Genetic basis of semen traits and their relationship with growth rate in rabbits.

This work aims to estimate the genetic parameters of seminal and production traits in a paternal line of rabbits selected for ADG during the fattening period. The considered traits were male libido (Lib) defined as successful mounting of an artificial vagina; presence of urine (Ur) and calcium carbonate deposits (Ca) in the ejaculate; semen pH; individual sperm motility (IM); the suitability for AI of the ejaculate (Sui), which involves the subjective combination of several quality traits; the average ejaculate volume (Vol); sperm concentration (Conc); and the average sperm production per ejaculate (Prod = Vol × Conc). The genetic relationship between all of these traits with ADG is also provided. Male libido and seminal data came either from routine evaluations of the ejaculates in an AI center or from 2 experiments in which bucks from the same population were used. Two consecutive ejaculates per male and per week were collected, leaving 7 d within weekly collections. A linear tri-trait model was used to analyze Conc, Vol, and ADG, whereas linear and threshold-linear 2-trait models were used to analyze male libido and the remaining seminal traits with ADG. A Bayesian approach was adopted for inference. Approximately 38% of ejaculates were rejected for AI primarily due to low IM scores. Variables related to the quality of the ejaculate (Ur, Ca, pH, IM, Sui) and Lib were found to be lowly heritable (h(2) ranged from 0.04 to 0.11), but repeatable. This indicates performance of bucks for seminal quality traits and libido in AI centers would be more strongly affected by management practices rather than genetic selection. Semen production traits exhibited moderate values of h(2) (0.22, 0.27, and 0.23 for Conc, Vol, and Prod, respectively), suggesting the possibility of effective selection for these traits. A moderate to high negative genetic correlation (r(g); posterior mean; highest posterior density at 95%, HPD(95%)) was estimated between Conc and Vol (-0.53, HPD(95%) = -0.76, -0.27). The ADG was estimated to have an h(2) of 0.16, to have a low, positive r(g) with Conc (0.21, HPD(95%) = -0.03, 0.48), to have a low, negative r(g) with Vol (-0.19, HPD(95%) = -0.47, 0.08), and to be genetically uncorrelated with all remaining traits analyzed. Therefore, selection for increasing ADG in paternal lines is expected to have no detrimental effects on Ur, Ca, pH, IM, Sui, and Lib and little to no effect on Conc, Vol, and Prod.

Use of a novel double uterine deposition artificial insemination technique using low concentrations of sperm in pigs.

Currently, the three most important non-surgical artificial insemination systems used in pigs are the conventional, the post-cervical (IUI), and the deep-intrauterine (DIUI) methods. In this study, a new system, termed double uterine deposition insemination (DUDI), which combines aspects of both IUI and DIUI, was evaluated. This method used a thinner, shorter and more flexible catheter than those normally used for DIUI and resulted in the deposition of semen post-cervically, approximately half-way along the uterine horn, thus potentially by-passing the threat of 'unilateral' insemination or pregnancy when using sperm of low concentration. The experiment was carried out over 8 weeks on a group of 166 sows, which were divided into seven groups, inseminated with semen of varying concentration, using the conventional system (control group) or by DUDI. There were no significant differences in fertility at day 35 post-insemination between the controls and the various DUDI sub-groups. Only sows inseminated with 500 million viable spermatozoa in a total of 30 mL of fluid using the DUDI system demonstrated decreased total litter sizes when compared to conventional insemination (P<0.001). While conventional insemination normally uses 2.5-3.5 billion sperm, the findings of this study suggest that DUDI can be used under 'field' conditions with sperm concentrations as low as 750 million spermatozoa in 50-30 mL without any detrimental effect on fertility or litter size. DUDI may provide a viable, robust alternative to IUI and DIUI, and has the potential to become incorporated into on-farm insemination systems.

Different ways to model biological relationships between fertility and pH of the semen in rabbits.

This work aimed to study the relationship between pH of the semen and fertility (Fert, defined as the success or failure of conception), which is of special interest because pH of the semen can be considered a global marker of the expression of some seminal quality traits. Different methods used to model the relationship between Fert and pH are presented here: 1) ignoring genetic and environmental correlations and including pH either as a covariate or as a cross-classified effect on fertility, 2) a bivariate mixed model, and 3) recursive bivariate mixed models. A total of 653 pH records and 6,365 Fert records after AI were used. Crossbreed does from 2 maternal lines were artificially inseminated with buck semen from a paternal line in a commercial environment. A negative, and almost linear, effect of pH on Fert was detected. The posterior median of pH and Fert heritabilities, and the highest posterior density interval at 95% (in parentheses) were approximately 0.18 (0.05, 0.29) and approximately 0.10 (0.02, 0.20) across all the models, respectively. Genetic correlations between traits were negative, but the highest posterior density interval at 95% included zero [i.e., -0.31 (-0.91, 0.33) in the bivariate mixed model and -0.17 (-0.99, 0.48) and -0.44 (-0.99, 0.10) in the recursive bivariate mixed models including pH as a covariate or as a cross-classified effect, respectively]. All models predicted Fert data reasonably well (i.e., 76 and 62% correct predictions for success and failure, respectively). No differences in the prediction of the EBV for male fertility were encountered between models, showing a good concordance in the animals ranked by their EBV (the correlation between EBV in all models was close to 1). Thus, no differences in results were obtained considering, or not considering, genetic and environmental correlations between pH and Fert and assuming, or not assuming, recursiveness between each trait. This is because the magnitude of the effect of pH on Fert was not large enough; therefore, the same results were obtained even though the models were of different complexity.

Interaction of genotype × artificial insemination conditions for male effect on fertility and prolificacy.

Failures in fertilization or embryogenesis have been shown to be partly the result of poor semen quality. When AI is practiced, fertilization rate depends on the number and quality of spermatozoa in the insemination dose around the time of application. Individual variation in the male effect on fertility (success or failure to conceive; Fert) and prolificacy (total number of kids born per litter; TB) could also depend on these factors, and it could be better observed under limited conditions of AI, such as decreased sperm concentration, small or null preselection of ejaculates for any semen quality trait, or a long storage period of the AI doses. The aim of this research was to determine if an interaction existed between male genotype and the AI conditions for male effects on Fert and TB after AI was performed under different conditions. Fertility and TB were assumed to be different traits and were analyzed in 2 sets of independent analyses. In the first step, the different conditions were determined uniquely by the sperm dosage. Artificial insemination was performed at 10 and 40 × 10(6) spermatozoa/mL. In the second step, the different conditions were determined by all the factors involved in the AI process as a whole (conditions and duration of the storage period of the dose, genetic type of the female, and environmental conditions on the farm). Data from AI from the former experiment were analyzed with data from AI performed under different conditions. Threshold and linear 2-trait models were assumed for Fert and TB, respectively. The sperm dosage had a clear effect on Fert and TB, which favored the greater dosage (+0.13% and +1.25 kids born, respectively). Prolificacy was more sensitive to sperm reduction than was fertility. Male heritabilities for Fert were 0.09 for both sperm dosages, and were 0.08 and 0.06 for male TB with a smaller and larger sperm dosage, respectively. No genotype × sperm dosage interaction was found. Therefore, the same response to selection to improve male Fert and TB could be achieved at any sperm concentration. However, an interaction between male genotype and the AI conditions as a whole seemed to exist, indicating that the AI conditions for selection for Fert and TB could be modified to maximize genetic progress. Consequently, the optimization of a breeding program for male Fert and TB under a given set of semen utilization conditions is achievable.

Line and birth season effects on plasma testosterone and oxidative stress parameters in testis of maturing rabbits.

Oxidative stress plays a key role in the male reproductive function. Differences between rabbit breeds have been found for testis size, seminiferous tubule diameter, number and size of interstitial and germ cells, etc. Traits related to the redox system could also be affected by genetic factors. It is likely that differences between breeds for these traits would lead to differences in reproductive maturation and fertility. We have investigated in the present paper the age-related changes of the plasma testosterone (TST) concentration, superoxide anion (O(2)(-)) radical formation, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, catalase (CAT) activity and thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARs) level in testis of rabbits in two breeds selected for different aptitudes (Caldes for growth rate and Prat for litter size). The effect of birth season for these traits was also assessed. Major changes in parameters related to oxidative stress were observed at an early age and most probably can be explained by the concomitant changes in testicular structure and function. Both lines showed similar developmental profiles and levels for all the variables studied. There was no interaction between line and birth season, consequently environmental conditions affected both lines in the same manner. Significant differences between males born in different seasons were found for O(2)(-) (4.84+/-0.19RLU/mg tissuemin versus 5.67+/-0.19RLU/mg tissuemin), SOD (6.12+/-0.11U/mg protein versus 7.09+/-0.11U/mg protein) and CAT (0.058+/-0.002K/mg protein versus 0.040+/-0.002K/mg protein). Future studies should take into account differences between seasons for a more precise analysis.

Post-natal sexual development of testis and epididymis in the rabbit: variability and relationships among macroscopic and microscopic markers.

The present work was performed to examine the existence of some relationships between macroscopic and microscopic traits of testis and epididymis in rabbit. The variables studied were live weight (LW), testis length (TL), testis width (TWh), testis weight (TW), testis volume (TV), epididymis length (EL), epididymis width (EWh), epididymis weight (EW), epididymis volume (EV), percentage of seminiferous tubules with presence of lumen (STL), percentage of seminiferous tubules with presence of elongated spermatids (STES), percentage of seminiferous tubules with presence of spermatozoa (STS) and diameter of seminiferous tubules (STD). Measurements began after weaning and continued until males reached 33 weeks of age. Phenotypic correlations between testis and epidydimis traits and the principal component analysis were estimated as the residual correlation from an analysis of variance, including the effects of line, birth-season, age, and the double interactions line x age and birth-season x age. Four principal components (PCs) explained 79% of the total variation. The predominant variables defining the first PC were TL, TW and TV. Epididymis width and STS were located in the second PC. Epididymis weight and EV were important in the definition of the first and third PC. Tubular diameter seems important in the definition of the fourth PC. It has been not found correlation between traits related to either testis or epididymis size and variables related to active spermatogenesis. Therefore, TW and/or TV seemed not to be good markers of maturity.

Postnatal sexual development of testis and epididymis in the rabbit: growth and maturity patterns of macroscopic and microscopic markers.

We examined the macroscopic variables related to the size of testis and epididymis, and the microscopic variables related to the tissue composition of testis to determine the onset of the male reproductive activity. The present work was carried out using two genetic lines of rabbits showing different reproductive aptitudes to assess the effects of genetic line and birth season on age-related changes of the testes and epididymis. The Caldes and Prat genetic lines showed similar developmental profiles for most of the variables studied. The main changes in the development pattern were observed at younger ages. The Caldes genetic line presented a greater live weight and a smaller testicular volume that the Prat genetic line at any age. No differences in the studied microscopic variables were found between the two genetic lines, except in the variable percentage of seminiferous tubules with presence of lumen. A significant effect of the birth season was found in live weight, testis volume, epididymis volume, percentage of seminiferous tubules with presence of elongated spermatids and diameter of seminiferous tubules. The absolute values and the values relatives to its own value at the adult stage of the variables live weight, testis volume, epididymis volume and in variables related to the functional maturity were lower in animals born in the summer season. Volume growth for both testis and epididymis was delayed in animals born in the summer season.

Individual efficiency for the use of feed resources in rabbits.

A Bayesian procedure, which allows consideration of the individual variation in the feed resource allocation pattern, is described and implemented in 2 sire lines of rabbit (Caldes and R). The procedure is based on a hierarchical Bayesian scheme, where the first stage of the model consists of a multiple regression model of feed intake on metabolic BW and BW gain. In a second stage, an animal model was assumed including batch, parity order, litter size, and common environmental litter effects. Animals were reared during the fattening period (from weaning at 32 d of age to 60 d of age) in individual cages on an experimental farm, and were fed ad libitum with a commercial diet. Body weight (g) and cumulative feed intake (g) were recorded weekly. Individual BW gain (g) and average BW (ABW, g) were calculated from these data for each 7-d period. Metabolic BW (g(0.75)) was estimated as ABW(0.75). The number of animals actually measured was 444 and 445 in the Caldes and R lines, respectively. Marginal posterior distributions of the genetic parameters were obtained by Gibbs sampling. Posterior means (posterior SD) for heritabilities for partial coefficients of regression of feed intake on metabolic BW and feed intake on BW gain were estimated to be 0.35 (0.17) and 0.40 (0.17), respectively, in the Caldes line and 0.26 (0.19) and 0.27 (0.14), respectively, in line R. The estimated posterior means (posterior SD) for the proportion of the phenotypic variance due to common litter environmental effects of the same coefficients of regression were respectively, 0.39 (0.14) and 0.28 (0.13) in the Caldes line and 0.44 (0.22) and 0.49 (0.14) in line R. These results suggest that efficiency of use of feed resources could be improved by including these coefficients in an index of selection.

Variability, repeatability and phenotypic relationships of several characteristics of production and semen quality in rabbit.

A total of 2140 ejaculates from 156 adult males pertaining to four groups of bucks were analysed and the following traits were recorded: pH, ejaculate volume (V), mass motility (Mm), individual motility (Mi), concentration (Cn), total number of spermatozoa per ejaculate (TSE), percentage of sperm viability (Vi), percentage of sperm with acrosome integrity (NAR), percentage of sperm normalcy (Nr), percentage of sperm morphological abnormalities of head (H), neck-midpiece (Nm) and tail (T) and presence of proximal and distal cytoplasmic droplet (Dp, Dd). Principal component (PC) analysis and phenotypic correlations were performed in order to examine the relationships between qualitative and quantitative traits of rabbit semen. The repeatability of the traits measured was also estimated. Phenotypic correlations between sperm traits were estimated as the residual correlation from an analysis of variance, including the effects of: genetic type of the male, order of the ejaculate, day of collection and the permanent non-additive random effect of the male to which the observation corresponds. The repeatability of these traits was analysed separately, in a set of univariate analyses, using VCE software. The previously defined mixed model was used for this analysis. The principal component analysis was performed using the Princomp procedure of the SAS v.8 package. The first four PC explained 62% of total variation: 23%, 18%, 12% and 8%, respectively. Percentage of sperm viability, NAR, Nr, T and Nm were the predominant variables in the first PC. Mass motility, Mi, pH, Cn and TSE were located in the second. Percentage of sperm with the presence of proximal and distal cytoplasmic droplet, NAR, Vi and Nr were the predominant traits in the third and V defined the fourth. Repeatability of semen quality traits was moderate for most of the traits. The highest values (about 0.45) corresponded to V, Cn, Nr and Dp and the lowest (about 0.10) to H and Nm. Repeatability of the first ejaculate was greater than that of the second for pH, Mm, Mi, H, Dp and Dd.