ABSTRACT
Background and Aim: Heat shock proteins are highly conserved proteins that work as molecular chaperones expressed in response to thermal stress. This study aimed to determine the expression profile of genes related to the heat stress response in whole blood obtained from the Romosinuano creole breed. Materials and Methods: Real-time polymerase chain reaction was performed to analyze the transcript of hsp90, hsp70, hsp60, and hsf1 in the whole blood of Romosinuano under different temperature-humidity indices (THIs). Results: The expression levels of the hsp70 and hsf1 genes at the high-THI level were higher (p = 0.0011 and p = 0.0003, respectively) than those at the low-THI level. In addition, no differences in the expression levels of the hsp60 and hsP90 genes were detected between the two THIs. Conclusion: The overexpression of hsf1 and hsp70 genes play an important role in protecting cells from damage induced by heat stress.
ABSTRACT
Leishmaniasis is a widespread disease caused by species of the genus Leishmania. In Colombia, this zoonosis is endemic in rural areas with a high prevalence in the departments of Antioquia, Santander, Meta, Tolima and Nariño. Dogs are the most important domestic reservoirs of the pathogen, given the epidemiological importance of dogs in the control of leishmaniasis is needed to determine the prevalence of Leishmania spp. in canine population of the rural area of Ibagué and to identify potential risk factors related to the presence of this parasite. A cross-sectional study was carried out in 173 dogs from the rural area of Ibagué. Leishmania spp. was detected by amplifying the Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS-1) and two regions of the hsp70 gene through PCR. Factor associations were calculated through the Chisquare and odds ratio. Prevalence of Leishmania spp. infection in dogs was of 91.33% (158/173), where 36.71% (58/158) of the Leishmania spp. positive dogs showed one or more clinical signs of canine leishmaniasis and 63.29% (100/158) of the dogs were asymptomatic. Factors associated with the presence of the parasite did not show significance. In addition, hsp70D-PCR was proved to be highly efficient for the detection of Leishmania spp.
Subject(s)
Dog Diseases , Leishmania , Animals , Dogs , Prevalence , Colombia/epidemiology , Cross-Sectional Studies , Zoonoses , Dog Diseases/epidemiologyABSTRACT
Global warming has been affecting animal husbandry and farming production worldwide via changes in organisms and their habitats. In the tropics, these conditions are adverse for agriculture and animal production in some areas, due to high temperatures and relative humidity, affecting competitiveness related to economic activities. These environments have deteriorated livestock production, due to periods of drought, reduction in forage quality and heat stress, eliciting negative effects on reproduction, weight gain, and reduced meat and milk production. However, the use of animals adapted to tropics such as breeds derived from subspecies Bos primigenius indicus and native breeds from tropical countries or their crossings, is an alternative to improve production under high-temperature conditions. Therefore, physiological adaptation including gene expression induced by heat stress have been studied to understand the response of animals and to improve cross-breeding between cattle breeds to maintain high productivity in adverse weather conditions. Heat stress has been associated with lower reproductive performance in cows, due to the impact on blastocyst production, decreased implantation and increased embryonic death. Thus, for decades, in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer techniques have focused on studying the optimal conditions for production of high-quality embryos to transfer. The aim of this review is to discuss the effects of heat stress in bovine embryos, and their physiological and genetic modulation, focusing on the genes that are related with major adaptability to heat stress conditions and their relationship with different embryonic stages.
