Ultrastructural characterization of the epithelium that constitutes the cardiac gland epithelial 'honeycomb' in the stomach of the babirusa (Babyrousa babyrussa)

The cardiac gland region in the stomachs of eleven babirusa (Babyrousa babyrussa) from zoological collections was studied by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. An array of tightly-packed, thin-walled tubes, closely resembling a 'honeycomb' covered this region. The tubes were between twelve and sixteen cells (200 and 260 microm) in height and usually two cells (8-20 microm) in thickness. Mucus granules present in the cytoplasm of cells in the lower half of the tube were largely absent from the ad-luminal half of the tube. Instead, open goblet-like structures lined the tube, apparently giving additional strength. Bacteria were present in the lumen of each thin-walled tube and in the underlying gland pit. The evidence suggests that this large area of the babirusa stomach may be structured to form a stable, self-refreshing environment to house and multiply autochthonous commensal bacteria.     

Meiotic studies in infertile domestic pig-babirusa hybrids

Mating of a babirusa (Babyrousa babyrussa) boar and a domestic sow (Sus scrofa) resulted in the birth of 5 live domestic pig-babirusa hybrid piglets. Chromosome analysis of one of the surviving males confirmed that they were domestic pig-babirusa hybrids by revealing the presence of a complete haploid set of 19 porcine chromosomes as well as a complete haploid set of 19 babirusa chromosomes in the karyotype. None of the surviving piglets, two males and one female, had shown signs of sexual maturity at age 27 months. Histological examination of gonadal biopsies from the 2 males revealed that both were azoospermatic. Immunostaining revealed SCP3-positive axial elements in the nuclei of primary spermatocytes, indicating that they were progressing through leptotene and zygotene of meiotic prophase. However, the presence of multiple short stretches of axial elements in pachytene nuclei indicated that this phase was blocked, probably due to aberrant chromosome pairing. Histological examination of the ovaries revealed follicular structures, but oocytes within them were generally degenerated. We conclude that both male and female pig-babirusa hybrids were infertile, most likely due to germ cell death resulting from abnormalities of chromosome pairing during meiotic prophase.     

Molting of Gnathostoma doloresi (Nematoda: Gnathostomatoidea) in the definitive host

Premolt, molting, and postmolt worms of Gnathostoma doloresi (Nematoda: Gnathostomatoidea) recovered from the stomach wall of naturally infected wild boars Sus scrofa leucomystax in Miyazaki, Japan, were examined morphologically. The only molt observed was that from the advanced third-stage to the adult stage. It is strongly suggested that the gnathostomes molt only once in the definitive host.     

金丝猴食管和胃连接部的组织学研究

本文研究了金丝猴食管和胃连接处的组织结构。金丝猴的食管粘膜为典型的复民鳞状上皮,食管末端含有粘膜腺,粘膜表面有轻微的角质化。管壁外纵肌层有少量的横纹肌。与胃粘膜的连接均位于胃的贲门部以内,两种上皮的连接是突然的,不存在过渡。 贲门腺为少量的分枝管状腺,短而直,由粘膜细胞构成,对PAS染色呈阳性反应。     

野猪瘁死症病原的分离鉴定

采集病死野猪的脾脏和血清,用特异抗猪瘟病毒抗体进行琼脂扩散试验检测发现有明显的沉淀线出现,证明野猪感染了猪瘟病毒,猪的致病性实验表明并非猪瘟强毒感染。采集病死野猪的心、肝、脾、肺、心血,经镜检、细菌分离培养、纯培养、生化试验和细菌G C mol%含量测定等检验,证实致病细菌有多杀巴氏杆菌,其G C mol%含量为39.7。毒力测试发现巴氏杆菌具有较强的致病性,LD50=10-1.57/0.5 ml。化脓放线杆菌的分离和毒力表明,化脓放线杆菌也参与致病作用。由此推测本次致死野猪的病原体为多杀巴氏杆菌并发或继发猪瘟病毒、化脓放线杆菌的三重感染所致。纸片扩散法(K-B法)药敏试验表明,两株细菌对头孢哌酮、头孢唑啉、丁胺卡拉霉素等高度敏感,为临床治疗和有效预防该瘁死症奠定基础。     

The stomach of Oreochromis niloticus has three regions

The stomach of Oreochromis niloticus was divided into three distinct regions: initial, middle and terminal, corresponding roughly to the cardiac, fundic, and pyloric portions of the mammalian stomach. Grossly, the organ showed initial and terminal portions, the former connected to the distal part of the oesophagus and the latter to the proximal portion of the intestine. There was also a middle region, forming a large blind diverticulum communicating with the first two at their point of junction. The initial or cardiac region was shorter than the middle region but longer than the terminal one, and had a smooth surface devoid of gastric pits. The epithelium in this region was simple columnar devoid of goblet cells, with glandular regions in the lamina propria. The mucosa of the middle or fundic region had gastric pits lined by columnar epithelium, and simple tubular glands filled most of the lamina propria. The terminal or pyloric part of the stomach was very short and its mucosa was slightly folded and devoid of both gastric pits and mucous glandular cells. The lining epithelium of this portion of the stomach was simple columnar and a few goblet cells were seen at its junction with the first part of the intestine. The tunica muscularis of the stomach contained skeletal muscle in the initial and terminal regions, usually intermingled with smooth muscle fibres. Skeletal muscle fibres were also observed in the first portion of the small intestine, near the junction with the stomach.     

Studies on the prevalence and the transmission of lung and stomach nematodes of the wild boar (Sus scrofa) in France

Five species of lung nematodes (Metastrongylus asymmetricus, M. confusus, M. elongatus, M. pudendotectus, M. salmi) and two species of stomach nematodes (Ascarops strongylina, Physocephalus sexalatus) were found in the wild boars (Sus scrofa) in France. Prevalence of lung nematodes was 92% (no significant difference between closed reserve and open areas could be demonstrated) and 97% for stomach nematodes. In both cases, intensity of infection was significantly greater in young wild boars (age less than 1 yr) than in the older animals. The importance of intermediate hosts in the transmission of these infections is emphasized by the increased prevalences and intensities in certain high risk areas and during certain seasons.     

Light and Electron Microscopy of the European Beaver (Castor fiber) Stomach Reveal Unique Morphological Features with Possible General Biological Significance

Anatomical, histological, and ultrastructural studies of the European beaver stomach revealed several unique morphological features. The prominent attribute of its gross morphology was the cardiogastric gland (CGG), located near the oesophageal entrance. Light microscopy showed that the CGG was formed by invaginations of the mucosa into the submucosa, which contained densely packed proper gastric glands comprised primarily of parietal and chief cells. Mucous neck cells represented <0.1% of cells in the CGG gastric glands and 22–32% of cells in the proper gastric glands of the mucosa lining the stomach lumen. These data suggest that chief cells in the CGG develop from undifferentiated cells that migrate through the gastric gland neck rather than from mucous neck cells. Classical chief cell formation (i.e., arising from mucous neck cells) occurred in the mucosa lining the stomach lumen, however. The muscularis around the CGG consisted primarily of skeletal muscle tissue. The cardiac region was rudimentary while the fundus/corpus and pyloric regions were equally developed. Another unusual feature of the beaver stomach was the presence of specific mucus with a thickness up to 950 µm (in frozen, unfixed sections) that coated the mucosa. Our observations suggest that the formation of this mucus is complex and includes the secretory granule accumulation in the cytoplasm of pit cells, the granule aggregation inside cells, and the incorporation of degenerating cells into the mucus.     

Observations on the anatomy of the stomach and duodenum of the bowhead whale, Balaena mysticetus

Gastric and cranial duodenal structure of the bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) was examined grossly and microscopically. The stomach was arranged in a series of four compartments. The first chamber, or forestomach, was a large nonglandular sac lined by a keratinized stratified squamous epithelium. It was followed by the fundic chamber, a large, somewhat globular and entirely glandular compartment. At the entrance of the fundic chamber, a narrow cardiac gland region could be defined. The remaining mucosa of the chamber contained the proper gastric glands. A narrow, tubular connecting channel, the third distinct gastric division, was lined by mucous glands and joined the fundic chamber with the final stomach compartment, or pyloric chamber. This fourth chamber was also tubular and lined by mucous glands but was of a diameter considerably larger than the connecting channel. The stomach terminated at the pyloric sphincter which consisted of a well-developed band of circular smooth-muscle bundles effecting a division between the pyloric chamber and small intestine. The small intestine began with the duodenal ampulla, a dilated sac considerably smaller than the fundic chamber of the stomach. The mucosa of this sac contained mucous glands throughout. The ampulla led without a separating sphincter into the duodenum proper which continued the intestine in a much more narrow tubular fashion. The mucosal lining of the duodenum was composed of villi and intestinal crypts. Although their occurrence varied among whales, enteroendocrine cells were identified within the mucous glands of the cardiac region, connecting channel, pyloric chamber, and cranial duodenum. The hepatopancreatic duct entered the wall of the duodenum shortly after the termination of the duodenal ampulla and continued intramurally along the intestine before finally joining the duodenal lumen.     

Electrophoretic polymorphism of erythrocyte leucine aminopeptidase in the wild boar, Sus scrofa

An erythrocyte leucine aminopeptidase (Rbc LAP) electrophoretic polymorphism was detected in Italian wild boars, Sus scrofa. Such a polymorphism has not previously been reported in the domestic pig. It is suggested that this locus could be a marker for genetic differences between the domestic and the wild forms of Sus scrofa.     

Electrophoretic polymorphism of erythrocyte leucine aminopeptidase in the wild boar, Sus scrofa

Summary. An erythrocyte leucine aminopeptidase (Rbc LAP) electrophoretic polymorphism was detected in Italian wild boars, Sus scrofa. Such a polymorphism has not previously been reported in the domestic pig. It is suggested that this locus could be a marker for genetic differences between the domestic and the wild forms of Sus scrofa.     

Localization of swine PRE-1 homologues in 13 loci of Phacochoerus aethiopicus and Tayassu tajacu genomes, and their sequence divergence

In our previous study, PRE-1 (a swine short interspersed nuclear element, SINE) was found to be present in the genomes of animal species related to swine ( Sus scrofa ) i.e. warthog ( Phacochoerus aethiopicus ) and collared peccary ( Tayassu tajacu ) at almost the same frequency as in Sus scrofa . In the present study, we investigated whether PRE-1 was present in hippopotamus ( Hippopotamus amphibius ), which is in the same order but in a different family to Sus scrofa . Hippopotamus amphibius was found to contain no PRE-1. Then, in order to study the localization of PRE-1 sequences at locus level and the sequence divergence of the PRE-1 of individual loci among Sus scrofa , Phacochoerus aethiopicus and Tayassu tajacu , primer sets, which can amplify PRE-1 sequences at 13 loci of swine genome with the polymerase chain reaction, were prepared to identify any corresponding sequences in Phacochoerus aethiopicus and Tayassu tajacu . Twelve and nine of the 13 primer sets identified fragments in Phacochoerus aethiopicus and Tayassu tajacu respectively. Ten of the 12 Phacochoerus aethiopicus fragments and two of the nine Tayassu tajacu fragments contained PRE-1 sequences. Based on the divergence between the corresponding PRE-1 sequences at individual loci and on the mutation rate of the pseudogenes (r=4·6×10^–9), Phacochoerus aethiopicus and Tayassu tajacu are currently calculated to have been separated from Sus scrofa later than 1·4million years before present (MYBP) and 16·8 MYBP, respectively.     

The ontogeny of nursing in Babyrousa babyrussa and a comparison with domestic pigs

The nursing behavior of eight babirusa (Babyrousa babyrussa) infants was studied. Four were from single births and four were from twin births. The age at weaning, the time of day and number of nursing bouts per day, the mean duration of nursing bouts, and whether the offspring or the dam ended nursing bouts were all examined. It was found that although twins are weaned earlier than single offspring, there were no other statistically significant differences in nursing behavior of single and twin offspring. The ontogeny of nursing behavior in this species is described and some comparisons are made between the nursing behavior of babirusa and nursing in the domestic pig (Sus scrofa) and selected suids. Babirusa dams take longer to wean their offspring, allow them to nurse longer, and end nursing bouts less often than domestic pigs. The differences in behavior between babirusa and domestic pig nursing behavior may be related to differences in the number of offspring produced by the two species and the amount of parental investment in each offspring. Zoo Biol 19:253–262, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

重组野猪α-干扰素基因的高效表达和下游工艺的研发

利用PCR方法,从东北野猪和长白猪的肌肉基因组DNA中分别扩增出一条501bp的基因片断 ,与GenBank上登载的猪α-干扰素基因序列相比,核苷酸同源性达到98.4%以上。以其中野猪α-干扰素基因片断为参考模板,经过密码子优化、5?和3?区域的mRNA二级结构优化,全基因合成得到编码野猪α-干扰素基因成熟肽的基因。克隆该基因到原核表达载体pWL之中.随后转化至宿主菌DH-5α。经过SDS-PAGE电泳检测,发酵后的重组野猪IFN-α-干扰素基因的蛋白表达量大于25%。复性纯化后的重组蛋白,经过VSV-WISH系统检测,其生物活性为4.45×106IU/mg。     

The genetic impact of demographic decline and reintroduction in the wild boar (Sus scrofa): a microsatellite analysis

The reintroduction of wild boar from central Europe after World War II has contributed substantially to the range expansion of this species in Italy, where indiscriminate hunting in earlier times resulted in extreme demographic reduction. However, the genetic impact of such processes is not well-understood. In this study, 105 individuals from Italian and Hungarian wild boar populations were characterized for nine autosomal microsatellite loci. The Hungarian samples, and two central Italian samples from protected areas (parks) where reintroduction is not documented, were assumed to be representative of the genetic composition of the source and the target populations in the reintroduction process, respectively. Animals hunted in the wild in the Florence area of Tuscany (Italy) were then studied to identify the effects of reintroduction. The results we obtained can be summarized as follows: (i) none of the populations analysed shows genetic evidence of demographic decline; (ii) the three parental populations from Italy and Hungary are genetically distinct; however, the low level of divergence appears in conflict with the naming of the Italian and the European subspecies (Sus scrofa majori and Sus scrofa scrofa, respectively); in addition, the Italian groups appear to be as divergent from each other as they are from the Hungarian population; (iii) most of the individuals hunted near Florence are genetically intermediate between the parental groups, suggesting that hybridization has occurred in this area, the average introgression of Hungarian genotypes is 13%, but approximately 45% of the genetic pool of these individuals can not be directly attributed to any of the parental populations we analysed; (iv) analysis of microsatellite loci, though in a limited number, is an important tool for estimating the genetic effect of reintroduction in the wild boar, and therefore for the development of conservation and management strategies for this species.     

红外相机技术在陕西观音山自然保护区兽类监测研究中的应用

国外使用红外相机技术开展野生动物调查研究已有较长的历史,最早的报道见于Champion(1927),在20世纪90年代逐渐发展成熟,广泛用于动物种群数量和密度的研究.如应用红外相机和种群捕获模型(Capture-recapture)对印度Nagarahole国家公园的孟加拉虎(Panthera tigris)的种群数量和密度的研究(Karanth,1995;Karanth和Nichols;1998),验证了红外相机技术与种群捕获模型的结合在孟加拉虎种群预测方面的优势,有效解决了监测中孟加拉虎数量稀少、活动隐秘等问题.     

PGD variants in several wild pig populations of East Asia

PGD (6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase) gene frequencies were reported in wild pigs, Sus scrofa, of three subspecies, i.e. Japanese wild pig, S.s. leucomystax, Ryukyu wild pig, S.s. riukiuanus, and Formosan wild pig, S.s. taivanus. Five phenotypes (A, AB, B, AC' and C') were observed. The C' variant was found only in the S.s. leucomystax, and may be identical to PGD-C reported by Archibald & McTeir (1988). PGD-A was a common variant in all the species in the genus Sus including wild pig, Sus scrofa, Javan pig, Sus verrucosus, and Bearded pig, Sus barbatus, and predominated in the whole populations examined except some of those of the S.s. riukiuanus. This suggested that the PGDA appeared before the other two alleles (B and C') during the evolution of the genus Sus.     

Gastric lipase and pepsinogen during the ontogenesis of rabbit gastric glands

In rabbit stomach, gastric lipase activity level was found to increase from birth to 30 days old (weaning), and then decreased. In contrast, pepsin activity only appeared between 30 to 45 days old, and increased till to the adult level. It was observed that maturation of gastric glands in cardial mucosa was a downward elongation process from the mitotic cell pool. These mitotic cells were always found in the neck of the gastric glands, corresponding to the bottom of the gland at 6 days old and to the mid-zone of the gland in adult. Location of rabbit gastric lipase (RGL) cells in cardial glands varied with age and was found along the pit of the gastric glands at 6 days old. The extent of this cellular location decreased with age, whereas a second RGL cell zone appeared below the mitotic cell area at 18 and 30 days old. At 45 days old, the pepsinogen cells appeared in the bottom of the gland, and consequently the RGL cells were located in the mid-zone of the gastric glands, between mitotic cells (neck of the gland) and pepsinogen cells (lower part of the gland). Ultrastructural study of cardial gastric glands revealed different morphologies of the secretion granules in the cells along the gastric glands. In 6-day-old rabbits, secretory granules were found uniformly electron dense in the bottom of the glands and were RGL-labeled by the immunogold technique. In the medium part of the glands, granules appeared biphasic, with a clear and a dense part, and RGL labeling was confined to the electron-dense part.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

抗口蹄疫病毒相关基因的筛选及分析

口蹄疫是一种烈性传染病,其广泛流行给社会造成了巨大经济损失。为了研究口蹄疫灭活疫苗免疫的分子机制,同时也为抗口蹄疫病毒药物的研制奠定基础,本研究应用mRNA差异显示技术,以PK-15细胞为材料,系统比较了口蹄疫疫苗刺激组（A组）和正常的PK-15细胞（B组）的基因表达情况,回收差异片段,经二次扩增并纯化后,得到30条ESTs。将30条ESTs采用以地高辛标记的反向Northern点杂交鉴定,将阳性条带克隆测序,筛选出8条ESTs,编号E1~E8,应用BLASTn工具将8条ESTs对核酸数据库nr和dbEST中所有序列进行了同源性分析,其中E1,E2分别与猪的热休克蛋白基因、猪的MHCⅠ类基因同源,序列相似性都达到100%。E3,E4,E5,E7分别与已有核酸数据库中的基因克隆或EST具有较高同源性,为已知的EST,但功能未知;E6,E8在数据库中没有发现与其相似性较高的序列,为新的EST。应用数据库资源将E5、E7进行电子延伸后,将延伸序列进行开放阅读框分析,又经TBLASTx分析发现E7蛋白质序列与猪的精氨酸酶Ⅰ类蛋白序列有很高同源性。将E1、E2、E4、E5序列进行了基因表达谱分析,对E6、E8用BLASTx工具对非冗余蛋白质数据库nr进行了相似性搜索,在其他物种中找到了相似的基因序列。本研究筛选出的热休克蛋白基因、MHCⅠ类基因、精氨酸酶Ⅰ类基因和其他未知功能基因可以作为抗口蹄疫病毒研究中的侯选基因,其具体的功能有待今后进一步研究。