How Does Iowa State Research on Swine Sire Fertility Impact Cattle, Humans?

Wed, 23 Mar 2022 19:43:03 GMT

Sire infertility is a problem for the reproductive performance of swine, despite the greater attention that has long been given to the female side of the equation.

“We know that 25% of the boar herd has less than 80% conception rates, which is considered unacceptable by industry,” said Karl Kerns, assistant professor of animal science at Iowa State University and 2014 alum of the same department. “By adding even one more pig to a litter, we could increase production by an estimated $120 million annually. To improve that, we need to learn more about what influences the capacity of sperm to fertilize. That means developing better tools for researching sperm health – and making it easier for the industry to use the knowledge we already have.”

Kerns is leading a new five-year grant from the USDA National Institute for Food and Agriculture to support research on boar sperm capacitation -- the biological pathways that support spermatozoa’s ability to fertilize. The grant is one of 14 funded nationwide under NIFA’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) - Animal Reproduction Program. This project, and two other recent awards to collaborate with colleagues at the University of Missouri and the USDA Agricultural Research Service, total $1.7 million in federal support for Kerns’ work studying male fertility.

Kerns takes a molecular approach to analyze the biochemical makeup of sperm, especially the proteins, fats and energy sources that signal which sperm are more – or less -- fertile. The AFRI project focuses on swine, but has implications for other species, including cattle and humans.

To study sire fertility, he uses a state-of-the-art piece of equipment found in few andrology labs around the world: an image-based flow cytometer, “basically a high-throughput microscope,” he explained. In a matter of a 30-60 seconds, the cytometer allows imaging of up to 10,000 sperm cells and up to nine biomarkers within each cell. Kerns then uses computer-based artificial intelligence to link the resulting vast data set of images with reproductive outcomes. This kind of equipment and approach has become more common in human health research, such as the cancer field, but it has not been used to study livestock fertility, according to Kerns.

The project has multiple goals, including reducing barriers in the swine industry to use the best available information on swine genetics and reproductive capacity.

“In the past, the uptake of relevant technology has been slowed by the high cost of lab equipment, the need for highly skilled labor and increased analysis time, none of which are conducive to production,” said Kerns. “This new project will use analytical software resources aimed at providing accessible, economical methods and equipment that can more quickly translate findings from the lab bench to barns.”

Another aspect of the research is to investigate the lipid (or fats), protein and energy sources of fertile spermatozoa to see if supplements can increase sperm cell survival after insemination and boost fertility.

His previous foundational work has already had an impact on the livestock industry. While doing graduate and postdoctoral research at the University of Missouri, he and his team found a relationship between zinc ions and the fertilization competency of boar spermatozoa. That information, now termed the “mammalian sperm zinc signature,” has improved boar and bull fertility diagnostics. Further research on the influence of zinc on sperm health is an ongoing area of focus.

“Male fertility is one part of the fertility equation that is often overlooked, but it’s critically important,” Kerns said. “However, this is not just about swine. We are taking a ‘One Health’ approach that is likely to be relevant to other mammals, including cattle and humans. For instance, infertility is a costly issue for the beef industry, representing a $4.7 billion annual loss for U.S. cattle producers.”

“Eventually this could also lead to better fertility diagnostics for humans,” he said. “One out of eight couples struggle with infertility. We know that men contribute up to two-thirds of the problem directly and indirectly. Current human infertility treatments are not only very expensive, with low success rates, but also can put undue stress on the emotional health of the couple when not diagnosed correctly. Having better diagnostics to identify male fertility issues, and better ways to address them, could reduce the stigma we now often unduly place on women and greatly boost reproductive success for couples.”

Read more from Farm Journal’s PORK:

Boar Fertility: It’s Not Just About Form and Speed

Gene Editing: Experts Say it’s Time to Remodel Regulatory Landscape

Fri, 16 Jul 2021 14:13:04 GMT

In order for gene editing in agricultural animals to “unleash enormous gains in productivity,” a remodeling of the federal landscape is imperative, experts conclude.

The panel, convened by the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU), has spent the past 18 months studying this issue and recently released the “ AAVMC/APLU Gene Editing in Agriculture Task Force Report .”

“Gene editing has the capacity to create transformational change in our food production systems,” Noelle Cockett, president of Utah State University, a renowned geneticist, and chair of the task force said in a release. “But in order to realize those benefits in production and safety, we need a regulatory structure that has kept pace with technology.”

The report suggests current regulatory protocols have not kept up with technological change and must be modernized in order for society to realize the benefits of new scientific capabilities. Reform is needed to address the food security and sustainability needs of a global population expected to reach 10 billion people by 2050.

“For the promises of applying gene editing in livestock to be realized, federal regulatory approval and monitoring processes that are rooted in science and streamlined with the pace of development, as well as public acceptance of food derived from gene edited animals, are essential,” authors said in the report.

If remodeling of the federal regulatory landscape doesn’t happen soon, the U.S. will not be able to sustain its place as a global leader and innovator in the animal agriculture sector and keep up with the expanding global human population, the report said.

Regulatory recommendations
Currently the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates genetic work on food animals as an “animal drug” under protocols developed during the early phases of the Biotechnology Revolution. The USDA regulates these technologies with crops.

The report offers these recommendations:
1. Update the existing FDA regulatory framework (currently based upon processes established for transgenic technologies that are out of step with state-of-the-art gene editing technologies) and develop a coordinated, streamlined, fact-based, and cost-effective assessment and approval process between the USDA and FDA to ensure safe food.

2. Develop an evidence and logic-based decision-making protocol for gene editing applications that is regulated separately from transgenic-based GMOs which result from the integration of recombinant DNA.

3. Develop streamlined assessment and approval processes that categorize gene editing applications based on: a) the type of genomic change being created, b) the method used for creating the genomic change, c) the impact on the welfare of the animal, and d) the potential for negative impact on the environment.

4. Develop a regulatory channel for approval of gene-edited agricultural animals with genomic structures that could have arisen in nature as safe for human consumption.

Steps to Unlock the Potential
The panel also outlined a series of steps that could help pave the way for fully reaping the potential benefits of gene editing technology:

• Establish a national coalition of scientific experts, bioethicists and engagement specialists from APLU and AAVMC member institutions to serve as a sounding board and think-tank related to the modernization of the existing federal regulatory framework.

• Engage with federal legislators, staffers, and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and inform them on key issues related to regulatory approval and monitoring processes for gene editing applications in livestock.

• Distribute the task force report to stakeholder organizations and agencies like U.S. Land-grant universities, the FDA, the USDA, the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, the Gates Foundation and others.

• Establish a University Research Consortium of scientific experts developing gene editing applications in livestock that will facilitate collaborative research and educational initiatives.

“Our task force has thoughtfully and carefully considered many different aspects of this issue, including perspectives from the scientific and agricultural communities, and we have made our recommendations. We hope this work will meaningfully inform the work of government officials as they develop the best public policy in this area,” Cockett said in a release.

Task Force members include Cockett; Jon Oatley, Washington State University; Bhanu Telugu, Universities of Missouri and Maryland; Londa Nwadike, Kansas State University and University of Missouri; Jonathan Beever, University of Tennessee; Rex Dunham, Auburn University; and James Murray, University of California, Davis; Kathy Simmons, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association; and Clint Nesbitt, Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO). The task force was staffed by AAVMC Director for Governmental Affairs Mr. Kevin Cain.

Read the full report .

Read more:

FDA Stalls U.S. Gene-Edited Livestock Efforts

USDA Oversight of Gene-Edited Livestock: A Seismic Shift for Agriculture

Gene Editing Promise Stalled at FDA

Virus-Resistant Pigs Provide Answers to Global Threats

Ag Needs White House Support on Gene-Edited Livestock Oversight

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Hogs Genetics

How Does Iowa State Research on Swine Sire Fertility Impact Cattle, Humans?

Gene Editing: Experts Say it’s Time to Remodel Regulatory Landscape