Genetic Engineering Approaches to Pig Production*

Modern biotechnology promises a number of new applications in animal breeding and production. Although conventional pig breeding has achieved a high level of efficiency and productivity numerous problems have been encountered with animal health and the loss of meat quality. Selection based on phenotypic performance data of individual animals does not take into account the importance of specific genes and their relevance within a complex regulatory system. In most cases it is therefore difficult to trace back the genetic origins of clinically important disorders. The application of genetic engineering techniques in pig production will facilitate diagnosis, improvement of productivity, and animal health by allowing direct genetic manipulation. Attention must be focussed on the physical and genetic analysis of the procine genome. The isolation and characterisation of genes, DNA-markers, polymorphic DNA-fragments, and their chromosomal assignment will be important prerequisites and tools for the elucidation of genetic disorders. Especially the detection of heterozygous carriers of recessive disorders and their elimination from the breeding stock will increase selection accuracy and decrease the generation intervals. But also the rapid and simple detection of infectious diseases, which is sometimes difficult if not impossible at present, will improve animal health and welfare. Although the production of transgenic animals either by DNA-microinjection into zygotes or the use of embryonal stem cells manipulated in vitro is less straightforward than DNA-based diagnosis it will play an important role in the direct manipulation of the porcine genome and genes. Breeding programmes including the use of transgenic livestock have already been developed. There is no doubt that genetic engineering has reached a degree of practical feasibility, allowing it to play an important role in pig breeding in particular and animal production in general.     

Comparison of arylalkylamine N-acetyltransferase and melatonin receptor type 1B immunoreactivity between young adult and aged canine spinal cord

Melatonin affects diverse physiological functions through its receptor and plays an important role in the central nervous system. In the present study, we compared immunoreactivity patterns of arylalkylamine N-acetyltransferase (AANAT), an enzyme essential for melatonin synthesis, and melatonin receptor type 1B (MT2) in the spinal cord of young adult (2~3 years) and aged (10~12 years) beagle dogs using immunohistochemistry and Western blotting. AANAT-specific immunoreactivity was observed in the nuclei of spinal neurons, and was significantly increased in aged dog spinal neurons compared to young adult spinal neurons. MT2-specific immunoreactivity was found in the cytoplasm of spinal neurons, and was predominantly increased in the margin of the neuron cytoplasm in aged spinal cord compared to that in the young adult dogs. These increased levels of AANAT and MT2 immunoreactivity in aged spinal cord might be a feature of normal aging and associated with a feedback mechanism that compensates for decreased production of melatonin during aging.     

Molecular cloning and functional analysis of duck Toll-like receptor 5

Toll-like receptor 5 (TLR5) is responsible for the recognition of bacterial flagellin in vertebrates. In this study, we cloned the single-exon TLR5 gene of the Maya breed of Common Shelduck (Tadorna tadorna). The TLR5 open reading frame is 2580 bp in length and encodes an 859-amino acid protein. The putative amino acid sequence of duck TLR5 consisted of a signal peptide sequence, 11 leucine-rich repeat domains, a leucine-rich repeat C-terminal domain, a transmembrane domain, and an intracellular Toll-interleukin-1 receptor domain. The duck TLR5 gene was highly expressed in the lung, bone marrow, spleen, and liver; moderately expressed in kidney, small intestine, large intestine, and brain. A plasmid expressing duck TLR5 was constructed and transfected into HEK293T cells, and expression was confirmed by indirect immunofluorescence assay. HEK293T cells transfected with duck TLR5- and NF-κB-luciferase-containing plasmids significantly responded to flagellin from Salmonella typhimurium, indicating that it is a functional TLR5 homolog.     

武定鸡红细胞免疫功能研究及其意义

应用红细胞Ｃ３ｂ受体花环（Ｃ３ｂＲＲ）和免疫复合物花环（ＩＣＲ）试验,证实武定鸡红细胞表面存在补体Ｃ３ｂ受体（Ｃ３ｂｒｃｃｃｐｔｏｒ,Ｃ３ｂＲ）,表明红细胞免疫系统（Ｒｃｄｃｃｌｉｍｍｕｎｅｓｙｓｔｅｍ,ＲＣＩＳ）的概念亦适用于这种动物。武定鸡的ＲＣＩＳ有其独特之处,文中对武定鸡红细胞Ｃ３ｂＲＲ和ＩＣＲ分别代表红细胞表面Ｃ３ｂ“空位”和“占位”状态的含义做出了新的解释。     

Effects of PPARγ agonist on calpain expression in model of acute experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis

AIM: To explore the effects of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ （PPARγ） agonist on calcium-activated neutral proteinase, calpain, expression in the brain of rats with acute experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). METHODS: EAE model was established in rats by inoculating the homogenate contained spinal cord of guinea pig and complete Freunds adjuvant. Respectively, the PPARγ agonist rosiglitazone and non-steroid anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) ibuprofen were used to treat the EAE rats. Outcome measures (Kohs scale) were applied at baseline and after treatment to assess the improvement of clinical symptoms. Calpain expression levels were detected by RT-PCR and Western blotting. RESULTS: All the groups showed significant improvements of scales scores after treatment with rosiglitazone and ibuprofen. No significant difference of the expression of calpain mRNA was found among EAE group, rosiglitazone and ibuprofen groups (P>0.05), but the expression of calpain reduced markedly in rosiglitazone and ibuprofen groups compared with that in EAE group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Rosiglitazone and ibuprofen inhibit the expression of calpain and improve the clinical symptoms of EAE rats. PPARγ agonist plays a neuroprotective role in EAE rats.     

小菜蛾鱼尼丁受体基因克隆及序列分析

利用RT-PCR和RACE技术克隆了小菜蛾(Plutella xylostella)鱼尼丁受体(Px-RyR)基因,其核苷酸序列全长15 748bp,5′非编码区267bp,3′端非编码区109bp,开放阅读区全长为15 372bp(GenBank登录号:JF927788),编码5 123个氨基酸残基。估测其蛋白分子量为579.39ku,等电点为5.45。该基因编码氨基酸序列和其他鳞翅目昆虫RyR氨基酸序列比对相似性较高(92%),与哺乳动物3种亚型RyRs的相似性为45%～47%。此外,二级结构预测,其C-末端存在6个跨膜区域;且Px-RyR中存在一个出现4次重复,长度为89～95个氨基酸的RyR结构域,平均相似性为33%。     

Role of PPARα/PGC-1α in doxorubicin induced mouse dilated cardio-myopathy

AIM: To investigate the changes of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPAR)α/peroxisome proliferator activated receptor coactivator 1 alpha (PGC-1α) in doxorubicin (DOX) induced dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and its effect on the energy metabolism and myocardial function in mice. METHODS: Forty mice were randomly divided into 4 groups: control group, DOX group, PPARα inhibitor group and PPARα agonist group. The DCM model was established by injection of DOX. The protein levels of PPARα/PGC-1α were detected. The PPARα inhibitor and PPARα agonist were used 2 weeks beforeinjection of DOX. The contents of adenine acid and phosphocreatine (Pcr) in the mitochondria were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The ANT activity was analyzed by the atractyloside-inhibitor stop technique. The changes of the echocardiography and hemodynamics were also observed. RESULTS: DOX induced DCM model was successfully established. The protein levels of PPARα and PGC-1α in control group were significantly higher than those in DOX group (P<0.05). Both of the high-energy phosphate contents and the transport activity of ANT were decreased in DOX group (P<0.05), and the hemodynamic parameters were disordered (P<0.01). Compared with DOX group, PPARα inhibitor pre-treatment significantly reduced the PPARα/PGC-1α expression. Meanwhile, high-energy phosphate contents in the mitochondria and the ANT transport activity of the mitochondria decreased, as well as the left ventricular function (P<0.05). On the other hand, PPARα agonist significantly increased the expression of PPARα and PGC-1α, and improved the transport activity of ANT. In addition, the hemodynamic parameters were ameliorated, but the high-energy phosphate contents of the mitochondria did not significantly change. CONCLUSION: PPARα/PGC-1α plays an important role in the regulation of ANT transport activity in dilated cardiomyopathy induced by DOX, and the activation of PPARα/PGC-1α has protective effects on the DCM induced by DOX.     

Evidence for estrogen receptor expression during medullary bone formation and resorption in estrogen-treated male Japanese quails (Coturnix coturnix japonica)

The temporal expression of estrogen receptor (ER)-α and ER-β mRNA was examined in male Japanese quails. Femurs of quails receiving 17β-estradiol underwent RTPCR and histochemical analysis 1 to 15 days after treatment. Untreated quails were used as controls (day 0). Between days 0 and 5, cells lining the bone endosteal surface differentiated into osteoblasts, which in turn formed medullary bone. Expression of ER-α was already observed on day 0 and increased slightly during bone formation whereas ER-β was hardly detected throughout this process. After osteoclasts appeared on the medullary bone surface, this type of bone disappeared from the bone marrow cavity (days 7~15). ER-α expression simultaneously decreased slightly and ER-β levels remained very low. These results suggest that estrogen activity mediated by ER-α not only affects medullary bone formation but also bone resorption.     

人雄激素受体的雄激素结合区cDNA在E.coli中的高效表达

将编码人雄激素受体（ｈＡＲ）的雄素结合区（ＬＢＤ）的ｃＤＮＡ片段（１００５ｂｐ）克隆到由Ｐ１启动子控制的硫氧还蛋白表达载体ｐＴｒｘＦｕｓ上,构建了表达质粒ｐＴｒｘＡＲ,并转化到大肠杆菌Ｇ１７２４中,经色氨酸诱导表达后,ＳＤＳ－ＰＡＧＥ分析,可观察到一高效表达的融合蛋白产物,此融合蛋白 分子了量与理论值相吻合,氨基酸组分分析证明了ＬＢＤ目的基因的表达。     

Gastrointestinal motility modulation by stress is associated with reduced smooth muscle contraction through specific transient receptor potential channel

Excessive stress response causes disability in social life. There are many diseases caused by stress, such as gastrointestinal motility disorders, depression, eating disorders, and cardiovascular diseases. Transient receptor potential (TRP) channels underlie non-selective cation currents and are downstream effectors of G protein-coupled receptors. Ca²⁺ influx is important for smooth muscle contraction, which is responsible for gastrointestinal motility. Little is known about the possible involvement of TRP channels in the gastrointestinal motility disorders due to stress. The purpose of this study was to measure the changes in gastrointestinal motility caused by stress and to elucidate the mechanism of these changes. The stress model used the water immersion restraint stress. Gastrointestinal motility, especially the ileum, was recorded responses to electric field stimulation (EFS) by isometric transducer. EFS-induced contraction was significantly reduced in the ileum of stressed mouse. Even under the conditions treated with atropine, EFS-induced contraction was significantly reduced in the ileum of stressed mouse. In addition, carbachol-induced, neurokinin A-induced, and substance P-induced contractions were all significantly reduced in the ileum of stressed mouse. Furthermore, the expression of TRPC3 was decreased in the ileum of stressed mouse. These results suggest that the gastrointestinal motility disorders due to stress is associated with specific non-selective cation channel.