Video tracking analysis of behavioral patterns during estrus in goats

Here, we report a new method for measuring behavioral patterns during estrus in goats based on video tracking analysis. Data were collected from cycling goats, which were in estrus (n = 8) or not in estrus (n = 8). An observation pen (2.5 m × 2.5 m) was set up in the corner of the female paddock with one side adjacent to a male paddock. The positions and movements of goats were tracked every 0.5 sec for 10 min by using a video tracking software, and the trajectory data were used for the analysis. There were no significant differences in the durations of standing and walking or the total length of movement. However, the number of approaches to a male and the duration of staying near the male were higher in goats in estrus than in goats not in estrus. The proposed evaluation method may be suitable for detailed monitoring of behavioral changes during estrus in goats.     

An Improved Method for Isolating Violet Root Rot Fungus, Helicobasidium mompa, from Basidiocarps

Basidiocarps of the violet root rot fungus, Helicobasidium mompa, are less frequently used for isolation than are mycelial strands and sclerotia even though the basidiocarps are conspicuously produced at the trunk base of diseased plants. Basidiocarps are also more suitable for storage. This paper describes an improved method for obtaining pure cultures from basidiocarps using microcentrifuge tubes to facilitate the awkward steps of rinsing fungal materials under a dissecting microscope. Received 28 June 2000/ Accepted in revised form 4 August 2000     

Production of bacteriocin by Leuconostoc mesenteroides 406 isolated from Mongolian fermented mare's milk,airag

The purification and characterization of a bacteriocin produced by Leuconostoc mesenteroides strain 406 that was isolated from traditional Mongolian fermented mare's milk, airag, were carried out. Leuconostoc mesenteroides strain 406 was identified on the basis of its morphological and biochemical characteristics and carbohydrate fermentation profile and by API 50 CH kit and 16S ribosomal DNA analyses. The neutral‐pH cell‐free supernatant of this bacterium inhibited the growth of several lactic acid bacteria and food spoilage and pathogenic organisms, including Listeria monocytogenes and Clostridium botulinum. The bacteriocin was heat‐stable and not sensitive to acid and alkaline conditions, but was sensitive to several proteolytic enzymes such as pepsin, pronase E, proteinase K, trypsin, and α‐chymotrypsin, but not catalase. Optimum bacteriocin production (4000 activity units/mL) was achieved when the strain was cultured at 25°C for 24–36 h in Man Rogosa Sharpe medium. The bacteriocin was partially purified by ammonium sulfate precipitation (80% saturation), dialysis (cut‐off MW: 1000), and gel filtration chromatography. Sodium dodecyl sulfate‐polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed that the bacteriocin had a molecular weight of approximately 3.3 kDa. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the isolation of a bacteriocin‐producing Leuconostoc strain from airag. An application to fermented milks would be desired.     

Estimation of breeding values from large‐sized routine carcass data in Japanese Black cattle using Bayesian analysis

Volumes of official data sets have been increasing rapidly in the genetic evaluation using the Japanese Black routine carcass field data. Therefore, an alternative approach with smaller memory requirement to the current one using the restricted maximum likelihood (REML) and the empirical best linear unbiased prediction (EBLUP) is desired. This study applied a Bayesian analysis using Gibbs sampling (GS) to a large data set of the routine carcass field data and practically verified its validity in the estimation of breeding values. A Bayesian analysis like REML‐EBLUP was implemented, and the posterior means were calculated using every 10th sample from 90 000 of samples after 10 000 samples discarded. Moment and rank correlations between breeding values estimated by GS and REML‐EBLUP were very close to one, and the linear regression coefficients and the intercepts of the GS on the REML‐EBLUP estimates were substantially one and zero, respectively, showing a very good agreement between breeding value estimation by the current GS and the REML‐EBLUP. The current GS required only one‐sixth of the memory space with REML‐EBLUP. It is confirmed that the current GS approach with relatively small memory requirement is valid as a genetic evaluation procedure using large routine carcass data.     

Purification and characterization of sulfotransferase specific to O-22 of 11-hydroxy saxitoxin from the toxic dinoflagellate Gymnodinium catenatum (dinophyceae)

ABSTRACT: A novel sulfotransferase (O-ST), which transferred the sulfate group of 3'-phosphoadenosine 5'-phosphosulfate (PAPS) to O-22 of 11-α,β-hydroxy saxitoxin (STX) and produced GTX2 + 3, was purified to homogeneity from the cytosolic fraction of clonal-axenic vegetative cells of the toxic dinoflagellate Gymnodinium catenatum GC21V. After four purification steps, including affinity chromatography and anion exchange chromatography, the enzyme was purified 500-fold and the yield was 4%. On affinity chromatography with a PAP-agarose column, O-ST was observed in the bound fraction, and N-ST specific to N-21 of STX and GTX2 + 3 was found in the unbound fraction. The molecular mass of the purified enzyme was determined by sodium dodecylsulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) to be 65 kDa. Gel filtration chromatography showed a native molecular mass of 67 kDa, indicating that O-ST is a monomeric enzyme. The enzyme was optimally active at pH 6.0 and 35°C. O-ST did not require metal cations for its activity. O-ST required PAPS as the sole source of sulfate. O-ST transferred a sulfate group from PAPS to only O-22 of 11-α,β-hydroxy STX and not to N-21 of these toxins. These observations suggested that two ST, N-ST and O-ST, participate in the sulfation of PSP toxins.     

Bacteriocin production of probiotic Lactobacillus gasseri LA39 isolated from human feces in milk-based media

The use of bacteriocins from Lactobacillus gasseri , a probiotic lactic acid bacterium, as bio-preservatives in the food industry and animal formulations has been limited because few strains of Lb. gasseri are cultivated and produce a bacteriocin in natural media such as milk and milk-based media. By the determination of the growth-supplements to milk among the 47 nutrients, Lb. gasseri JCM1131^T, LA39 and LA158 isolated from human feces were successfully cultured in reconstituted skim milk and cheese whey using proteose peptone as a nutrient supplement, where Lb. gasseri LA39 produced a useful bacteriocin, gassericin A, with effective growth-inhibiting activity against Gram-positive food-borne pathogens. The data suggest these developed low-cost safe media supporting enough production of bacteriocins by the probiotic Lb. gasseri LA39 could be used to improve the safe bio-preservation of foods and therapy of bovine mastitis, and extra cheese whey produced by cheese making industry is reused in the cultivation for probiotics effectively.     

Inoculation of Lupinus luteus with White Root Rot Fungus, Rosellinia necatrix, to Estimate Virulence

An inoculation method using Lupinus luteus was developed for estimating virulence of isolates of the white root rot fungus, Rosellinia necatrix Prillieux. Fungal cultures grown on pieces of mulberry twigs were placed in contact with the hypocotyl of 3-week-old seedlings growing in pots of soil. Disease development was uniform and reproducible in repeated experiments. Of 24 isolates with double-stranded RNA, eight were weakly virulent. This method is useful throughout the year for estimating virulence of many isolates of the fungus and for screening for hypovirulent isolates. Received 2 March 2001/ Accepted in revised form 25 May 2001     

Investigation of Gibbs sampling conditions to estimate variance components from Japanese Black carcass field data

The genetic evaluation using the carcass field data in Japanese Black cattle has been carried out employing an animal model, implementing the restricted maximum likelihood (REML) estimation of additive genetic and residual variances. Because of rapidly increasing volumes of the official data sets and therefore larger memory spaces required, an alternative approach like the REML estimation could be useful. The purpose of this study was to investigate Gibbs sampling conditions for the single-trait variance component estimation using the carcass field data. As prior distributions, uniform and normal distributions and independent scaled inverted chi-square distributions were used for macro-environmental effects, breeding values, and the variance components, respectively. Using the data sets of different sizes, the influences of Gibbs chain length and thinning interval were investigated, after the burn-in period was determined using the coupling method. As would be expected, the chain lengths had obviously larger effects on the posterior means than those of thinning intervals. The posterior means calculated using every 10th sample from 90 000 of samples after 10 000 samples discarded as burn-in period were all considered to be reasonably comparable to the corresponding estimates by REML.