Oral administration of β-alanine modifies carnosine concentrations in the muscles and brains of chickens

Carnosine, and its derivative anserine, are known to function as anti‐oxidants and putative neurotransmitters. They are especially rich in the breast muscle (Musculus pectoralis superficialis, MPS) of chickens. To clarify whether the concentrations of carnosine and anserine are altered by dietary management, the effect of oral administration of their constituent, β‐alanine (β‐Ala), was determined in the MPS and brains of chickens. Birds were orally administered β‐Ala (22 mmol/kg) twice a day for five consecutive days (from 2 to 6 days old). In the MPS, carnosine was increased by β‐Ala, whereas anserine and taurine were decreased. The concentrations of other free amino acids in the MPS were also modified by β‐Ala. In the brain, the oral administration of β‐Ala increased anserine and carnosine and decreased taurine, but caused no changes to other free amino acid concentrations. These results suggest that orally administered β‐Ala increases carnosine concentrations in both the MPS and brains of chickens. However, the effects of β‐Ala on other concentrations differ depending on the tissues.     

谷氨酰胺二肽的代谢及其在断奶仔猪中的应用

谷氨酰胺二肽是谷氨酰胺和其他氨基酸形成的二肽,因其特有的生物学功能,近年来逐渐受到动物营养学家的广泛关注,国内外许多研究者也开展了谷氨酰胺二肽在动物上的研究工作。笔者就谷氨酰胺二肽的代谢及其对早期断奶仔猪生长性能、能量利用、抗氧化机能等的影响进行了综述。     

Improvement of the quality and shelf life of wheat bread by fermentation with the antifungal strain Lactobacillus plantarum FST 1.7

Lactobacillus plantarum FST 1.7 was screened for in vitro antimicrobial activity and was shown to be active against spoilage moulds and bacteria. Isolation of antimicrobial compounds from cell-free supernatant identified lactic acid, phenyllactic acid and the two cyclic dipeptides cyclo (l-Leu-l-Pro) and cyclo (l-Phe-l-Pro) as the major components responsible for this activity. L. plantarum FST 1.7 was tested for the ability to produce the antifungal compounds during sourdough fermentation and to produce bread of good quality and increased shelf-life. A rheofermentometer was used to examine the gaseous release and development characteristics of the dough. A range of parameters was determined including pH, TTA and specific loaf volume. The results were compared with those obtained using Lactobacillus sanfranciscensis, a chemically acidified and a non-acidified dough. The quality of sourdough and bread produced using L. plantarum FST 1.7 was comparable to that obtained using common sourdough starters, e.g. L. sanfranciscensis. Sourdoughs and breads were evaluated for the ability to retard growth of Fusarium culmorum and Fusarium graminearum two fungi found on breads. Sourdough and bread produced with strain FST 1.7 showed consistent ability to retard the growth of both Fusarium species, thus indicating that L. plantarum FST 1.7 has also the potential to improve the shelf-life of wheat bread.     

含赖氨酸二肽对奶牛乳蛋白合成和乳腺氨基酸转运相关基因表达的影响

试验旨在研究含赖氨酸二肽对奶牛乳腺组织中乳蛋白合成和氨基酸转运的影响。在体外培养的奶牛乳腺组织培养液中添加不同含赖氨酸二肽(赖氨酸-赖氨酸(KK)、赖氨酸—组氨酸(KH)、赖氨酸—苯丙氨酸(KF)、赖氨酸—亮氨酸(KL)和赖氨酸—苏氨酸(KT)),分别等量取代培养液中0、5%、10%、15%和20%的游离赖氨酸(赖氨酸总浓度为210μg/mL)进行培养,试验结束后收集乳腺组织用于基因表达检测。结果显示,同游离氨基酸替代量为0组相比,KH替代Lys比例为15%,KF替代比例为10%,KK、KL和KT替代比例为5%时,α_s1酪蛋白(CSN1S1)mRNA丰度最高(P<0.05);KK替代Lys比例为5%、10%、15%和20%,KH替代比例为10%和15%,KF替代比例为15%,KL替代比例为5%、20%及KT替代比例为5%、10%和15%时,均显著促进了奶牛乳腺组织中小肽转运载体2(SLC15A2)的基因表达(P<0.05);KH替代Lys比例为15%,KK、KL替代比例分别为10%,KF、KT替代比例分别为5%时,赖氨酸转运载体B⁰⁺(SLC6A14)的mRNA丰度最高(P<0.05);KH替代Lys的15%、20%,KK替代比例为5%、10%和15%,KL替代比例为5%和10%时,显著促进了雷帕霉素靶蛋白(mTOR)基因的表达(P<0.05)。结果提示,奶牛乳腺摄取赖氨酸二肽能促进氨基酸的吸收和乳蛋白的合成。     

四种二肽对奶牛乳腺上皮细胞增殖及β-酪蛋白分泌的影响

通过添加不同浓度的二肽:蛋氨酸-蛋氨酸、赖氨酸-赖氨酸、蛋氨酸-赖氨酸、赖氨酸-蛋氨酸二肽,用CASY细胞活力分析仪检测奶牛乳腺上皮细胞的增殖和活力,用荧光定量PCR、HPLC检测β-酪蛋白的基因表达情况,确定培养24 h时四种二肽的最佳添加浓度分别为80、100、50、80μg.mL-1。以最佳二肽浓度添加时细胞的增殖分别为1.28×105、1.66×105、1.79×105、.85×105cells.mL-1,活力分别为93.72%、95.59%、94.35%、95.65%,培养液中β-酪蛋白含量分别为1.34、1.38、1.44、1.63 mg.10-5cells。为进一步利用小肽提高乳蛋白产量、调控乳蛋白合成提供理论依据。     

Effects of slaughter age on the levels of free amino acids and dipeptides in fattening cattle

The effects of slaughter age, breed type and postmortem period were studied on the concentrations of free amino acids (FAA) and dipeptides (carnosine and anserine) in Longissimus dorsi muscle of beef. Slaughter age affected the levels of most FAA and dipeptides, and the concentrations of these compounds were significantly lower at 35 months of age than either 15 or 25 months of age. Slight increases were observed at 25 months compared with 15 months, but the differences were not significant except for a few FAA. These tendencies still remained when the concentrations were recalculated on the basis of protein. A significant breed effect was observed for taurine, carnosine and anserine. Almost all FAA were significantly increased during postmortem conditioning, but the level of each FAA fluctuated, and the fluctuations could not be explained statistically by slaughter age or breed differences.     

Anti-Quorum-Sensing Activity of Tryptophan-Containing Cyclic Dipeptides

Quorum sensing (QS) can regulate the pathogenicity of bacteria and the production of some virulence factors. It is a promising target for screening to find anti-virulence agents in the coming post-antibiotics era. Cyclo (L-Trp-L-Ser), one variety of cyclic dipeptides (CDPs), isolated from a marine bacterium Rheinheimera aquimaris, exhibited anti-QS activity against Chromobacterium violaceum CV026 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1. Unlike the CDPs composed of phenylalanine or tyrosine, the anti-QS activity has been widely studied; however, cyclo (L-Trp-L-Ser) and derivatives, containing one tryptophan unit and one non-aromatic amino acid, have not been systematically explored. Herein, the cyclo (L-Trp-L-Ser) and seven derivatives were synthesized and evaluated. All tryptophane-contained CDPs were able to decrease the production of violacein in C. violaceum CV026 and predicted as binding within the same pocket of receptor protein CviR, but in lower binding energy compared with the natural ligand C₆HSL. As for P. aeruginosa PAO1, owning more complicated QS systems, these CDPs also exhibited inhibitory effects on pyocyanin production, swimming motility, biofilm formation, and adhesion. These investigations suggested a promising way to keep the tryptophan untouched and make modifications on the non-aromatic unit to increase the anti-QS activity and decrease the cytotoxicity, thus developing a novel CDP-based anti-virulence agent.     

Asperopiperazines A and B: Antimicrobial and Cytotoxic Dipeptides from a Tunicate-Derived Fungus Aspergillus sp. DY001

Investigation of the cytotoxic fractions of the ethyl acetate extract of the fermentation broth of the tunicate-derived Aspergillus sp. DY001 afforded two new dipeptides, asperopiperazines A and B (1 and 2), along with the previously reported compounds (+)-citreoisocoumarin (3) and (−)-6,8-di-O-methylcitreoisocoumarin (4). Analyses of the 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic data of the compounds supported their structural assignments. Asperopiperazine A (1) is a cyclic dipeptide of leucine and phenylalanine moieties, which are substituted with an N-methyl and an N-acetyl group, respectively. On the other hand, asperopiperazine B (2) is a cyclic dipeptide of proline and phenylalanine moieties with a hydroxyl group at C-2 of the proline part. The absolute configuration of the amino acid moieties in 1 and 2 were determined by Marfey’s analyses and DFT NMR chemical shift calculations, leading to their assignment as cyclo(l-NMe-Leu-l-NAc-Phe) and cyclo(d-6-OH-Pro-l-Phe), respectively. Asperopiperazines A and B displayed higher antimicrobial effects against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus than Candida albicans. Furthermore, compounds 1–4 displayed variable growth inhibitory effects towards HCT 116 and MDA-MB-231 cells, with asperopiperazine A as the most active one towards HCT 116.     

Comparative chemical,taste, and functional components in different tissues of giant grouper (Epinephelus lanceolatus)

The chemical composition, nutrition, and flavor components of various giant grouper tissues were determined. The muscle protein content was about 20%, and the muscle fat content was in the range of 3.9–6.4%, which is higher than that of most other groupers. The bone had the highest fat value (12.5–14.2%). The major nucleotide-related compound in the tissues was inosine monophosphate (IMP); whereas in the skin, adenosine monophosphate (AMP) was predominant. The predominant free amino acid (FAA) in the tissues was taurine (Tau), followed by arginine (Arg), lysine (Lys), and glycine (Gly). Tau content was higher in chin meat, and lower in bone. The total peptide content was in the range of 660–1,390 mg/100 g, which was much higher than that observed in other fish species. Muscle was rich in C16:0, C18:0, C18:1, and omega-3 highly unsaturated fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).     

Effects of Lysine Dipeptides on the Expression of Genes Related to Milk Protein Synthesis and Amino Acid Transporters in Bovine Mammary Tissue

The study was carried out to investigate the effects of various lysine (Lys) dipeptides on gene expression related to milk protein and amino acid transporters in bovine mammary tissue.Mammary tissues were obtained from midlactating Holstein dairy cows and cultured under lactogenic hormones (prolactin, hydrocortisone and insulin) with different ratios of various Lys-peptide (Lys-Lys (KK), Lys-His (KH), Lys-Phe (KF), Lys-Leu (KL)and Lys-Thr (KT)).They isometrically substituted 0, 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% of free Lys (total concentration of Lys was 210 μg/mL), respectively.After 48 h treatment, mammary tissues were harvested for gene expression analysis by Real-time PCR.The results showed that:Compared with the free Lys group with no Lys substitution, when the KH replaced Lys at ratio of 15%, the KF replacement ratio was 10%, KK, KL and KT replacement ratio was 5%, the CSN1S1 mRNA abundance were the highest (P<0.05);When the KK replaced Lys at ratios of 5%, 10%, 15% and 20%, KH replacement ratios were 10% and 15%, KF replacement ratio was 15%, KL replacement ratios were 5% and 20% and KT replacement ratios were 5%, 10% and 15%, the SLC15A2 gene expression was significantly enhanced (P<0.05); when the KH replaced lysine at ratio of 15%, KK and KL replacement ratio was 10%, KF and KT replacement ratio was 5%, the abundance of SLC6A14⁺ mRNA was the highest (P<0.05);When the KH replaced Lys at ratio of 15% and 20%, KK replacement ratios were 5%, 10% and 15%, KL replacement ratio was 5% and 10%, the mRNA abundance of mTOR was significantly increased (P<0.05).The results indicated that the Lys dipeptides might be able to promote amino acid uptake and milk protein related gene expression in bovine mammary gland tissues.