The Effect of Eradication of Lice on the Occurrence of the Grain Defect Light Flecks and Spots on Cattle Hides

The influence of an eradication programme for lice on the prevalence of light flecks and spots on cattle hides was studied in 33 dairy cattle herds during a period of two and a half years. Lice were eradicated from the main group of herds after 9 to 12 months and the quality of the hides before and after treatment was compared. Hides from slaughtered animals were collected during the study period, tanned and examined with special emphasis on the occurrence of the grain damage light flecks and spots. The prevalence of hides without light flecks and spots increased from 24.2% before treatment to 61.6% after treatment. The prevalence of hides free from the damage increased significantly in all examined anatomical regions. The improvement in hide quality was most marked in the shoulders and neck region which corresponded to the major predilection site of cattle lice. The prevalence of hides with light flecks and spots started to decrease in the first period (2–40 days) after eradication. The changes after treatment suggested that most healing process took place over a period of about 4 months. The eradication programme eliminated the seasonal variation in the prevalence of light flecks and spots which was present before treatment.     

Morphology of the Leather Defect Light Flecks and Spots

The skin histology and the scanning electron microscope morphology of the hide defect light flecks and spots after tanning were studied in 11 steers infested with biting lice (Damalinia bovis). Nine steers from herds free of lice were used as controls. Skin biopsies from 6 of the animals in the lice infested group showed mild to moderate hyperkeratosis and moderate perivascular to diffuse dermatitis with infiltration of mainly mononuclear cells and some eosinophilic granulocytes. The steers were slaughtered at an age of 18 to 23 months. Light flecks and spots occurred on all examined hides from the infested group after tanning. No examined hides from the control group demonstrated similar damage. Both light microscopic examination of sections of tanned hide with light flecks and spots and scanning electron microscopy of the same defects showed superficial grain loss and craters with a irregular fibre base encircled by smooth and intact grain.     

How the Leopard Hides Its Spots: ASIP Mutations and Melanism in Wild Cats

The occurrence of melanism (darkening of the background coloration) is documented in 13 felid species, in some cases reaching high frequencies at the population level. Recent analyses have indicated that it arose multiple times in the Felidae, with three different species exhibiting unique mutations associated with this trait. The causative mutations in the remaining species have so far not been identified, precluding a broader assessment of the evolutionary dynamics of melanism in the Felidae. Among these, the leopard (Panthera pardus) is a particularly important target for research, given the iconic status of the ‘black panther’ and the extremely high frequency of melanism observed in some Asian populations. Another felid species from the same region, the Asian golden cat (Pardofelis temminckii), also exhibits frequent records of melanism in some areas. We have sequenced the coding region of the Agouti Signaling Protein (ASIP) gene in multiple leopard and Asian golden cat individuals, and identified distinct mutations strongly associated with melanism in each of them. The single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) detected among the P. pardus individuals was caused by a nonsense mutation predicted to completely ablate ASIP function. A different SNP was identified in P. temminckii, causing a predicted amino acid change that should also induce loss of function. Our results reveal two additional cases of species-specific mutations implicated in melanism in the Felidae, and indicate that ASIP mutations may play an important role in naturally-occurring coloration polymorphism.     

Effect of Germination on Vomitoxin Level in Grain

The present investigation clarified the effect of enzymes or other substances formed during the germination process on the vomitoxin level of contaminated oats. The studies found that oats containing vomitoxin germinated very poorly; the decrease in toxins was also slight. The amount of pure vomitoxin added to toxin-free grain decreased (barley 53 %, oats 40 %, wheat 20 %) during germination (5 d). In homogenized mixture of germinated grain (2.4 and 7 d) and toxic grain no decrease in toxin amount occurred during a 1–7 day period. In contrast, when germinating toxin free grains and toxic oats in a grain mixture the toxin level decreased at first, but later rose considerably. On the basis of these results, the utilization of germination processes for the improvement of grain containing vomitoxin is of questionable value.     

Substantial within-Animal Diversity of Salmonella Isolates from Lymph Nodes,Feces, and Hides of Cattle at Slaughter

Lymph nodes (mandibular, mesenteric, mediastinal, and subiliac; n = 68) and fecal (n = 68) and hide (n = 35) samples were collected from beef carcasses harvested in an abattoir in Mexico. Samples were analyzed for Salmonella, and presumptive colonies were subjected to latex agglutination. Of the isolates recovered, a subset of 91 was characterized by serotyping, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), and antimicrobial susceptibility phenotyping. Salmonella was isolated from 100% (hide), 94.1% (feces), 91.2% (mesenteric), 76.5% (subiliac), 55.9% (mandibular), and 7.4% (mediastinal) of samples. From the 87 typeable isolates, eight Salmonella enterica serotypes, including Kentucky (32.2%), Anatum (29.9%), Reading (17.2%), Meleagridis (12.6%), Cerro (4.6%), Muenster (1.1%), Give (1.1%), and Mbandaka (1.1%), were identified. S. Meleagridis was more likely (P = 0.03) to be recovered from lymph nodes than from feces or hides, whereas S. Kentucky was more likely (P = 0.02) to be recovered from feces and hides than from lymph nodes. The majority (59.3%) of the Salmonella isolates were pansusceptible; however, multidrug resistance was observed in 13.2% of isolates. Typing by PFGE revealed that Salmonella strains generally clustered by serotype, but some serotypes (Anatum, Kentucky, Meleagridis, and Reading) were comprised of multiple PFGE subtypes. Indistinguishable PFGE subtypes and, therefore, serotypes were isolated from multiple sample types, and multiple PFGE subtypes were commonly observed within an animal. Given the overrepresentation of some serotypes within lymph nodes, we hypothesize that certain Salmonella strains may be better at entering the bovine host than other Salmonella strains or that some may be better adapted for survival within lymph nodes. Our data provide insight into the ecology of Salmonella within cohorts of cattle and offer direction for intervention opportunities.     

The Role of Grain Boundaries on Ionic Defect Migration in Metal Halide Perovskites

Halide perovskites are emerging as revolutionary materials for optoelectronics. Their ionic nature and the presence of mobile ionic defects within the crystal structure have a dramatic influence on the operation of thin‐film devices such as solar cells, light‐emitting diodes, and transistors. Thin films are often polycrystalline and it is still under debate how grain boundaries affect the migration of ions and corresponding ionic defects. Laser excitation during photoluminescence (PL) microscopy experiments leads to formation and subsequent migration of ionic defects, which affects the dynamics of charge carrier recombination. From the microscopic observation of lateral PL distribution, the change in the distribution of ionic defects over time can be inferred. Resolving the PL dynamics in time and space of single crystals and thin films with different grain sizes thus, provides crucial information about the influence of grain boundaries on the ionic defect movement. In conjunction with experimental observations, atomistic simulations show that defects are trapped at the grain boundaries, thus inhibiting their diffusion. Hence, with this study, a comprehensive picture highlighting a fundamental property of the material is provided while also setting a theoretical framework in which the interaction between grain boundaries and ionic defect migration can be understood.     

Section Thickness and Grain Count Variation in Tritium Autoradiography

H² styrene-glycolmethacrylate is a suitable standard source for autoradiographic model studies. When it is used for quantitative autoradiography, the coefficient of variation for grain counts is minimal at a section thickness of 2.5 μ and greater. Variation increases with progressively thinner sections. When sections of the same thickness are mounted on separate slides, there is no significant variation in grain counts at the 95% confidence level when the slides are processed simultaneously.     

婆罗门牛mtDNA D-loop变异及其遗传背景

对10头原种婆罗门牛mtDNAD-loop全序列912 bp测序,婆罗门牛遗传多样性丰富,检测到的9种单倍型兼有瘤牛(B.indicus)与普通牛(B.taurus)的遗传背景,核苷酸变异率为6.25 %,单倍型多态度为0.978±0.054 ,核苷酸多态度为0.014 30±0.008 68。所有单倍型聚为明显的两大分支,婆罗门牛的大部分单倍型为普通牛单倍型类群,并占绝对优势(90 %) ,仅Brah-6与亚洲瘤牛聚在一起,属于亚洲瘤牛线粒体单倍型,表明婆罗门牛的确是集亚洲瘤牛、欧洲普通牛等优良特性于一身(易产犊、产肉性能好、耐热与体表寄生虫等)的瘤牛品种之一。育种学家引种瘤牛的目的是改善当地牛的生产力与适应性,现代普通牛表现出明显又普遍的瘤牛渐渗现象。对现代的瘤牛品种而言,除亚洲瘤牛品种外,普通牛对其他瘤牛品种育成的贡献同样高。支持瘤牛(B.indicus)为独立驯化、起源于印度次大陆的假说。     

The Effect of Light Intensity on Total Photophosphorylation and the ATP Level in Scenedesmus

The dependence of in vivo photophosphorylation on light intensity was studied in the unicellular green alga Scenedesmus obtusiusculus. By selective use of the inhibitor DCMU, phosphorylation in (I) the complete system, (II) the pseudocyclic system alone, and (III) the true cyclic system alone, were followed. When the total binding of phosphate was studied, all reaction types became light saturated in about the same manner. The effect of DCMU on the level of ATP varied according to light intensity. As for the specific systems of photophosphorylation, the following ATP data were found: (I) In the complete system the level of ATP decreases with light intensity. (II) Under pseudo-cyclic conditions light first increases and then decreases the ATP level. Under the atmospheric conditions used (i.e. CO₂-free nitrogen) this indicates a regulation between photophosphorylation and glycolysis, for which possible explanations are discussed. (III) In the true cyclic conditions light has little effect on the ATP level. The possibility is indicated that there is a structural difference between the non-cyclic (site 1) and the pseudocyclic (site 2) sites of photophosphorylation on the one hand and the true cyclic site (3) on the other.     

Genetic Variation in FABP4 and Evaluation of Its Effects on Beef Cattle Fat Content

FABP4 is a protein primarily expressed in adipocytes and macrophages that plays a key role in fatty acid trafficking and lipid hydrolysis. FABP4 gene polymorphisms have been associated with meat quality traits in cattle, mostly in Asian breeds under feedlot conditions. The objectives of this work were to characterize FABP4 genetic variation in several worldwide cattle breeds and evaluate possible genotype effects on fat content in a pasture-fed crossbred (Angus-Hereford-Limousin) population. We re-sequenced 43 unrelated animals from nine cattle breeds (Angus, Brahman, Creole, Hereford, Holstein, Limousin, Nelore, Shorthorn, and Wagyu) and obtained 22 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) over 3,164?bp, including four novel polymorphisms. Haplotypes and linkage disequilibrium analyses showed a high variability. Five SNPs were selected to perform validation and association studies in our crossbred population. Four SNPs showed well-balanced allele frequencies (minor frequency?>?0.159), and three showed no significant deviations from Hardy-Weinberg proportions. SNPs showed significant effects on backfat thickness and fatty acid composition (P?相似文献   

Daily and Seasonal Variation in the Spectral Composition of Light Exposure in Humans

Light is considered the most potent synchronizer of the human circadian system and exerts many other non-image-forming effects, including those that affect brain function. These effects are mediated in part by intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells that express the photopigment melanopsin. The spectral sensitivity of melanopsin is greatest for blue light at approximately 480 nm. At present, there is little information on how the spectral composition of light to which people are exposed varies over the 24 h period and across seasons. Twenty-two subjects, aged 22±4 yrs (mean±SD) participated during the winter months (November–February), and 12 subjects aged 25±3 yrs participated during the summer months (April–August). Subjects wore Actiwatch-RGB monitors, as well as Actiwatch-L monitors, for seven consecutive days while living in England. These monitors measured activity and light exposure in the red, green, and blue spectral regions, in addition to broad-spectrum white light, with a 2 min resolution. Light exposure during the day was analyzed for the interval between 09:00 and 21:00 h. The time course of white-light exposure differed significantly between seasons (p?=?0.0022), with light exposure increasing in the morning hours and declining in the afternoon hours, and with a more prominent decline in the winter. Overall light exposure was significantly higher in summer than winter (p?=?0.0002). Seasonal differences in the relative contribution of blue-light exposure to overall light exposure were also observed (p?=?0.0006), in particular during the evening hours. During the summer evenings (17:00–21:00 h), the relative contribution of blue light was significantly higher (p?<?0.0001) (40.2±1.1%) than during winter evenings (26.6±0.9%). The present data show that in addition to overall light exposure, the spectral composition of light exposure varies over the day and with season.     

中国17个黄牛品种mtDNA变异特征与多态性分析

中国黄牛品种资源丰富,尚有28个地方固有品种.为了进一步深入了解这些宝贵遗传资源,本研究通过mtDNA变异特征与多态性分析揭示这些来自中国不同地域地方黄牛的母系起源与分子系统学特征.在17个品种84个体的mtDNA D-loop全序列中,一共检测到了102个核苷酸替代突变位.由此定义的53个单倍型被类聚为2个明显的单倍群：普通牛和瘤牛.mtDNA D-loop全序列变异的第一个特征是转换发生的频率远高于颠换;第二个特征是缺失与替代突变共存;第三个特征是缺失突变率比较高.所有D-loop全序列的核苷酸多样性和单倍型多样性分别为0.026 78±0.000 50和0.919±0.027.普通牛D-loop单倍型在北方牛种群中占有优势(80%～100%),而瘤牛单倍型在南方牛种群中占有优势(42.9%～100%),2种不同单倍型在中原牛种群中的分布也存在差异.2种不同单倍型在中国不同地域17个黄牛品种中的差异性分布揭示出了瘤牛mtDNA基因在中国黄牛中自南而北、由高到低的流动模式,这种基因流动模式的形成可能是由历史事件、地理隔离以及气候环境差异等造成的.     

务川黑牛mtDNA遗传变异及起源进化分析

目的:测定务川黑牛mtDNA D-loop区全序列,以了解其遗传背景。方法:采用PCR直接测序方法测定务川黑牛mtD-NA D-loop区全序列。结果:32个个体D-loop区的全序列中,四种碱基A、T、C和G含量分别为:33.1%、28.4%、25.0%和13.5%,A+T平均含量61.5%。经过序列比对,共检测到57个变异位点,占所测mtDNA序列总长的6.26%,其中转换54个,颠换3个;产生17种单倍型,其中6种是普通牛单倍型,11种是瘤牛单倍型;平均核苷酸差异为22.623,单倍型多样度0.901±0.039,核苷酸多样度0.0249±0.00147。结论:务川黑牛这一品种遗传多样性非常丰富,据此构建的NJ进化树显示务川黑牛含有普通牛和瘤牛的血统。     

Physiological Level Production of Antigen-Specific Human Immunoglobulin in Cloned Transchromosomic Cattle

Therapeutic human polyclonal antibodies (hpAbs) derived from pooled plasma from human donors are Food and Drug Administration approved biologics used in the treatment of a variety of human diseases. Powered by the natural diversity of immune response, hpAbs are effective in treating diseases caused by complex or quickly-evolving antigens such as viruses. We previously showed that transchromosomic (Tc) cattle carrying a human artificial chromosome (HAC) comprising the entire unrearranged human immunoglobulin heavy-chain (hIGH) and kappa-chain (hIGK) germline loci (named as κHAC) are capable of producing functional hpAbs when both of the bovine immunoglobulin mu heavy-chains, bIGHM and bIGHML1, are homozygously inactivated (double knockouts or DKO). However, B lymphocyte development in these Tc cattle is compromised, and the overall production of hpAbs is low. Here, we report the construction of an improved HAC, designated as cKSL-HACΔ, by incorporating all of the human immunoglobulin germline loci into the HAC. Furthermore, for avoiding the possible human-bovine interspecies incompatibility between the human immunoglobulin mu chain protein (hIgM) and bovine transmembrane α and β immunoglobulins (bIgα and bIgβ) in the pre-B cell receptor (pre-BCR) complex, we partially replaced (bovinized) the hIgM constant domain with the counterpart of bovine IgM (bIgM) that is involved in the interaction between bIgM and bIgα/Igβ; human IgM bovinization would also improve the functionality of hIgM in supporting B cell activation and proliferation. We also report the successful production of DKO Tc cattle carrying the cKSL-HACΔ (cKSL-HACΔ/DKO), the dramatic improvement of B cell development in these cattle and the high level production of hpAbs (as measured for the human IgG isotype) in the plasma. We further demonstrate that, upon immunization by tumor immunogens, high titer tumor immunogen-specific human IgG (hIgG) can be produced from such Tc cattle.     

Variation among Species in Light Activation of Sucrose-Phosphate Synthase

Some species exhibit light activation of sucrose-phosphate synthase(SPS) in intact leaves. Twelve species which vary in extentof light modulation of SPS were studied to identify factorswhich regulate activation of the enzyme in situ. Leaves wereharvested in light and darkness, and SPS was assayed under highsubstrate (Vmax) or limiting substrate conditions (in the presenceof th inhibitor inorganic phosphate). The species tested fellinto three groups. In some species (Group I; barley and maize)light activation involved an increase in Vmax of the enzyme.In other species (Group II; spinach, swiss chard, sugarbeet,broad bean) light activation had no effect on Vmax but alteredcertain kinetic properties such that activation was only apparentwhen SPS was assayed with the limiting substration condition.Significantly, in some species (Group HI; soybean, pea, tobacco,Arabidopsis thaliana cucumber and melon) SPS activity was essentiallyunaffected by light/dark transitions. Phosphate sequesteringagents (mannose or gluco-samine) activated SPS in darkness inspecies which show light modulation (Groups I and II) but notspecies of Group III which do not light activate. Thus, changesin inorganic phosphate level may be one of the factors whichregulate the activation of SPS in situ. In addition, the catalyticactivity of SPS from species which exhibit light modulation(Groups I and II) is more strongly inhibited in vitro by inorganicphosphate (an allosteric effector) compared with the enzymeextracted from Group III species, which indicates that certainproperties of the enzyme itself may also vary among species.We conclude that species which do not exhibit light activationof SPS in intact leaves lack the mechanism responsible for thecovalent modification of enzyme activity (Walker and Huber 1989,Planta, in press) involved in light activation process. (Received October 14, 1988; Accepted January 5, 1989)     

Annual Variation in the Effect of Red Light on Sterol Biosynthesis in Digitalis purpurea L

The effect of varying sequences of red and far red light on sterol biosynthesis in etiolated seedlings of Digitalis purpurea L. was examined. Red light caused a marked increase in the amounts of free and glycosidic sterols and a small decrease in esterified sterols during the first 4 hours after illumination. Far red light elicited the same response but to a lesser degree. Exposure to red followed by far red light or the reverse caused little or no increase in the amounts of free and glycosidic sterols. The magnitude of the increase in the amounts of sterols varied, depending upon the season in which the experiments were performed. The largest increments were obtained during the summer and fall, whereas the smallest were observed during the winter and spring. Correlation of these data with previous observations of an annual cycle in the sterol content of Digitalis seedlings showed that the maximum stimulation in sterol biosynthesis occurs when the endogenous level of sterols is minimal.

Sterol monoglycosides, acylmonoglycosides, and an unidentified sterol conjugate from the lipid extracts were quantitated. Changes in conjugated sterol content were related to the particular light conditions of each experiment. The results are discussed in terms of physiological cycles and the possible influence of hormones upon the control of sterol biosynthesis in Digitalis.

     

A Genetic Framework for Grain Size and Shape Variation in Wheat

Grain morphology in wheat (Triticum aestivum) has been selected and manipulated even in very early agrarian societies and remains a major breeding target. We undertook a large-scale quantitative analysis to determine the genetic basis of the phenotypic diversity in wheat grain morphology. A high-throughput method was used to capture grain size and shape variation in multiple mapping populations, elite varieties, and a broad collection of ancestral wheat species. This analysis reveals that grain size and shape are largely independent traits in both primitive wheat and in modern varieties. This phenotypic structure was retained across the mapping populations studied, suggesting that these traits are under the control of a limited number of discrete genetic components. We identified the underlying genes as quantitative trait loci that are distinct for grain size and shape and are largely shared between the different mapping populations. Moreover, our results show a significant reduction of phenotypic variation in grain shape in the modern germplasm pool compared with the ancestral wheat species, probably as a result of a relatively recent bottleneck. Therefore, this study provides the genetic underpinnings of an emerging phenotypic model where wheat domestication has transformed a long thin primitive grain to a wider and shorter modern grain.     

利用PCR-RFLP检测中国荷斯坦牛遗传缺陷——瓜氨酸血症

瓜氨酸血症(Citrullinemia)是荷斯坦牛尿素循环发生代谢紊乱的一种常染色体隐性遗传缺陷。精氨酸琥珀酸合成酶基因外显子5发生突变(C-T)对这一紊乱负责。本研究应用PCR-RFLP方法和DNA测序技术检测济南市周边120头荷斯坦母牛和山东奥克斯生物技术有限公司种公牛站50头荷斯坦公牛的精氨酸琥珀酸合成酶基因外显子5。结果发现,所检测的公牛未发现瓜氨酸血症突变基因携带者,母牛中有2头为携带者,携带频率为1.18%。