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Mercadante VRG, Lamb GC. Implementing Fixed-Time Artificial Insemination Programs in Beef Herds. Vet Clin North Am Food Anim Pract 2024; 40:141-156. [PMID: 37684109 DOI: 10.1016/j.cvfa.2023.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The article discusses the importance of reproductive biotechnologies, including artificial insemination and fixed-time artificial insemination (TAI), in beef cow-calf operations. The use of TAI improves cow-calf productivity and profitability by shortening the breeding season and increasing the number of calves born earlier, resulting in heavier calves at weaning. However, adoption of TAI by beef producers in the United States has been slow compared with the dairy industry and internationally, such as Brazil. Current TAI protocols are effective in synchronizing ovulation and yield consistent pregnancy results. Factors affecting the success of TAI include cow/heifer factors, sire, nutritional status, and cattle temperament.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vitor R G Mercadante
- School of Animal Sciences, CALS and Large Animal Clinical Sciences, VAMD-CVM at Virginia Tech, 175 West Campus Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA.
| | - Graham Cliff Lamb
- Texas A&M Agrilife Research, 600 John Kimbrough Boulevard, College Station, TX 77843, USA
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Savvulidi F, Ptacek M, Savvulidi Vargova K, Stadnik L. Manipulation of spermatogonial stem cells in livestock species. J Anim Sci Biotechnol 2019; 10:46. [PMID: 31205688 PMCID: PMC6560896 DOI: 10.1186/s40104-019-0355-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2018] [Accepted: 04/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
We are entering an exciting epoch in livestock biotechnology during which the fundamental approaches (such as transgenesis, spermatozoa cryopreservation and artificial insemination) will be enhanced based on the modern understanding of the biology of spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) combined with the outstanding recent advances in genomic editing technologies and in vitro cell culture systems. The general aim of this review is to outline comprehensively the promising applications of SSC manipulation that could in the nearest future find practical application in livestock breeding. Here, we will focus on 1) the basics of mammalian SSC biology; 2) the approaches for SSC isolation and purification; 3) the available in vitro systems for the stable expansion of isolated SSCs; 4) a discussion of how the manipulation of SSCs can accelerate livestock transgenesis; 5) a thorough overview of the techniques of SSC transplantation in livestock species (including the preparation of recipients for SSC transplantation, the ultrasonographic-guided SSC transplantation technique in large farm animals, and the perspectives to improve further the SSC transplantation efficiency), and finally, 6) why SSC transplantation is valuable to extend the techniques of spermatozoa cryopreservation and/or artificial insemination. For situations where no reliable data have yet been obtained for a particular livestock species, we will rely on the data obtained from studies conducted in rodents because the knowledge gained from rodent research is translatable to livestock species to a great extent. On the other hand, we will draw special attention to situations where such translation is not possible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Filipp Savvulidi
- Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, 165 00 Prague, Suchdol Czech Republic
- Institute of Pathological Physiology, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague, U Nemocnice 5, 128 53 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Martin Ptacek
- Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, 165 00 Prague, Suchdol Czech Republic
| | - Karina Savvulidi Vargova
- Institute of Pathological Physiology, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague, U Nemocnice 5, 128 53 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Ludek Stadnik
- Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, 165 00 Prague, Suchdol Czech Republic
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Waqas MS, Ciccarelli M, Oatley MJ, Kaucher AV, Tibary A, Oatley JM. Enhanced sperm production in bulls following transient induction of hypothyroidism during prepubertal development. J Anim Sci 2019; 97:1468-1477. [PMID: 30576512 PMCID: PMC6447252 DOI: 10.1093/jas/sky480] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2018] [Accepted: 12/19/2018] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Male reproductive capacity is a critical component of cattle production and the majority of genetic gain is made via selective utilization of gametes from desirable sires. Thus, strategies that enhance sperm production increase the availability of elite genetics for use in improving production characteristics of populations on a worldwide scale. In all mammals, the amount of sperm produced is strongly correlated to the number of Sertoli cells in testes. Studies with rodents showed that the size of the Sertoli cell population is set during prepubertal development via signaling from thyroid hormones. Here, we devised a strategy to increase Sertoli cell number in bulls via induction of a transient hypothyroidic state just prior to and extending beyond the period of Sertoli cell proliferation that we found to normally cease between 4.5 and 5 mo of age. In adulthood, these bulls produced a significantly greater number of sperm compared to age-matched controls and their testes contained nearly 2 times more Sertoli cells. Importantly, sperm motility, morphology, fertilizing ability, and viability after cryopreservation were found to be no different for treated bulls compared to untreated control bulls. This strategy of transient induction of hypothyroidism during a defined period of prepubertal development in bulls could prove to be an efficacious approach for enhancing daily sperm production in genetically desirable sires that will, in turn, provide an avenue for improving the efficiency of commercial cattle production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad S Waqas
- Center for Reproductive Biology, School of Molecular Biosciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, WA
| | - Michela Ciccarelli
- Center for Reproductive Biology, School of Molecular Biosciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, WA
| | - Melissa J Oatley
- Center for Reproductive Biology, School of Molecular Biosciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA
| | - Amy V Kaucher
- Center for Reproductive Biology, School of Molecular Biosciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA
| | - Ahmed Tibary
- Center for Reproductive Biology, School of Molecular Biosciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, WA
| | - Jon M Oatley
- Center for Reproductive Biology, School of Molecular Biosciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA
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Taylor JF, Schnabel RD, Sutovsky P. Identification of genomic variants causing sperm abnormalities and reduced male fertility. Anim Reprod Sci 2018; 194:57-62. [PMID: 29454799 PMCID: PMC6503949 DOI: 10.1016/j.anireprosci.2018.02.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2018] [Revised: 02/08/2018] [Accepted: 02/09/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Whole genome sequencing has identified millions of bovine genetic variants; however, there is currently little understanding about which variants affect male fertility. It is imperative that we begin to link detrimental genetic variants to sperm phenotypes via the analysis of semen samples and measurement of fertility for bulls with alternate genotypes. Artificial insemination (AI) bulls provide a useful model system because of extensive fertility records, measured as sire conception rates (SCR). Genetic variants with moderate to large effects on fertility can be identified by sequencing the genomes of fertile and subfertile or infertile sires identified with high or low SCR as adult AI bulls or yearling bulls that failed Breeding Soundness Evaluation. Variants enriched in frequency in the sequences of subfertile/infertile bulls, particularly those likely to result in the loss of protein function or predicted to be severely deleterious to genes involved in sperm protein structure and function, semen quality or sperm morphology can be designed onto genotyping assays for validation of their effects on fertility. High throughput conventional and image-based flow cytometry, proteomics and cell imaging can be used to establish the functional effects of variants on sperm phenotypes. Integrating the genetic, fertility and sperm phenotype data will accelerate biomarker discovery and validation, improve routine semen testing in bull studs and identify new targets for cost-efficient AI dose optimization approaches such as semen nanopurification. This will maximize semen output from genetically superior sires and will increase the fertility of cattle. Better understanding of the relationships between male genotype and sperm phenotype may also yield new diagnostic tools and treatments for human male and idiopathic infertility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy F Taylor
- Division of Animal Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA.
| | - Robert D Schnabel
- Division of Animal Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA
| | - Peter Sutovsky
- Division of Animal Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA
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Hill SL, Grieger DM, Olson KC, Jaeger JR, Dahlen CR, Crosswhite MR, Pereira NN, Underdahl SR, Neville BW, Ahola J, Fischer MC, Seidel GE, Stevenson JS. Gonadotropin-releasing hormone increased pregnancy risk in suckled beef cows not detected in estrus and subjected to a split-time artificial insemination program12. J Anim Sci 2016; 94:3722-3728. [DOI: 10.2527/jas.2016-0582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Impacts of reproductive technologies on beef production in the United States. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2014; 752:97-114. [PMID: 24170356 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4614-8887-3_5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/20/2023]
Abstract
Estimations of world population growth indicate that by the year 2050 we will reach nine billion habitants on earth. These estimates impose a tremendous challenge in the current agricultural systems as food supply will need to increase by 100 % in the next 40 years (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations 2009). Beef will be a primary protein source that will assist in meeting the requirements for a portion of the protein in diets of this expanding global populace. Beef is a high-quality protein that contains all essential amino acids for the human body and also contains additional essential nutrients such as iron, zinc, B vitamins, riboflavin, selenium, choline, and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). Adopting reproductive technologies at greater rates than currently used is a viable method to dramatically enhance production efficiency of beef cattle enterprises.Artificial insemination (AI), estrous synchronization and fixed-time AI (TAI), semen and embryo cryopreservation, multiple ovulation and embryo transfer (MOET), in vitro fertilization, sex determination of sperm or embryos, and nuclear transfer are technologies that are used to enhance the production efficiency of beef operations. In many cases, the development of these technologies is responsible for significant changes to traditional livestock production practices. However, adoption of these technologies appears to has not grown at the same rate in the United States as other formidable beef producing nations. For example, sales of beef semen for AI increased from 3.3 to 11.9 million units between 1993 and 2011 in Brazil, whereas that in the United States has increased from 2.9 to 3.8 million units during the same period. The significant increases in adoption of reproductive technologies in developing countries is likely as a result of the development of practical estrous synchronization and TAI systems that have allowed beef producers the opportunity to eliminate detection of estrus in their AI programs with a high degree of success. In the United States, slow adoption rates of these technologies may result in a future loss of international market share of beef products as other nations take advantage not only of the additional kilogram of beef that can be produced but also the improved quality of beef that can be realized through incorporation of reproductive technologies and resultant genetic improvement. However, current difficulties the US producers have with the incorporation of applied reproductive technologies, such as TAI, MOET, and sex semen, must not be the reason to overlook and incorporate more traditional reproductive technologies such as castration, breeding season management, or weaning. In many cases, beef producers in the United States fail to incorporate these more traditional technologies, which results in a reduction in production efficiency of the US beef industry. This chapter will focus on both traditional and more developed reproductive technologies that will play a role in enhancing future production efficiencies of the US beef cattle production system.
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Ovarian response and pregnancy rates to timed artificial insemination in beef heifers after synchronization of follicular waves and ovulation via a 14-day controlled internal drug-release insert estrus synchronization protocol. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2013. [DOI: 10.15232/s1080-7446(15)30197-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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