South Korea has a temperate climate with four distinct seasons. However, summers are extremely hot and humid, which negatively affects industrial animal production. Hanwoo are native cattle that have traditionally been raised in the natural environment of Korea. The present study investigated the effects of birth and lactation season on the birth and weaning weights of Hanwoo calves. Data were collected from 100 local breeding farms between 2016 and 2021. A total of 56,970 (males, 29,530; females, 27,440) Hanwoo calves were classified according to sex or birth and weaning season (March–May, spring; June–August, summer; September– November, fall; and December–February, winter). The birth weight of Hanwoo calves differed according to the birth season. As such, birth weight of the summer-born calves was the lowest. Additionally, the 90-day weaning weight was positively correlated with birth weight. Interestingly, however, the 90-day weaning weight was not related to the birth season but was related to the 2-month seasonal effect during the lactation period. Furthermore, the 90-day weaning weight was the lowest during the summer lactation period. In the beef cattle industry, daily weight gain is an important economic characteristic related to feed efficiency and growth. Our findings will contribute the management of Hanwoo cattle and analysis of changes in economic characteristics due to high temperatures.

Bovine mammary epithelial (MAC-T) cells are commonly used to study mammary gland development and mastitis. Lipopolysaccharide is a major bacterial cell membrane component that can induce inflammation. Autophagy is an important regulatory mechanism participating in the elimination of invading pathogens. In this study, we evaluated the mechanism underlying bacterial mastitis and mammary cell death following lipopolysaccharide treatment. After 24 h of 50 μg/mL lipopolysaccharide treatment, a significant decrease in the proliferation rate of MAC-T cells was observed. However, no changes were observed upon treatment of MAC-T cells with 10 μg/mL of lipopolysaccharide for up to 48 h. Thus, upon lipopolysaccharide treatment, MAC-T cells exhibit dose-dependent effects of growth inhibition at 10 μg/mL and death at 50 μg/mL. Treatment of MAC-T cells with 50 μg/mL lipopolysaccharide also induced the expression of autophagy-related genes ATG3, ATG5, ATG10, ATG12, MAP1LC3B, GABARAP-L2, and BECN1. The autophagy-related LC3A/B protein was also expressed in a dose-dependent manner upon lipopolysaccharide treatment. Based on these results, we suggest that a high dose of bacterial infection induces mammary epithelial cell death related to autophagy signals.

The objective of this study was to estimate genetic parameters for 18 linear conformation traits and overall conformation score in Holstein cattle. A total of 376,606 records for type traits were collected from 2001 to 2011 from Korea Animal Improvement Association. The model of estimation of variance components and correlations among lactations using VCE included both fixed effects (herd-year-season and stage of lactation parity-wise) and random effect (animal additive genetic). The estimated heritabilities (h2) for capacity class, such as stature, chest width, body depth, angularity, and body condition score were 0.32, 0.16, 0.27, 0.12, and 0.19, respectively. Rump angle and width from rump class also showed h2 of 0.31 and 0.17, respectively. The heritabilities in udder class were mostly low to medium; in which traits were fore udder attachment (0.13), rear udder height (0.17), udder support (0.11), udder depth (0.33), front teat placement (0.17), front teat length (0.21), and rear teat placement (0.21). For feet and legs composite class, the estimated heritabilities for rear leg set, foot angle, rear leg rear view, and locomotion were 0.12, 0.07, 0.08, and 0.03, respectively. The h2 estimated for overall conformation score was 0.16 in the study. The genetic and environmental variance components estimated from this study would be helpful to change from single lactation animal models to multiple lactation animal models in the national genetic evaluation system for the improvement of linear type traits. Moreover, The breeding values obtained using these variance components would be able to be used in the calculation of Korean type production index (KTPI), udder composite (UDC) and, feet and legs composite (FLC).

본 연구는 한우암소검정사업을 통하여 수집된 자료를 이용하여 한우 집단의 근교계수 및 혈통구조를 분석함으로써 한우 집단의 유전적 다양성 정도를 알아보고자 실시하였다. 한우 암소 데이터는 9개 도에서 2000년부터 2012년에 출생한 228,177두에 대한 정보 및 이들과 혈연관계가 있는 440,429두에 대한 혈통정보를 이용하여 분석하였다. 각 지역별 평균 근교계수는 강원도 0.63%, 경기도 0.46%, 경상남도 0.49%, 경상북도 0.48%, 전라남도 0.71%, 전라북도 0.51%, 충청남도 0.40%, 충청북도 0.61%, 제주도 0.55%로 나타났으며, 선조 3세대까지의 조상을 알고 있는 개체의 비율은 동일한 지역에서 각각 80.0%, 79.3%, 75.5%, 76.8%, 77.3%, 71.6%, 75.4%, 79.3% 및 73.3%였다. 또한 아비에서 딸소까지 평균 세대간격은 7.63년으로 나타났으며, 어미에서 딸소까지 평균세대간격은 4.11년으로 나타났다. 근교계수 및 세대간격의 정보를 이용하여 유효집단의 크기를 추정한 결과 2000년생부터 2005년생까지가 215두, 2006년생부터 2010년생까지가 140두, 2011년생부터 2012년생까지가 77두로 추정되어 시간이 지남에 따라 유효집단의 크기가 감소는 것으로 추정되었다. 따라서 한우 집단의 근교율을 감소시키면서 유전적 개량량을 극대화 할 수 있는 한우 암소 맞춤형 교배 전략 및 모니터링 시스템이 필요할 것으로 사료된다.

The objectives of this study were to estimate genetic parameters for 10 linear conformation traits and final score in Hanwoo cows. A total of 53,277 records for type traits of Hanwoo cows were collected from 2008 to 2012 from Korea Animal Improvement Association. Ten linear traits studied were stature, body length, chest depth, body rump angle, rump length, pin bone width, udder volume, foot angle, rear legs side view, and rear legs rear view. The model included the fixed effects of herd-year-classifier, age at measurement and age after calving, the random animal additive genetic effect and residual effect. Heritability estimates for linear type traits were ranged from 0.003 for rear legs side view to 0.213 for final score. Genetic correlations among linear type traits were ranged from -0.068 (for rear legs side view and rear legs rear view) to 0.982 (for body length and rump length). The final score was found to be in a strongest genetic correlation with rear legs rear view (0.947), followed by pin bone width (0.918), body length (0.887), rump length (0.883), chest depth (0.883), udder volume (0.811), stature (0.802), rump angle (0.637), foot angle (0.519) and rear legs side view (0.176). Corresponding phenotypic correlations for pairs of linear type traits were mostly similar in direction, but smaller than the genetic correlations.

The objective of this study was to estimate genetic parameters on days to 90 kg body weight and ultrasound measured traits (back fat thickness, eye muscle area, retail cut percentage) and predict genetic progress when the weights for selection on the paternal traits of Duroc, which can be incorporated into sire line selection indexes. A simulation program, ZPLAN+, was used for the simulation. Genetic parameters of days to 90 kg body weight (D90KG), back fat thickness (BFT), eye muscle area (EMA) and retail cut percentage (RCP) used in the simulation were estimated from 27,972 heads of farm tested Duroc pigs from 2005 to July, 2012. Parameters of simulation used genetic parameters with parturition rates, ratios of test pigs and replacement rates that were dependent on selection protocols of simulated farms. Different weights of selection for traits of days to 90 kg and backfat thickness were compared. Estimates of heritability were 0.406, 0.355, 0.159 and 0.379 for D90KG, BFT, EMA and RCP, respectively. Genetic correlation of D90KG with BFT, EMA and RCP were –0.043, 0.049 and 0.021, respectively. Genetic correlation of BFT with EMA and RCP were –0.394 and –0.937. And genetic correlation between EMA with RCP were 0.524. Simulation result showed that index weight of 3:1 on D90KG and BFT was effective to shorten days to 90 kg without any significant changes in backfat thickness. Generally the genetic changes were greater as parturition rate and ratios of test pigs increased. Increase in replacement rate had a small effect on genetic changes in negative way. Thus, we recommend that index weight of 3:1 on days to 90 kg and backfat thickness could be utilized for sire line selection.