{"id":{"repo_id":"uiuc","oai_identifier":"oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/130227"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/uiuc/oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/130227","repository":{"repo_id":"uiuc","name":"University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign","base_url":"https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh"},"display":{"title":"Physiological and immune responses to endophyte-infected tall fescue exposure in beef heifers: impacts on performance, metabolism, and immune cell transcriptomics","abstract":"Submission published under a 24 month embargo labeled 'Closed Access', the embargo will last until 2027-08-01","abstract_html":"Submission published under a 24 month embargo labeled &#x27;Closed Access&#x27;, the embargo will last until 2027-08-01","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Godoy Takashe, Joao Vitor"],"institution":"University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign","degree_name":"M.S.","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"Animal Sciences","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Braz, Camila U.","McCann, Joshua C","Antonson, Adrienne"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2025,"date_issued":"2025-07-25","date_published":"2025-07-25","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:25:06Z","subjects":["Beef Cattle","Ergot Alkaloids","Fescue Toxicosis","Gene Expression","Immune Dysregulation","Pbmcs."],"languages":["en","eng"],"rights":["Copyright 2025 Joao Godoy Takashe"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://hdl.handle.net/2142/130227","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Braz, Camila U.","McCann, Joshua C","Antonson, Adrienne"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Godoy Takashe, Joao Vitor"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2025-07-25","2025-08"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["text"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Animal Sciences"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["M.S."]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Beef Cattle","Ergot Alkaloids","Fescue Toxicosis","Gene Expression","Immune Dysregulation","Pbmcs."]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["en","eng"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Copyright 2025 Joao Godoy Takashe"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://hdl.handle.net/2142/130227"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["Submission published under a 24 month embargo labeled 'Closed Access', the embargo will last until 2027-08-01","The student, Joao Godoy Takashe, accepted the attached license on 2025-07-24 at 10:17.","The student, Joao Godoy Takashe, submitted this Thesis for approval on 2025-07-24 at 10:57.","This Thesis was approved for publication on 2025-07-25 at 13:11.","DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #22724 on 2025-10-25 at 15:54:36","Fescue toxicosis, resulting from the consumption of ergot alkaloids present in endophyte-infected tall fescue, remains a significant challenge to beef cattle health and productivity. This research investigated the physiological and immune consequences of fescue toxicosis in twenty-four commercial Angus heifers housed in a feedlot system. Twelve heifers received endophyte-infected (E+) tall fescue seeds (ergovaline dose: 20 μg/kg BW/day), and twelve received endophyte-free (E−) control seeds, both provided as part of a total mixed ration for 49 days. Animals were allocated to dietary treatments with balanced genetic representation. The first study evaluated whether E+ tall fescue seeds could replicate symptoms of fescue toxicosis. Key performance metrics (body weight, dry matter intake, and feeding behavior), thermoregulation (rectal temperature and respiration rate), and liver function (serum biochemical profile) were measured. E+ heifers showed significant reductions in body weight, dry matter intake, feeding rate, and meal size (P<0.05), along with elevated rectal temperatures and respiration rates emerging within two weeks of exposure. Serum analysis revealed elevated aspartate aminotransferase (AST), reduced alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and cholesterol levels in E+ heifers (P < 0.05), indicating hepatic and metabolic disruption. The second study investigated immune and metabolic disruptions by analyzing hematological and transcriptomic changes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) on day 49. E+ heifers exhibited hematological alterations, including a reduced neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, segmented neutrophil percentages, and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), along with increased lymphocyte percentages and basophil counts (P < 0.05). RNA sequencing of PBMCs identified 64 differentially expressed genes (11 upregulated and 53 downregulated; FDR < 0.05). Functional enrichment analysis revealed disruptions in pathways related to vascular development, inflammation, immune response, apoptosis, neuroinflammation, cholesterol metabolism, cytokine signaling, and adaptive thermogenesis. Together, these findings confirm that feeding endophyte-infected tall fescue seeds can mimic pasture-based toxicosis and induce systemic physiological, metabolic, and immune disruptions. The results revealed transcriptomic signatures in immune cells that offer mechanistic insight into the physiological and immune-related pathways disrupted by ergovaline exposure in beef cattle."]},{"key":"dc:format","label":"Dc Format","values":["application/pdf"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Physiological and immune responses to endophyte-infected tall fescue exposure in beef heifers: impacts on performance, metabolism, and immune cell transcriptomics"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Braz, Camila U.","McCann, Joshua C","Antonson, Adrienne"],"dc:creator":["Godoy Takashe, Joao Vitor"],"dc:date":["2025-07-25","2025-08"],"dc:description":["Submission published under a 24 month embargo labeled 'Closed Access', the embargo will last until 2027-08-01","The student, Joao Godoy Takashe, accepted the attached license on 2025-07-24 at 10:17.","The student, Joao Godoy Takashe, submitted this Thesis for approval on 2025-07-24 at 10:57.","This Thesis was approved for publication on 2025-07-25 at 13:11.","DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #22724 on 2025-10-25 at 15:54:36","Fescue toxicosis, resulting from the consumption of ergot alkaloids present in endophyte-infected tall fescue, remains a significant challenge to beef cattle health and productivity. This research investigated the physiological and immune consequences of fescue toxicosis in twenty-four commercial Angus heifers housed in a feedlot system. Twelve heifers received endophyte-infected (E+) tall fescue seeds (ergovaline dose: 20 μg/kg BW/day), and twelve received endophyte-free (E−) control seeds, both provided as part of a total mixed ration for 49 days. Animals were allocated to dietary treatments with balanced genetic representation. The first study evaluated whether E+ tall fescue seeds could replicate symptoms of fescue toxicosis. Key performance metrics (body weight, dry matter intake, and feeding behavior), thermoregulation (rectal temperature and respiration rate), and liver function (serum biochemical profile) were measured. E+ heifers showed significant reductions in body weight, dry matter intake, feeding rate, and meal size (P<0.05), along with elevated rectal temperatures and respiration rates emerging within two weeks of exposure. Serum analysis revealed elevated aspartate aminotransferase (AST), reduced alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and cholesterol levels in E+ heifers (P < 0.05), indicating hepatic and metabolic disruption. The second study investigated immune and metabolic disruptions by analyzing hematological and transcriptomic changes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) on day 49. E+ heifers exhibited hematological alterations, including a reduced neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, segmented neutrophil percentages, and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), along with increased lymphocyte percentages and basophil counts (P < 0.05). RNA sequencing of PBMCs identified 64 differentially expressed genes (11 upregulated and 53 downregulated; FDR < 0.05). Functional enrichment analysis revealed disruptions in pathways related to vascular development, inflammation, immune response, apoptosis, neuroinflammation, cholesterol metabolism, cytokine signaling, and adaptive thermogenesis. Together, these findings confirm that feeding endophyte-infected tall fescue seeds can mimic pasture-based toxicosis and induce systemic physiological, metabolic, and immune disruptions. The results revealed transcriptomic signatures in immune cells that offer mechanistic insight into the physiological and immune-related pathways disrupted by ergovaline exposure in beef cattle."],"dc:format":["application/pdf"],"dc:identifier":["https://hdl.handle.net/2142/130227"],"dc:language":["en","eng"],"dc:rights":["Copyright 2025 Joao Godoy Takashe"],"dc:subject":["Beef Cattle","Ergot Alkaloids","Fescue Toxicosis","Gene Expression","Immune Dysregulation","Pbmcs."],"dc:title":["Physiological and immune responses to endophyte-infected tall fescue exposure in beef heifers: impacts on performance, metabolism, and immune cell transcriptomics"],"dc:type":["text"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Animal Sciences"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["M.S."],"thesis:institution_name":["University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:25:06Z"}