Immuno-histological mapping and functional association of seminal proteins in testis and excurrent ducts with sperm function in buffalo

The region-specific expression of seminal proteins in testis and excurrent duct system determines the quality and function of the spermatozoa. In the present study, localization and expression of some of the seminal proteins such as insulin-like growth factor receptor 1β (IGF-1Rβ), phosphatidylethanolamine-binding protein 4 (PEBP4), α-tubulin and tissue factor pathway inhibitor 2 (TFPI2) were carried out in testis, excurrent duct system and spermatozoa of buffalo. IGF-1Rβ was localized in the cells of the seminiferous tubules of the testis, except in primary spermatocytes. The PEBP4 was localized only in the elongated spermatid, whereas α-tubulin and TFPI2 proteins were localized in all cells of the seminiferous tubule including spermatocyte. In the buffalo spermatozoa, IGF-1Rβ, PEBP4, α-tubulin and TFPI2 were localized in the acrosome region, the post-acrosomal region till the tail end, post-acrosome to the entire tail region and the equatorial region, respectively. The study indicates that IGF-1R, α-tubulin and PEBP4 proteins regulate spermatogenesis, whereas TFPI2 may be involved during the zona binding process of the buffalo spermatozoa.     

Identification, characterization, epitope mapping, and three-dimensional modeling of the alpha-subunit of beta-conglycinin of soybean, a potential allergen for young pigs

Soybean meal (SBM), the major byproduct of soybean oil extraction, is the main protein source for swine diets globally. In the United States, 8.6 million metric tons of SBM was used in swine rations in 2004. The pathological effect and immunological response of SBM feeding have been demonstrated in swine. In this study, we have utilized plasma collected from piglet feed with SBM in immunoblot analysis to detect proteins that elicited antigenic responses. We have identified soybean beta-conglycinin alpha-subunit as being a potential allergen for young piglets. Characterization of this protein indicated that deglycosylation and pepsin digestion did not eliminate immunoreactivity of this protein. Epitope mapping utilizing planar cellulose supports technology (SPOT) showed that three peptides spanning amino acids S185-R231 were critical for the allergenicity. A computer-generated three-dimensional structure model of the alpha-subunit of beta-conglycinin indicated that the antigenic epitopes were located on the surface of the protein. Information from this study may assist in the construction of recombinant nonallergenic soybean protein useable for both immunotherapy and the potential production of hypoallergenic soybean plants.     

Effects of mutual shading of tree crowns on prediction of photosynthetic light-use efficiency in a coastal Douglas-fir forest

Gross primary production (GPP) is often expressed as the product of absorbed photosynthetically active radiation and the efficiency (epsilon) with which a plant community uses absorbed radiation in biomass production. Light-use efficiency is affected by environmental stresses, and varies diurnally and seasonally. Uncertainty about epsilon can be a serious limitation when modeling GPP. An important determinant of epsilon is the amount and type of solar radiation incident on a canopy, because an abundance of light can trigger a photo-protective reaction, diminishing GPP. The radiation regime in a forest canopy is determined by the predominant sky conditions and by mutual shading of tree crowns. Shading effects, producing shifts in the amount of incident direct and diffuse solar radiation, have been largely ignored, however, because they depend on forest structure and are difficult to measure. We describe a new approach for estimating changes in mutual canopy shading throughout the day and year based on a canopy structure model derived from light detection and ranging (LiDAR). Proportions of canopy shading were then combined with eddy covariance data to assess the explanatory power for variance in epsilon by regression tree analysis over half-hourly, daily and weekly time scales. The approach explained between 75 and 97% of variance in epsilon, representing an increase of between 5 and 16% compared with models driven solely by meteorological variables.     

A Crop–Weather Model for Prediction of Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Yield Using an Empirical-Statistical Technique

Rice is the staple food in many countries and is grown in varied climates from per‐humid to semiarid areas. Crop–weather models were used to predict rice yield in India. However, in spite of a significant influence of solar radiation on rice yield, none of these models used solar radiation as one of the predictors. In this paper, an attempt was made to predict the first season (June–September) rice yield at Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India by including solar radiation as one of the predictors. Ten years (1987/88–1996/97) data were used for the study. Seven predictors viz., percentage of rice area during first season (X₁), number of days with minimum temperature below 22 °C in August and September (X₂), average daily maximum temperature for three months (July, August and September; X₃), average daily minimum temperature for three months (July, August and September; X₄), total of average sunshine hours in August and September (X₅), and total rainfall of July, August and September (X₆) total average solar radiation of August and September (X₇) were selected based on earlier report. Full model and stepwise regression analysis were performed using MSTAT computer package. The full model regression without solar radiation as predictor (Model I) recorded comparatively less R² (0.6292). Inclusion of solar radiation (Model II) enhanced the R² value considerably (R²=0.9464). Seven variables were further subjected to stepwise regression analysis and only four predictors were retained in the final model (Model III) with an R² value of 0.9234. The model III with minimum parameters Y=22119.5758 + 19.6898, X₁ ? 150.9261, X₂ ? 1126.7501, X₄ + 0.7179 X7 can be used to predict the first season rice yield (Y) at Coimbatore, India.     

Analysis of metsulfuron‐methyl residues in wheat field soil: a comparison of HPLC and bioassay techniques

BACKGROUND: Metsulfuron‐methyl is a low‐application‐rate sulfonylurea herbicide that is widely used to control broad‐leaved weeds in wheat. Owing to its persistent nature, its residues may be present at phytotoxic levels for the next crop in rotation. Therefore, a comparative evaluation of HPLC and bioassay techniques was made for the analysis of this herbicide in wheat field soil. RESULTS: Metsulfuron‐methyl was applied to wheat crop at different rates (4, 8 and 12 AI ha^?1) at 28 days after sowing as a post‐emergence application, and the soil was analysed for metsulfuron‐methyl residues by HPLC and lentil seed bioassay techniques. The bioassay was found to be the more sensitive technique. At the recommended rate of application, 4 g AI ha^?1, the bioassay technique could detect the residue up to 30 days in surface soil, while, with HPLC, residues were not detectable on the 15th day. The half‐lives of metsulfuron‐methyl by HPLC and bioassay were calculated as 6.3–7.8 and 17.5 days respectively. Under field conditions, residues of metsulfuron‐methyl were also detected in subsurface soil by the bioassay technique at trace levels, but were not detected by the solvent extraction/HPLC method. CONCLUSION: Lentil seed bioassay is a more sensitive technique than HPLC. Traces of residues detected in subsurface soil indicated the mobility of metsulfuron‐methyl into lower layers. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry     

Effect of six decades of selective breeding on soybean protein composition and quality: a biochemical and molecular analysis

To evaluate the extent of the genetic change and its effects on the seed protein composition of soybean cultivars released during the past 60 years, representative ancestral cultivars and those derived from selective breeding were grown in a side-by-side comparison. Total seed protein content, determined by combustion analysis of nitrogen, revealed a decline in the protein content after decades of selection and breeding. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis comparison of protein profiles of the soybean cultivars indicated that relative expression of most of the seed storage proteins had not varied substantially from the ancestral lines to the present commercial cultivars. There was noticeably less beta-subunit of beta-conglycinin, a protein devoid of sulfur amino acids, in the modern cultivars represented by Mustang, Pioneer 93B09, and Asgrow 3602. Comparison of the amino acid profiles of soybean seed, a benchmark of the protein's nutritional quality, revealed that the ancestral progenitor, G. soja, was significantly higher in cysteine, glutamic acid, histidine, and arginine than either the ancestral or the modern cultivars. Selective breeding over the past 60 years minimally affected the overall amino acid composition. The degree of divergence in the DNA sequence of the genes encoding glycinin and beta-conglycinin in the ancestral and modern cultivars was investigated using Southern hybridization and the polymerase chain reaction. Even though some restriction fragment polymorphisms could be detected, overall, the banding patterns were remarkably similar among the ancestral cultivars and those derived from them, suggesting a high degree of conservation of seed-storage protein genes. The results of our study suggest that selection and breeding for yield during the past 60 years had no major influence on the protein composition, ostensibly because of limited genetic diversity among the parental lines.     

Influence of Damping on the Bending and Twisting Modes of Flax Fibre-reinforced Polypropylene Composite

The effects of damping on the bending and twisting modes of flax fibre-reinforced polypropylene composites are investigated. The laminate was manufactured by a vacuum bagging process; its dynamic behaviour was then found from the vibration measurements of a beam test specimen using an impulse hammer technique to frequencies of 1 kHz. The frequency response of a sample was measured, and the bending and twisting responses at resonance were used to estimate the natural frequency and loss factor. The single-degree-of-freedom circle-fit method and Newton’s divided differences formula were used to estimate the natural frequencies as well as the loss factors. The damping estimates were also investigated using a “carpet” plot. The results show significant variations in loss factors depending on the type of mode. The loss factor generally lies in the range of 1.7-2.2 % for the bending modes, while 4.8 % on average for the twisting modes. Numerical estimates of the response, and in particular the natural frequencies, were made using a Mechanical APDL (ANSYS parametric design language) finite element model, with the beam being discretised into a number of shell elements. The natural frequencies from the finite element analysis show reasonably good agreement (errors < 5 %) with the measured natural frequencies.     

Effect of dietary supplementation of recombinant Cry and Cp4 epsps proteins on haematological indices of growing rabbits

Genetically modified (GM) crops expressing insect resistance and herbicide tolerance provide a novel approach for improved crop production but their advent at the same time presents serious challenges in terms of food safety. Although prevailing scientific proof has suggested that transgenic crops are analogous to their conventional counterparts, their use in human and animal diet gave rise to emotional public discussion. A number of studies had been conducted to evaluate the potential unintended effects of transgenic crops expressing single transgene, but very few studies for those with multiple transgenes. As the crops with single and multiple transgenes could impart different effects on non‐target organisms, thus, risk evaluation of transgenic crops expressing more than one transgene is required to declare their biosafety. The present study was therefore designed to assess the effects of different levels of dietary transgenic cottonseed expressing recombinants proteins produced by Cry1Ac, Cry2A and Cp4epsps genes on haematological indices of growing rabbits. A total of 48 rabbits were assigned to four dietary treatments containing different levels of transgenic cottonseeds (i.e., 0% w/w, 20% w/w, 30% w/w and 40% w/w) with 0% w/w serving as control. Haematological parameters were measured at periodic intervals (0, 45, 90, 135 and 180) days. No significant (p > 0.05) dose‐dependent effects were observed in most of the haematological parameters evaluated. Though, significant differences (p < 0.05) were recorded in the level of MCHC, MCH and HCT in some of experimental male and female rabbits, yet, they were not biologically significant, as all the differences were within the normal reference values. Our study suggested that feeding transgenic cottonseed of up to 40% could not adversely affect rabbit's haematological profile. However, further study needs to be conducted with different cotton genotypes expressing both single and polygenic traits before recommending the utilization of transgenic cottonseed in routine livestock feeding.