... https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2021-20293Michela Ablondi, Alberto Sabbioni, Giorgia Stocco, Claudio Cipolat-Gotet, Christos Dadousis, ...
Tópico(s): Genetic Mapping and Diversity in Plants and Animals
1922 - University of Chicago Press | The American Naturalist
Michela Ablondi, Alberto Sabbioni, Giorgia Stocco, Claudio Cipolat‐Gotet, Christos Dadousis, Jan-Thijs van Kaam, R. Finocchiaro, Andrea Summer,
Genetic diversity has become an urgent matter not only in small local breeds but also in more specialized ones. While the use of genomic data in livestock breeding programs increased genetic gain, there is increasing evidence that this benefit may be counterbalanced by the potential loss of genetic variability. Thus, in this study, we aimed to investigate the genetic diversity in the Italian Holstein dairy cattle using pedigree and genomic data from cows born between 2002 and 2020. We estimated ...
Tópico(s): Genetics and Plant Breeding
2022 - Frontiers Media | Frontiers in Veterinary Science
E Mariani, Andrea Summer, Michela Ablondi, Alberto Sabbioni,
Nero di Parma is an endangered swine breed reared in the North of Italy which nowadays counts 1603 alive pigs. The aims of this study were (i) to explore the genetic diversity of the breed at pedigree level to determine the actual genetic structure, (ii) to evaluate the effectiveness of the breeding recovery project and (iii) to potentially propose breeding strategies for the coming generations. The pedigree dataset contained 14,485 animals and was used to estimate demographic and genetic parameters. ...
Tópico(s): Animal Nutrition and Physiology
2020 - Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute | Animals
Enrico Mancin, Michela Ablondi, Roberto Mantovani, G. Pigozzi, Alberto Sabbioni, Cristina Sartori,
This study aimed to investigate the genetic diversity in the Italian Heavy Horse Breed from pedigree and genomic data. Pedigree information for 64,917 individuals were used to assess inbreeding level, effective population size (Ne), and effective numbers of founders and ancestors (
Tópico(s): Genetic diversity and population structure
2020 - Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute | Animals
P. Superchi, Roberta Saleri, Sven Menčik, Silvia Dander, Valeria Cavalli, Chiara Izzi, Michela Ablondi, Alberto Sabbioni,
Adipose tissue produces hormones, such as leptin and adiponectin, that are key factors in energy metabolism. The aim of this study was to assess the endocrine role of the adipose tissue in controlling intrauterine growth, so we evaluated the relationships among maternal adiposity, leptin and adiponectin-pregnancy trends and foetal growth in 48 Large White x Landrace crossbreed sows. Two groups of sows were designated based on backfat (BF) depth at the end of the lactation phase: a Low Fat group (LF, ...
Tópico(s): Animal Behavior and Welfare Studies
2019 - Elsevier BV | Livestock Science
Michela Ablondi, S. Eriksson, Sasha G. Tetu, Alberto Sabbioni, Å. Viklund, Sofia Mikko,
The equestrian sport horse Swedish Warmblood (SWB) originates from versatile cavalry horses. Most modern SWB breeders have specialized their breeding either towards show jumping or dressage disciplines. The aim of this study was to explore the genomic structure of SWB horses to evaluate the presence of genomic subpopulations, and to search for signatures of selection in subgroups of SWB with high or low breeding values (EBVs) for show jumping. We analyzed high density genotype information from 380 ...
Tópico(s): Genetic Mapping and Diversity in Plants and Animals
2019 - Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute | Genes
Michela Ablondi, Andrea Summer, Matteo Vasini, Marica Simoni, Alberto Sabbioni,
Horses are nowadays mainly used for sport and leisure purposes, and several local breeds, traditionally used in agriculture, are exposed to the risk of extinction. The long-term survival of local horse breeds depends on strategies to both monitor their genetic diversity and to find their sustainable role in the equine market. Thus, several local horse breeds need to adapt their breeding objective to allow a modernization process. The Bardigiano is an example of such horse breeds; we, therefore, ...
Tópico(s): Genetic Mapping and Diversity in Plants and Animals
2019 - Wiley | Journal of Animal Breeding and Genetics
Michela Ablondi, Matteo Vasini, Valentino Beretti, P. Superchi, Alberto Sabbioni,
Genetic diversity is a key factor for both adaptation and response to selection. The loss of genetic diversity causes a decrease in individual fitness, and it has a dramatically negative effect on population lifespan in the long term. This study aimed at exploring the genetic diversity at pedigree level of the Bardigiano horse breed, which is a native breed from Italy shaped for living in rural areas. In 1977, the Bardigiano studbook was founded to preserve the breed and for improving its use for ...
Tópico(s): Silkworms and Sericulture Research
2018 - Wiley | Journal of Animal Breeding and Genetics
Michela Ablondi, Christos Dadousis, Matteo Vasini, S. Eriksson, Sofia Mikko, Alberto Sabbioni,
Horses are nowadays mainly used for sport and leisure activities, and several local breeds, traditionally used in agriculture, have been exposed to a dramatic loss in population size and genetic diversity. The loss of genetic diversity negatively impacts individual fitness and reduces the potential long-term survivability of a breed. Recent advances in molecular biology and bioinformatics have allowed researchers to explore biodiversity one step further. This study aimed to evaluate the loss of ...
Tópico(s): Veterinary Equine Medical Research
2020 - Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute | Animals
Christos Dadousis, Michela Ablondi, Claudio Cipolat‐Gotet, Jan-Thijs van Kaam, Maurizio Marusi, Martino Cassandro, Alberto Sabbioni, Andrea Summer,
The objective of this study was to estimate inbreeding coefficients in Holstein dairy cattle using imputed SNPs data. A data set of 95,540 Italian Holstein dairy cows from the routine genomic evaluations of the Italian National Association of Holstein, Brown, and Jersey Breeders were analyzed, with 84,445 imputed SNP. Ten widely used genomic inbreeding estimators were tested, including 4 PLINK v1.9 estimators (F, FHAT1, FHAT2, FHAT3), 3 genomic relationship matrix (GRM)-based methods [VanRaden's first ...
Tópico(s): Cancer-related molecular mechanisms research
2022 - Elsevier BV | Journal of Dairy Science
Alberto Sabbioni, Valentino Beretti, P. Superchi, Michela Ablondi,
The aim of this research is to propose equations to estimate body weight (BW) from body measures (BMs) in the Cornigliese sheep, an endangered breed reared in Italy for meat purpose. BW and BMs were submitted to correlation and multiple regression analyses. Two datasets were used: (i) 303 animals (178 females, 125 males, BW 4.00–117.80 kg), on which BW, height at withers (HW), chest circumference (ChC) and body length (BL) were measured; (ii) 156 animals (109 females, 47 males, BW 5.15–117.80 kg) out of ...
Tópico(s): Reproductive Physiology in Livestock
2019 - Taylor & Francis | Italian Journal of Animal Science
Alberto Sabbioni, Valentino Beretti, Michela Ablondi, Federico Righi, P. Superchi,
The aim of the research was to assess the type of development of carcass and non-carcass components and tissue partitioning in the Cornigliese sheep breed. The study involved 164 animals (104 females, 60 males) from one flock. The selection of those animals accounted for ages and weights differences. Fasted body weight (BW) was recorded before slaughtering. Four BW-classes were identified by means of percentiles distribution: 0–25th percentile, 15.90–50.70 kg BW; 25th–50th percentile, 50.71–63.22 ...
Tópico(s): Reproductive Physiology in Livestock
2017 - Elsevier BV | Small Ruminant Research
Michela Ablondi, M. Malacarne, Claudio Cipolat‐Gotet, Jan-Thijs van Kaam, Alberto Sabbioni, Andrea Summer,
Abstract Dairy cattle breeds have been exposed to intense artificial selection for milk production traits over the last fifty years. In Italy, where over 80% of milk is processed into cheese, selection has also focused on cheese-making traits. Due to a deep-rooted tradition in cheese-making, currently fifty Italian cheeses are marked with the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) label as they proved traditional land of origin and procedures for milk transformation. This study aimed to explore from ...
Tópico(s): Milk Quality and Mastitis in Dairy Cows
2021 - Nature Portfolio | Scientific Reports
Graziano Ceresini, Simonetta Morganti, I. Rebecchi, Luca Bertone, Gian Paolo Ceda, Alberto Bacchi-Modena, Mariapaola Sgarabotto, M. Baldini, F. Ablondi, Giorgio Valenti, Lewis E. Braverman,
Objective Estrogens increase serum thyroxine-binding globulin (TBG) and total thyroxine (TT4) concentrations. Serum free thyroxine (FT4) concentrations, however, remain normal. Raloxifene (RAL) is a selective estrogen receptor modulator used to treat postmenopausal osteoporosis. Data on the long-term effects of RAL on thyroid physiology are scanty. We evaluated the effects of RAL administration for 1 year on thyroid function in osteopenic, postmenopausal women. Design Fifty osteopenic, postmenopausal ...
Tópico(s): Cancer Risks and Factors
2004 - Lippincott Williams & Wilkins | Menopause The Journal of The North American Menopause Society
Michela Ablondi, Martin Johnsson, S. Eriksson, Alberto Sabbioni, Å. Viklund, Sofia Mikko,
Warmblood fragile foal syndrome (WFFS) is a monogenetic defect caused by a recessive lethal missense point mutation in the procollagen-lysine, 2-oxoglutarate 5-dioxygenase 1 gene (PLOD1, c.2032G>A). The majority of homozygous WFFS horses are aborted during gestation. Clinical signs of affected horses include fragile skin, skin and mucosa lacerations, hyperextension of the articulations, and hematomas. In spite of its harmful effect, a relatively high frequency of WFFS carriers has been found in Warmblood ...
Tópico(s): Genetic and phenotypic traits in livestock
2022 - BioMed Central | Genetics Selection Evolution
Marica Simoni, Rokia Temmar, Davide A. Bignamini, Andreas Foskolos, Alberto Sabbioni, Michela Ablondi, A. Quarantelli, Federico Righi,
The overall objective of the current study was to evaluate the effects of 2 carriers (Silica, SIL, and Tween 80, T80) and their interaction with 8 phytochemicals (PCs), on in vitro dry matter and neutral detergent fibre digestibility (DMD, NDFD) of 3 substrates commonly used as feed for dairy cattle (soybean meal, maize meal and total mixed ration –TMR). A total of eight PCs were tested: 4 essential oils (EO) - cinnamon oil (CIN), clove oil (CLO), thyme oil (THY) and oregano oil (ORE) - and 4 essential oil active ...
Tópico(s): Animal Nutrition and Physiology
2020 - Taylor & Francis | Italian Journal of Animal Science
Michela Ablondi, Andrea Summer, Giorgia Stocco, Lorenzo Degano, D. Vicario, Bruno Stefanon, Alberto Sabbioni, Claudio Cipolat‐Gotet,
Costs of production have deeply increased each year in the last decades, breeders are continuously looking for more cost effective and more efficient ways to produce milk. Despite the major signs of progress in productivity, it is fundamental to optimize rather than maximize the performances of the dairy cows. Mastitis is still a highly prevalent disease in the dairy sector which causes several economic losses and environmental impact. Its accurate and early diagnosis is crucial to improve profitability ...
Tópico(s): Effects of Environmental Stressors on Livestock
2023 - Elsevier BV | Journal of Dairy Science
Alicia Maria Carrillo Heredero, Alberto Sabbioni, Vittoria Asti, Michela Ablondi, Andrea Summer, Simone Bertini,
The Bardigiano horse is a traditional native Italian breed with a rich history and peculiar characteristics. Local breeds are proven to have unique genetic traits developed over generations to adapt to defined geographical regions and/or conditions. The specific microbial communities that coexist within these animals are unraveled by studying their microbiota, which permits a further step in the characterization of local heritage. This work aimed to characterize Bardigiano horse fecal microbiota ...
Tópico(s): Ginseng Biological Effects and Applications
2024 - Frontiers Media | Frontiers in Veterinary Science
Graziano Ceresini, Lorenzo Marchini, I. Rebecchi, Simonetta Morganti, Luca Bertone, Ilaria Montanari, Alberto Bacchi-Modena, Maria Paola Sgarabotto, M. Baldini, Licia Denti, F. Ablondi, Gian Paolo Ceda, Giorgio Valenti,
Raloxifene is one of the most important selective estrogen receptor modulators currently employed for the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis. However, it has also been suggested that this compound affects the vascular system. We evaluated both carotid blood flow resistance and endothelium-dependent vasodilation in 50 healthy postmenopausal women randomly assigned to receive, in a double blind design, either raloxifene (60 mg per day; N=25 subjects) or placebo (N=25 subjects) for 4 months. Indices ...
Tópico(s): Cardiovascular Health and Disease Prevention
2003 - Elsevier BV | Atherosclerosis
Michela Ablondi, Alberto Sabbioni, Giulia Esposito, Valentino Beretti, Vittoria Asti,
Alpacas represent an exotic species for Italy, introduced no more than 20–30 years ago. Nevertheless, they are currently the most widespread camelid species reared in this country, highlighting the growing interest in breeding this species. So, it is useful to assess parameters on their growth in relation to the new environment. Thus, body weight and body measures were recorded on 49 healthy alpacas of Huacaya type (27 females, 22 males), along a period of 27 months. Overall, 111 individual observations ...
Tópico(s): Meat and Animal Product Quality
2023 - Taylor & Francis | Italian Journal of Animal Science
Stefano Capomaccio, Michela Ablondi, Daniele Colombi, Cristina Sartori, Andrea Giontella, Katia Cappelli, Enrico Mancin, Vittoria Asti, Roberto Mantovani, Alberto Sabbioni, Maurizio Silvestrelli,
Introduction: The Italian peninsula is in the center of the Mediterranean area, and historically it has been a hub for numerous human populations, cultures, and also animal species that enriched the hosted biodiversity. Horses are no exception to this phenomenon, with the peculiarity that the gene pool has been impacted by warfare and subsequent “colonization”. In this study, using a comprehensive dataset for almost the entire Italian equine population, in addition to the most influential cosmopolitan ...
Tópico(s): Genetic diversity and population structure
2023 - Frontiers Media | Frontiers in Genetics
Andrea Criscione, Giorgio Chessari, Alberto Cesarani, Michela Ablondi, Vittoria Asti, Daniele Bigi, Salvatore Bordonaro, Roberta Ciampolini, Claudio Cipolat‐Gotet, Michele Congiu, Pasquale De Palo, Vincenzo Landi, N.P.P. Macciotta, D. Matassino, Baldassare Portolano, Silvia Riggio, Alberto Sabbioni, Maria Teresa Sardina, Gabriele Senczuk, Serena Tumino, Matteo Vasini, Elena Ciani, Salvatore Mastrangelo,
Abstract With more than 150 recognized breeds, donkeys assume relevant economic importance, especially in developing countries. Even if the estimated number of heads worldwide is 53M, this species received less attention than other livestock species. Italy has traditionally been considered one of the cradles of European donkey breeding, and despite a considerable loss of biodiversity, today still counts nine autochthonous populations. A total of 220 animals belonging to nine different populations ...
Tópico(s): Genetic diversity and population structure
2024 - Oxford University Press | Journal of Animal Science
Alberto Sabbioni, Valentino Beretti, E.M. Zambini, P. Superchi, Michela Ablondi,
With the aim to assess the kind of development of meat colour, pH, chemical composition and fatty acids content, lean meat from a sample cut, taken in correspondence of the first 4 thoracic vertebrae from 164 animals of the Cornigliese sheep breed, was analysed. The animals (104 females, 60 males) were fed with the same nutritional plan; they were between 3.6 and 80.0 months old and their body weight (BW) was between 15.90 and 111.15 kg. Prior to slaughter, the BW was recorded after 12 h of fasting. ...
Tópico(s): Food Industry and Aquatic Biology
2019 - Elsevier BV | Small Ruminant Research
Christos Dadousis, Michela Ablondi, Claudio Cipolat‐Gotet, Jan-Thijs van Kaam, R. Finocchiaro, Maurizio Marusi, Martino Cassandro, Alberto Sabbioni, Andrea Summer,
The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of imputation of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) on the estimation of genomic inbreeding coefficients. Imputed genotypes of 68,127 Italian Holstein dairy cows were analyzed. Cows were initially genotyped with two high density (HD) SNP panels, namely the Illumina Infinium BovineHD BeadChip (678 cows; 777,962 SNP) and the Genomic Profiler HD-150K (641 cows; 139,914 SNP), and four medium density (MD): GeneSeek Genomic Profiler 3 (10,679 cows; 26, ...
Tópico(s): Ruminant Nutrition and Digestive Physiology
2023 - Frontiers Media | Frontiers in Veterinary Science
Michela Ablondi, Andrea Summer, Giorgia Stocco, R. Finocchiaro, Jan-Thijs van Kaam, Martino Cassandro, Christos Dadousis, Alberto Sabbioni, Claudio Cipolat‐Gotet,
Inbreeding depression has become an urgent issue in cosmopolitan breeds where the massive genetic progress achieved in the latest generations is counterbalanced by a dramatic loss of genetic diversity causing increased health issues. Thus, the aim of this study was to estimate inbreeding depression on productive traits in Holstein dairy cattle. More precisely, we aimed to i) determine the level of inbreeding in 27,735 Italian Holstein dairy cows using pedigree and genotype data, ii) quantify the ...
Tópico(s): Genetics and Plant Breeding
2023 - Oxford University Press | Journal of Animal Science
... Semba RD, Nouvenne A, Borghi L, Ceresini G, Ablondi F, Benatti M and Ferrucci L, 2010. Association ...
Tópico(s): Heavy Metal Exposure and Toxicity
2016 - Wiley | EFSA Journal
Michela Ablondi, Emanuela Pira, Vittoria Asti, Alberto Sabbioni, Maria Luisa Dettori, Giuseppe Massimo Vacca, Michele Pazzola,
The Anglo-Arabian horse breed (AA) is the result of crossing between Thoroughbred and Arabian horses renowned for versatility in show-jumping and racing. Southwest France and Sardinia in Italy are considered the historical nucleus of European AA breeding. Since little is known on genetic variability in the AA breed, especially those bred in the Sardinia region, this study investigates: i) inbreeding levels via pedigree and SNP genotyping; ii) runs of homozygosity (ROH) and selection signatures; iii) ...
Tópico(s): Genetic Mapping and Diversity in Plants and Animals
2024 - Taylor & Francis | Italian Journal of Animal Science
Christos Dadousis, Michela Ablondi, Claudio Cipolat‐Gotet, Jan-Thijs van Kaam, R. Finocchiaro, Maurizio Marusi, Martino Cassandro, Alberto Sabbioni, Andrea Summer,
The objective of this study was to assess the effect of using or not using the genotypes of the parents of a cow for imputing SNPs on the estimation of genomic inbreeding coefficients of cows. Imputation (i.e., genotyped plus imputed) genotypes from 68,127 Italian Holstein dairy cows registered in the Italian National Association of Holstein, Brown, and Jersey Breeders were analyzed. Cows were genotyped with the high-density (HD) Illumina Infinium BovineHD BeadChip and GeneSeek Genomic Profiler HD- ...
Tópico(s): Reproductive Physiology in Livestock
2024 - Elsevier BV | Journal of Dairy Science
Vittoria Asti, Michela Ablondi, Alceu Dalle Molle, Alessandro Zanotti, Matteo Vasini, Alberto Sabbioni,
Introduction The shift of the horse breeding sector from agricultural to leisure and sports purposes led to a decrease in local breeds’ population size due to the loss of their original breeding purposes. Most of the Italian breeds must adapt to modern market demands, and gait traits are suitable phenotypes to help this process. Inertial measurement unit (IMU) technology can be used to objectively assess them. This work aims to investigate on IMU recorded data (i) the influence of environmental factors ...
Tópico(s): Genetic and phenotypic traits in livestock
2024 - Frontiers Media | Frontiers in Veterinary Science
Vittoria Asti, Andrea Summer, Michela Ablondi, Cristina Sartori, Andrea Giontella, Valeria Pilastro, Samanta Mecocci, Katia Cappelli, Enrico Mancin, Angelica Oian, Roberto Mantovani, Stefano Capomaccio, Alberto Sabbioni,
Tópico(s): Genetic Mapping and Diversity in Plants and Animals
2025 - BioMed Central | BMC Veterinary Research