The control of reproductive processes involves the integration of a number of factors from the internal and external environment, with the final output signal of these processes being the pulsatile secretion of gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) from the hypothalamus. These factors include the feedback actions of sex steroids, feed intake and nutritional status, season/photoperiod, pheromones, age and stress. Understanding these factors and how they influence GnRH secretion and hence reproduction is important for the management of farm animals. There is evidence that the RF-amide neuropeptide, kisspeptin, may be involved in relaying the effects of these factors to the GnRH neurons. This paper will review the evidence from the common domestic animals (sheep, goats, cattle, horses and pigs), that kisspeptin neurons are (i) regulated by the factors listed above, (ii) contact GnRH neurons and (iii) involved in the regulation of GnRH/gonadotrophin secretion.

The goal of this study was to understand the composition and existence of the resident uterine microbiome in healthy mares and to establish the presence of a core microbiome for the healthy equine uterus. We analyzed the microbiomes of 35 healthy mares that are long-time residents of three farms in Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Australia as well as that of 19 mares purchased from scattered owners in the Southern Mid-Western states of the United States. Over 6 million paired-end reads of the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene were obtained resulting in 19,542 unique Amplicon Sequence Variants (ASVs). ASVs were assigned to 17 known phyla and 213 known genera. Most abundant genera across all animals were Pseudomonas (27%) followed by Lonsdalea (8%), Lactobacillus (7.5%), Escherichia/Shigella (4.5%), and Prevotella (3%). Oklahoma and Louisiana samples were dominated by Pseudomonas (75%). Lonsdalea (28%) was the most abundant genus in the Australian samples but was not found in any other region. Microbial diversity, richness, and evenness of the equine uterine microbiome is largely dependent on the geographical location of the animal. However, we observed a core uterine microbiome consisting of Lactobacillus, Escherichia/Shigella, Streptococcus, Blautia, Staphylococcus, Klebsiella, Acinetobacter, and Peptoanaerobacter.

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SUMMARY Luteinizing hormone releasing hormone (LH-RH) was detected in hypothalamic extracts of rats, rabbits and chickens using a radioimmunoassay for synthetic LH-RH decapeptide. The mobilities of the immunologically active fraction and of synthetic LH-RH were the same in various chromatographic systems (gel filtration on Sephadex, thin-layer chromatography on silica gel and ion-exchange chromatography on carboxymethylcellulose) suggesting that mammalian, avian and synthetic LH-RH's are closely related.

Breeding soundness examinations (BSEs) for bulls rely heavily on the subjective, visual assessment of sperm motility and morphology. Although these criteria have the potential to identify infertile males, they cannot be used to guarantee fertility or provide information about varying degrees of bull fertility. Male factor fertility is complex, and the success of the male gamete is not necessarily realised until well after the spermatozoon enters the oocyte. This paper reviews our existing knowledge of the bull’s contribution from a standpoint of the sperm’s cargo and the impact that this can have on fertilisation and the development of the embryo. There has been a plethora of recent research characterising the many molecular attributes that can affect the functional competence of a spermatozoon. A better understanding of the molecular factors influencing fertilisation and embryo development in cattle will lead to the identification of biomarkers for the selection of bulls of superior fertility, which will have major implications for livestock production. To see this improvement in reproductive performance, we believe incorporation of modern technology into BSEs will be necessary – although many of the discussed technologies are not ready for large scale field application. Each of the ‘omics fields discussed in this review have shown promise for the identification of biomarkers of fertility, with certain families of biomarkers appearing to be better suited to different evaluations throughout a bull’s lifetime. Further research is needed for proposed biomarkers to be of diagnostic or predictive value.