Conditional expression of harpinPsscauses yeast cell death that shares features of cell death pathway with harpinPss-mediated plant hypersensitive response (HR)

Conditional expression of harpin_Psscauses yeast cell death that shares features of cell death pathway with harpin_Pss-mediated plant hypersensitive response (HR).Pseudomonas syringae pv.syringae 61 hrp Z gene encodes harpin_Pss, a 34.7 kD extracellular protein that elicits a hypersensitive response (HR) in plants. Conditional expression of either full-length or truncated hrp Z sequences under the GAL1 promoter caused cell death in Saccharomyces cerevisiae Y187. Plating of pYEUT- hrp Z transformants on a medium containing galactose resulted in complete inhibition of colony formation, whereas their growth on a glucose-based medium was unaffected. Western blot analysis confirmed the expression of harpin_Pssin yeast cells transformed with pYEUT- hrp Z and grown in galactose-containing medium. A time-dependent decline in the percentage of trypan blue-excluding cells in cultures of pYEUT- hrp Z transformants was observed when cultured on galactose-containing medium. Similarly, the number of viable cells reduced to about 50% within 6 h. There were similarities in the harpin_Pss-mediated cell death in plants and yeast cell death (YCD). Galactose-induced cell death in pYEUT-hrp Z transformants of S. cerevisiae Y187 was suppressed by a protein kinase inhibitor K252a (10 μ M). The viability of pYEUT- hrp Z transformants was prolonged in the presence of 100 U ml⁻¹catalase suggesting a role for the oxidative burst in YCD that was further supported by the flow cytometric patterns of propidium iodide uptake by yeast cells. Overall, it appears that yeast provides a useful model system to understand the molecular mechanism of harpin_Pss-mediated cell death.     

Mycoplasma infections in farm animals: specific prevention of infectious (contagious) agalactia in the sheep and goat

The authors of this paper have produced live vaccine to cope with infectious agalactia in goat. The vaccine (culture) was used on 360, 924 goats kept on ajmaks in Bajanchongor and Gobi-Altaj, in 1986. The number of pathologically affected goats went down by a factor of 4.5, as compared to 1985. Mortality was reduced to one third. Abortions declined by a factor of 2.6 and infertility among goats by 1.6. The conclusion is that sheep of the Mongolian breed are not susceptible to infectious agalactia. Large-scale production tests of live cultures supported hopes for successful action on this infectious disease under Mongolian conditions.     

Bovine urolithiasis in Andhra Pradesh

Urinary calculi from three bulls, six bullocks and one male buffalo from the Guntur district were investigated. By chemical analysis only CO₃², Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, and a trace of PO¾^- were found. X-ray analysis showed that all samples consisted of magnesian calcite with an atomic percentage of magnesium between 14.5 and 21.9. The size of the crystallites varied approx. from 200 to 400 Å.     

Die Bestimmung der Tiefgefriertauglichkeit von Bullensperma mit Hilfe des Objektträgertestes

Inhalt Es Wurde versucht, 276 Ejakulate von 50 Bullen der Rasse Deutsche. Fleckvich mit Hilfe eines einfachen Objekträgertestes ohne die im Ruutineverfahren üblichen Maβnahmen (Adaption, Einfrieren) auf ihre Gefriertauglichkeit zu testen. Dies erfolgte durch einen Vergleich der Auftauraten von verdünnten Spermaproben gleich nach dem Tiefgefrieren ohne Adaption auf Objektträgern und von solchen die nach 6–8stündigcr Adaption routinemäβig in Ampullen bzw. Pailletten eingefroren wurden. Die Untersuchungen führten zu folgenden Ergebnissen: 1. Die Auftaurate von Spermaproben, die ohne Adaption auf Objektträgern im Stickstoffdampf eingefroren wurden, lassen bis zu einem gewissen Grade eine Vorausbestimmung des Einfrierergebnisses und damit der Tiefgefriertauglichkeit eines Ejakulates zu. Bullen, deren Sperma im Objektträgertest ein Auftaurate von über 20% zeigt, werden als gefriertauglich, jene mit einer Spermienmotilität nach dem Auftauen der Objektträgerproben von unter 5% als gefrieruntauglich und solche, deren aufgetautes Sperma 5% bis 20 % motile Spermien aufweisen, als bedingt tauglich angesprochen. 2. Zur Beurteilung eines Bullen hinsichtliclz der Gefriertauglichkeit seines Spermas reicht die Testung von 3 Ejakulaten aus. 3. Der Objektträgertest ist leicht durchführbar und zeitsparend. Er ist für die Auswahl der Bullen hinsichtlich der Gefriertauglichkeit ihres Spermas für die Praxis allerdings nur bedingt einsatzfähig, da ein groβer Teil der Stiere doch noch routinemäβig nachgetestet werden muβ. Er bringt eindeutige Ergebnisse nur dann, wenn die Auftaurate höchstens 5% und deutlich mehr als 20 % beträgt. Contents (The determination of the suitability for deep freezing of bull semen using a slide test) . 276 ejaculates from 50 bulls of ther German Fleckvieh breed were studied for deep freezing suitability using a simple slide test without the routinely used mea.rures (adaptation, freezing). A comparison was made of the thawing rates of diluted semen samples immediately after deep-freezing without adaptation on slides and after 6–8 hours adaptntion in ampoules or paillettes. The following results were obtained: 1. The thawing rate of semen samples frozen without adaptation on slides in the vapour phase of nitrogen allow a certain degree of predetermination of the freezing result and therefore of the suitability of an ejaculate for deep freezing. Bulls whose semen shows a thawing rate of over 20% by the slide test are taken as being suitable for freezing; those with a sperm motility after the slide test of less than 5% are unsuitable; those with a sperm motility of 5–20% are considered as conditionally suitable. 2. 3 ejaculates are sufficient to test a bull for suitability of semen for deep-freezing. 3. The slide test is easy to carry out and saves time. However, for the selection of bulls on the basis of deep freezing of semen in practice it is limited, since a large proportion of bulls still have to be tested further. The test only gives unequivocal results if the thawing rate is less than 5% or more than 20%.