Stress exposure during the preimplantation period affects blastocyst lineages and offspring development

We found retardation of preimplantation embryo growth after exposure to maternal restraint stress during the preimplantation period in our previous study. In the present study, we evaluated the impact of preimplantation maternal restraint stress on the distribution of inner cell mass (ICM) and trophectoderm (TE) cells in mouse blastocysts, and its possible effect on physiological development of offspring. We exposed spontaneously ovulating female mice to restraint stress for 30 min three times a day during the preimplantation period, and this treatment caused a significant increase in blood serum corticosterone concentration. Microscopic evaluation of embryos showed that restraint stress significantly decreased cell counts per blastocyst. Comparing the effect of restraint stress on the two blastocyst cell lineages, we found that the reduction in TE cells was more substantial than the reduction in ICM cells, which resulted in an increased ICM/TE ratio in blastocysts isolated from stressed dams compared with controls. Restraint stress reduced the number of implantation sites in uteri, significantly delayed eye opening in delivered mice, and altered their behavior in terms of two parameters (scratching on the base of an open field test apparatus, time spent in central zone) as well. Moreover, prenatally stressed offspring had significantly lower body weights and in 5-week old females delivered from stressed dams, fat deposits were significantly lower. Our results indicate that exposure to stress during very early pregnancy can have a negative impact on embryonic development with consequences reaching into postnatal life.     

Pathologic findings and association of Mycobacterium bovis infection with the bovine NRAMP1 gene in cattle from herds with naturally occurring tuberculosis

OBJECTIVE: To determine necropsy and Mycobacterium bovis culture results in cattle from herds with tuberculosis, the role of the bovine NRAMP1 gene in resistance and susceptibility to infection with M bovis, and the association between magnitude of the tuberculous lesions and various types of M bovis isolates. ANIMALS: 61 cattle from herds with tuberculosis in Texas and Mexico. PROCEDURE: 61 cattle were evaluated by necropsy; 59 had positive and 2 had negative caudal fold tuberculin intradermal test (CFT) results. Thirty-three cattle with positive CFT results were genotyped to evaluate polymorphism of the 3' untranslated region of the bovine NRAMP1 gene, using single-stranded conformational analysis, 9 were resistant to M bovis with no tuberculous lesions and negative M bovis culture results, and 24 were susceptible with tuberculous lesions and positive M bovis culture results. Isolates of M bovis were analyzed by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) on the basis of IS6110 sequences and direct-repeat fingerprinting patterns. RESULTS: 21 (35.6%; 21/59) cattle with positive CFT results had tuberculous lesions or positive culture results; in addition, 1 of 2 cattle with negative CFT results had tuberculous lesions and positive culture results. Tuberculous lesions were most common in the thorax (35/63; 55.5%) and lymphoid tissues of the head (10/63; 15.9%). Tuberculous lesions varied from 1 to 11/animal; 8 of 21 (38.1%) had solitary lesions. Associations were not found between resistance or susceptibility to infection with M bovis and polymorphism in the NRAMP1 gene or between the magnitude of the lesions and various RFLP types of M bovis isolates. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The NRAMP1 gene does not determine resistance and susceptibility to infection with M bovis in cattle.     

Prediction of the Physicochemical and Nutraceutical Characteristics of ‘Hass’ Avocado Seeds by Correlating the Physicochemical Avocado Fruit Properties According to Their Ripening State

Plant Foods for Human Nutrition - Vegetal wastes are currently a source of pollution due to the excess of organic compounds in the environment. Seeds are the main by-product of the avocado industry...     

Effects of paraquat treatment on fish transaminase molecular subforms

The effects of paraquat (PQ; 1,1′-dimethyl-4,4′-bipyridylium dichloride) treatment were investigated in carp, silver carp and wels. The serum glutamic-oxalacetic transaminase (GOT; L-aspartate: 2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase, EC 2.6.1.1.) level was enhanced by 50% at 1 ppm exposure and by 100% at 10 ppm exposure in all species, and there was a change in the distribution of the molecular subforms of GOT in the liver and heart. The activities of the individual subforms decreased with increasing PQ concentration or after a longer exposure. In some cases, one of the subforms was no longer present in the liver. An increased serum GOT activity, a decreased enzyme activity in different organs and the disappearance of molecular subform indicate tissue damage.     

Evolutionary implications of two rainbow trout growth hormone genes

The primary structures of two rainbow trout growth hormone mRNAs (GH1 and GH2) have been deduced by direct sequencing of their respective cDNA clones and portions of the mRNA. Both GH1 and GH2 mRNA contain open reading frames comprised of 630 nucleotides and encode 210 amino acid residues of which 11 are variant. The translated regions of both mRNA are flanked by a short but rather conserved 5′-end, and a relatively long but highly diverged 3′-end. The differences at translated and 3′-untranslated regions suggest that the GH1 and GH2 mRNA originate from different loci. The GH1 and GH2 mRNA are likely transcribed from two distinct loci which were duplicated during tetraploidization of salmonid genome between 50 to 100 million years ago. The GH2 gene has been isolated and sequenced from a rainbow trout genomic library. This gene spans a region of approximately 4 kilobases. The trout GH gene is comprised of 6 exons and 5 introns, in contrast to 5 exons and 4 introns in mammals. The additional intron in the trout gene interrupts the translated regions that are analogous to the last exon of the mammalian counterpart. The alleged internally repeating sequences in mammalian GH, prolactin (Pr1) and placental lactogen (PL) are not observed in the predicted polypeptide sequence of trout GH. In addition, direct repeats that flank exons I, III and V of mammalian GH, Pr1 and PL genes are absent in trout gene. These findings indicate that the rainbow trout GH gene structure does not support the current hypothesis that internally repeated regions in GH, Pr1 and PL arose from a small primordial gene.     

Bovine viral diarrhea virus subgenotype 1b in water buffalos (Bubalus bubalis) from Brazil

Tropical Animal Health and Production - Serological studies have characterized the presence of the bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) infection in water buffalo herds worldwide. However, the...     

Use of two doses of cloprostenol in different intervals for estrus synchronization in hair sheep under tropical conditions

Tropical Animal Health and Production - This study evaluated the effect of two doses of prostaglandin at different intervals on reproductive parameters of crossbred ewes. In Experiment 1, 30 ewes...     

Genetic parameter estimation and gene association analyses for meat quality traits in open-air free-range Iberian pigs

Meat quality of Iberian pigs is defined by the combination of their genetic characteristics and the particular production system. To carry out a genetic analysis of the main meat quality traits, we estimated their heritabilities, genetic correlations and the association effects of 32 selected SNPs of 12 candidate genes. A total of ten traits were measured in longissimus dorsi samples from 1,199 Iberian pigs fattened in the traditional free-range system: water holding capacity (thawing, cooking and centrifuge force water losses), instrumental colour (lightness L*, redness a* and yellowness b*), myoglobin content, shear force on cooked meat, and shear force and maximum compression force on dry-cured loin. Estimated heritability values were low to moderate (0.01 to 0.43) being the lowest for L* and the highest for cooking loss. Strong genetic correlations between water holding capacity traits (0.93 to 0.96) and between myoglobin content and a* (0.94) were observed. The association analyses revealed 19 SNPs significantly associated with different traits. Consistent and strong effects were observed between PRKAG3 SNPs (rs319678464G > C and rs330427832C > T), MYH3_rs81437544T > C, CASP3_rs319658214G > T and CTSL_rs332171512A > G and water losses. Also for CAPN1_rs81358667G > A and CASP3_rs319658214G > T and shear force. The SNPs mapping on PRKAG3 showed the highest effects on Minolta colour traits. Genotyping of these SNPs could be useful for the selection of Iberian young boars with similar estimated breeding values for productive traits.     

Aged Garlic Extract Attenuates Cerebral Damage and Cyclooxygenase-2 Induction after Ischemia and Reperfusion in Rats

Different garlic products reduce the cerebral ischemic damage due to their antioxidant properties. In this work, we investigated the effect of aged garlic extract (AGE) on cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) protein levels and activity, and its role as a possible mechanism of neuroprotection in a cerebral ischemia model. Animals were subjected to 1 h of ischemia plus 24 h of reperfusion. AGE (1.2 ml/kg weight, i.p.) was administered at onset of reperfusion. To evaluate the damage induced by cerebral ischemia, the neurological deficit, the infarct area, and the histological alterations were measured. As an oxidative stress marker to deoxyribonucleic acid, 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) levels were determined. Finally, as inflammatory markers, TNFα levels and COX-2 protein levels and activity were measured. AGE treatment diminished the neurological alterations (61.6%), the infarct area (54.8%) and the histological damage (37.7%) induced by cerebral ischemia. AGE administration attenuated the increase in 8-OHdG levels (77.8%), in TNFα levels (76.6%), and in COX-2 protein levels (73.6%) and activity (30.7%) induced after 1 h of ischemia plus 24 h of reperfusion. These data suggest that the neuroprotective effect of AGE is associated not only to its antioxidant properties, but also with its capacity to diminish the increase in TNFα levels and COX-2 protein expression and activity. AGE may have the potential to attenuate the cerebral ischemia-induced inflammation.