The Carpathian water buffalo represents a locally adapted but under-characterized genetic group found in Central and Eastern Europe. Genome-wide information on its genetic diversity, population structure and potential adaptive variation remains limited, particularly for Hungarian and Romanian populations. In this study, we genotyped 263 water buffalo individuals from Hungary and Romania using the GeneSeek Genomic Profiler Bovine 100K SNP array to evaluate genetic diversity, the population structure, runs of homozygosity (ROH) and candidate genomic regions showing signatures of selection. After quality control, 214 Hungarian and 33 Romanian individuals and 6605 SNPs were retained for downstream analyses. Both populations showed moderate genetic diversity, with the Romanian population displaying higher minor allele frequency, observed heterozygosity and nucleotide diversity than the Hungarian population. In contrast, the Hungarian buffalo showed a higher burden of runs of homozygosity, including a larger proportion of long ROH segments, suggesting stronger recent autozygosity or a more restricted breeding structure. Principal component analysis and neighbor-joining phylogeny separated the two populations, whereas ADMIXTURE indicated shared ancestry and a within-population substructure rather than complete population-specific differentiation. The integration of standardized FST, absolute allele-frequency differences and ROH islands identified six candidate regions under a positive signature of selection in each population. These regions harbored genes previously associated with immune response, reproduction, growth, milk production and thermotolerance in bovids. Functional enrichment was limited, with significant Gene Ontology terms detected only in the Hungarian candidate regions. Our results provide a regional genomic baseline for the future conservation and breeding management of Carpathian water buffalo. Given the use of a cross-species SNP array and unequal sample sizes, the candidate selection signals should be interpreted as hypothesis-generating and warrant validation using higher-density buffalo-specific genomic data.

This study aimed to investigate the concentrations of cholesterol and triglycerides in the serum of sheep from the area of Livanjsko Polje and Mount Vlasic. A total of 117 sheep of the breed pramenka were included in the research. The sheep were divided into groups according to the sampling area through different periods (July, August, and September). Using an automatic analyzer (Kodak Ektachem analyzer DT 60 II, DTSC Module, and DTE Module), the concentrations of cholesterol and triglycerides were determined in the serum of sheep. In the area of Livanjsko Polje, the highest established value of cholesterol in sheep serum was in the second sampling period, with statistical significance compared to the other two sampling periods. Cholesterol values in the Vlasic Mountain area were within the physiological range. The highest established triglyceride concentration in the area of Livanjsko Polje was also the second sampling period, with statistical significance (p <0.05) compared to other sampling periods, as well as the same period from the Travnik area. The results of triglycerides in the blood serum of sheep from the Vlasic mountain area show a tendency to decrease in the third sampling period, at the end of the lactation period. These results may be due to the effects of various factors, such as age, gender, health, lactation status, and sheep breed.

Simple Summary Climate change is becoming a serious threat to animal farming, making it important to find animals that can cope well with high and low temperatures. This study focused on two strains of indigenous Pramenka sheep from Bosnia and Herzegovina to determine how they respond to heat and cold. Researchers looked at the activity of specific genes that help animals deal with temperature stress using blood samples from 96 sheep collected in summer and winter across different regions. The results showed that one strain, Hercegovačka sheep, had much higher activity of a gene that protects cells from heat damage, especially during hot weather. Both strains showed strong abilities to control inflammation and protect themselves from harmful effects caused by heat, which helps them stay healthy in challenging climates. This study concluded that Hercegovačka sheep have better natural protection against temperature changes, but both strains have useful traits for surviving in a changing climate. These results can help farmers and scientists choose and protect sheep breeds that are more likely to thrive as weather conditions become more extreme, ensuring food production and supporting rural communities in the future.

To better understand the genetic architecture and adaptability of native sheep, 22 breeds were genotyped using ovine50K SNP chips. Eleven additional populations from open-source repositories were included. Cross population Extended Haplotype Homozygosity (XP-EHH) and Relative Scaled Haplotype Homozygosity (Rsb) haplotype-based approaches were used to identify genetic variations influencing the adaptation of local sheep breeds to different climatic zones. The results indicate that all breeds exhibited high but declining genetic diversity levels, with a larger proportion of genetic variation explained by development history and refined by geographical origin, as shown by principal component analysis and Neighbor Net graphs. Admixture analysis revealed high admixture levels in European and North African breeds. Using XP-EHH and Rsb methods, 371 genes were putatively under selection, with only nine common among all population pairs, highlighting unique adaptability. Most identified genes, including Interleukin (IL) and cluster differentiation (CD) gene families underlie immune responses, emphasizing their role in resilience to climate change effects. These findings support that indigenous sheep breeds have retained significant genetic diversity, but improper genetic management may threaten it. Additionally, the research emphasizes that indigenous sheep breeds’ unique adaptability to specific climatic zones makes them valuable genetic assets for developing climate-resilient breeds.

Climate change is one of the greatest global concerns regarding livestock production. The indigenous Pramenka sheep is well known for its ability to survive in difficult environmental conditions, although there is insufficient scientific evidence. This study aimed to evaluate the seasonal variations in some hematological and blood biochemical parameters in two strains of Pramenka sheep – Hercegovačka and Dubska, under natural thermal stress conditions. The calculated Temperature-Humidity Index (THI) data indicated mild to severe heat stress in the localities where the Hercegovačka Pramenka strain was being held, while cold stress was found in all the examined localities. Numerous statistically significant differences in hematological parameters were found between seasons, and within and between the two Pramenka strains. The Dubska strain exhibited significantly higher levels of red blood cells (RBC) and packed cell volume (PCV) compared to Hercegovačka, whereas the Hercegovačka strain displayed significantly higher white blood cells (WBC) and platelet (PLT) levels in comparison to Dubska. Similar patterns were noticed in the blood biochemical parameters - the Dubska strain had more seasonal variations compared to the Hercegovačka Pramenka. During the winter, the Hercegovačka strain demonstrated significantly higher levels of total protein (TP), albumin (ALB), urea (UREA), and creatine kinase (CK) compared to Dubska. Conversely, during the summer, the Hercegovačka strain exhibited significantly higher globulin (GLO) levels, whereas the Dubska strain showed higher levels of ALB and chlorine (Cl). On the basis of our results, both Pramenka strains showed a high adaptive capacity to harsh environmental conditions, the Hercegovačka Pramenka being more adapted to heat stress, and Dubska to cold stress conditions.

OBJECTIVE Canine hip dysplasia (CHD) is a global disease and an improved diagnostic approach to this orthopedic condition is needed, with an emphasis on inexpensive and minimally invasive techniques. This research aimed to determine the differentiating potential of selected biochemical markers in serum between healthy dogs and dogs with hip dysplasia in a breed-specific study that involved the Tornjak dog population. ANIMALS 99 Tornjak dogs radiographically categorized (Federation Cynologique Internationale procedure and scoring scheme) between December 2019 and April 2021, as having no sign of hip dysplasia or near normal hip joints (nondysplastic group; n = 51) vs mild, moderate, or severe hip dysplasia (dysplastic group; 48). METHODS Serum concentrations and enzyme activity of the biochemical markers hyaluronic acid (HA), procollagen II C-terminal propeptide (PIICP), and metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9) were compared among adult dogs with or without radiographic hip dysplasia. Statistical tests used to examine the differentiating potential of biochemical markers in Tornjak dog groups were assessed using the Mann-Whitney U test, logistic regression, and receiving operating characteristics (ROC) analysis. RESULTS Tornjak dogs with radiographic CHD had significantly lower serum concentrations of HA and higher concentrations of PIICP and MMP9 activity compared to dogs with radiographically normal hips (P < .05). Selected biochemical markers could distinguish dogs with radiographic CHD from those without CHD with high sensitivity and specificity. CLINICAL RELEVANCE These data suggest that the diagnostic technique of measuring serum concentrations of HA, PIICP, and MMP9 activity has a selective ability to distinguish dogs with dysplastic from dogs with normal hips.

Abstract This study aimed to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation with modified-hen-egg-yolk on plasma lipids and lipoprotein profiles in rats. During the four-week-experiment, 64 Wistar rats were divided into four groups of 16 (eight of both sexes), and fed commercial rat food (group C); food containing 70% commercial rat mixture and 30% freshly cooked egg yolk originating from laying hen eggs fed with 3% fish oil (group F); 3% palm olein (group P), or 3% lard (group L). The cooked egg yolk in the rat diet affected the concentrations of plasma total and LDL-cholesterol in males of the P and L groups. Cholesterol and total fat in the diet did not have a hypercholesterolemic effect on their own, but when in combination with fatty acid composition, they could contribute to an increase in plasma total and LDL cholesterol concentrations in rats. HDL-cholesterol was the most resilient plasma lipoprotein of rats to dietary treatments in our experiment. Compared to the control group, the addition of hen egg yolk to the rat diet regardless of its quality, adversely affected the values of HDL-C/TC and HDL-C/LDL-C in both males and females.

Understanding the responses of animals to seasonal heat stress on the genomic level has led to the identification of genes implicated in thermal stress reaction mechanisms. In this study, the relative gene expression of Interleukin-10 (IL-10), an anti-inflammatory cytokine and biomarker for heat stress-mediated immune modulation, was observed during the summer and winter seasons in continental and tropical sheep breeds, namely, Hungarian Indigenous Tsigai and White Dorper, employing quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Temperature-humidity indices (THI) were calculated to assess heat stress levels. The results indicate that IL-10 CT-values were significantly higher during the summer, when heat stress prevails, in both sheep breeds compared to winter. While the White Dorper exhibited a higher numerical value for the summer relative gene expression ratio (16.2) compared to the Hungarian Indigenous Tsigai (12.3), no significant differences in CT values were observed between breeds or among sexes. These findings suggest the immune-adaptive characteristics of the two sheep breeds during seasonal heat stress. The variation of IL-10 gene expression levels between the two breeds can be attributed to their geographical origins; the White Dorper emerging from arid subtropical South Africa and the Hungarian Indigenous Tsigai Sheep thriving in the seasonally harsh Carpathian climate for centuries.

A study on 51 SNPs belonging to 29 genes related to heat stress was carried out in 720 sheep from 17 different breeds adapted to different climates from Hungary, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Morocco and Romania, using Kompetitive Allele-Specific Polymerase Chain Reaction. Genotype frequency and the Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium were calculated, followed by a clustering using the Principal Component Analysis. We analyzed the polymorphisms in the following genes analyzed: HSPA12A,HSP90AA1,IL33,DIO2,BTNL2,CSN2,ABCG1,CSN1S1,GHR,HSPA8,STAT3, and HCRT. We emphasized on HSPA12A and HSPA8 genes as they were successfully genotyped in all studied flocks in which genotype frequency patterns were identified. Contrary to previous findings, the A allele for HSPA8 SNP was not observed in the heat tolerant breeds, being found exclusively in cold-tolerant breeds. The principal component analysis could not clearly differentiate the breeds, while plot concentration was slightly varied among the three groups, with HSP90AA1 and IL33 SNPs’ loading values significantly contributing to PC1 and PC2. We confirmed previous works that the HSPA12A,HSPA8,HSP90AA1 and IL33 SNPs are potential candidate markers for thermotolerance adaptation in sheep. This research contributes to the genetic variability of SNPs for thermotolerance adaptability in sheep.