Measurements of telomere length at different life stages as predictive biomarkers of health, reproduction and longevity in dairy cattle

测量不同生命阶段的端粒长度作为奶牛健康、繁殖和寿命的预测生物标志物

• 批准号: BB/L007312/1
• 负责人: Georgios Banos
• 金额: $ 33.25万
• 依托单位: Scotland's Rural College
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2014
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2014 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=BB%2FL007312%2F1
• 关键词: Measurements; telomere; length; different; life

The key concept of the proposed work is based on three tenets:1. Health, reproduction and longevity are key factors influencing the sustainability and profitability of the livestock industry in the UK and internationally. In addition to bearing considerable economic significance, these factors affect animal welfare, the environmental footprint of livestock operations, and the acceptability of animal products by consumers. Therefore, improvement of these traits will yield multi-faceted benefits.2. Given the complexities and time requirements affecting the accurate recording of these traits, there is a need for reliable, early-life predictors that could provide early warnings for poor health, reproduction and longevity, effectively contributing practical tools for improvement.3. Recent advances in human and laboratory animal research have revealed potentially useful biological markers that are associated with lifespan, as well as age and age-related conditions.The proposed project aims to identify an early-life biomarker to predict health, reproduction and longevity in dairy cattle. For this reason, the project will use a comprehensive database of cows raised in the experimental herd of the Crichton Royal Farm in Scotland. Animals belong to two different genetic lines (selected for high vs. average production) and two diet groups (high vs. low protein intake) and are closely monitored from the time of birth until they die or are removed from the herd. The database comprises records of individual animal pedigree, performance, feed intake, disease and reproductive events, and longevity. Detailed environmental descriptors associated with these records are also included in the database.Approximately 1,000 animals from this herd have already been blood sampled at birth and then in 6-month intervals. These samples will be used to measure the length of the telomeres of each cow across her lifetime. Telomeres are small structures capping the chromosomes' ends in the animal cells and are known to be associated with aging in humans. Changes in telomere length measures obtained in the proposed study will be monitored throughout the animals' life and analysed together with data pertaining to health events, reproductive issues and length of productive life. These analyses will establish the link between animal telomere length and health, reproduction and longevity.To achieve its objectives, the project will draw on complementary expertise in animal science, genetics, biotechnology, physiology and biology.The potential applications and benefits of this study are as follows:1. This is the first ever study in food producing animals that looks at the way telomeres change across time and how this change may relate to important animal traits. Also for the first time the effect of many genetic and environmental factors on telomeres and longevity will be examined.2. The outcome of the project will bring a better understanding of the process of ageing of milk producing cows and will identify an early-life indicator that predicts the animals' future health, reproduction and longevity. 3. The end result will be an easily applicable, animal-friendly biomarker that could be used as a management and selection tool to improve the robustness, welfare and survival of dairy cattle, and reduce the rate of involuntary removal of high yielding animals from the herds. Further ramifications of the envisaged improvement include a healthier background for the production and consumption of animal products, and a lower environmental footprint of the sector as a whole. 4. Knowledge acquired in this project may have longer reaching consequences for animal conservation programmes to improve survival of rare animal breeds and endangered species, as well as detailed studies to better understand the aging process in other species including humans.

所提出的工作的关键概念基于三个原则：1。健康、繁殖和长寿是影响英国和国际畜牧业可持续性和盈利能力的关键因素。除了具有相当大的经济意义外，这些因素还影响动物福利、畜牧业经营的环境足迹以及消费者对动物产品的接受程度。因此，改善这些性状将产生多方面的效益。2．鉴于影响这些性状准确记录的复杂性和时间要求，需要可靠的早期生命预测器，可以为健康状况不佳、繁殖和长寿提供早期预警，从而有效地提供实用的改进工具。3。人类和实验动物研究的最新进展揭示了与寿命以及年龄和年龄相关状况相关的潜在有用的生物标记。拟议项目旨在确定生命早期生物标记来预测乳制品的健康、繁殖和寿命牛。因此，该项目将使用苏格兰克莱顿皇家农场实验牛群饲养的奶牛的综合数据库。动物属于两种不同的遗传系（根据高产量和平均产量进行选择）和两个饮食组（高蛋白质摄入量和低蛋白质摄入量），并且从出生时起就受到密切监测，直到它们死亡或被从畜群中清除。该数据库包含个体动物谱系、性能、采食量、疾病和繁殖事件以及寿命的记录。与这些记录相关的详细环境描述符也包含在数据库中。该牛群中大约 1,000 只动物已在出生时进行了血液采样，然后每隔 6 个月进行一次血液采样。这些样本将用于测量每头牛一生中端粒的长度。端粒是动物细胞中覆盖染色体末端的小结构，已知与人类衰老有关。在拟议的研究中获得的端粒长度测量的变化将在动物的整个生命周期中进行监测，并与有关健康事件、生殖问题和生产寿命长度的数据一起进行分析。这些分析将建立动物端粒长度与健康、繁殖和寿命之间的联系。为了实现其目标，该项目将利用动物科学、遗传学、生物技术、生理学和生物学方面的互补专业知识。这项研究的潜在应用和好处是具体如下： 1．这是有史以来第一项针对食用动物的研究，探讨端粒随时间变化的方式以及这种变化与重要的动物性状的关系。还将首次研究许多遗传和环境因素对端粒和寿命的影响。2．该项目的成果将有助于更好地了解产奶牛的衰老过程，并将确定预测动物未来健康、繁殖和寿命的早期生命指标。 3. 最终结果将是一种易于应用、对动物友好的生物标志物，可用作管理和选择工具，以提高奶牛的稳健性、福利和生存率，并降低非自愿从奶牛场中剔除高产动物的比率。牛群。设想的改进的进一步影响包括动物产品生产和消费的更健康的背景，以及整个行业更低的环境足迹。 4. 本项目中获得的知识可能会对动物保护计划产生更长期的影响，以提高稀有动物品种和濒危物种的生存率，并进行详细研究以更好地了解包括人类在内的其他物种的衰老过程。

项目成果

Bovine telomere dynamics and the association between telomere length and productive lifespan.

牛端粒动力学以及端粒长度与生产寿命之间的关联。

• DOI: http://dx.10.1038/s41598-018-31185-z
• 发表时间: 2018
• 期刊: Scientific reports
• 影响因子: 4.6
• 作者: Seeker LA

Genetic background of early life telomere length and association with dairy cow longevity

生命早期端粒长度的遗传背景及其与奶牛寿命的关系

• 发表时间: 2018
• 作者: Ilska

Telomere attrition rates are associated with weather conditions and predict productive lifespan in dairy cattle.

端粒损耗率与天气条件有关，可预测奶牛的生产寿命。

• DOI: http://dx.10.1038/s41598-021-84984-2
• 发表时间: 2021
• 期刊: Scientific reports
• 影响因子: 4.6
• 作者: Seeker LA

Genetic parameters of telomere length in dairy cattle

奶牛端粒长度遗传参数

• 发表时间: 2017
• 作者: J. Ilska

Longitudinal changes in telomere length and associated genetic parameters in dairy cattle analysed using random regression models.

使用随机回归模型分析奶牛端粒长度和相关遗传参数的纵向变化。

• DOI: http://dx.10.1371/journal.pone.0192864
• 发表时间: 2018
• 期刊: PloS one
• 影响因子: 3.7
• 作者: Seeker LA