Abraxas and RAP80 form a BRCA1 protein complex required for the DNA damage response

The BRCT repeats of the breast and ovarian cancer predisposition protein BRCA1 are essential for tumor suppression. Phosphopeptide affinity proteomic analysis identified a protein, Abraxas, that directly binds the BRCA1 BRCT repeats through a phospho-Ser-X-X-Phe motif. Abraxas binds BRCA1 to the mutual exclusion of BACH1 (BRCA1-associated C-terminal helicase) and CtIP (CtBP-interacting protein), forming a third type of BRCA1 complex. Abraxas recruits the ubiquitin-interacting motif (UIM)-containing protein RAP80 to BRCA1. Both Abraxas and RAP80 were required for DNA damage resistance, G(2)-M checkpoint control, and DNA repair. RAP80 was required for optimal accumulation of BRCA1 on damaged DNA (foci) in response to ionizing radiation, and the UIM domains alone were capable of foci formation. The RAP80-Abraxas complex may help recruit BRCA1 to DNA damage sites in part through recognition of ubiquitinated proteins.     

Effect of smoking process on changes in the content of selected non-ortho- and mono-ortho-PCB congeners in mackerel slices

The study involved determination of changes in the content of toxic dioxin-like coplanar non-ortho (PCB 77, PCB 126, PCB 169) and mono-ortho (PCB 156, PCB 157, PCB 114) congeners in mackerel slices during cold and hot smoking. In addition, the risk of toxicological exposure of the consumers of examined smoking products was assessed by calculating toxic equivalency (TEQs) in relation to 2,3,7,8-TCDD dioxin. In the final stages of hot smoking a small increase was observed in the content of analyzed compounds due to the presence of PCBs in the smoke. The main factor determining the changes in the content of these compounds in fish slices may have been their loss with the lipid leakage and in codistillation with water vapor. The hot smoking of mackerel slices contributed to a decrease in the content of examined non-ortho- and mono-ortho-PCB congeners in final products and in consequence to a drop of TEQs by 14.2%. On the other hand, cold smoking led to a rise in the content of analyzed PCB congeners in the final product, which significantly affected the increase of TEQs level by 31.7% in relation to initial raw material.     

The effect of preservatives on water balance in cut clematis flowers

A positive water balance is crucial for longevity of cut shoots. When water loss by transpiration exceeds water uptake by cut flowers, wilting symptoms appear. Clematis is a very attractive plant which can be used as a cut flower provided that suitable cultivars are chosen. The vase life of four cultivars tested ranged between 6.7 days and 9.0 days and the standard preservative – 200 mg·dm^?3 8-hydroxyquinoline citrate (8HQC) plus 2% sucrose – prolonged it significantly in two cultivars, while 8HQC alone was efficient in only one. The preservatives delayed reduction in fresh weight. An enhancement of water uptake by the preservatives resulted in prolonged vase life of flowers in two cultivars. However, the effect of preservatives on transpiration was not related to longevity. In addition, longevity did not depend on the xylem vessel size: the cultivar with the longest vase life had the lowest average xylem vessel diameter while the cultivar with the largest vessels had an intermediate vase life. Preservatives did not always affect the number of blockages in xylem appearing during vase life. Generally, the effects of preservatives on the elements of water balance in cut shoots of clematis were not directly related to the postharvest longevity.     

Assessment of the usefulness of particle size distribution measured by laser diffraction for soil water retention modelling

Particle size distribution (PSD) is a major soil characteristic, which is essential and commonly used for the development of pedotransfer functions (PTFs) to estimate the water retention of soils. The laser diffraction method (LDM) became a popular alternative to the standard sieve‐hydrometer method (SHM) of PSD measurement. Unfortunately, PSDs determined with LDM and SHM methods differ sometimes substantially. Moreover, it is claimed that the laser diffraction method underestimates finer fractions in favor of coarser fractions. Several authors have tried to elaborate on methods to recalculate LDM PSD into its SHM counterparts, but no universal methodology has been developed to this date. In this paper, we use PSD determined by LDM directly for PTF development and compare it with the classical PTF approach based on PSD measured by SHM. Four different PTF models based on LDM particle size distribution data were developed, with different PSD characteristics taken as the models' input variables. The possibility of using alternative PSD characteristics, such as deciles, area moment mean and volume moment mean, for PTF development was examined. The accuracy of PTF models constructed on the basis of LDM‐measured PSD was comparable with that of the developed models using texture data obtained from SHM, giving approximately the same RMSE and R² values. Our study shows that LDM‐measured particle size distribution may be directly used for PTF developments without any recalculations to their sieve‐hydrometer counterparts.     

Emerging cultivation of oregano in Sicily: Sensory evaluation of plants and chemical composition of essential oils

The characterization of the essential oil profile together with the sensory analysis of five samples of oregano, four of which cultivated in different areas of Sicily and one of commercial origin, have been carried out. The Sicilian cultivated samples belong to Origanum vulgare ssp. hirtum (Link) Béguinot (syn. O. heracleoticum L.), the most typical Sicilian oregano species. The essential oils, obtained by hydrodistillation, have been analysed by GC-FID-MS. On the whole, 53 compounds representing more than 98% of the oils have been fully characterized. The four cultivated samples showed a very similar chemical profile, thymol and γ-terpinene being the main compounds followed by p-cymene, α-terpinene, carvacrol and thymol methyl ethers, myrcene and carvacrol. The commercial sample, instead, showed a different profile, with carvacrol largely being the main component (>77%), followed by p-cymene, γ-terpinene and thymol, in that order.According to the chemical composition, the sensory profile of the Sicilian oregano samples proved fairly homogenous, whereas different results were obtained for the commercial sample. Indeed, the intensity of sensory attributes “typical oregano flavour” and off-flavour are similar for the four cultivated samples; instead the commercial sample has less freshness and a lower typical oregano flavour, associated with a higher level of off-flavour.     

Dietary resveratrol improves immunity but reduces reproduction of broodstock medaka <Emphasis Type="Italic">Oryzias latipes</Emphasis> (Temminck &amp; Schlegel)

Here, we investigated the effect of dietary resveratrol (20, 40, and 80 µg/g BW/day) on cell-mediated immunity (activity of spleen phagocytes and proliferative response of lymphocytes) and reproductive parameters (egg and sperm quality, i.e. fecundity—total number of eggs produced by individual fish, fertility, embryo survival, and hatching rate) in medaka. Fish fed feed with resveratrol at 40 and 80 µg/g BW/day had significantly higher metabolic activity and intracellular phagocyte killing activity than control. The proliferative lymphocyte activity of the fish from R80 group was greater by more than 20 % in comparison with the control group (P < 0.05). The percentage of macrophages (MO) and their mean fluorescence intensities (MFI) in R40 and R80 groups were significantly higher compared to C and R20 groups (P < 0.05). The differences in MO and MFI values ranged from 52.5 % (±1.5; R0 group) to 65.8 % (±1.6; R80 group) and from 23.2 (±1.4; R0 group) to 38.2 (±2.4; R80 group), respectively. Moreover, resveratrol at 80 µg/g BW/day decreased liver COX activity, i.e. 5.4 in R80 group and 7.9 in R0 group (P < 0.05). The motility parameters of the sperm obtained from the males fed feed supplemented with resveratrol at 80 µg/g BW/day exhibited the highest values except the linearity, which was lower as compared to the control (P < 0.05). The results indicate that diet supplemented with resveratrol at a dosage of 40 µg/g BW/day improves phagocyte killing ability and lymphocyte proliferation in broodstock and accelerates offspring hatch. Also, the results suggest that COX activity influences sperm and oocyte quality in fish; the presence of a COX inhibitor in the dose of 40 µg/g BW/day decreased the embryo survival.     

Supplementing the feed of pikeperch [Sander lucioperca (L.)] juveniles with MacroGard and its influence on nonspecific cellular and humoral defense mechanisms

This study examined the influence of β‐1.3/1.6‐glucan (MacroGard) on the innate immune system in healthy pikeperch (Sander lucioperca) juveniles. MacroGard was fed in a pelleted ration of 1 or 2 g kg^?1 feed for 6 weeks. The control group of fish was fed feed with no supplement. Blood, pronephros and spleen samples for the study of nonspecific cellular and humoral defense mechanisms were collected from 10 fish from each group. No changes were observed in either the behaviour or the health of the fish throughout the rearing period. Fish mortality was not noted in any of the groups. Additionally, the supplementation of feed with MacroGard did not have a significant impact on the fish growth rate as expressed in both absolute and relative values (P>0.05). The condition of the fish from the experimental group did not differ from that of the control group specimens, and the feed conversion ratios were also very similar (P>0.05). The results showed that MacroGard administered in two doses significantly (P<0.05) activated the metabolic activity and potential killing activity of spleen phagocytes, compared with the control‐fed pikeperch. The highest phagocyte activity was observed with a dose of 2 g kg^?1. The proliferative response of pronephros lymphocytes indicated a similar pattern. MacroGard significantly increased proliferative response of lymphocytes stimulated by mitogens (P<0.05). MacroGard also significantly increased the lysozyme activity and total immunoglobulin levels in the serum. In this study neither significantly different ceruloplasmine activity or total protein level in serum were observed. The result showed that MacroGard at the optimal dose of 1 g kg^?1 feed and a twofold higher dose does not have a negative influence on the hepatocytes or increased nonspecific cell‐ and humoral‐mediated immunity in healthy pikeperch.     

Effect of the diets with pumpkin silage and synthetic β‐carotene on the carotenoid,immunoglobulin and bioactive protein content and fatty acid composition of colostrum

Forty Simmental cows were divided into four groups with 10 per group to investigate the effect of a transition diet supplemented with synthetic β‐carotene and natural carotenoid‐rich feed (pumpkin silage) on chemical composition of the colostrum. The control group (I) was fed grass and maize silage and supplemental concentrates, group II additionally received 400 mg/day/cow of synthetic β‐carotene, in group, III 40% DM of maize silage was replaced with pumpkin silage to increase β‐carotene intake by 400 mg in relation to group I, and in group IV 60% DM of maize silage was replaced with pumpkin silage without adjusting for β‐carotene. Colostrum was collected from the cows within 5 hr of calving to determine colostrum composition, the content of immunoglobulins and carotenoids, total antioxidant status (TAS), the content of some bioactive proteins and the composition of fatty acids. The study showed that the experimental diets had no effect on the gross composition of colostrum. The content of α‐carotene, β‐carotene and violaxanthin was significantly higher in group IV than in group I and that of lutein higher in group IV than in groups I and II. Total antioxidant status of colostrum in group IV was significantly higher than in group I. Groups III and IV were characterized by a higher concentration of immunoglobulin IgG in relation to group I. IgM level in groups II, III and IV was significantly higher than in group I and that in groups III and IV was also higher than in group II. The highest IgA concentration was observed in group IV and the lowest in group I. Lysozyme concentration was higher in group IV compared to groups I and II. The diets had no effect on the total content of SFA, MUFA and PUFA in colostrum.     

The effect of feeding the leucine metabolite β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate (HMB) on cell-mediated immunity and protection against Yersinia ruckeri in pikeperch (Sander lucioperca)

The present study examined the influence of leucine metabolite β‐hydroxy‐β‐methylbutyrate (HMB), a natural product HMB, on nonspecific cell‐mediated defence mechanisms and protection against enteric redmouth disease (ERM) in pikeperch (Sander lucioperca). β‐hydroxy‐β‐methylbutyrate was fed in a pelletted ration at 50 mg kg^?1 of the feed for 8 weeks. The phagocytic ability and potential killing activity of blood and pronephric phagocytes were examined in HMB‐ and control‐fed fish before and after 8 weeks of feeding HMB. Simultaneously, the proliferative response of blood and pronephric lymphocytes stimulated by mitogens concanavaline A and lipopolisaccharide were examined in experimental and control groups. Following 8 weeks of HMB feeding, a challenge test was performed by injecting the fish with live pathogenic bacteria Yersinia ruckeri. β‐hydroxy‐β‐methylbutyrate applied in the diet for 8 weeks prompted a statistically significant (P<0.05) increase in phagocytic ability and potential killing activity of the blood and pronephric phagocytes and the proliferative response of blood and pronephric lymphocytes. The changes in these mechanisms correlated with protection against Y. ruckeri, the ERM pathogen. The results showed that feeding HMB increased the nonspecific cell‐mediated defence mechanisms and protection against ERM by reducing cumulative mortality (30%) following the challenge with pathogenic bacteria. Future studies will include determination of optimal doses and protocols of oral application of HMB to maximize the immunomodulatory effects and protection against viral diseases in intensive pikeperch culture.