Immunogenicity of a recombinant pseudorabies virus expressing ORF1-ORF2 fusion protein of porcine circovirus type 2

Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) is associated with post-weaning multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS). Pseudorabies (PR) is also an important infectious disease in swine and sometimes co-infect with PCV2. An attenuated pseudorabies virus (PRV) has been successfully used as a vector for live viral vaccines. In this study, a recombinant PRV expressing ORF1-ORF2 fusion protein of PCV2 was constructed and its immunogenicity was tested in mice and pigs. The ORF1 and partial ORF2 gene of PCV2 Yu-A strain were amplified by PCR and inserted into a transfer vector. The recombinant transfer plasmid was co-transfected with the EcoRI digested genome of vector virus (PRV TK-/gE-/LacZ+) into IBRS-2 cells. The recombinant pseudorabies virus PRV-PCV2 was purified by plaque purification and identified by PCR and Southern blotting. Expression of the ORF1-ORF2 fusion protein by the recombinant PRV-PCV2 virus was demonstrated by Western blotting analysis. The growth properties of the recombinant virus in cells were similar to that of the parent vector virus. In animal experiments, PRV-PCV2 elicited strong anti-PRV and anti-PCV2 antibodies in Balb/c mice as indicated by PRV-neutralizing assay, anti-PCV2 ELISA and PCV2 specific lymphocyte proliferation assay, respectively. And PRV-PCV2 immunization protected mice against a lethal challenge of a virulent PRV Ea strain. In pigs, PRV-PCV2 elicited significant immune response towards PRV and PCV2 as indicated by PRV-ELISA, PRV neutralizing assay and PCV2 specific lymphocyte proliferation assay, respectively. This is a first step toward the development of a potential candidate divalent vaccine against PRV and PCV2 infections.     

Ionophores have limited effects on jejunal glucose absorption and energy metabolism in mice

Two experiments, Trial 1 (in vitro) and Trial 2 (in vivo), were conducted to examine the effects of ionophores, monensin, laidlomycin, and laidlomycin propionate on whole-animal O2 consumption, organ weights, jejunal glucose absorption, and O2 utilization, as well as growth, feed and water consumption, and feed efficiency. In Trial 1, 30 male Swiss-Webster mice, 8 wk old, were used to measure the in vitro effects of each of the ionophores at concentrations of 1.62 or 16.2 mM. Six combinations of three ionophores at two concentrations resulted in a total of eight treatments. All eight treatments were exposed to jejunal rings from a single mouse for a total of 30 observations per treatment. Jejunal rings were exposed to each ionophore treatment for 15 min. Laidlomycin propionate (16.2 mM) decreased (P < 0.02) glucose absorption, as estimated by H3-3-O-methyl glucose uptake compared with all other treatments, whereas laidlomycin propionate (1.62 mM) increased (P = 0.032) jejunal DM content compared with 16.2 mM laidlomycin propionate. In Trial 2, 40 5-wk-old mice were allotted into four treatments--control and 16.2 mM each of monensin, laidlomycin, and laidlomycin propionate--for a total of 10 observations per treatment. Ionophores were administered via the drinking water for 14 d. No ionophore treatment had any effect on whole-mouse O2 consumption. Monensin increased (P = 0.004) stomach size and decreased (P = 0.049) the efficiency of BW gain compared with controls. Laidlomycin propionate decreased (P = 0.032) the percentage of whole jejunum oxygen consumption due to oubain-sensitive respiration compared with control. The efficiency of intestinal glucose absorption was not changed due to treatment in either trial. Under the conditions of these studies, monensin, laidlomycin, and laidlomycin propionate had minimal and inconsistent effects on jejunal function and energy utilization in mice. This investigation suggests that changes in the energetic requirements of animals treated with ionophores are not an issue in animal production.     

Piezo-assisted in vitro fertilization of mouse oocytes with spermatozoa retrieved from epididymides stored at 4 degree C

This study was performed to investigate the effect of partial zona pellucida incision by piezo micromanipulation (ZIP) on the in vitro fertilizing ability of stored mouse spermatozoa. The storage conditions were optimized by storing the mouse epididymides at 4 C in mineral oil or in the mouse body for up to 4 days after death, and the retrieved spermatozoa were used to fertilize fresh oocytes. No significant difference was observed in fertilization rates between the treatments when epididymides were stored for up to 2 days, but the fertilization rates in mineral oil were higher (P<0.05) than those in the mouse body at 3 (41.4 vs. 16.2%) and 4 days (26.0 vs. 15.8%). Spermatozoa retrieved from epididymides stored in mineral oil were then used to fertilize fresh and vitrified oocytes with or without ZIP treatment. The fertilization rates of the ZIP fresh oocytes were higher than those of the zona-intact oocytes at each time point (1 to 4 days). After ZIP, the fertilization rates of spermatozoa stored for 1 and 2 days (91.2 and 86.6%, respectively) were similar (P>0.05) to that of fresh spermatozoa (91.9%). In regard to vitrified oocytes, the fertilization rates of zona-intact and ZIP oocytes using fresh spermatozoa were 46.7 and 84.7%, while the fertilization rates of vitrified ZIP oocytes using spermatozoa stored for 1 to 4 days ranged from 49.3 to 79.6%. When 2-cell embryos derived from ZIP fresh and vitrified oocytes inseminated with 2 day-stored spermatozoa were transferred into recipient females, 47.9 and 15.0% of the embryos developed to term, respectively. These results indicate that storing mouse epididymides at 4 C in mineral oil is more suitable than storage in the mouse body and that the ZIP technique improves the in vitro fertilizing ability of stored mouse spermatozoa in fresh oocytes and significantly increases the fertilization rate of vitrified oocytes with fresh spermatozoa.     

Molecular characterizations of avian polyomavirus isolated from budgerigar in China

Budgerigar fledgling disease is an acute viral infectious disease caused by avian polyomavirus (APV). In this study, 34 liver tissue samples of young, dead budgerigar with typical symptoms were collected in 2004. All the samples had positive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test based on the VP1 specific primers. VP1 genes of these samples were sequenced and had high similarities to each other (99%-100%). A strain (HBYM02) was isolated and sequenced. As shown in the phylogenetic tree, there are two branches. One branch was composed by strains isolated from Passeriformes, and the other was composed only by one strain isolated from Falconiformes. The genome similarities between our isolate and other reported isolates were very high (> 99%), and the evolution distances in the phylogenetic tree were very short (< 0.005), which suggests that APV in China has the same genotype as those in other regions. The results will be useful for the diagnoses of, and vaccine development for, APV.     

Evaluation of recombinant fructose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase ELISA test for the diagnosis of Schistosoma japonicum in water buffaloes

Fructose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase (FBPA) is an ubiquitous enzyme essential for glycolysis, gluconeogenesis and the Calvin cycle. It has been demonstrated to induce immune responses and to be useful in the immunodiagnosis of malaria. In this study, FBPA was cloned from the adult worms of Schistosoma japonicum and tested as an antigen for the diagnosis of S. japonicum infection in water buffaloes. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was performed on the sera from 32 infected water buffaloes and 20 negative controls using the recombinant FBPA protein or soluble worm antigen preparation (SWAP) as an antigen. The OD cut-off values were determined to be 0.57 with 100% specificity and 100% sensitivity for the FBPA ELISA and 1.13 with 93.8% specificity and 95.0% sensitivity for the SWAP ELISA. These findings indicate that the recombinant FBPA of S. japonicum should be an useful diagnostic tool for the detection of antibodies against S. japonicum.     

Development and identification of two novel wheat-rye 6R derivative lines with adult-plant resistance to powdery mildew and high-yielding potential

Powdery mildew, caused by Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici(Bgt), is a devastating disease that seriously threatens wheat yield and quality. To control this disease, host resistance is the most effective measure.Compared with the resistance genes from common wheat, alien resistance genes can better withstand infection of this highly variable pathogen. Development of elite alien germplasm resources with powdery mildew resistance and other key breeding traits is an attractive strategy in wheat bree...     

Maize cryptochromes 1a1 and 1a2 promote seedling photomorphogenesis and shade resistance in Zea mays and Arabidopsis

Maize growth and development are regulated by light quality, intensity and photoperiod. Cryptochromes are blue/ultraviolet-A light receptors involved in stem elongation, shade avoidance, and photoperiodic flowering. To investigate the function of cryptochrome 1(CRY1) in maize, where it is encoded by Zm CRY1, we obtained two Zm CRY1a genes(Zm CRY1a1 and Zm CRY1a2), both of which share the highest similarity with other gramineous plants, in particular rice CRY1a by phylogenetic analysis. In Arabid...     

The plasmodesmata-associated β-1,3-glucanase gene Gh Pd BG regulates fiber development in cotton

Trichomes are specialized structures that originate from epidermal cells of organs in higher plants. The cotton fiber is a unique single-celled trichome that elongates from the seed coat epidermis. Cotton(Gossypium hirsutum) fibers and trichomes are models for cell differentiation. In an attempt to elucidate the intercellular factors that regulate fiber and trichome cell development, we identified a plasmodesmalβ-1,3-glucanase gene(designated Gh Pd BG) controlling the opening and closing of plas...     

Dietary oregano aqueous extract improves growth performance and intestinal health of broilers through modulating gut microbial compositionsOA

Background Intestinal health plays a pivotal role in broiler chicken growth. Oregano aqueous extract(OAE) effectively exerts anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effects. However, the protective effects of OAE on intestinal health in broilers and the underlying mechanism remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the potential effects of OAE on growth performance, the gut microbiota and intestinal health. A total of 840 1-d-old male and female broilers(Arbor Acres) were randomly allocated in...