Effect of increased harvests on saccharification ratio of waste mushroom medium from the cultivation of shiitake mushroom (Lentinula edodes)

Waste mushroom medium (WM) was saccharized with cellulase to obtain glucose after shiitake fruiting bodies were harvested 3 and 5 times (WM-3 and WM-5, respectively). Glucose can be used as a feedstock for the production of bioethanol or other bioproducts. WM-3 and WM-5 were analyzed for the amounts of shiitake fruiting bodies harvested and chemical components. The fresh weight ratio of shiitake fruiting bodies from the 4th and 5th harvests relative to the total fresh weight of shiitake fruiting bodies until the 5th harvest was 4.1 %. The additional 2 harvests decreased WM dry weight to 78.0 % and slightly decreased acid-insoluble lignin and xylan contents from 11.9 and 12.0 % to 10.0 and 9.6 %, respectively. The additional 2 harvests did not decrease glucan content. WM-5 included 31.6 % of glucan relative to dry weight, and 54.5 % of the glucan was saccharized to glucose with Meicelase (5 FPU/g substrate) at 40 °C for 48 h without pretreatment. The saccharification ratio of WM-3 was 45.0 % under the same saccharification condition. The amounts of saccharized glucose in WM-3 and WM-5 were 155.1 ± 9.8 mg/g substrate and 191.3 ± 9.2 mg/g substrate, respectively.     

A Possible treatment strategy and clinical factors to estimate the treatment response in Bebesia gibsoni infection

The effectiveness of combination therapy using clindamycin, metronidazole and doxycycline against canine babesiosis, and the usefulness of platelet count and the plasma C-reactive protein (CRP) concentration as an estimation factor for treatment, were evaluated in four dogs experimentally infected with Babesia gibsoni. The combination therapy successfully eliminated B. gibsoni in peripheral blood in 3 of 4 dogs, however the remaining dog showed obvious uncontrolled relapse after a temporary recovery. In addition, it was shown that CRP levels decreased in an inverse relationship to the recovery of packed cell volume and therefore CRP levels could be used as an optional clinical marker to estimate the response to treatment.     

Founder effects in the assessment of HIV polymorphisms and HLA allele associations

Escape from T cell-mediated immune responses affects the ongoing evolution of rapidly evolving viruses such as HIV. By applying statistical approaches that account for phylogenetic relationships among viral sequences, we show that viral lineage effects rather than immune escape often explain apparent human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-mediated immune-escape mutations defined by older analysis methods. Phylogenetically informed methods identified immune-susceptible locations with greatly improved accuracy, and the associations we identified with these methods were experimentally validated. This approach has practical implications for understanding the impact of host immunity on pathogen evolution and for defining relevant variants for inclusion in vaccine antigens.     

KT-30和GA 3 对美味猕猴桃座果及果实发育的影响

观察了KT-30与GA_3处理对美味猕猴桃座果、果实发育和品质形成的影响。开花期分别用KT-3040mg·L~(-1)和GA_3500mg·L~(-1)处理花蕾可诱导单性结实;花后20d用KT-3010mg·L~(-1)处理幼果可明显促进果实生长、提高果实中淀粉和糖含量,但降低果实硬度和钙含量且果实外观品质较差。开花后2周用KT-305mg·L~(-1)与GA_3200mg·L~(-1)的混合液处理幼果,可促进果实生长,提高果实硬度,不降低果实外观品质,处理效果最佳。     

Variation in lysine,threonine, and tryptophan availability in meat and bone meal as estimated by the slope‐ratio growth assay technique in growing rats

Meat and bone meal (MBM) is an important protein source used in animal feeds. However, as the composition and availability of amino acids (AAs) in MBM fluctuate markedly, it is important to verify the magnitude of these parameters in different MBMs. In this study, the AA compositions of 19 MBMs were analyzed to confirm variations in lysine (Lys), threonine (Thr), and tryptophan (Trp), then which were compared with those of soybean meal (SBM) and fish meal (FM). Instability in Lys, Thr, and Trp availabilities in six MBMs were also considered after estimation using the slope‐ratio growth assay technique in rats. Variations in AA composition were evaluated using the coefficient of variance (CV: Standard deviation/Mean). CVs for Lys, Thr, and Trp content were 9.40, 11.83, and 18.12 in MBM, 2.71, 2.48, and 3.19 in SBM, and 10.09, 10.44, and 13.47 in FM. Furthermore, means and SDs for Lys, Thr, and Trp availabilities in MBM were 53.3 ± 10.4% (CV: 19.5), 65.9 ± 17.6% (CV: 26.6), and 83.2 ± 11.2% (CV: 13.5), respectively. These results provide the first evidence that variations in MBM AA compositions were 3.5 to 5.7 times higher than those in SBM, but similar to FM, and that the large variation in availability substantially existed.     

Three-dimensional structure of an oncogene protein: catalytic domain of human c-H-ras p21

The crystal structure at 2.7 A resolution of the normal human c-H-ras oncogene protein lacking a flexible carboxyl-terminal 18 residue reveals that the protein consists of a six-stranded beta sheet, four alpha helices, and nine connecting loops. Four loops are involved in interactions with bound guanosine diphosphate: one with the phosphates, another with the ribose, and two with the guanine base. Most of the transforming proteins (in vivo and in vitro) have single amino acid substitutions at one of a few key positions in three of these four loops plus one additional loop. The biological functions of the remaining five loops and other exposed regions are at present unknown. However, one loop corresponds to the binding site for a neutralizing monoclonal antibody and another to a putative "effector region"; mutations in the latter region do not alter guanine nucleotide binding or guanosine triphosphatase activity but they do reduce the transforming activity of activated proteins. The data provide a structural basis for understanding the known biochemical properties of normal as well as activated ras oncogene proteins and indicate additional regions in the molecule that may possibly participate in other cellular functions.     

Growth performance responses to increased tryptophan supplementation in growing barrows fed three different very low crude protein corn and soybean meal-based diets fortified with essential amino acids

Seventy-five individually fed barrows averaging 35 kg were used in a series of three experiments for 6-week growth assays (25 barrows each) to determine the effects of l -tryptophan (Trp) supplementation on growth performance and to establish the lower limits of dietary crude protein (CP) levels. Corn and soybean meal (SBM)-based diets containing 9% (Experiment 1), 10% (Experiment 2), and 11% CP (Experiment 3) fortified with deficient essential amino acids (AAs) except Trp were used as basal diets for each experiment. The experimental diets were supplemented with 0.00%, 0.02%, 0.04%, or 0.06% Trp. A 16% CP corn–SBM-based diet was set as a positive control in each experiment, and feed and water were provided ad libitum. Average daily gain and gain-to-feed ratio improved quadratically (P < 0.05) as supplemented Trp increased in the 9% and 10% CP group, although these positive effects were not observed in the 11% CP group. Because the maximum performance parameters in 9%, 10%, and 11% CP groups were not different from that of the 16% CP positive control group, the marginally reduced level of dietary CP without growth performance being affected appears to be around 9% at most. A potential reduction of nitrogen intake was clearly indicated.     

A Growth Performance and Nonlinear Growth Curve Functions of Large- and Normal-Sized Japanese Quail (Coturnix japonica)

This study aimed to evaluate the differences between the growth patterns of large- and normal-sized Japanese quail strains and their F₁ progeny, by fitting their growth parameter values to five nonlinear regression growth models (Weibull, Logistic, Gompertz, Richards, and Brody). The Richards model presented the best fit for both sexes of the large-sized quail strain, whereas the Gompertz model presented the best fit for both sexes of the normal-sized quail strain, based on goodness-of-fit criteria (higher adjusted R² and lower Akaike and Bayesian information criteria). Both sexes of F₁ birds derived from the cross between normal-sized females and large-sized males were best fitted by the Richards model. In contrast, growth parameters of the F₁ birds derived from the cross between large-sized females and normal-sized males were best fitted to the Gompertz model. The data could be fitted nearly as well to the Weibull and Logistic models as to the Richards and Gompertz models. The Brody model presented the poorest fit for the growth parameter values. The results indicated that the Richards and Gompertz models could best describe the growth characteristics of both large- and normal-sized quails. Moreover, the observed growth pattern of the F₁ birds was likely inherited from the male parental strain. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study comparing the growth curves of the reciprocal F₁ generations with their parental strains in quails.     

Thyroid hormone concentrations in the gonads of wild chum salmon during maturation

Changes in gonadal and plasma concentrations of thyroid hormones were examined at various stages of maturation in chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) caught in the Bering Sea and the Bay of Alaska. Plasma concentrations of thyroxine (T₄) were less than 5 ng ml⁻¹, and those of 3,5,3′-triiodo-L-thyroxine (T₃) were less than 2 ng ml⁻¹ I in both males and females, regardless of the degree of sexual maturity or the gonadosomatic index (GSI). There was no clear relationships between circulating thyroid hormone levels and tissue levels. The ovarian T₄ concentrations were undetectable (less than 0.2 ng g⁻¹) or less than 2 ng g⁻¹ when GSI was lower than 1%, but increased thereafter and reached a plateau of 8–10 ng g⁻¹ when GSI became 2%. The ovarian T₃ concentrations were about 5 ng g⁻¹ when GSI was 1%, increased to a maximum level (20 ng g⁻¹) when GSI was about 2%, and decreased to a constant level of 10 ng g⁻¹ thereafter. The T₄ and T₃ content in single oocyte increased proportionally to the oocyte volume, indicating a constant incorporation of the hormones into the oocyte. The T₄ concentrations in the testis were 1 ng g⁻¹ or less regardless of the GS1. On the other hand, the T₃ concentrations were highest (15 ng g⁻¹) when the GSI was less than 1%, decreased thereafter when spermatocytes appeared in the testis, and became about 5 ng g⁻¹ I in testes containing spermatozoa, raising the possibility of a role for T₃ during early gamete and/or gonad maturation of testes.