능력의 향상 등 우수한 국내산마 육성과 국제적 입지구축에 노력해 온 반면, 말 관련 연구는 한국마사회의 출연금 등으로 일부 대학에서 산발적으로 수행하는 정도이다. 2007년 통계에 따르면 경마매출 총액은 6조5천억원, 연간 입장인원 2천2백만명으로 일일 평균 22만명이 경마공원을 찾고 있으며, 2008년 현재 마필 생산기반은 860여 농가에서 18,000여두 사육하고 있다. 그럼에도 불구하고 말 산업이 경마에 심하게 편중되어지면서 사회적으로 사행성이 강조되는 현실이다 보니 말산업 육성 노력은 다소 미흡한 실정이었다. 이러한 현실 속에서 말 산업이 미래 성장산업으로서 농촌 신활력소득, 고용창출, 국민레저문화동력산업으로 정착되고 국산마의 능력을 획기적으로 개량하여 명마 수출국으로 전환함으로서 최우수 경마시행국 진입에 기여한다는 경마혁신대책이 발표되면서 경마의 부정적 이미지 탈피와 경주

본 연구는 한국마사회로부터 수집한 8,197두의 경주기록 총 155,656개를 이용하여 더러브렛 경주마의 체중변화가 주파기록에 미치는 효과를 구명하기 위하여 수행되었다. 국내 더러브렛 경주마의 평균 체중은 449 kg 이었으며, 거세말, 수말과 암말의 평균 체중은 각각 460 kg, 454 kg과 441 kg으로 수말의 체중이 가장 높게 나타났다. 암말의 경우 체중의 감소는 3월, 4월과 5월사이에 가장 크게 나타나며, 수말과 거세마의 경우 5월, 6월과 7월에 체중의 감소가 가장 크게 나타났다. 전반적으로 경주마의 체중은 봄과 여름에 감소하며, 가을과 겨울에 증가하는 현상을 나타내었다. 주파기록에 대한 유전력과 반복력은 각각 0.237과 0.525였으며, 체중에 대한 유전력은 0.612로 추정되었다. 직전 경주 대비 체중의 변화가 ±10 kg 이상일 때 주파기록은 현저히 증가하였으며, 직전 경주 대비 체중의 변화가 ±20 kg인 경우는 ±5 kg인 경우와 비교했을 때 주파기록의 차이가 0.3초 정도 증가하였다. 체중의 변화가 체중에 비례하여 ±0.5% 정도 변화하였을 때 주파기록이 가장 우수하였으며, 체중의 변화가 체중 대비 ±2.5% 이상이 되면 경주능력은 현저히 감소하였다.(

The effects of diacylglycerol O-acyltransferase (DGAT1) candidate gene polymorphism on the economic traits of Hanwoo were studied. Through sequencing analysis, two polymorphism sites at K232A and T11993C were established and were analyzed by PCR-RFLP. The PCR-RFLP analysis for K232A showed that the frequencies of alleles K and A were 0.75 and 0.25, respectively, and the frequencies of genotypes for K/K, K/A and A/A were estimated as 0.509, 0.491 and 0, respectively. In the PCR-RFLP analysis for T11993C, we found allele frequencies of 0.773 and 0.227 for T and A, respectively, and 0.546, 0.454 and 0 for the T/T, T/C and C/C genotype frequencies, respectively. No significant effects on economic traits in Hanwoo were found in the separate analysis of K232A and T11993C polymorphisms, but the interaction between K232A and T11993C showed a significant effect (p

AMP-activated protein kinase alpha 2 (PRKAA2) plays a key role in regulation of fatty acid and cholesterol metabolism. This study investigated the porcine PRKAA2 gene as a positional candidate for intramuscular fat and backfat thickness traits in pig chromosome 6. A partial fragment of the porcine PRKAA2 gene, amplified by PCR, contained a putative intron 3 including a part of exon 3 and 4, comparable with that of human PRKAA2 gene. Within the fragment, several single nucleotide polymorphisms were identified using multiple sequence alignments. Of these, TaqI restriction enzyme polymorphism was used for genotyping various pig breeds including Korean reference family. Using linkage and physical mapping, the porcine PRKAA2 gene was mapped in the region between microsatellite markers SW1881 and SW1680 on chromosome 6. Allele frequencies were quite different among pig breeds. The full length cDNA of the porcine PRKAA2 (2,145 bp) obtained by RACE containing 1,656 bp open reading frame of deduced 552 amino acids, had sequence identities with PRKAA2 of human (98.2%), rat (97.8%), and mouse (97.5%). These results suggested that the porcine PRKAA2 is a positional candidate gene for fat deposition trait at near telomeric region of the long arm of SSC 6.

This study was conducted to detect quantitative trait loci (QTL) affecting growth and body composition in an F 2 reference population of Korean native pig and Landrace crossbreds. The three-generation mapping population was generated with 411 progeny from 38 F 2 full-sib families, and 133 genetic markers were used to produce a sex-average map of the 18 autosomes. The data set was analyzed using least squares Mendelian and parent-of-origin interval-mapping models. Lack-of-fit tests between the models were used to characterize QTL for mode of expressions. A total of 8 (39) QTL were detected at the 5% genome (chromosome)-wise level for the 17 analyzed traits. Of the 47 QTL detected, 21 QTL were classified as Mendelian expressed, 13 QTL as paternally expressed, 6 QTL as maternally expressed, and 7 QTL as partially expressed. Of the detected QTL at 5% genome-wise level, two QTL had Mendelian mode of inheritance on SSC6 and SSC9 for backfat thickness and bone weight, respectively, two QTL were maternally expressed for leather weight and front leg weight on SSC6 and SSC12, respectively, one QTL was paternally expressed for birth weight on SSC4, and three QTL were partially expressed for hot carcass weight and rear leg weight on SSC6, and bone weight on SSC13. Many of the Mendelian QTL had a dominant (complete or overdominant) mode of gene action, and only a few of the QTL were primarily additive, which reflects that heterosis for growth is appreciable in a cross between Korean native pig and Landrace. Our results indicate that alternate breed alleles of growth and body composition QTL are segregating between the two breeds, which could be utilized for genetic improvement of growth via marker-assisted selection.

This study was conducted to investigate potential effects of previously identified QTL regions on carcass traits in Hanwoo. The data analyzed in this study was collected from 326 steers of 67 proven sire. Thirteen micorsatellite markers spanning QTL regions on bovine chromosomes 1 and 14 were genotyped in 326 steers. The following breeding values were analyzed for QTL effects. Cold carcass weight breeding value (CCWBV), longissimus muscle area breeding value (LMABV), marbling score breeding value (MSBV) and backfat thickness breeding value (BFTBV). Chi-square tests were performed to compare frequencies of individual allele between high and low breeding value groups. Significant differences of allele frequencies in BMS711, MCM130, BMS4049, and BMS2263 were found. And also, in RM180, BL1029, BM4305, and BMS2055 there were significant differencies of allele frequencies. These results showed a potential application for investigation of putative QTL locations.

The avian uncoupling protein (avUCP) is a member of the mitochondrial transporter superfamily that uncouples proton entry in the mitochondrial matrix from ATP synthesis. The sequencing analysis method was used to identify nucleotide polymorphisms within the avUCP gene in Korean native chicken (KNC). This study identified ten single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the avUCP gene. We analyzed the SNPs of the avUCP gene to investigate whether polymorphism in the gene might be responsible for quantitative variations in economic traits in KNC. Three significant polymorphic sites for economic traits were avUCP C+282T (mean body weight, p

This study was conducted to establish an individual identification system comprising of 19 microsatellite markers located on different bovine autosomes. The markers were typed on 257 animals from five cattle breeds. In total, 112 alleles were detected from the genotyping of 19 microsatellite markers. The average heterozygosities ranged from 0.292 to 0.824 and the polymorphic information content (PIC) ranged from 0.274 to 0.817 in Hanwoo. We found that there were differences in allele frequencies in Hanwoo when compared with other cattle breeds. The calculated cumulative power of discrimination (CPD) was 99.999% when nine microsatellite loci were used for analysis in the individual identification system. Also the matching probability, the probability that two unrelated animals would show the same genotypes, was estimated to be 0.44×10 -9 . Therefore, the nine markers used in this study will be used for individual identification in two million Hanwoo individuals. (Asian-Aust. J. Anim. Sci. 2005. Vol 18, No. 6 : 762-766)

This study was performed to analyze the sequence variations of mtDNA D-loop and their effects onmilk in Hanwoo(Korean cattle). The resulting sequences were compared with previously publishedsequences for other cattle breeds (GenBank J01394). The Polymerase Chain Reaction was performed toamplify a total of 964 bp between nucleotide 15758 and 383 within D-loop region of mtDNA usingspecific primers. Twenty polymorphic sites by nucleotide substitution were found in mtDNA D-loopregion of Hanwoo. The frequencies of positions at 8, 169, 16042, 16051, 16057, 16093, 16119, 16122,16209, 16255 and 16302 nt with high levels of sequence polymorphism were 0.150, 0.950, 0.085, 0.138,0.106, 0.085, 0.138, 0.212, 0.085, 0.148 and 0.180, respectively. The substitution effect at 16119(p 0.1)and 16185(p 0.05) nt was found significant on milk production. Polymorphism of mtDNA sequence inD-loop region could be useful for the analysis of cytoplasmic genetic variation and associations with theother economically important traits and maternal lineage analysis in Hanwoo.(

The identification of the leptin gene in 1994 and it's adipocytes specific protein leptin has provided the firstphysiological links to the regulatory system controlling body weight and fat deposits. The meat tastes ismainly determined by quantify and quality of triglyceride stored in adipose tissue. This study was conducted toanalyze genetic characteristics of Hanwoo leptin gene and also to investigate the association of DNA markerwith some economic meat traits for Hanwoo.The leptin hormone gene polymorphisms were identified by digestion with Kpn2 and Msp . Slaughterweight(SWT), slaughter percentage(SP), longissimus muscle area(LMA), beef marbling score(MS) and back fatthickness(BF) were compared among three genotypes by PCR-RFLP and showed significant differencesamong genotypes. PCR-RFLP( Kpn2 ) were detected significant for SP, MS and BF. The allele was associatedwith fatter carcasses and C allele with leaner carcasses.( Key words : Hanwoo, Leptin gene, PCR-RFLP, Marbling score, Meat quality)Corresponding author : Gwang-Joo Jeon, Genomic Informatics Center, Hankyong National University, 67Sukjong-dong, Ansung-city, Kyonggi-do, 456-749, Korea. Tel : 82-031-670-5331 Fax :82-031-675-5331, E-mail : gjjeon@hnu.hankyong.ac.kr

The purpose of this study was to detect association between genetic variation and economic trait in the porcine heart type fatty acid-binding protein gene as a candidate gene for the traits related with growth and meat quality in pigs. The H-FABP is a 15-kDa protein expressed in several tissues with high demand for fat metabolism such as cardiac and skeletal muscle and lactating mammary gland. H-FABP is small intracellular protein involved in fatty acid transport from the plasma membrane to the site of -oxidation and/or triacylglycerol or phospholipid synthesis. In this study, H-FABP PCR-RFLP was performed in F population composed of 214 individuals from an intercross between Korean Native Boars and Landrace sows. PCR products from two primer sets within H-FABP gene were amplified in 850bp and 700bp. Digestion of PCR products with the restriction digestion enzymes HaeⅢ and HinfⅠ, revealed fragment length polymorphisms(RFLPs). The genotype frequencies from H-FABP/HaeⅢ was .29 for genotype DD, .53 for genotype Dd, and .15 for genotype dd, respectively. The genotype frequencies of HH, Hh, and hh from H-FABP/HinfⅠ was .38, .41 and .20, respectively, in the population. Relationships between their genotypes and economic traits were estimated. In H-FABP/HaeⅢ locus, there were specific genotypes(Dd and dd) associated with economic traits such as body weights at 3, 5, 12, and 30 week of age (p〈.05 to .001). The ‘d’ allele was associated with gaining of body weight. In H-FABP/HinfⅠ locus, Genotypes of HH and Hh associated with growth traits such as body weights at 5, 12, and 30 week of age (p〈.05 or p〈.001) and back fat thickness, body fat including abdominal and trimmed fat (p〈.001) and intramuscular fat(p〈.05) The ‘H’ allele was positively associated with gaining of body weight and fatness deposition. In conclusion, a significant association of the H-FABP gene from its genetic variation was found on body weight, intramuscular fat and backfat thickness.

This study was carried out to investigate a usefulness of the microsatellite DNA markers for individual identification and parentage verification in three dog breeds. A total of 59 random dog (31 Chiwawa, 20 Poongsan, 8 Labrador Retriever) samples were genotyped by using 14 markers (Chiwawa dog), 16 markers (Poongsan dog), and 12 markers (Labrador Retriever dog) among the 17 international standard markers (PEZ1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17, 20, 21, FHC2010, FHC2054 and FHC2079), respectively. The number of alleles per locus varied from 4 to 14 with a mean value of 6.07 in Chiwawa dog, 2 to 9 with a mean of 4.75 in Poongsan dog, and 3 to 5 with a mean of 4.00 in Labrador Retriever dog. Observed heterozygosity was ranged 0.419q0.968 (mean 0.755), 0.300q0.950 (mean 0.597) and 0.125q0.750 (mean 0.604), and expected heterozygosity was ranged 0.432q0.883 (mean 0.711), 0.262q0.817 (mean 0.559) and 0.425q0.808 (mean 0.660) in these three dog breeds. PIC value was ranged 0.397q0.856 (mean 0.659), 0.222q0.772 (mean 0.503) and 0.354q0.717 (mean 0.563) in these three dog breeds. Of the 17 markers, PEZ1, PEZ3, PEZ6, PEZ10, PEZ12 loci, PEZ1, PEZ6, PEZ13 loci, and PEZ8, PEZ12 loci have relatively high PIC value ( %0.7) in Chiwawa dog, Poongsan dog and Labrador Retriever dog, respectively. The exclusion probability was ranged 0.240q0.741, 0.111q0.616, and 0.198q0.529, and the combination of microsatellite loci was 0.9999, 0.9991, and 0.9968 in Chiwawa dog, Poongsan dog and Labrador Retriever dog, respectively. These results can give basic information for developing parentage verification and individual identification system in these three dog breeds.(

Copy number variations (CNVs), important genetic factors for study of human diseases, may have as large of an effect on phenotype as do single nucleotide polymorphisms. Indeed, it is widely accepted that CNVs are associated with differential disease susceptibility. However, the relationships between CNVs and gene expression have not been characterized in the horse. In this study, we investigated the effects of copy number deletion in the blood and muscle transcriptomes of Thoroughbred racing horses. We identified a total of 1,246 CNVs of deletion polymorphisms using DNA re-sequencing data from 18 Thoroughbred racing horses. To discover the tendencies between CNV status and gene expression levels, we extracted CNVs of four Thoroughbred racing horses of which RNA sequencing was available. We found that 252 pairs of CNVs and genes were associated in the four horse samples. We did not observe a clear and consistent relationship between the deletion status of CNVs and gene expression levels before and after exercise in blood and muscle. However, we found some pairs of CNVs and associated genes that indicated relationships with gene expression levels: a positive relationship with genes responsible for membrane structure or cytoskeleton and a negative relationship with genes involved in disease. This study will lead to conceptual advances in understanding the relationship between CNVs and global gene expression in the horse.