Project description:Heat stress is a critical environmental factor that adversely affects the health and productivity of cattle. It leads to substantial declines in productivity and compromises immune function, thereby increasing susceptibility to disease. Crossbred cattle (Bos indicus × Bos taurus) are known for their enhanced productivity. However, they are relatively vulnerable to environmental stressors. In recent years, the intensification of global warming and associated climatic extremes has further heightened their risk of heat stress. In this context, the present study investigated the underlying biological responses to heat stress through genome-wide expression analysis in Vrindavani crossbred cattle. The results identified sets of genes activated during heat stress and subsequent functional characterization revealed key molecular mechanisms of thermal stress response in these animals.
Project description:Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis) and Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) are important pathogens of cattle, causing bovine tuberculosis and Johne’s disease respectively. M. bovis and MAP infect residential macrophages in the lung and intestines respectively and subvert the macrophage biology to create a survival niche. To investigate this interaction we simultaneously studied the transcriptional response of bovine monocyte-derived macrophages to infection with two strains of M. bovis (AF2122/97 and G18) and two strains of MAP (C & L1).
Project description:Growth plate chondrocytes were isolated from the distal metacarpus of young dairy cattle (all under 10 mo of age), the chondrocytes were released from the extracellular matrix by digestion with Collagenase P for 4 hours, and the various zones of the growth plate were separated by density centrifugation. The least-dense Hypertrophic Zone (HZ) cells were compared to the most-dense Reserve Zone (RZ) cells. 6 pairs of HZ vs RZ were compared by microarray. Experiment Overall Design: Growth plate chondrocytes were isolated from the distal metacarpus of young dairy cattle (all under 10 mo of age), the chondrocytes were released from the extracellular matrix by digestion with Collagenase P for 4 hours, and the various zones of the growth plate were separated by density centrifugation. The least-dense Hypertrophic Zone (HZ) cells were compared to the most-dense Reserve Zone (RZ) cells. Six independent sample pairs of HZ vs RZ were compared by microarray.