Light microscopy and image analysis of thin filament lengths utilizing dual probes on beef, chicken, and rabbit myofibrils

Image analysis procedures for immunofluorescence microscopy were developed to measure muscle thin filament lengths of beef, rabbit, and chicken myofibrils. Strips of beef cutaneous trunci, rectus abdominis, psoas, and masseter; chicken pectoralis; and rabbit psoas muscles were excised 5 to 30 min postmortem. Fluorescein phalloidin and rhodamine myosin subfragment-1 (S1) were used to probe the myofibril structure. Digital images were recorded with a cooled charge-coupled device controlled with IPLab Spectrum software (Signal Analytics Corp.) on a Macintosh operating system. The camera was attached to an inverted microscope, using both the phase-contrast and fluorescence illumination modes. Unfixed myofibrils incubated with fluorescein phalloidin showed fluorescence primarily at the Z-line and the tips of the thin filaments in the overlap region. Images were processed using IPLab and the National Institutes of Health's Image software. A region of interest was selected and scaled by a factor of 18.18, which enlarged the image from 11 pixels/microm to approximately 200 pixels/microm. An X-Y plot was exported to Spectrum 1.1 (Academic Software Development Group), where the signal was processed with a second derivative routine, so a cursor function could be used to measure length. Fixation before phalloidin incubation resulted in greatest intensity at the Z lines but a more-uniform staining over the remainder of the thin filament zone. High-resolution image capture and processing showed that thin filament lengths were significantly different (P < 0.01) among beef, rabbit, and chicken, with lengths of 1.28 to 1.32 microm, 1.16 microm, and 1.05 microm, respectively. Measurements using the S1 signal confirmed the phalloidin results. Fluorescent probes may be useful to study sarcomere structure and help explain species and muscle differences in meat texture.     

Manipulation of parasitoids for aphid pest management: progress and prospects

This paper describes research at IACR-Rothamsted on aphid parasitoid responses to semiochemical foraging stimuli, aimed at developing novel ways of manipulating these behaviours to overcome ecological constraints to biological and integrated pest control. Female parasitoids respond both to aphid sex pheromones acting as kairomones, and to aphid-induced plant volatiles, acting as synomones. A range of economically important parasitoid species respond to aphid sex pheromones, and their potential for enhancing parasitization of aphid populations has been demonstrated in the field. Commercial production of the pheromone from the plant Nepeta cataria L has been developed and strategies for its use in arable crops are being investigated. Aphid-induced plant volatiles are released systemically throughout the plant and are aphid species specific, probably induced by elicitors in aphid saliva. Aphid-infested plants can induce uninfested neighbours to release damage-related volatiles, plant-to-plant communication occurring via the rhizosphere. The plant compound cis-jasmone has been identified as a plant signal with potential for aphid control, inducing plant defence mechanisms that both deter colonising aphids and attract parasitoids and predators. Such compounds may represent a new generation of crop protectants and their further investigation and development will be aided by the tools generated by genomic and post-genomic biology.     

The role of corporate social responsibility in creating a Seussian world of seafood sustainability

Approaches to counter the overfishing and aquaculture production crisis include those imposed by public governing bodies, as well as those implemented by businesses and non‐governmental organizations (NGOs). In the case of the latter, private actors govern fisheries consumption and production through corporate social responsibility (CSR). In this contribution, we focus on three key tools that businesses are increasingly turning towards in an effort to meet the one particular CSR goal of sustainable seafood sourcing. In this context, the key tools of certifications, fisheries improvement projects (FIPs) and traceability are reviewed, and their potential as well as limits in contributing to continual improvement in pursuit of global seafood sustainability are analyzed. We argue that seafood CSR has created its own whimsical and fantastical world, a Seussian world, in which company image has become more important than sustainability performance. We posit four important barriers that must be overcome to bring seafood CSR back to reality. Specifically, we suggest moving away from the business case for CSR, reducing accessibility barriers for small‐scale and developing world fisheries, reconciling different labels and sustainability concepts, and better recognizing the imperative role of the state in governing fisheries and seafood.