Increased expression of vascular endothelial growth factor in neo-vascularized canine brain tissue

This retrospective study was done to characterize the levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and hypoxia inducible factor 1 (HIF-1α) in dog brains with neo-vascularization in the cerebral cortex of frontal, temporal, and parietal lobe by using immunohistochemistry (IHC) and Western blot. In neo-vascularized (NV) brains, we analyzed the number and area of blood vessels and the expression of VEGF and HIF-1α. The IHC results showed that the number and area of blood vessels, as assessed by immunolabeling for von Willebrand factor, was higher in the NV brain than in the control brain. The Western blot results showed that the level of VEGF was increased, predominantly in NV brain of the cerebral cortex relative to the clinically normal cerebral cortex, whereas the expression of HIF-1α in NV brains was not different from the control brains. Our study showed that dilatation of vessels and development of new vessels in the cerebral cortex were observed in cases of canine CNS disease and found increased expression of VEGF in canine brains with neo-vascularization.     

Phenotypic and genetic characterization of Erwinia rhapontici isolated from diseased Asian pear fruit trees

In 1995, a serious necrotic disease appeared in Asian pear trees in the orchards of Chuncheon, South Korea. Large numbers of bacterial samples were collected, and the causative microorganism was identified as a novel pathogen, Erwinia pyrifoliae. Among the samples, four bacterial isolates with atypical characteristics were further analyzed through biochemical tests and 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. By phenotypic and genetic analysis these isolates were identified as E. rhapontici. Phylogenetic analysis using 16S rRNA sequence data revealed that E. rhapontici forms a discrete clade with high bootstrap value close to the E. amylovora group. Pathogenicity tests on leaves of tobacco plants (Nicotiana tabacum) elicited hypersensitivity responses, but artificial inoculations on immature fruits and shoots of Asian pear (Pyrus pyrifolia) did not show any necrotic symptoms. The developed primers showed no cross reactivity when tested against other phytopathogens and were able to detect E. rhapontici from mixed culture and in planta.     

Protective efficacy of attenuated Salmonella Typhimurium strain expressing BLS,Omp19, PrpA,or SOD of Brucella abortus in goats

BackgroundAttenuated Salmonella strain can be used as a vector to transport immunogens to the host antigen-binding sites.ObjectivesThe study aimed to determine the protective efficacy of attenuated Salmonella strain expressing highly conserved Brucella immunogens in goats.MethodsGoats were vaccinated with Salmonella vector expressing individually lipoprotein outer-membrane protein 19 (Omp19), Brucella lumazine synthase (BLS), proline racemase subunit A (PrpA), Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD) at 5 × 10⁹ CFU/mL and challenge of all groups was done at 6 weeks after vaccination.ResultsAmong these vaccines inoculated at 5 × 10⁹ CFU/mL in 1 mL, Omp19 or SOD showed significantly higher serum immunoglobulin G titers at (2, 4, and 6) weeks post-vaccination, compared to the vector control. Interferon-γ production in response to individual antigens was significantly higher in SOD, Omp19, PrpA, and BLS individual groups, compared to that in the vector control (all p < 0.05). Brucella colonization rate at 8 weeks post-challenge showed that most vaccine-treated groups exhibited significantly increased protection by demonstrating reduced numbers of Brucella in tissues collected from vaccinated groups. Real-time polymerase chain reaction revealed that Brucella antigen expression levels were reduced in the spleen, kidney, and parotid lymph node of vaccinated goats, compared to the non-vaccinated goats. Besides, treatment with vaccine expressing individual antigens ameliorated brucellosis-related histopathological lesions.ConclusionsThese results delineated that BLS, Omp19, PrpA, and SOD proteins achieved a definite level of protection, indicating that Salmonella Typhimurium successfully delivered Brucella antigens, and that individual vaccines could differentially elicit an antigen-specific immune response.     

Effects of Vitamin E with Different Levels or Sources of Dietary Lipid on the Growth and Expression of Inflammatory,Oxidative Stress,and Apoptotic Genes in the Head Kidney of Olive Flounder,Paralichthys olivaceus

This study has assessed the effects of vitamin E (?E, +LE, +HE; 0, 100, 1000 mg/kg, respectively) in fish diets containing high levels (HL; 10%) of fish oil (FO) or mixed vegetable oils (VO) on the growth and inflammatory, oxidative stress, and apoptotic gene expression in the head kidney of olive flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus. Consequently, the highest weight gain was achieved in the FO group and the lowest in the HL‐VO + LE group. The gene expression levels of each group were compared to the 5% FO group. The 5% VO group showed higher expression levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) α, interleukin (IL)‐1β, and scinderin‐like (ScinL) genes. Although lysozyme gene expression was higher in the HL‐VO + LE group, the other gene expression levels of the HL‐FO/VO + LE groups were not different from those of the FO group. The HL‐FO/VO?E/+HE groups showed a higher TNFα gene expression, but the cytochrome oxidase subunit III gene expression was higher in the HL‐FO?E and HL‐VO + HE groups. Lysozyme gene expression was higher in the HL‐FO?E and HL‐VO?E/+HE groups. IL‐6 and ScinL gene expression were higher in the HL‐VO‐E and HL‐VO + HE groups, respectively. In conclusion, mixed VO and too high or too low vitamin E levels in fish diets may affect inflammatory, oxidative stress, and apoptotic gene expression in the head kidney of olive flounder.     

Temperature-dependent index of mitotic interval τ0 in greenling Hexagrammos otakii

ABSTRACT:   The aim of this study was to establish effective procedures for chromosome manipulation in greenling Hexagrammos otakii Jordan et Starks, which has enormous aquacultural potential. To accomplish this, temperature-dependent measurements of the mitotic intervals (τ₀) were carried out. The τ₀ in this fish was determined by averaging the duration of the first and third embryonic divisions at temperatures ranging 5–25°C. At higher temperatures, eggs developed faster and underwent more identical development. For greenling, τ₀ were 341.1 ± 3.60 min at 5°C, 275.5 ± 4.53 min at 10°C, 189.7 ± 6.93 min at 15°C, 99.2 ± 8.27 min at 20°C and 34.2 ± 8.74 min at 25°C. There were strong, negative correlations between the τ₀ and water temperatures at all temperatures studied ( Y  = −79.3 X  + 425.3, R ² = 0.9968, where Y is the mitotic interval and X is the temperature).     

A preliminary study of dietary protein requirement of juvenile marbled flounder (Pseudopleuronectes yokohamae)

An 8-week feeding trial was conducted to determine the optimal dietary protein level for juvenile marbled flounder. Five semi-purified test diets were formulated to contain different protein levels (CP) including 42.7%, 47.4%, 53.3%, 58.8%, and 64.5% (dry matter), named as CP42.7, CP47.4, CP53.3, CP58.8, and CP64.5, respectively. Five hundred and twenty-five juveniles (6.0 ± 0.1 g) were randomly distributed into 15 tanks (300 L tanks), resulting in 35 fish per tank (n = 3 tanks). Fish were fed the test diets 5 times per day until satiation. The CP58.8 resulted in the highest gain in weight and the best efficiency in feed utilization among the tested protein levels (P < 0.05). Fish fed the CP58.8 diet showed significantly higher whole-body protein and lipid contents than the fish that were fed the other diets (P < 0.05). Fish fed the CP53.3, CP58.8, and CP64.5 diets showed a significantly higher dorsal-muscle lipid content than the fish that were fed the CP42.7 and CP47.4 diets (P < 0.05). The one-slope straight broken-line regression analysis on the results of the thermal growth coefficient and feed conversion ratio indicated that the estimated optimum dietary protein level was 58.8%. Taken together, it is suggested that the dietary protein level of 58.8% is optimal for better growth and high efficiency in feed utilization for the juvenile marbled flounder.