Czech Journal of Animal Science, 2021 (vol. 66), issue 5

Screening of backfat thickness and musculus longissimus lumborum et thoracis depth of Aberdeen Angus cattle in Czech conditionOriginal Paper

Jaromír Ducháček, Matúš Gašparík, Martin Ptáček, Luděk Stádník

Czech J. Anim. Sci., 2021, 66(5):137-148 | DOI: 10.17221/274/2020-CJAS  

The aim of this study was to monitor the Czech Aberdeen Angus population for backfat thickness (BT), musculus longissimus lumborum et thoracis (MUSCLE) and live weight (LW) in relation to environmental and genetic conditions. In this study, we also wanted to display the potential for future inclusion of these parameters into national monitoring. Parameters of BT, MUSCLE and LW were measured at 120, 210, and 365 days of age in 769 Aberdeen Angus calves (417 bulls and 352 heifers) on seven farms. Statistical evaluation was performed in the SAS v9.3 software. The bulls achieved significantly higher (P < 0.01) weights and...

Estimation of heritability for immunoglobulin concentrations in colostrum and serum in Holstein cows and their calvesOriginal Paper

Serdar Duru, Elif Abdullahoglu, Abdurrahman Özlüer, Ismail Filya

Czech J. Anim. Sci., 2021, 66(5):149-155 | DOI: 10.17221/269/2020-CJAS  

In the present study, colostrum quality in Holstein cows and their genetic parameters for passive transfer traits in calves were estimated. In order to get an estimation, colostrum Brix (ColBrix), colostrum immunoglobulin G (ColIgG) of Holstein cows, and serum total protein (STP) and serum immunoglobulin G (SIgG) levels of the calves of selected cows raised in a private livestock company in Turkey were assessed. Variance components and genetic parameters were estimated by MTDFREML using a mixed model. The heritability for ColBrix, ColIgG, STP and SIgG was estimated to be 0.19 ± 0.07, 0.19 ± 0.07, 0.36 ± 0.10 and 0.34 ± 0.10,...

Expression of microRNAs in the hypothalamus of pregnant and non-pregnant goatsOriginal Paper

Lu Zhu, Jingtong Huang, Jing Jing, Qi Zheng, Qianyun Ji, Ya Liu, Jianping Ding, Fugui Fang, Yunsheng Li, Yunhai Zhang, Yinghui Ling

Czech J. Anim. Sci., 2021, 66(5):156-167 | DOI: 10.17221/113/2020-CJAS  

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play a significant role in animal reproduction by regulating the expression of protein-coding genes. The hypothalamus regulates the pregnancy cycle changes in goats; however, the action mechanism of miRNAs in this regulation remains to be investigated. In this study, we performed RNA sequencing of hypothalamus samples to establish a comprehensive miRNA profiling of pregnant and non-pregnant goats. A total of 384 miRNAs were identified in the hypothalamus of pregnant goats, of which 239 were newly discovered, and 390 miRNAs were detected in the hypothalamus of non-pregnant goats of which 192 were novel miRNAs. In addition, a total...

Effects of digestible amino acid based formulation of low protein broiler diets supplemented with valine, isoleucine and arginine on performance and protein efficiencyOriginal Paper

Neşe Nuray Toprak, Ismail Yavaş, Ali Anil Çenesiz, Necmettin Ceylan, Ibrahim Çiftci

Czech J. Anim. Sci., 2021, 66(5):168-178 | DOI: 10.17221/293/2020-CJAS  

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of digestible amino acid (DAA) based formulation strategy, and l-valine (l-Val), l-isoleucine (l-Ile) and l-arginine (l-Arg) supplementation to reduce the crude protein (CP) level of broiler diets on performance, carcass characteristics and protein efficiency ratio by comparing with the control...

Alpha lipoic acid improves heat stress-induced reduction of serum oestradiol and progesterone levels by affecting oxidative and endoplasmic reticulum stress in hensOriginal Paper

Yongjie Xiong, Qirun Yin, Kai Song, Jing Li, Shaojun He

Czech J. Anim. Sci., 2021, 66(5):179-187 | DOI: 10.17221/241/2020-CJAS  

Alpha lipoic acid (ALA), a natural lipophilic compound, plays an important role in regulating several metabolic pathways due to its antioxidant properties. This study aims to investigate whether ALA could be used as a feed additive to enhance the antioxidant capacity of the ovary tissue in hens exposed to heat stress (HS). One hundred and sixty 128-days-old female chickens were randomly assigned into four groups: the control group (Con), ALA treatment group (ALA), ALA and HS treatment group (ALA + HS), and HS treatment group (HS). The ALA and ALA + HS groups were fed a basal diet with 0.25% ALA, whereas the Con and HS groups were fed a basal diet only....