Genetically modified laboratory animals--what welfare problems do they face?

In this article, we respond to public concern expressed about the welfare of genetically modified (GM) nonhuman animals. As a contribution to the debate on this subject, we attempt in this article to determine in what situations the practice of genetic modification in rodents may generate significant welfare problems. After a brief discussion of the principles of animal welfare, we focus on the problem of animal suffering and review some types of gene modifications likely to cause predictable welfare problems. In this article, we also consider suffering that may be involved in the process of generating GM animals. Finally, we discuss the role of GM animals in attempts to reduce, replace, and refine the use of animals in research.     

Carbohydrate metabolism and fruit quality are affected in frost-exposed Valencia orange fruit

Exposure of citrus fruit to frost often results in the development of freeze injury during their maturation in planta. This work was aimed to analyze changes in the biochemistry and enzymology of carbohydrate metabolism in freeze-injured orange fruit ( Citrus sinensis var. Valencia late) and the involvement of oxidative stress in frost damage. The activities of pyrophosphate-dependent phosphofructokinase, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase and several fermentative enzymes increased in frost-exposed (FE) fruit, while NADP-malic enzyme and the mitochondrial isoform of NAD-malate dehydrogenase showed a reduction in their activities. Western blot analysis indicated a correlation between activity levels and protein content. Respiration rate in whole fruit was reduced by 40%, whereas the flavedo showed a more pronounced decline (53%). Volatile compound (i.e. ethanol and acetaldehyde) content was significantly higher in FE fruit than in control, as was that of l -malate (three-fold). Additionally, FE fruit showed a marked decrease in the maturity index (24%) because of a higher titratable acidity (39%). Evidence is presented that oxidative stress is involved in freeze-induced damage of orange fruit, where oxidative damage to lipids and proteins, and a greater electrolyte leakage in the flavedo were also observed. The results suggest that freezing temperatures provoke a notable metabolic switch in citrus fruit toward a fermentative stage, resulting in low-quality fruits.     

Hybridization versus conservation: are domestic cats threatening the genetic integrity of wildcats (Felis silvestris silvestris) in Iberian Peninsula?

Cross-breeding between wild and free-ranging domestic species is one of the main conservation problems for some threatened species. The situation of wildcats (Felis silvestris silvestris) in Europe is a good example of this critical phenomenon. Extensive hybridization was described in Hungary and Scotland, contrasting with occasional interbreeding in Italy and Germany. First analyses in Portugal revealed a clear genetic differentiation between wild and domestic cats; however, four hybrids were detected. Here, we extended the approach to Iberian Peninsula using multivariate and Bayesian analyses of multilocus genotypes for 44 Portuguese wildcats, 31 Spanish wildcats and 109 domestic cats. Globally, wild and domestic cats were significantly differentiated (FST=0.20, p<0.001) and clustered into two discrete groups. Diverse clustering methods and assignment criteria identified an additional hybrid in Portugal, performing a total of five admixed individuals. The power of admixture analyses was assessed by simulating hybrid genotypes, which revealed that used microsatellites were able to detect 100, 91 and 85% of first-generation hybrids, second-generation genotypes and backcrosses, respectively. These findings suggest that the true proportion of admixture can be higher than the value estimated in this study and that the improvement of genetic tools for hybrids detection is crucial for wildcat conservation.     

Effects of wing polyphenism, aphid genotype and host plant chemistry on energy metabolism of the grain aphid, Sitobion avenae

Wing dimorphism has been proposed as a strategy to face trade-offs between flight capability and fecundity. In aphids, individuals with functional wings have slower development and lower fecundity compared with wingless individuals. However, differential maintenance costs between winged and wingless aphids have not been deeply investigated. In the current study, we studied the combined effect of wing dimorphism with the effects of aphid genotypes and of wheat hosts having different levels of chemical defences (hydroxamic acids, Hx) on adult body mass and standard metabolic rates (SMR) of winged and wingless morphs of the grain aphid, Sitobion avenae. We found that wingless aphids had higher body mass than winged aphids and that body mass also increased towards host with high Hx levels. Furthermore, winged aphids showed a plastic SMR in terms of Hx levels, whereas wingless aphids displayed a rigid reaction norm (significant interaction between morph condition and wheat host). These findings suggest that winged aphids have reduced adult size compared to wingless aphids, likely due to costs associated to the development of flight structure in early-life stages. These costs contrast with the absence of detectable metabolic costs related to fuelling and maintenance of the flight apparatus in adults.     

Polymorphisms distinguishing different mouse species and t haplotypes.

Three anonymous chromosome 17 DNA markers, D17Tu36, D17Tu43, and D17Le66B, differentiate between house mouse species and/or between t chromosomes. The D17Tu36 probe, which maps near the Fu locus and to the In(17)4 on t chromosomes, identifies at least 15 haplotypes, each haplotype characterized by a particular combination of DNA fragments obtained after digestion with the Taq I restriction endonuclease. Ten of these haplotypes occur in Mus domesticus, while the remaining five occur in M. musculus. In each of these two species, one haplotype is borne by t chromosomes while the other haplotypes are present on non-t chromosomes. The D17Tu43 probe, which maps near the D17Leh122 locus and to the In(17)3 on t chromosomes, also identifies at least 15 haplotypes in Taq I DNA digests, of which nine occur in M. domesticus and six in M. musculus. One of the nine M. domesticus haplotypes is borne by t chromosomes, the other haplotypes are borne by non-t chromosomes; two of the six M. musculus haplotypes are borne by t chromosomes and the remaining four by non-t chromosomes. Some of the D17Tu43 haplotypes are widely distributed in a given species, while others appear to be population-specific. Exceptions to species-specificity are found only in a few mice captured near the M. domesticus-M. musculus hybrid zone or in t chromosomes that appear to be of hybrid origin. The D17Leh66B probe, which maps to the In(17)2, distinguishes three haplotypes of M. domesticus-derived t chromosomes and one haplotype of M. musculus-derived t chromosomes. Because of these characteristics, the three markers are well suited for the study of mouse population genetics in general and of t chromosome population genetics in particular. A preliminary survey of wild M. domesticus and M. musculus populations has not uncovered any evidence of widespread introgression of genes from one species to the other; possible minor introgressions were found only in the vicinity of the hybrid zone. Typing of inbred strains has revealed the contribution of only M. domesticus DNA to the chromosome 17 of the laboratory mouse.     

Discriminating causes from consequences of persistent parrotfish corallivory

A detailed understanding of the dual role of parrotfish as both key herbivores and potentially important corallivores is essential to the study of coral health and reef trophodynamics. Some Caribbean parrotfish regularly consume live coral, and discriminate both among coral species and among colonies within a particular species. While they prefer Montastraea spp. corals, which are dominant Caribbean reef builders, causes of selective and persistent grazing of certain colonies remain unknown. We manipulated coral exposure to parrotfish grazing through a long-term cage exclusion experiment in Belize, comparing initially grazed vs. intact (non-grazed) Montastraea spp. colonies. We measured nutrition-related characteristics (C:N ratio, %C, and %N) as well as defensive characteristics (nematocyst density and skeletal hardness) to determine if any of these variables accurately predicted parrotfish grazing. There were substantial reductions in coral nutritional quality (C:N) associated with parrotfish grazing, although these changes appear to be a consequence rather than a cause of parrotfish selectivity. Likewise, nematocyst densities were suppressed in grazed corals, also likely a result of chronic grazing stress. We found no intraspecific differences in skeletal hardness related to grazing. These results provide further demonstration of the physiological consequences of grazing, but the cause of preferential grazing by parrotfishes on certain Montastraea spp. colonies still requires further investigation.     

Life-cycle impact assessment methods for physical energy scarcity: considerations and suggestions

The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment - Most approaches for energy use assessment in life cycle assessment do not consider the scarcity of energy resources. A few approaches consider...