Binding of glycated ovocystatin to rat renal brush border membranes

Glycated proteins are considered as one of the factors involved in the pathogenesis of diabetic complications, including nephropathy. These proteins are formed endogenously under conditions of hyperglycemia, as well as being provided with food containing sugars, which was subjected to high temperature. Examples are egg products. One of the proteins found in eggs in a relatively high concentration is chicken cystatin (ovocystatin). It is now believed that some proteins can passage the intestinal epithelium by transcytosis directly into the bloodstream. Thus, glycated protein present in food can be an additional source of glycotoxins. The aim of this study was to compare the affinity of native and glycated cystatin to the brush border membranes of rat kidney. Kinetic analysis was performed with surface plasmon resonance technique using sensor chip L1. Dissociation constants for native and glycated cystatin (K_d) were 2.76 μmol/L and 3.82 μmol/L, respectively. The results of our study indicate that glycation only slightly affects binding of cystatin to brush border membranes. This suggests that glycated cystatin and other glycated proteins may also be efficiently taken up in the kidney proximal tubule. The observation may be important for understanding the mechanisms involved in the development of diabetic nephropathy.     

Leaf-to-fruit ratio affects water and dry-matter content of mango fruit

Summary

Changes in water and dry-matter content of developing mango fruit (Mangifera indica L. ‘Lirfa’) were investigated over a single season in Réunion Island, along with the effects of leaf:fruit ratio (10, 25, 50, 100 and 150 leaves per fruit on girdled branches). As the fruit developed, about 8–13% of fruit water weight was in the peel compared with 78–86% in the pulp and 6–9% in the stone. When the data were expressed on a dry-weight basis, 12–20% was in the peel, 60–70% was in the pulp and 18–20% in the stone. At harvest, larger fruit, on treatment 100, had a higher proportion of weight in the pulp. Good relationships between water and dry weight of each fruit component were found, regardless of the treatment. They showed that the rate of water accumulation decreased when the dry weight increased and that the dry-matter content increased as the fruit developed as well. Increasing leaf:fruit ratio to 100 leaves per fruit improved fruit yield by 300 g and pulp dry-matter content by 6%, for a total of 550 g and 20% at harvest. Fruit quality as estimated by pulp dry-matter content could be calculated easily during the changes in fruit weight over the season. Moreover, this indicator could be useful to assess the maturity of mango fruit.     

Growth performance and meat quality from broiler chickens reared with zeolite and halloysite in feed and straw pellet

The study's aim was to analyze the effects of different levels of halloysite (H) and zeolite (Z) in feed and pellets on the growth and meat quality in chickens; 500 Ross 308 broilers were assigned to five groups (1 g, control; 2–5 g, experimental). In Groups 2–5, different proportions of Z and H in feed (25:75 ratio; 0.5% to 2%) and pellet in kg/m² (2, 0.650H; 3, 0.325H and 0.325Z; 4, 0.650Z; 5, 0.160H and 0.490Z) were used. Body weight was higher than 1 in all experimental groups, and carcass weight was higher, except for Group 2. The feed consumption was lower in Groups 3 and 5 than in Group 4. The breast muscle weight was higher in Group 3 than in the control group. In Groups 2, 3, and 5, the water holding capacity in the breast muscles was better than in Group 4 and in the leg muscles in Groups 3 and 4 than in Groups 1 and 5. Most of the tested characteristics indicate a beneficial effect of aluminosilicates in feed and litter on the growth and quality of meat.     

分子证据表明苏拉威西岛特有鸟种苏拉山鸫(Geomalia heinrichi)属于地鸫属(Zoothera)(鸫科,鸟纲)(英文)

苏拉威西地区特有鸟种苏拉山鸫(Geomalia heinrichi)的分类地位,是属于画眉科还是鸫科,长期以来一直备受争议。基于线粒体细胞色素 b 基因、细胞核肌红蛋白内含子 2 以及鸟氨酸脱羧酶内含子 6–7 基因,我们估计了鸫科 43 个分类群的系统发育关系。结果表明,苏拉山鸫是地鸫属的一个分支,并具有较高的支持率。我们建议将 Geomalia 并入地鸫属(Zoothera),并命名为 Zoothera heinrichi。     

RNAi as an emerging approach to control Fusarium head blight disease and mycotoxin contamination in cereals

Fusarium graminearum is a major fungal pathogen of cereals worldwide, causing seedling, stem base and floral diseases, including Fusarium head blight (FHB). In addition to yield and quality losses, FHB contaminates cereal grain with mycotoxins, including deoxynivalenol, which are harmful to human, animal and ecosystem health. Currently, FHB control is only partially effective due to several intractable problems. RNA interference (RNAi) is a natural mechanism that regulates gene expression. RNAi has been exploited in the development of new genomic tools that allow the targeted silencing of genes of interest in many eukaryotes. Host‐induced gene silencing (HIGS) is a transgenic technology used to silence fungal genes in planta during attempted infection and thereby reduces disease levels. HIGS relies on the host plant's ability to produce mobile small interfering RNA molecules, generated from long double‐stranded RNA, which are complementary to targeted fungal genes. These molecules are transferred from the plant to invading fungi via an uncharacterised mechanism, to cause gene silencing. Here, we describe recent advances in RNAi‐mediated control of plant pathogenic fungi, highlighting the key advantages and disadvantages. We then discuss the developments and implications of combining HIGS with other methods of disease control. © 2017 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.     

Chilling stress tolerance of two soya bean cultivars: Phenotypic and molecular responses

Chilling stress is a major factor limiting the yield of soya bean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] on a global scale. However, the regulatory network that controls the chilling response of soya bean remains unclear. In the present study, phenotyping and quantitative analyses of miRNAs in soya bean under chilling stress were carried out to determine the impact of environmental constraints on soya bean productivity. Measurements done during soya bean growth in chilling along with the results of field trials indicated that the cultivars Augusta and Fiskeby V responded differently to low temperatures. Although chilling affected the reproductive development of both cultivars, the final seed output remained unchanged. The differential expression of miR169, miR319, miR397 and miR398 under cold stress was detected using ddPCR. Upon chilling in the reproductive stage, we found that these miRNAs had contrasting expression profiles in Augusta and Fiskeby V. A set of candidate target genes was predicted based on degradome sequencing data. A negative correlation was found between the expression of miR169, miR319 and miR398 and their targets in the roots of both cultivars. Our work elucidates the impact of chilling stress on the productivity of two soya bean cultivars and reveals the importance of miRNA involvement in the low temperature response.     

The first record of Botryodiplodia canker in Poland

This study describes the first observation of Botryodiplodia canker in the Western Carpathians in south‐eastern Poland caused by Botryodiplodia hypodermia (Sacc.) Petr. (syn. Sphaeropsis hypodermia, S. ulmicola). The canker occurred on an approximately 17‐year‐old Ulmus glabra sapling in a mixed conifer/deciduous stand with elm trees severely damaged by Dutch elm disease. This paper describes disease symptoms and provides information on the macro‐ and micromorphology of the fungus isolated from the cankered tissues. The results of BLAST search using DNA sequences obtained for our cultures and subsequent phylogenetic positioning of the fungus among closely related Botryosphaeriaceae indicate that the species is much more closely related to Phaeobotryon than to the other Botryodiplodia or Sphaeropsis species. Moreover, a total of 16 polymorphisms within the ITS region were detected between S. ulmicola associated with Botryodiplodia canker in North America and B. hypodermia associated with the canker observed in Poland. Thus, the “European” variant of “Sphaeropsis” ulmicola can now be easily identified with our barcode sequences. The Botryodiplodia canker is much less prevalent in Europe than in North America. Differences in virulence of “American” and “European” linages and differences in susceptibility of various elm species may be the reason for the higher prevalence of the disease in North America.