Keywords
Fungal infection, cattle
Abstract
Bovine cytochrome P450 3A28 is responsible for metabolizing ergot alkaloids that cattle ingest when feeding on endophyte-infested tall fescue grass. The objective of this research was to determine associations among genotype, transportation, and stress responses. Angus crossbred steers (n = 47) were genotyped (CC, CG, or GG) for a single-nucleotide polymorphism (C994G) in cytochrome P450 3A28. Genotypes were determined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification followed by restriction enzyme (Alu1) digestion. Steers were backgrounded on a mixedcultivar tall fescue pasture. Following the stocker phase, steers were transported to the feedlot for finishing. Stress responses were determined 27 h prior to, and 6 and 20 h after transport. Plasma concentrations of prolactin and cortisol, and white blood cell expression of prolactin, cytochrome P450, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and short form prolactin receptor were our indicators of stress. Both time and genotypic effects were determined. Time (P < 0.05) relative to transportation was associated with expression of all four genes tested. In addition, plasma concentrations of cortisol and prolactin, as well as their ratio were affected (P < 0.05) by time. In contrast, neither genotype nor the interaction between genotype and time affected (P > 0.1) our stress indicators. In previous studies, C994G genotype has been associated with cattle productivity; however, those effects were not observed in this study.
Recommended Citation
Wary, M., Sales, M., Williamson, B., Coffey, K., Looper, M., & Rosenkrans, C. (2014). Steer stress response as affected by genotype and transportation. Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences, 15(1), 100-104. Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uark.edu/discoverymag/vol15/iss1/16