Investigation of diabetes mellitus in Burmese cats as an inherited trait: a preliminary study

AIM: To investigate, in a pilot study, a possible genetic component to type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) in Burmese cats in New Zealand by analysing pedigree data.

METHODS: Pedigrees were obtained for 305 Burmese cats living in New Zealand; diabetes was diagnosed in 19 of these due to presence of polyuria and polydipsia, persistent concentrations of glucose in plasma >16?mmol/L and glucosuria prior to insulin treatment. Pedigrees were also submitted for 16 cats with no clinical signs of T2D. The remaining 270 cats were unobserved relatives of these individuals. Inbreeding coefficients and heritability were calculated, and a single major locus model segregation analysis was conducted using pedigree analysis software.

RESULTS: Nineteen cats were diagnosed with T2D. Males (n = 14) and females (n = 5) were both affected, suggesting that the gene or genes causing diabetes are autosomal rather than sex-linked. Examination of the pedigree revealed few signs of fully penetrant dominant gene action: diabetes was ostensibly rarely seen in sequential generations and nearly always skipped at least one and often more generations; apparently unaffected offspring of apparently unaffected parents sometimes produced affected progeny. The mean relatedness of the affected animals within the core pedigree (16 diabetic cats) was 0.049, and mean inbreeding 0.033. Based on 100,000 permutations of the trait values, the expected relatedness of a random sample of 16 animals taken from the phenotyped animals would be 0.013 (SD 0.007) (permutation p = 0.0009). The observed inbreeding was also significant (permutation p= 0.02).

Heritability was estimated to be 9 (95% CI = 0–57)% assuming all animals with unknown status were unaffected. The best fitting genetic model was a major gene model with dominant expression with the risk allele frequency at 15% with 60% penetrance.

CONCLUSIONS: In this pilot study the increased inbreeding in the cases, lack of likely sampling bias, the increased frequency of T2D in Burmese, and small number of breed founders are consistent with the involvement of a major locus in diabetes in Burmese cats with a significant risk allele prevalence. However, low case numbers meant this could not be unambiguously confirmed. A genome-wide association study may be useful for investigating the genetic cause of T2D.     

家蚕新品种春华×秋实的实验室和农村鉴定

家蚕新品种春华×秋实,经省级实验室联合鉴定,春期万蚕产茧量、万蚕茧层量、解舒丝长、解舒率比对照种菁松×皓月高7.6%、3.3%、11.6%、13.7%,净度高2.75分,出丝率略低,其余经济性状相仿.秋期饲养万蚕茧层量、解舒丝长、解舒率、出丝率比对照种秋丰×白玉提高6.9%、6.4%、16.3%、9.7%、4.1%,其他经济性状与对照相仿.两年农村生产鉴定结果,盒种产茧量比对照种高5.3%,产值高4.7%,50 kg桑产值高3.5%,茧丝长、解舒丝长、解舒率、干毛茧出丝率分别比对照种提高8.1%、13.0%、3.8%、2.9%.     

克氏原螯虾原肌球蛋白的纯化及过敏原性分析

以13份甲壳类动物过敏患者血清的Western—blotting分析,确定克氏原螯虾主要过敏原为36ku蛋白质．通过盐析、等电点沉淀及热处理等方法纯化该蛋白质,以兔抗拟穴青蟹原肌球蛋白（Tropo-myosin,TM）多克隆抗体的Western—blotting分析,确定该蛋白质为TM．同源性分析表明,克氏原螯虾TM与南美白对虾TM、拟穴青蟹的氨基酸序列相似性较高（〉90％）．酶切位点预测显示,它分别有49个胰蛋白酶和6个胰凝乳蛋白酶的酶切位点．模拟胃肠液消化实验结果显示,纯化TM不易被胃蛋白酶降解,易于被胰蛋白酶和胰凝乳蛋白酶降解,进一步的Western—blotting和抑制性ELISA分析结果显示,其消化产物仍具有一定的免疫活性．采用蒸煮处理可降低TM的消化稳定性及免疫活性,且蒸煮处理时间越长,效果越显著．说明。TM为克氏原螯虾主要过敏原．与其他甲壳娄动物TM的序列相似件较高．     

Effects of Storing Pig Ovaries at 4 or 20°C for Different Periods of Time on the Morphology and Viability of Pre-Antral Follicles

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of cooling ovarian tissue on pig pre-antral follicles. Ovaries were maintained in saline solution (0.9%) at 4 or 20 degrees C for 6, 12 or 18 h. After storage, pre-antral follicles were morphologically evaluated. While primordial follicles were not affected by the storage, the percentage of morphologically normal growing follicles was significantly reduced in ovarian tissue stored at 20 degrees C for 12 or 18 h. To test the viability of stored follicles, growing follicles isolated from ovaries stored at 4 degrees C for 18 h and at 20 degrees C for 6 h were cultured for 3 days. Follicles stored in either condition presented the same growth pattern in vitro as fresh follicles. We conclude that storage of pig ovaries at 4 degrees C for up to 18 h or at 20 degrees C for up to 6 h does not affect the morphology of growing follicles or their ability to grow in vitro.     

Control of anthelmintic resistant endoparasites in a commercial sheep flock through parasite community replacement

An effort was undertaken to replace a community of sheep endoparasites that had been classified as resistant to levamisole and albendazole with a community of more susceptible parasites using a dilution approach that could be integrated into the management of a commercial flock. For this study, pastures on this sheep farm were divided into two areas: north and south. Strategically timed anthelmintic treatments combined with pasture management reduced to nondetectable levels the endemic community of anthelmintic resistant parasites in this flock and on these pastures by early summer. A group of 102 ewes, lambs, and rams were experimentally infected with third stage larvae from the more susceptible community of parasites. These sheep then seeded the south pastures with the new parasite community, while sheep on the north pastures maintained the endemic resistant community. Despite its insensitivity as a technique for detecting anthelmintic resistance, fecal egg count reduction tests at the end of the grazing season indicated that the more susceptible parasites were present on the south pastures while resistant parasites were present on the north.The following grazing season, similar protocols were used to introduce the more susceptible parasites onto the north pastures. At the end of the grazing season, fecal egg count reduction tests indicated that the new community of parasites had become established on both groups of pastures of the farm.     

Problems in breeding and cytology of sugar cane

In this article a survey is given of interspecific crossing in Saccharum leading to sugar cane forms with chromosome numbers on a level of 2n=about 160.Breeding for immunity in sugar cane, in Java practised since 1893, led in the twenties to sugar cane forms, in which resistance to diseases was attended by a very high sugar yield. These canes, belonging to the so-called third and fourth Saccharum spontaneum nobilisation with chromosome numbers of 2n=about 100 to 120, formed the starting point in 1925 of a step-by-step crossing procedure leading to sugar cane clones third nobilisation new style with chromosome numbers that in comparison with 2n=80 of Saccharum officinarum could be regarded as tetraploids.In 1938, when such sugar cane forms with 2n=about 160 were created in a comparative large number of cases, the author projected a six-year plan for the years 1939–1944 with the purpose of obtaining such plants in very large numbers from numerous cross combinations. This was necessary since the best clones resulting from it had to be compared with the best clones of the third nobilisation old style, themselves being products of a large number of crossing experiments covering many years. This six-year plan was never fulfilled in consequence of the second world war.The fact remains, however, that during the years 1925–1939 in Saccharum polyploidy breeding was executed without the aid of colchicine, resulting in well developed plants with 2n=about 160 chromosomes. Several plants of the first nobilisation¹) n.s. with such chromosome numbers even could be called giants.As result of this investigation it ought to be mentioned also that plants with 180 to 220 chromosomes without exception were poor plants. In these cases the optimum chromosome number must have been surpassed.