Animal Genetic Expression and the Adaptation to the Tropics: meat and milk production Increasing Drought Tolerance of Forages

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1 Animal Genetic Expression and the Adaptation to the Tropics: meat and milk production Increasing Drought Tolerance of Forages Team members: Luís Alfaro Cardoso (PhD), PI André Almeida PhD Sofia van Harten, MSc, PhD Student Daniela Wentzel, MSc, PhD student André Martinho de Almeida Post-Doctoral Research Fellow (FCT) IICT - Lisbon September (2007)

2 Introduction Tropical areas have two distinct seasons: dry and rainy Due to poor quality of pastures in the dry season, animals may loose up to 30 % of their initial body weight Seasonal weight loss is severe constraint to ruminant production sectors with special relevance to mutton and beef extensive production Relevance in both food and economic security of local populations significantly compromising development Almeida et al. (2006). Tropical Animal Health and Production 38:

3 TWO MAJOR STRATEGIES A) Characterization of animal genetic resources B) Increase in the availability of forages during drought Important Tool in Animal Selection & Improvement Plant Genetic Engineering

4 A - Improvement and characterization of genetic resources Animal species and breeds show different levels of adaptation to seasonal weight loss as a consequence of the selection process and adaptation to harsh conditions of the environment in which they are bred: diseases, parasites, pasture and water availability, etc. Determining the physiological responses of different animal breeds to seasonal weight loss is of paramount importance in the definition of selection criteria of the existing breeds or the introduction of new or improved breeds to new environments The knowledge of the biochemical changes that occur in mammals due to seasonal weight loss has been a priority for our research group for the past 10 years. In the past we have focused on serum amino acid, myofibrillar protein and fatty acids metabolism in laboratory animals and Boer goat bucks Almeida et al. (2007) Small Ruminant Research (in press); Almeida et al. (2004). Small Ruminant Research 55: 141-7; van Harten et al. (2003). Nutrition Research 23: ; van Harten et al. (2003) Nutrition Research 23: ; Almeida et al. (2002) Nutrition Research 22:

5 Ongoing Research Areas... 1) Metabolic, Enzymatic, Genomics (Microarray) and Proteomic profiling in tissues of two sheep breeds with different levels of adaptation to seasonal weight loss... Main objective Establish molecular markers of adaptation to seasonal weight loss

6 Ongoing Research Areas... 2) Genomics (microarray) and Proteomic profiling of the mamary gland of Bos indicus and Bos taurus breeds with different levels of milk production and adaptation to tropical environment... Main objective Establish molecular markers of adaptation to tropical environment and its relation to milk production

7 Ongoing Research Areas... 3) Selected enzymes activities and proteomic profiling in meat production ability in the selection towards meat production: the rabbit as a model laboratory animal Main objective Establish enzymatic and molecular markers of adaptation to seasonal weight loss and meat production

8 B Increase in the availability of forages during drought: Maize biotechnology towards water deficit tolerance Major Goal: To obtain transgenic tobacco (model species) and maize (crop species) plants with higher tolerance to water deficit stress STRATEGY: Genetic Engineering with a construct harbouring the AtTPS1 (Trehalose-6-phosphate synthase) gene from Arabidopsis thaliana using Agrobacterium mediated transformation and electroporation Almeida et al. (2007). Protoplasma 230: 41-49; Almeida et al. (2007) Acta Physiologiae Plantarum 29: Almeida et al. (2007) Euphytica 154: Almeida et al. (2007) In Vitro Plant 43: Almeida et al. (2005) 146:

9 TPS is an enzyme involved in the synthesis of the osmoprotectant TREHALOSE and its accumulation confers tolerance to water deficit stress Transgenic plants expressing the AtTPS1 gene were obtained showing tolerance to experimentally induced water deficit stress when compared to wild type plants WT B5H

10 Future Prospectives: 1) To conduct field assays with the obtained transgenic lines to assess ability to withstand water deficit 2) Conduct similar approach using other important crop species

11 National Scientific Counterparts 1. Chemical and Biological Technologies Institute UNL; 2. Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (Technical University of Lisbon) 3. Faculty of Sciences (University of Lisbon)

12 International Scientific Counterparts 1. Department of Agriculture and Food Government of Western Australia; 2. University of the Free State (South Africa); 3. EMBRAPA (Brazil); 4. CSIC - Molecular Biology Institute of Barcelona (Spain); 5. Rothamstead Research (Harpenden, UK) In the future??