Agricultural industries rely on physical fences to manage livestock. However, these present practical, financial, and ecological challenges, which may be solved using virtual fencing. This study aimed to identify how experienced cattle through social facilitation and the introduction method influence inexperienced cattle. Based on three stocks held in Fanø, Denmark, containing 12, 17 and 13 Angus (Bos taurus), we examined the virtual fence learning in three case studies using one gradual introduction with zero experienced cattle (A) and two different instant introductions with one (B) and ten (C) experienced cattle. Gradual introduction had the virtual fence moved 20 m every other day for eleven days, and in the two instant introductions, the physical fence was removed in one day. Warnings and impulses were recorded during an 11-day learning period and a 26-day post-learning period, using the impulses per warning to quantify if the cattle adapted. Case studies A and B showed a significant reduction in the warnings and impulses, but only A showed a significant reduction in the impulses per warning when comparing the learning period to the post-learning period. Due to the non-standardised experiments, it was not possible to conclude if the number of experienced cattle or the introduction method had an effect on the results.

Pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP) can be used as an indicator of susceptibility to pulmonary hypertension and subsequent potential to develop right-sided heart failure (RHF). Previously reported heritability estimates of PAP have been moderate to high. Based on these estimates, selection for the indicator trait, PAP, could reduce the incidence of RHF due to hypoxia. Previous studies have also speculated that increased growth rates and body fat accumulation contribute to increased PAP and RHF. Research evaluating the genetic relationships between PAP and performance traits (e.g., yearling weight and postweaning gain) has yielded conflicting results, leading to ambiguity and uncertainty regarding the underlying genetic relationships. Additionally, no previous research has evaluated the relationship between PAP and ultrasound carcass traits. Therefore, the objective of this study was to estimate trait heritabilities and genetic correlations between PAP, post-weaning growth traits, and ultrasound carcass traits in Angus cattle, using data (n = 4,511) from the American Angus Association. We hypothesized that traits associated with increased growth and muscle would have a positive genetic (i.e., unfavorable) relationship with PAP. Estimates for heritability and genetic correlations were obtained using a multi-trait animal model. Heritability estimates for PAP (0.21 ± 0.04), post-weaning gain (PWG; 0.31 ± 0.04), and yearling weight (YWT; 0.37 ± 0.04) were within the range of estimates previously reported. Genetic correlations were weak (< 0.20) between PAP, PWG, and YWT. A low-to-moderate genetic correlation between PAP and ultrasound ribeye area (UREA) was found (0.25 ± 0.12). Genetic correlations between PAP, ultrasound back fat (UBF), ultrasound intramuscular fat (IMF), and ultrasound rump fat (RUMP) were weak (ranging in magnitude from -0.05 to 0.10) and therefore, do not provide strong support for the hypothesis of an antagonistic relationship between PAP and carcass ultrasound traits, while heritability estimates for UBF (0.43 ± 0.05), UREA (0.31 ± 0.04), IMF (0.35 ± 0.04), and RUMP (0.47 ± 0.05) were in the range of previously reported values.
Beef cattle residing >1,500 m are subject to reduced atmospheric oxygen levels when compared with beef cattle at lower elevations which may result in hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension and right-side heart failure. Breeders use pulmonary arterial pressures to identify animals at risk of right-side heart failure and to select breeding animals that are less susceptible to the problem. There is a concern that selection for growth and carcass characteristics may be increasing the incidence of heart failure in feedlot cattle at elevations <1,500 m. To address the concern, this study estimated the genetic correlations (i.e., relationships) between pulmonary arterial pressure, growth, and ultrasound carcass measures in Angus cattle. The study shows that the genetic relationships between pulmonary arterial pressure and these traits are minimal to non-existent with the exception of ultrasound ribeye area. Our estimate suggests a moderate, unfavorable relationship between pulmonary arterial pressure and ribeye area and that single-trait selection for increased ribeye area alone may result in increased susceptibility to right-side heart failure. However, selection for both traits simultaneously should overcome increases in susceptibility given the moderate strength of the genetic relationship.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to investigate the genetic structure and characteristics of the Angus cattle population in Hungary. The survey was performed with the assistance of the Hungarian Hereford, Angus, Galloway Association (HHAGA).
METHODS: Genetic parameters of 1,369 animals from 16 Angus herds were analyzed using the genotyping results of 12 microsatellite markers with the aid of PowerMarker, Genalex, GDA-NT2021, and STRUCTURE software. Genotyping of DNA was performed using an automated genetic analyzer. Based on pairwise identity by state values of animals, the Python networkx 2.3 library was used for network analysis of the breed and to identify the central animals.
RESULTS: The observed numbers of alleles on the 12 loci under investigation ranged from 11 to 18. The average effective number of alleles was 3.201. The overall expected heterozygosity was 0.659 and the observed heterozygosity was 0.710. Four groups were detected among the 16 Angus herds. The breeders\' information validated the grouping results and facilitated the comparison of birth weight, age at first calving, number of calves born and productive lifespan data between the four groups, revealing significant differences. We identified the central animals/herd of the Angus population in Hungary. The match of our group descriptions with the phenotypic data provided by the breeders further underscores the value of cooperation between breeders and researchers.
CONCLUSIONS: The observation that significant differences in the measured traits occurred among the identified groups paves the way to further enhancement of breeding efficiency. Our findings have the potential to aid the development of new breeding strategies and help breeders keep the Angus populations in Hungary under genetic supervision. Based on our results the efficient use of an upcoming genomic selection can, in some cases, significantly improve birth weight, age at first calving, number of calves born and the productive lifespan of animals.

Weining cattle is a precious species with high tolerance to cold, disease, and stress, and accounts for a large proportion of agricultural economic output in Guizhou, China. However, there are gaps in information about the intestinal flora of Weining cattle. In this study, high-throughput sequencing were employed to analyze the intestinal flora of Weining cattle (WN), Angus cattle (An), and diarrheal Angus cattle (DA), and explore the potential bacteria associated with diarrhea. We collected 18 fecal samples from Weining, Guizhou, including Weining cattle, Healthy Angus, and Diarrheal Angus. The results of intestinal microbiota analysis showed there were no significant differences in intestinal flora diversity and richness among groups (p > 0.05). The abundance of beneficial bacteria (Lachnospiraceae, Rikenellaceae, Coprostanoligenes, and Cyanobacteria) in Weining cattle were significantly higher than in Angus cattle (p < 0.05). The potential pathogens including Anaerosporobacter and Campylobacteria were enriched in the DA group. Furthermore, the abundance of Lachnospiraceae was very high in the WN group (p < 0.05), which might explain why Weining cattle are less prone to diarrhea. This is the first report on the intestinal flora of Weining cattle, furthering understanding of the relationship between intestinal flora and health.

Gut microbiota plays important roles in mediating fat metabolic events in humans and animals. However, the differences of meat quality traits related to the lipid metabolism (MQT-LM) in association with gut microbiota involving in lipid metabolism have not been well explored between Angus cattle (AG) and Xinjiang brown cattle (BC). Ten heads of 18-month-old uncastrated male AG and BC (5 in each group) raised under the identical conditions were selected to test MQT-LM, i.e., the backfat thickness (BFT), the intramuscular fat (IMF) content, the intramuscular adipocyte areas (IAA), the eye muscle area (EMA), the muscle fiber sectional area (MFSA) and the muscle shear force after sacrifice. The gut microbiota composition and structure with its metabolic function were analyzed by means of metagenomics and metabolomics with rectal feces. The correlation of MQT-LM with the gut microbiota and its metabolites was analyzed. In comparison with AG, BC had significant lower EMA, IMF content and IAA but higher BFT and MFSA. Chao1 and ACE indexes of α-diversity were lower. β-diversity between AG and BC were significantly different. The relative abundance of Bacteroidetes, Prevotella and Blautia and Prevotella copri, Blautia wexlerae, and Ruminococcus gnavus was lower. The lipid metabolism related metabolites, i.e., succinate, oxoglutaric acid, L-aspartic acid and L-glutamic acid were lower, while GABA, L-asparagine and fumaric acid were higher. IMF was positively correlated with Prevotella copri, Blautia wexlerae and Ruminococcus gnavus, and the metabolites succinate, oxoglutaric acid, L-aspartic acid and L-glutamic acid, while negatively with GABA, L-asparagine and fumaric acid. BFT was negatively correlated with Blautia wexlerae and the metabolites succinate, L-aspartic acid and L-glutamic acid, while positively with GABA, L-asparagine and fumaric acid. Prevotella Copri, Blautia wexlerae, and Ruminococcus gnavus was all positively correlated with succinate, oxoglutaric acid, while negatively with L-asparagine and fumaric acid. In conclusion, Prevotella copri, Prevotella intermedia, Blautia wexlerae, and Ruminococcus gnavus may serve as the potential differentiated bacterial species in association with MQT-LM via their metabolites of oxoglutaric acid, succinate, fumaric acid, L-aspartic acid, L-asparagine, L-glutamic acid and GABA between BC and AG.

The health benefits of grass-fed beef are well documented. However, the rumen microbiome features in beef steers raised in a grass-fed regimen have yet to be identified. This study examined the rumen microbiome profile in the feeding regimes. Our findings show that the rumen microbiome of the grass-fed cattle demonstrated greater species diversity and harbored significantly higher microbial alpha diversity, including multiple species richness and evenness indices, than the grain-fed cattle. Global network analysis unveiled that grass-fed cattle\'s rumen microbial interaction networks had higher modularity, suggesting a more resilient and stable microbial community under this feeding regimen. Using the analysis of compositions of microbiomes with a bias correction (ANCOM-BC) algorithm, the abundance of multiple unclassified genera, such as those belonging to Planctomycetes, LD1-PB3, SR1, Lachnospira, and Sutterella, were significantly enriched in the rumen of grass-fed steers. Sutterella was also the critical genus able to distinguish the two feeding regimens by Random Forest. A rumen microbial predictor consisting of an unclassified genus in the candidate division SR1 (numerator) and an unclassified genus in the order Bacteroidales (denominator) accurately distinguished the two feeding schemes. Multiple microbial signatures or balances strongly correlated with various levels of SCFA in the rumen. For example, a balance represented by the log abundance ratio of Sutterella to Desulfovibrio was strongly associated with acetate-to-propionate proportions in the rumen (R2 = 0.87), which could be developed as a valuable biomarker for optimizing milk fat yield and cattle growth. Therefore, our findings provided novel insights into microbial interactions in the rumen under different feed schemes and their ecophysiological implications. These findings will help to develop rumen manipulation strategies to improve feed conversion ratios and average daily weight gains for grass- or pasture-fed cattle production.

In this study, we explored the gene expression patterns of the pituitary gland and hypothalamus of Angus cows at different growth and developmental stages by deep sequencing and we identified genes that affect bovine reproductive performance to provide new ideas for improving bovine fertility in production practice. We selected three 6-month-old (weaning period), three 18-month-old (first mating period), and three 30-month-old (early postpartum) Angus cattle. The physiological status of the cows in each group was the same, and their body conformations were similar. After quality control of the sequencing, the transcriptome analyses of 18 samples yielded 129.18 GB of clean data. We detected 13,280 and 13,318 expressed genes in the pituitary gland and hypothalamus, respectively, and screened 35 and 50 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) for each, respectively. The differentially expressed genes in both tissues were mainly engaged in metabolism, lipid synthesis, and immune-related pathways in the 18-month-old cows as compared with the 6-month-old cows. The 30-month-old cows presented more regulated reproductive behavior, and pituitary CAMK4 was the main factor regulating the reproductive behavior during this period via the pathways for calcium signaling, longevity, oxytocin, and aldosterone synthesis and secretion. A variant calling analysis also was performed. The SNP inversions and conversions in each sample were counted according to the different base substitution methods. In all samples, most base substitutions were represented by substitutions between bases A and G, and the probability of base conversion exceeded 70%, far exceeding the transversion. Heterozygous SNP sites exceeded 37.68%.

Angus cattle have made remarkable contributions to the livestock industry worldwide as a commercial meat-type breed. Some evidence supported that Angus cattle with different coat colors have different feed-to-meat ratios, and the genetic basis of their coat color is inconclusive. Here, genome-wide association study was performed to investigate the genetic divergence of black and red Angus cattle with 63 public genome sequencing data. General linear model analysis was used to identify genomic regions with potential candidate variant/genes that contribute to coat color and feed conversion rate. Results showed that six single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and two insertion−deletions, which were annotated in five genes (ZCCHC14, ANKRD11, FANCA, MC1R, and LOC532875 [AFG3-like protein 1]), considerably diverged between black and red Angus cattle. The strongest associated loci, namely, missense mutation CHIR18_14705671 (c.296T > C) and frameshift mutation CHIR18_12999497 (c.310G>-), were located in MC1R. Three consecutive strongly associated SNPs were also identified and located in FANCA, which is widely involved in the Fanconi anemia pathway. Several SNPs of highly associated SNPs was notably enriched in ZCCHC14 and ANKRD11, which are related to myofiber growth and muscle development. This study provides a basis for the use of potential genetic markers to be used in future breeding programs to improve cattle selection in terms of coat color and meat phenotype. This study is also helpful to understand the hereditary basis of different coat colors and meat phenotypes. However, the putative candidate genes or markers identified in this study require further investigation to confirm their phenotypic causality and potential effective genetic relationships.

In modern nature conservation and rewilding there is a need for controlling the movements of large grazers in extensively managed areas. The inflexibility of physical fencing can be a limitation in nature management, and the physical boundaries created by physical fencing can have detrimental effects on wildlife. Virtual fencing systems provide boundaries without physical structures. These systems utilise collars with GPS technology to track animals and deliver auditory or electric cues to encourage the animals to stay within the predefined boundaries. This study aims to assess the use of virtual fencing (Nofence©) to keep twelve Angus cows (Bos taurus) within a virtual enclosure without compromising their welfare. As such, the study examines inter-individual differences between the cows as well as their herd behaviour, when reacting and learning to respond appropriately to virtual fencing. Moreover, the activity of the cows was used as an indicator of welfare. The virtual fencing was successful in keeping the herd within the designated area. Moreover, the cattle learned to avoid the virtual border and respond to auditory cues, where the cows received significantly more auditory warning and electric impulses per week throughout the first 14 days than the remaining 125 days (p < 0.001). The cows were found to express both inter-individual differences (p < 0.001) and herd behaviour. The cattle did not express any significant changes in their activity upon receiving an electrical impulse from the collar. Thus, indicating that there were little to no acute welfare implications associated with the use of virtual fencing in this study. This study clearly supports the potential for virtual fencing as a viable alternative to physical electric fencing. However, it also shows that both individual differences in personality and herd structure should be considered when selecting individuals for virtual fencing.

Artificial selection towards a desired phenotype/trait has modified the genomes of livestock dramatically that generated breeds that greatly differ in morphology, production and environmental adaptation traits. Angus cattle are among the famous cattle breeds developed for superior beef quality. This paper aimed at exploring genomic regions under selection in Angus cattle that are associated with meat quality traits and other associated phenotypes. The whole genome of 10 Angus cattle was compared with 11 Hanwoo (A-H) and 9 Jersey (A-J) cattle breeds using a cross-population composite likelihood ratio (XP-CLR) statistical method. The top 1% of the empirical distribution was taken as significant and annotated using UMD3.1. As a result, 255 and 210 genes were revealed under selection from A-H and A-J comparisons, respectively. The WebGestalt gene ontology analysis resulted in sixteen (A-H) and five (A-J) significantly enriched KEGG pathways. Several pathways associated with meat quality traits (insulin signaling, type II diabetes mellitus pathway, focal adhesion pathway, and ECM-receptor interaction), and feeding efficiency (olfactory transduction, tight junction, and metabolic pathways) were enriched. Genes affecting beef quality traits (e.g., FABP3, FTO, DGAT2, ACS, ACAA2, CPE, TNNI1), stature and body size (e.g., PLAG1, LYN, CHCHD7, RPS20), fertility and dystocia (e.g., ESR1, RPS20, PPP2R1A, GHRL, PLAG1), feeding efficiency (e.g., PIK3CD, DNAJC28, DNAJC3, GHRL, PLAG1), coat color (e.g., MC1-R) and genetic disorders (e.g., ITGB6, PLAG1) were found to be under positive selection in Angus cattle. The study identified genes and pathways that are related to meat quality traits and other phenotypes of Angus cattle. The findings in this study, after validation using additional or independent dataset, will provide useful information for the study of Angus cattle in particular and beef cattle in general.