New data on epizootiology and genetics of piroplasms based on sequences of small ribosomal subunit and cytochrome b genes

As a continuation of our studies on molecular epizootiology of piroplasmosis in Spain and other countries, we present in this contribution the finding of new hosts for some piroplasms, as well as information on their 18S rRNA gene sequences. Genetic data were complemented with sequences of apocytochrome b gene (whenever possible). The following conclusions were drawn from these molecular studies: Theileria annulata is capable of infecting dogs, since it was diagnosed in a symptomatic animal. According to cytochrome b sequences, isolates from cows and dog present slight differences. The same isolates showed, however, identical sequence in the 18S rRNA gene. This exemplifies well the usefulness of the mitochondrial gene for examining infra-specific variation. Babesia bovis is an occasional parasite of equines, since it was detected in two symptomatic horses. We found evidence of genetic polymorphism occurring in the 18S rRNA gene of Spanish T. equi-like and B. ovis isolates. B. bennetti from Spanish seagull is loosely related to B. ovis, and might represent a genetically distinct branch of babesids. A partial sequence of a cytochrome b pseudogene was obtained for the first time in Babesia canis rossi from South Africa. The pseudogene is distantly related to B. bigemina cytochrome b gene.These new findings confirm the ability of some piroplasms to infect multiple hosts, as well as the existence of a relatively wide genetic polymorphisms with respect to the cytochrome b gene. On the other hand, the existence of mtDNA-like pseudogenes of possible nuclear location in piroplasms is interesting due to their possible impact on molecular phylogeny studies.     

Modulation of tobacco bacterial disease resistance using cytosolic ascorbate peroxidase and Cu,Zn‐superoxide dismutase

The effect of over‐expression in tobacco plants of cytosolic Cu,Zn‐superoxide dismutase (cytsod) and ascorbate peroxidase (cytapx) alone, or in combination, against bacterial wildfire and crown gall diseases, caused by Pseudomonas syringae pv. tabaci and Agrobacterium tumefaciens, respectively, was investigated. Disease tolerance was observed in all the transgenic lines against the two causal agents, with various levels of resistance, with the double transformants (lines 35 and 39) the most resistant against bacterial wild fire. In the case of P. syringae pv. tabaci, disease tolerance and symptom decrease was associated with a lower bacterial population and a higher level of several antioxidant defence enzymes. Transgenic lines also exhibited an enhanced tolerance against A. tumefaciens, with the transgenic line harbouring cytapx (line 51) the most resistant to crown gall disease. However, this was only observed with strain C58 among the three pathogenic strains tested. These results suggest that cytosolic antioxidant defences have a role in increasing tolerance to the oxidative stress caused by some bacterial pathogens, and resistance of these tobacco lines to wildfire disease seems to be independent of tissue necrosis.     

Evolution of residual levels of six pesticides during elaboration of red wines. Effect of wine-making procedures in their dissappearance

The effect of wine-making procedures on the concentrations of six pesticides (chlorpyrifos, penconazole, fenarimol, vinclozolin, metalaxyl, and mancozeb) in red wines has been studied. During maceration stage (4 days), the percentage remaining of chlorpyrifos, penconazole, and metalaxyl was approximately 90%, whereas that of fenarimol, vinclozolin, and mancozeb is somewhat smaller (74-67%). The residual levels found in pressed must were 相似文献   

Characteristics of maize flour tortilla supplemented with ground Tenebrio molitor larvae.

The larva of the Tenebrio molitor, known as the yellow meal worm, is a plague of wheat and flours. Consumption of the raw insects is not well accepted because of their appearance. The objective of the present work was to grow T. molitor larvae under standard conditions, to analyze the chemical composition of the larvae powder, and to prepare supplemented maize tortillas. Protein and fat contents were performed with standard methods. Tenebrio larvae powder had a 58.4% protein content; this protein was rich in essential amino acids such as phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan; the found values satisfied those recommended by the Food and Agriculture Organization. Fatty acid composition was determined by GC-MS showing high contents of oleic acid and linoleic acid (19.8 and 8.51%, respectively). A large proportion of unsaturated fatty acids of longer chains was detected. Long-chain fatty acids having two or three double bonds have been claimed as highly beneficial to health. Tortillas supplemented with larvae powder had excellent consumer acceptance, and tortilla protein content increased by 2% as well as the amount of essential amino acids. These results show new ways to consume insects and at the same time increase the nutritional value of the original food products.     

Effect of fungicide residues on the aromatic composition of white wine inoculated with three Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains

The effects of three fungicide residues (cyprodinil, fludioxonil, and pyrimethanil) on the aromatic composition (acids, alcohols, and esters) of Vitis vinifera white wines (var. Airén) inoculated with three Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains (syn. bayanus, cerevisiae, and syn. uvarum) are studied. The aromatic exponents were extracted and concentrated by adsorption-thermal desorption and were determined by gas chromatography using a mass selective detector. The addition of the three fungicides at different doses (1 and 5 mg/L) produces significant differences in the acidic fraction of the aroma, especially in the assays inoculated with S. cerevisiae, although the final contents do not exceed the perception thresholds. The lower quality wines, according to isomeric alcohol content [(Z)-3-hexen-1-ol and 3-(methylthio)propan-1-ol] are those obtained by inoculation with S. cerevisiae(syn. bayanus) and addition of cyprodinil. The addition of fungicides in the assays inoculated with S. cerevisiae (syn. bayanus) produces an increase in the ethyl acetate and isoamyl acetate contents, which causes a decrease in the sensorial quality of the wine obtained.     

Peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets in fleece rot-resistant and -susceptible sheep

Objective To compare haematological values and lymphocyte phenotypes in the peripheral blood of fleece rot-resistant and -susceptible sheep.
Procedure Experiments were conducted on 2- and 3-year-old Merino rams, flock 1 (17 rams) and flock 2 (32 rams), respectively. Within each flock, individual rams were classified as fleece rot-resistant or -susceptible, based on established criteria. Total and differential white cell counts, and indirect fluorescent antibody tests specific for B cells and T cells were performed on all sheep. The concentration of various subsets of circulating lymphocytes was then determined in each sheep.
Results There were no significant differences between fleece rot-resistant and -susceptible sheep from either flock in the mean total or differential white cell counts. However, fleece rot-resistant rams in flock 1 did have a significantly higher concentration of circulating SBU-T1⁺ cells than fleece rot-susceptible rams from the same flock. No such difference was noted in the rams from flock 2. While all rams in flock 1 were free of clinical fleece rot, 24 rams in flock 2 (comprising all 17 fleece rot-susceptible and 7 of 15 fleece rot-resistant animals) had clinical signs of the disease. Fleece rot-free rams in this flock (irrespective of their classification as fleece rot-resistant or -susceptible) had significantly higher concentrations of circulating SBU-T1⁺ cells compared with fleece rot-affected animals. They also had significantly higher concentrations of circulating B cells, and total lymphocytes.
Conclusions An examination of peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets in fleece rot-resistant and -susceptible sheep revealed a possible association between resistance to fleece rot and the concentration of circulating SBU-T1⁺ cells.     

Depletion of the Outer Asteroid Belt

During the early history of the solar system, it is likely that the outer planets changed their distance from the sun, and hence, their influence on the asteroid belt evolved with time. The gravitational influence of Jupiter and Saturn on the orbital evolution of asteroids in the outer asteroid belt was calculated. The results show that the sweeping of mean motion resonances associated with planetary migration efficiently destabilizes orbits in the outer asteroid belt on a time scale of 10 million years. This mechanism provides an explanation for the observed depletion of asteroids in that region.     

Functional and Bioactive Properties of Peptides Derived from Marine Side Streams

In fish processing, a great amount of side streams, including skin, bones, heads and viscera, is wasted or downgraded as feed on a daily basis. These side streams are rich sources of bioactive nitrogenous compounds and protein, which can be converted into peptides through enzymatic hydrolysis as well as bacterial fermentation. Peptides are short or long chains of amino acids differing in structure and molecular weight. They can be considered as biologically active as they can contribute to physiological functions in organisms with applications in the food and pharmaceutical industries. In the food industry, such bioactive peptides can be used as preservatives or antioxidants to prevent food spoilage. Furthermore, peptides contain several functional qualities that can be exploited as tools in modifying food ingredient solubility, water-holding and fat-binding capacity and gel formation. In the pharmaceutical industry, peptides can be used as antioxidants, but also as antihypertensive, anticoagulant and immunomodulatory compounds, amongst other functions. On the basis of their properties, peptides can thus be used in the development of functional foods and nutraceuticals. This review focuses on the bioactive peptides derived from seafood side streams and discusses their technological properties, biological activities and applications.     

Development of Antioxidant Protein Extracts from Gilthead Sea Bream (Sparus aurata) Side Streams Assisted by Pressurized Liquid Extraction (PLE)

The pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) technique was used, for the first time, to obtain protein extracts with antioxidant activity from side streams (muscle, heads, viscera, skin, and tailfins) of gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata) in order to give added value to these underutilized matrices. Extraction conditions previously optimized for sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) side streams were applied. Protein recovery percentages were 22% (muscle), 33% (heads), 78% (viscera), 24% (skin), and 26% (tailfins), which represented an increase of 1.2–4.5-fold compared to control samples (extraction by stirring). The SDS-PAGE profiles revealed that PLE-assisted extraction influenced protein molecular weight distribution of the obtained extracts. PLE conditions also allowed increasing the antioxidant capacity measured by both Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC; 1.3–2.4 fold) and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC; 1.9–6.4) assays for all fish extracts. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-qTOF-MS) were used to investigate the presence of toxic metals and mycotoxins in sea bream side streams. The levels of As, Hg, Cd, and Pb were below those established by authorities for fish muscle for human consumption (except for Cd in viscera samples). Through a nontargeted screening approach, no mycotoxins or related metabolites were detected for all sea bream side streams. This study contributes to the research on the valorization of fish processing side streams using environmentally friendly technology.