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Heat loss efficiency and HSPs gene expression of Nellore cows in tropical climate conditions

  • Special Issue: Brazilian Congress - Jaboticabal 2017
  • Published:
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Abstract

Adaptation is a relevant characteristic to be understood in livestock animals in order to maintain and raise productivity. In Brazil, the Nellore beef cattle are widely disseminated and well-adapted breed that present good thermoregulatory characteristics for tropical environment conditions. Conversely, the physiological and cellular mechanisms required for thermoregulation and thermotolerance in this breed are still limited. The aim of this study was to comprehend the heat loss efficiency at the whole animal level and heat shock response at the cellular level of Nellore cows in tropical climate conditions. Healthy purebred Nellore cows were classified according to their capacity to lose body heat as Efficient or Inefficient based on vaginal temperature which was continuously monitored by data-loggers. Rectal, tail, and ocular temperatures, sweating rate, and respiratory frequency were collected to assess other thermoregulatory responses. Peripheral mononuclear cells were used for gene expression of heat shock proteins 60, 70, and 90 induced by in vitro heat treatments at 38, 40, and 42 °C. In our findings, the Efficient cows presented higher sweating rates compared to Inefficient cows that presented higher rectal temperature with greater amplitude of vaginal temperature profile. Transcription of the HSP genes was stable at 38 and 40 °C and decreased for all HSP genes at 42 °C. In conclusion, the Nellore efficiency to lose heat was mainly associated with their sweating capacity and cellular thermotolerance confirmed by the maintenance of heat shock proteins transcripts under heat stress. Taken together, this knowledge contributes as a future key for genetic selection of adapted animals.

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Abbreviations

cDNA:

Complementary DNA

EF:

Efficient cows

FZEA:

Faculty of Animal Science and Food Engineering

HSPs:

Heat shock proteins

NEF:

Inefficient cows

IRT:

Infrared thermography trait

L×C×W:

Length × circumference × weight

m:

Meter

PBMCs:

Peripheral blood mononuclear cells

qPCR:

Quantitative polymerase chain reaction

RBCs:

Red blood cells

RF:

Respiratory frequency

RH:

Relative humidity

RT-qPCR:

Reverse transcription

SR:

Sweating rate

T a :

Air temperature

T bg :

Black globe temperature

T dp :

Dew point temperature

THI:

Temperature humidity index

T oc :

Ocular temperature

T r :

Rectal temperature

T t :

Tail temperature

T vag :

Vaginal temperature

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by São Paulo Research Foundation, no. 2011/09282-3. We would also like to show our gratitude to Prof. Ed Hoffman Madureira from University of São Paulo, who provided insight and expertise that greatly assisted the research. This article contains parts derived from two conference abstract presented in the VII Brazilian Congress of Biometeorology, Ambience, Behavior and Animal Welfare and are stated in Figshare proceedings (DOIs: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.5176753; https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.5176756).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Animal Science and Food Engineering, University of São Paulo, Duque de Caxias Norte Avenue, 225, Pirassununga, SP, 13635-900, Brazil

    Henrique Barbosa Hooper, Cristiane Gonçalves Titto, Fábio Luís Henrique, Lina Fernanda Pulido-Rodríguez, Ana Luisa Silva Longo, Thays Mayra da Cunha Leme-dos-Santos & Evaldo Antonio Lencioni Titto

  2. Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of São Paulo, Duque de Caxias Norte Avenue, 225, Pirassununga, SP, 13635-900, Brazil

    Angela Maria Gonella-Diaza, Mario Binelli & Júlio Cesar de Carvalho Balieiro

  3. Biometeorology and Animal Welfare Laboratory, Institute of Mediterranean Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Évora, Apartado 94, 7006-554, Évora, Portugal

    Ana Carina Alves Pereira de Mira Geraldo & Alfredo Manuel Franco Pereira

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  1. Henrique Barbosa Hooper
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  2. Cristiane Gonçalves Titto
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  3. Angela Maria Gonella-Diaza
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  4. Fábio Luís Henrique
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Correspondence to Cristiane Gonçalves Titto.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical standards

All procedures performed in studies involving animals were in accordance with the current Federal Law no. 11.794, sanctioned by the President of the Republic on November 8, 2008. The law is available in full at http://planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/_Ato2007-2010/2008/Lei/L11794.htm, and is known as the Arouca Law, which regulates the scientific use of animals in Brazil. The local committee certifies the protocol number CEUA 13.1.2186.74.2, which involves the production, maintenance and/or use of animals belonging to the phylum Chordata, subphylum Vertebrata (except human beings), for scientific research purposes (or teaching)—it is in accordance with Law 11.794, of October 8, 2008, Decree 6899, of July 15, 2009, with the rules issued by the National Council for Control of Animal Experimentation (CONCEA), and was approved by the Ethics Committee on Animal Use of the School of Animal Science and Food Engineering of São Paulo University.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in studies involving animals were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institution or practice at which the studies were conducted. The animals used in the experiment had prior approval of the Ethics Faculty Committee, receiving the protocol number no. 13.1.2186.74.2.

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Hooper, H.B., Titto, C.G., Gonella-Diaza, A.M. et al. Heat loss efficiency and HSPs gene expression of Nellore cows in tropical climate conditions. Int J Biometeorol 63, 1475–1486 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-018-1576-5

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