• Animal Bioscience
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.967-974
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• 2021

Objective: The objective of this study was to estimate the genetic correlation (rpc) of growth performance between purebred (Duroc and Korean native) and synthetic (WooriHeukDon) pigs using a single-step method. Methods: Phenotypes of 15,902 pigs with genotyped data from 1,792 pigs from a nucleus farm were used for this study. We estimated the rpc of several performance traits between WooriHeukDon and purebred pigs: day of target weight (DAY), backfat thickness (BF), feed conversion rate (FCR), and residual feed intake (RFI). The variances and covariances of the studied traits were estimated by an animal multi-trait model that applied the Bayesian inference. Results: rpc within traits was lower than 0.1 for DAY and BF, but high for FCR and RFI; in particular, rpc for RFI between Duroc and WooriHeukDon pigs was nearly 1. Comparison between different traits revealed that RFI in Duroc pigs was associated with different traits in WooriHeukDon pigs. However, the most of rpc between different traits were estimated with low or with high standard deviation. Conclusion: The results indicated that there were substantial differences in rpc of traits in the synthetic WooriHeukDon pigs, which could be caused by these pigs having a more complex origin than other crossbred pigs. RFI was strongly correlated between Duroc and WooriHeukDon pigs, and these breeds might have similar single nucleotide polymorphism effects that control RFI. RFI is more essential for metabolism than other growth traits and these metabolic characteristics in purebred pigs, such as nutrient utilization, could significantly affect those in synthetic pigs. The findings of this study can be used to elucidate the genetic architecture of crossbred pigs and help develop new breeds with target traits.

• Korean Journal of Breeding Science
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.101-105
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• 2009

Rice (Oryza sativa L.), the world's most important crop, is usually classified into ssp. indica and japonica based on morpho-physiological traits. In the previous study, we have developed subspecies-specific STS markers (SS markers) to readily discriminate between indica and japonica in O. sativa. In this study, we employed SS markers to investigate the genomic inclination of worldwide collections of O. sativa. A total of 320 varieties were divided into two groups with 63 SS markers. Namely, they formed two distinctive groups, indica and japonica, as expected by their geographic origin. The population structure analysis revealed that the variability of genetic background was greater in indica than in japonica. Some of them, however, exhibited intermediate genomic inclination between indica and japonica. These results are in general agreement with the previous studies, suggesting that SS markers are powerful tools for both determination of subspecies genome and assessment of genetic diversity in rice.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.161-168
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• 2011

Siberian chipmunks, Tamias sibiricus, are one of several popular companion animals found in the pet shops of South Korea. At present, however, there have been no studies done in South Korea examining their origin even though they could be potential carriers of zoonotic diseases, and are a species of concern for efficient conservation and management strategies. Sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene (1140 bp) were determined to investigate the origin of Siberian chipmunks sold in four South Korean pet shops through comparison with sequence data from animals of known locality. Nine Siberian chipmunks were collected from pet shops in South Korea, which resulted in nine haplotypes. One (AR) of these coincided with the haplotype previously described. Phylogenetic and network analyses using 53 haplotypes including 45 haplotypes from GenBank showed three phylogenetic groups in South Korea, almost concordant to locality, designated as northern, central, and southern parts as described in a previous study. Of the nine individuals examined from the pet shops, eight were clustered into the northern phylogroup but one (cgrb9153) was grouped with the southern phylogroup, implying that at least the Siberian chipmunks examined in this study did not originate from other countries. It is likely that most individuals sold in the pet shops of Seoul were caught in the wild in Gyeonggi-do and Gangwon-do, or are maternal descendants of captive-bred individuals originating from the northern part of South Korea. It is recommended that conservation and management units of Korean chipmunks should be examined in further detail.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.21 no.10
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• pp.1434-1442
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• 2011

A genetic variation within 29 strains of F. velutipes was analyzed by internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequence analysis and random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD). Seven hundred and twenty base pairs were sequenced during the analysis of the ITS region, but no significant variation was observed among the 29 strains of F. velutipes. Sixteen out of 40 random primers amplified polymorphic RAPD fragment patterns. The polymorphic levels of RAPD bands by some primers (OPA-2,4,3,9,10,20) were very high in all 29 strains, with 3,030 fragments ranging between 200 and 2,000 bp. Intraspecific genetic dissimilarity of the 29 strains was calculated to range from 3.3% to 45% by Nei-Li's method using these 3,030 RAPD bands. The genetic variation among Korean strains was relatively high, with dissimilarities ranging between 17% and 38.6%. In the Neighbor-Joining analysis using the genetic dissimilarities based on RAPD, all 29 strains were classified into 5 clusters. Strains in each cluster showed specific characteristics according to their origin and strains. These results suggested that OPA and OPB primers could be used for developing molecular genetic markers and screening of unidentified (F. velutipes) strains.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2010

The objectives of this study were to i) investigate genetic performance for linear type traits of individual Holstein dairy cows, especially focusing on comparative traits, and to estimate genetic variances for these traits using actual data, and ii) compare genetic performance and improvement of progeny by birth country of the cows. Linear type traits defined with five comparative traits on this study were general stature composite (GSC), dairy capacity composite (DCC), body size composite (BSC), foot and leg composite (FLC), and udder composite (UDC). These traits were scored from 1 to 6 with 1 = poor, 2 = fair, 3 = good, 4 = good plus, 5 = very good and 6 = excellent. Final scores (FS) were also included in this study. Data used was collected from the years 2000 to 2004 by the Korea Animal Improvement Association (KAIA). Only data of more than five tested cows by herd appraisal date and by sires having more than ten daughters were included to increase the reliability of the data analyses. A total of 30,204 records of the selected traits, which was collected from 26,701 individuals having pedigree information were used. Herd appraisal date, year of age, lactation stage (grouped by month), and time lagged for milking (in hours) were assumed as fixed effects on the model. Animal additive genetic effects considering pedigree relationship and residual errors were assumed with random effects. Year of age at appraisal date was classified from one to nine years of age, assigning the value of nine years of age for animals that were greater than or equal to nine years of age. From our results, the estimate for heritability was 0.463, 0.346, 0.473, 0.290, and 0.430 on GSC, DCC, BSC, FLC and UDC, respectively. The estimate for FS heritability was 0.539. The greatest breeding values for GSC were estimated for Canada, with the breeding values for American lines increasing for 10 years starting in 1989 but tending to decrease after that until 2004. For DCC, the breeding values for American and Canadian lines showed similar patterns until 1999, after which the breeding values for the American lines declined sharply. For BSC, data from Korea, Canada and the USA followed similar trends overall except when the breeding values of the American lines decreased starting in 1999. Overall, the methods used to evaluate genetic performance in this study were acceptable and allowed for the discovery of differences by country of genetic origin, likely due in part to the American use of selection indexes based primarily on milk yield traits until methods for evaluating other traits began to emerge.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.525-532
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• 2021

Objective: Old World camels are a valuable genetic resource for many countries around the world due to their adaptation to the desert environment. At present, Old World camels have encountered the challenge of unprecedented loss of genetic resources. Through our research, we would reveal the population structure and genetic variation in Old World camel populations, which provides a theoretical basis for understanding the germplasm resources and origin and evolution of different Old World camel populations. Methods: In the present study, we assessed mtDNA control region sequences of 182 individuals from Old World camels to unravel genetic diversity, phylogeography, and demographic dynamics. Results: Thirty-two haplotypes confirmed by 54 polymorphic sites were identified in the 156 sequences, which included 129 domestic and 27 wild Bactrian camels. Meanwhile, 14 haplotypes were defined by 47 polymorphic sites from 26 sequences in the dromedaries. The wild Bactrian camel population showed the lowest haplotype and nucleotide diversity, while the dromedaries investigated had the highest. The phylogenetic analysis suggests that there are several shared haplotypes in different Bactrian camel populations, and that there has been genetic introgression between domestic Bactrian camels and dromedaries. In addition, positive values of Tajima's D and Fu's Fs test demonstrated a decrease in population size and/or balancing selection in the wild Bactrian camel population. In contrast, the negative values of Tajima's D and Fu's Fs test in East Asian Bactrian camel populations explained the demographic expansion and/or positive selection. Conclusion: In summary, we report novel information regarding the genetic diversity, population structure and demographic dynamics of Old World camels. The findings obtained from the present study reveal that abundant genetic diversity occurs in domestic Bactrian camel populations and dromedaries, while there are low levels of haplotype and nucleotide diversity in the wild Bactrian camel population.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.8 no.5
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• pp.495-498
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• 1995

Records taken on 372 young beef bulls tested at the Ellerslie Bull Test Station, Alberta, Canada from November 1981 to April 1987 were analyzed to quantify the effects of age of dam, on-test age, on-test liveweight and herd of origin of bull on feed efficiency (feed/gain, kg/kg) in the test period (n = 231) and ultrasonic measurement of bakcfat thickness (mm) at the end of the test (n = 372). The reduction in $R^2$ due to each influencing factor (i.e. the variation accounted for by the factor) was used to indicate the importance of the influencing factor. Age of dam and on-test age of bull were not important factors on feed/gain and ultrasonic backfat thickness, as they accounted for less than 0.5% of the variation in feed/gain and ultrasonic backfat thickness, respectively (p > 0.1). On-test liveweight had some influence on feed/gain and ultrasonic backfat thickness, accounting for 3.5% (p < 0.01) and 0.4% (p < 0.05) of the total variation, respectively. The regression coefficients of feed/gain and ultrasonic backfat thickness on on-test liveweight were 0.016 (kg/kg)/kg and .013 mm/kg, respectively, both being significant (p < 0.05), indicating that lighter bulls entering the test were generally more efficient in feed utilization in the test period and had less backfat at the end of the test than heavier entering bulls. Herd of origin of bull accounted for a substantial amount of the total variation (> 16%) in feed/gain and ultrasonic backfat thickness (p = 0.08), indicating that a prolonged aqjustment period was needed to reduce the influence of herd of origin when assessing aggregate genetic merit of beef bulls for growth rate, feed efficiency and lean meat production using a central station performance testing program.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.298-307
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• 2003

To figure out the conserved genes and newly added genes at each phylogenetic level of Archaea, COG (clusters of orthologous groups of proteins) algorithm was applied. The number of conserved genes within 9 species of Archaea was 340 and that of 8 species of Euryarchaeota was 388. Many of conserved 265 COGs, which are specific to Archaea and absent in Bacteria and S. cerevisiae, were concerned with 'information storage and processing' (94 COG, 35.5%) and 'metabolism' (82 COG, 30.9%). COGs related to these functions were assumed as highly conserved and permit peculiar life form to Archaea. It seemed that there was some difference in 'nucleotide transport and metabolism' and there was little difference in 'information storage and processing' between Euryarchaeota and Crenarchaeota. Marine-origin Euryarchaeota showed different conserved COGs with terrestrial Euryarchaeota. Conserved COGs, related to carbohydrate transport and metabolism and others, were different between marine- and terrestrial-origin Euryarchaeota. Hence it was assumed that their physiology might be different. This study may help to understand the origin and conserved genes at each phylogenetic level of marine-origin Euryarchaeota and may help in the mining of useful genes in marine Archaea as Manco et al. (Arch. Biochem. Biophy. 373, 182 (2000)).

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.43-49
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• 2013

The aim of this study was to compare both the performance of litters derived from two sire genetic origins (SGO), Vienna Blue (VB) and Burgundy Fawn (BF), along successive seasons of birth (SB; winter, spring, summer and autumn), and doe reproductive performance in an organic production system. A total of fifty-eight does consisting of a mixture of crosses of several medium-large size breeds at different parity order (P, 1 = nulliparous; 2 = primiparous; ${\geq}3$ = multiparous) and twelve males (6 VB and 6 BF) were housed indoors at environmental conditions that followed seasonality. An extensive reproductive rhythm was used and kits were weaned at $46{\pm}6$ d of age. Doe reproductive performance and the data of 105 litters (55 from VB and 50 from BF SGO) were recorded throughout the SB. No statistically significant differences related to SGO effect were observed. As regards parity order, multiparous does showed higher live weights (LW) (p<0.05), total born (p<0.01), total born alive (p<0.05) per delivery, and litter weight of born alive (p<0.05), but lower milk output at 21st d than primiparous does (p<0.05). The extensive reproductive rhythm mainly increased litter performance at birth in multiparous does but was not sufficient to permit a complete recovery of body reserves lost during lactation. Autumn SB negatively affected doe LW variation between deliveries. The number of pups born and born alive per delivery (p<0.05) and litter size at 21 d of age and at weaning (p<0.01) were lower during hot SB. Due to the lower litter size of pups born in summer and autumn, their individual weight at 21st d of age and daily individual growth rate 0 to 21 d were higher than those of pups born in winter (p<0.001). Litter performance at 21st d of age and individual pup pre-weaning growth rate were poorer for those born in spring than in other seasons due to the harmful effects of increased environmental temperatures. SB affected most of the performance traits of does and young rabbits reared under the organic farming system. The rabbits seemed better suited to organic rearing conditions during winter than in other seasons. The worst results overall were obtained in the spring SB, whereas the hot SB negatively affected both doe energy balance and prolificacy. In conclusion, the pups of the 2 SGO showed good pre-weaning performance and seemed suited to the organic rabbit production system.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.110-117
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• 2018

In the present study, mec complex typing and SCCmec typing were performed to analyze the molecular genetic characteristics of 20 methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains isolated from clinical specimens and 4 strains isolated from the ICU environments of secondary medical institutions in a Chungnam province, Korea, from June to July of 2017. Among a total of 20 MRSA strains isolated from clinical specimens, 8 cases (40%) were SCCmec type II, one case (5%) was SCCmec type IVa, and 11 cases (55%) were not-typeable in SCCmec type analysis. Among 4 MRSA isolates from the ICU environment, one strain did not have the mecA gene and 3 strains were typed as SCCmec types II, III, and IVa, respectively. Data from the present study showed that the origin of MRSA isolated from the clinical specimens was different from those from the ICU environment in most cases but the origin was concordant in one case. In this case, MRSA might be transmitted by healthcare workers to the ICU environment. Further study with a large number of cases and other hospital infection-related microorganisms will be needed. This continuous follow-up study might provide useful information on infection control in medical institutions.