Reproductive wastage in the androstenedione-immune ewe

NLRP7 in the spectrum of reproductive wastage: rare non-synonymous variants confer genetic susceptibility to recurrent reproductive wastage.

BACKGROUND NLRP7 mutations are responsible for recurrent molar pregnancies and associated reproductive wastage. To investigate the role of NLRP7 in sporadic moles and other forms of reproductive wastage, the authors sequenced this gene in a cohort of 135 patients with at least one hydatidiform mole or three spontaneous abortions; 115 of these were new patients. METHODS/RESULTS All mutations w...

Reproductive wastage and the evolution of genetic systems.

An outstanding problem for evolutionary biology is the maintenance of anisogamous sex in the face of the ostensible twofold reproductive advantage accruing to parthenogenetic females that do not produce male offspring (Williams, 1975; Maynard Smith, 1978; Bell, 1982). Conventional solutions are sought in terms of cryptic advantages to sex involving variable environments, genetic load, and DNA d...

The ‘ram effect’ as a way of modifying the reproductive activity in the ewe

The seasonality of breeding activity in sheep represents an important constraint in the breeding program of commercial flocks. The ‘ram effect’ is one among various techniques available to manipulate reproduction during the anoestrous season but with the advantages of being inexpensive, of easy application and free from causing problems to the consumer of animal foods (i.e. hormone residues). T...

Immune Cells in the Female Reproductive Tract

The female reproductive tract has two main functions: protection against microbial challenge and maintenance of pregnancy to term. The upper reproductive tract comprises the fallopian tubes and the uterus, including the endocervix, and the lower tract consists of the ectocervix and the vagina. Immune cells residing in the reproductive tract play contradictory roles: they maintain immunity again...

Practical Approach to Minimize Feed Wastage in the Rabbitry