New insight into puroindoline function inferred from their subcellular localization in developing hard and soft near-isogenic endosperm and their relationship with polymer size of storage proteins

Wheat endosperm texture is correlated with one major locus, Ha, located on the short arm of chromosome 5D, which comprises several genes among which are two puroindoline genes, Pina and Pinb. In this study, we used two near-isogenic lines, the hard-textured line lacking Pina and the soft-textured line containing both Pina and Pinb wild-type genes. Hard and soft endosperms were observed at four kernel developmental stages, from 180 °Cd to 750 °Cd. Puroindolines were located within protein bodies at the onset of prolamin accumulation by transmission electron microscopy and immunolabelling. Ab initio modeling showed a closer structural relationship between puroindolines and 2S storage proteins from dicots than between puroindolines and other cysteine-rich wheat proteins, i.e. LTP and amylase inhibitors. Compared to the soft line, storage protein polymers in the hard line exhibited higher molecular mass (increase of from 6 to 93%) and polydispersity indices (increase of from 26 to 63%) over the course of the 4-year experiment. This suggests that puroindolines might impact the aggregation of storage proteins. Finally, these data pave the way for investigation of the role of protein–protein interactions in the texture of wheat endosperm.     

Evaluation of biocontrol agents for managing root diseases on hydroponically grown tomato

Journal of Plant Diseases and Protection - The effect of the bacterial strain Pseudomonas fluorescens 5.014 together with three commercial biocontrol products (Binab T, Gliomix and Mycostop)...     

Nigella sativa seed protects against 4‐nonylphenol‐induced haematotoxicity in Clarias gariepinus (Burchell, 1822): Oxidant/antioxidant rebalance

4‐Nonylphenol (NP) is an emerging concern contaminant which is widely spread in the aquatic ecosystem. Nigella sativa seed (NSS) has multifaceted therapeutic values. This study aimed to give insight into the potential protective effect of NSS on NP‐induced haematotoxicity in Clarias gariepinus through evaluation of haematological parameters, oxidant/antioxidant balance of blood lysate and histopathological investigation of blood smear. One hundred and fifty fish were divided into five groups (30/group). First group served as control which did not received NP exposure and fed basal diet without NSS supplementation. The other four groups were exposed to NP at a dose of 0.1 mg L^?1 and fed diets supplemented with NSS at levels of 0, 10, 25 and 50 g/kg diet, respectively. Macrocytic hypochromic anaemia, thrombocytopenia, leucopenia, neutrophilia, lymphopenia, monocytosis and eosinophilia were observed following NP exposure together with increase in morphological erythrocyte alterations and micronuclei formation. Elevation in total peroxide and malondialdehyde and depletion in total antioxidant capacity of blood lysate were reported. We concluded that supplementation of NSS markedly ameliorated the previously listed manifestations, and the most effective doses were 25 and 50 g/kg feed.     

Noonindoles A–F: Rare Indole Diterpene Amino Acid Conjugates from a Marine-Derived Fungus,Aspergillus noonimiae CMB-M0339

Analytical scale chemical/cultivation profiling prioritized the Australian marine-derived fungus Aspergillus noonimiae CMB-M0339. Subsequent investigation permitted isolation of noonindoles A–F (5–10) and detection of eight minor analogues (i–viii) as new examples of a rare class of indole diterpene (IDT) amino acid conjugate, indicative of an acyl amino acid transferase capable of incorporating a diverse range of amino acid residues. Structures for 5–10 were assigned by detailed spectroscopic and X-ray crystallographic analysis. The metabolites 5–14 exhibited no antibacterial properties against G-ve and G+ve bacteria or the fungus Candida albicans, with the exception of 5 which exhibited moderate antifungal activity.     

Partial purification and characterization of a protein in porcine follicular fluid which restricts sperm-egg interaction in vitro.

An attempt was made to isolate and characterize a component in preovulatory porcine follicular fluid (pFF) which has a restricting effect on sperm-egg interaction in vitro. Using the zona-free hamster ova (eggs) penetration assay as an in vitro test system, it was shown previously that the numbers of porcine spermatozoa attached to or penetrated into each egg and the number of eggs with sperm attached or penetrated decreased significantly as the concentration of pFF was increased in the culture medium. In the present study, the component in pFF having these effects was shown to be a heat stable, nonsteroidal substance which retained its activity after dialysis, lyophilization and gel filtration chromatography. The activity was also found to be present in preovulatory homologous serum. Separation of the material on protein type gel filtration columns with detection at 280 nm, together with the banding seen with Coomassie staining on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), suggests that it is a protein. Based on high pressure liquid chromatographic separation (HPLC) and SDS-PAGE analyses, the bioactivity could be due to a single protein of 87 kD or to one or more of three smaller proteins, possibly disaggregated products of the 87 kD protein, in the range of 26-28 kD.     

Cholecystitis in otters (Lutra lutra) and mink (Mustela vison) caused by the fluke Pseudamphistomum truncatum

Between 1988 and 2004, postmortem examinations were carried out on 445 otters found dead, mostly as a result of road traffic accidents, in southern and south-west England. Thickened, shrunken gall bladders were observed in 10 cases, the first in 2000 and the others between February 2002 and August 2004. A digenean fluke, Pseudamphistomum truncatum, was found in the gall bladders of three cases and also in three of seven American mink examined. Nine of the 10 otters and all the mink came from a localised area of Somerset, indicating that the fluke has become established in the local fish population. P. truncatum has not been recorded previously in Britain, and the results suggest that it has been introduced recently, possibly in imported fish.     

Crossbreeding effects for litter and lactation traits in a Saudi project to develop new lines of rabbits suitable for hot climates

A five-years crossing scheme involving the Spanish V line (V) and Saudi Gabali (S) rabbits was practiced to produce 14 genetic groups: V, S, 1/2V1/2S, 1/2S1/2V, 3/4V1/4S, 3/4S1/4V, (1/2V1/2S)², (1/2S1/2V)², (3/4V1/4S)², (3/4S1/4V)², ((3/4V1/4S)²)², ((3/4S1/4V)²)², Saudi 2 (a new synthetic line) and Saudi 3 (another new synthetic line). A total of 3496 litters from 1022 dams were used to evaluate litter size at birth (LSB) and weaning (LSW), litter weight at birth (LWB), litter weight at 21 d (LW21) and litter weight at weaning (LWW), pre-weaning litter mortality (PLM), milk yield at lactation intervals of 0–7 d (MY07), 0–21 d (MY021), 0–28 d (TMY) and milk conversion ratio as g of litter gain per g of milk suckled during 21 d of lactation (MCR021). A generalized least squares procedure was used to estimate additive and heterotic effects (direct, maternal, and grand-maternal).The comparison among V, S, Saudi 2 and Saudi 3 showed a complementarity between V and S. Line V was superior for LSB, LSW, LWB, PLM, MY07, MY021 and TMY, while line S was superior for the other traits (LW21, LWW and MCR021). Saudi 2 and Saudi 3 had the means equal to or higher than the founder lines (V or S) for all traits. Saudi 2 showed better values in litter size and pre-weaning litter mortality compared to Saudi 3 with no significant differences for the other traits. Concerning crossbreeding parameters, direct additive effects were significant for all traits, ranging between 12.3% and 31.8% relative to the average of the means of V and S. All estimates for direct heterosis except LWB and MCR021 were significant and ranged from 5.3% to 27.5%. No estimates for maternal additive effects and grand-maternal additive and heterotic effects were significant. Only estimates for maternal heterotic effects of LSB and LSW were significant (8.6% and 10.6%, respectively).     

Effect of different dietary zinc sources on seminal plasma enzymatic activity,antioxidant, and immune-related gene expression in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

Aquaculture International - The objective of the present work was to survey the effects of different sources of zinc supplements on serum enzymatic activities, the expression of genes related to...     

Physiological and molecular evaluation of ten Egyptian barley cultivars under salt stress conditions

Journal of Crop Science and Biotechnology - Ten Egyptian barley cultivars (Giza 129, 132, 123, 127, 2000, 130, 126, 135, 128 and 133) were assessed under 0, 100 and 200 mM NaCl. The...