Phenotypic and molecular characterization of isolates of Ornithobacterium rhinotracheale from chickens and pigeons in Taiwan

Forty Ornithobacterium rhinotracheale (ORT) strains were isolated from 28 chickens and 12 pigeons for the first time in Taiwan. All isolates reacted positively in the p-nitrophenyl-beta-D-galactopyranoside (PNPG) and oxidase tests, showing an API 20NE identification system biocode 0-0-2-0-0-0-4. All the pigeon isolates and 85.7% (24 of 28) of the chicken isolates belonged to serotype A. Compared to the ORT ATCC 51464 strain, 14.3% (4 of 28) of chicken isolates and 58.3% (7 of 12) of pigeon isolates showed smaller colonies after 72 hr incubation. Most of the chicken isolates (22 of 28), but none of the pigeon isolates, could agglutinate chicken and pigeon red blood cells. There appears to be a correlation that ORT isolates with a larger colony size tend to be more able to agglutinate red blood cells than the ORT isolates with a smaller colony size. A majority of isolates was sensitive to amoxicillin, ampicillin, ceftiofur, penicillin, and oxytetracycline. The 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) sequences of 23 Taiwanese ORT isolates showed high identity (98%-100%) to sequences in GenBank. Phylogenetic analysis of these sequences showed that pigeon isolates formed a distinctive cluster, while chicken isolates and all other 16S rRNA sequences obtained from GenBank belonged to another two clusters. The results indicate that pigeon ORT isolates are different from most chicken isolates in regard to a number of phenotypic and molecular traits.     

The Combinatorial Effect of Different Equex STM Paste Concentrations,Cryoprotectants and the Straw‐Freezing Methods on the Post‐Thaw Boar Semen Quality

This study was to evaluate the combinatorial effect (14 treatments, A–N) of different Equex STM paste concentrations, cryoprotectants and the straw‐freezing method on the post‐thaw boar semen quality. Two ejaculates were collected from each of nine boars (three boars from each of three breeds). Semen was diluted in extenders with different concentrations of Equex STM paste and different cryoprotectants [glycerol or dimethylacetamide (DMA)] before cryopreserving via liquid nitrogen or dry ice. Motility, viability, percentage of spermatozoa with intense acrosomal staining and with normal morphology of post‐thaw sperm were evaluated. The qualities of thawed semen were best preserved in treatment H (extender with 0.5% Equex STM paste and 5% glycerol and freezing by dry ice) and were worst in treatment B (extender with 0% Equex STM paste and 5% DMA and freezing by dry ice). Significant difference (p < 0.05) was present in post‐thawed sperm motility (63% vs 27%), sperm viability (70% vs 33%) and sperm acrosomal integrity rate (68% vs 29%) between treatments H and B. However, sperm proportion with normal morphology showed no significant difference among treatments (66% vs 66%; p > 0.05). Moreover, statistical analysis suggests that no significant difference was present in semen quality among breed or individual donors (p > 0.05). These findings suggest that Equex STM paste improved the cryosurvival efficiency of boar sperm, and the favourable straw‐freezing method changes between glycerol and DMA.     

Chemical Characteristics of Different Tissues of Spectacled Caiman (Caiman crocodilus)

Proximate compositions of dorsal, ventral, leg, and tail cuts of farmed spectacled caiman (Caiman crocodilus) were determined. The water, protein, fat, and ash contents of muscle were 77–78%, 19–23%, 0.3–1.2%, and 1.0%, respectively. The dominant nucleotide-related compound in the tissues was inosine monophosphate (IMP) (68.6–84.9%). The predominant free amino acids (FAAs) in the muscle of spectacled caiman were taurine (Tau), glycine (Gly), alanine (Ala), and histidine (His), along with a dipeptide of anserine (Ans) (80–183 mg/100 g) and carnosine (Car) (35–103 mg/100 g) being detected in each sample. The major fatty acid composition included palmitic (16:0), oleic (18:1 cis-9), linoleic (18:2n-6), and stearic (C18:0) acids. The amount of docosahexaenoic acid (4.27–8.76%) was higher than that of eicosapentaenoic acid (0.99–2.24%). The ratio of polyunsaturated fatty acid/saturated fatty acid in spectacled caiman (0.83–1.19) was higher than that in other commonly consumed meat. Meat from the spectacled caiman can be characterized as a valuable food for human consumption in terms of these nutritional features.     

Dihydroaustrasulfone Alcohol Inhibits PDGF-Induced Proliferation and Migration of Human Aortic Smooth Muscle Cells through Inhibition of the Cell Cycle

Dihydroaustrasulfone alcohol is the synthetic precursor of austrasulfone, which is a marine natural product, isolated from the Taiwanese soft coral Cladiella australis. Dihydroaustrasulfone alcohol has anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, antitumor and anti-atherogenic properties. Although dihydroaustrasulfone alcohol has been shown to inhibit neointima formation, its effect on human vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) has not been elucidated. We examined the effects and the mechanisms of action of dihydroaustrasulfone alcohol on proliferation, migration and phenotypic modulation of human aortic smooth muscle cells (HASMCs). Dihydroaustrasulfone alcohol significantly inhibited proliferation, DNA synthesis and migration of HASMCs, without inducing cell death. Dihydroaustrasulfone alcohol also inhibited platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-induced expression of cyclin-dependent kinases (CDK) 2, CDK4, cyclin D1 and cyclin E. In addition, dihydroaustrasulfone alcohol inhibited PDGF-induced phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2), whereas it had no effect on the phosphorylation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/(Akt). Moreover, treatment with PD98059, a highly selective ERK inhibitor, blocked PDGF-induced upregulation of cyclin D1 and cyclin E and downregulation of p27^kip1. Furthermore, dihydroaustrasulfone alcohol also inhibits VSMC synthetic phenotype formation induced by PDGF. For in vivo studies, dihydroaustrasulfone alcohol decreased smooth muscle cell proliferation in a rat model of restenosis induced by balloon injury. Immunohistochemical staining showed that dihydroaustrasulfone alcohol noticeably decreased the expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and altered VSMC phenotype from a synthetic to contractile state. Our findings provide important insights into the mechanisms underlying the vasoprotective actions of dihydroaustrasulfone alcohol and suggest that it may be a useful therapeutic agent for the treatment of vascular occlusive disease.     

Induction of Apoptosis by Sinulariolide from Soft Coral through Mitochondrial-Related and p38MAPK Pathways on Human Bladder Carcinoma Cells

Sinulariolide, an isolated compound from the soft coral Sinularia flexibilis, possesses the anti-proliferative, anti-migratory and apoptosis-inducing activities against the TSGH bladder carcinoma cell. The anti-tumor effects of sinulariolide were determined by 3-(4,5-cimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide assay, cell migration assay and flow cytometry, respectively. Sinulariolide inhibited the growth and migration of bladder carcinoma cells in a dose-dependent manner, as well as induced both early and late apoptosis as determined by the flow cytometer. Also, the sinulariolide-induced apoptosis is related to the mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis via caspase-dependent pathways, elucidated by the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, release of cytochrome C, activation of caspase-3/-9, Bax and Bad, as well as suppression of Bcl-2/Bcl-xL/Mcl-1. Detection of the PARP-1 cleaved product suggested the partial involvement of caspase-independent pathways. Moreover, inhibition of p38MAPK activity leads to the rescue of the cell cytotoxicity of sinulariolide-treated TSGH cells, indicating that the p38MAPK pathway is also involved in the sinulariolide-induced cell apoptosis. Altogether, these results suggest that sinulariolide induces apoptosis against bladder cancer cells through mitochondrial-related and p38MAPK pathways.     

Identification of Vibrio parahaemolyticus in Seafood by Multiplex PCR

ABSTRACT

Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a human pathogen frequently found in seafood. Once the seafood is contaminated by V. parahaemolyticus, it can become a vehicle for foodborne illness. The conventional culture methods for detection of V. parahaemolyticus are time-consuming and cannot differentiate pathogenic strains from nonpathogenic ones. In this study, a multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique was investigated for detecting tdh, chiA, and toxR of V. parahaemolyticus. The sensitivity of the multiplex PCR was determined by testing 28 strains of V. parahaemolyticus, 15 non-V. parahaemolyticus strains, and fresh seafood spiked with cells of V. parahaemolyticus. All the strains were analyzed for production of thermostable direct hemolysin (TDH) and chitinase. This study showed that both the chiA and toxR are excellent markers for detecting V. parahaemolyticus strains, and a multiplex PCR targeting chiA and tdh genes can be applied to simultaneously detect environmental and pathogenic V. parahaemolyticus.     

Antioxidant Properties of Seven Cultivated and Natural Edible Seaweed Extracts from Taiwan

Seven species of cultivated and edible seaweeds found in Southern Taiwan—including Enteromorpha intestinalis, Monostorma nitidum, Ulva lactuca, Dictyopteris undulata, Sargassum hemiphyllum var. chinense, Laurencia intermedia, and Porphyra dentate—were used to determine their antioxidant activity by different extraction methods. All seaweeds were extracted using water at 90°C, sterilization at 121°C, homogenization, or enzymatic hydrolysis. Extracts were evaluated for their free radical-scavenging capacity using 1,1-diphenyl-2-pricrylhydrazyl (DPPH), their reducing power, and their superoxide anion scavenging activity. The DPPH-scavenging capacity of S. hemiphyllum var. chinense extracts produced by sterilization (98.59%), homogenization (94.72%), and carbohydrate-degrading enzyme treatment was higher than that of protease extracts, except for U. lactuca. The reducing power of S. hemiphyllum var. chinense water extracts and M. nitidum Viscozyme extracts was better than that of a commercial antioxidant. S. hemiphyllum var. chinense exhibited higher superoxide anion scavenging activity than the other species. The results demonstrate that different extracts of some of the seaweeds showed remarkable antioxidant activity in different assays. The results also provide important information for the marine food industry and suggest that seaweed might be a valuable source of natural antioxidants.     

Development of a multiplex polymerase chain reaction to detect five common Gram-negative bacteria of aquatic animals

A multiplex polymerase chain reaction (m-PCR) technique was developed as a rapid and accurate diagnostic tool for identifying five major Gram-negative bacilli -Vibrio vulnificus, V. parahaemolyticus, Aeromonas hydrophila, Chryseobacterium meningosepticum and Edwardsiella tarda- that cause major diseases in cultured aquatic animals in Taiwan. The expected amplicons for V. vulnificus, V. parahaemolyticus, A. hydrophila, C. meningosepticum and E. tarda were 410, 368, 685, 180 and 230bp, respectively. The assay was shown to be specific for the target pathogens. The sensitivities of detection were estimated to be 20.5fg～200pg of genomic DNA or 10(2) ～10(4) colony-forming units (cfu) of bacterial isolates when adopted as PCR templates. The m-PCR was capable of simultaneously amplifying target fragments from bacterial genome DNA mixed with the DNA extracted from viscera and tissues taken from fish without affecting the performance of the method.     

Profiles of thyrotropin,thyroid hormones,follicular cells and type I deiodinase gene expression during ontogenetic development of tilapia larvae and juveniles

The aims of the present study are to determine whether triiodothyronine (T3) and/or thyroxine (T4) in tilapia larvae is gifted through the mother, and to investigate the change profiles of thyrotropin (TSH), thyroid follicular cells and type I deiodinase (D1) gene expression following larval development. T3 and T4 contents were measured using radioimmunoassay, thyrotropin was observed using immunocytochemistry, and the D1 gene was cloned and measured using real-time PCR. Results indicated that the β-TSH-immunoreactive cells (thyrotropin ICC) signals were detected at 9 dph (i.e., 9 days of post-hatching). Thyroid follicular cells were observed first at 3 dph, while the T3 contents of the whole body gradually decreased before 11 dph. T4 contents were detected until 13 dph, with higher secretion during 19–21 dph. In addition, the T3 synthesis was not inhibited by thiourea (TU) before 13 dph, but the TU response in the larvae appeared after 13 dph. Type I deiodinase (D1: GenBank accession number KC591724) was found to contain 2444 bases and encoded 248 amino acids. The D1 mRNA expression began to increase at 13 dph, with a higher expression during 15–19 dph. These results suggested that the T3 contents were maternally derived before 13 dph. Both thyroid hormonal changes and some parameters related to thyroid hormone synthesis in ontogenetic tilapia are discussed.