Carcass and meat quality traits of chickens fed diets concurrently supplemented with vitamins C and E under constant heat stress

The objective of this study was to determine if a diet supplemented simultaneously with vitamins C and E would alleviate the negative effects of heat stress, applied between 28 and 42 days of age, on performance, carcass and meat quality traits of broiler chickens. A total of 384 male broiler chickens were assigned to a completely randomized design, with a 2×3 factorial arrangement (diet with or without vitamin supplementation and two ambient temperatures plus a pair-feeding group) and 16 replicates. Chickens were kept in thermoneutral conditions up to 28 days of age. They were then housed in groups of four per cage, in three environmentally controlled chambers: two thermoneutral (22.5 and 22.6°C) and one for heat stress (32°C). Half the chickens were fed a diet supplemented with vitamins C (257 to 288 mg/kg) and E (93 to 109 mg/kg). In the thermoneutral chambers, half of the chickens were pair-fed to heat stressed chickens, receiving each day the average feed intake recorded in the heat stress chamber in the previous day. Meat physical quality analyses were performed on the pectoralis major muscle. No ambient temperature×diet supplementation interaction effects were detected on performance, carcass, or meat quality traits. The supplemented diet resulted in lower growth performance, attributed either to a carry-over effect of the lower initial BW, or to a possible catabolic effect of vitamins C and E when supplemented simultaneously at high levels. Heat stress reduced slaughter and carcass weights, average daily gain and feed intake, and increased feed conversion. Growth performance of pair-fed chickens was similar to that of heat stressed chickens. Exposure to heat stress increased carcass and abdominal fat percentages, but reduced breast, liver and heart percentages. Pair-fed chickens showed the lowest fat percentage and their breast percentage was similar to controls. Heat stress increased meat pH and negatively affected meat color and cooking loss. In pair-fed chickens, meat color was similar to the heat stressed group. Shear force was not influenced by heat stress, but pair-fed chickens showed the tenderest meat. In conclusion, reduction in growth performance and negative changes in meat color in heat stressed chickens were attributed to depression in feed intake, whereas negative changes in body composition, higher meat pH and cooking loss were credited to high ambient temperature per se. Diet supplementation with vitamins C and E as antioxidants did not mitigate any of these negative effects.     

柞蚕热休克蛋白70基因的克隆和序列分析

HSP70蛋白是受热等因素刺激后而诱导产生的蛋白质,是热休克蛋白家族中最重要的一员。采用RT-PCR方法克隆了柞蚕(Antheraea pernyi)热休克蛋白70基因(HSP70)的ORF序列(GenBank登录号:GU945199),该片段的序列长度为1905bp。生物信息学分析表明,该序列共编码634个氨基酸,预测蛋白的等电点和分子量大小分别为5.62kD和69.5kD。具有HSP70的保守性结构特征,与天蚕(Antheraea yamamai)、家蚕(Bombyx mor)、甘蓝夜蛾(Mamestra brassicae)、棉铃虫(Heliothis viriplaca)、甜菜夜蛾(Spodoptera exigua)、烟草夜蛾(Manduca sexta1)、膜翅目寄生蜂(Cotesia rubecula)的同源性分别为95.7%、78.5%、76.1%、77.3%、76.6%、74.7%、65.9%。根据它们的一级结构构建了系统进化树,进一步确立了它们之间的亲缘关系。     

北京市绿化树种紫玉兰的蒸腾特征及其影响因素

加快的城市绿化,尤其是干旱和半干旱的温带和热带地区,对水的大量需求给未来水资源的合理利用提出了严峻挑战。了解紫玉兰蒸腾特征及环境和生物因子对蒸腾的调控有助于城市绿化树种的选择和养护。2008.5－2009.5于北京市中心教学植物园内利用热消散技术研究不同时间尺度上15年生紫玉兰（Magnolia liliflora）的耗水特征,环境因子同步监测。本研究分析了紫玉兰小时、日、月和季节尺度上的蒸腾特征。日尺度上,春夏季节紫玉兰树干液流速率呈双峰型曲线,蒸腾午休现象明显;秋季树干液流速率呈单峰型曲线,液流启动时间延后而结束时间提前;冬季树干液流速率日变化格局不明显,夜间液流速率高于白天液流速率。年内尺度上,按月份,从3月开始上升,5月达到峰值后略有下降,9月开始显著降低;按季节,春季>夏季>秋季>冬季;按物候期,从发芽到开花展叶阶段,整树耗水迅速增加,叶速生期达到最大值,休眠期整树耗水显著降低。值得注意的是：紫玉兰蒸腾午休现象明显;春季耗水型树种。一天之中总辐射和水汽压亏缺是影响紫玉兰整树耗水的主要因子;加上大气温度是日尺度和月尺度上影响紫玉兰耗水的关键因子;叶面积指数在开花展叶期是影响紫玉兰耗水的关键因子。由于城市中的适时灌溉和研究期间降水充足,土壤水分对紫玉兰的耗水几乎没有影响。     

Insulin rapidly stimulates l-arginine transport in human aortic endothelial cells via Akt

Insulin stimulates endothelial NO synthesis, at least in part mediated by phosphorylation and activation of endothelial NO synthase at Ser1177 and Ser615 by Akt. We have previously demonstrated that insulin-stimulated NO synthesis is inhibited under high culture glucose conditions, without altering Ca²⁺-stimulated NO synthesis or insulin-stimulated phosphorylation of eNOS. This indicates that stimulation of endothelial NO synthase phosphorylation may be required, yet not sufficient, for insulin-stimulated nitric oxide synthesis. In the current study we investigated the role of supply of the eNOS substrate, l-arginine as a candidate parallel mechanism underlying insulin-stimulated NO synthesis in cultured human aortic endothelial cells. Insulin rapidly stimulated l-arginine transport, an effect abrogated by incubation with inhibitors of phosphatidylinositol-3′-kinase or infection with adenoviruses expressing a dominant negative mutant Akt. Furthermore, supplementation of endothelial cells with extracellular l-arginine enhanced insulin-stimulated NO synthesis, an effect reversed by co-incubation with the l-arginine transport inhibitor, l-lysine. Basal l-arginine transport was significantly increased under high glucose culture conditions, yet insulin-stimulated l-arginine transport remained unaltered. The increase in l-arginine transport elicited by high glucose was independent of the expression of the cationic amino acid transporters, hCAT1 and hCAT2 and not associated with any changes in the activity of ERK1/2, Akt or protein kinase C (PKC). We propose that rapid stimulation of L-arginine transport contributes to insulin-stimulated NO synthesis in human endothelial cells, yet attenuation of this is unlikely to underlie the inhibition of insulin-stimulated NO synthesis under high glucose conditions.     

哺乳动物毛被传热性能及其影响因素

毛被能够加强或减弱动物向周围环境的热量散失,毛被的形态结构和颜色是传热性能的决定因素,其传热过程往往是传导、对流和辐射3个过程的耦合。以往研究发现环境因子中,风可增加机体向环境中的散热速率,且散失量与风速正相关,且动物通过调节在风场中的姿态来适应不同风向。动物体与环境间的温差是影响散热速率的另一因素,不同环境中的动物通过改变毛被结构来适应温差变化。毛被含水率上升会引起导热和蒸发冷却作用加强,动物通过行为或毛被结构变化来调节毛被含水率。毛色决定毛被吸收和反射热辐射的能力。毛被传热性能直接把动物的生理特点与环境因子关联起来,这对揭示动物的适应、进化都具有重要意义。同时提出,毛被结构和传热性能的研究还有助于仿生学意义的挖掘。因此,今后应重点在毛被结构和物理性能、研究技术与方法以及毛被生物学和仿生学意义等方面开展研究。     

GENETIC ADAPTATION AND ACCLIMATION OF PHYTOPLANKTON ALONG A STRESS GRADIENT IN THE EXTREME WATERS OF THE AGRIO RIVER–CAVIAHUE LAKE (ARGENTINA)1

We tested if different adaptation strategies were linked to a stress gradient in phytoplankton cells. For this purpose, we studied the adaptation and acclimation of Dictyosphaerium chlorelloides (Naumann) Komárek et Perman (Chlorophyta) and Microcystis aeruginosa (Kütz.) Kütz. (Cyanobacteria) to different water samples (from extremely acid, metal‐rich water to moderate stressful conditions) of the Agrio River–Caviahue Lake system (Neuquén, Argentina). Both experimental strains were isolated from pristine, slightly alkaline waters. To distinguish between physiological acclimation and genetic adaptation (an adaptive evolution event), a modified Luria‐Delbrück fluctuation analysis was carried out with both species by using as selective agent sample waters from different points along the stress gradient. M. aeruginosa did not acclimate to any of the waters tested from different points along the stress gradient nor did D. chlorelloides to the two most acidic and metal‐rich waters. However, D. chlorelloides proliferated by rapid genetic adaptation, as the consequence of a single mutation (5.4 × 10^?7 resistant mutants per cell per division) at one locus, in less extreme water and also by acclimation in the least extreme water. It is hypothesized that the stress gradient resulted in different strategies of adaptation in phytoplankton cells from nonextreme waters. Thus, very extreme conditions were lethal for both organisms, but as stressful conditions decreased, adaptation of D. chlorelloides cells was possible by the selection of resistant mutants, and in less extreme conditions, by acclimation.     

Rickettsia influences thermotolerance in the whitefly Bemisia tabaci B biotype

Abstract The whitefly Bemisia tabaci harbors Portiera aleyrodidarum, an obligatory symbiotic bacterium, as well as several secondary symbionts, including Rickettsia, Hamiltonella, Wolbachia, Arsenophonus, Cardinium and Fritschea, the function of which is unknown. In Israel, Rickettsia is found in both the B and Q of B. tabaci biotypes, and while all other secondary symbionts are located in the bacteriomes, Rickettsia can occupy most of the body cavity of the insect. We tested whether Rickettsia influences the biology of B. tabaci and found that exposing a Rickettsia‐containing population to increasing temperatures significantly increases its tolerance to heat shock that reached 40°C, compared to a Rickettsia‐free population. This increase in tolerance to heat shock was not associated with specific induction of heat‐shock protein gene expression; however, it was associated with reduction in Rickettsia numbers as was assessed by quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction and fluorescence in situ hybridization analyses. To assess the causes for thermotolerance when Rickettsia is reduced, we tested whether its presence is associated with the induction of genes required for thermotolerance. We found that under normal 25°C rearing temperature, genes associated with response to stress such as cytoskeleton genes are induced in the Rickettsia‐containing population. Thus, the presence of Rickettsia in B. tabaci under normal conditions induces the expression of genes required for thermotolerance that under high temperatures indirectly lead to this tolerance.     

高温胁迫下五种杜鹃花属植物的生理变化及其耐热性比较

高温是制约分布于较高海拔地区杜鹃花迁地保育与园林应用的重要因子.为探讨杜鹃花属植物的 高温致伤机理,该实验以隶属不同亚属的白花杜鹃、羊踯躅、毛棉杜鹃、红滩杜鹃及红棕杜鹃4年生实生苗为 材料,通过人工气候箱的盆栽实验,研究了30℃、38℃高温胁迫下其叶片生理生化指标的变化,并利用隶属 函数法及系统聚类分析法对其种间...