Effect of genistein on replication of bovine herpesvirus type 1

OBJECTIVE: To study the antiviral activity of genistein, a soya isoflavone, on in vitro replication of bovine herpesvirus type 1 (BHV-1). SAMPLE POPULATION: Madin-Darby bovine kidney (MDBK) cells. PROCEDURE: Effects of genistein on the magnitude and kinetics of inhibition of BHV-1 phosphorylation of glycoprotein E (gE) and in vitro replication of BHV-1 in MDBK cells were evaluated. Antiviral activity of genistein was compared with 2 compounds, estradiol-17beta (EST) and tamoxifen (TAM), that have estrogenic and antiestrogenic activity, respectively. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to determine the concentration of genistein in medium from infected and uninfected MDBK cultures. RESULTS: Genistein reduced BHV-1, but not gE-deleted BHV-1 (BHV-1gEdelta3.1), replication by 90% at 18 hours after inoculation. This inhibition was not sustained through 24 hours after inoculation. The genistein concentration in media from MDBK cells was decreased by 40% during BHV-1 infection, compared with 16% for uninfected cells, at 24 hours after inoculation. Genistein inhibited gE phosphorylation and BHV-1 replication in a dose-dependent manner. Dosing with 25 microM genistein at 0 and 12 hours after inoculation of BHV-1 was optimal for decreasing BHV-1 replication. Estradiol-17beta EST and TAM did not affect BHV-1 replication. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The decrease in genistein concentration was a viral infection-dependent event. Genistein is an inhibitor of BHV-1 replication because of its ability to inhibit tyrosine kinase activity. A possible application may be for the control of BHV-1 infection in cattle by feeding soya products rich in genistein prior to or during periods of stress.     

WHOLE‐BODY BIODISTRIBUTION OF 3′‐DEOXY‐3′‐[18F]FLUOROTHYMIDINE (18FLT) IN HEALTHY ADULT CATS

Positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) utilizing 3′‐deoxy‐3′‐[¹⁸F]fluorothymidine (¹⁸FLT), a proliferation tracer, has been found to be a useful tool for characterizing neoplastic diseases and bone marrow function in humans. As PET and PET/CT imaging become increasingly available in veterinary medicine, knowledge of radiopharmaceutical biodistribution in veterinary species is needed for lesion interpretation in the clinical setting. The purpose of this study was to describe the normal biodistribution of ¹⁸FLT in adult domestic cats. Imaging of six healthy young adult castrated male cats was performed using a commercially available PET/CT scanner consisting of a 64‐slice helical CT scanner with an integrated whole‐body, high‐resolution lutetium oxy‐orthosilicate (LSO) PET scanner. Cats were sedated and injected intravenously with 108.60 ± 2.09 (mean ± SD) MBq of ¹⁸FLT (greater than 99% radiochemical purity by high‐performance liquid chromatography). Imaging was performed in sternal recumbency under general anesthesia. Static images utilizing multiple bed positions were acquired 80.83 ± 7.52 (mean ± SD) minutes post‐injection. Regions of interest were manually drawn over major parenchymal organs and selected areas of bone marrow and increased tracer uptake. Standardized uptake values were calculated. Notable areas of uptake included hematopoietic bone marrow, intestinal tract, and the urinary and hepatobiliary systems. No appreciable uptake was observed within brain, lung, myocardium, spleen, or skeletal muscle. Findings from this study can be used as baseline data for future studies of diseases in cats.     

Molecular approaches for enhancing sweetness in fruits and vegetables

The quality of fruits and vegetables is mainly dependant on the sweetness determined by the level of soluble sugars such as glucose, fructose and sucrose. Other fruit quality parameters include Brix content, acidity, aroma, color, size and shape. Total sugar content in fruits and vegetables is a function of genetic, nutritional, environmental and developmental factors. Understanding the factors controlling sweetness is important to design strategies for enhancing quality of fruits and vegetables. Modifying the activity of enzymes in carbohydrate metabolism such as sucrose synthase (SuSy), acid invertase, ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (AGPase), sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS) and sucrose transporters were found to influence carbohydrate partitioning and sucrose accumulation in sink tissues of several food crops. Plant based taste-modifying sweet proteins such as brazzein, cucurmin, mabinlin, monellin, miraculin, neoculin and thaumatin have potential application for developing transgenic plants to improve the sweetness and quality of fruits and vegetables. The present review envisages various cultural, breeding and molecular approaches used for enhancing sugar content and sweetness in fruits and vegetables.