Effect of defrosting on quantity of volatile amines in stored sardines and herring used for tuna fattening

Studied were the quantities of volatile amines, total volatile bases nitrogen (TVB‐N) and trimethylamine nitrogen (TMA‐N) in stored sardines (Sardina pilchardus) and herring (Clupea harengus) over a 24‐h period after defrosting. At the beginning of the experiment analyses showed TVB‐N quantities in the flesh of both species to be higher than the FAO‐recommended limit. TMA‐N concentrations exceeded the acceptance limit 6 h after defrosting in herring samples and after 12 h in sardines. During the entire experiment TMA‐N and TVB‐N concentrations in sardines were above the tolerance limit. The defrosting method usually applied in tuna farms is unsuitable for maintenance of a high quality food supply. Low quality baitfish can cause reduced weight gain as well as induce health problems and mortality in farmed tuna (Thunnus thynnus) populations.     

Apical Scaffolding Protein NHERF2 Modulates the Localization of Alternatively Spliced Plasma Membrane Ca2+ Pump 2B Variants in Polarized Epithelial Cells

The membrane localization of the plasma membrane Ca²⁺-ATPase isoform 2 (PMCA2) in polarized cells is determined by alternative splicing; the PMCA2w/b splice variant shows apical localization, whereas the PMCA2z/b and PMCA2x/b variants are mostly basolateral. We previously reported that PMCA2b interacts with the PDZ protein Na⁺/H⁺ exchanger regulatory factor 2 (NHERF2), but the role of this interaction for the specific membrane localization of PMCA2 is not known. Here we show that co-expression of NHERF2 greatly enhanced the apical localization of GFP-tagged PMCA2w/b in polarized Madin-Darby canine kidney cells. GFP-PMCA2z/b was also redirected to the apical membrane by NHERF2, whereas GFP-PMCA2x/b remained exclusively basolateral. In the presence of NHERF2, GFP-PMCA2w/b co-localized with the actin-binding protein ezrin even after disruption of the actin cytoskeleton by cytochalasin D or latrunculin B. Surface biotinylation and fluorescence recovery after photobleaching experiments demonstrated that NHERF2-mediated anchorage to the actin cytoskeleton reduced internalization and lateral mobility of the pump. Our results show that the specific interaction with NHERF2 enhances the apical concentration of PMCA2w/b by anchoring the pump to the apical membrane cytoskeleton. The data also suggest that the x/b splice form of PMCA2 contains a dominant lateral targeting signal, whereas the targeting and localization of the z/b form are more flexible and not fully determined by intrinsic sequence features.     

Exploring the dark genome: implications for precision medicine

Mammalian Genome - The increase in the number of both patients and healthcare practitioners who grew up using the Internet and computers (so-called “digital natives”) is likely to...     

Diversity and distribution of reptiles in Romania

The reptile fauna of Romania comprises 23 species, out of which 12 species reach here the limit of their geographic range. We compiled and updated a national database of the reptile species occurrences from a variety of sources including our own field surveys, personal communication from specialists, museum collections and the scientific literature. The occurrence records were georeferenced and stored in a geodatabase for additional analysis of their spatial patterns. The spatial analysis revealed a biased sampling effort concentrated in various protected areas, and deficient in the vast agricultural areas of the southern part of Romania. The patterns of species richness showed a higher number of species in the warmer and drier regions, and a relatively low number of species in the rest of the country. Our database provides a starting point for further analyses, and represents a reliable tool for drafting conservation plans.     

Advances in salt tolerance

Summary Advances in and prospects for the development of salt tolerant crops are discussed. The genetic approach to the salinity problem is fairly new, but research has become quite active in a short span of time. Difficulties and opportunities are outlined. Salinity varies spatially, temporally, qualitatively, and quantitatively. In addition, the responses of plants to salt stress vary during their life cycle. Selection and breeding, including the use of wide crosses, are considered the best short-term approaches to the development of salt tolerant crops, but the new biotechnological and molecular biological techniques will make increasingly important contributions. Cooperation is called for among soil and water scientists, agronomists, plant physiologists and biochemists, cytologists, and plant geneticists, breeders, and biotechnologists. Given such cooperation and adequate support for these endeavors, the potential for increasing productivity in salt-affected areas can be realized.     

Gibberellin involvement in dormancy-break and germination of seeds of celery (Apium graveolens L.)

The temperature-dependent, primary dormancy of cv. Florida 683 celery seeds in darkness was partially broken by a 30 min light exposure on the third day of incubation at 20–22°C, resulting in c 50 percent germination after 20 days. This light stimulation was negated by including different inhibitors of gibberellin biosynthesis in the incubation medium. Subsequent addition of a solution of the gibberellins A₄ and A₇ or of the gibberellin-active compound (1-3-chlorophthalimido)-cyclohexane carboxamide (AC94,377) overcame the inhibitory effects on germination of these GA-biosynthesis inhibitors. It is suggested that light stimulates the biosynthesis of gibberellins which are essential for dormancy-break in celery seeds and that this biosynthesis is either directly or indirectly controlled through phytochrome.Abbreviations AC94,377 1-(3-chlorophthalimido)-cyclohexane carboxamide; ancymidol, -cyclopropyl--(4-methoxyphenyl)-5-pyrimidinemethanol - AMO1618 N,N,N-2-tetramethyl-5-(1-methyl ethyl)-4-(1-piperidinylcarbonyl)oxy-benzenaminium chloride - BTS44584 S-2,5-dimethyl-4-pentamethylenecarbamoyloxyphenyl-SS-dimethyl sulphonium - P toluenesulphonate; chlormequat chloride, 2-chloroethyltrimethylammonium chloride; daminozide - N dimethylaminoscuccinamic acid; paclobutrazol, (2RS, 3RS)-1-(4-chlorophenyl)-4,4-dimethyl-2-(1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl pentan-3-ol)     

The role of cytologic NOR variants in the etiology of trisomy 21.

Silver-stained chromosomes from 29 couples with a trisomy 21 offspring and from 25 control couples were studied to determine whether there was an association of nucleolar-organizing-region variants in parents of children with trisomy 21. A reproducible scoring system for the analysis of silver-stained chromosomes was developed, and this was applied to the analysis of study participants in a blinded fashion. Seven of the 58 parents of children with trisomy 21 and seven of the 50 control parents were found to have variant NORs on silver staining. Therefore, we do not find a demonstrable risk for nondisjunction of chromosome 21 in individuals with silver-staining variants.