Dimeric inhibitors of human salivary alpha-amylase from emmer (Triticum dicoccon Schrank) seeds

The proteins belonging to the cereal trypsin/alpha-amylase inhibitor family are abundant water/salt-soluble flour proteins active against alpha-amylases from several seed parasites and pests and inactive against endogenous alpha-amylases. Three alpha-amylase inhibitor families have been described in cereals that vary in size and are differently expressed among Triticeae seeds. The present work investigates the presence of human salivary alpha-amylase inhibitors in emmer (Triticum dicoccon Schrank) flour. The isolation was obtained by a series of chromatography steps, and the purification progress was monitored through the inhibition of human salivary alpha-amylase activity. The purified fraction was subjected to protein sequencing by tandem mass spectrometry (MSMS) of the tryptic digests obtained after the sample separation on 2-DE. MSMS data indicated that the emmer alpha-amylase inhibitory fraction was composed of two newly identified proteins [emmer dimeric inhibitor 1 (EDI-1) and emmer dimeric inhibitor 2 (EDI-2)] sharing very high identity levels with related proteins from Triticum aestivum.     

连续五年生物垃圾堆肥施用后地中海蔬菜种植系统中土壤有机碳的变化

Biowaste compost can influence soil organic matter accumulation directly or indirectly. A 5-year experiment was conducted to assess the influence of biowaste compost on the process of soil aggregation and soil organic carbon(SOC) accumulation in a Mediterranean vegetable cropping system. The study involved four treatments: biowaste compost(COM), mineral NPK fertilizers(MIN), biowaste compost with half-dose N fertilizer(COMN), and unfertilized control(CK). The SOC stocks were increased in COM, COMN, and MIN by 20.2, 14.9, and 2.4 Mg ha~(-1)over CK, respectively. The SOC concentration was significantly related to mean weight diameter of aggregates(MWD)(P 0.05, R~2= 0.798 4) when CK was excluded from regression analysis. Compared to CK, COM and COMN increased the SOC amount in macroaggregates( 250 μm) by 2.7 and 0.6 g kg~(-1)soil, respectively, while MIN showed a loss of 0.4g kg~(-1)soil. The SOC amount in free microaggregates(53–250 μm) increased by 0.9, 1.6, and 1.0 g kg~(-1)soil for COM, COMN, and MIN, respectively, while those in the free silt plus clay aggregates( 53 μm) did not vary significantly. However, when separating SOC in particle-size fractions, we found that more stable organic carbon associated with mineral fraction 53 μm(MOM-C) increased significantly by 3.4, 2.2, and 0.7 g kg~(-1)soil for COM, COMN, and MIN, respectively, over CK, while SOC amount in fine particulate organic matter(POM) fraction(53–250 μm) increased only by 0.3 g kg~(-1)soil for both COM and COMN, with no difference in coarse POM 250 μm. Therefore, we consider that biowaste compost could be effective in improving soil structure and long-term C sequestration as more stable MOM-C.     

Operational interactions between South American sea lions and gillnet fishing in southern Brazil

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Vessel noise pollution as a human threat to fish: assessment of the stress response in gilthead sea bream (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Sparus aurata</Emphasis>, Linnaeus 1758)

This study examined the effects of boat noise pollution on the stress indices of gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata, Linnaeus 1758). To assess the stress response in these fish, biometric values and plasma parameters such as ACTH, cortisol, glucose, lactate, haematocrit, Hsp70, total protein, cholesterol, triglycerides and osmolarity were analysed. After acclimatization of the animals, the experiment was carried out in a tank fitted with underwater speakers where the fish were exposed to sound treatments (in duplicate) consisting of: 10 days of no sound (control treatment; the animals were only exposed to the experimental tank’s background noise) and 10 days of noise derived from original recordings of motor boats, including recreational boats, hydrofoil, fishing boat and ferry boat (vessel noise treatment). The exposure to noise produced significant variations in almost all the plasma parameters assessed, but no differences were observed in weights and fork lengths. A PERMANOVA analysis highlighted significantly increased values (p < 0.05) of ACTH, cortisol, glucose, lactate, haematocrit, Hsp70, cholesterol, triglycerides and osmolarity in the fish exposed to vessel noise for 10 days. This study clearly highlights that anthropogenic noise negatively affects fish, and they are valuable targets for detailed investigations into the effects of this global pollutant. Finally, these experimental studies could represent part of the science that is able to improve the quality of the policies related to management plans for maritime spaces (Marine Strategy Framework Directive 56/2008 CE) that are aimed at stemming this pollutant phenomenon.     

Standing in the canine precision medicine knowledge gap: Improving annotation of canine cancer genomic biomarkers through systematic comparative analysis of human cancer mutations in COSMIC

The accrual of cancer mutation data and related functional and clinical associations have revolutionised human oncology, enabling the advancement of precision medicine and biomarker-guided clinical management. The catalogue of cancer mutations is also growing in canine cancers. However, without direct high-powered functional data in dogs, it remains challenging to interpret and utilise them in research and clinical settings. It is well-recognised that canine and human cancers share genetic, molecular and phenotypic similarities. Therefore, leveraging the massive wealth of human mutation data may help advance canine oncology. Here, we present a structured analysis of sequence conservation and conversion of human mutations to the canine genome through a ‘caninisation’ process. We applied this analysis to COSMIC, the Catalogue of Somatic Mutations in Cancer, the most prominent human cancer mutation database. For the project's initial phase, we focused on the subset of the COSMIC data corresponding to Cancer Gene Census (CGC) genes. A total of 670 canine orthologs were found for 721 CGC genes. In these genes, 365 K unique mutations across 160 tumour types were converted successfully to canine coordinates. We identified shared putative cancer-driving mutations, including pathogenic and hotspot mutations and mutations bearing similar biomarker associations with diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic utility. Thus, this structured caninisation of human cancer mutations facilitates the interpretation and annotation of canine mutations and helps bridge the knowledge gap to enable canine precision medicine.     

Acaricidal properties of the essential oil of Melaleuca alternifolia Cheel (tea tree oil) against nymphs of Ixodes ricinus

The aim of the study was to examine the acaricidal effect of essential oil of Melaleuca alternifolia (tea tree oil, TTO) at different doses (4, 6, 8 and 10 microl) and for different exposure times (30, 60, 90 and 120 min) on nymphs of Ixodes ricinus. A dose of 8 microl TTO was lethal for more than 70% of ticks when inhaled and this effect was enhanced when the dose was increased to 10 microl (> 80%). The effect was correlated with the duration of exposure of ticks to TTO, with a significant effect being observed after 90 min exposure. The findings show that TTO has acaricidal properties and could be extremely useful in controlling ticks that are efficient vectors of pathogens.     

Choice of selection strategy in breeding barley for stress environments

To determine the optimum selection environment for barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) targeted at low-input, stress environment, barley lines were selected for high yield under stress (YS), high yield under non-stress (YNS), or average yield in stress and non-stress conditions (YA) during three breeding cycles (cohorts) of three years each. The lines were then tested in a total of 21 year-location combinations with average grain yields ranging from 0.35 to 4.86 t ha^-1. Yield under stress of the YS lines was between 27% and 54% higher than that of the YNS lines, with the top YS lines yielding under stress between 16% and 30% more than the top YNS lines. Realized heritability was between 0.35 and 0.67 when selection was conducted under stress and was significant in all three cohorts. By contrast, selection under non-stress gave a significant response in only one cohort, and its efficiency in improving yield under stress was significantly lower than selection under stress. The best YNS line ranked only 19th for yield under stress. The highest-yielding lines under stress were not only selected under stress, but were also landraces collected in very dry areas (< 250 mm total annual rainfall). This confirms earlier findings and supports the idea that the most effective way to improve productivity of crops grown in less-favored areas is to use locally adapted germplasm and select in the target environment(s). This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

A molecular dynamics investigation on the inclusion of chiral agrochemical molecules in β-cyclodextrin. Complexes with dichlorprop, 2-phenoxypropionic acid and dioxabenzofos

Cyclodextrins are a group of cyclic oligosaccharides with a ring, basket-like structure. These compounds are able to include several kinds of molecules into their internal cavity, leading to important modifications of the properties of the guest compound. The interaction between β-cyclodextrin and the R and S enantiomers of dichlorprop, 2-phenoxypropionic acid and dioxabenzofos was investigated by means of molecular dynamics (MD). Several in vacuo trajectories were calculated for each system imposing a 1:1 stoichiometry. The results account for the formation of adducts which are stable at room temperature. The analysis of statistical data from the MD runs shows that dioxabenzofos exhibits the weakest interaction in the series studied and that the R and S enantiomers of dichlorprop and phenoxypropionic acid interact in a different fashion with the host molecule. © 1998 Society of Chemical Industry     

Report in Europe of nasal myiasis by Rhinoestrus spp. in horses and donkeys: seasonal patterns and taxonomical considerations

Two species of Rhinoestrus (i.e. Rhinoestrus purpureus (Brauer) and Rhinoestrus usbekistanicus Gan) cause nasal myiasis in horses, donkeys and zebras. In the past 15 years myiasis caused by R. purpureus has been reported in Egypt and by R. usbekistanicus in Senegal and Niger, both in horses and in donkeys. With the aim to investigate the presence of this myiasis in autochthonous horses and donkeys from southern Italy and to study the seasonal trend of larval infection, 212 native horses were necropsied in two slaughterhouses in the Apulia region (site A) from January to November 2003, and 120 native horses and two donkeys in one slaughterhouse in Sicily (site B) from January to October 2003. Thirteen of 212 and 5 of 120 horses examined from sites A and B, respectively, were infected by nasal bot fly larvae. Both donkeys examined were positive. Two hundred and thirteen larvae, representing all stages, were collected from the throat region, the turbinates and beyond the lamina cribrosa of the ethmoid bone, in the cerebral cavity. Third larval stages were retrieved from April to September with the highest mean burden in site A in May and in July in site B. The simultaneous presence all three larval stages at site B suggests the existence of two or more overlapping generations. Larvae were identified on the basis of peritreme structures and arrangement of the spines on the dorsal surface of the third segment. Some L3 collected from sites A and B presented morphological characteristics of both R. usbekistanicus and R. purpureus. The presence of mixed features on the L3 of Rhinoestrus collected from the same animals may be explained by the existence of a single species of Rhinoestrus presenting different morphotypes or of two species of Rhinoestrus which are both present in southern Italy since this area is midway between eastern and African countries where these two species have been reported.