Selective hunting can affect demographic characteristics and phenotypic traits of the targeted species. Hunting systems often involve harvesting quotas based on sex, age and/or size categories to avoid selective pressure. However, it is difficult to assess whether such regulations deter hunters from targeting larger "trophy" animals with longer horns that may have evolutionary consequences. Here, we compile 44,088 annually resolved and absolutely dated measurements of Alpine ibex (Capra ibex) horn growth increments from 8,355 males, harvested between 1978 and 2013, in the eastern Swiss Canton of Grisons. We aim to determine whether male ibex with longer horns were preferentially targeted, causing animals with early rapid horn growth to have shorter lives, and whether such hunting selection translated into long-term trends in horn size over the past four decades. Results show that medium- to longer-horned adult males had a higher probability of being harvested than shorter-horned individuals of the same age and that regulations do affect the hunters' behaviour. Nevertheless, phenotypic traits such as horn length, as well as body size and weight, remained stable over the study period. Although selective trophy hunting still occurs, it did not cause a measurable evolutionary response in Grisons' Alpine ibex populations; managed and surveyed since 1978. Nevertheless, further research is needed to understand whether phenotypic trait development is coinfluenced by other, potentially compensatory factors that may possibly mask the effects of selective, long-term hunting pressure.

• MeSH
• fenotyp MeSH
• kozy genetika   růst a vývoj   MeSH
• lidské činnosti * MeSH
• rohy růst a vývoj   MeSH
• selekce (genetika) * MeSH
• sporty MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Švýcarsko MeSH

Despite similar genome sizes, a great variability in recombination rates is observed in mammals. We used antibodies against SYCP3, MLH1 and centromeres to compare crossover frequency, position along chromosome arms and the effect of crossover interference in spermatocytes of 4 species from the family Bovidae (Bos taurus, 2n = 60, tribe Bovini; Ovis aries, 2n = 54, Capra hircus, 2n = 60 and Ammotragus lervia, 2n = 58, tribe Caprini). Despite significant individual variability, our results also show significant differences in both recombination rates and the total length of autosomal synaptonemal complexes (SC) between cattle (47.53 MLH1 foci/cell, 244.59 µm) and members of the tribe Caprini (61.83 MLH1 foci, 296.19 µm) which can be explained by the length of time that has passed since their evolutionary divergence. Sheep displayed the highest number of MLH1 foci per cell and recombination density, although they have a lower diploid chromosome number caused by centric fusions corresponding to cattle chromosomes 1;3, 2;8 and 5;11. However, the proportion of MLH1 foci observed on the fused chromosomes in sheep (26.14%) was significantly lower than on the orthologous acrocentrics in cattle (27.6%) and goats (28.2%), and their distribution along the SC arms differed significantly. The reduced recombination rate in metacentrics is probably caused by interference acting across the centromere.

• MeSH
• hybridizace in situ fluorescenční MeSH
• jaderné proteiny metabolismus   MeSH
• kozy genetika   MeSH
• meióza genetika   MeSH
• ovce genetika   MeSH
• rekombinace genetická * MeSH
• skot genetika   MeSH
• spermatocyty metabolismus   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• skot genetika   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH

Heterogenous expression of recombinant proteins in milk of livestock at a large scale is very labour-intensive to be achieved with current transgenic animals, and usually seen as time-consuming, expensive and technically most challenging. Here we describe a convenient system for transient production of recombinant human growth hormone and its extensive use in recombinant protein production for therapeutic purposes. In this study, an adenoviral vector containing the GFP gene and hGH gene was constructed for direct infusion into the epithelium of mammary glands of goats via the teat canal during the period of natural lactation. Western-blot analysis of milk samples obtained from all of the viral-treated founders indicated that the recombinant hGH (rhGH) was secreted into the milk of the goats. The concentrations of rhGH in milk ranged from 0.6 to 2.4 mg/ml and lasted for more than 10 days during lactation. These data suggest that it is possible to produce larger amounts of recombinant human growth hormone in the milk of livestock animals by using replication-defective adenoviruses.

• MeSH
• Adenoviridae genetika   MeSH
• financování organizované MeSH
• genetické vektory genetika   MeSH
• geneticky modifikovaná zvířata MeSH
• kozy genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mléko metabolismus   MeSH
• modely genetické MeSH
• růstový hormon genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• western blotting MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• zvířata MeSH