OC4Influence of Seminal Plasma Added to Highly Diluted Semen on Sperm Motility of Young Boar Feed with Selenium and Vitamin E

High dilution rates have been documented as detrimental for boar spermatozoa, shortening their lifespan (Centurion et al. 2003, Biol Reprod 69: 640–646). Addition of seminal plasma (SP) to semen extenders, or selenium (Se) and vitamin E (VE) in diet of boars could increase motility of highly diluted spermatozoa (HDS). The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of seminal plasma on sperm motility of HDS from boars feed with Se and VE. Sixteen 12 month-old boars were designed to one of four dietary treatments: (i) control, Se 0 ppm–VE 0 IU/kg; (ii) Se 0–VE 250; (iii) Se 0.5–VE 250 and (iv) Se 0.5–VE 0. Boars were treated for 8 weeks before semen collection. Sperm rich fractions from each boar were diluted to 5 × 10⁶ sperm/ml in PBS medium and incubated at 37°C with or without 10% SP. The measurements were done at 0, 2 or 5 h. Data were analyzed as a mixed model for a factorial design [2 (Se) × 2 (VE) × 2 (SP) × 3 (h)]. Percentage of sperm motility (PSM) increases significantly (p < 0.001) with addition of Se (81.3 ± 1.52), VE (81.0 ± 1.62) and SP (81.5 ± 1.57) vs control (73.4 ± 1.61). There was significant interaction Se × VE (p < 0.001) and Se × VE × SP (p < 0.05) in PSM. However, PSM was affected significantly by time (0 h 83.4 ± 1.92; 2 h 80.7 ± 1.92 and 5 h 67.9 ± 1.92; p < 0.001). There was significant interaction SP × Time (p < 0.05) in PSM. These results indicate that Se, VE and SP improve seminal viability. Addition of 10% of SP maintains PSM at least during 5 hours.     

Serum α-globulin fraction in horses is related to changes in the acute phase proteins

Serum electrophoresis is a useful technique to diagnose some diseases characterized by quantitative and qualitative changes in the serum proteins, such as the acute phase proteins. An increased synthesis of acute phase proteins has been associated with acute infection and inflammation. We wanted to study whether gastrointestinal diseases and disorders of the locomotor system in horses produce enough inflammatory reaction so the acute phase proteins can be detected by electrophoresis in serum. Serum total proteins were calculated, and the serum electrophoresis from 63 horses was performed. The horses were classified in 3 groups: Group I (19 healthy horses), Group II (20 horses suffering from inflammatory disorders of the gastrointestinal tract), and Group III (24 horses with inflammatory disorders of the locomotor system). Results indicated an increase of the acute phase proteins only in patent inflammatory disorders that showed a rapid progression. A global increase in those proteins was observed only for α₁-globulins from Group II.     

Evaluation of cell wall preparations for proteomics: a new procedure for purifying cell walls from Arabidopsis hypocotyls

Background  

The ultimate goal of proteomic analysis of a cell compartment should be the exhaustive identification of resident proteins; excluding proteins from other cell compartments. Reaching such a goal closely depends on the reliability of the isolation procedure for the cell compartment of interest. Plant cell walls possess specific difficulties: (i) the lack of a surrounding membrane may result in the loss of cell wall proteins (CWP) during the isolation procedure, (ii) polysaccharide networks of cellulose, hemicelluloses and pectins form potential traps for contaminants such as intracellular proteins. Several reported procedures to isolate cell walls for proteomic analyses led to the isolation of a high proportion (more than 50%) of predicted intracellular proteins. Since isolated cell walls should hold secreted proteins, one can imagine alternative procedures to prepare cell walls containing a lower proportion of contaminant proteins.     

Phenotypic characterisation of Phaeoacremonium and Phaeomoniella strains isolated from grapevines: enzyme production and virulence of extra-cellular filtrate on grapevine calluses

Extra-cellular enzyme production of different Phaeoacremonium spp. and Phaemoniella chlamydospora isolates were used to assay the possibility of inter-specific characterisation. Isolates of Phaeoacremonium aleophilum, Phaeoacremonium angustius, P. viticola and Ph. chlamydospora were grown on solid media and the activities of extra-cellular amylases, lipases, proteases, cellulases, xylanases, laccase, polygalacturonase, pectate lyase, lignin peroxidase, manganese peroxidase, urease and chitinase were assayed. Phaeoacremonium species showed activities of a larger number of enzymes and also enzyme activity was frequently higher suggesting that Phaeoacremonium can be more virulent. To assay if the produced extra-cellular enzymes could reflect the virulence capacity of the two genera, calluses of Vitis vinifera L. (cvs. Baga and Maria Gomes) and of a rootstock (R3309) were inoculated with filtrated culture liquid medium of three isolates of Ph. chlamydospora and one of P. angustius. Filtrates from all strains decreased callus growth and membrane integrity, while soluble protein content of calluses decreased with the strains CAP 054 and 1AS. P. angustius (CAP 054) induced the more severe symptoms in all genotypes. Water content decreased together with an increase of osmolality in both cultivars but not in rootstock suggesting that osmorregulatory capacity is more affected in cultivars. Data show that: (1) Phaeoacremonium and Phaeomoniella genera have different patterns of extra- cellular enzymatic production; (2) these fungi produce extra-cellular compound(s) that induce(s) senescence symptoms in plant cells inhibiting callus proliferation; (3) among the strains tested in plant calluses the most virulent isolate (CAP 054) also produced higher amounts of some extra-cellular enzymes; (5) rootstock calluses were less sensitive to inoculation than grapevine calluses.     

乳代用品对仔猪生长的影响

如果管理得当,给哺乳期的仔猪补充乳可获得多方面的好处。为获得高断奶窝重而对母猪进行高繁殖性能和高营养需求的选择已使饲喂现代的母猪品种成为商业化养猪场中技术最先进的工作。如果青年母猪要     

Effects of deficit irrigation strategies on cluster microclimate for improving fruit composition of Moscatel field-grown grapevines

The grapevine plays a very important role in the economic, social and cultural sectors of many regions; however vineyards are often grown in regions under stressful conditions and thus they are vulnerable to climate change. The objective of this research was to investigate the effect of partial root-zone drying (PRD) irrigation on vine water relations, vegetative growth, plant microclimate, berry composition and yield components, compared to conventional deficit irrigation (DI, 50% ETc), full irrigation (FI, 100% of ETc) and non-irrigated vines (NI). The study was undertaken in mature ‘Moscatel’ grapevines (Vitis vinifera L.) grown in Pegões, South of Portugal. Compared to the other irrigated treatments, PRD vines showed a better microclimate at the cluster zone with higher incident photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD). Within the more open canopies of NI and PRD treatments, berry temperatures were higher than those of denser ones (DI and FI). Compared to the conventional irrigation technique the better microclimate observed in PRD vines was a consequence of a reduction in vine growth, where lower values of leaf layer number, leaf area, canopy wideness, water shoots and shoot weight were observed. In PRD vines we observed a tendency to a development of a deeper root system, while DI and FI showed a more homogeneous root distribution throughout the different soil layers. PRD showed an improvement in berry quality with higher values of flavour precursors, and total phenols concentration without any significant yield reduction compared to DI and FI.     

Molecular analysis of resistance mechanisms to Orobanche cumana in sunflower

Resistance to the dicotyledenous parasite Orobanche cumana in sunflower is characterized by a low number of parasitic attachments and a confinement of the parasite in host tissues leading to its necrosis. To help understand what determines such resistance mechanisms, molecular, biochemical and histological approaches were employed before (early response) and after (late response) attachment of the broomrape parasite to susceptible (2603) and resistant (LR1) sunflower genotypes. The expression patterns of 11 defence-related genes known to be involved in different metabolic pathways (phenylpropanoids, jasmonate, ethylene) and/or in resistance mechanisms against microorganisms were investigated. RT-PCR and cDNA blot experiments revealed that the resistant genotype exhibited a stronger overall defence response against O. cumana than the susceptible one, involving marker genes of the jasmonate (JA) and salicylic acid (SA) pathways. Among them, the SA-responsive gene, def. (defensin), appeared to be characteristic of LR1 sunflower resistance. However, no JA accumulation and similar SA contents (250–300 ng g⁻¹ FW) were measured by GC/MS in both genotypes, parasitized or not. In addition, three cDNAs, isolated by a suppression-subtractive hybridization, were shown to be strongly induced only in the resistant genotype 8 days post-inoculation, when the first O. cumana attachments occurred. These genes, putatively encoding a methionine synthase, a glutathione S-transferase and a quinone oxidoreductase, might be involved in detoxification of reactive oxygen species, suggesting the occurrence of an oxidative burst during the incompatible interaction. Finally, host cell-wall modifications leading to parasite-confinement were correlated with more intense callose depositions in the resistant genotype, concomitant with over-expression of the callose synthase cDNA HaGSL1 .     

Evaluation of hematological,biochemical and oxidative stress profile in calves under propofol anesthesia

Veterinary Research Communications - Propofol is a widely used drug in veterinary medicine to induce anesthesia; as well as the chosen compound for protocols of intravenous anesthesia. The present...     

Dynamics of natural infection by Toxoplasma gondii in goat herds in the semiarid region of northeastern Brazil: transitional antibody observation

Veterinary Research Communications - This study aimed to describe the transmission of T. gondii in naturally infected goats in the semiarid region of northeastern Brazil, through evaluating the...