Free-radical scavenging properties of low molecular weight peptide(s) isolated from S1 cultivar of mulberry leaves and their impact on Bombyx mori (L.) (Bombycidae)

The mulberry leaves have been considered as a sole food source for silkworm, Bombyx mori (L.). In present work an attempt was made to investigate the role of low molecular weight peptide(s) isolated from mulberry leaves on silkworm rearing. Also we have tried to find out the role of free-radical scavenging activities of isolated peptide(s) on silkworm growth. Larval growth rate was found effective under the influence of peptide(s). Consumption rate of larvae after peptide(s) treatment on mulberry leaves was significantly enhanced over control. High antioxidant activity was found in Low molecular weight peptide(s) which have an effect on silkworm.     

Cryopreservation of Zona‐Free Cloned Buffalo (Bubalus Bubalis) Embryos: Slow Freezing vs Open‐Pulled Straw Vitrification

This study was carried out to compare the post‐thaw cryosurvival rate and the level of apoptosis in vitro produced zona‐free cloned buffalo blastocysts subjected to slow freezing or vitrification in open‐pulled straws (OPS). Zona‐free cloned embryos produced by handmade cloning were divided into two groups and were cryopreserved either by slow freezing or by vitrification in OPS. Cryosurvival of blastocysts was determined by their re‐expansion rate following post‐thaw culture for 22–24 h. The post‐thaw re‐expansion rate was significantly (p < 0.05) higher following vitrification in OPS (71.2 ± 2.3%) compared with that after slow freezing (41.6 ± 4.8%). For examining embryo quality, the level of apoptosis in day 8 frozen‐thawed blastocysts was determined by TUNEL staining. The total cell number was not significantly different among the control non‐cryopreserved cloned embryos (422.6 ± 67.8) and those cryopreserved by slow freezing (376.4 ± 29.3) or vitrification in OPS (422.8 ± 36.2). However, the apoptotic index, which was similar for embryos subjected to slow freezing (14.8 ± 2.0) or OPS vitrification (13.3 ± 1.8), was significantly (p < 0.05) higher than that for the control non‐cryopreserved cloned embryos (3.4 ± 0.6). In conclusion, the results of this study demonstrate that vitrification in OPS is better than slow freezing for the cryopreservation of zona‐free cloned buffalo blastocysts because it offers a much higher cryosurvival rate.     

Effect of Physiologically Relevant Heat Shock on Development,Apoptosis and Expression of Some Genes in Buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) Embryos Produced In Vitro

For investigating the effects of physiologically relevant heat shock, buffalo oocytes/embryos were cultured at 38.5°C (control) or were exposed to 39.5°C (Group II) or 40.5°C (Group III) for 2 h once every day throughout in vitro maturation (IVM), fertilization (IVF) and culture (IVC). Percentage of oocytes that developed to 8‐cell, 16‐cell or blastocyst stage was lower (p < 0.05) and the number of apoptotic nuclei was higher (p < 0.05) for Group III > Group II > controls. At both 8–16‐cell and blastocyst stages, relative mRNA abundance of stress‐related genes HSP 70.1 and HSP 70.2 and pro‐apoptotic genes CASPASE‐3, BID and BAX was higher (p < 0.05) in Groups III and II than that in controls with the exception of stress‐related gene HSF1. Expression level of anti‐apoptotic genes BCL‐XL and MCL‐1 was also higher (p < 0.05) in Groups III and II than that in controls at both 8–16‐cell and blastocyst stages. Among the genes related to embryonic development, at 8–16‐cell stage, the expression level of GDF9 was higher (p < 0.05) in Group III than that in controls, whereas that of GLUT1, ZAR1 and BMP15 was not significantly different among the three groups. At the blastocyst stage, relative mRNA abundance of GLUT1 and GDF9 was higher (p < 0.05) in Group II than that in controls, whereas that of ZAR‐1 and BMP15 was not affected. The results of this study demonstrate that exposure of buffalo oocytes and embryos to elevated temperatures for duration of time that is physiologically relevant severely compromises their developmental competence, increases apoptosis and affects stress‐, apoptosis‐ and development‐related genes.     

Buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) ES Cell–Like Cells are Capable of In Vitro Skeletal Myogenic Differentiation

When buffalo embryonic stem (ES) cell–like cells that expressed surface markers SSEA‐4, TRA‐1‐60, TRA‐1‐81, CD9 and CD90 and intracellular markers OCT4, SOX2 and FOXD3, as shown by immunofluorescence, and that expressed REX‐1 and NUCLEOSTEMIN as confirmed by RT‐PCR, were subjected to suspension culture in hanging drops in absence of LIF and buffalo foetal fibroblast feeder layer support, they differentiated to form three‐dimensional embryoid bodies (EBs). Of 231 EBs examined on Day 3 of suspension culture, 141 (61.3 ± 3.09%) were of compact type, whereas 90 (38.4 ± 3.12%) were of cystic type. The cells obtained from EBs were found to express NF‐68 and NESTIN (ectodermal lineage), BMP‐4 and α‐skeletal actin (mesodermal lineage), and α‐fetoprotein, GATA‐4 and HNF‐4 (endodermal lineage). When these EBs were cultured on gelatin‐coated dishes, they spontaneously differentiated to several cell types such as epithelial‐ and neuron‐like cells. When EBs were cultured in the presence of 1 or 2% DMSO or 10^?8 m or 10^?7 m retinoic acid for 25 days, ES cells could be directed to form muscle cell–like cells, the identity of which was confirmed by expression of α‐actinin by immunofluorescence and of MYF‐5, MYOD and MYOGENIN genes by RT‐PCR. MYOD was first detected on Day 10 in both treatment groups and on Day 15 in controls, whereas MYOGENIN was first detected on Day 10, Day 15 and Day 25 in the presence of retinoic acid, in the presence of DMSO and in controls, respectively. The present study demonstrates the ability of buffalo ES cell–like cells to undergo directed differentiation to cells of skeletal myogenic lineage.     

Classification of yarn interlacement pattern in fabrics using least square support vector machines

The purpose of this paper is to suggest an effective and reliable tool that can read through fabric images in the quest of deciphering yarn interlacement patterns by means of Least-Square Support Vector Machines (LS-SVM). A LS-SVM based binary pattern recognition system is formulated for identifying two modes of yarn interlacements viz., warp over weft or warp under weft and accuracy of the classifier was assessed by k-fold cross validation techniques. A comparative study establishes that LS-SVM shows better result than the standard SVM while classifying yarn interlacement patterns in fabrics. The proposed method has the potential to classify yarn interlacement patterns with possibility of extending it to designdecoding of diverse fabrics.     

Effect of nitrogen nutrition of stock plants of Justicia gendarussa L. on the rooting of cuttings

The effect of the nitrogen nutrition of stock plants of Justicia gendarussa L. on the rooting of cuttings was studied in sand culture under high, medium and low levels of nitrogen.

Nitrogen starvation induced rooting. Exogenous application of the auxins IAA (indol-3yl-acetic acid), IBA (indol-3yl-butyric acid) and NAA (naphth-lyl-acetic acid) greatly increased the rooting response of cuttings from-stock plants grown with small amounts of nitrogen.

The root-promoting effect of a low nitrogen supply was associated with a retardation of growth in the stock plants from which the cuttings were made. High C/N (total available carbohydrates/total nitrogen) and P/N (total phosphorus/total nitrogen) ratios increased anthocyanin pigmentation in the shoot, and increased rooting cofactor activity in the tissues of cuttings. The phenolic compounds, ferulic acid, p-hydroxybenzoic acid and p-coumaric acid were present in the shoots of all three nutritional treatments and acted as important cofactors in the cuttings. In general, rooting cofactor activity was inversely related to nitrogen supply and the activity was highest under low nitrogen.

The cuttings taken from plants grown under different levels of nitrogen interacted differentially with the exogenously applied auxins.     

Sequence and evolutionary analysis of ribosomal DNA from Huanglongbing (HLB) isolates of Western India

Citrus greening (Huanglongbing, HLB) is a widespread and economically important citrus disease all over the world. The disease is caused by a phloem-limited fastidious gram negative bacterium, “Candidatus Liberibacter spp.” which belongs to the alpha-proteobacteria group classified on the basis of its 16SrDNA sequence. Although the pathogen has been classified under three distinct groups, viz. Asian, African and American isolates, nothing is known about the status and the molecular variabilities among the Indian HLB isolates collected from different citrus cultivars grown in India. Five different HLB isolates showing variable symptoms based on their severity of infection on different citrus, viz. Mosambi, Rangpur lime, Cleopatra mandarin, acid lime and rough lemon, were studied by PCR amplification, sequence and evolutionary analysis of their 16S and 16S/23S rDNA intergenic regions. Analysis of the 16S/23S rDNA intergenic region separated all five Indian isolates from existing African isolates but failed to differentiate among Asian, American and Indian isolates. However, further analysis of complete 16S rDNA clearly indicated that Indian isolates fall within the Asian HLB group. Overall, our results suggest that all the five Indian HLB isolates taken for the current analysis belong to the Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus strain, which showed distinct sequence variabilities and produced noticeable symptoms on the citrus trees. These results provide a robust framework for understanding how differences in pathogenicity among various HLB isolates may be related to evolutionary history.     

Feed Formulation Using Linear Programming for Fry of Catfish,Milkfish, Tilapia,Asian Sea Bass,and Grouper in India

Nutritional profiles of 25 feed ingredients available in India were selected and compiled. Their costs were ascertained from Cochin (SW), Tuticorin (SE), and Bhubaneswar (NW), where fish/shrimp farming is traditionally practiced. Least-cost feed formulations (using the linprog toolbox in Matlab software) were attempted for catfish, milkfish, tilapia, and grouper fry specifying levels of four critical limits: Ca/P ratio, digestible energy (DE), 10 amino acid levels (where data was available), and 10 ingredients, totaling 26 constraining limits to the model. Feeds formulated for catfish fry cost US$0.066 kg^?1 at Bhubaneswar, US$0.117 kg^?1 at Tuticorin, and US$0.153 kg^?1 at Cochin, with poultry by-product meal and hydrolyzed feather meal as the major ingredients; limiting amino acids in these feeds were methionine and phenylalanine. Feeds formulated for milkfish fry cost US$0.110 kg^?1 at Cochin, US$0.108 kg^?1 at Tuticorin, and US$0.072 kg^?1 at Bhubaneswar; the limiting amino acids in this case were histidine and threonine. The cost of feeds for tilapia fry was US$0.207 kg^?1 at Cochin, US$0.369 kg^?1 at Tuticorin, and US$ 0.114 kg^?1 at Bhubaneswar; the limiting amino acid was methionine. Feed formulae for fry of Asian sea bass had an LP solution containing only five ingredients for all three places. The feed formula was the same for Cochin and Bhubaneswar market prices, and the total cost of ingredients was US$0.274 kg^?1 and US$0.142 kg^?1, respectively. At Tuticorin market prices, the feed formula cost was US$0.397 kg^?1. The feed formulae for grouper fry at Bhubaneswar and Tuticorin market prices had the same three ingredients costing US$0.114 kg^?1 and US$0.321 kg^?1, respectively, whereas feed formula for Cochin market price consisted of four ingredients costing US$0.280 kg^?1.     

Enzyme‐producing bacteria isolated from fish gut: a review

Digestion of food depends on three main factors: (i) the ingested food and the extent to which the food is susceptible to the effects of digestive enzymes, (ii) the activity of the digestive enzymes and (iii) the length of time the food is exposed to the action of the digestive enzymes. Each of these factors is affected by a multitude of secondary factors. The present review highlights the experimental results on the secondary factor, enzymatic activity and possible contribution of the fish gut microbiota in nutrition. It has been suggested that fish gut microbiota might have positive effects to the digestive processes of fish, and these studies have isolated and identified the enzyme‐producing microbiota. In addition to Bacillus genera, Enterobacteriaceae and Acinetobacter, Aeromonas, Flavobacterium, Photobacterium, Pseudomonas, Vibrio, Microbacterium, Micrococcus, Staphylococcus, unidentified anaerobes and yeast are also suggested to be possible contributors. However, in contrast to endothermic animals, it is difficult to conclude the exact contribution of the gastrointestinal microbiota because of the complexity and variable ecology of the digestive tract of different fish species, the presence of stomach and pyloric caeca and the relative intestinal length. The present review will critically evaluate the results to establish whether or not intestinal microbiota do contribute to fish nutrition.