不同刈割强度下羊草转录组研究

刈割是一种重要的草地管理措施,刈割留茬高度直接影响草地生产力及群落结构,在牧草生产中具有重要意义。为研究羊草在不同刈割强度下的转录响应,利用Illumina HiSeq-PE150高通量测序技术,对不同刈割留茬高度(0,2,4,8,12 cm)处理下羊草再生叶片进行了转录组测序。共得到139767803条读长(reads),41.94 Gb原始数据。经过过滤、质控与从头组装后,总共得到转录本270207条,总长度为191.6 Mb。通过与多种数据库比对得到48097条单基因簇(Unigene)注释结果。筛选出了所有刈割强度处理与不刈割对照组显著差异基因共2579条,经过生物信息分析,将其定位到碳水化合物代谢、损伤应答、过氧化氢分解、植物激素信号转导等功能与代谢通路。利用聚类方法得到了随着刈割强度增强,表达量规律变化的基因,分别富集到了过氧化物酶体、光合作用等代谢途径。对羊草在不同刈割高度下的转录组进行了研究,为草本植物分子生物学研究提供了宝贵的数据资源,对于解析羊草响应刈割的分子调控机制及相关基因挖掘具有重要指导意义。     

降水格局对科尔沁沙地三种草本植物凋落物分解的影响

基于研究区多年降水特征,设置高频低量、中频中量和低频高量3种降水格局,采用凋落物分解袋法,对科尔沁沙地3种常见一年生草本植物一个生长季地上和地下凋落物分解特征进行了研究。结果表明,降水格局和凋落物埋深均是影响分解率的关键因素。其中地表凋落物的分解率显著低于地下凋落物,随埋深增加地下凋落物的分解率有增加的趋势,10~20 cm层狗尾草地下凋落物分解率显著高于0~10 cm层(P<0.01)。低频高量降水状况下地上凋落物的分解率显著降低(P<0.01)。降水格局与凋落物埋深存在显著的耦合关系(F=3.60, P=0.008),随土壤深度增加,降水格局对凋落物分解率的影响减少,且物种间存在差异性,不同降水格局下狗尾草和黄蒿地上凋落物和0~10 cm埋深地下凋落物分解率均存在显著差异性(P<0.05),而尖头叶藜仅地上凋落物在不同降水格局下的分解率表现出显著差异性(F=48.42, P<0.001)。     

Pharmacokinetic profiles of the two major active metabolites of metamizole (dipyrone) in cats following three different routes of administration

This study was performed to determine pharmacokinetic profiles of the two active metabolites of the analgesic drug metamizole (dipyrone , MET), 4‐methylaminoantipyrine (MAA), and 4‐aminoantipyrine (AA), after intravenous (i.v., intramuscular (i.m.), and oral (p.o.) administration in cats. Six healthy mixed‐breed cats were administered MET (25 mg/kg) by i.v., i.m., or p.o. routes in a crossover design. Adverse clinical signs, namely salivation and vomiting, were detected in all groups (i.v. 67%, i.m. 34%, and p.o. 15%). The mean maximal plasma concentration of MAA for i.v., i.m., and p.o. administrations was 148.63 ± 106.64, 18.74 ± 4.97, and 20.59 ± 15.29 μg/ml, respectively, with about 7 hr of half‐life in all routes. Among the administration routes, the area under the plasma concentration curve (AUC) value was the lowest after i.m. administration and the AUC_EV/i.v. ratio was higher in p.o. than the i.m. administration without statistical significance. The plasma concentration of AA was detectable up to 24 hr, and the mean plasma concentrations were smaller than MAA. The present results suggest that MET is converted into the active metabolites in cats as in humans. Further pharmacodynamics and safety studies should be performed before any clinical use.     

Pharmacokinetics of cefquinome in healthy and Pasteurella multocida‐infected rabbits

The pharmacokinetics of cefquinome were studied in healthy and Pasteurella multocida‐infected rabbits after a single intramuscular (IM) injection at 2 mg/kg of its sulfate salt. Twelve female New Zealand white rabbits (2.0–2.5 kg) were used; six of them served as controls, and the other six had been infected with P. multocida; the experiments were conducted 1–2 days after nasal inoculation of P. multocida when rabbits showed the signs of respiratory infection. Plasma concentrations of cefquinome were determined using high‐performance liquid chromatography. The values of elimination half‐life, area under the curve, area under the first moment curve, and mean residence time were significantly lower in infected rabbits (0.48 hr, 4.54 hr*μg/ml, 3.63 hr* hr*μg/ml and 0.8 hr, respectively) than healthy rabbits (0.72 hr, 9.11 hr*μg/ml, 9.85 hr* hr*μg/ml and 1.1 hr, respectively), whereas total body clearance was significantly higher in infected than healthy rabbits. Therefore, P. multocida infection caused significant changes in some of the pharmacokinetic parameters of cefquinome in rabbits. These pharmacokinetic changes may affect dose regimen when used in P. multocida‐infected rabbits.     

CD117‐ and vimentin‐positive telocytes in the bovine teat sphincter

Mastitis is a common economically relevant problem in dairy farming. As the major entry for pathogens is the papillary duct, one of the first defence mechanisms is the teat sphincter. This sphincter shows a rhythmic contractility of yet unknown origin. Searching for possible modulatory pacemaker cells, teat sphincters of eight cows were stained immunohistochemically with antibodies against CD117 and vimentin and evaluated microscopically for the presence of telocytes. CD117‐ and vimentin‐positive telocytes with telopodes were found in close contact with smooth muscle cells. Our findings present a first evidence of telocytes in the teat of bovines.     

Hyperglycaemia in transition dairy cows: Effects of lactational stage and conjugated linoleic acid supplementation on glucose metabolism and turnover

Supplementing conjugated linoleic acid ( CLA ) is supposed to spare glucose due to the milk fat‐depressing effect of the trans ‐10, cis ‐12 CLA isomer, and allows repartitioning nutrients despite an energy deficiency in early lactation. However, there is still a lack of knowledge in terms of the dynamic pattern of the glucose turnover in transition dairy cows. We hypothesized that dairy cows supplemented with CLA have an altered rate of glucose turnover and insulin sensitivity during early lactation. We conducted three consecutive hyperglycaemic clamps (HGC ) in weeks ?2, +2 and +4 relative to parturition in Holstein cows supplemented daily either with 70 g of lipid‐encapsulated CLA (6.8 g trans ‐10, cis ‐12 and 6.6 g of the cis ‐9, trans ‐11 CLA isomer; CLA ; n  = 11) or with 56 g of control fat ( CON ; n  = 11). From week ?3 up to week +4 relative to parturition, milk yield and dry matter intake (DMI ) were recorded daily, while body weight (BW ) and milk composition were obtained once weekly. Blood samples were taken once weekly and every 30 min during the HGC . Plasma was analysed for concentrations of glucose, fatty acids (FFA ), beta‐hydroxybutyrate (BHB ), insulin, triglycerides and cholesterol. The CLA supplementation did not affect performance and metabolic parameters except for BHB and cholesterol. Furthermore, insulin concentrations and insulin sensitivity were affected by treatment. During the HGC in early lactation, insulin response was lower and decrease in FFA and BHB greater compared with the HGC in week ?2 although glucose target concentration achieved during the steady‐state period was similar for all three HGC . Our findings in terms of insulin and cholesterol suggest that body reserves are preserved through CLA feeding without restraining animal's performance. Furthermore, CLA effects on cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations indicated beneficial effects on hepatic lipid export contributing to an improved efficiency of prevailing metabolites in circulation.     

Evaluation of β‐carotene assimilation in leopard geckos (Eublepharis macularius)

Although leopard geckos (Eublepharis macularius) are commonly kept under human care, their vitamin requirements are largely unknown. Many invertebrate preys display a low vitamin A concentration; thus, gut‐loading insects with vitamin A or carotenoids is a common practice. The objective of this prospective experimental study was to investigate whether dietary supplementation with β‐carotene, including prey gut‐loading, leads to sufficient vitamin A hepatic storage and prevents epithelial squamous metaplasia development in leopard geckos. Ten clinically healthy female leopard geckos were randomly divided in two groups with various supplementations: a group receiving vitamin A supplementation and a group receiving β‐carotene. Insects were gut‐loaded continuously with a supplement containing vitamin A or β‐carotene, depending on the group. Oral supplementation with cod liver oil or carrot juice was administered weekly to each lizard from “vitamin A group” and “carotenoid group” respectively. After 10 weeks of supplementation, surgical hepatic biopsies were obtained in three geckos of each group while the two remaining geckos were euthanized to undergo complete necropsy. Hepatic vitamin A concentration was determined for each lizard (n = 10) by ultra‐performance liquid chromatography. Histopathology revealed hepatocellular vacuolization and vitellogenic follicles in five females. Epithelial squamous metaplasia was not observed in any of the geckos. Hepatic vitamin A concentration was significantly higher in the carotenoid‐supplemented group than in the vitamin A‐supplemented group (p = 0.03). Our results suggest that in leopard geckos, dietary supplementation with β‐carotene allows sufficient vitamin A hepatic storage.