Evaluation of false transrectal ultrasonographic pregnancy diagnoses in sheep by measuring the plasma level of pregnancy-associated glycoproteins

The present study was undertaken to investigate to what extent pregnancy diagnoses made by transrectal ultrasonography could be confirmed by measurements of plasma concentration of ovine pregnancy-associated glycoproteins (ovPAG). A total of 424 Awassi x Merino ewes were synchronized for estrus and examined by transrectal ultrasonography. In Experiment 1, the ewes (n = 156) were repeatedly scanned in a standing position on d 29, 36 and 50 of gestation. Similarly, the ewes (n = 268) in Experiment 2 were scanned on d 24, 29 and 34 of gestation, but these ewes were fasted for 12 h prior to the examination and the abdominal wall of each animal was lifted up by the hands of the assistant during the scanning. Blood samples were withdrawn after each transrectal ultrasonographic examination in both experiments. Ovine PAG concentrations were measured in plasma by a heterologous radioimmunoassay and the cut-off value for pregnancy was > or = 1 ng.mL-1. Based on the lambing performance, in Experiment 1, altogether 47 false negative and 38 false positive diagnoses were made by transrectal ultrasonography in 24 and 33 ewes, respectively between d 29 and 50 of gestation. In Experiment 2, altogether 8 false negative and 13 false positive diagnoses both were made in 7 ewes between d 24 and 34 of gestation. In both experiments, all ewes with false negative diagnoses had ovPAG concentrations higher than the threshold level for pregnancy diagnosis and all ewes with false positive diagnoses had ovPAG concentrations lower than the threshold of pregnancy. Furthermore, by the PAG-RIA test all lambed or aborted ewes (n = 63) were correctly diagnosed as pregnant and with three exceptions, all non-lambed ewes (n = 361) were correctly diagnosed as non-pregnant during the examined periods of both experiments.     

Blocking neddylation elicits antiviral effect against hepatitis B virus replication

Molecular Biology Reports - Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) is the most common cause of chronic liver disease worldwide. The mechanisms that regulate HBV viral replication remain poorly defined. Here, we...     

The dependence of leaf hydraulic conductance on irradiance during HPFM measurements: any role for stomatal response?

This paper examines the dependence of whole leaf hydraulic conductance to liquid water (K(L)) on irradiance when measured with a high pressure flowmeter (HPFM). During HPFM measurements, water is perfused into leaves faster than it evaporates hence water infiltrates leaf air spaces and must pass through stomates in the liquid state. Since stomates open and close under high versus low irradiance, respectively, the possibility exists that K(L) might change with irradiance if stomates close tightly enough to restrict water movement. However, the dependence of K(L) on irradiance could be due to a direct effect of irradiance on the hydraulic properties of other tissues in the leaf. In the present study, K(L) increased with irradiance for 6 of the 11 species tested. Whole leaf conductance to water vapour, g(L), was used as a proxy for stomatal aperture and the time-course of changes in K(L) and g(L) was studied during the transition from low to high irradiance and from high to low irradiance. Experiments showed that in some species K(L) changes were not paralleled by g(L) changes. Measurements were also done after perfusion of leaves with ABA which inhibited the g(L) response to irradiance. These leaves showed the same K(L) response to irradiance as control leaves. These experimental results and theoretical calculations suggest that the irradiance dependence of K(L) is more consistent with an effect on extravascular (and/or vascular) tissues rather than stomatal aperture. Irradiance-mediated stimulation of aquaporins or hydrogel effects in leaf tracheids may be involved.     

New quantitative trait loci that regulate wound healing in an intercross progeny from DBA/1J and 129×1/SvJ inbred strains of mice

Wound healing/regeneration mouse models are few, and studies performed have mainly utilized crosses between MRL/MPJ (a good healer) and SJL/J (a poor healer) or MRL/lpr (a good healer) and C57BL/6J (a poor healer). Wound healing is a complex trait with many genes involved in the expression of the phenotype. Based on data from previous studies that common and additional quantitative trait loci (QTL) were identified using different crosses of inbred strains of mice for various complex traits, we hypothesized that a new cross would identify common and additional QTL, unique modes of inheritance, and interacting loci, which are responsible for variation in susceptibility to fast wound healing. In this study, we crossed DBA/1J (DBA, a good healer) and 129/SvJ (129, a poor healer) and performed a genome-wide scan using 492 (DBA×129) F2 mice and 98 markers to identify QTL that regulate wound healing/regeneration. Four QTL on chromosomes 1, 4, 12, and 18 were identified which contributed toward wound healing in F2 mice and accounted for 17.1% of the phenotypic variation in ear punch healing. Surprisingly, locus interactions contributed to 55.7% of the phenotype variation in ear punch healing. In conclusion, we have identified novel QTL and shown that minor interacting loci contribute significantly to wound healing in DBA×129 mice cross. The authors Masinde, Li, and Nguyen contributed equally to this article.     

Afghanistan's ethnic groups share a Y-chromosomal heritage structured by historical events

Afghanistan has held a strategic position throughout history. It has been inhabited since the Paleolithic and later became a crossroad for expanding civilizations and empires. Afghanistan's location, history, and diverse ethnic groups present a unique opportunity to explore how nations and ethnic groups emerged, and how major cultural evolutions and technological developments in human history have influenced modern population structures. In this study we have analyzed, for the first time, the four major ethnic groups in present-day Afghanistan: Hazara, Pashtun, Tajik, and Uzbek, using 52 binary markers and 19 short tandem repeats on the non-recombinant segment of the Y-chromosome. A total of 204 Afghan samples were investigated along with more than 8,500 samples from surrounding populations important to Afghanistan's history through migrations and conquests, including Iranians, Greeks, Indians, Middle Easterners, East Europeans, and East Asians. Our results suggest that all current Afghans largely share a heritage derived from a common unstructured ancestral population that could have emerged during the Neolithic revolution and the formation of the first farming communities. Our results also indicate that inter-Afghan differentiation started during the Bronze Age, probably driven by the formation of the first civilizations in the region. Later migrations and invasions into the region have been assimilated differentially among the ethnic groups, increasing inter-population genetic differences, and giving the Afghans a unique genetic diversity in Central Asia.     

Venomics and antivenomics profiles of North African Cerastes cerastes and C. vipera populations reveals a potentially important therapeutic weakness

We report the proteomic analysis of the venom of the medically relevant snake, Cerastes cerastes, from Morocco, and the immunoreactivity profile of an experimental monospecific (CcMo_AV against Moroccan C. cerastes venom) and a commercial (Gamma-VIP against Tunisian C. cerastes and M. lebetina venoms) F(ab')(2) antivenoms towards geographic variants of C. cerastes and C. vipera venoms. The venom of C. cerastes is a low-complexity proteome composed of 25-30 toxins belonging to 6 protein families, mainly targetting the hemostatic system. This toxin arsenal explains the clinical picture observed in C. cerastes envenomings. Despite geographic compositional variation, the monospecific CcMo_AV and the Gamma-VIP divalent antivenom produced at Institut Pasteur de Tunis, showed similar immunocapturing capability towards Moroccan, Tunisian, and Egyptian C. cerastes venom proteins. Proteins partially escaping immunorecognition were all identified as PLA(2) molecules. Antivenomic analysis showed low degree of cross-reactivity of Moroccan CcMo_AV and Tunisian Gamma-VIP antivenoms towards C. vipera venom toxins. This study indicates that a more complete therapeutic cover could be achieved by including C. vipera venom in the formulation of venom immunization mixtures, thereby generating a pan-Cerastes antivenom.     

Snake venomics of Macrovipera mauritanica from Morocco, and assessment of the para-specific immunoreactivity of an experimental monospecific and a commercial antivenoms

Proteomic analysis of the venom of the medically relevant snake Macrovipera mauritanica from Morocco revealed a complex proteome composed of at least 45 toxins from 9 protein families targeting the hemostatic system of the prey or victim. The toxin profile of Moroccan M. mauritanica displays great similarity, but also worth noting departures, with the previously reported venom proteome of M. lebetina from Tunisia. Despite fine compositional differences between these Macrovipera taxa, their overall venom phenotypes explain the clinical picture observed in M. mauritanica and M. lebetina envenomings. However, M. mauritanica venom also contains significant amounts of orphan molecules whose presence in the venom seems to be difficult to rationalize in the context of a predator-prey arms race. The paraspecific immunoreactivity of an experimental monospecific (M. mauritanica) antivenom and a commercial bivalent antivenom, anti-C. cerastes and anti-M. lebetina, against the venoms of Moroccan M. mauritanica and Tunisian M. lebetina, was also investigated through an affinity chromatography-based antivenomics approach. Both antivenoms very efficiently immunodepleted homologous venom toxins and displayed a high degree of paraspecificity, suggesting the clinical utility of the two antivenoms for treating bites of both M. mauritanica or M. lebetina.     

Calpain 2 expression pattern and sub-cellular localization during mouse embryogenesis

Regulation of migration and proliferation by calpain has been shown in various cell types; however, no data are available concerning calpain 2 (capn2) localization in embryonic tissues. Here, we report the expression pattern of capn2 during mouse embryonic development. Expression of the capn2 gene is observed throughout embryonic development. From ES cells and the 8-cell stage to late neurulation stages, CAPN2 is expressed in the cytoplasm and nuclear compartments, with a clear co-localisation with chromatin. Whole-mount in situ hybridization analysis from E8.5 to 14.5 stages indicates high levels of capn2 expression in the nervous system, heart and mesodermal tissues. Up-regulation is maintained during later developmental stages in proliferating cells and in precursor cells involved in muscle (myoblasts) or bone formation (chondrocytes). At later developmental stages, elevated mRNA levels coincided with CAPN2 nuclear localization in these cell types, while differentiated cells maintained cytoplasmic expression. This detailed analysis reveals dynamic expression: nuclear localization was associated either with active cell mitosis in embryonic stem cells and early developmental stages or with precursor cells later during organogenesis. Thus, these data indicate that CAPN2 may represent a key factor in development from the first cell division.