ARS | Publication request: Physiology and Endocrinology Symposium: The current status of heat shock in early embryonic survival and reproductive efficiency

Submitted to: Journal of Animal Science
Publication Type: Other
Publication Acceptance Date: January 3, 2013
Publication Date: March 1, 2013
Citation: Cushman, R.A. 2013. Physiology and Endocrinology Symposium: The current status of heat shock in early embryonic survival and reproductive efficiency. Journal of Animal Science. 91(3):1141-1142.

Technical Abstract: The Physiology and Endocrinology Symposium entitled “The Current Status of Heat Shock in Early Embryonic Survival and Reproductive Efficiency” was held at the Joint ADSA-CSAS-AMPA-WSAS-ASAS Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, July 15 to 19, 2012. In recent years, data has accumulated suggesting a role for Heat Shock Proteins (HSP) in early embryonic development and reproductive efficiency. An understanding of how these proteins influence reproductive efficiency both in vivo and in vitro could have major ramifications for production agriculture. In cattle, performance differences have been identified in Bos indicus breeds and genetic polymorphisms in HSP70 have been associated with reproductive performance (Rosenkrans et al., 2010). In Holstein cows, differences in expression of genes in the HSP40 family have been associated with improved early embryonic development in vitro, suggesting that these proteins may have a greater role in reproductive efficiency than thought, even in animals not adapted to a tropical environment and not placed in a heat stress situation (Zhang et al., 2011). The speakers were identified based on their research to address these topics.