Distribution of muscarinic receptor subtypes and interstitial cells of Cajal in the gastrointestinal tract of healthy dairy cows

OBJECTIVE: To describe the distribution of muscarinic receptor subtypes M(1) to M(5) and interstitial cells of Cajal (ICCs) in the gastrointestinal tract of healthy dairy cows. SAMPLE POPULATION: Full-thickness samples were collected from the fundus, corpus, and pyloric part of the abomasum and from the duodenum, ileum, cecum, proximal loop of the ascending colon, and both external loops of the spiral colon of 5 healthy dairy cows after slaughter. PROCEDURES: Samples were fixed in paraformaldehyde and embedded in paraffin. Muscarinic receptor subtypes and ICCs were identified by immunohistochemical analysis. RESULTS: Staining for M(1) receptors was found in the submucosal plexus and myenteric plexus. Antibodies against M(2) receptors stained nuclei of smooth muscle cells only. Evidence of M(3) receptors was found in the lamina propria, in intramuscular neuronal terminals, on intermuscular nerve fibers, and on myocytes of microvessels. There was no staining for M(4) receptors. Staining for M(5) receptors was evident in the myocytes of microvessels and in smooth muscle cells. The ICCs were detected in the myenteric plexus and within smooth muscle layers. Distribution among locations of the bovine gastrointestinal tract did not differ for muscarinic receptor subtypes or ICCs. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The broad distribution of M(1), M(3), M(5), and ICCs in the bovine gastrointestinal tract indicated that these components are likely to play an important role in the regulation of gastrointestinal tract motility in healthy dairy cows. Muscarinic receptors and ICCs may be implicated in the pathogenesis of motility disorders, such as abomasal displacement and cecal dilatation-dislocation.     

CP7_E2alf oral vaccination confers partial protection against early classical swine fever virus challenge and interferes with pathogeny-related cytokine responses

The conventional C-strain vaccine induces early protection against classical swine fever (CSF), but infected animals cannot be distinguished from vaccinated animals. The CP7_E2alf marker vaccine, a pestivirus chimera, could be a suitable substitute for C-strain vaccine to control CSF outbreaks. In this study, single oral applications of CP7_E2alf and C-strain vaccines were compared for their efficacy to induce protection against a CSF virus (CSFV) challenge with the moderately virulent Bas-Rhin isolate, in pigs as early as two days post-immunization. This work emphasizes the powerful potential of CP7_E2alf vaccine administered orally by a rapid onset of partial protection similar to that induced by the C-strain vaccine. Furthermore, our results revealed that both vaccinations attenuated the effects induced by CSFV on production of the pig major acute phase protein (PigMAP), IFN-α, IL-12, IL-10, and TGF-β1 cytokines. By this interference, several cytokines that may play a role in the pathogeny induced by moderately virulent CSFV strains were revealed. New hypotheses concerning the role of each of these cytokines in CSFV pathogeny are discussed. Our results also show that oral vaccination with either vaccine (CP7_E2alf or C-strain) enhanced CSFV–specific IgG2 production, compared to infection alone. Interestingly, despite the similar antibody profiles displayed by both vaccines post-challenge, the production of CSFV-specific IgG1 and neutralizing antibodies without challenge was lower with CP7_E2alf vaccination than with C-strain vaccination, suggesting a slight difference in the balance of adaptive immune responses between these vaccines.     

Mass spectrometry based sensor strategies for the authentication of oysters according to geographical origin

This study was undertaken to investigate the relevance of using the pyrolysis-MS (Py-MS) technique to discriminate the production area of oysters harvested over two years and to assess from the data of the second year of harvest the potential of an alternative MS-based technique, the solid phase microextraction-MS (SPME-MS), to perform this discrimination. Oysters were harvested in various areas of France, and models of discrimination according to harvest season were built from Py-MS fingerprints and from virtual SPME-MS fingerprints obtained by summing the mass spectra generated by the SPME-GC-MS system. The treatment of the Py-MS data by a 21-12-3 artificial neural networks led to a correct classification of only 89.2% of the oyster samples according to shoreline. The misclassifications thus did not allow use of the Py-MS technique as a relevant tool for authentication of oyster origin. The assessment of the potential of the virtual SPME-MS fingerprints to discriminate the production area of oysters was undertaken on a part of the sample set. The virtual SPME-MS data were pretreated according to two methods, filtering of raw data (FRD) and comprehensive combinatory standard correction (CCSC), a recently developed chemometric method used for the correction of instrumental signal drifts in MS systems. The results obtained with the virtual SPME-MS fingerprints are promising because this technique, when the data were pretreated by the CCSC method, led to a successful discrimination of the oyster samples not only according to shoreline but also according to production region. This study confirms that an efficient correction method (CCSC) of instrumental drifts can considerably increase the discriminative information contained in the volatile fraction of food products.     

Rapid assessment of wood traits for large-scale breeding selection in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Picea mariana</Emphasis> [Mill.] B.S.P.

Key message

Pilodyn and acoustic velocity measurements on standing trees, used for predicting density and stiffness, can be good genetic selection tools for black spruce. Genetic parameters and selection efficiency were conserved in two breeding zones with contrasted bioclimatic conditions.

Context

Given the recent progress made in the black spruce genetic improvement program, the integration of juvenile wood mechanical properties as selection criteria is increasingly relevant.

Aims

This study aims to estimate the genetic parameters of in situ wood density and modulus of elasticity (MoE) measurements and to verify the efficiency of various measuring methods used for large-scale selection of black spruce based on wood quality.

Methods

Height, diameter, wood density, and some indirect measures of density (penetration and drilling resistance) and MoE (acoustical velocity and Pilodyn) were estimated on 2400 24-year-old trees of 120 open-pollinated families in progeny trials located in the continuous boreal or mixed forest subzones.

Results

Heritability of growth, density, and indirect density measurements varied from low to moderate and was moderate for acoustical velocity in both vegetation subzones. Expected genetic gains for wood properties based on in situ methods were higher for MoE proxy estimation combining Pilodyn and acoustic velocity.

Conclusion

Acoustic velocity is a good predictor of MoE. It is virtually unaffected by the environment and can be used on a large scale in the same manner as the Pilodyn for density. Using a proxy estimation that combines both methods helps optimize genetic gain for MoE.

     

NMR signal analysis to characterize solid, aqueous, and lipid phases in baked cakes

Proton mobility was studied in molecular fractions of some model systems and of cake using a 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) relaxation technique. For cake, five spin-spin relaxation times (T2) were obtained from transverse relaxation curves: T2 (1) approximately 20 micros, T2 (2) approximately 0.2 ms, T2 (3) approximately 3 ms, T2 (4) approximately 50 ms, and T2 (2) approximately 165 ms. The faster component was attributed to the solid phase, components 2 and 3 were associated with the aqueous phase, and the two slowest components were linked to the lipid phase. After cooking, the crust contained more fat but less water than the center part of the cake. The amount of gelatinized starch was lower in the crust, and water was more mobile due to less interaction with macromolecules. This preliminary study revealed different effects of storage on the center and crust.     

Myoelectric activity in the intestines of healthy dairy cows during the recovery period after implantation of permanent electrodes

OBJECTIVE: To describe myoelectric patterns in the intestines of cows after electrode implantation. ANIMALS: 7 lactating Simmental-Red Holstein cows. PROCEDURE: Cows were implanted with 7 pairs of bipolar silver electrodes (1 each in the ileum, cecum, and proximal loop of the ascending colon (PLAC) and 4 in the spiral colon). Myoelectric activity was monitored during 10 periods within the first 3 weeks after surgery. Recordings from the first 2 weeks were compared with recordings from the third week, which was considered a steady-state condition. RESULTS: Significant changes over time were detected for 18 of 57 variables, including 3 variables describing myoelectric activity of the ileum, 6 variables of the cecum, 6 variables of the PLAC, and 3 variables of the spiral colon. Compared with values for the steady-state condition, 16 variables differed significantly for the 14-day period after surgery (7 variables until day 11, 2 variables until day 8, 4 variables until day 5, 1 variable until day 3, and 2 variables until day 2 after electrode implantation). None of the variables had significant changes that lasted only 1 day after surgery. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Significant changes were observed for several variables of myoelectric activity in all intestinal segments until as late as 11 days after electrode implantation, whereas a steady-state condition was reached 14 days after surgery. Effects of drugs, manipulations, or nutrition regimens on myoelectric activity of the bovine digestive tract should be evaluated no sooner than 2 weeks after electrode implantation.     

Reconstitution of pilus assembly reveals a bacterial outer membrane catalyst

Type 1 pili from uropathogenic Escherichia coli are a prototype of adhesive surface organelles assembled and secreted by the conserved chaperone/usher pathway. We reconstituted type 1 pilus biogenesis from purified pilus proteins. The usher FimD acted as a catalyst to accelerate the ordered assembly of protein subunits independently of cellular energy. Its activity was highly dependent on the adhesin subunit FimH, which triggered the conversion of FimD into a high-efficiency assembly catalyst. Furthermore, a simple kinetic model adequately rationalized usher-catalyzed pilus assembly in vivo. Our results contribute to a mechanistic understanding of protein-catalyzed biogenesis of supramolecular protein complexes at the bacterial outer cell membrane.