Dual activation of the Drosophila toll pathway by two pattern recognition receptors

The Toll-dependent defense against Gram-positive bacterial infections in Drosophila is mediated through the peptidoglycan recognition protein SA (PGRP-SA). A mutation termed osiris disrupts the Gram-negative binding protein 1 (GNBP1) gene and leads to compromised survival of mutant flies after Gram-positive infections, but not after fungal or Gram-negative bacterial challenge. Our results demonstrate that GNBP1 and PGRP-SA can jointly activate the Toll pathway. The potential for a combination of distinct proteins to mediate detection of infectious nonself in the fly will refine the concept of pattern recognition in insects.     

Chemical composition of Acid fog

Fog water collected at three sites in Los Angeles and Bakersfield, California, was found to have higher acidity and higher concentrations of sulfate, nitrate, and ammonium than previously observed in atmospheric water droplets. The pH of the fog water was in the range of 2.2 to 4.0. The dominant processes controlling the fog water chemistry appear to be the condensation and evaporation of water vapor on preexisting aerosol and the scavenging of gas-phase nitric acid.     

Die Rolle der Ertragssteigerung im Anpassungsprozess der Landwirtschaft

Measures undertaken in the Federal Republic of Germany to rationalize agricultural production, viz. a reduction of intensive farming, simplification of farm production methods, and the introduction of specialization and mechanization, have been carried to their near completion in modern agricultural holdings. It is now necessary to introduce a new overriding economic principle if we are to successfully meet further wage increases and price reductions and improve the income level of the agricultural population. A new farm management concept based on the idea of a radical increase in specific intensive production methods is now being developed. In view of the high fixed costs in West German agriculture, the degression of fixed costs per production unit outweights the progression of variable costs when output is increased. In other words, higher yields per hectare and animal effect a decrease in unit costs. Nitrogen fertilizer being the most important factor in output increase, its profitable level is examined by means of six marginal value analyses. The fertilizer optimum is reached when marginal costs and marginal yields balance each other out. In all six examples this optimum coincides almost exactly with the point of maximum yield per hectare. This simplifies the problem considerably, at least under the conditions established for six examples. The optimal input level of nitrogen fertilizer does not have to be determined by means of a complicated marginal value analysis. It lies just under the maximum yield per hectare. We cannot expect that price-cost alterations will push this fertilizer optimum up within the near future. However, we may assume that new possibilities will open up for nitrogen fertilizer. In the first place, the majority of the agricultural holdings are still a long way from having reached the fertilizer optimum now economically feasible. Secondly, the present level of fertilizer optimum is constantly being raised as the result of technological advances. It is the task of economic counselling to achieve the fullexploitation of available earning power resources and the task of scientific research todevelop new earning power resources. The exploitation and the development of earning power resources can have very positive results in the case of inorganic fertilizer, since through its application it is possible to even out income disparities in agriculture

—help small holdings in particular, mineral fertilizer being a divisible input factor

—come closer to a solution of the central probrem of the agriculture of the Federal

—Republic of germany, that of combining high labour productivity with high soil productivity.

     

Long‐term assessment of horses and ponies post exposure to monensin sodium in commercial feed

Reasons for performing study: Acute monensin intoxication in equids is well described; however, the long‐term effects of sublethal intoxication and ability to return to previous use are less well understood. Long‐term observations may allow improved estimation of prognosis in cases of sublethal intoxication. Objectives: To assess horses and ponies exposed to sublethal amounts of monensin for evidence of chronic sequelae and ability to return to prior/intended use. Methods: Twenty‐nine horses and 8 ponies were assessed utilising serum biochemistry, treadmill exercise stress testing, electrocardiography, and pre‐ and post exercise echocardiography ≥6 weeks after ingestion of monensin‐contaminated feed. Animals with evidence of monensin‐induced cardiomyopathy were re‐examined after a period of rest of ≥11 months. Follow‐up information was obtained by owner telephone interview ≥52 months after exposure. Results: During resting echocardiography, 11 animals had reduced/low‐normal left ventricular fractional shortening (FS); an increase in FS in 8 of these animals was measured ≥11 months later. Six animals had reduced or low‐normal FS during post exercise echocardiography. Two horses had ventricular premature depolarisations during exercise. Follow‐up information was available for 35 animals: 21 returned to athletic/reproductive use, 13 were retired immediately and one died. Mean FS increased significantly (P<0.001) between initial and second examination in 15 animals that underwent resting echocardiography on 2 occasions. Conclusions: Some equids exposed to sublethal doses of monensin may not develop permanent myocardial disease and a return to athletic/reproductive use is possible. Potential relevance: Exercise stress testing, echocardiography and electrocardiography may be useful for detection and monitoring of cardiac dysfunction in equids exposed to monensin and determining whether a return to athletic/reproductive use is possible.     

Expression and Activity of Steroid Sulphatase in the Boar Testis

Oestrogens are essential for male fertility targeting the testicular-epididymal compartment. However, the underlying mechanisms are only vaguely known and species specificities must be considered. The boar has a remarkably high testicular-oestrogen output, with the biologically inactive oestrone-sulphate being the major oestrogen occurring in the testicular vein. In the boar testis and epididymis, activity of steroid sulphatase (StS) and oestrogen sulphotransferase has been demonstrated. Thus apart from their synthesis in Leydig cells, provision of biologically active free oestrone seems also to depend on the activity and localization of these enzymes. Our aim was to establish expression patterns and activity of StS in boar testis. Testes were randomly collected from healthy boars and allotted to five age groups, five animals in each, aged 50, 100, 150, 200 and 250 days. Three extra boars aged over 250 days were castrated to obtain fresh tissue for enzyme activity tests. Immunohistochemistry detected StS only in the cytoplasm of Leydig cells and – except for day-50 group in which 65.1 ± 4.9% (X ± SD) of the cells were positive – expression was constant with virtually all the cells staining positive. RT-PCR and in situ hybridization confirmed expression and localization of StS mRNA. The V _max and K _m value (X ± SD) for StS was 24.05 ± 0.3 fmol/s/μg protein and 2.15 ± 0.12 μ m . These data suggest that StS within the Leydig cells of the boar is involved in modulation of testicular oestrogen bioavailability and that the site of sulpho-conjugation is not the testis but a different compartment of the testes–epididymidis complex.     

Use of C-reactive protein to predict outcome in dogs with systemic inflammatory response syndrome or sepsis

Background – There is a high mortality rate in patients with systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) or sepsis. Therefore, an early diagnosis and prognostic assessment is important for optimal therapeutic intervention. The objective of the study was to evaluate if baseline values and changes in serum C-reactive protein (CRP) might predict survival in dogs with SIRS and sepsis.
Design – Prospective study; July 2004 to July 2005.
Setting – Small Animal Clinic, Berlin, Clinic of Small Animal Medicine, Munich.
Animals – Sixty-one dogs.
Measurements and Main Results – For the CRP analysis blood was drawn on day 0, 1, and 2; CRP was measured using a commercial ELISA test kit. Thirteen dogs suffered from nonseptic SIRS and 48 dogs from sepsis. The 14-day survival rate was 61% (69% nonseptic SIRS, 58% sepsis). Serum CRP was higher in sick dogs compared with controls ( P <0.001). Over the 3-day period surviving dogs ( n =31) displayed a significantly greater decrease in CRP than nonsurvivors ( n =10) ( P =0.001). No correlation was found between the initial CRP concentrations and the survival rate. The changes in CRP corresponded to the survival rate ( P =0.01).
Conclusion – There was no significant relationship between the survival rate in dogs with nonseptic SIRS or sepsis and the initial serum CRP concentrations. There was a correlation between decreasing CRP concentrations and recovery from disease. However, the changes in CRP concentrations over a 3-day period correctly predicted survival in 94% of dogs and death in 30% of the dogs (false positive rate 22%).     

Antioxidant profiling of native Andean potato tubers (Solanum tuberosum L.) reveals cultivars with high levels of beta-carotene, alpha-tocopherol, chlorogenic acid, and petanin

The antioxidant profile of 23 native Andean potato cultivars has been investigated from a human nutrition perspective. The main carotenoid and tocopherol compounds were studied using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with a diode array detector (HPLC-DAD) and a fluorescence detector, respectively, whereas polyphenols (including anthocyanins in colored tubers) were identified by means of both HPLC-mass spectrometry and HPLC-DAD. Antioxidant profiling revealed significant genotypic variations as well as cultivars of particular interest from a nutritional point of view. Concentrations of the health-promoting carotenoids, lutein and zeaxanthin, ranged from 1.12 to 17.69 microg g(-1) of dry weight (DW) and from 0 to 17.7 microg g(-1) of DW, with cultivars 704353 and 702472 showing the highest levels in lutein and zeaxanthin, respectively. Whereas beta-carotene is rarely reported in potato tubers, remarkable levels of this dietary provitamin A carotenoid were detected in 16 native varieties, ranging from 0.42 to 2.19 microg g(-1) of DW. The amounts of alpha-tocopherol found in Andean potato tubers, extending from 2.73 to 20.80 microg g(-1) of DW, were clearly above the quantities generally reported for commercial varieties. Chlorogenic acid and its isomers dominated the polyphenolic profile of each cultivar. Dark purple-fleshed tubers from the cultivar 704429 contained exceptionally high levels of total anthocyanins (16.33 mg g(-1) of DW). The main anthocyanin was identified as petanin (petunidin-3-p-coumaroyl-rutinoside-5-glucoside). The results suggest that Andean potato cultivars should be exploited in screening and breeding programs for the development of potato varieties with enhanced health and nutritional benefits.     

Andean potato cultivars (Solanum tuberosum L.) as a source of antioxidant and mineral micronutrients

Potato tubers were evaluated as a source of antioxidants and minerals for the human diet. A genetically diverse sample of Solanum tuberosum L. cultivars native to the Andes of South America was obtained from a collection of nearly 1000 genotypes using microsatellite markers. This size-manageable collection of 74 landraces, representing at best the genetic diversity among potato germplasm, was analyzed for iron, zinc, calcium, total phenolic, total carotenoid, and total vitamin C contents. The hydrophilic antioxidant capacity of each genotype was also measured using the oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assay. The iron content ranged from 29.87 to 157.96 microg g-1 of dry weight (DW), the zinc content from 12.6 to 28.83 microg g-1 of DW, and the calcium content from 271.09 to 1092.93 microg g-1 of DW. Total phenolic content varied between 1.12 and 12.37 mg of gallic acid equiv g-1 of DW, total carotenoid content between 2.83 and 36.21 microg g-1 of DW, and total vitamin C content between 217.70 and 689.47 microg g-1 of DW. The range of hydrophilic ORAC values was 28.25-250.67 micromol of Trolox equiv g-1 of DW. The hydrophilic antioxidant capacity and the total phenolic content were highly and positively correlated (r = 0.91). A strong relationship between iron and calcium contents was also found (r = 0.67). Principal component analysis on the studied nutritional contents of the core collection revealed that most potato genotypes were balanced in terms of antioxidant and mineral contents, but some of them could be distinguished by their high level in distinct micronutrients. Correlations between the micronutrient contents observed in the sample and the genetic distances assessed by microsatellites were weakly significant. However, this study demonstrated the wide variability of health-promoting micronutrient levels within the native potato germplasm as well as the significant contribution that distinct potato tubers may impart to the intake in dietary antioxidants, zinc, and iron.     

Molecular characterization of PRR13 and its tissue-specific expression in rainbow trout (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Oncorhynchus mykiss</Emphasis>)

The proline-rich protein 13 (PRR13) is reported to be a key regulator of the resistance to cytostatica by decreasing the copy number of the proapoptotic gene thrombospondin-1. We isolated and characterized the complete PRR13 gene sequence of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). The gene comprises four exons and three introns, the latter of comparatively short lengths (100–811 bp). The full-length PRR13 cDNA consists of 1,101 nucleotides, including an open reading frame of 563 bp, which is predicted to encode a 187 amino acid protein with a molecular mass of 18.8 kDa. A continuous stretch of ten serine residues at the C-terminus is highly conserved and characteristic for vertebrate PRR13, but not for other known proline-rich proteins. Phylogenetic analyses suggest a clear separation of teleostean PRR13 proteins and those from mammalian and reptilian species. Comparison of the tissue-specific PRR13 mRNA abundance in two strains of the rainbow trout coastal form (TCO Steelhead II-WA vs. BORN Steelhead II-Germany) revealed an increased expression in the BORN trout in nearly all examined tissues. The major expression differences were detected in gill (2.29-fold) and in liver tissue (2.16-fold). Hence, the increased PRR13 expression in BORN trout might cause improved protection from natural cytostatica and therefore support our assumption that PRR13 is a candidate gene possibly involved in the varying ability of the two rainbow trout strains to handle environmental stress under local conditions of the Southern Baltic.     

Identification of the crayfish plague fungus Aphanomyces astaci by polymerase chain reaction and restriction enzyme analysis

To characterise the DNA of the crayfish plague fungus Aphanomyces astaci, Saprolegniales (Oomycetes), primers were developed to amplify a 1050bp segment of the 28S rDNA region. Restriction enzymes were applied to the amplicon obtained, to distinguish A. astaci from 12 fungal species belonging also to the Saprolegniales and five more distantly related fungi. Most of the fungal species included in the study are either known parasites of freshwater crayfish cuticle or can be found in their natural environment. A. astaci DNA was distinguishable from the DNA of other fungal species tested by using the primers developed plus restriction enzymes AluI, HindIII and AvaI.Prior to this study, methods for A. astaci-species determination, e.g. spore production and infection experiments, required a protracted period to yield results; the method described in this study is quicker.