New Alkylpyridinium Anthraquinone,Isocoumarin, C-Glucosyl Resorcinol Derivative and Prenylated Pyranoxanthones from the Culture of a Marine Sponge-Associated Fungus,Aspergillus stellatus KUFA 2017

An unreported isocoumarin, (3S,4R)-4-hydroxy-6-methoxymellein (2), an undescribed propylpyridinium anthraquinone (4), and an unreported C-glucosyl resorcinol derivative, acetyl carnemycin E (5c), were isolated, together with eight previously reported metabolites including p-hydroxybenzaldehyde (1), 1,3-dimethoxy-8-hydroxy-6-methylanthraquinone (3a), 1,3-dimethoxy-2,8-dihydroxy-6-methylanthraquinone (3b), emodin (3c), 5[(3E,5E)-nona-3,5-dien-1-yl]benzene (5a), carnemycin E (5b), tajixanthone hydrate (6a) and 15-acetyl tajixanthone hydrate (6b), from the ethyl acetate extract of the culture of a marine sponge-derived fungus, Aspergillus stellatus KUFA 2017. The structures of the undescribed compounds were elucidated by 1D and 2D NMR and high resolution mass spectral analyses. In the case of 2, the absolute configurations of the stereogenic carbons were determined by comparison of their calculated and experimental electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectra. The absolute configurations of the stereogenic carbons in 6a and 6b were also determined, for the first time, by X-ray crystallographic analysis. Compounds 2, 3a, 3b, 4, 5a, 5b, 5c, 6a, and 6b were assayed for antibacterial activity against four reference strains, viz. two Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213, Enterococcus faecalis ATCC 29212) and two Gram-negative (Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853), as well as three multidrug-resistant strains. However, only 5a exhibited significant antibacterial activity against both reference and multidrug-resistant strains. Compound 5a also showed antibiofilm activity against both reference strains of Gram-positive bacteria.     

Current knowledge and future perspectives of the use of seaweeds for livestock production and meat quality: a systematic review

The effects of dietary macroalgae, or seaweeds, on growth performance and meat quality of livestock animal species are here reviewed. Macroalgae are classified into Phaeophyceae (brown algae), Rhodophyceae (red algae) and Chlorophyceae (green algae). The most common macroalga genera used as livestock feedstuffs are: Ascophyllum, Laminaria and Undaria for brown algae; Ulva, Codium and Cladophora for green algae; and Pyropia, Chondrus and Palmaria for red algae. Macroalgae are rich in many nutrients, including bioactive compounds, such as soluble polysaccharides, with some species being good sources of n-3 and n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids. To date, the incorporation of macroalgae in livestock animal diets was shown to improve growth and meat quality, depending on the alga species, dietary level and animal growth stage. Generally, Ascophyllum nodosum can increase average daily gain (ADG) in ruminant and pig mostly due to its prebiotic activity in animal's gut. A. nodosum also enhances marbling score, colour uniformity and redness, and can decrease saturated fatty acids in ruminant meats. Laminaria sp., mainly Laminaria digitata, increases ADG and feed efficiency, and improves the antioxidant potential of pork. Ulva sp., and its mixture with Codium sp., was shown to improve poultry growth at up to 10% feed. Therefore, seaweeds are promising sustainable alternatives to corn and soybean as feed ingredients, thus attenuating the current competition among food-feed-biofuel industries. In addition, macroalgae can hinder eutrophication and participate in bioremediation. However, some challenges need to be overcome, such as the development of large-scale and cost-effective algae production methods and the improvement of algae digestibility by monogastric animals. The dietary inclusion of Carbohydrate-Active enZymes (CAZymes) could allow for the degradation of recalcitrant macroalga cell walls, with an increase of nutrients bioavailability. Overall, the use of macroalgae as feedstuffs is a promising strategy for the development of a more sustainable livestock production.     

Fish community response to environmental variations in an impacted Neotropical basin

Fish communities’ organisation is a challenging task due to global, local and temporal variations related to biotic and abiotic factors, highlighting anthropic activities. The Verde River Basin (VRB) was chosen as a model to the fish community study due to its complexity, presenting a longitudinal gradient of degradation. The ichthyofauna and abiotic factors were sampled during twelve months in four sites. Analyses employed rarefaction curves with Hill numbers estimators and canonical correspondence analysis. The endemic Apareiodon sp. (not described), Hypostomus albopunctatus, H. strigaticeps, Oligosarcus paranensis, Neoplecostomus yapo and Trichomycterus diabolus were associated with structurally complex and well‐preserved environments. In contrary, Astyanax aff. fasciatus, Corydoras ehrhardti, Geophagus brasiliensis, H. ancistroides and Phalloceros harpagos showed tolerance to impacted environments. The methods here employed allowed to identify and explain differences in the ichthyofauna structure, distinguishing the influence of spatial, temporal and human effects on the fish communities.     

Survival of White Spot Syndrome Virus–Infected Litopenaeus vannamei Fed with Ethanol Extract of Uncaria Tomentosa

With the present project, the phytochemical composition of Uncaria tomentosa cultivated in Chapecó (Brazil) was analyzed and then the potential of using this local plant extract to protect by oral feeding virus‐infected Litopenaeus vannamei shrimp was also investigated. For this study, five treatments were tested: uninfected shrimp fed with pelleted feed (T_C), WSSV‐infected shrimp fed with pelleted feed (T₁), infected shrimp fed with pelleted feed with 1% ethanol extract of U. tomentosa (EEUT) (T₂), infected shrimp fed with pelleted feed with 2% EEUT (T₃), and infected shrimp fed pelleted feed with 4% EEUT (T₄). The chemical analysis of EEUT showed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, sterols, terpenes, coumarins, and tannins and also a high in vitro free radical‐scavenging activity as well as high total phenolic content. Shrimp fed with 2 and 4% EEUT (T₃ and T₄) showed a survival probability significantly higher than T₁ and T₂ treatments and no clinical symptoms of WSSV infection. Immunological assay also showed a positive phenoloxidase activity effect on shrimp fed with EEUT.     

Effect of salinity on growth and starvation-survival of a tropical Rhizobium strain

 The effect of salinity on growth, starvation-survival and recovery from salt stress of a Rhizobium sp. strain isolated from nodules of Acacia tortilis from a soil of Senegal was studied. Growth parameters of C-limited continuous cultures, grown in the presence and the absence of 342 mM NaCl, decreased in the saline medium and with increasing dilution rates. The survival capacity of starved cultures depended on the previous growth conditions: culturability of cells grown with salt was inversely related to growth rate, while culturability increased with increasing dilution rate for cultures grown without salt. Culturability of the cultures subjected to the double stress of starvation and salinity was reduced and a high percentage of cells entered the viable but nonculturable state. All the starved cultures were capable of regrowth when nutrients became available, thus showing that this strain can withstand long periods of nutrient deprivation in soil while maintaining the capacity for an active metabolism and a potential infectiousness toward an appropriate host. Received: 14 December 1998     

Changes in heterosis under within-line selection or reciprocal recurrent selection: an experiment on early egg production in Japanese quail

In much animal production, commercial animals are crossbreds from closed lines or breeds under long-term directional selection. Therefore it is desirable to be able to predict heterosis gains over the generations as it is done for genetic progress under within-line selection. However, heterosis is the phenotypic expression of a complex phenomenon which may involve several types of genetic effects like dominance and epistasis. In animal breeding, basic quantitative genetics theory indicates that heterosis should be proportional to (squared) differences in gene frequency between populations (e.g. F alconer and M ac K ay 1996), and it has been found approximately correct, so it is commonly used for planning crosses. Under that type of heterosis, however, selection towards the same objective in two populations should bring gene frequencies closer, and therefore it should eventually decrease heterosis. On the other hand, reciprocal recurrent selection designed to increase genetic distance between lines should eventually achieve maximum heterosis (O llivier 1982). Some experiments reviewed by brun (1982) have already compared genetic progress under within-line and reciprocal recurrent selection, but they did not focus on comparing the trend of heterosis with generations between the two selection methods. Also, heterosis was monitored periodically in some selection experiments on poultry, and results were reviewed by F airfull (1990). They were somewhat contradictory, but they generally failed to relate genetic progress to loss of heterosis under within-line selection. Moreover, in commercial production, as purebreds and crossbreds are not contemporaries and are generally maintained under very different management systems, estimations of heterosis and of the evolution of crossbred advantage over the generations may be difficult to obtain. Using the Japanese quail as an experimental animal, the present work was initiated specifically to follow the changes in heterosis brought about by selection for a single heterotic trait, early egg production (M invielle et al. 1995). For that purpose, two selection methods expected to have opposite effects on heterosis, directional within-line (or individual) selection and reciprocal recurrent selection, were applied for 13 generations in four quail lines started from two different origins, and trends of heterosis in the selected character and in weight and egg traits were evaluated.     

Cyathostominae (Nematoda) parasites of Equus caballus in some Brazilian states.

Thirty six horses from nine Brazilian states (Goiás, Minas Gerais, Pará, Maranh?o, Piauí, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Rio Grande do Norte, and Ceará) were examined for infections by small strongyles. The following species were identified: Cylicocyclus nassatus, C. insigne, C. brevicapsulatus, C. leptostomum, C. radiatus, C. ultrajectinus, C. ashworthi, Cylicostephanus goldi, C. calicatus, C. minutus, C. longibursatus, Petrovinema poculatum, Coronocyclus coronatus, C. labiatus, C. labratus, Cyathostomum catinatum, C. pateratum, C. alveatum, Parapoteriostomum euproctus, Cylicodontophorus bicoronatus, Poteriostomum ratzii, P. imparidentatum and Gyalocephalus capitatus. The most prevalent were C. longibursatus (100%), C. nassatus (97.22%) and C. catinatum (94.44%). They were also the most abundant species, comprising 31.84, 23.71 and 14.14%, respectively, of the Cyathostominae parasites found. Infections were found to include 2-17 species in a single horse, with variable associations.     

New Isocoumarin Derivatives and Meroterpenoids from the Marine Sponge-Associated Fungus Aspergillus similanensis sp. nov. KUFA 0013

Two new isocoumarin derivatives, including a new 5-hydroxy-8-methyl-2H, 6H-pyrano[3,4-g]chromen-2,6-dione (1) and 6,8-dihydroxy-3,7-dimethylisocoumarin (2b), a new chevalone derivative, named chevalone E (3), and a new natural product pyripyropene S (6) were isolated together with 6, 8-dihydroxy-3-methylisocoumarin (2a), reticulol (2c), p-hydroxybenzaldehyde, chevalone B, chevalone C, S14-95 (4), and pyripyropene E (5) from the ethyl acetate extract of the undescribed marine sponge-associated fungus Aspergillus similanensis KUFA 0013. The structures of the new compounds were established based on 1D and 2D NMR spectral analysis, and in the case of compound 3, X-ray analysis was used to confirm its structure and the absolute configuration of its stereogenic carbons. Compounds 1, 2a–c and 3–6 were evaluated for their antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, Candida albicans ATCC 10231, and multidrug-resistant isolates from the environment. Chevalone E (3) was found to show synergism with the antibiotic oxacillin against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).     

Development of a real-time PCR method based on duplo target plasmids for determining an unexpected genetically modified soybean intermix with feed components

The occurrence of intermixing, especially that resulting from genetically modified (GM) species, is increasingly becoming a problem in the delicate chain of feed and food quality control. Thus, a strategy is needed for precisely quantifying the presence of intermixing. An analytical assay based on real-time PCR has been developed; it can ascertain the extent of unexpected intermixing of GM soybean with maize meal. Three soybean-maize mix levels, with soybean intermix percentages of, respectively, 0.1, 0.5, and 1%, were prepared to simulate samples containing traces of soybean. As calibrator standards, ad hoc multiple-target pGEM-T plasmids containing soybean and maize reference genes in a 1:1 ratio were constructed. Four different maize endogenous genes, alcohol dehydrogenase 1 (adh1), high-mobility group protein a (hmga), invertase 1 (ivr1), and zein (zein), were assessed, each combined with the soybean endogenous lectin 1 (lect1) gene. Plasmids containing adh1-lect1 and zein-lect1 genes were found to be the most reliable calibration systems for this analysis, providing precise and accurate quantification results. Measuring the percentage of GM soybean intermixing makes it possible to calculate the actual transgenic component of the total sample.     

Combined Drought and Heat Stress in Rice: Responses,Phenotyping and Strategies to Improve Tolerance

Simultaneous occurrence of drought and heat stress will have significant negative impact on rice yield, especially under upland conditions. The projected increase in global temperatures and reduced precipitation will increase the frequency of occurrence and intensity of these stresses, threatening rice production. Despite recognizing the importance of combined stress in rice, the knowledge generated in this area is very limited. Though complex, understanding combined stress tolerance of rice under water saving cultivation is more critical towards development of climate resilient rice cultivars. Here, we summarized the effects of combined stress on rice physiology with more emphasis on reproductive stage. Omics responses, phenotyping and physiology challenges and potential strategies for improving combined stress tolerance in rice are also discussed.