Comparative Proteomic Analysis of Egg White Proteins under Various Storage Temperatures

Although the effect of storage temperature was suggested to be a more important factor than that of storage time on changes in unfertilized egg white proteins, no comprehensive analysis of the thermally induced egg white protein changes was carried out. This study presents a proteomic analysis of the changes in unfertilized egg white proteins after 15 days of storage at 4, 20, and 37 °C. Using two-dimensional electrophoresis followed by MALDI-TOF MS/MS, 32 protein spots representing 8 proteins were identified with significant differences in abundance when stored at different temperatures. An accelerated degradation of ovalbumin, possibly resulting from the reduction of antiprotease, was observed after the storage at higher temperature. In addition, an increase in the formation of ovalbumin complexes and a decrease in lipocalin family proteins were detected with increasing storage temperature, which may indicate a thermally promoted change in chicken eggs. The decrease of clusterin during the high-temperature storage was suggested to be an effective biomarker for egg quality evaluation. These findings will give insight into the effects of storage temperature on changes in unfertilized egg white proteins during storage and provide a better understanding of the thermally induced biochemical changes that may affect the egg deteriorative process.     

Pathogenic races and inoculum density ofFusarium oxysporum f.sp.niveum in commercial watermelon fields in southern Turkey

Systematic surveys forFusarium oxysporum f.sp.niveum (Fon) were conducted in a total of 141 fields in the watermelon-growing areas of the Mediterranean and southeastern Anatolia regions of Turkey in 2004 and 2005. The mean incidence and prevalence of the disease were higher in the southeastern Anatolia region than in the Mediterranean region. Maximum disease incidence during the 2-year survey was 46.3%. However, mean disease prevalence ranged from 27.3% to 63.6% in southern Turkey. Of the 33 isolates ofFon recovered, 19 were recovered from Adana, two from Mersin, one from Gaziantep, four from Sanlıurfa, five from Adıyaman, one from Batman, one from Diyarbakır. The physiological race of each isolate was determined by the disease reaction in five differential watermelon cultivars (Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. & Nakai). Of the isolates recovered from the Mediterranean region, 47.6% were identified as race 0, 38.1% as race 1, and 14.3% as race 2. Among the 12 isolates recovered from the southeastern Anatolia region, four isolates were identified as race 0, and eight isolates as race 1. Race 2 was not detected in this region. This is the first report ofFon races 0 and 1 in southeastern Anatolia. The population density ofFon in both the Mediterranean and southeastern Anatolia regions ranged from 116.1 to 4444.7 CFU g⁻¹ of soil. The mean inoculum density was much higher in watermelon-growing areas in the southeastern Anatolia region in comparison with the Mediterranean region, with a mean inoculum density of 1547.2 CFU g⁻¹. Race 0 and race 1 were the most prevalent races in the fields with the mean highest and lowest inoculum density, respectively. http://www.phytoparasitica.org posting March 10, 2008.     

Assessing the relationship among fabric constructional parameters, fractional reflectances and cover factors of polyester fabrics by experimental and mathematical methods

This paper focuses on the assessment of the relation among constructional properties, fractional reflectances and cover factors of fabrics woven from polyester yarns. A novel equation for the calculation of the relation between fractional reflectance and fabric cover factor was proposed and the usage of the equation was assessed by reflectance measurements. 48 polyester fabrics having different constructional parameters were used and the fabrics differed from each other by their cover factors. The warp yarn type and count, warp density and warp yarn twist were the same but weft yarn count, weft yarn fiber count and weft density were different for the fabrics in the experimental sub-groups. The reflectance measurements were conducted on the pretreated but undyed fabric samples as well as on the individual yarn systems of the same fabrics. Fabrics with the same cover factors exhibited different fractional reflectances. Reflectances were found to be dependent on the cover factor as well as on yarn fiber fineness, yarn count, yarn density and fabric weave. The changes in crimp of the yarns according to different construction parameters also governed the changes in fractional reflectances of fabric surfaces. The proposed equation was tested according to different fabric construction parameters and it was concluded that fiber fineness and weave pattern were among the most important parameters which govern the total light reflectances from the fabric surfaces, although they are not incorporated in the calculation of the fabric cover factors. The proposed equation was used to explain the effects of these components on the reflectance behavior of the fabric surfaces and on fabric cover.     

Utility of a GFP-expressing Barley yellow mosaic virus for analyzing disease resistance genes

The soil-borne plasmodiophorid Polymyxa graminis is a vector for Barley yellow mosaic virus (BaYMV), which can severely damage barley plants. Although 22 disease resistance genes have been identified, only a few have been used for breeding virus-resistant cultivars. Recently, BaYMV strains capable of overcoming the effects of some of these genes have been detected. In this study, green fluorescent protein (GFP)-expressing BaYMV was constructed and used to examine viral dynamics in inoculated barley plants. Leaf inoculations resulted in higher infection rates than root or crown inoculations. Additionally, inoculations of some resistant cultivars produced infections that were similar to those observed in a field test. The results of this study indicate that the GFP-expressing virus is a useful tool for visualizing virus replication and dynamics, and for understanding resistance mechanisms.     

Vegetative compatibility groups in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Verticillium dahliae</Emphasis> isolates from olive in western Turkey

Verticillium wilt, caused by Verticillium dahliae, is the most serious disease in olive cultivation areas in western Turkey. Two hundred and eight isolates of V. dahliae from olive (Olea europea var. sativa) trees were taken for vegetative compatibility analysis using nitrate non-utilizing (nit) mutants. One isolate did not produce a nit mutant. Nit mutants of 207 isolates were tested against tester strains of internationally known vegetative compatibility groups (VCGs) 1A, 2A, 2B, 3, 4A and 4B, and also paired in many combinations among themselves. One hundred and eighty nine of the isolates (90.9%) were strongly compatible with T9, the tester strain of VCG1A, and thus were assigned to VCG1A. Eight isolates were assigned to VCG2A and four isolates to VCG4B. One isolate was heterokaryon self-incompatible (HSI) and five isolates could not be grouped to any of the VCGs tested. Pathogenicity assays were conducted on a susceptible olive cultivar (O. europea cv. Manzanilla) and a susceptible local cotton cultivar (Gossypium hirsutum cv. Çukurova 1518). Both cotton and olive inoculated with all VCG1A isolates showed defoliating symptoms in greenhouse tests. This is the first report on VCGs in V. dahliae from olive trees in Turkey which demonstrates that VCG1A of the cotton-defoliating type is the most commonly detected form from olive plants in the western part of Turkey.     

Effects of nonimmunized egg yolk powder-supplemented feed on Salmonella enteritidis prevention and elimination in broilers

Chicken consumption is a newly identified risk factor in Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis (SE) infection in humans. SE is widely distributed in commercial chicken flocks and high levels of cecal carriage and shedding may lead to broiler meat contamination. In the present study, the preventive and eliminative effect of nonimmunized freeze-dried egg yolk powder (EYP) on SE in broilers was investigated. In the prevention trial, reduced SE counts were observed in liver (P < or = 0.05), cecal contents, and fecal shedding (P < or = 0.05) in birds fed 10% or 5% EYP. Histological examination of cecal wall and cecal tonsils at 23 days postinfection indicated a lesser degree of intestinal pathology. In the elimination trial, a significantly lower (P < or = 0.05) number of SE reached the liver and spleen, and a reduction in cecal carriage and fecal shedding was observed. The histological changes in the cecal mucosa and cecal tonsils reflected an apparent inflammation and mucosal repair and also suggested that the infection had not completely resolved, confirming SE bacterial isolations in the cecal tissue. The present study indicates that supplementing the diets of broilers with 5% nonimmunized EYP, at the early stages of the growing period, reduces preharvest Salmonella load with a minimal degree of intestinal pathology.     

Biological activity and composition of the essential oils of Achillea schischkinii Sosn. and Achillea aleppica DC. subsp. aleppica

The essential oils obtained by water distillation from aerial parts of Achillea schischkinii Sosn. and Achillea aleppica DC. subsp. aleppica were analyzed by gas chromatography and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. 1,8-Cineole (32.5 and 26.1%, respectively) was the main component in both oils. The oil of A. aleppica subsp. aleppica was also found to be rich in bisabolol and its derivates. When tested for their antimicrobial, antiinflammatory, and antinociceptive activities, the oil of A. aleppica subsp. aleppica showed significant antiinflammatory, antinociceptive, and moderate antimicrobial activities.     

Advantages and Disadvantages of Transgenic Animal Technology with Genetic Engineering

Transgenic animal technology has been one of the fastest growing biotechnology areas. The exogenous genes have been introduced into the animal genome by genetic engineering, so that these genes can be inherited and expressed by offspring to produce desired traits or evaluate function in elite livestock breeds. There are several methodologies for the production of transgenic animals, i.e., （1） microinjection of genes into pronuclei of fertilized ova; （2） DNA transfer by retroviruses; （3） injection of embryonic germ （EG）/embryonic stem （ES） cells previously treated with foreign DNA; （4） DNA transfer into cells and embryos with using liposomes; （5） exogenous DNA transfer while in vitro fertilization by using sperm; （6） electroporation of DNA into sperm, embryos or ova; （7） biolistics; （8） nuclear transfer （NT） with somatic cells, EG or ES cells; （9） germ line stem cell-mediated; （10） gene targeting; （! 1） gene silencing technology with RNA interference; （12） induced pluripotent stem cell; （13） zinc-finger nuclease gene targeting technology. Gene farming is one of the newest and most promising areas in modern biotechnology. Cattle, goats, sheep, pigs and rabbits are the main farm livestock species and fish is also used in transgenic technology. The question of ＂why make transgenic animals？＂ is very important. Some of the answers to this question are： （1） to obtain new knowledge; （2） to solve the genetic code; （3） to create genetic disease models; （4） to study the genetic control of physiological systems; （5） to improve animal production traits; （6） to produce new animal products. Transgenic technology is one of the main and important tools in the finding solutions to problems of growing population with their applications to different organisms, and takes more attention and interest every day. Transgenic technology creates opportunities and areas to play with organisms to fulfill the demands of people. Because of this, this paper based on mainly transgenic applications to take people＇s attention and exhibit its importance.     

Eggshell matrix proteins as defense mechanism of avian eggs

This study focused on the role of eggshell matrix proteins as a function of potential natural antimicrobial defenses of avian eggs. The electrophoretic profile of SDS-PAGE showed that the soluble eggshell matrix proteins had three major bands of 15 000, 36 000, and 66 000 and several minor bands comprising 17 000, 25 000, 30 000, and 75 000, while insoluble matrix proteins were consisting of various bands comprising at least 16 distinct migration bands between 10 000 and 200 000. Three bacteria species, Pseudomonas aureginosa, Bacillus cereus, and Staphylococcus aureus, were found to be inhibited in the presence of soluble eggshell matrix proteins (100 microg/mL). On the other hand, Escherichia coli and Salmonella enteritidis were weakly inhibited at only an early stage of incubation time (up to 4 h). Scanning electron microscopy revealed that eggshell matrix proteins might interact and disrupt the membrane integrity of bacteria. The present study clearly indicated that avian eggshell matrix proteins possess a potential of novel antimicrobial defensin mechanism.     

Labile soil organic matter as a potential nitrogen source in golf greens

The loss of fertilizer N from golf greens can be high depending upon management (irrigation schedule, N source, rate and timing of fertilizer application) as well as soil conditions. Although soil organic matter (SOM) is acknowledged as a major source of N and other nutrients, its potential as an N source seems to be neglected in the management of golf greens. The susceptibility of SOM to degradation is one indication of how active a role SOM plays as a nutrient source. An extraction method developed by Olk et al. [Geoderma 65 (1995) 195] distinguishes humic acid fractions by their binding to dominant stabilizing soil cations and separates them into calcium-bound (CaHA) and non calcium-bound or mobile (MHA) fractions. Mobile humic acid is a relatively young, N-rich HA fraction that does not appear to form stable complexes with Ca. The MHA could therefore play a greater role in nutrient availability than CaHA. We determined C and N distributions within SOM extracted from these two HA fractions in 11 golf greens ranging in age from 4 to 28 yr. Because SOM in golf greens is recently formed, and MHA is an N-rich fraction representing an early stage of SOM evolution, we hypothesized that the MHA fraction would account for a larger proportion of soil organic N than CaHA. The amounts of both HA-C and HA-N increased significantly with green age. MHA accounted for a larger proportion (20-27%) of total soil C than CaHA-C (8-14%). MHA was also enriched in N compared to CaHA with consistently smaller C-to-N ratios. Thus, the greater abundance of MHA and its higher N concentration accounted for a larger proportion of soil organic N (24-45%). The equivalence of MHA-N ranged between 250 kg N ha⁻¹ for a 4 yr-old green and 775 kg N ha⁻¹ for a 21 yr-old green. Thus, soils of established greens contain significant quantities of labile SOM rich in N that could through mineralization supply part of the fertilizer N requirement of turf grass. A greater understanding of the dynamics of this resource is needed if we are to manage golf greens for optimal use without negative consequences to the environment.