H blood types in pigs as predictors of stress susceptibility.

At least two genotypes in the H system of blood groups in pigs are responsible for blood types associated with the porcine stress syndrome (PSS), and at least three genotypes are responsible for blood types associated with freedom from PSS. Two blood types, each of which apparently may result from more than one genotype, are associated with PSS in some pigs and not in others.

Association between potassium concentration and serological type of sheep red blood cells.

When red blood cells from 115 sheep were classified for the presence or absence of antigenic factor M and for high (as opposed to low) potassium concentration levels, the cells of the 22 M-negative sheep were low in potassium.

Hypotrichosis in Miniature Poodle siblings.

Progressive hypotrichosis was detected in 2 silver male Miniature Poodle siblings at 5 weeks of age. A male and 2 female siblings had normal black coats. The sire, a 3-year-old black Miniature Poodle, and the dam, a 2-year-old silver Miniature Poodle, also had normal coats. Microscopically, the hypotrichotic skin had accumulations of keratotic debris and melanin in dilated hair canals and melanin deposits in and around inactive hair bulbs. Sex-linked or sex-limited inheritance may have been involved, inasmuch as both affected dogs were males.

Halothane sensitivity and linkage of genes for H red blood cell antigens, phosphohexose isomerase (PHI) and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (6-PGD) variants in pigs.

Data from matings appropriate to test linkage in pigs of genes for halothane sensitivity (HAL), H red cell antigens, phosphohexose isomerase (PHI) and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (6-PGD) red cell isoenzyme variants were consistent with a gene order of Phi-Hal-H-Pgd. There was no unequivocal evidence for a Hal locus separate from Phi, although the phenotype of one pig not tested for halothane sensitivity suggested recombination between Hal and Phi. Breeding tests confirmed that in two cases there had been recombination between Hal and H. Offspring of one of these recombinant types provided evidence for a locus for a gene for inhibition of expression of A and O separate from the locus for H.

Prediction of susceptibility to the porcine stress syndrome.

An experiment designed to compare different predictors of porcine stress syndrome (PSS) was conducted. Animals were exposed to the anesthetic gas, halothane, and their reactions monitored to determine susceptibility or resistance to PSS. Two blood creatine phosphokinase (CPK) traits plus their logs10 were examined as predictors of PSS susceptibility. These were Sigma CPK, Antonik CPK, log Sigma CPK, and log Antonik CPK. The accuracy of these predictors varied from 87 percent to 91 percent in agreement with halothane-determined stress susceptibility. In addition, the relationship of PSS and blood types systems (AO,H) were studied. Two blood types, (+,-/-) and (-,+/+), were consistently stress susceptible while three blood types, (+,a/a), (+,a/c), and (+,c/-), were consistently stress resistant. However, one blood type (+,a/-) contained both stress-susceptible and stress-resistant individuals.

Mapping of the gene for G blood group antigens to chromosome 15 in swine.

Linkage analysis between size variants of the centromeric region of chromosome 15 and G blood group alleles produced a lod score of 5.03. The maximum likelihood estimate of the recombination fraction is theta = 0.24 with a 95% confidence interval of 0.08 less than theta less than 0.40. Since this is the second time that linkage between a chromosome 15 marker and the G blood group locus has been shown, the assignment of the G blood group locus to chromosome 15 is confirmed.

Stimulation of active potassium transport in LK sheep red cells by blood group-L-antiserum.

Anti-L serum prepared by immunization of a high-potassium-type (HK) (blood type MM) sheep with blood from a low-potassium-type (LK) (blood type ML) sheep contained an antibody which stimulated four- to sixfold K(+)-pump influx in LK (LL) sheep red cells. In long-termin vitro incubation experiments, LK sheep red cells sensitized with anti-L showed a net increase in K(+) after two days of incubation at 37°C, whereas HK-nonimmune (NI)-serum-treated control cells lost K(+). The antibody could be absorbed by LK (LL) sheep red cells but not by HK sheep red cells. Kinetic experiments showed that the concentration of external K(+) ([K(+)]0) required to produce halfmaximum stimulation of the pump ([Na(+)]0=0, replaced by Mg(++)) was the same (0.25 mM) in L-antiserum-treated or untreated LK cells. LK cells with different [K(+)]i (Na(+) replacement) were prepared by the p-chloromercuribenzene sulfonate (PCMBS) method. At [K(+)]0=5 mM, pump influx decreased as [K(+)]i increased from 1 to 70 mM in L-antiserum-treated LK cells, whereas LK cells treated with HK-NI-serum ceased to pump at [K(+)]i=35 mM. Exposure to anti-L serum produced an almost twofold increase in the number of pump sites of LK cells as measured by the binding of tritiated ouabain by LK sheep red cells. These findings indicate that the formation of a complex between the L-antigen and its antibody stimulates active transport in LK sheep red cells both by changing the kinetics of the pump and by increasing the number of pump sites.