Publications by authors named "Varij Nayan"

Copy number variations (CNVs) have become widely acknowledged as a significant source of genomic variability and phenotypic variance. To understand the genetic variants in horses, CNVs from six Indian horse breeds, Manipuri, Zanskari, Bhutia, Spiti, Kathiawari and Marwari were discovered using Axiom Equine Genotyping Array. These breeds differed in agro-climatic adaptation with distinct phenotypic characters.

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  • The Halari donkey breed, an indigenous Indian species, is facing a rapid decline in population.
  • Their milk is similar to human milk, offering benefits like probiotic diversity and lower allergenic properties, particularly useful for infants allergic to cow or buffalo milk.
  • This study successfully isolated DNA from the milk somatic cells of Halari donkeys and confirmed the presence of the k-casein gene, demonstrating the potential for non-invasive DNA extraction in further molecular research.
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  • * A study analyzed the genetic diversity of seven Indian horse breeds using whole-genome sequencing, leading to the detection of 620,721 SNPs and identifying patterns of runs of homozygosity (ROH), finding the Zanskari breed had the highest number of ROHs.
  • * An Equine SNP marker database (EqSNPDb) was created to organize and provide easy access to information on ROHs and associated SNPs, highlighting significant traits like Wither's height across the different horse breeds.
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  • The study focused on identifying genetic variations (SNPs) in the gene of Indian horse and donkey breeds, highlighting their influence on equine racing, riding, and gaitedness.
  • Researchers sequenced samples from 72 Indian horses and 33 donkeys, discovering a significant non-synonymous mutation in both species at nucleotide 878, affecting how proteins are coded.
  • The findings revealed that donkey breeds exhibited higher genetic diversity compared to horses, with the identified mutations potentially impacting gaitedness in horses, particularly those bred for harness racing.
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This current research set out to characterize Halari donkey milk by investigating its nutritional constituents, including its proximate analysis, water activity, titratable acidity, energy, and microbiological analysis. A comprehensive profiling of vitamins, minerals, and amino acids was also carried out. It was found that the composition of Halari donkey milk was consistent with previously published donkey milk literature and was comparable to that of human milk.

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  • India has diverse horse and pony breeds, and this study focuses on analyzing the Myostatin (MSTN) gene for performance in eight different Indian horse breeds.
  • Researchers amplified and sequenced part of the MSTN gene, discovering single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) indicating genetic variations among the breeds.
  • This study is the first to document MSTN gene variations in Indian horses, offering insights into predicting their athletic performance and understanding their genetic relationships across geographical regions.*
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Water buffalo (), belonging to the family, is an economically important animal as it is the major source of milk, meat, and drought in numerous countries. It is mainly distributed in tropical and subtropical regions with a global population of approximately 202 million. The advent of low cost and rapid sequencing technologies has opened a new vista for global buffalo researchers.

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  • Subclinical mastitis (SCM) significantly affects milk production in buffaloes and is linked to changes in DNA methylation that influence gene expression.
  • The study analyzed whole-genome DNA methylation and mRNA levels in healthy versus SCM-affected buffaloes, revealing lower methylation in SCM cases and identifying nearly 4,000 differentially methylated regions.
  • Important genes involved in immune response were found to be downregulated in SCM, indicating DNA methylation may be a key regulatory mechanism impacting this condition in dairy buffaloes.
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Water buffalo () are an important animal resource that contributes milk, meat, leather, dairy products, and power for plowing and transport. However, mastitis, a bacterial disease affecting milk production and reproduction efficiency, is most prevalent in populations having intensive selection for higher milk yield, especially where the inbreeding level is also high. Climate change and poor hygiene management practices further complicate the issue.

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Missing an estrus event is an economic problem in buffaloes because of lack of a simple and accurate estrus identification method. Saliva, a non-invasive fluid available every time, showed typical fern-like crystallization patterns at early estrus in buffaloes. However, to implement this salivary ferning based estrus identification method in the field conditions, the present study, for the first time, validated this method in four buffalo population samples (PS) representing four different field scenarios, an organized herd (PS1, 10 buffaloes monitored daily for a year (149 estrus events)), artificial insemination (AI) centers (PS2, 114 buffaloes brought for AI), induced estrus condition (PS3, 44 buffaloes) and farmers' doorsteps (PS4, 275 random buffaloes with unknown reproductive history and no estrous signs).

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We present a novel peptide sequence identified through in silico epitope design and the later generation of peptide-directed antibodies recognizing the buffalo luteinizing hormone. Peptides and antibodies, specific to reproductive hormones, are valuable tools for developing point-of-care immunodiagnostic tools. The study predicted an epitope peptide in silico from buffalo luteinizing hormone and the generation of polyclonal antibodies against this peptide sequence.

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We present a method for the detection of luteinizing hormone (LH) in buffalo urine by using gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) conjugated with novel anti-peptide antibodies against LH (anti LHP) in lateral flow assay format. Buffalo LH is an important reproductive hormone and is a chemically complex glycoprotein. Its surge release precedes ovulation and therefore detecting LH has implications in identifying the ovulation event.

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Objectives: Granulosa cells are associated with steroidogenesis and ovarian function in females. Aims of the study are to understand the effects of gold nanoparticles (AuNP) on steroidogenesis and apoptotic pathway associated genes in buffalo granulosa cells.

Results: The AuNP were prepared chemically and thereby characterized by transmission electron microscope (TEM) imaging, absorbance and dynamic light scattering (DLS) measurements for hydrodynamic diameter and zeta potential.

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  • Equine pituitary gonadotropins (like eLH, eFSH, and eCG) are important hormones in horses that help maintain pregnancy and can induce superovulation in other animals.
  • The research involved cloning and analyzing the eCG alpha subunit to understand its structure, function, and interaction with the drug ganirelix, which is used to manage ovulation.
  • Results showed a high similarity in the protein sequences of different horse species and indicated that eCG alpha might interact positively with ganirelix, providing insights for improving assisted reproductive technologies.
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Estrus detection in buffaloes has been a major concern for decades, and lack of reliable methods affects their effective reproductive management. Luteinizing hormone (LH) detection in urine is in practice for several mammals for timed insemination, whereas very few reports are available on buffalo urinary LH. The focus of this study is to detect the presence of LH in buffalo urine, quantitate variation in urinary LH during different estrous cycle phases and examine the duration of mid-cycle LH window.

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Estrus detection is a major problem in buffalo husbandry because of inconsistent expression of estrous signs at different seasons, and a high prevalence of the silent heat and postpartum anestrus in this species. Around 50% of the estrus events in buffaloes are currently undetected in the field conditions, resulting in a huge economic loss. Although the cervicovaginal fluid fern patterns confirm the estrus for a breeding decision, the fluid discharge is absent during the silent-heat condition.

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Salivary RNA-based biomarkers are not available for any physiological condition in farm animals. Hence, an objective of this study was to perform salivary transcript analysis in buffaloes. Saliva, after removal of the cells and particulate matter, was directly used for RT-PCR without RNA isolation.

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Milk is a natural nutraceutical produced by mammals. The nanovesicles of milk play a role in horizontal gene transfer and confer health-benefits to milk consumers. These nanovesicles contain miRNA, mRNA, and proteins which mediate the intercellular communication.

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Inhibin is a non-steroidal glycoprotein hormone of gonadal origin with major action as negative feedback control of the production of FSH by the anterior pituitary gland. The physiological role of inhibin has led to the development of inhibin immunogens for fertility enhancement in farm animals. It is envisaged that a reduction of endogenous inhibin secretion would increase FSH concentrations and thus offers a potential for increasing the number of ovulatory follicles in the ovary.

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