Effectiveness of l‐ascorbyl‐2‐monophosphate Na/Ca as a vitamin C source for yellowtail Seriola quinqueradiata juveniles

A feeding experiment was conducted to examine the efficacy of a vitamin C (L‐ascorbic acid, AsA) derivative, l ‐ascorbyl‐2‐monophosphate Na/Ca (AMP‐Na/Ca) by comparing to l ‐ascorbyl‐2‐monophosphate‐Mg (AMP‐Mg) in terms of growth, AsA content in tissues, and hematology in yellowtail Seriola quinqueradiata juvenile (1.10 ± 0.01 g). Furthermore, a stress resistance test for the species fed AMP‐Na/Ca was also conducted. In experiment 1, 11 test pellet diets with different levels of AMP‐Na/Ca (0, 12, 43, 88, 440 and 881 mg AsA kg^?1diet) and AMP‐Mg (0, 16, 52, 106, 595 and 1164 mg AsA kg^?1 diet) were formulated and fed to the yellowtail three times per day for 50 days. In both the vitamin C sources, the survival rates of the fish fed diets without supplemental AsA were lower than 50% at day 20, and more than 50% mortality occurred in fish that fed the diets containing 12 or 16 mg AsA kg^?1 after day 30. However, no significant differences were detected in survival and growth among fish that fed the diets containing more than 43 mg AsA kg^?1. Liver and brain AsA concentrations generally increased with increasing dietary AsA level in both sources. In experiment 2, test diets were formulated to contain 43, 88, 440 and 881 mg AsA kg^?1 using AMP‐Na/Ca, and after 60 days of feeding, yellowtail juveniles were subjected to low salinity and air exposure stress. The fish that received diets with 440 mg AsA kg^?1 showed significantly higher tolerance to low salinity stress and higher survival rate in air exposure stress than those of other groups. The present study demonstrated that yellowtail juveniles could utilize AMP‐Na/Ca as an AsA source like AMP‐Mg, and that supplementation of 43–52 mg AsA kg^?1 diet was optimum for normal growth. However, this study showed that dietary inclusion of 440 mg AsA kg^?1 would be necessary to improve stress resistance of this species.     

Effects of dietary arginine and lysine levels on growth performance and biochemical parameters of juvenile Japanese flounder Paralichthys olivaceus

ABSTRACT: To investigate the effects of disproportionate levels of dietary arginine and lysine on juvenile Japanese flounder Paralichthys olivaceus , growth performance and biochemical parameters were evaluated by feeding five test diets, comprising different levels of arginine and lysine, to triplicate groups of juveniles (initial bodyweight 1.85 g) for 40 days. Crystalline amino acids were supplemented to test diets to correspond to the amino acid pattern found in the whole body protein of the Japanese flounder, except for arginine and lysine. After the feeding trials, plasma arginine, lysine and urea levels, excreted ammonia-N, and liver arginase activity were analysed. Survival, specific growth rate, feed conversion efficiency, and apparent protein retention were adversely affected ( P  <   0.05) by the deficiency in dietary arginine or lysine concentrations. An excess of either lysine or arginine in the diet did not depress growth when the diets contained adequate levels of either arginine or lysine, proving that there is no evidence for an arginine–lysine antagonism. Results for plasma arginine, lysine and urea levels, excreted ammonia, and liver arginase activity also demonstrated that Japanese flounder juveniles are not sensitive to excess dietary levels of lysine and arginine.     

Methanotrophy-driven accumulation of organic carbon in four paddy soils of Bangladesh

Biological methane oxidation is a crucial process in the global carbon cycle that reduces methane emissions from paddy fields and natural wetlands into the atmosphere.However,soil organic carbon accumulation associated with microbial methane oxidation is poorly understood.Therefore,to investigate methane-derived carbon incorporation into soil organic matter,paddy soils originated from different parent materials(Inceptisol,Entisol,and Alfisol) were collected after rice harvesting from four major rice-producing regions in Bangladesh.Following microcosm incubation with 5%(volume/volume)¹³ CH₄,soil¹³ C-atom abundances significantly increased from background level of 1.08% to 1.88%–2.78%,leading to a net methane-derived accumulation of soil organic carbon ranging from 120 to 307 mg kg^-1.Approximately 23.6%–60.0% of the methane consumed was converted to soil organic carbon during microbial methane oxidation.The phylogeny of¹³ C-labeled pmoA(enconding the alpha subunit of the particulate methane monooxygenase) and 16 S rRNA genes further revealed that canonical α(type II) and γ(type I) Proteobacteria were active methane oxidizers.Members within the Methylobacter-and Methylosarcina-affiliated type Ia lineages dominated active methane-oxidizing communities that were responsible for the majority of methane-derived carbon accumulation in all three paddy soils,while Methylocystis-affiliated type IIa lineage was the key contributor in one paddy soil of Inceptisol origin.These results suggest that methanotroph-mediated synthesis of biomass plays an important role in soil organic matter accumulation.This study thus supports the concept that methanotrophs not only consume the greenhouse gas methane but also serve as a key biotic factor in maintaining soil fertility.     

Analysis of methanogenic archaeal communities of rumen fluid and rumen particles from Korean black goats

Molecular diversity of methanogens in the rumen of Korean black goats was investigated with 16S rRNA gene clone libraries using methanogen‐specific primers. The libraries were composed of rumen fluid‐associated methanogens (FAM) and rumen particle‐associated methanogens (PAM) from rumen‐fistulated Korean black goats. Among the 141 clones of the FAM library, the sequences were mostly related to two phyla, the Methanobacteriaceae family (77.3%) and the Thermoplasmatales family (22.7%); and among the 68 clones of the PAM library, sequences were also mainly clustered in the two phyla, the Thermoplasmatales family (63.24%) and the Methanobacteriaceae family (35.29%). Most of the sequenced clones in the two libraries were closely related to uncultured methanogenic archaeon. Quantitative real‐time PCR revealed that PAM (8.97 log 10) had significantly higher (P < 0.01) density of methanogens by the methanogenic 16S rRNA gene copies than FAM (7.57 log 10). The two clone libraries also showed difference in Shannon index (FAM library 1.70 and PAM library 1.59) and Chao 1 estimator (FAM library 18 and PAM library 17 operational taxonomic units). Apparent differences found in the microbial community from the two 16S rRNA gene libraries could be a result of such factors as the chemical and physical nature of the target material surface, types or component of diets, the interaction between the methanogens and other microbes, and age of the experimental goats.     

Food habits of striped hyena(Hyaena hyaena) in a semi-arid conservation area of India

Striped hyena(Hyaena hyaena) is a near-threatened large carnivore known to occur in arid and semi-arid landscapes in many parts of the world. Its population is declining globally and ecological information is required urgently to meet their conservation needs. We studied the diet pattern of the striped hyena in the semi-arid Gir National Park and Sanctuary(GNPS), western India. Prey items eaten by the striped hyena were identified from scats. Around 44.4% scats represented single to three mammalian preys while 55.6% of them represented four preys to seven preys. A variety of food items were identified including mammals, birds, insects and vegetable matters. Scats analysis showed that 63.91% diet of striped hyena was contributed by wild prey items, 20.94% by domestic prey and 3.31% by birds, whereas vegetable and insects contributed 9.92% and 1.93%, respectively. Diet diversity of the striped hyena computed by the Shannon-Weiner Index(H) was found to be 2.64. The presence of domestic mammals in the scat remains implied that the striped hyena might frequently visit human habitation in search for food and hence, a potential conflict between human and wildlife might arise. Reducing the dependence of hyena on domestic livestock is a challenge to ensure the survival of striped hyena outside the protected area.     

基于甘蔗热带种(LA-purple)全基因组序列的SSR开发及特征分析

现代甘蔗栽培品种(2n = 100~130)是由甘蔗热带种(2n = 80)与割手密(2n = 40~128)种间杂交而来, 形成异源多倍体、非整倍体作物, 使得甘蔗栽培品种中80%~90%的染色体来源于热带种。开发热带种基因组SSR分子标记, 有助于甘蔗遗传多样性分析、分子标记辅助选择、遗传图谱的构建等。本研究基于热带种LA-purple的全基因组测序数据的255 398个预测基因序列(累计总长为1 029 222 285 bp), 利用Perl程序与生物信息学软件结合, 发掘SSR位点, 获得了153 150个SSR位点, 平均每1.67个基因有1个SSR位点, 其中二、三核苷酸重复基序分别为39 556个和50 072个, 占总SSR位点数的58.5%。在二核苷酸重复基序中, TA/AT所占比例最高, 占41.4%, CG/GC所占比例最低, 占4.6%; 在三核苷酸碱基重复基序中, TGT/ACA所占比例最高, 为15.6%。在TA/AT重复类型中选取100个基序重复次数在60~90之间的SSR位点, 进行引物设计与合成, 在12个甘蔗属材料中进行PCR扩增分析, 从中筛选出52对具有多态性SSR引物, 其中有27对引物在研究的2个甘蔗栽培品种间表现为多态。这些基因组SSR标记的开发, 不仅可以用于甘蔗栽培品种DNA指纹图谱分析, 而且为甘蔗属不同种的遗传图谱构建、遗传多样性分析和重要性状的遗传机制解析奠定基础, 为甘蔗分子育种研究提供重要支撑。     

Oxidized α1-antitrypsin induces IL-8 and MCP-1 production in HBE cells

AIM:To investigate the effect of oxidized α1-antitrypsin (Ox-AT) on interleukin 8 (IL-8) and monocyte chemotactic protein 1(MCP-1) production in cultured human bronchial epithelial (HBE) cells. METHODS:Plasma native α1-antitrypsin (N-AT) was purified from human plasma by 50% and 75% ammonium sulfate fractionation followed by glutathione and anion exchange chromatography. Ox-AT was prepared by incubating N-AT (0.5 g/L) with N-chlorosuccinimide in a 25-fold molar excess to N-AT in PBS at room temperature for 30 min. HBE cells were cultured in the presence of Ox-AT (0.5 g/L) for 4 h, 10 h and 24 h, and the levels of IL-8 and MCP-1 in the supernatant were assayed using respective DuoSet kits. The effect of NF-κB inhibitor Bay11-7082 on the inflammatory cytokine release induced by Ox-AT was also evaluated. RESULTS:Ox-AT concentration-dependently and time-dependently increased the production of IL-8 and MCP-1 in HBE cells. The concentrations of IL-8 and MCP-1 in HBE cells induced by 0.5 g/L Ox-AT at 4 h, 10 h and 24 h were significantly higher than those in blank control and N-AT groups. Ox-AT increased the activity of NF-κB in a dose-dependent manner. The proinflammatory effect of by Ox-AT was inhibited by NF-κB inhibitor Bay11-7082. CONCLUSION: Ox-AT is a strong proinflammatory factor for HBE cells. The mechanism is related to NF-κB signaling pathway activation.     

Efficiency of seed bio-priming technique for healthy mungbean productivity under terminal drought stress

Recently, drought-induced damaging impact in reducing the crop growth and development is drastically ranked at the top under various abiotic stresses. And especially water stress at the reproductive growth stages termed as terminal drought has become a severe threat for mungbean productivity. To mitigate the drought stress condition, "bio-priming" has emerged as a newly agronomic and sustainable technique in improving the mungbean production. A 2-year field study during Kharif season 2017–2018 was conducted to investigate the efficacy of rhizobacteria seed priming in mungbean(AZRI mung-06), at Agronomic Research Area, Department of Agronomy, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Pakistan. The experiment comprised two factors containing F_A(seed treatments, control(dry seeds), hydro-priming, silicon(Si)-priming, and bio-priming(mixture strains of Pseudomonas fluorescens+Rhizobium phaseoli)) and F_B(irrigation water-regimes at various growth stages including leaf formation(L), stem elongation(S)+flowering(F)+pod formation(P) containing treatments are normal irrigation(I_(L+S+F+P)) and terminal drought stress(I_(F+P))). All the treatments were arranged in randomized complete block design under factorial design and were replicated thrice. Results indicated that the exposure of drought stress at flowering and pod formation stages hampered the morpho-physiological growth and yield of mungbean. Nevertheless, seed priming treatments particularly bio-priming were effective in alleviating the detrimental effects of drought stress. Bio-priming significantly increased the yield and yield components(seeds/plant, 1 000-grain weight and harvest index) of mungbean and regulated the activities/levels of antioxidants(superoxide dismutase, catalase, peroxidase, ascorbic acid, and total phenolics) under drought stress. Compared with the control, bio-priming increased the seed yield of mungbean by 8–12% under normal as well as drought stress conditions during both years of study. Bio-priming also improved the nutrient uptake behavior followed by Si-and hydro-priming treatments under terminal drought stress. The study emphasized the effectiveness of bio-priming as dual seed treatment method may be helpful for vigorous germination of mungbean production along with plant tolerance against terminal drought stress. Among the various treatments, plants treated with bio-priming technique compensated the grain yield due to having strong antioxidant defense system and better nutrient uptake behaviour under terminal drought stress. Economic analysis also concluded that bio-priming is the easiest, cost-effective, friendly, and sustainable approach for the maximization of the mungbean production.