A pregnancy diagnosis is an important standard for control of livestock’s reproduction in paricular dairy cattle. High reproductive performance in dairy animals is a essential condition to realize of high life-time production. Pregnancy diagnosis is crucial to shortening the calving interval by enabling the farmer to identify open animals so as to treat or re-breed them at the earliest opportunity. MicroRNAs are short RNA molecules which are critically involved in regulating gene expression during both health and disease. This study is sought to establish the feasible of circulating miRNAs as biomarkers of early pregnancy in cattle. We applied Illumina small-RNA sequencing to profile miRNAs in plasma samples collected from 12 non-pregnant cows (“open” cows: samples were collected before insemination (non-pregnant state) and after pregnancy check at the indicated time points) on weeks 0, 4, 8, 12 and 16. Using small RNA sequencing we identified a total of 115 miRNAs that were differentially expressed weeks 16 relative to non-pregnancy (“open” cows). Weeks 8, 12 and 16 of pregnancy commonly showed a distinct increase in circulating levels of miR-221 and miR-320a. Through genome-wide analyses we have successfully profiled plasma miRNA populations associated with pregnancy in cattle. Their application in the field of reproductive biology has opened up opportunities for research communities to look for pregnancy biomarker molecules in dairy cattle.

Interferon tau (IFNT) regulation, an anti-luteolytic factor produced by conceptuses of the ruminant ungulates, is essential for the maintenance of early pregnancy, but a definitive mechanism for its temporal transcription has not been elucidated. We and others have observed the T-box protein eomesodermin (EOMES) exhibited high mRNA expression in the ovine embryonic trophectoderm; thus, both caudal-relatedhomeobox-2 (CDX2) and EOMES coexist during the early stages of conceptus development. Objective of this study was to examine the effect of EOMES on ovine IFNT gene transcription when evaluated with CDX2, ETS2 and AP1 transcription factors implicated in the control of cell differentiation in the trophectoderm. In this study, quantitatively via reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis between ovine trophoblast cells was initially performed, finding that transcription factors CDX2 and ‘EOMES transcription factor mRNAs’ were specific to trophectoderm cells. These mRNAs were also found in days 15, 17, and 21 ovine conceptuses. Furthermore, human choriocarcinoma JEG3 cells (trophoblast cell line) were cotransfected with an ovine IFNT (-654bp)-luciferase reporter (-654-oIFNT-Luc) construct and several transcription factor expression plasmids. Cotransfection of the reporter construct with CDX2, ETS2 and AP1 increased transcription of -654-oIFNT-Luc by about 11-fold compared with transfection of the construct alone. When cells were initially transfected with EOMES followed by transfection with CDX2, ETS2 and/or AP1, the expression of -654-oIFNT-Luc was decreased. Also, EOMES factor inhibited the stimulatory activity of CDX2 alone. These results suggest that when conceptuses attach to the uterine epithelium, ovine IFNT gene transcription is down-regulated by an increase of EOMES factor expression in the attached ovine trophoblast cells.

This study was performed to investigate the effect of heat-stressed environment on rumen microbial diversity in Holstein cows. Rectal temperature and respiration rate were measured and rumen fluid was collected under normal environment (NE; Temperature humidity index (THI)=64.6) and heat-stressed environment (HE; THI=87.2) from 10 Holstein cows (60±17.7 months, 717±64.4 kg) fed on the basis of dairy feeding management in National Institute of Animal Science. The rumen bacteria diversity was analyzed by using the Illumina HiSeq™ 4000 platform. The rectal temperature and respiratory rate were increased by 1.5ﾟC and 53 breaths/min in HE compared to that in NE, respectively. In this study, HE exposure induced significant changes of ruminal microbe. At phylum level, Fibrobacteres were increased in HE. At genus level, Ruminococcaceae bacterium P7 and YAD3003, Butyrivibrio sp. AE2032, Erysipelotrichaceae bacterium NK3D112, Bifidobacterium pseudolongum, Lachnospiraceae bacterium FE2018, XBB2008, and AC2029, Eubacterium celulosolvens, Clostridium hathewayi, and Butyrivibrio hungatei were decreased in HE, while Choristoneura murinana nucleopolyhedrovirus, Calothrix parasitica, Nostoc sp. KVJ20, Anabaena sp. ATCC 33047, Fibrobacter sp. UWB13 and sp. UWB5, Lachnospiraceae bacterium G41, and Xanthomonas arboricola were increased in HE. In conclusion, HE might have an effect to change the rumen microbial community in Holstein cows.

The objective of this study was to determine the growth characteristics of cool (C1) and warm season grasses (C2) in pastures mixed with C1 and C2 at an altitude of 400 m in Jeju island to establishing pasture suitable for grazing horses and to evaluate the effect of pastures mixed with tall and short type grasses on the intake characteristics of horses. C1 used in this study was Kentucky bluegrass, redtop (short type grass) and tall type grasses were orchardgrass and tall fescue, respectively. Treatments of this study were consisted of four groups and the short type grass used in pastures mixed with C1 and C2 was mainly bermudagrass. Four treatment groups were follow as; Treatment 1 (bermudagrass + Kentucky bluegrass + redtop) 2) Treatment 2 (bermudagrass + tall fescue + orchardgrass) 3) Treatment 3 (Kentucky bluegrass + redtop) 4) Treatment 4 (tall fescue + orchardgrass). Bermudagrass was a little winter killing and inhibition of plant growth at an altitude of 400 m. Plant heights in pastures mixed with C1 and C2 were grown better than that in pastures mixed with C1. Especially, plant height in Treatment 4 was higher than other treatments. Dry matter yield was in the following order: Treatment 4> Treatment 3> Treatment 2> Treatment 1. Dry matter yield in pastures mixed with C1 increased as compared with pastures mixed with C1 and C2. Dry matter yield in Treatment 3 was higher than other treatments. In the first investigation regarding vegetation distribution, bermudagrass ratios among grasses in Treatment 1 and Treatment 2 were 11.7 and 13.3%, respectively. The growth of bermudagrass in winter was low due to the cold damage. However the growth of Kentucky bluegrass, redtop, tall fescue and orchardgrass was good. In the second investigation, bermudagrass ratios among grasses in Treatment 1 and Treatment 2 were 5.0 and 11.7%, respectively. Growth of forage in the second investigation was poor as compared to the first investigation. nutritive values(crude protein content, neutral detergent fiber content, acid detergent fiber content, digestibility) were good in pastures mixed with C1 Especially, nutritive values in pastures mixed with tall was higher than those of pastures mixed short grasses. P content among minerals in Treatment 1 was higher than other groups. However, the content of Ca, Mg and Mn were lower. The contents of Ca, K, Mg, Na, Cu, Zn and Fe in Treatment 2 were higher. However, the contents of K, Mg, Na, Cu, Zn and Fe in Treatment 3 were lower. Therefore, we suggest that cool season grasses with short grasses were sowed to establishing pasture suitable for grazing horses at an altitude of 400 m in Jeju island.

본 연구는 농후사료의 급여수준을 달리하여 제주산마 에게 급여하는 경우에 체중 변화, 장내 미생물 조성 및 혈액성상의 변화에 미치는 효과를 구명하기 위하여 수행 되었다. 공시축으로 24-36개월의 제주산마(제주마×더러브 렛) 14두를 공시하였으며, 농후사료의 급여수준을 체중의 1.5%(5두), 2%(4두)와 2.5%(5두)로 급여하여 봄과 겨울 증 체율 및 혈액 특성과 생리적 변화를 조사하였다. 봄에 총 증체량은 1.5%, 2%, 2.5% 급여한 처리구에서 12.6kg, 21.5kg, 29.0kg, 겨울에 총 증체량은 21.6kg, 28.0kg, 42.6kg을 나타냈고, 일당 증체량은 봄에는 0.23kg, 0.39kg, 0.54kg, 겨울에는 0.40kg, 0.52kg, 0.79kg을 나타내어 체중의 2.5%를 섭취한 구에서 높은 경향을 나타내었다. 내독 소는 농후사료 과다 섭취에 의해 그람음성균의 세포벽에 서 방출되는 물질로 봄에 시행한 시험에서 3주차 때 농 후사료를 체중의 2%와 2.5%를 급여한 처리구에서 유의 적으로 낮은 결과를 나타내었으나(p<0.05) 이후에는 점차 모든 처리구에서 수치가 비슷해져 적응하는 경향을 보여 모든 처리구가 농후사료 급여에 적응하는 경향을 보였다. 봄에 실시한 실험에서 8주차에 분 pH는 농후사료를 체 중의 1.5%, 2%, 2.5% 급여한 처리구에서 각각 6.2, 5.8, 5.7로 나타나 농후사료를 체중의 2%와 2.5%를 급여한 처 리구에서 유의적으로 낮은 결과를 나타내었다(p<0.05). 직장온도는 겨울에 실시한 실험에서 8주차에 농후사료를 1.5%, 2%, 2.5%. 급여구에서 각각 37.8℃, 37.9℃, 38.4℃ 를 나타내어 농후사료 2.5% 급여구에서 직장온도가 유의 적으로 높은 수치를 나타내었다(p<0.05). 분내 미생물에 서는 셀룰로오스와 탄수화물(구조 탄수화물) 분해에 관여 하는 미생물로 알려진 Fibrobacter가 체중의 1.5% 급여했 을 경우 총 미생물군에서 2.49%를 차지하였고, 2%와 2.5% 급여구에서는 각각 1.42%와 1.09%를 차지하여 농후 사료 급여량이 증가할수록 유의적으로 감소하는 경향을 보였다. 결론적으로 농후사료 2.5%의 급여가 비육마 사육 방법으로 활용할 수 있을 것으로 사료된다.

The objective of this study was to determine the growth characteristics of cool (C1) and warm season grasses (C2) in pastures mixed with C1 and C2 suitable for grazing horses and effect of pastures mixed with tall and short grasses on the intake characteristics of horses. C1 used in this study was Kentucky bluegrass, Redtop (short type grass) and tall type grasses were orchardgrass and tall fescue, respectively. The short type grass used as C2 was Bermudagrass. This study had the following four treatment groups: 1) Treatment 1 (Bermudagrass + Kentucky bluegrass + Redtop) 2) Treatment 2 (Bermudagrass + tall fescue + orchardgrass) 3) Treatment 3 (Kentucky bluegrass + Redtop) 4) Treatment 4 (tall fescue + orchardgrass). There was no winterkilling or lodging problem at an altitude of 200 m. Plant heights in mixed pasture of Treatment 1, 2, 3, and 4 were 53.9, 58.2, 57.5, and 78.1 cm, respectively. Plant height was the highest in Treatment 4. Dry matter yield was in the following order : Treatment 4 > Treatment 3 > Treatment 2 > Treatment 1. In the first investigation regarding vegetation distribution, Bermudagrass ratios among grasses in Treatment 1 and Treatment 2 were 70% and 66.7%, respectively. Overall, other grasses showed poor growth. In the second investigation of vegetation distribution, Bermudagrass ratios among grasses in Treatment 1 and Treatment 2 were 80% and 60.7%, respectively. Crude protein content, neutral detergent fiber content, acid detergent fiber content, digestibility value, and nutritive values were the lowest in Treatment 4, followed by those in Treatment 1, Treatment 2 and Treatment 3.