Molecular expression of caprine estrogen receptor gene 1 in reproductive and non‐reproductive tissues

During the last decades, physiological effects of oestrogens have been increasingly explored by scientists and biotechnologists. Estrogens exert a wide range of effects on a large variety of cell types. Oestrogen and its receptors are essential for sexual development and reproduction. Estrogen receptor alpha is a nuclear receptor activated by the hormone oestrogen. In male, ERα is encoded by the gene estrogen receptor gene 1 (ESR1), responsible for better fertility. The ESR1 is involved in the reabsorption of luminal fluid during the transit of spermatozoa from the testis to the head of the epididymis which is important for their survival and maturation during epididymal storage. The absence of ESR1 leads to reduced epididymal sperm content, reduced sperm motility and fertilizing ability. Therefore, this is a good startby to study the expression pattern of estrogen receptor 1 gene in high‐fertile (G1) and low‐fertile (G2) bucks of Jamunapari and Barbari breeds identified on the basis of seminal quality traits and fertility trials. RNA was extracted from the tissues by TRIzol method. The identification and expression pattern of caprine ESR1 gene was analysed by real‐time PCR (Roche LC‐480). Our work shows that the relative quantification by RT‐PCR indicates more fold in head of epididymis as compared to spleen of caprine ESR1 gene. Furthermore, the RT‐PCR indicated that fertile bucks of Jamunapari breed have more fold value as compared to Barbari breed in respect of reproductive organ.     

Mitochondrial DNA analysis of Nepalese domestic dwarf cattle Lulu*

Dwarf Lulu cattle, the only Bos Taurus type of cattle in Nepal, are raised under severe environments in the mountainous zone of that country. In the present study, the body measurement traits, cytogenetic and molecular genetic characteristics of the Lulu cattle are investigated. Blood samples were collected from 31 animals in four villages (altitudes 2590–3550 m) in the southern part of Mustang. The Lulu cattle had a normal karyotype with 2n = 60, XY or XX. Only one male examined had a large submetacentric X‐chromosome and a small submetacentric taurine type Y‐chromosome. The mitochodrial DNA (mtDNA) genotypes were analyzed by PCR mediated restriction fragment length polymorphisms, displacement (D)‐loop region PCR mediated single strand conformation polymorphisms, and D‐loop region sequences. Many base substitutions were found in the D‐loop region, suggesting that the Lulu cattle originated from at least 10 maternal lines. Three types of mtDNA from these cattle were found, the Bos taurus type (n = 23), the Bos indicus type (n = 6), and the Bos grunniens type (n = 2). In the village at the lowest altitude, four of the five cows were of the Bos indicus type. These results indicated that mtDNA types of the Lulu cattle mostly belong to Bos taurus, but have been hybridized with Bos indicus cattle in lower‐elevation regions in their maternal lineage.     

Age Related Changes in the Caprine Cavum Hypophysis

The hypophysis cerebri of the goat was studied from a histologic and micrometric point of view. The results of this study are compared with similar studies of other ruminants.     

Triploblastic animals more than 1 billion years ago: trace fossil evidence from india

Some intriguing bedding plane features that were observed in the Mesoproterozoic Chorhat Sandstone are biological and can be interpreted as the burrows of wormlike undermat miners (that is, infaunal animals that excavated tunnels underneath microbial mats). These burrows suggest that triploblastic animals existed more than a billion years ago. They also suggest that the diversification of animal designs proceeded very slowly before the appearance of organisms with hard skeletons, which was probably the key event in the Cambrian evolutionary explosion, and before the ecological changes that accompanied that event.     

Isolation and identification of DPPH radical scavenging compounds in Kurosu (Japanese unpolished rice vinegar)

Dihydroferulic acid (DFA) and dihydrosinapic acid (DSA) were isolated from Kurosu (unpolished rice vinegar) as the major constituents responsible for Kurosu's radical scavenging activity. The levels of antioxidative activity of DFA and DSA in DPPH radical scavenging were higher than those of their respective structurally related compounds, ferulic acid and sinapic acid. The concentrations of DFA and DSA were low in common rice vinegar (polished rice vinegar), suggesting that Kurosu is more advantageous than rice vinegars as an antioxidative food item. As the concentrations of DFA and DSA were low in unpolished rice, too, these acids are thought to be produced in Kurosu through the process of the fermentation from ferulic acid and sinapic acid, respectively.     

Lack of LH response to oestradiol treatment in cows with cystic ovarian disease and effect of progesterone treatment or manual rupture.

The luteinising hormone (LH) surge in response to 1 mg oestradiol benzoate intramuscular injection was studied on 67 occasions in 45 cows with cystic ovarian disease 20 to 150 days post partum. Cows diagnosed as having luteal cysts were given 500 micrograms cloprostenol intramuscularly 24 hours before oestradiol, to induce luteolysis. Oestradiol benzoate was also given to eight post partum acyclic and eight cyclic cows and in all these cases a control LH response was characterised for comparison. Eight of 17 cows with luteal cysts (47 per cent), and 10 of 21 cows with follicular cysts (48 per cent), released LH in response to oestradiol. Some cows with cysts were given one of two treatments. Seven cows with follicular cysts were treated with a progesterone-releasing device (PRID) for seven days: all responded to a second oestradiol treatment given 24 hours after removal of the PRID. Luteal cysts in three cows and follicular cysts in nine cows were ruptured manually: only one cow (a luteal case) responded to the second oestradiol treatment given 24 hours after manual rupture. In eight cows initially diagnosed with luteal cysts, cloprostenol was not given and plasma progesterone concentration at the time of oestradiol treatment was high (over 0.9 ng ml-1): none released LH in response to oestradiol. As manual rupture did not improve the LH response to oestradiol, it is concluded that the defective LH response to oestradiol in cows with cystic ovarian disease was not influenced in the short-term by cyst fluid contents.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Detection of Minchinia occulta in samples of pearl oysters Pinctada maxima infected by Haplosporidium hinei

Objective   To determine if juvenile pearl oysters ( Pinctada maxima ) infected with Haplosporidium hinei are also infected with another haplosporidian parasite, Minchinia occulta .
Design   Archived samples of pearl oysters infected with H. hinei were examined using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays and in situ hybridisation (ISH) to analyse and identify haplosporidians. A 144-bp and 220-bp region of Minchinia DNA were targeted by PCR and amplified DNA from formalin-fixed H. hinei -infected pearl oyster samples was sequenced. A 25-bp oligonucleotide probe targeting a variable section of the parasite's small subunit rRNA gene was used in ISH.
Results   The results of DNA-based diagnostic assays supported each other. The sequences obtained by PCR were found to be almost identical to M. occulta from rock oysters and the ISH assay demonstrated infection with M. occulta in affected pearl oysters. ISH indicated a prevalence of infection of 26.7% in one of the previous outbreaks.
Conclusion   Pearl oyster spat are susceptible to infection by a Minchinia parasite, most likely M. occulta , which was recently identified in rock oysters within the pearl-producing zones of Western Australia and is associated with mortalities of up to 80% in this species. The occurrence of haplosporidian co-infections in pearl oysters suggests the immunocompetence of juvenile oysters may be an important factor in preventing infection and therefore preventing mortalities such as those occurring in the recent outbreaks of pearl oyster oedema disease.     

Age related changes in the capillary index of the caprine hypophysis cerebri

The capillary index of the hypophysis cerebri of goats, ranging in age from one day to over 6 years of age. Observations in rostral, middle and caudal regions were made and comparisons are made with other species.