Deduced Amino Acid Sequence of an α-Gliadin Gene from Spelt Wheat (Spelta) Includes Sequences Active in Celiac Disease

The complete amino acid sequence of an α-type gliadin from spelt wheat (spelta) has been deduced from the cloned DNA sequence and compared with α-type gliadin sequences from bread wheat. The comparison showed only minor differences in amino acid sequences between the α-type gliadin from bread wheat and the α-type gliadin from spelta. The two sequences had an identity of 98.5%. Larger differences can be found between different α-type gliadin amino acid sequences from common bread wheat. Because all the different classes of gliadins, α, β, γ, and ω, appear to be active in celiac disease, it is reasonably certain that the spelta gliadin is also toxic. We conclude that spelta is not a safe grain for people with celiac disease, contrary to the implications in labeling a bread made from spelta as “an alternative to wheat”. Our conclusions are in accord with spelta and bread wheat being classed taxonomically as subspecies of the same genus and species, Triticum aestivum L.     

Comparison of Various Kinds of Vegetative Indices for Chlorophyll Contents Using Low-Resolution Camera

Journal of Crop Science and Biotechnology - Nitrogen management is crucial for high yield potential of crops as well as reducing environmental pollution. However, the heterogeneity of nitrogen...     

Development and distribution of intestinal enzymatic activity in Paralabrax maculatofasciatus (Steindachner, 1868) larvae fed with live prey

We describe the development and distribution of intestinal aminopeptidase M, dipeptidyl aminopeptidase IV, non-specific esterase, alkaline phosphatase and acid phosphatase, using enzyme histochemistry techniques, in the spotted sand bass larvae ( Paralabrax maculatofasciatus ) under culture conditions. All digestive enzymes tested showed a positive reaction from first feeding (day 2) and throughout the study period (day 30). At first feeding, the main enzymatic activity was in the mucosa throughout the intestines. Later, enzymatic activity occurred in the liver, kidney and stomach. All enzymatic activities increased from days 15 to 20, remaining constant until the end of the study. This enzymatic activity suggests the onset of maturation of the digestive tract. After day 20, a positive reaction was recorded in the pyloric caeca for all tested enzymatic activities. Our study confirms the digestive and absorptive functions in the intestines in spotted sand bass larvae from first feeding. It also brings new insight to establish an early weaning strategy during cultivation of spotted sand bass larvae.     

Growth performance of weaning red abalone (Haliotis rufescens) fed with Macrocystis pyrifera plantlets and Porphyra columbina compared with a formulated diet

A feeding experiment was carried out to evaluate two natural diets versus a formulated feed on the performance of weaning red abalone Haliotis rufescens . Four treatment diets were then investigated: a formulated diet; plantlets from culture Macrocystis pyrifera, Porphyra columbina from natural beds; and a mixed diet consisting of a blend of fresh P. columbina together with the formulated diet. This study was performed in a shallow aquaculture system with a horizontal water flow. After 90 days, significant differences were observed between treatments. The highest growth was obtained with Porphyra (3.3 mm month⁻¹), followed by the mixed diet (2.6 mm month⁻¹), then Macrocystis (2.1 mm month⁻¹) and lastly the formulated diet (1.4 mm month⁻¹). Moreover, after the diets were tested for stability and remnant nutrients after a 12-h water immersion, a positive trend appeared to be related to the protein/energy (P:E). It is concluded that fronds of P. columbina resulted in the best diet for weaning H. rufescens under horizontal water flow systems, even if apparently the water stability of the formulated diet had a negative impact on abalone performance, particularly due to a poor nutrient retention capacity. Therefore, formulated diets should be improved before being recommended for weaning red abalone.     

Influence of environmental variables on the distribution of Squatina guggenheim (Chondrichthyes, Squatinidae) in the Argentine–Uruguayan Common Fishing Zone

The environmental variables affecting the spatial distribution of Squatina guggenheim Marini, 1936, an important commercial resource, are unknown. Here the influence of temperature, salinity and depth on the distribution of S. guggenheim in the Southwest Atlantic was analyzed. The species–habitat associations were evaluated for the S. guggenheim population as a whole as well as segregated by sex and by size classes (group 1, 23–44 cm; group 2, 45–74 cm; group 3, 75–91 cm L_T). Sampling took place during four bottom trawl surveys conducted in the Argentine–Uruguayan Common Fishing Zone (AUCFZ) during spring (October 1997) and fall (March 1997, March–April 1998, May–June 1998). The sharks were captured using an Engel bottom trawl and the hydrographical information was obtained using a CTD. Bottom depth was measured with an echo-sounder. The distribution of the population was affected (P ≤ 0.05) by temperature during spring and fall, while it was affected by salinity only in spring. S. guggenheim showed preference for temperatures ranging from 7.0 to 18.5 °C and salinity values ranging from 33.4 to 33.8. Generally, the distribution of males was affected (P ≤ 0.05) by temperature during both seasons, while females were influenced by temperature only in spring. The distribution of both sexes was affected by salinity in spring but not in fall. The distribution of adults sharks (group 3) was more affected by temperature and salinity than that of juveniles sharks (groups 1 and 2). Depth had no effects on the distribution of adults (males or females); however, juveniles belonging to size-group 2 were associated with depth during both spring and fall. High population catches were associated to thermal fronts during all surveys suggesting that these oceanographic structures play an important role as feeding areas for S. guggenheim. A population strategy of spatial segregation by size was proposed and discussed.     

Synergistic Interaction Between Tomato chlorosis virus and Tomato spotted wilt virus Results in Breakdown of Resistance in Tomato

ABSTRACT Multiple viral infections frequently are found in single plants of cultivated and wild hosts in nature, with unpredictable pathological consequences. Synergistic reactions were observed in mixed infections in tomato plants doubly infected with the positive-sense and phloem-limited single-stranded RNA (ssRNA) crinivirus Tomato chlorosis virus (ToCV) and the negative-sense ssRNA tospovirus Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV). Synergism in a tomato cultivar susceptible to both viruses resulted in a rapid death of plants. A pronounced enhancement of ToCV accumulation mediated by TSWV co-infection was observed with no evident egress of ToCV from phloem tissues. No consistent alteration of TSWV accumulation was detected. More remarkable was the synergism observed in tomato cultivars which carry the Sw-5 resistance gene, which are resistant to TSWV. Pre-infection with ToCV resulted in susceptibility to TSWV, whereas co-inoculations did not. This suggested that a threshold level or a time lapse is needed for ToCV to interfere or downregulate the defense response in the TSWV-resistant plants.     

Brucella pinnipedialis hooded seal (Cystophora cristata) strain in the mouse model with concurrent exposure to PCB 153

Brucellosis, a worldwide zoonosis, is linked to reproductive problems in primary hosts. A high proportion of Brucella-positive hooded seals (Cystophora cristata) have been detected in the declined Northeast Atlantic stock. High concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have also been discovered in top predators in the Arctic, including the hooded seal, PCB 153 being most abundant. The aim of this study was to assess the pathogenicity of Brucella pinnipedialis hooded seal strain in the mouse model and to evaluate the outcome of Brucella spp. infection after exposure of mice to PCB 153. BALB/c mice were infected with B. pinnipedialis hooded seal strain or Brucella suis 1330, and half from each group was exposed to PCB 153 through the diet. B. pinnipedialis showed a reduced pathogenicity in the mouse model as compared to B. suis 1330. Exposure to PCB 153 affected neither the immunological parameters, nor the outcome of the infection. Altogether this indicates that it is unlikely that B. pinnipedialis contribute to the decline of hooded seals in the Northeast Atlantic.     

Protective effects of synthetic hydroxytyrosol acetyl derivatives against oxidative stress in human cells

Chemically stable di- and triacetyl derivatives of the natural o-diphenol antioxidant hydroxytyrosol were synthesized, and their chemical and biological antioxidant activities were assessed in comparison with that of the native synthetic compound. The chemical antioxidant activity of the selected compounds was evaluated by measuring the ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP). The data clearly indicate that, as expected, the hydroxytyrosol analogues, modified in the o-diphenolic ring, are devoid of any chemical antioxidant activity. On the contrary, both acetyl derivatives, at micromolar concentrations, equally protect against tert-butylhydroperoxide-induced oxidative damages in Caco-2 cells and human erythrocytes. This paper for the first time reports that chemically stable hydroxytyrosol acetyl derivatives, although devoid of chemical antioxidant activity, are as effective as the parent compound in protecting human cells from oxidative stress-induced cytotoxicity, after metabolization by esterases at the intestinal level, suggesting their possible utilization in either nutritional (functional food), cosmetic, or pharmaceutical preparations.     

Influence of Stabilized-Dewatered Sludge Addition on Solid-Phase Clean-Up of a Soil Contaminated By Phenolic Compounds

The purpose of this work was to investigate the effect of stabilized-dewatered sludge on the performances of a solid-phase biological treatment applied to a soil contaminated with phenolic compounds.To this aim, a soil sample was artificially contaminated with either phenol or 3-chlorophenol, with concentrations of 1 and 0.5 g kg^-1 of soil, respectively. Each contaminated soil sample was treated with a solid phase process, performed in three different operating conditions: without any addition; with addition of nutrients; with addition of nutrients and stabilized-dewatered sludge, obtained from a domestic wastewater treatment plant. The results obtained clearly indicated that the use of stabilized-dewatered sludge greatly reduced the time for complete removal of both phenol and 3-chlorophenol. Besides, the microorganisms concentration was higher in the sludge-amended soil with respect to other samples. This behavior could be a consequence of the carbon and energy sources contained in the sludge, even if the sludge could also offer a source of phenols-degrading microorganisms. On the contrary, the simple addition of nutrient did not notably affect the solid phase treatment under the studied conditions. Based on these results, it was shown that the use of stabilized-dewatered sludge may represent an efficient and economical way for accelerating solid-phase treatments, since it is produced worldwide and in large quantities as residue of domestic wastewater plants.