Functional expression of geraniol 10-hydroxylase reveals its dual function in the biosynthesis of terpenoid and phenylpropanoid

Geraniol 10-hydroxylase (G10H), a cytochrome P450 monooxygenase, has been reported to be involved in the biosynthesis of terpenoid indole alkaloids. The gene for Catharanthus roseus G10H (CrG10H) was cloned and heterologously expressed in baculovirus-infected insect cells. A number of substrates were subjected to assay the enzyme activity of CrG10H. As reported in a previous study, CrG10H hydroxylated the monoterpenoid geraniol at the C-10 position to generate 10-hydroxygeraniol. Interestingly, CrG10H also catalyzed 3'-hydroxylation of naringenin to produce eriodictyol. Coexpression of an Arabidopsis NADPH P450 reductase substantially increased the ability of CrG10H to hydroxylate naringenin. The catalytic activity of CrG10H was approximately 10 times more efficient with geraniol than with naringenin, judged by the k(cat)/K(m) values. Thus, G10H also plays an important role in the biosynthetic pathway of flavonoids, in addition to its previously described role in the metabolism of terpenoids.     

Dietary replacement of fish meal by defatted and fermented soybean meals with taurine supplementation for pompano fish: effects on growth performance,nutrient digestibility,and biological parameters in a long-term feeding period

A 16-wk growth trial was conducted to examine the effects of dietary replacement of fish meal by defatted soybean meal (SBM) and fermented soybean meal (FSBM) with taurine supplementation on growth performance, nutrient apparent digestibility coefficient (ADC) and biological parameters of pompano fish. The FSBM was produced by fermenting SBM with Lactobacillus spp. Seven isonitrogenous and isoenergetic diets were formulated to replace 35% or 50% of fish meal by SBM or FSBM with taurine supplementation. The diets are denoted as follows: FM, SBM35, SBM35T, FSBM35T, SBM50, SBM50T, and FSBM50T. The FM (the basal diet) contained fish meal as a main source of dietary protein. Taurine was supplemented to SBM35T, FSBM35T, SBM50T, and FSBM50T at the level of 15 g/kg diet. Pompano juveniles with an initial body weight (BW) of 80 g reared in floating net cages were fed the experimental diets twice daily for 16 wk. Results showed that the final BW, weight gain, and feed conversion ratio of fish fed SBM35 and SBM50 were significantly lower than those of fish fed FM (P < 0.05), indicating that the replacement of fish meal by SBM at the rate of 35% in the diet is excessive for pompano. Supplementation of taurine to the SBM-included diets significantly increased growth performance and feed utilization (P < 0.05); however, these diets did not restore the performance back to a level equivalent to that of fish offered the basal diet. Meanwhile, fish fed FSBM35T had comparable growth and feed performances to those fed FM. Hematocrit values, total biliary bile acid levels, whole body lipid contents, and tissue taurine concentrations of fish fed SBM35 and SBM50 were the lowest among the treatments, but these parameters were improved by taurine supplementation and FSBM inclusion in the diet. Taurine supplementation increased lipid ADC, and SBM fermentation slightly enhanced both lipid and protein ADCs of the fish. These findings suggest that the combination of FSBM and taurine supplementation is an effective way to improve growth performance, nutrient digestibility, and biological parameters, and that FSBM with taurine supplementation can replace 35% of fish meal in pompano diets without any negative effects on growth and feed performances in a long-term feeding period.     

Microwave heat dyeing of polyester fabric

The effect of padding solution on the microwave heat dyeing of polyester fabric was studied extensively. Polyester fabrics were impregnated in aqueous urea solution and aqueous sodium chloride solution for 10 min and then dyed for 7 min by microwave apparatus (2 450 MHz, 700 W) under optimum conditions which provide good exhaustion. Aqueous solutions of urea and sodium chloride showed more effective than water as a padding solution for microwave heat dyeing. The type of solvent added in padding media and its concentration significantly affects the K/S values of dyed polyester fabric. Added solvents such as n-hexane, acetone, and dimethyl formamide were also more effective than 100% water as padding media for the microwave heat dyeing. It is supposed that the effect of used solvents on dyeing property of polyester fabrics depends on the solubility parameter difference between solvent and polyester fabric.     

谷氨酸棒菌DC1对重金属污染土壤的低温修复及其稳定性

耐冷菌在低温下能通过诱导作用形成重金属的碳酸盐沉淀,在寒区重金属污染土壤修复方面具有重要的应用潜力,但目前缺乏对多种重金属污染土壤的修复及其稳定性的研究.试验研究了1株耐冷碳酸盐矿化菌(谷氨酸棒菌DC1)在低温条件下对土壤中4种重金属的固定作用及其稳定性.结果 表明:菌株DC1的发酵液可通过诱导作用将土壤中的可交换态C...     

Vascular leakage induced by histamine, bradykinin, serotonin and prostaglandin E2 in Greyhounds

SUMMARY Vascular leakage induced by intradermal injection of histamine, bradykinin and serotonin alone and co-injected with prostaglandin E₂ was measured in Greyhounds using ¹²⁵Iodine-labelled human serum albumin (¹²⁵I-HSA) as a marker in the blood. Histamine and bradykinin produced dose-dependent vascular leakage. At equimolar concentrations, histamine was more than twice as potent as bradykinin. Serotonin did not induce vascular leakage and was irritant. Prostaglandin E₂ did not induce significant vascular leakage (maximum 5μL) when injected alone, but when co-injected with histamine and bradykinin, the vascular leakage of both histamine and bradykinin was increased. This effect was more pronounced if lower concentrations of histamine and bradykinin were injected. The induced vascular leakage was greatest during the first five minutes of lesion development for histamine, during the second five minutes of lesion development for bradykinin, and the synergistic effect of prostaglandin E₂ was maximal during the third five minute period of lesion development.     

Presence of chlorogenic acid during in vitro maturation protects porcine oocytes from the negative effects of heat stress

Chlorogenic acid (CGA) is known to protect oocytes from oxidative stress. Here we investigated the effects of CGA on porcine oocyte maturation under heat stress and subsequent embryonic development after parthenogenetic activation. For in vitro maturation (IVM) at 41.0°C (hyperthermic condition), supplementation of the maturation medium with 50 μM CGA significantly improved the percentage of matured oocytes and reduced the rate of apoptosis relative to oocytes matured without CGA (p < .05). CGA treatment of oocytes during IVM under hyperthermia tended to increase (p < .1) percentage of blastocyst formation after parthenogenesis and significantly increased (p < .05) the total cell number per blastocyst relative to oocytes matured without CGA. For IVM at 38.5°C (isothermic condition), CGA significantly improved the rate of blastocyst development compared with oocytes matured without CGA (p < .05), but did not affect oocyte maturation, apoptosis rate or the number of cells per embryo. Omission of all antioxidants from the IVM medium significantly reduced the rate of oocyte maturation, but the rate was restored upon addition of CGA. These results demonstrate that CGA is a potent antioxidant that protects porcine oocytes from the negative effects of heat stress, thus reducing the frequency of apoptosis and improving the quality of embryos.     

Effects of duration of electric pulse on in vitro development of cloned cat embryos with human artificial chromosome vector

The current applications for cat cloning include production of models for the study of human and animal diseases. This study was conducted to investigate the optimal fusion protocol on in vitro development of transgenic cloned cat embryos by comparing duration of electric pulse. Cat fibroblast cells containing a human artificial chromosome (HAC) vector were used as genetically modified nuclear donor cells. Couplets were fused and activated simultaneously with a single DC pulse of 3.0 kV/cm for either 30 or 60 μs. Low rates of fusion and embryo development to the blastocyst stage were observed in the reconstructed HAC‐transchromosomic embryos, when the duration of fusion was prolonged to 60 μs. In contrast, the prolongation of electric pulse duration improved the embryo development and quality in the reconstructed control embryos without HAC vector. Our results suggested that the optimal parameters of electric pulses for fusion in cat somatic cell nuclear transfer vary among the types used for donor cells.     

Epidemiological aspects of lice (Menacanthus species) infections in laying hen flocks from the State of Minas Gerais,Brazil

1. The epidemiology of chicken lice species such as Menacanthus stramineus, M. cornutus and M. pallidulus were studied during an observational, analytical and sectional survey, to determine predisposing factors for their occurrence in laying hen farms in the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil. A total of 431 houses on 43 farms were visited in 2012.

2. M. cornutus, M. stramineus and M. pallidulus occurred in 20.9%, 11.6% and 11.6% of farms, respectively. The frequencies of occurrence of M. cornutus, M. stramineus and M.pallidulus in poultry houses were 10.4%, 8.8% and 3.7%, respectively.

3. The epidemiological determinants for the occurrence of these species were investigated using Poisson or logistic regression models.

4. The region of the farm, the recent use of acaricides and the presence of birds, such as saffron finch (Sicalis flaveola), feral pigeon (Columba livia) and Guira cuckoo (Guira guira) around the farms were related to the epidemiology of M. cornutus.

5. Infestation by M. stramineus was associated with age of birds, number of birds per cage and the presence of Guira cuckoo and Chopi blackbird (Gnorimopsar chopi) near the poultry houses.

6. The occurrence of M. pallidulus was influenced by the type of facilities, presence of cattle egret (Bubulcus ibis) and free-range domestic hens around the farm.

7. The use of wire mesh nets in the houses and of forced moulting did not influence lice infestation.