Silymarin inhibits adipogenesis in the adipocytes in grass carp <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ctenopharyngodon idellus</Emphasis> in vitro and in vivo

In this study, two experiments were performed to explore the function of silymarin in adipogenesis in grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus) using in vitro and in vivo models. In experiment 1, differentiated grass carp pre-adipocytes were treated with silymarin for 6 days. Treatment with 100 μg mL^?1silymarin (SM100 group) significantly reduced triglyceride accumulation at day 6. The adipogenic gene expression levels of PPARγ, C/EBPα, SREBP1c, FAS, SCD1, and LPL, and the protein expression level of PPARγ were significantly down-regulated in the SM100 group. Additionally, the SM100 group had significantly lower reactive oxygen species production and reduced glutathione contents compared with the control in vitro. In experiment 2, the juvenile grass carp (mean body weight= 27.4 ± 0.17 g) were fed six isonitrogenous and isocaloric diets in a factorial design containing 0, 100, or 200 mg kg^?1 silymarin (SM0, SM100, SM200) associated with either 4 or 8% lipid levels (low lipid, LL, and high lipid, HL, respectively) for 82 days. The results demonstrated that dietary silymarin supplementation significantly reduced the elevated intraperitoneal fat index in grass carp fed with high-lipid diets, and the gene expression of adipogenesis (PPARγ, FAS) when supplemented with dietary silymarin was notably lower than when no silymarin was supplemented under the high-lipid diets. Thus, our data suggest that silymarin suppressed lipid accumulation in grass carp both in vitro and in vivo, and the effect might be due to an influence on the expression of adipogenesis factors and ROS production partly associated with effects on antioxidant capability.     

Determination of Principal Components for Characterizing the Drying of Sea Cucumbers (Stichopus japonicus Selenka) Using Far Infrared Radiation Drying and Hot Air Drying

Principal component analysis (PCA) and multiple linear regression (MLR) were conducted to characterize the drying of sea cucumber (SC). Far infrared radiation drying (FIRD) and hot air drying (AD) were used to dehydrate SC. Thirteen variables—including the morphological, color, and textural properties of dried SC—were selected for statistical analysis. The analysis of these 13 variables yielded three principal components showing significant correlations. PCA showed that the first three components represented 86.2% of the total variation. The first principal component was primarily related to the morphological properties of SC. The principal components determined by the PCA were more strongly influenced by the morphological variables than by the drying method. Of the morphological variables, the weight of SC had the strongest influence on the drying time and rehydration ratio of FIRD and AD.     

Characterizing a novel predator–prey relationship between native Diplonychus esakii (Heteroptera: Belostomatidae) and invasive Gambusia affinis (Teleostei: Poeciliidae) in central China

International Aquatic Research - A considerable body of the literature considers the potential impact of exotic predators on native prey organisms, while comparatively, few studies have asked...     

Marker‐assisted breeding for improvement of anaerobic germination in japonica rice (Oryza sativa)

Direct seeding is increasingly being practiced in rice cultivation areas because it saves labour and reduces cost of production and management. In this study, four japonica‐type breeding lines were developed from a cross of a japonica cultivar and an AG‐tolerant donor, KHO, using marker‐assisted selection. Validation of the target genes AG1 and AG2 in the selected lines was examined by PCR analysis and the background recovery rate by the recurrent parent was confirmed by genotyping using a 6K SNP chip. Compared to the recurrent, the survival rates of the selected lines were improved in a range from 33% to 115% in three conditions; in particular, the survival rate was increased in more than twice that of the recurrent parent under the hypoxic condition. The main agronomic trait, yield and quality‐related traits were similar to those of the recurrent parent. The use of these lines will contribute to the expansion of the cultivation area due to the proven economic benefits of direct seeding in Korea.     

ELISA法测定番茄茎叶中的褪黑素含量

为了研究植物内源褪黑素与植物抗性的关系,以4叶1心的番茄幼苗为试验材料,采用酶联免疫吸附测定(ELISA)法测定正常番茄、鱼腥草提取液和灰霉菌侵染后的番茄茎叶中的褪黑素含量。结果表明:番茄叶片和茎的褪黑素含量分别为14.53、2.80 ng/g,二者之间差异极显著,叶片的褪黑素含量是茎的5.19倍;经鱼腥草提取液预处理和灰霉菌侵染后,番茄叶片的褪黑素含量显著增加,鱼腥草提取液预处理有助于减轻番茄叶片上的灰霉病发病症状,但并不依赖于叶片内源褪黑素含量的增加。可以检出的番茄茎叶中的褪黑素含量高于2.60 ng/g,就灵敏度而言,ELISA法完全可以用来检测番茄的组织器官的褪黑素含量。     

Bamboo NiR gene is associated with regeneration capacity

It was reported that the activity of NiR (nitrite reductase) enzyme encoded by the NiR gene was correlated with the regeneration ability in rice. To testify the function of NiR gene in bamboo, seven bamboo species whose calli had different differentiation rate were chosen to analyse their NiR enzyme activity. The results showed that bamboo NiR enzymatic activity had a certain correlation with the regeneration capacity. A NiR gene named DhNiR from Dendrocalamus hamiltonii with high regeneration capacity was cloned. Sequence analysis revealed that the ORF of DhNiR was 1779bp encoding 592 amino acids. Overexpression of DhNiR in rice reduced the time of shoot differentiation and increased the transformation rate, suggesting that DhNiR might play an important role in the regeneration ability of bamboo, and can be applied in regeneration and gene transformation of bamboo and other plant species.     

家蚕丝素蛋白抗氧化肽的制备及其稳定性研究

利用碱性蛋白酶水解家蚕丝素蛋白制备抗氧化肽,考察水解pH、水解时间、加酶量、底物浓度、水解温度5个因素对水解产物DPPH自由基清除率的影响,在此基础上采用响应面试验优化水解工艺条件,并调查家蚕丝素蛋白抗氧化肽对热、酸、碱和体外肠道消化的稳定性,测定不同分子质量范围的家蚕丝素蛋白水解产物组分的抗氧化活性.结果 表明,碱性蛋白酶水解制备家蚕丝素蛋白抗氧化肽的最优工艺条件为水解pH 8.69、水解时间60 min、加酶量3035 U/g、底物(丝素蛋白)质量浓度26.80 g/L、水解温度53.89℃,在此条件下制备获得的家蚕丝素蛋白抗氧化肽对DPPH自由基的清除率为55.16％.家蚕丝素蛋白抗氧化肽具有良好的热稳定性;在中性环境中抗氧化活性很稳定,但在强酸和强碱环境中抗氧化活性明显降低;经体外模拟胃肠道消化后,对DPPH自由基的清除率比未消化处理对照组提高了9.43百分点.分子质量小于5 kD组分是家蚕丝素蛋白抗氧化肽的主要活性组分.研究结果为家蚕丝素蛋白功能产品的开发提供了试验依据.     

对草地贪夜蛾高毒力的苏云金芽胞杆菌菌株筛选与杀虫活性研究

草地贪夜蛾是一种世界性重大农业害虫，给玉米等多种主要粮食和经济作物造成严重危害。为实现对草地贪夜蛾的高效、绿色、持续防控，亟需筛选高毒力苏云金芽胞杆菌菌株资源。本研究以前期实验室储备的对斜纹夜蛾、小地老虎具有杀虫活性的363株野生菌株库为候选菌株，基于菌株杀虫基因差异及进化关系，去除冗余菌株后获得172株候选菌株。通过培养获取这些菌株胞晶混合物，进行杀虫蛋白定量后，测定杀虫活性，获得27株对草地贪夜蛾初孵幼虫具有较高杀虫活性的菌株，其中菌株B14-D2的杀虫活性最高，LC₅₀为0.155 μg/g。克隆了该菌株中的cry1Ea3基因并在HD73^-无晶体突变株中表达，Cry1Ea3蛋白对草地贪夜蛾初孵幼虫LC₅₀为1.789 μg/g。本研究为新的Bt产品和杀虫基因的开发利用提供了丰富资源。     

长枝木霉T6菌株对美洲南瓜枯萎病菌的抑制作用

为探明长枝木霉T6菌株对美洲南瓜枯萎病菌的作用机理，采用对峙培养、显微观察、孢子萌发、室内防效测定等方法研究其抑制能力和防治效果。结果表明：长枝木霉T6菌株对美洲南瓜枯萎病菌具有较强的抑制作用，对峙培养7 d时，长枝木霉T6菌株对该病菌的抑制率为60.09%；显微形态观察表明：长枝木霉T6菌株菌丝与美洲南瓜枯萎病菌菌丝发生缠绕；长枝木霉T6菌株发酵液对美洲南瓜枯萎病菌分生孢子萌发具有明显的抑制作用，抑制率为31.00%；长枝木霉T6菌株对美洲南瓜枯萎病具有较好的防治效果，室内盆栽防效为69.06%。     

Effects of main cereal type and feed form on production performance,egg quality and egg sanitary indices of laying hens

ABSTRACT

1. The experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of cereal types (maize or wheat) and feed forms (pelleted or mash feed) on production performance, egg quality and egg sanitary indices in laying hens.

2. Three hundred and sixty hens (Jinghong No. 1) at 18 weeks of age were randomly assigned to four treatments with six replicates of 15 hens per replicate according to a 2 × 2 factorial design with two cereal types (maize or wheat) and two feed forms (pelleted or mash feed).

3. Compared with the wheat-based diet, the maize-based diet improved (P < 0.05) average egg weight of laying hens. Yolk colour of hens fed with the maize-based diet was higher (P < 0.05) in comparison to those fed the wheat-based diet, while Haugh units were lower (P < 0.05) for the maize-based treatment. Egg mass and average daily feed intake of hens fed the pelleted diet were higher (P < 0.05) than of those fed the mash diet. However, the mash diet improved (P < 0.05) yolk colour compared with the pelleted diet. The percentage of dirty eggs for the wheat-based diet was higher (P < 0.05) than for the maize-based diet. The percentage of dirty eggs was higher (P < 0.05) in birds fed the pelleted diet compared with those fed the mash diet. There were interactions (P < 0.05) between cereal type and feed form, with regard to average egg weight and shell thickness.

4. In conclusion, dietary cereal type affected average egg weight, yolk colour and Haugh units in eggs, while feed form influenced egg mass, average daily feed intake and yolk colour.