DNA甲基化与肿瘤研究进展

对肿瘤研究的不断深入,发现除了基因突变之外,表观遗传改变也与肿瘤的发生发展密切相关。肿瘤表观遗传的改变以DNA的异常甲基化为主。DNA的异常甲基化几乎存在于任何类型的人类肿瘤中,包括皮肤恶性肿瘤。DNA甲基化是指在DNA甲基化酶的作用下,以S-腺苷酸-L-甲硫氨酸为甲基供体,将甲基转移到特定碱基上的过程。基因的正常功能除了依赖于正常结构外,还依赖于正常的甲基化状态。DNA的异常甲基化在肿瘤发生中起重要作用。     

实时荧光定量PCR对瘤胃纤维分解菌定量方法的构建

试验构建了白色瘤胃球菌、黄色瘤胃球菌及产琥珀酸丝状杆菌等3种瘤胃纤维分解菌实时荧光绝对定量PCR的标准品及标准曲线,以用于纤维分解菌的定量测定。提取瘤胃微生物总DNA,以各菌特异性引物进行PCR扩增,回收纯化PCR产物,与pMD18-T Vector连接并转化到大肠杆菌。用氨苄青霉素培养基筛选阳性重组质粒,提取含目的片段质粒DNA,通过PCR及测序鉴定重组质粒。根据OD值确定浓度,将梯度稀释的质粒作为模板,进行荧光定量PCR反应做出标准曲线。结果表明:所构建的3条标准曲线具有很高的相关性(R2>0.999),并获得了高扩增效率产物(白色瘤胃球菌为101%、黄色瘤胃球菌为98.0%、产琥珀酸丝状杆菌为97.7%),说明成功构建了瘤胃纤维分解菌实时绝对定量PCR的标准品和标准曲线,为定量研究瘤胃纤维分解菌奠定基础。     

Fatty acid composition of ruminal bacteria and protozoa,and effect of defaunation on fatty acid profile in the rumen with special reference to conjugated linoleic acid in cattle

Objectives of this study were to compare fatty acid (FA) composition of ruminal bacterial (B) and protozoal (P) cells, and to investigate effect of protozoa on FA profile in the rumen of cattle. Three cows were used to prepare ruminal B and P cells. Four faunated and three defaunated cattle (half‐siblings) were used to study effect of protozoa on ruminal FA profile. Proportions of C16:0 and C18:0 in total fatty acids in B cells were 20.7% and 37.4%, whereas those in P cells were 33.4% and 11.6%, respectively. Proportions of trans‐vaccenic acid (VA) and cis‐9, trans‐11 conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) in B cells were 3.9% and 1.0%, and those in P cells were 5.5% and 1.6%, respectively, being higher in P cells. Proportions of C18:1, C18:2 and C18:3 in P cells were two to three times higher than in B cells. Proportions of unsaturated fatty acids, VA and CLA in B cells of faunated cattle were higher than those of defaunated. VA and CLA in the ruminal fluid of faunated were also 1.6 to 2.5 times higher than those of defaunated. This tendency was similar for cell‐free fraction of ruminal fluid. These results indicate that protozoa contribute greatly in VA and CLA production in the rumen.     

Susceptibility pattern of bacterial isolates in equine ulcerative keratitis: Implications for empirical treatment at a university teaching hospital in Sydney

Corneal ulceration is a common ophthalmic condition in horses. It is frequently caused by trauma to the corneal surface, followed by secondary infection by commensal or pathogenic organisms including Streptococcus equi subspecies zooepidemicus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus spp. Emerging antimicrobial resistance amongst these organisms has raised the need for appropriate antimicrobial therapy selection, to optimise treatment efficacy while minimising further antimicrobial resistance. Medical records of 38 horses presented at the University Veterinary Teaching Hospital Camden for ulcerative keratitis between 2010 and 2020 were reviewed to identify those with positive bacterial cultures and antimicrobial susceptibility profiles (13/38). Common susceptibility patterns were identified and used to guide the empirical treatment of equine bacterial corneal ulcers. Pseudomonas spp. (64.3%), Streptococcus equi subspecies zooepidemicus (14.3%) and Actinobacillus spp. (14.3%) were most commonly identified. Susceptibility to amikacin, gentamicin and ciprofloxacin was observed in 100%, 66.7% and 85.7% Pseudomonas spp. isolates respectively. Resistance to polymyxin B and neomycin occurred in 85.7% and 71.4% of Pseudomonas spp., respectively. All Streptococcus equi subspecies zooepidemicus organisms in this study were susceptible to ceftiofur, cephalexin, penicillin and ampicillin, while they were all resistant to gentamicin, neomycin, enrofloxacin and marbofloxacin. Predominating in this study, Pseudomonas spp. maintained overall aminoglycoside susceptibility despite some emerging resistance, and good fluoroquinolone susceptibility. High resistance to Polymyxin B could have arisen from its common use as first-line therapy for bacterial corneal ulcers. Although further research is required, these new findings about predominant bacteria in equine corneal ulceration in the Camden region and their antimicrobial susceptibility patterns can be used to guide the empirical treatment of bacterial corneal ulcers in horses.     

甘肃河西五种甘草属植物的植物学特性及药用价值研究

为探索5种甘草属植物在甘肃河西地区的生态适应性及药用价值,以栽培甘草、胀果甘草、光果甘草、刺果甘草及黄甘草为研究对象,对其植物学特性及根部甘草酸、甘草苷含量进行比较研究。结果表明,在甘肃河西地区栽培的5种甘草属植物学特性差异明显;刺果甘草主茎高、小叶数及地上部分鲜重最高,黄甘草居最低水平;甘草根长显著高于其他4个种,但根部鲜重与光果甘草、胀果甘草及刺果甘草无显著差异;甘草酸、甘草苷含量均为3年生比2年生显著增加;3年生根中甘草酸含量除刺果甘草含量最低,其他4个种均达到药典标准,而甘草苷含量则只有甘草达到药典标准。综合各农艺性状和活性成分指标,认为在甘肃河西荒漠化地区,甘草具有较好的生态适应性,可作为甘草药材的基源植物推广种植,而刺果甘草则可作为河西地区重要的防风固沙作物。     

Seasonal and Diurnal Variation in Water-Soluble Carbohydrate Concentrations of Repeatedly Defoliated Red and White Clovers in Central Kentucky

Nonstructural carbohydrates of pasture plants, comprising water-soluble carbohydrates (WSCs) and starch, may contribute to excessive consumption of rapidly fermentable carbohydrates by grazing horses. Seasonal and diurnal variation in WSCs were studied in red (Trifolium pratense L.) and white clovers (Trifolium repens L.) subjected to a typical management regime of rotationally grazed horse pastures. Two red and two white clover cultivars from monoculture plots were harvested after 4 weeks of growth from April to October of 2015, in the morning and afternoon of each harvest date. Water-soluble carbohydrates were quantified for each harvest, and starch was quantified for two harvests. Mean monthly WSC concentrations ranged from 80 to 99 mg/g (freeze-dried weight basis), whereas mean starch concentrations were 31 and 40 mg/g. In September, white clover had 14% more WSCs than red clover (P < .0001). Water-soluble carbohydrate concentrations were 10% higher in the afternoon than in the morning (P < .0001). Starch concentrations were 290% higher in the afternoon than in the morning (P < .0001), and nonstructural carbohydrate concentrations in the afternoon averaged 150 mg/g. Further studies are needed to determine whether the mixed grass-legume pastures of central Kentucky accumulate enough nonstructural carbohydrates to present risk factors for equine metabolic or digestive dysfunction.     

Prevalence and Aetiology of Mastitis in Cows from Two Major Ethiopian Dairies

The study was undertaken to determine the aetiology and prevalence of mastitis in hand-milked cows (n = 186) in two major Ethiopian dairies. The California Mastitis Test and culturing for bacteria revealed that 21.5% of the cows were clinically infected and 38.2% had subclinical mastitis. Most mastitis pathogens isolated from milk samples testing positive by the California Mastitis Test were Gram-positive cocci. Staphylococci constituted 57% of the isolates, of which the predominant cause of bovine mastitis was Staphylococcus aureus (40.5%). Other mastitis pathogens isolated include streptococci (16.5%), coliforms (9%) and corynebacteria (5%). Retrospective analysis of farm records indicated that mastitis was the second most important cause of culling and accounted for 27% of the cows removed from these two dairies.     

Guanidinoacetic acid supplementation in broiler chickens fed on corn-soybean diets affects performance in the finisher period and energy metabolites in breast muscle independent of diet nutrient density

(1) Guanidinoacetic acid (GAA) is the single immediate endogenous precursor of creatine (Cr). It was hypothesised that dietary GAA would have different effects on performance and energy metabolites in breast muscle depending on the nutrient density (ND) of corn-soybean-based diets.

(2) A total of 540 one-day-old male Ross 308 broilers were allocated to 9 dietary treatments with 6 replicates (10 birds each) in a 3 × 3 factorial arrangement with three levels of ND (low, 2800; medium, 2950 and high, 3100 kcal metabolizable energy (ME)/kg; and with the other nutrients being constant relative to ME) and supplemented with three levels of GAA (0, 0.6 and 1.2 g/kg) in a 42-d feeding trial.

(3) In the starter and grower periods, increasing levels of ND improved body weight (BW), average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI) and feed conversion ratio (FCR), with the exception of ADFI in the starter period. GAA supplementation did not affect performance characteristics. All performance indicators responded markedly to increasing ND in the finisher period, whereas the highest GAA level reduced ADFI compared to the unsupplemented control (156 vs. 162 g/d) and concomitantly FCR (1.81 vs. 1.93). No interactive effects were noted for any performance trait. The high ND diet resulted in more breast meat yield on d42, associated with higher fat content and darker colour compared to the other ND levels. The GAA supplementation did not affect carcass and breast traits. At the end of the experiment, Cr was elevated when feeding GAA at 1.2 g/kg (5455 vs. 4338 mg/kg fresh muscle).

(4) To conclude, ND had a substantial effect on performance and carcass traits, whereas any effect of GAA was limited to FCR in the finisher period and independent of diet ND level.     

Effect of Maternal Age on the Ratio of Cleavage and Mitochondrial DNA Copy Number in Early Developmental Stage Bovine Embryos

Age-associated deterioration in both the quality and quantity of mitochondria occurs in older women. The main aim of this study was to examine the effect of age on mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNA number) in early developmental stage bovine embryos as well as the dynamics of mtDNA number during early embryo development. Real-time PCR was used to determine mtDNA number. In vitro-produced embryos 48 h after insemination derived from Japanese black cows, ranging in age from 25 to 209 months were categorized based on their cleavage status. There was an overall negative relationship between the age of the cow and cleavage status, to the extent that the ratio of embryos cleaved over the 4-cell stage was greater in younger cows. The mtDNA number did not differ among the cleaved status of embryos. In the next experiment, oocytes collected from each donor cow were divided into 2 groups containing 10 oocytes each, in order to compare the mtDNA number of mature oocytes and early developmental stage embryos within individuals. Upon comparing the mtDNA number between oocytes at the M2 stage and early developmental stage 48 h post insemination, mtDNA number was found to decrease in most cows, but was found to increase in some cows. In conclusion, age affects the cleaving ability of oocytes, and very old cows (> 180 months) tend to have lower mtDNA numbers in their oocytes. The change in mtDNA number during early development varied among individual cows, although overall, it showed a tendency to decrease.