Chicken dendritic cells and type II pneumocytes express a common intracellular epitope

1. CVI-ChNL 74·3, a dendritic cell-specific monoclonal antibody (mAb) also identifies chicken lung granular pneumocytes (type II pneumocytes), which produce surfactant.

2. The 74·3 mAb does not cross-react with any other avian or mammalian granular pneumocyte, and provides a convenient tool for monitoring the status of type II pneumocytes in the chicken lung.     

Differentiation of mycoplasma gallisepticum strains using molecular methods

Increasing use of Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) live vaccines has led to a need for the differentiation of MG strains. The MG strains MK-7, MS-16, S6, FS-9 and R strains and the MG live vaccine strain F were compared by random amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPD) in this study. Using RAPD, different patterns were found among the MG strains. In addition to this, we examined the differentiating potential of polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) primers targeted at the crmA, crmB, crmC, gapA, mgc2 and pvpA genes encoding cytadherence-related surface proteins. These proteins may take part in the pathogenesis of MG-induced disease. Differentiation of strain F is based on the identification of restriction enzyme sites in the PCR amplicons. Using HphI enzyme, crmC PCR amplicons produced different RFLP patterns. Digestion of amplicons of gapA-specific PCR with MboI enzyme also produced distinct patterns. Differences were observed among strains R and F by digestion of mgc2 PCR amplicons with HaelIl and VspI enzymes and digestion of pvpA PCR amplicons with AccI, PvulI and ScrFI endonucleases. This method can be used for the rapid differentiation of vaccine strain from wild strains. Differentiation of MG strains is a great advantage for diagnosticians or practitioners and it is useful for epidemiological studies.     

Dimethyl sulfoxide: interactions with aromatic hydrocarbons

Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) enhanced the hypertaurinuria produced by benzene, chlorobenzene, and toluene in rats. Undiluted DMSO was more effective than DMSO diluted with water in potentiating the toxicity of benzene in both rats and mice. Supernatants (9000g) prepared from livers of rats treated with DMSO 24 hours earlier metabolized more benzene than those from control rats.     

Simultaneous identification and quantification of the sugar, sugar alcohol, and carboxylic acid contents of sour cherry, apple, and ber fruits, as their trimethylsilyl derivatives, by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

Our gas chromatography-mass spectrometry method--developed for the simultaneous quantitation of mono-, di-, and trisaccharides, sugar alcohols, caboxylic and amino acids, measured as their trimethylsilyl-(oxime) ether/ester derivatives, from one solution by a single injection, prepared in the presence of the fruit matrix--has been extended/utilized for special purposes. The compositions of (i) freshly harvested and stored sour cherries (Prunus cerasus), (ii) apples obtained from organic and integrated productions (Malus domestica), and (iii) green and ripe bers (Zizyphus mauritiana L.) were compared. On the basis of earlier, basic researches (derivatization, quantitation, and fragmentation studies of authentic compounds), we demonstrate the reproducible quantitation of the main and minor constituents in a wide concentration range (approximately 1 x 10(-)(3) to >/=40%, in total up to < or =98%, calculated on dry matter basis of the fruit matrices). Reproducibility of quantitations, calculated on the basis of their total ion current values, provided an average reproducibility of 3.3 (sour cherries), 6.2 (apple), and 4.3 (ber) RSD %, respectively.     

Failure of oral E. coli O83 lipopolysaccharide to influence intestinal morphology and cell proliferation in rats: short communication

It is known that bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is not absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract in significant quantities. However, the question remained whether oral LPS modified the structure or function of the gut. In the present experiment Escherichia coli 083 LPS was administered to growing rats in repeated oral doses of 400 mg/kg body weight (b. w.), every 8 h. After three days of treatment, morphometric and histochemical examinations of the small intestine did not show significant differences between treated and control rats. It is concluded that repeated oral administration of high doses of E. coli 083 LPS had no demonstrable effect on intestinal structure and cell proliferation in a rat model.     

Survey and molecular detection of phytoplasmas associated with potato in Romania and southern Russia

In recent years, emerging phytoplasma diseases of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) have increasingly become important in central and eastern Europe. Accurate identification of phytoplasmas and their insect vectors is essential to developing effective management strategies for diseases caused by these plant pathogens. Potato phytoplasma diseases in Europe were for a long time diagnosed only on the basis of visual symptoms. However, this approach is not very reliable and the use of modern molecular techniques such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is required in order to accurately determine the etiology of these phytoplasma diseases. A survey and identification of phytoplasmas associated with potato crops in Romania and southern Russia were conducted based on modern molecular techniques. Symptomatic potato plants were collected from several fields and tested for phytoplasmas by PCR. Also, selected crops and weeds in the vicinity of these potato fields were sampled and tested for phytoplasmas. Stolbur (“Candidatus Phytoplasma solani”; 16SrXII-A) was the only phytoplasma detected in potato and adjacent crops, including tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), pepper (Capsicum annuum), eggplant (Solanum melongena), and beet (Beta vulgaris). This phytoplasma was also detected in weeds, particularly Convolvulus arvensis, Cuscuta sp., and Euphorbia falcata. Genotyping of obtained stolbur isolates on tuf genes revealed that they all had the same RFLP profile corresponding to the tuf-type ‘b’ (VK Type II). Stolbur-affected potato plants produced a large number of spongy tubers that resulted in commercially unacceptable potato chips upon processing.     

Specificity and reversibility of the training effects on the concentration of Na+,K+-Atpase in foal skeletal muscle

The purpose of the present study was to determine whether training and detraining affect the Na+,K+-ATPase concentration in horse skeletal muscles, and whether these effects are specific for the muscles involved in the training programme. Twenty-four Dutch Warmblood foals age 7 days were assigned randomly to 3 groups: Box (box-rest without training), Training (box-rest with training: short-sprint) and Pasture (pasture without training). Exercise regimens were carried out for 5 months and were followed by 6 months of detraining. Five of the foals in each group were subjected to euthanasia at age 5 months and the remaining foals at 11 months. Muscle samples were collected from the deep part of the gluteus medius, semitendinosus and masseter muscles. The Na+,K+-ATPase concentration was quantified by [3H]ouabain binding. In the Training group, the concentration of Na+,K+-ATPase in gluteus medius and semitendinosus muscle, but not in masseter muscle, showed a relative increase of 20% (P<0.05) as compared to Box foals. After detraining for the subsequent 6 months, the concentration of Na+,K+-ATPase in semitendinosus muscle remained the same, while that in gluteus medius muscle was reduced by 10%. It is concluded that: 1) short-sprint training for 5 months induced an increase of the Na+,K+-ATPase concentration in gluteus medius and semitendinosus muscles of the foal. Interestingly, this effect persisted during the 6 months of the detraining period. Whether the higher Na+,K+-ATPase concentration due to training of young foals leads to a better athletic performance when they become mature still needs to be established; 2) the factors that initiate an increase in Na+,K+-ATPase concentration following training are likely to be located in the muscle itself and 3) the training effect may last for several months after returning to normal activity, especially in muscles containing a high percentage of fast-twitch fibres.