Comparison of genomic predictions for carcass and reproduction traits in Berkshire, Duroc and Yorkshire populations in Korea.

OBJECTIVE: A genome-based best linear unbiased prediction (GBLUP) method was applied to evaluate accuracies of genomic estimated breeding value (GEBV) of carcass and reproductive traits in Berkshire, Duroc and Yorkshire populations in Korean swine breeding farms. METHODS: The data comprised a total of 1,870, 696, and 1,723 genotyped pigs belonging to Berkshire, Duroc and Yorkshire breeds, respectively. Reference populations for carcass traits consisted of 888 Berkshire, 466 Duroc, and 1,208 Yorkshire pigs, and those for reproductive traits comprised 210, 154, and 890 dams for the respective breeds. The carcass traits analyzed were backfat thickness (BFT) and carcass weight (CWT), and the reproductive traits were total number born (TNB) and number born alive (NBA). For each trait, GEBV accuracies were evaluated with a GEBV BLUP model and realized GEBVs. RESULTS: The accuracies under the GBLUP model for BFT and CWT ranged from 0.33-0.72 and 0.33-0.63, respectively. For NBA and TNB, the model accuracies ranged 0.32 to 0.54 and 0.39 to 0.56, respectively. The realized accuracy estimates for BFT and CWT ranged 0.30 to 0.46 and 0.09 to 0.27, respectively, and 0.50 to 0.70 and 0.70 to 0.87 for NBA and TNB, respectively. For the carcass traits, the GEBV accuracies under the GBLUP model were higher than the realized GEBV accuracies across the breed populations, while for reproductive traits the realized accuracies were higher than the model based GEBV accuracies. CONCLUSION: The genomic prediction accuracy increased with reference population size and heritability of the trait. The GEBV accuracies were also influenced by GEBV estimation method, such that careful selection of animals based on the estimated GEBVs is needed. GEBV accuracy will increase with a larger sized reference population, which would be more beneficial for traits with low heritability such as reproductive traits.

Erratum to: Influence of Probiotics-Friendly Pig Production on Meat Quality and Physicochemical Characteristics.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.5851/kosfa.2018.38.2.403.].

Effect of long chain fatty acids on triacylglycerol accumulation, fatty acid composition and related gene expression in primary cultured bovine satellite cells.

This study was conducted to determine the effects of long chain fatty acids (LCFAs) on triacylglycerol (TAG) content, as well as on genes associated with lipid synthesis and fatty acid composition in bovine satellite cells. Both saturated (palmitic and stearic) and unsaturated (oleic and linoleic) fatty acids stimulated the TAG accumulation at a concentration of 100 µM and oleate increased it significantly more than stearate and palmitate. The results revealed that the lipid droplet formation was markedly stimulated by linoleate and oleate at 100 µM. Compared to control, the expressions of adipose triglyceride lipase, carnitine acyltransferase 1 and the fatty acid translocase 36 were upregulated by LCFAs. All the fatty acids also significantly increased diacylglycerol acyltransferase 2 than the untreated control (p < 0.05). The monounsaturated fatty acids significantly increased (p < 0.05) in response to oleate and linoleate compared to the control as did the polyunsaturated fatty acids (p < 0.05), in addition to stearate, linoleate and oleate. In contrast, saturated fatty acids were significantly decreased in the oleate and linoleate-treated groups. The study results contribute to our enhanced understanding of LCFAs' regulatory roles on the bovine cell lipid metabolism.

Effect of Kaempferol on Cyclooxygenase 2 (Cox2) and Cytosolic Phospholipase A2 (cPLA2) Protein Expression in BALB/c Mice.

Kaempferol, a phytochemical found in many edible plants, is known to alleviate diseases such as cancer, allergy, and inflammation. The objective of this study was to investigate whether kaempferol could reduce omega-6 and ovalbumin-mediated allergic reactions at lung and trachea in BALB/c mice. Mice were allocated into five groups: 1) control group (CON); 2) positive control group with orally administration of omega-6 (POS); 3) bovine serum albumin (BSA) sensitization group (with BSA injection and ovalbumin inhalation); 4) BSA+K10 group: BSA injection, 10 µg/g of kaempferol administration and ovalbumin inhalation; and 5) BSA+K20 group: BSA injection, 20 µg/g of kaempferol administration and ovalbumin inhalation. Results revealed that serum histamine level was the highest (p<0.01) in BSA group. In lung tissue and trachea, cyclooxygenase 2 (Cox2) expression was significantly (p<0.05) higher in the BSA group compared to that in other groups. However, phosphorylated cytosolic phospholipase A2 (p-cPLA2) expression in the trachea was not significantly different among groups. Taken together, results of this study suggest that kaempferol might be useful for alleviating inflammation reaction associated with Cox2 expression. However, the exact mechanism of action involved in the effect of kaempferol on inflammatory response remains unclear.

Modulatory effect of linoleic and oleic acid on cell proliferation and lipid metabolism gene expressions in primary bovine satellite cells.

This study was performed to elucidate the effects of linoleic acid (LA), oleic acid (OA) and their combination (LA + OA) on cell proliferation, apoptosis, necrosis, and the lipid metabolism related gene expression in bovine satellite cells (BSCs), isolated from bovine muscles. Cell viability was significantly increased with the OA and LA treatment. Furthermore, LA + OA enhanced cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner (10 to 100 µM), whereas it lowered at 250 µM. In addition, a cell-cycle analysis showed that 100 µM of LA and OA markedly decreased the G0/G1 phase proportion (62.58% and 61.33%, respectively), compared to controls (68.02%), whereas the S-phase cells' proportion was increased. The ratio of G2/M phase cells was not significantly different among the groups. Moreover, analyses with AO/EtBr staining showed that no apoptosis occurred. Necrosis were determined by flow cytometry using Annexin V-FITC/PI staining which revealed no early apoptosis in the cells pretreated with LA or OA, but occurred in the LA + OA group. We also analyzed the mRNA expression of lipid metabolizing genes such as peroxisome proliferator receptor alfa (PPARα), peroxisome proliferator receptor gamma (PPARγ), acyl-CoA oxidase (ACOX), lipoprotein lipase (LPL), carnitine palmitoyl transferase (CPT-1), and fatty-acid binding protein4 (FABP4), which were upregulated in LA or OA treated cells compared to the control group. In essence, LA and OA alone promote the cell proliferation without any apoptosis and necrosis, which might upregulate the lipid metabolism related gene expressions, and increase fatty-acid oxidation in the BSCs' lipid metabolism.

Fabrication of nanofiber coated with l-arginine via electrospinning technique: a novel nanomatrix to counter oxidative stress under crosstalk of co-cultured fibroblasts and satellite cells.

The objective of this study was to synthesize and characterize novel polyurethane (PU)-nanofiber coated with l-arginine by electrospinning technique. This study determined whether l-arginine conjugated with PU-nanofiber could stimulate cell proliferation and prevent H2O2-induced cell death in satellite cells co-cultured with fibroblasts isolated from Hanwoo (Korean native cattle). Our results showed that l-arginine conjugated with PU nanofiber could reduce cytotoxicity of co-cultured satellite cells. Protein expression levels of bcl-2 were significantly upregulated whereas those of caspase-3 and caspase-7 were significantly downregulated in co-culture of satellite cells compared to those of monoculture cells after treatment with PU-nanofiber coated with l-arginine and which confirmed by Confocal microscope. These results suggest that co-culture of satellite cells with fibroblasts might be able to counter oxidative stress through translocation/penetration of antioxidant, collagen, and molecules secreted to satellite cells. Therefore, this nanofiber might be useful as a wound dressing in animals to counter oxidative stresses.

Influence of Probiotics-Friendly Pig Production on Meat Quality and Physicochemical Characteristics.

In this study, the dietary effects of probiotics with a liquid application system on meat quality and physicochemical characteristics of pigs were evaluated. A total of 80 Landrace×Yorkshire×Duroc (LYD) 3-way crossbred pigs (average age 175±5 d) were assigned to a conventional farm and a probiotics farm equipped with a liquid probiotics application system (40 pigs in each farm). The two treatments were: CON (diet without probiotics) and PRO (diet with probiotics). Dietary probiotics decreased shear force in the longissimus muscle compared to the control group (p<0.05). The treatment diet did not affect backfat thickness, carcass weight, meat color, cooking loss, water holding capacity (WHC), and drip loss. Dietary probiotics significantly reduced ash, salinity, and pH (at 5 and 15 d) (p<0.05). There was no significant effect on thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) values. Polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) and omega fatty acids (ω3 and ω6) were significantly (p<0.05) higher in the PRO group, whereas monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) was decreased. The free amino acid composition, serine, lysine, histidine, and arginine levels were significantly lower in the PRO than in the control group. The treatment group exhibited higher nucleotide compounds (hypoxanthine, inosine, GMP, IMP) than the controls. Also, levels of ascorbic acid and thiamin were significantly different (p<0.05), while minerals were not significantly different between the groups. In conclusion, feeding of probiotics had effects on shear force, ash, salinity, pH, PUFA, and some amino acids which related to taste and flavor without any negative effects on the pigs' carcass traits.

Mechanistic aspects of biologically synthesized silver nanoparticles against food- and water-borne microbes.

In the present study, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) synthesized from aqueous leaves extract of Malva crispa and their mode of interaction with food- and water-borne microbes were investigated. Formation of AgNPs was conformed through UV-Vis, FE-SEM, EDS, AFM, and HR-TEM analyses. Further the concentration of silver (Ag) in the reaction mixture was conformed through ICP-MS analysis. Different concentration of nanoparticles (1-3 mM) tested to know the inhibitory effect of bacterial pathogens such as Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi, Salmonella enterica and the fungal pathogens of Penicillium expansum, Penicillium citrinum, Aspergillus oryzae, Aspergillus sojae and Aspergillus niger. Interestingly, nanoparticles synthesized from 2 to 3 mM concentration of AgNO3 showed excellent inhibitory activities against both bacterial and fungal pathogens which are well demonstrated through well diffusion, poison food technique, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), and minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC). In addition, mode of interaction of nanoparticles into both bacterial and fungal pathogens was documented through Bio-TEM analysis. Further the genomic DNA isolated from test bacterial strains and their interaction with nanoparticles was carried out to elucidate the possible mode of action of nanoparticles against bacteria. Interestingly, AgNPs did not show any genotoxic effect against all the tested bacterial strains which are pronounced well in agarose gel electrophoresis and for supporting this study, UV-Vis and Bio-TEM analyses were carried out in which no significant changes observed compared with control. Hence, the overall results concluded that the antimicrobial activity of biogenic AgNPs occurred without any DNA damage.

Studies on Intramuscular Fat Percentage in Live Swine Using Real-time Ultrasound to Determine Pork Quality.

In the modern pork industry, selection of high intramuscular fat (IMF) in pigs is necessary to improve pork quality. Ultrasound has been used previously to predict subcutaneous fat thickness and IMF in the longissimus muscles of line pigs and Real-time ultrasound has also been reported as a reliable method for estimating IMF in live pigs. So we estimate the correlation between meat quality traits and IMF percentage to investigate the possibility of utilizing real-time ultrasound technology for predicting IMF percentage in line pigs to improve pork quality. The genetic and phenotypic correlations for chemical intramuscular fat (CIMF) and ultrasound intramuscular fat (UIMF) were estimated to be 0.75 and 0.76, respectively. These results suggest that genetic factors strongly influence meat quality. The genetic and phenotypic correlation between UIMF and CIMF were 0.75, 0.76, respectively. The heritability of UIMF and CIMF were 0.48 and 0.50, respectively. So we concluded that CIMF can be replaced with UIMF and Ultrasound machines can be used to test IMF in live swine. In future, UIMF can be utilized to improve pork quality as an alternative to CIMF.

Genetic traceability of black pig meats using microsatellite markers.

Pork from Jeju black pig (population J) and Berkshire (population B) has a unique market share in Korea because of their high meat quality. Due to the high demand of this pork, traceability of the pork to its origin is becoming an important part of the consumer demand. To examine the feasibility of such a system, we aim to provide basic genetic information of the two black pig populations and assess the possibility of genetically distinguishing between the two breeds. Muscle samples were collected from slaughter houses in Jeju Island and Namwon, Chonbuk province, Korea, for populations J and B, respectively. In total 800 Jeju black pigs and 351 Berkshires were genotyped at thirteen microsatellite (MS) markers. Analyses on the genetic diversity of the two populations were carried out in the programs MS toolkit and FSTAT. The population structure of the two breeds was determined by a Bayesian clustering method implemented in structure and by a phylogenetic analysis in Phylip. Population J exhibited higher mean number of alleles, expected heterozygosity and observed heterozygosity value, and polymorphism information content, compared to population B. The FIS values of population J and population B were 0.03 and -0.005, respectively, indicating that little or no inbreeding has occurred. In addition, genetic structure analysis revealed the possibility of gene flow from population B to population J. The expected probability of identify value of the 13 MS markers was 9.87×10(-14) in population J, 3.17×10(-9) in population B, and 1.03×10(-12) in the two populations. The results of this study are useful in distinguishing between the two black pig breeds and can be used as a foundation for further development of DNA markers.

Effects of Ripening Conditions on the 'Lomo embuchado' Sausage Quality.

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of two different ripening durations, with, or without adding rosemary powder, on Lomo embuchado (LEO) sausage quality. All LEOs were ripened for two different durations, 45 or 60 d, with, or without the addition of rosemary powder, as follows: 1) LEO ripened for 45 d (LER45), 2) LEO ripened for 60 d (LER60), 3) rosemary LEO ripened for 45 d (RLE45), and 4) rosemary LEO ripened for 60 d (RLE60). Significant differences were observed in both moisture and ash content, with higher moisture and less ash content in LER45 (p<0.05). No trend was shown in the crude protein content of the four different treatments, but significantly low protein content was shown only in RLE45 (p<0.05). Ripening for 45 d improved the lightness, yellowness, and water activity of LEOs (p<0.05). However, ripening duration together with rosemary powder addition had no significant effects on redness (p>0.05). The LER45 generated significantly improved chewiness, gumminess, and hardness, as compared to both LER60 and RLE60 (p<0.05). In conclusion, the results suggest that ripening for 45 d seems to enhance LEO quality, but that rosemary powder addition may not be required to develop good LEO quality.