Antioxidant response element activator,BTZO-1, improves the developmental competence of bovine oocytes

Increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation may disrupt the oocytes function and their competence. In this study, we introduced BTZO-1, a new supplement that can regulate the oxidative stress. Addition of BTZO-1 during IVM of bovine oocytes improved their developmental competence in the term of improvement of blastocyst rates. In addition, the quality of the produced embryos was improved by decreasing the apoptosis level by showing a decreased number of TUNNEL positive cells.     

Atmospheric trace gases: trends and distributions over the last decade

Concentrations of the halocrbons CCl(3)F (F-11), CCl(2)F(2) (F-12), CCl(4), and CH(3)CCl(3), methane (CH(4)), and nitrous oxide (N(2)O) over the decade between 1975 and 1985 are reported, based on measurements taken every January at the South Pole and in the Pacific Northwest. The concentrations of F-11, F-12, and CH(3)CCl(3) in both hemispheres are now more than twice their concentrations 10 years ago. However, the annual rates of increase of F-11, F-12, and CH(3)CC1(3) are now considerably slower than earlier in the decade, reflecting in part the effects of a ban on their nonessential uses. Continued increases in these trace gas concentrations may warm the earth and deplete the stratospheric ozone layer, which may cause widespread climatic changes and affect global habitability.     

Production of low-fat cookies and their nutritional and metabolic effects in rats

Two weaning formulations were designed using computer software and then processed on a pilot plant scale by three different schemes involving extrusion cooking and traditional food processes such as soaking, decorticating and toasting to yield a total of six precooked experimental mixtures. The ingredients incorporated into these formulations were maize, cowpeas, peanuts, soybeans and soybean oil. Proximate composition indicated protein and lipid contents of 17.5-20.0 g/100 g and 7.8-9.1 g/100 g, respectively. Mineral analyses performed on samples indicated that the concentrations of copper, magnesium and zinc were comparable to those predicted whereas the concentrations of calcium and iron were lower than had been expected. Thiamin, riboflavin and niacin content ranged between 50-80% of the values predicted by the software. The differences could be due to varietal differences inherent in the nutrient profile of the raw materials or a result of processing these mixtures. However, a 100 g portion of all the supplements met at least one-third of the daily nutrient requirement of the 0.5-0.9 year old infant for selected micronutrients.     

Nutritional evaluation of wheat and maize breads supplemented with a mixture of peanut-chickpea flour

Whole wheat and maize (corn) flours were supplemented with 10, 20 and 30% levels of a 1:1 mixture of peanut and chickpea flours (PCF). Supplementation increased the protein content of the wheat and maize blends by 20–61%. Significant increases in other proximate constituents as well as K, Ca, P, Fe, Zn and Cu levels and lysine were observed. The chemical score (FAO/WHO, 1973) of wheat flour increased from 53 to 72 and that of maize flour from 49 to 71 with 30% PCF. Biological evaluation of wheat breads (baking time = 7 min at 220°C) at 10% protein level and maize breads (baking time = 15 min at 250°C) at 8% protein level in the diet showed significant (P<0.05) improvement in the protein quality of PCF-supplemented breads as judged by gain in body weight, protein efficiency ratio, net protein ratio, net protein utilization, biological value and utilizable protein (NPU% × protein% ÷ 100) content. A supplementation level of 20% was considered adequate to achieve the desired nutritive benefits.     

The influence of algal concentration and body size on filtration and ingestion rates of the clam Tapes decussatus (L.) (Mollusca: Bivalvia)

The filtration and ingestion rates of Tapes decussatus (L.) (12.5-32.5 mm in size), collected from Timsah Lake, Suez Canal, Egypt in 1993, were determined in relation to food concentration and clam dry tissue weight. Suspensions of the unicellular green alga Dunaliella marina, in concentrations ranging from 10³ to 10⁵ cells ml^-1, were provided as food. The filtration rate (F, ml h^-1 clam ^-1) and the weight-specific filtration rate (F“, ml h^-1 mg^-1 dry tissue weight) generally decreased with increased algal concentration following the allometric equations F= 2736.8 W^-0,183 and F’= 12.6 W^-0.182 The amount of water filtered free of particles by a clam of 210 mg dry tissue weight was in the ratio 1:1.4:2.3 with decreasing algal concentrations at 10⁵, 10⁴ and 10³ cells ml^-1, respectively. In contrast, the ingestion rate (I, cells h^-1 clam^-1) and weight-specific ingestion rate (I“, cells h^-1 mg^-1 dry tissue weight), generally increased with increased algal cell concentration following the allometric equations I= 0.01 W^0.87 and I= 0.005 W^0.88, where W is the algal cell concentration per ml. When the clams were fed on 10⁵ cells ml^-1, F and I increased with increased body size following the equations F = 7.5 W^0.74 and I“= 8.89 W^0.63. Otherwise, F“ and I“ decreased with increased body size following the equations F“ 7.5 W^-0.25 and I“ 698.6 W^-0.36, where W is the dry tissue weight in mg.     

Effects of silage preservation on astaxanthin forms and fatty acid profiles of processed shrimp (Pandalus borealis) waste

Acid silage of shellfish processing waste has been reported to be a good and economical technique to protect these biomasses from bacterial decomposition. Shrimp (Pandalus borealis) by-products contain some value-added nutrients for the aquaculture industry such as carotenoid pigments (mainly astaxanthin) and n − 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. The aim of this work was to determine the effect of ensiling shrimp waste during a long period of time (more than 3 months) on some unstable components such as the astaxanthin forms (free, mono- and diesterified) and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Comparisons of astaxanthin forms and the fatty acid profiles were performed on defrosted shrimp waste and on a 14-week-old shrimp waste silage. No significant difference (P ≥ 0.05) in the total lipids extracted from the two forms of shrimp waste was observed. Nevertheless, a small quantity of the red pigment, presumably an astaxanthin portion, was observed to stay firmly bound to the shrimp carapace after the solvent extraction in shrimp waste compared to the full recovery obtained in ensiled shrimp waste. This may explain the significantly (P < 0.05) higher concentration of total astaxanthin (4.57 vs 3.99 mg/g) found in the crude oil extracted from shrimp waste silage. Higher percentages (P < 0.01) of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) were found in esterified astaxanthin from shrimp waste silage (43.9% and 45.5%) in comparison with their shrimp waste (24.7% and 20.3%) counterparts. This suggests that EPA and DHA are the principal fatty acids esterified with the portion of astaxanthin linked to chitin in the shrimp carapace. The utilization of shrimp waste silage as a pigmenting component of salmonid feeds is also discussed.     

Breeding winter wheat for a dual-purpose management system

Breeders attempt to conduct selection under environmental conditionsrepresentative of the target environment. In the U.S. southern Great Plains,more than 50% of the wheat area may be used for the dual purpose ofproducing forage for cattle grazing and harvesting grain, but breeding ofcultivars likely occurred in an environment managed for grain production.We tested the hypothesis that genetic improvements accrued over time inagronomic performance may be compromised, or be differentiallyexpressed, in a forage-plus-grain system compared to the grain-only systemunder which improvement was initially targeted. Two field experimentswere conducted in each of three years, employing managementcomponents appropriate to each system, and using a historical set of 12cultivars chosen for their widespread adoption in the region. Substantialgenetic improvement has occurred in hard red winter wheat yield, withoutadverse effects on test weight or grain protein content. The magnitude ofgenetic gain was higher in the grain-only management system under whichthese cultivars were originally selected. In two of the three years, we foundno significant trend for improvement in grain yield under the dual-purposesystem, prompting an expansion of our breeding objectives to incorporateselection pressure for dual-purpose adaptation.     

Wheat grain softness protein (Gsp1) is a puroindoline-like protein that displays a specific post-translational maturation and does not interact with lipids

Compared to puroindolines a and b, grain softness proteins (Gsp1) remained up to now the less characterized members of this wheat specific seed protein family. Due to their low expression levels, their purification remains relatively arduous. We report in the present work on the purification of wheat Gsp, Gsp1b and its post-translational maturation. We showed that Gsp1b underwent different proteolytic cleavages both in the N and C-terminal extremities of the preproprotein. Especially, after the putative signal peptide, a 29 mer peptide is highlighted that is highly truncated in puroindolines (8–9 mer). We also showed that Gsp1b and puroindolines display similar secondary structure but Gsp1b does not interact in vitro with lipids. In addition, by using the iterative threading assembly refinement (I-TASSER) methods, we showed that Gsp1b three-dimensional structure prediction is however identical to both those of puroindolines and of the dicotyledon 2S storage proteins. In contrast with puroindolines, all these data make us question about the role of Gsp1 proteins in endosperm texture and the previously suggested function in plant defense lent to these proteins.     

Physiological and morphological response of tomato plants to nano-chitosan used against bio-stress induced by root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne incognita) and Tobacco mosaic tobamovirus (TMV)

European Journal of Plant Pathology - Root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.) have been reported to be responsible for large economic losses of agricultural crops due to their wide host range and...     

A cellular microRNA mediates antiviral defense in human cells

In eukaryotes, 21- to 24-nucleotide-long RNAs engage in sequence-specific interactions that inhibit gene expression by RNA silencing. This process has regulatory roles involving microRNAs and, in plants and insects, it also forms the basis of a defense mechanism directed by small interfering RNAs that derive from replicative or integrated viral genomes. We show that a cellular microRNA effectively restricts the accumulation of the retrovirus primate foamy virus type 1 (PFV-1) in human cells. PFV-1 also encodes a protein, Tas, that suppresses microRNA-directed functions in mammalian cells and displays cross-kingdom antisilencing activities. Therefore, through fortuitous recognition of foreign nucleic acids, cellular microRNAs have direct antiviral effects in addition to their regulatory functions.