Variations in parameters of liver function and plasma progesterone related to underfeeding and ketosis in a dairy herd

Twenty-eight Norwegian Red Cattle dairy cows were fed silage ad libitum and restricted amounts of concentrates. Blood samples were collected before morning feeding, once or twice weekly, from 2 weeks before to 12 weeks after calving. Parameters of liver function, carbohydrate status and fertility were recorded in order to assess their interrelationships. Eight cows were treated for clinical ketosis. Four of these had to be treated 2 or 3 times. Aspartate aminotransferase and bilirubin showed the highest within-animal coefficients of correlation with acetoacetate. Analysis of variance revealed a significant effect of carbohydrate status (indicated by plasma acetoacetate levels) on the levels of aspartate aminotransferase, glutamate dehydrogenase and sorbitol dehydrogenase, though only a small part of the total variation was explained by this factor. The estimated volume density of liver fat in the 4th week of lactation averaged 6.0 +/- 6.4% (+/- SD) ranging from 0.1-25.1%. Liver fat content at this stage of lactation was not significantly correlated with other indicators of liver function or carbohydrate status. Cows treated for clinical ketosis had significantly lower plasma progesterone values at the time of first ketosis treatment than untreated multiparous cows. The frequency of high progesterone values (greater than 3 ng/ml) being significantly lower in treated than in untreated cows during the period from 3-5 weeks post partum, though not at later stages. In conclusion, the results revealed a significant relationship between carbohydrate status and liver function, and also between clinical ketosis and luteal function.     

D-Dimer Improves the Prognostic Value of Combined Clinical and Laboratory Data in Equine Gastrointestinal Colic

The discriminating ability of 15 parameters alone or in combinations, including results from analysis of plasma endotoxin, the Nycomed plasma D-Dimer test and phospholipase A₂, were analyzed to predict morbidity and mortality in equine gastrointestinal colic. Endotoxaemia was a characteristic feature of the colic horses. The problem of adequately predicting non-survivors among colic horses required several parameters to be included in the logistic model: if the “classical parameters”, (heart rate, respiratory rate, PCV, anion gap) were included in the model, addition of plasma D-dimer, phospholipase A₂, and Cl^- significantly improved the predictive value of the logistic model. Increasing heart rate and D-dimer together with decreasing chloride was a risk factor for nonsurvival. The sensitivity of this three-parameter logistic model to predict nonsurvival was 78% and specificity 77%. The Nycomed D-Dimer test is recommended as a horse-site test to predict disseminated intravascular coagulation and nonsurvival in equine colic.     

The potential use of plasma glutamate dehydrogenase activity for the evaluation of hepatic disease in the cockatiel (Nymphicus hollandicus)

A reference interval for plasma glutamate dehydrogenase (GD) (E.C. 1.4.1.3) activity, of 0-8 IU/L, was established for the cockatiel (Nymphicus hollandicus). An automated modification of a commercial manual assay was used. This enzyme is considered liver specific in humans and numerous domestic animals, due to its organ distribution. A similar distribution was found in cockatiels in this study. Maximal enzyme activity was recovered from liver and kidney homogenate supernatants. Minimal activity was detected in skeletal muscle preparations. These results suggest a potential use for plasma GD activity in the evaluation of hepatocelluar injury/necrosis in cockatiels.     

组氨醇脱氢酶抑制剂的研究动态

组氨醇脱氢酶(HDH)是组氨酸生物合成过程中最后两步反应的催化酶。对组氨醇脱氢酶的结构、催化机理、组氨醇脱氢酶抑制剂等方面的研究动态进行了较为详细的综述。     

黄瓜低霜霉威残留性相关基因SDH克隆及表达

通过Solexa技术和比较基因组学方法鉴定霜霉威胁迫下黄瓜果实差异表达基因,筛选黄瓜低霜霉威残留性相关基因SDH。研究利用PCR克隆获得SDH基因全长,命名为Cs SDH。构建亚细胞定位表达载体,利用农杆菌浸润法注射烟草叶片后激光共聚焦显微镜下观察;分别用荧光定量RT-PCR方法和酶联免疫法研究高、低农残品系D9320和D0351中Cs SDH基因在农药霜霉威处理后,不同时间点、不同组织部位时空表达特征和琥珀酸脱氢酶活性。结果表明,Cs SDH基因在烟草叶片细胞中被定位在细胞膜上。黄瓜低农残品种D0351中,Cs SDH基因在果实受霜霉威胁迫后反应迅速,主要在处理前期响应表达强烈,琥珀酸脱氢酶活性显著增加,且该基因表达量显著高于其在高农残品种D9320中表达量。Cs SDH果、叶中表达量较茎中高,且各组织部位表达量高低顺序稳定,为叶果茎。黄瓜高农残品种D9320中,Cs SDH基因表达量在0.5、1、3、12 h呈现上调表达,6、9 h基因表达量差异不显著,48 h出现上调表达高峰。说明克隆得到的Cs SDH基因属农药处理前期响应基因,且该基因可能在降低黄瓜农药残留过程中发挥重要作用。试验通过研究黄瓜琥珀酸脱氢酶基因(SDH)在霜霉威胁迫下表达情况,为挖掘黄瓜低农药残留性功能基因以及探明其作用分子机制奠定基础。     

Molecular cloning,purification and immunogenicity of recombinant Brucella abortus 544 malate dehydrogenase protein

The Brucella mdh gene was successfully cloned and expressed in E. coli. The purified recombinant malate dehydrogenase protein (rMDH) was reactive to Brucella-positive bovine serum in the early stage, but not reactive in the middle or late stage, and was reactive to Brucella-positive mouse serum in the late stage, but not in the early or middle stage of infection. In addition, rMDH did not react with Brucella-negative bovine or mouse sera. These results suggest that rMDH has the potential for use as a specific antigen in serological diagnosis for early detection of bovine brucellosis.     

植物表达载体pGMAR-BADH的构建

将甜菜碱醛脱氢酶基因BADH和植物表达载体pGMAR通过内切酶BamHI和KpnI双酶切,T4连接酶进行连接反应。重组质粒在大肠杆菌菌株DH5α内扩增,提取并纯化质粒。经鉴定,基因BADH已被完整、正确的插入到pGMAR载体中,并成功将BADH插入到载体pGMAR的两个MAR序列之间。     

猪氨基酸代谢节俭机制新假说

猪尿氮排放量为总氮排放量的60%~70%,而尿素是尿液中的主要含氮物,其合成速率在很大程度上决定着尿氮以及总氮的排放量。因此,降低猪肝脏尿素合成速率是减少氮排放量的根本途径。本文首先介绍了当前猪氮减排常用的营养调控技术,然后分别就肝脏尿素合成的直接前体物(氨)与间接前体物(如甘氨酸和丙氨酸)以及氨基酸代谢燃料功能替代机制进行论述,在此基础上提出猪氨基酸代谢节俭机制新假说,即促进丙酮酸/葡萄糖等物质的供能效率,以降低谷氨酸等氨基酸的代谢速率,从而达到减少门静脉尿素前体物净流量、肝脏尿素合成以及尿氮排放量的目的。     

Screening and Analysis of Proteins Interacting with TaPDK from Physiological Male Sterility Induced by CHA in Wheat

To further research the regulatory network of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase (designated as TaPDK) in physiological male-sterility (PHYMS) of wheat induced by chemical hybridizing agent (CHA) SQ-1, an anther cDNA library was constructed, and the proteins interacting with TaPDK were screened via yeast two-hybrid technique. Subsequently, a few candidate proteins in nucleotide expression levels were detected by real-time quantitative PCR. Yeast-two hybrid screening was performed by mating yeast strain Y2HGold containing BD-TaPDK bait plasmid with yeast strain Y187 including anther cDNA library plasmid. Diploid yeast cells were plated on synthetic dropout nutrient medium (SD/-Ade/-His/-Leu/-Trp) (QDO), and further were incubated on QDO medium containing AbA and X-α-Gal. The interactions between TaPDK and the proteins obtained from positive colonies were further confirmed by co-transformation validation. After plasmids DNA were extracted from blue colonies and sequenced, the sequences results were analyzed by bioinformatic methods. Finally, 24 colonies were obtained, including eight genes, namely non-specific lipid-transfer protein precursor (TanLTP), polyubiquitin (TaPUbi), glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (TaPCNA), CBS domain containing protein (TaCBS), actin, guanine nucleotide-binding protein beta subunit, chalcone synthase, and three new genes with unknown function. The results of quantitative RT-PCR showed that the expression levels of TanLTP, TaPUbi, and TaPCNA were obviously up-regulated in PHYMS anther, and TaCBS expression was only increased at the tricellular stage in PHYMS anther compared with in fertile lines. Whereas, the expression of TaPDK was obviously down-regulated in PHYMS lines. Collectively, these datas indicated that the majority of candidate proteins might be related to pollen abortion in PHYMS lines, which further suggested that TaPDK plays multiple roles in pollen development, besides participating in regulating pyruvate dehydrogenase complex activity.