Gel formation mechanism and gel properties controlled by Ca2+ in chia seed mucilage and model substances

Polygalacturonic acid (PGA) is considered as a model substance for mucilage to study mucilage–soil interactions, assuming that the gel formation mechanism of mucilage is comparable to the one of PGA. However, some studies question the accepted hypothesis, which states that, like for PGA, this mechanism relies on cross‐links between uronic acid and calcium for mucilage. The aim of this study was therefore to understand the influence of the abundance and degree of esterification of uronic acids and the influence of calcium on the gel formation mechanism in mucilage as compared to model substances. The mucilage used was from chia seeds, as it is easily available in great quantity and has gel properties shared by root mucilage. Results reported here demonstrate that, while the gel formation mechanism of PGA relied on specific cross‐links with calcium and led to heterogeneous gels, low‐methoxy pectin (LMP) formed homogeneous calcium gels also characterized by nonspecific ionic interactions with calcium. On the contrary, despite similar uronic acid content to LMP, chia seed mucilage was mostly governed by weak electrostatic interactions between entangled polymer chains, which conferred the gel poor water retention. Addition of calcium reduced repulsion and molecular expansion, resulting in a reduction of the water content in chia seed mucilage. Finally, the discrepancies between PGA, LMP and chia seed mucilage discredit the use of PGA as model for chia seed mucilage. Comparison with root mucilage is still needed. This study offers the keys for further mechanistic understanding on the influence of mucilage on soil properties.     

Evidence of genotype–diet interactions in the response of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) clones to a diet with or without fishmeal at early growth

This study examined the genetic variability and genotype × diet interactions during early growth (initial mean body weight 1.2 g) among seven heterozygous clones of rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss. The clones were hand-fed a diet containing either fishmeal or plant proteins during a 49-day trial divided into two periods (P1, 26 days, and P2, 23 days). Weight, variation of weight within clone, feed intake, feed efficiency and mortality were calculated for both periods.There was a highly significant effect of diet and of clone for all traits at both periods, except for feed efficiency and mortality at P1. Highly significant interactions between diet and clone were also recorded for all these traits, except for mortality at P1. The occurrence of genotype × diet interactions when feeding juvenile rainbow trout with an all plant-protein diet indicates that a highly performing genotype on a fishmeal diet may perform poorly when fed a plant-protein diet. Interactions were found for the two major determinants of growth, i.e. feed intake and feed efficiency, showing that the dietary response differs according to the genotype. Monitoring of the within-clone variability of weight showed that a plant-based diet is likely to enhance the overall phenotypic variance in a population, whatever its initial genetic variability.     

Genome-wide association mapping for root cone angle in rice

Background

Plant root systems play a major role in anchoring and in water and nutrient uptake from the soil. The root cone angle is an important parameter of the root system architecture because, combined with root depth, it helps to determine the volume of soil explored by the plant. Two genes, DRO1 and SOR1, and several QTLs for root cone angle have been discovered in the last 5 years.

Results

To find other QTLs linked to root cone angle, a genome-wide association mapping study was conducted on two panels of 162 indica and 169 japonica rice accessions genotyped with two sets of SNP markers (genotyping-by-sequencing set with approximately 16,000 markers and high-density-rice-array set with approximately 300,000 markers). The root cone angle of all accessions was measured using a screen protractor on images taken after 1 month of plant growth in the Rhizoscope phenotyping system. The distribution of the root cone angle in the indica panel was Gaussian, but several accessions of the japonica panel (all the bulus from Indonesia and three temperate japonicas from Nepal or India) appeared as outliers with a very wide root cone angle. The data were submitted to association mapping using a mixed model with control of structure and kinship. A total of 15 QTLs for the indica panel and 40 QTLs for the japonica panel were detected. Genes underlying these QTLs (+/?50 kb from the significant markers) were analyzed. We focused our analysis on auxin-related genes, kinases, and genes involved in root developmental processes and identified 8 particularly interesting genes.

Conclusions

The present study identifies new sources of wide root cone angle in rice, proposes ways to bypass some drawbacks of association mapping to further understand the genetics of the trait and identifies candidate genes deserving further investigation.

     

Mapping of new resistance (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Vr2</Emphasis>, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Rm1</Emphasis>) and ornamental (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Di2</Emphasis>, <Emphasis Type="Italic">pl</Emphasis>) Mendelian trait loci in peach

Peach powdery mildew is one of the major diseases of the peach. Various sources of resistance to PPM have thus been identified, including the single dominant locus Vr2 carried by the peach rootstock ‘Pamirskij 5’. To map Vr2, a linkage map based on microsatellite markers was constructed from the F₂ progeny (WP²) derived from the cross ‘Weeping Flower Peach’ × ‘Pamirskij 5’. Self-pollinations of the parents were also performed. Under greenhouse conditions, all progenies were scored after artificial inoculations in two classes of reactions to PPM (resistant/susceptible). In addition to Vr2, WP² segregated for three other traits from ‘Weeping Flower Peach’: Rm1 for green peach aphid resistance, Di2 for double-flower and pl for weeping-growth habit. With their genomic locations unknown or underdocumented, all were phenotyped as Mendelian characters and mapped: Vr2 mapped at the top of LG8, at 3.3 cM, close to the CPSCT018 marker; Rm1 mapped at the bottom of LG1, at a position of 116.5 cM, cosegregating with the UDAp-467 marker and in the same region as Rm2 from ‘Rubira’^®; Di2 mapped at 28.8 cM on LG6, close to the MA027a marker; and pl mapped at 44.1 cM on LG3 between the MA039a and SSRLG3_16m46 markers. Furthermore, this study revealed, for the first time, a pseudo-linkage between two traits of the peach: Vr2 and the Gr locus, which controls the red/green color of foliage. The present work therefore constitutes a significant preliminary step for implementing marker-assisted selection for the four major traits targeted in this study.     

Computer tomographic differentiation of intrathoracic neoplasms and inflammation in the dog

The purpose of this study was to elaborate on the advantages and limits of computed tomography (CT) in the differentiation of thoracic lesions, in particular neoplasias. In the course of the investigation CT-scans of the thorax of 31 dogs with lesions in the area of the lungs or mediastinum were evaluated. The lesions were rated by morphology, distribution pattern, attenuation values and contrast-enhancement. Biopsies or the whole body underwent a pathohistological examination. Of the 31 dogs 17 had neoplastic and 14 had inflammatory lesions in the thoracic region. With help of the CT, the exact localisations of the different lesions was possible in most cases. Due to their characteristic morphologies, distribution patterns and attenuation values the differentiation between inflammatory and neoplastic lesions was possible in most cases (n=25/31) on the basis of the CT-scans. Mean non-enhanced CT attenuation values of the neoplastic lesions ranged between 31 and 50 HU, of the inflammatory lesions between -251 and 9 HU. Both neoplastic and inflammatory lesions showed contrast enhancement (between 14 and 38 HU and between 2 and 95 HU respectively). The mediastinal abcesses enhanced mainly on the periphery of the lesion. A differentiation of the various types of neoplastic lesions based on the non-enhanced attenuation values was not successful. Only metastasis could be differentiated because of their distribution pattern.     

Evaluation of a thoracoscopic technique using ligating loops to obtain large lung biopsies in standing healthy and heaves-affected horses

Objective— To evaluate use of pre‐tied ligating loop to perform thoracoscopic, large lung biopsy in normal and heaves‐affected horses. Study Design— Prospective clinical study. Animals— Normal (n=5) and heaves‐affected (n=6) horses. Methods— Lung biopsies, 1 from each hemithorax, were collected thoracoscopically using a pre‐tied ligating loop. Horses were either normal (C) or heaves‐affected with the latter being in remission (Ha) for the initial biopsy and in exacerbation (Hs) for the 2nd biopsy. Clinical variables, PaO₂, and PaCO₂ were used to determine the effect of surgical biopsy. Postoperative pneumothorax was monitored by serial thoracic radiographic examinations. Results— Thoracoscopic lung biopsy (n=29, 22 procedures) was well tolerated by all horses. Complication rate was 31%, including 8 ligature slippage and 1 pulmonary hemorrhage. Intranasal oxygen was administered intraoperatively to 6 horses (2 C, 1 Ha, 3 Hs) with severe hypoxemia or labored breathing. There was a significant decrease in PaO₂ during surgery in horses not supplemented with oxygen. Postoperative pneumothorax (21/22 procedures) detected radiographically resolved within 3 weeks. Conclusion— Thoracoscopic lung biopsy using pre‐tied ligating loops was minimally invasive, relatively inexpensive, and fairly efficient. Heaves‐affected horses tolerated the surgery well, even when in exacerbation; however, the technique was associated with non life‐threatening complications in 31% of the biopsies, most of which required correction with additional ligating loops or more sophisticated instrumentation. Clinical Relevance— Using laparoscopic pre‐tied ligating loop for thoracoscopically‐assisted lung biopsy can be considered in horses with normal and impaired lung function but alternative instrumentation and access to intranasal oxygen must be available to the surgeon in case of complications.     

A focus on the European hamster to illustrate how to monitor endangered species

Agriculture intensification, marked by the generalization of crop monoculture, by the increase in plot size and by the reduction of plant diversity, has led to huge decline in wildlife in European farmlands. In such habitat, research has long been biased towards birds and invertebrates, while very few studies have investigated the effect on small mammals. Considering the European hamster, Cricetus cricetus, we therefore review the different techniques that can be used to investigate the impact of environmental changes and conservation measures in small and endangered wild mammals. We suggest that only a multidisciplinary approach will allow exploration of these effects, combining experimental laboratory work on captive‐bred animals with the monitoring of wild individuals. In particular, individual energy balance has to be investigated and measured as accurately as possible, through either biochemical or bio‐logging techniques. It is, indeed, the most affected physiological trait in a changing environment, as it determines both the reproductive output and the survival of the individual. We also discuss the inconvenience of capture–release approaches for such an endangered species and emphasize the disturbance that experimental protocols could impose on the hamster.     

Marek’s disease virus and skin interactions

Marek’s disease virus (MDV) is a highly contagious herpesvirus which induces T-cell lymphoma in the chicken. This virus is still spreading in flocks despite forty years of vaccination, with important economical losses worldwide. The feather follicles, which anchor feathers into the skin and allow their morphogenesis, are considered as the unique source of MDV excretion, causing environmental contamination and disease transmission. Epithelial cells from the feather follicles are the only known cells in which high levels of infectious mature virions have been observed by transmission electron microscopy and from which cell-free infectious virions have been purified. Finally, feathers harvested on animals and dust are today considered excellent materials to monitor vaccination, spread of pathogenic viruses, and environmental contamination. This article reviews the current knowledge on MDV-skin interactions and discusses new approaches that could solve important issues in the future.     

Evaluation of a modified thrombelastography assay initiated with recombinant human tissue factor in clinically healthy horses

Background: Thrombelastography (TEG) is used to evaluate the viscoelastic properties of blood during clotting and provides a global assessment of hemostasis and clot lysis. TEG analysis initiated with recombinant human tissue factor (TF) has not been evaluated in clinically healthy horses. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine whether TEG results are affected by the time elapsed between sampling and analysis (storage time) of equine blood samples and to establish a preliminary equine reference interval for a modified TEG assay, using recombinant human TF to initiate coagulation. Methods: Citrated blood samples were obtained from 20 clinically healthy adult horses. Thirteen samples were stored for 30, 60, and 120 minutes at room temperature before TEG analysis. Coagulation was initiated by adding 20 μL of CaCl₂ to 330 μL of blood and 10 μL of diluted recombinant TF for a final dilution of 1:3600. Reaction (R) and clotting (K) times, angle (α), and maximum amplitude (MA) were compared between time points. A preliminary reference interval (minimum–maximum values) was determined using data from all 20 horses after 30 minutes of sample storage. Results: There was a significant effect of storage time on R, K, and α but not MA. Reference intervals were: R, 3.65–6.4 minutes; K, 1.8–5.45 minutes; α, 33.4–66.2°; MA, 41.2–64.1 mm; lysis at 30 minutes post‐MA (LY30), <2.75%; and lysis at 60 minutes post‐MA (LY60), 1.55–9.5%. Conclusions: TEG can be performed on equine citrated blood samples using recombinant human TF to activate clot formation. TEG parameters were significantly affected by storage time, suggesting an incomplete inhibition of coagulation in citrated blood.