Project description:Identify differentially expressed microRNAs in mild and severe equine distal interphalangeal joint osteoarthritis plasma and synovial fluid samples Determine the effects of selected osteoarthritis-related miRNAs on equine chondrocytes in monolayer culture through the application of miRNA agomirs and antagomirs
Project description:Equine lameller tissues were collected to compare normal vs laminitis generated differences in transcriptom level. Keywords: Laminitis, Equine, Diseased foot
Project description:BackgroundEarly development of the gut microbiome is an essential part of neonate health in animals. It is unclear whether the acquisition of gut microbes is different between domesticated animals and their wild counterparts. In this study, fecal samples from ten domestic conventionally managed (DCM) Standardbred and ten semi-feral managed (SFM) Shetland-type pony foals and dams were compared using 16S rRNA sequencing to identify differences in the development of the foal hindgut microbiome related to time and management.ResultsGut microbiome diversity of dams was lower than foals overall and within groups, and foals from both groups at Week 1 had less diverse gut microbiomes than subsequent weeks. The core microbiomes of SFM dams and foals had more taxa overall, and greater numbers of taxa within species groups when compared to DCM dams and foals. The gut microbiomes of SFM foals demonstrated enhanced diversity of key groups: Verrucomicrobia (RFP12), Ruminococcaceae, Fusobacterium spp., and Bacteroides spp., based on age and management. Lactic acid bacteria Lactobacillus spp. and other Lactobacillaceae genera were enriched only in DCM foals, specifically during their second and third week of life. Predicted microbiome functions estimated computationally suggested that SFM foals had higher mean sequence counts for taxa contributing to the digestion of lipids, simple and complex carbohydrates, and protein. DCM foal microbiomes were more similar to their dams in week five and six than were SFM foals at the same age.ConclusionsThis study demonstrates the impact of management on the development of the foal gut microbiome in the first 6 weeks of life. The higher numbers of taxa within and between bacterial groups found in SFM dams and foals suggests more diversity and functional redundancy in their gut microbiomes, which could lend greater stability and resiliency to these communities. The colonization of lactic acid bacteria in the early life of DCM foals suggests enrichment in response to the availability of dams' feed. Thus, management type is an important driver of gut microbiome establishment on horses, and we may look to semi-feral horses for guidance in defining a healthy gut microbiome for domestic horses.
Project description:The enteric nervous system (ENS), which is derived from enteric neural crest cells (ENCCs) during gut development, represents the neuronal innervation of the gastrointestinal tract and is critical for regulating normal intestinal function. Compromised ENCC migration can lead to Hirschsprung Disease, which is characterized by an aganglionic distal bowel. We find that removal of the ceca, a paired structure present at the midgut-hindgut junction in avian intestine, leads to severe hindgut aganglionosis, suggesting that the ceca are required for ENS development. To test this, we replaced the ceca of embryonic day 6 (E6) wild-type chicks with ceca from transgenic GFP chicks. Interestingly, the entire hindgut ENS arises from the GFP+ ceca-derived ENCC population. Comparative transcriptome profiling of the cecal buds compared to the interceca region shows that the non-canonical Wnt signaling pathway is preferentially expressed within the ceca. Specifically, Wnt11 is highly expressed in the ceca, as confirmed by RNA in situ hybridization, leading us to hypothesize that cecal expression of Wnt11 is important for ENCC colonization of the hindgut. Organ cultures were prepared using E6 avian intestine, when ENCCs are migrating through the ceca, and showed that Wnt11 inhibits enteric neuronal differentiation. These results reveal an essential role for the ceca during hindgut ENS formation and highlight an important function for non-canonical Wnt signaling in regulating ENCC differentiation and thereby promoting their migration into the colon.
Project description:The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of autologous equine serum (AES) incubated for 24 h and autologous conditioned serum (ACS) on inflamed equine chondrocyte pellets in vitro.