Lumenal localization in the endoplasmic reticulum of the C-terminal tail of an AE1 mutant responsible for hereditary spherocytosis in cattle

An R664X nonsense mutant AE1 is responsible for dominant hereditary spherocytosis in cattle and is degraded by the proteasomal endoplasmic reticulum-associated degradation. The present study demonstrated that R664X AE1 translated in vitro had the trypsin-sensitve site identical to that of the wild-type AE1. The P661S/R664X mutant containing a possible N-glycosylation site at Asn660 showed an increase in size by 3 kDa both in the cell-free translation system and in transfected HEK293 cells. Moreover, steady state levels of R664X and P661S/R664X in HEK293 cells were markedly increased in the presence of a proteasome inhibitior. These findings indicate that the truncated C-terminal region of R664X AE1 has lumenal localization in the endoplasmic reticulum and is not accessible to proteasomal machineries in the cytosol.     

Separating component parts of soil respiration under <Emphasis Type="Italic">Robinia pseudoacacia</Emphasis> plantation in the Taihang Mountains,China

Partitioning the respiratory components of soil surface CO₂ efflux is important in understanding carbon turnover and in identifying the soil carbon sink/source function in response to land-use change. The sensitivities of soil respiration components on changing climate patterns are currently not fully understood. We used trench and isotopic methods to separate total soil respiration into autotrophic (R _A ) and heterotrophic components (R _H ). This study was undertaken on a Robinia pseudoacacia L. plantation in the southern Taihang Mountains, China. The fractionation of soil ¹³CO₂ was analyzed by comparing the δ¹³C of soil CO₂ extracted from buried steel tubes with results from Gas Vapor Probe Kits at a depth of 50 cm at the preliminary test (2.03‰). The results showed that the contribution of autotrophic respiration (fR _A ) increased with increasing soil depth. The contribution of heterotrophic respiration (fR _H ) declined with increasing soil depth. The contribution of autotrophic respiration was similar whether estimated by the trench method (fR _A , 23.50%) or by the isotopic method in which a difference in value of ¹³C between soil and plant prevailed in the natural state (RC, 21.03%). The experimental error produced by the trench method was insignificant as compared with that produced by the isotopic method, providing a technical basis for further investigations.     

Village poultry consumption and marketing in relation to gender,religious festivals and market access

This study aimed to examine village poultry consumption and marketing in Ethiopia in relation to gender, socio-cultural events and market access. The main objects of the research were producers, poultry markets, producer-sellers, and intermediary sellers in three locations representing different levels of market access in Tigray. About 3000 farm records were collected over a period of 12 months from 131 producers to obtain quantitative data on sales and consumption. Ninety-three semi-structured interviews with 58 producer-sellers and 35 intermediaries and 12 group discussions with these market actors were conducted to explore organization, price dynamics and socio-cultural aspects of poultry marketing. In total, 928 producer-sellers and 225 intermediaries were monitored monthly to examine participation by gender in poultry marketing. Better market access was associated with a shorter market chain and higher prices for the producers. Female-headed households had smaller poultry sales and consumption per household but sale and consumption per family member were 25% and 66% higher, respectively, than in male-headed households. While women dominated in the producer-sellers group, intermediaries were mainly men. Religious festivals periodically shifted local demand and prices of poultry. To improve the benefit of poultry keeping, poverty-stricken households may profit from better market access through better market information, infrastructure, market group formation and careful planning to match the dynamics in demand.     

Distribution of mecA-harboring staphylococci in healthy mares

The prevalence of staphylococci that harbor the mecA gene responsible for methicillin resistance was examined in healthy breeding mares. Staphylococci often cause diseases of horses such as metritis, keratitis, and abscess. Methicillin-resistant staphylococci would make antibiotic treatments ineffective, so it may be significant to know the distribution of mecA-harboring staphylococci in mares. Isolation of mecA-harboring staphylococci was achieved from nares and pasterns of 100 mares in Hokkaido, Japan. From 13% of the mares, mecA-harboring staphylococci, including 15 isolates of Staphylococcus sciuri and 3 of Staphylococcus lentus, were isolated. Isolates of S. sciuri were found to be genetically polyclonal by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. These isolates produced no PCase and showed low or no resistance to beta-lactam and other classes of antibiotics. Distribution of staphylococcal species and levels of antibiotic resistance were found to be different between isolates from the present mares and those previously reported from riding-horses. Antibiotic pressure may lead to these differences. In addition, it appears that mecA-harboring S. sciuri may be native to horses.     

Oestradiol enhances plasma growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor-I concentrations and increased the expression of their receptors mRNAs in the liver of ovariectomized cows

Many metabolic hormones, growth hormone (GH), insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) and insulin affect ovarian functions. However, whether ovarian steroid hormones affect metabolic hormones in cattle remains unknown. This study aimed to determine the effect of sex steroids on the plasma profiles of GH, IGF-I and insulin and their receptors in the liver and adipose tissues of dairy cows. Ovariectomized cows (n = 14) were randomly divided into four groups: control group (n = 3) was treated with saline on Day 0; oestradiol (E2) group (n = 3), with saline and 1 mg oestradiol benzoate (EB) on Day 0 and 5, respectively; progesterone (P4) group (n = 4) with two CIDRs (Pfizer Inc., Tokyo, Japan) from Day 0; and E2 + P4 group (n = 4) with two CIDRs on Day 0 that were removed on Day 6 and were immediately injected with 1 mg EB. The animals were euthanized after the experiment, and liver and adipose tissues samples were quantitatively analysed using real-time PCR for the expression of mRNA for the GH (GHR), IGF-I (IGFR-I) and insulin (IR) receptor mRNAs. Oestradiol benzoate significantly increased the number of peaks (p < 0.05), pulse amplitude (p < 0.05) and area under the curve (AUC; p < 0.01) for plasma GH; moreover, it increased plasma IGF-I concentration (p < 0.05), but it had no effect on the plasma insulin profile. P4 significantly decreased the AUC (p < 0.01), compared with the control group, whereas it did not affect the number of peaks and the amplitude of GH pulses. P4 + E2 did not affect the GH pulse profile. E2 increased the mRNA expression of GHR, IGFR-I and IR in the liver (p < 0.05), whereas both P4 and E2 + P4 did not change their expressions. Our results provide evidence that the metabolic and reproductive endocrine axes may regulate each other to ensure optimal reproductive and metabolic function.     

Effect of herbicides with different modes of action on physiological and cellular traits of Anabaena fertilissima

Cyanobacteria are important components of the lowland rice ecosystem. Therefore, it is important to examine the effect of herbicides (commonly used against weeds of rice crop) on the performance of cyanobacteria. We studied the toxic effects of three herbicides often used in rice field, viz. propanil, pretilachlor and glyphosate, on the performance traits of Anabaena fertilissima C.B. Rao. Pretilachlor [0–40 active ingredient (ai) mg/L] and glyphosate (0–80 ai mg/L) exhibited toxicity to A. fertilissima at higher doses than propanil (0–1.5 mg/L). Propanil had severe damaging effects on cellular characteristics of A. fertilissima when compared to pretilachlor or glyphosate. Propanil treatment of A. fertilissima resulted in the leakage of protoplast from the heterocyst due to the breakage of the plasma membrane and surrounding wall. Our study shows that photosystem II herbicides such as propanil could have deleterious effects on phototrophic (cyanobacterial) communities, which are an integral part of the rice ecosystem.     

Ethnoveterinary health management practices using medicinal plants in South Asia – a review

Animal rearing is the major occupation of most population of South Asian countries. Due to lack of resources and limited approach to modern medicine, most of the livestock raisers prefer to use plant-based traditional medicine also referred to as ethnoveterinary medicine (EVM). Indeed, the use of medicinal plants in South Asia dates back to several centuries with documented evidences. However, there is currently a dearth of documentation and compilation of use of medicinal plants for animal diseases in this part of the world. This review aims to provide an up-to-date compilation of common medicinal plants used for the treatment and/or management of common animal diseases in South Asian countries. Extensive literature search was conducted online and relevant data was retrieved from well-known scientific databases. A total of 276 plants belonging to 95 families have been documented to be in common use for managing 14 different categories of animal diseases. Solanaceae, Lamiaceae, Fabaceae, and Leguminosae were most common plant families in terms of their plant species used for EVM. Gastric diseases were commonly reported and accounted for 72 species of plants used for its treatment followed by the miscellaneous disorders category and skin diseases comprising of 65 and 39 plant species respectively. Herbs accounted for 46% of the total plant species, followed by trees (33%), and shrubs (18%). The EVM were applied through different routes of administration; oral administration accounted for 72% followed by topical application 27%, while burning of plant parts to create smoke around animals to repel insects was less common (1%). It is anticipated that the present review will stimulate further ethnoveterinary research among livestock disease management practices in South Asia.     

Growth,Reproductive Performance,Carcass Characteristics and Meat Quality in F1 and F2 Progenies of Somatic Cell-Cloned Pigs

The objective of this study was to examine the health and meat production of cloned sows and their progenies in order to demonstrate the application of somatic cell cloning to the pig industry. This study compared the growth, reproductive performance, carcass characteristics and meat quality of Landrace cloned sows, F1 progenies and F2 progenies. We measured their body weight, growth rate and feed conversion and performed a pathological analysis of their anatomy to detect abnormalities. Three of the five cloned pigs were used for a growth test. Cloned pigs grew normally and had characteristics similar to those of the control purebred Landrace pigs. Two cloned gilts were bred with a Landrace boar and used for a progeny test. F1 progenies had characteristics similar to those of the controls. Two of the F1 progeny gilts were bred with a Duroc or Large White boar and used for the progeny test. F2 progenies grew normally. There were no biological differences in growth, carcass characteristics and amino acid composition among cloned sows, F1 progenies, F2 progenies and conventional pigs. The cloned sows and F1 progenies showed normal reproductive performance. No specific abnormalities were observed by pathological analysis, with the exception of periarteritis in the F1 progenies. All pigs had a normal karyotype. These results demonstrate that cloned female pigs and their progenies have similar growth, reproductive performance and carcass quality characteristics and that somatic cell cloning could be a useful technique for conserving superior pig breeds in conventional meat production.     

Glomerular lipidosis accompanied by renal tubular oxalosis in wild and laboratory-reared Japanese rock ptarmigans (Lagopus mutus japonicus)

Glomerular lipidosis is a disease characterized by lipid accumulation in mesangial cells but that has not been fully investigated in avian species. We examined four wild and two laboratory-reared Japanese rock ptarmigans (Lagopus mutus japonicus)--an endangered avian species--presenting vacuolar deposits in the glomeruli. All cases had vacuolar deposits in the glomeruli. In the wild cases, fewer than 30% of all glomeruli were affected, compared with more than 90% in the laboratory-reared cases. In the wild cases, most deposits were mild and restricted to the mesangial areas of glomeruli. In the laboratory-reared cases, nearly all of the deposits covered entire glomeruli. Electron microscopy of mild deposits revealed vacuoles in the cytoplasm of mesangial cells. These vacuoles were positive for Sudan III, Sudan black B, oil red O, Nile blue, periodic acid-Schiff, Schultz test, and digitonin stain and were negative for performaric acid-Schiff stains. Based on these results, we diagnosed the glomerular lesion as glomerular lipidosis caused by uptake of low-density lipoprotein in mesangial cells. Except for one wild case, all cases exhibited renal tubular oxalosis. The severity of tubular oxalosis tended to be related to the severity of glomerular lipidosis: In cases of mild glomerular lipidosis, tubular oxalosis was also mild or absent. We therefore diagnosed the primary lesion as glomerular lipidosis accompanied by tubular oxalosis. The four wild cases came from different zones and therefore had no opportunities to interbreed and no common relatives. We believe these data support the hypothesis that glomerular lipidosis is a disease of the general population ofJapanese rock ptarmigans. This is the first report of glomerular lipidosis accompanied by renal tubular oxalosis in an avian species.