Cloning and sequencing of a bottle-nosed dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) interleukin-4-encoding cDNA.

Using polymerase chain reaction (PCR), a bottle-nosed dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) interleukin-4 (IL4) cDNA was cloned and sequenced. IL4 specific primers were based on the 5' and 3' untranslated regions of the human and murine IL4 gene. The dolphin IL4 cDNA is 528 base pairs in length and contains an open reading frame of 402 nucleotides coding an IL4 precursor of 133 amino acids, with the putative signal peptide of 24 amino acids. Analysis of the mature amino acid sequence shows three potential N-linked glycosylation sites and three disulfide bonds. Comparison of the predicted amino acid sequence shows that dolphin IL4 shares 77, 74, 58 and 41% identity with the bovine, ovine, human and mouse IL4s, respectively.     

Vitrification for bovine embryos with low‐quality grade

This study was conducted to examine the utility of vitrification for bovine embryos with low‐quality grade, and simple cryoprotectants dilution method for practitioners. In Experiment 1, survival of frozen embryos was compared with that of vitrified embryos using minimum volume cooling (MVC). Then, vitrified embryos were used to confirm the optimum sucrose concentration in Experiment 2. The survival rates of embryos that had been vitrified following diluted cryoprotectants with the one‐step in‐straw method were compared with those of fresh control embryos in Experiment 3. Frozen‐thawed or vitrified‐warmed blastocysts were cultured with TCM‐199 supplemented with 100 μmol/L beta‐mercaptoethanol +5% fetal bovine serum at 38.5°C in an atmosphere of 5% CO₂ in air, their survival after 24 hr were compared. The development to term of fair quality in vivo embryos after vitrification was examined in Experiment 4. Results show that survival rates of frozen‐thawed embryos were lower (p < .05) than that of vitrified‐warmed ones. When vitrified embryos were warmed in 0.3 mol/L sucrose in straws, their survival rate was 100%. The total cell numbers of vitrified‐warmed embryos were comparable to those of fresh control embryos. The six calves from 13 vitrified embryos were delivered in Experiment 4. These results indicate that MVC vitrification following one‐step cryoprotectants dilution is utilized to preserve low‐quality bovine embryos.     

Influence of Dietary Metformin on the Growth Performance and Plasma Concentrations of Amino Acids and Advanced Glycation End Products in Two Types of Chickens

Glycation is a non-enzymatic reaction inducing the bonding of glucose to amino acids and proteins. Glycated amino acids are not useful for protein synthesis, suggesting that glycation reduces the utilization of amino acids. Metformin (MF) is well known as a therapeutic drug for type II diabetes that inhibits glycation. It is possible that treatment with MF raises the utilization of amino acids by the inhibition of glycation, thereby improving the growth performance of chickens. In the present study, therefore, we investigated the influence of dietary MF on the growth performance, and plasma concentrations of free amino acids and N^ε-(Carboxymethyl)lysine (CML), which is an advanced glycation end product, in layer (Experiment 1) and broiler (Experiment 2) chickens. From 7 d of age, chicks were allowed free access to one of the experimental diets containing MF at 3 supplementation levels (0, 150, and 300 mg/kg diet) for 14 days. Body weight and feed intake were measured every week. At the end of the experiments, blood and breast muscle (M. pectoralis major) were collected for further analysis. Dietary MF did not affect weight gain, feed intake, or feed efficiency in both layer and broiler chickens. Dietary MF at the level of 150 mg/kg diet increased breast muscle weight in both layer and broiler chickens. Dietary MF increased plasma concentrations of branched chain amino acids and decreased concentrations of CML in layer chickens, although it did not affect plasma concentrations of glucose. The present study suggested that dietary MF might have the potency to increase breast muscle weight of layer chickens with an increment in plasma concentrations of branched-chain amino acids.     

Search for an index for the taste of Japanese Black cattle beef by panel testing and chemical composition analysis

To search for an index for chemical composition related to superior taste in Japanese Black beef, we conducted panel tests and analyzed the chemical composition of seven beef brands. Thirty‐five sirloin beefs from five heifers were used in this study, sold under seven beef brands graded as more than A4 on the Japanese Meat Grade scale. The chemical composition analyses assessed both raw and roasted meat, the latter of which was roasted under the same conditions as those used for the panel test. Results of the panel test and chemical composition analyses revealed that fatty acid composition, sugar content, adenosine triphosphage (ATP)‐related compounds, amino acid composition and odor composition in the sirloin meat differed among beef brands. Furthermore, the correlations of chemical compositions between roasted and raw meat were significantly high. Sugar content and ATP‐related compounds in roasted meat were significantly correlated with the item ‘overall evaluation’ of the panel test. ATP‐related compounds, such as inosinic acid, carnosine and taurine, in roasted and raw meat were correlated significantly with the item ‘umami intensity’ of the panel test. These results suggest that the composition of these components is important for an index related to the overall evaluation of beef.     

Indole-3-carbaldehyde: a tyrosinase inhibitor from fungus YL185

Indole-3-carbaldehyde (1) was isolated as a tyrosinase inhibitor from the ethyl acetate-soluble fraction of extracellular fluids of unknown fungus YL185. The partial sequencing data of 18S ribosomal DNA (18S rDNA) indicate that this isolate belongs to the family Polyporaceae or Corticiaceae sensu lato. Indole-3-carbaldehyde inhibited the oxidation of l-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (l-DOPA) by mushroom tyrosinase with a 50% inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) of 1.3mM and showed inhibitory activity on melanin production in B16 melanoma cells. The aldehyde group of 1 plays an important role in eliciting tyrosinase inhibitory activity.