Administering an Appeasing Substance to Improve Performance, Neuroendocrine Stress Response, and Health of Ruminants

Simple Summary

Stress is present in several management activities of beef and dairy cattle, leading to health and productive losses to the herd. Therefore, strategies are warranted to reduce any losses related to these stressful situations, and bovine appeasing substance (BAS) is arising as a potential technology in livestock production settings. Several peer-reviewed publications have evaluated BAS in different production settings, such as weaning, feedlot entry, castration, transport to the slaughterhouse, and pre-weaning dairy cattle. Altogether, performance, health, and carcass traits have been positively impacted by BAS administration, demonstrating the efficacy of this technology for ruminants.

Abstract

The present review demonstrates the main attributes of stress-related responses in ruminants, and the potential interaction with the immune system of the host is also presented, demonstrating that alternatives that reduce the response to stressful situations are warranted to maintain adequate health and performance of the herd. In this scenario, pheromones and their modes of action are presented, opening space to a recent technology being used for ruminants: bovine appeasing substance (BAS). This substance has been used in different species, such as swine, with positive behavioral, health, and performance results. So, its utilization in ruminants has been reported to improve performance and inflammatory-mediated responses, promoting the productivity and welfare of the livestock industry.

Localisation of bovine colostral odorant-binding protein (bcOBP) mRNAs in several tissues of bovine body

Bovine colostral odorant-binding protein (bcOBP) is a novel protein found in bovine colostrum and belonging to the lipocalin superfamily. Most of them are secretory proteins. We have examined the localisation of bcOBP messenger RNA in several tissues. The expression of bcOBP messenger RNAs was followed in bovine principal organs and female reproductive tracts with in situ hybridisation, but the localisation of it was not detected. The expression levels of bcOBP mRNAs were also extremely low in those tissues. On the other hand, the expression of bcOBP messenger RNAs has not been found in the airway epithelia and the gallbladder. These results suggest that bcOBP messenger RNAs are expressed in bovine several tissues without its localisation. In conclusion, the localisation of bcOBP messenger RNAs in bovine several tissues was not found.

Using mass spectrometry to detect buffalo salivary odorant-binding protein and its post-translational modifications

A large number of mammalian odorant-binding proteins, which are lipocalins, have been studied. These proteins participate in peri-receptor events by selecting and carrying odorant molecules. The present study aimed at identifying the buffalo salivary odorant-binding protein (sOBP), and to determine its post-translational modification using mass spectrometry. The buffalo salivary 21  kDa protein was initially separated adopting sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and it was identified as sOBP with high statistical reliability using liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) and SEQUEST, for the first time. Further, the post-translationally modified peptides were screened adopting MS/MS. A total of four post-translational modifications, namely glycation at lysine-(59), hydroxylation at lysine-(134), ubiquitination at lysine-(121), and dihydroxylation in lysine-(108), were recorded. Moreover, these modifications have not been identified in buffalo salivary odorant-binding protein.