Comparison of estimated breeding values, daughter yield deviations and de-regressed proofs within a whole genome scan for QTL

An important issue in quantitative trait loci (QTL) detection is the use of phenotypic measurement as a dependent variable. Daughter yield deviations (DYDs) as the unit of choice are not available for all traits of interest. The use of de-regressed proofs (DRPFs) of estimated breeding values (EBVs) is an alternative to using daughter yield deviations. The objective of this study was to examine possible differences between DYDs and DRPFs within the use of QTL detection. The pedigree used was part of the granddaughter design of the German QTL effort. Consisting marker maps for livestock species were derived from all available data of 16 German Holstein paternal half-sib families with a total of 872 sires. The number of progeny ranged from 19 to 127. A whole genome scan was performed using weighted and unweighted multimarker regression with DYDs, DRPFs and EBVs as dependent variables for the traits milk, fat and protein yields. Results were compared with respect to the number of QTL detected. A similar number of QTL was detected with DRPFs and DYDs. Also, when dependent variables were weighted according to the variance of the trait, a higher number of QTL was detected at the desired level of significance as compared to using unweighted variables.     

Uterus duplex bicollis,Vagina simplex in laboratory Guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus), rats (Rattus norvegicus forma domestica) and mice (Mus musculus forma domestica)

The female genital tract originates from the Müllerian ducts during embryological development. Fusion of the ducts occurs in different segments depending on the animal species, resulting in a variational number of the respective organ. Current literature on genital tract morphology of laboratory rodents is controversial. Therefore, the present study aimed at determining an anatomically correct definition of the uterus in laboratory guinea pigs, mice and rats. In all three rodent species, we found two separate cervical canals that communicate with an individual uterus via discrete ostia uteri interna. The correct anatomical definition should therefore be uterus duplex bicollis, vagina simplex.     

Origin of the high-frequency resonances in 1H NMR spectra of muscle tissue: an in vitro slow magic-angle spinning study

High-resolution slow magic-angle spinning (150 Hz) 1H PASS NMR spectroscopy is performed on intact excised rat m. tibialis anterior. Untreated muscles and muscles in vitro incubated in Krebs-Ringers buffer based on deuterium oxide are investigated. In the high-frequency region of the 1H NMR spectra, resonances from H4 (approximately 7.1-7.2 ppm) and H2 (approximately 8.2-8.5 ppm) in histidine are observed. In addition, a resonance appears at 6.7 ppm for the untreated muscles. However, this resonance is absent in muscles following incubation in deuterium oxide. On the basis of its behavior in deuterium oxide combined with supplementary measurements for creatine solutions, the 6.7 ppm resonance is ascribed to the amino protons in creatine. Moreover, the present study demonstrates that the observation of the 6.7 ppm resonance depends on pH, which explains earlier reports stating its occasional appearance. Finally, measurements on solutions of ATP/AMP and histidine indicate that both ATP/AMP and histidine contribute to the resonances at approximately 8.2-8.5 ppm in the 1H NMR spectra of muscle tissue.     

Does oxidation affect the water functionality of myofibrillar proteins?

Water-binding properties of myofibrils extracted from porcine muscle, and added hemoglobin with and without exposure to H2O2, were characterized using low-field proton NMR T2 relaxometry. The effects of pH and ionic strength in the samples were investigated as pH was adjusted to 5.4, 6.2, and 7.0 and ionic strength was adjusted to 0.29, 0.46, and 0.71 M, respectively. The formation of dityrosine as a measure of oxidative protein cross-linking revealed a significant increase in dityrosine concentrations upon H2O2 activation. The formation of dityrosine was strongly pH-dependent and increased with decreasing pH. In addition, increased levels of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances were observed upon addition of H2O2, implying that lipid oxidation was enhanced, however, with a different oxidation pattern as compared to the myofibrillar proteins. Low-field NMR relaxation measurements revealed reduced T2 relaxation times upon H2O2 activation, which corresponds to reduced water-holding capacity upon oxidation. However, a direct relationship between degree of oxidation and T2 relaxation time was not observed with various pH values and ionic strengths, and further studies are needed for a complete understanding of the effect of oxidation on myofibrillar functionality.     

Myowater dynamics and protein secondary structural changes as affected by heating rate in three pork qualities: a combined FT-IR microspectroscopic and 1H NMR relaxometry study

The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of heating rate on myowater dynamics and protein secondary structures in three pork qualities by proton NMR T2 relaxation and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) microspectroscopy measurements. Two oven temperatures at 100 degrees C and 200 degrees C corresponding to slow and fast heating rates were applied on three pork qualities (DFD, PSE, and normal) to an internal center temperature of 65 degrees C. The fast heating induced a higher cooking loss, particularly for PSE meat. The water proton T21 distribution representing water entrapped within the myofibrillar network was influenced by heating rate and meat quality. Fast heating broadened the T21 distribution and decreased the relaxation times of the T21 peak position for three meat qualities. The changes in T21 relaxation times in meat can be interpreted in terms of chemical and diffusive exchange. FT-IR showed that fast heating caused a higher gain of random structures and aggregated beta-sheets at the expense of native alpha-helixes, and these changes dominate the fast-heating-induced broadening of T21 distribution and reduction in T21 times. Furthermore, of the three meat qualities, PSE meat had the broadest T21 distribution and the lowest T21 times for both heating rates, reflecting that the protein aggregation of PSE caused by heating is more extensive than those of DFD and normal, which is consistent with the IR data. The present study demonstrated that the changes in T2 relaxation times of water protons affected by heating rate and raw meat quality are well related to the protein secondary structural changes as probed by FT-IR microspectroscopy.     

Identification of allyl esters in garlic cheese

This study describes the identification of six allyl esters in a garlic cheese preparation and in a commercial cream cheese. The extracts were prepared by liquid/liquid extraction and concentrated by the SAFE process. The identification of the allyl esters of acetic, butyric, hexanoic, heptanoic, octanoic, and decanoic acids is based on the correlation of their mass spectrometric data and chromatographic retention time data obtained from the extracts with those of authentic standards. In addition to the gas chromatography (GC)/mass spectrometry analysis, the flavor ingredients were characterized by GC sniffing by a trained flavorist. Some of the esters were isolated by preparative GC.     

Proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy based investigation on propylene glycol toxicosis in a Holstein cow

Background

It is unknown which metabolites are responsible for propylene glycol (PG)-induced toxicosis, and a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms explaining incidences of abnormal behaviour of dairy cows fed PG is therefore needed.

Methods

The study included three cows of which one developed PG toxicosis. In order to investigate how the metabolism of PG differed in the cow developing toxicosis, proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy was applied on ruminal fluids and blood plasma samples obtained before and after feeding with PG.

Results

PG toxicosis was characterized by dyspnea and ruminal atony upon intake of concentrate containing PG. The oxygen saturation of arterial blood haemoglobin and the oxygen pressure in arterial blood decreased along with the appearance of the clinical symptoms. NMR revealed differences in plasma and ruminal content of several metabolites between the cow responding abnormally to PG and the two control cows.

Conclusion

It is concluded that PG-toxicosis is likely caused by pulmonary vasoconstriction, but no unusual metabolites directly related to induction of this condition could be detected in the plasma or the ruminal fluid.     

Pathology of an ulcerative dermatitis in Belgian Landrace sows

Chronic ulcers of the skin were observed in three Belgian Landrace sows. Lesions were located on ears, limbs, and in the mammary region and were resistant to treatment that included corticosteroid therapy. Major histologic changes were located at the dermo-epidermal junction. Ulcers were deep, and the adjacent epidermis had marked hyperkeratosis, acanthosis, and intracellular edema. Dermatitis was prominent, essentially located in the superficial dermis. By electron microscopy, basal lamina appeared disrupted. Dermo-epidermal separation occurred beneath the basal lamina. Collagen was morphologically normal. Desmosomes, hemidesmosomes, and anchorage fibers were present in areas adjacent to lesions. Ulcerative dermatitis of sows is morphologically similar to pemphigus, pemphigoid, systemic lupus erythematosus, epidermolysis bullosa simplex, erythema multiforme, toxic epidermal necrolysis, and drug eruption. However, significant differences exist between ulcerative dermatitis and these conditions.     

Analysis of blood clotting factor activities in canine Legg-Calvé-Perthes' disease

Legg-Calve-Perthes' (LCP) disease is a noninflammatory aseptic necrosis of the femoral head and neck in small-breed dogs. The etiology of the disease is not known, but ischemia resulting from vascular compression or occlusion has been proposed. A latent ischemic phase during development of the femoral epiphysis seems to be responsible for the onset of the typical clinical features of LCP disease. Ischemia might result from insufficient oxygen supply either caused by a reduced number of afferent arterial vessels or an occlusion of the efferent venous vessels by thrombosis. In humans, LCP disease has been linked to hypercoagulability and hypofibrinolysis caused by deficiencies of protein C, protein S, or resistance to activated protein C. To determine whether canine LCP disease is caused by similar deficiencies, we determined protein C, protein S, activated protein C, factor II, factor V, factor VIII:C, and AT III activities in plasma samples of 18 dogs with clinically and histopathologically verified LCP disease. All dogs had normal plasma activities of these factors, indicating that in these dogs LCP disease was not caused by deficiencies of the analyzed blood clotting factors.     

Impact of bovine urine deposition on soil microbial activity,biomass, and community structure

Nitrogen (N) from urine excreted by grazing animals can be transformed into N compounds that have detrimental effects on the environment. These include nitrate, which can cause eutrophication of waterways, and nitrous oxide, which is a greenhouse gas. Soil microbes mediate all of these N transformations, but the impact of urine on microbes and how initial soil conditions and urine chemical composition alter their responses to urine are not well understood. This study aimed to determine how soil inorganic N pools, nitrous oxide fluxes, soil microbial activity, biomass, and the community structure of bacteria containing amoA (nitrifiers), nirK, and nirS (denitrifiers) genes responded to the addition of urine over time. Bovine urine containing either a high (15.0 g K⁺ l^?1) or low salt content (10.4 g K⁺ l^?1) was added to soil cores at either low or high moisture content (hereafter termed dry and wet soil respectively; 35% or 70% water-filled pore space after the addition of urine). Changes in soil conditions, inorganic N pools, nitrous oxide fluxes, and the soil microbial community were then measured 1, 3, 8, 15, 29 and 44 days after urine addition. Urine addition increased soil ammonium concentrations by up to 2 mg g d.w.^?1, soil pH by up to 2.7 units, and electrical conductivity (EC) by 1.0 and 1.6 dS m^?1 in the low and high salt urine treatments respectively. In response, nitrate accumulation and nitrous oxide fluxes were lower in dry compared to wet urine-amended soils and slightly lower in high compared to low salt urine-amended soils. Nitrite concentrations were elevated (>3 μg g d.w.^?1) for at least 15 days after urine addition in wet urine-amended soils, but were only this high in the dry urine-amended soils for 1 day after the addition of urine. Microbial biomass was reduced by up to half in the wet urine-amended soils, but was largely unaffected in the dry urine-amended soils. Urine addition affected the community structure of ammonia-oxidising and nitrite-reducing bacteria; this response was also stronger and more persistent in wet than in dry urine-amended soils. Overall, the changes in soil conditions caused by the addition of urine interacted to influence microbial responses, indicating that the effect of urine on soil microbes is likely to be context-dependent.