Functional Casein-Poly saccharide Conjugates Prepared by Controlled Dry Heating

Casein was conjugated with dextran and galactomannan in a controlled dry state at a relative humidity of 79% and at 60°C for 24 hr. The covalent attachment of polysaccharides to casein was confirmed by SDS-PAGE and HPLC. The emulsifying activity of the casein-dextran and casein-galactomannan conjugates was 1.5 times higher than that of casein. The emulsion stability of the casein-dextran and casein-galactomannan conjugates was 10 times higher than that of casein. The improvement in these emulsifying properties reached a steady state when the conjugation of casein with polysaccharide was done for 24 hr in a controlled dry state, suggesting the rapid formation of conjugates through a Maillard reaction in the case of casein. Compared to commercial emulsifiers, the casein-polysaccharide conjugates showed better emulsifying properties in acidic and high-salt concentration systems.     

Accuracy of body mass estimates of formalin-preserved fish – a review

This paper highlights possible effects of physical and chemical mechanisms of formalin fixation and preservation on biological tissue and reviews the consequent potential inaccuracies on estimates of body mass of small fishes fixed and preserved in formalin. Twenty-six papers including 65 independent experiments with 35 species which examine effects of formalin on body mass estimates on small fishes are included. The effect of the formalin on the specimens depends on the salinity of the water used to dilute the commercial formalin (usually 1:9 formalin: water) before being used to fixate and preserve fish. Mean wet body mass of the specimens from the studies using seawater or fresh water diluted formalin deceases by 13% and increases by 7%, respectively, from before to after being immersed in formalin. The same trend is found with condition factor in the few papers that report this parameter. Body length decreases on average by c. 2% in fixated and preserved fish regardless of whether the formalin is diluted in seawater or fresh water.     

VEGF-C attenuates renal damage in salt-sensitive hypertension

Salt-sensitive hypertension is a major risk factor for renal impairment leading to chronic kidney disease. High-salt diet leads to hypertonic skin interstitial volume retention enhancing the activation of the tonicity-responsive enhancer-binding protein (TonEBP) within macrophages leading to vascular endothelial growth factor C (VEGF-C) secretion and NOS3 modulation. This promotes skin lymphangiogenesis and blood pressure regulation. Whether VEGF-C administration enhances renal and skin lymphangiogenesis and attenuates renal damage in salt-sensitive hypertension remains to be elucidated. Hypertension was induced in BALB/c mice by a high-salt diet. VEGF-C was administered subcutaneously to high-salt-treated mice as well as control animals. Analyses of kidney injury, inflammation, fibrosis, and biochemical markers were performed in vivo. VEGF-C reduced plasma inflammatory markers in salt-treated mice. In addition, VEGF-C exhibited a renal anti-inflammatory effect with the induction of macrophage M2 phenotype, followed by reductions in interstitial fibrosis. Antioxidant enzymes within the kidney as well as urinary RNA/DNA damage markers were all revelatory of abolished oxidative stress under VEGF-C. Furthermore, VEGF-C decreased the urinary albumin/creatinine ratio and blood pressure as well as glomerular and tubular damages. These improvements were associated with enhanced TonEBP, NOS3, and lymphangiogenesis within the kidney and skin. Our data show that VEGF-C administration plays a major role in preserving renal histology and reducing blood pressure. VEGF-C might constitute an interesting potential therapeutic target for improving renal remodeling in salt-sensitive hypertension.     

Schwannoma-Derived Growth Factor Interacts with the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor

Abstract: Schwannoma-derived growth factor (SDGF) is a potent mitogen and neuronal differentiation factor. Because of its relationship to epidermal growth factor (EGF) and the heregulins, it was asked if SDGF interacts with the EGF receptor or HER2/neu. SDGF binds to and causes the phosphorylation on tyrosine of the EGF receptor but not HER2/neu.     

Resistance training-induced muscle hypertrophy is mediated by TGF-β1-Smad signaling pathway in male Wistar rats

The TGF-β1-Smad pathway is a well-known negative regulator of muscle growth; however, its potential role in resistance training-induced muscle hypertrophy is not clear. The present study proposed to determine whether and how this pathway may be involved in resistance training-induced muscle hypertrophy. Skeletal muscle samples were collected from the control, trained (RT), control + SB431542 (CI_TGF), and trained + SB431542 (RTI_TGF) animals following 3, 5, and 8 weeks of resistance training. Inhibition of the TGF-β1-Smad pathway by SB431542 augmented muscle satellite cells activation, upregulated Akt/mTOR/S6K1 pathway, and attenuated FOXO1 and FOXO3a expression in the CI_TGF group (all p < .01), thereby causing significant muscle hypertrophy in animals from the CI_TGF. Resistance training significantly decreased muscle TGF-β1 expression and Smad3 (P-Smad3^S423/425) phosphorylation at COOH-terminal residues, augmented Smad2 (P-Smad2-L^S245/250/255) and Smad3 (P-Smad3-L^Ser208) phosphorylation levels at linker sites (all p < .01), and led to a muscle hypertrophy which was unaffected by SB431542, suggesting that the TGF-β1-Smad signaling pathway is involved in resistance training-induced muscle hypertrophy. The effects of inhibiting the TGF-β1-Smad signaling pathway were not additive to the resistance training effects on FOXO1 and FOXO3a expression, muscle satellite cells activation, and the Akt/mTOR/S6K1 pathway. Resistance training effect of satellite cell differentiation was independent of the TGF-β1-Smad signaling pathway. These results suggested that the effect of the TGF-β1-Smad signaling pathway on resistance training-induced muscle hypertrophy can be attributed mainly to its diminished inhibitory effects on satellite cell activation and protein synthesis. Suppressed P-Smad3^S423/425 and enhanced P-Smad2-L^S245/250/255 and P-Smad3-L^Ser208 are the molecular mechanisms that link the TGF-β1-Smad signaling pathway to resistance training-induced muscle hypertrophy.     

Effects of alginate and resistant starch on feeding patterns,behaviour and performance in ad libitum-fed growing pigs

This study assessed the long-term effects of feeding diets containing either a gelling fibre (alginate (ALG)), or a fermentable fibre (resistant starch (RS)), or both, on feeding patterns, behaviour and growth performance of growing pigs fed ad libitum for 12 weeks. The experiment was set up as a 2×2 factorial arrangement: inclusion of ALG (yes or no) and inclusion of RS (yes or no) in the control diet, resulting in four dietary treatments, that is, ALG−RS− (control), ALG+RS−, ALG−RS+, and ALG+RS+. Both ALG and RS were exchanged for pregelatinized potato starch. A total of 240 pigs in 40 pens were used. From all visits to an electronic feeding station, feed intake and detailed feeding patterns were calculated. Apparent total tract digestibility of energy, dry matter (DM), and CP was determined in week 6. Pigs’ postures and behaviours were scored from live observations in weeks 7 and 12. Dietary treatments did not affect final BW and average daily gain (ADG). ALG reduced energy and DM digestibility (P<0.01). Moreover, ALG increased average daily DM intake, and reduced backfat thickness and carcass gain : digestible energy (DE) intake (P<0.05). RS increased feed intake per meal, meal duration (P<0.05) and inter-meal intervals (P=0.05), and reduced the number of meals per day (P<0.01), but did not affect daily DM intake. Moreover, RS reduced energy, DM and CP digestibility (P<0.01). Average daily DE intake was reduced (P<0.05), and gain : DE intake tended to be increased (P=0.07), whereas carcass gain : DE intake was not affected by RS. In week 12, ALG+RS− increased standing and walking, aggressive, feeder-directed, and drinking behaviours compared with ALG+RS+ (ALG×RS interaction, P<0.05), with ALG−RS− and ALG−RS+ in between. No other ALG×RS interactions were found. In conclusion, pigs fed ALG compensated for the reduced dietary DE content by increasing their feed intake, achieving similar DE intake and ADG as control pigs. Backfat thickness and carcass efficiency were reduced in pigs fed ALG, which also showed increased physical activity. Pigs fed RS changed feeding patterns, but did not increase their feed intake. Despite a lower DE intake, pigs fed RS achieved similar ADG as control pigs by increasing efficiency in DE use. This indicates that the energy utilization of RS in pigs with ad libitum access to feed is close to that of enzymatically digestible starch.     

A recombinant foot-and-mouth disease virus antigen inhibits DNA replication and triggers the SOS response in Escherichia coli

Abstract The 3D gene of foot-and-mouth disease virus encodes the viral RNA dependent RNA polymerase, also called virus infection associated (VIA) antigen, which is the most important serological marker of virus infection. This 3D gene from a serotype Cl virus has been cloned and overexpressed in Escherichia coli under the control of the strong lambda lytic promoters. The resulting 51 kDa recombinant protein has been shown to be immunoreactive with sera from infected animals. After induction of gene expression, an immediate and dramatic arrest of cell DNA synthesis occurs, similar to that produced by genotoxic doses of the drug mitomycin C. This effect does not occur during the production of either a truncated VIA antigen or other related and non-related viral proteins. The inhibition of DNA replication results in a subsequent induction of the host SOS DNA-repair response and in an increase of the mutation frequency in the surviving cells.     

Ruptured fission yeast walls

Distributions of rupture sites of fission yeast cells ruptured by glass beads have been related to a new morphometric analysis. As shown previously (Johnson et al.,Cell Biophysics, 1995), ruptures were not randomly distributed nor was their distribution dictated by geometry, rather, ruptures at the extensile end were related to cell length just as the rate of extension is related to cell length. The extension patterns of early log, mid-log, late log, and stationary phase cells from suspension cultures were found to approximate the linear growth patterns of Kubitschek and Clay (1986). The median length of cells was found to decline through the log phase in an unbalanced manner.