Challenges of formulation and quality of biofertilizers for successful inoculation

The interest in biofertilizers is increasing and so is the potential for their use in sustainable agriculture. However, many of the products that are currently available worldwide are often of very poor quality, resulting in the loss of confidence from farmers. The formulation of an inoculant is a crucial multistep process that should result in one or several strains of microorganisms included in a suitable carrier, providing a safe environment to protect them from the often harsh conditions during storage and ensuring survival and establishment after introduction into soils. One of the key issues in formulation development and production is the quality control of the products, at each stage of the process. This review presents the different components and the major steps involved in the formulation of good quality biofertilizers, including the techniques used to assess the quality of the products following production. The quality of currently available inoculants is also reviewed, emphasizing the need for better quality control systems worldwide.     

Is the copepod egg production in a highly turbid estuary (the Gironde, France) a function of the biochemical composition of seston?

The influence of the biochemical composition of particles originating from surface waters of the Gironde estuary on egg production rates of Eurytemora affinis zooplanktonic population was studied. In the high turbidity zone, suspended particulate matter had a low nutritional quality because the easily available organic fraction represented less than 15% of the overall particulate organic matter. In waters located seaward of the high turbidity zone, a slight increase in nutritional quality was observed. As a result, the sum of easily extractable organic macromolecules represented 15 to 33% of the overall particulate organic matter. The present study suggests that the low egg-production rate of Eurytemora affinis, occurring in the high turbidity zone, results from combined effects of temperature and bad feeding conditions in the area. Low copepod production can be explained by little phytoplankton growth due to light limitation and, therefore, restricted food availability, as well as difficulties in food selection, non-living particle may being dominant.     

Review of the millipede family Opisotretidae (Diplopoda,Polydesmida), with descriptions of?new?species

The small, basically Oriental family Opisotretidae is rediagnosed, reclassified, and shown to comprise the following seven genera, all keyed: Carlotretus Hoffman, 1980, with two species, including Carlotretus triramus sp. n. from southern China; Corypholophus Attems, 1938, with two species, one in Vietnam, the other in the Ryukyus, Japan; Martensodesmus Golovatch, 1987, with eight species, all keyed, including Martensodesmus cattienensis sp. n. from southern Vietnam, as well as Martensodesmus bedosae sp. n. and Martensodesmus spiniger sp. n. from southern China; Opisotretus Attems, 1907, with seven species, all keyed, including Opisotretus beroni sp. n. and Opisotretus hagen sp. n., both from Papua New Guinea, Opisotretus deharvengi sp. n. from Sulawesi, Indonesia, and Opisotretus spinosus sp. n. from Nusakambangan Island, off Java, Indonesia; Opisthoporodesmus Silvestri, 1899, with six nominate species; Retrodesmus Chamberlin, 1945, with two species, i.e. the type-species Retrodesmus dammermani Chamberlin, 1945, from Java, Indonesia, revised from the holotype, and Retrodesmus cavernicola sp. n., from Papua New Guinea; and Solaenaulus Attems, 1940, with two species. Comments are presented on the family’s possible relationships and palaeogeographic history. Instead of being considered as the sole component of the superfamily Opisotretoidea, the Opisotretidae is believed here to form one of the families of the diverse superfamily Trichopolydesmoidea, perhaps the sister-group to, if not immediately derived from, the pantropical family Fuhrmannodesmidae. The origin of Opisotretidae, previously dated as far back as the Triassic (220 Ma) in relation to the fragmentation of eastern Gondwanaland, mainly in the region of present-day Indonesia, could have had nothing to do with Gondwanaland. Opisotretids might have originated in mainland Southeast Asia well within the Cenozoic, with subsequent dispersals along the Himalayas in the West and across Indonesia (including New Guinea) in the East, also reaching as far north as the Ryukyus, Japan and Guangxi, southern China.     

European Union’s Public Fishing Access Agreements in Developing Countries

The imperative to increase seafood supply while dealing with its overfished local stocks has pushed the European Union (EU) and its Member States to fish in the Exclusive Economic Zones of other countries through various types of fishing agreements for decades. Although European public fishing agreements are commented on regularly and considered to be transparent, this is the first global and historical study on the fee regime that governs them. We find that the EU has subsidized these agreements at an average of 75% of their cost (financial contribution agreed upon in the agreements), while private European business interests paid the equivalent of 1.5% of the value of the fish that was eventually landed. This raises questions of fisheries benefit-sharing and resource-use equity that the EU has the potential to address during the nearly completed reform of its Common Fisheries Policy.     

Expression of SERPINA3s in cattle: focus on bovSERPINA3-7 reveals specific involvement in skeletal muscle

α₁-Antichymotrypsin is encoded by the unique SERPINA3 gene in humans, while it is encoded by a cluster of eight closely related genes in cattle. BovSERPINA3 proteins present a high degree of similarity and significant divergences in the reactive centre loop (RCL) domains which are responsible for the antiprotease activity. In this study, we analysed their expression patterns in a range of cattle tissues. Even if their expression is ubiquitous, we showed that the expression levels of each serpin vary in different tissues of 15-month-old Charolais bulls. Our results led us to focus on bovSERPINA3-7, one of the two most divergent members of the bovSERPINA3 family. Expression analyses showed that bovSERPINA3-7 protein presents different tissue-specific patterns with diverse degrees of N-glycosylation. Using a specific antibody raised against bovSERPINA3-7, Western blot analysis revealed a specific 96 kDa band in skeletal muscle. BovSERPINA3-7 immunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry revealed that this 96 kDa band corresponds to a complex of bovSERPINA3-7 and creatine kinase M-type. Finally, we reported that the bovSERPINA3-7 protein is present in slow-twitch skeletal myofibres. Precisely, bovSERPINA3-7 specifically colocalized with myomesin at the M-band region of sarcomeres where it could interact with other components such as creatine kinase M-type. This study opens new prospects on the bovSERPINA3-7 function in skeletal muscle and promotes opportunities for further understanding of the physiological role(s) of serpins.     

Failure of Passive Immune Transfer in Calves: A Meta-Analysis on the Consequences and Assessment of the Economic Impact

Low colostrum intake at birth results in the failure of passive transfer (FPT) due to the inadequate ingestion of colostral immunoglobulins (Ig). FPT is associated with an increased risk of mortality and decreased health and longevity. Despite the known management practices associated with low FPT, it remains an important issue in the field. Neither a quantitative analysis of FPT consequences nor an assessment of its total cost are available. To address this point, a meta-analysis on the adjusted associations between FPT and its outcomes was first performed. Then, the total costs of FPT in European systems were calculated using a stochastic method with adjusted values as the input parameters. The adjusted risks (and 95% confidence intervals) for mortality, bovine respiratory disease, diarrhoea and overall morbidity in the case of FPT were 2.12 (1.43–3.13), 1.75 (1.50–2.03), 1.51 (1.05–2.17) and 1.91 (1.63–2.24), respectively. The mean (and 95% prediction interval) total costs per calf with FPT were estimated to be €60 (€10–109) and €80 (€20–139) for dairy and beef, respectively. As a result of the double-step stochastic method, the proposed economic estimation constitutes the first estimate available for FPT. The results are presented in a way that facilitates their use in the field and, with limited effort, combines the cost of each contributor to increase the applicability of the economic assessment to the situations farm-advisors may face. The present economic estimates are also an important tool to evaluate the profitability of measures that aim to improve colostrum intake and FPT prevention.     

IL-1 signaling for IL-2 production in T cells involves a rise in phosphatidylserine synthesis

Activation of Jurkat T cells with anti-TCR, anti-CD3, anti-CD2, or PHA is accompanied by a strong inhibition of phosphatidylserine (PS) synthesis. The inhibition of the synthesis of this phospholipid could be partially reversed by IL-1. In Jurkat cells, IL-1 did not activate phosphodiesterases as demonstrated by the lack of change of inositol triphosphate and diacylglycerol levels as well as the lack of change in cytosolic Ca2+ concentration. Furthermore, IL-1 did not modify the intracellular level of cGMP and cAMP, suggesting that the observed rise of PS synthesis could play the role of mediator IL-1 action. As PS is a necessary cofactor for the activation of protein kinase C, our results suggest strongly that IL-1 modulate protein kinase C activity in the activated lymphocyte through its action on PS synthesis.     

Covalent immobilization of pullulanase on alginate and study of its hydrolysis of pullulan

The immobilization of pullulanase from Klebsiella pneumoniae by grafting was investigated. Pullulanase was linked after activation of alginate via a covalent bond between the amine groups of the enzyme and the carboxylic acid groups of alginate. The immobilization yield was 60%. The activity of free pullulanase and immobilized pullulanase was followed by the quantification of reducing ends by colorimetric assay and the determination of the molar masses of the hydrolyzed pullulan by SEC/MALS/DRI. Compared to free pullulanase, the kinetics is largely slowed. The evolution of the weight average molar mass of pullulan leading to high production of shorter oligosaccharides during hydrolysis is not the same as that obtained with free enzyme. Immobilized pullulanase retained 75% and 30% of its initial activity after 24 h and 14 days of incubation at 60°C, respectively while free pullulanase lost its activity after 5 h of hydrolysis at the same temperature. The kinetic parameters of immobilized pullulanase were also investigated by isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC). The affinity of immobilized enzyme to its substrate was reduced compared to the free pullulanase due to steric hindrance and chemical links. © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 31:883–889, 2015     

Serum IgE Induced Airway Smooth Muscle Cell Remodeling Is Independent of Allergens and Is Prevented by Omalizumab

Background

Airway wall remodeling in allergic asthma is reduced after treatment with humanized anti-IgE-antibodies. We reported earlier that purified IgE, without the presence of allergens, is sufficient to induce airway wall remodeling due to airway smooth muscle cell (ASMC) activity deposing extracellular matrix.

Objective

We postulate that IgE contained in serum of allergic asthma patients, in the absence of allergens, stimulates ASMC remodeling activities and can be prevented by anti-IgE antibodies.

Methods

Isolated human ASMC were exposed to serum obtained from: (i) healthy controls, or patients with (ii) allergic asthma, (iii) non-allergic asthma, and (iv) atopic non-asthma patients. Proliferation and the deposition of collagens and fibronectin were determined after 3 and 5 days.

Results

Serum from patients with allergies significantly stimulated: (i) ASMC proliferation, (ii) deposition of collagen type-I (48 hours) and (iii) of fibronectin (24 hours). One hour pre-incubation with Omalizumab prevented these three effects of allergic serum, but had no significant effect on serum from healthy donors or non-allergic asthma patients. Interestingly, the addition of allergens did not further increase any of the IgE effects.

Conclusion and Clinical Relevance

Our data provides experimental evidence that the beneficial effect of Omalizumab on airway wall remodeling and improved lung function may be due to its direct action on IgE bound ASMC.     

Generation of BAC Transgenic Tadpoles Enabling Live Imaging of Motoneurons by Using the Urotensin II-Related Peptide (ust2b) Gene as a Driver

Xenopus is an excellent tetrapod model for studying normal and pathological motoneuron ontogeny due to its developmental morpho-physiological advantages. In mammals, the urotensin II-related peptide (UTS2B) gene is primarily expressed in motoneurons of the brainstem and the spinal cord. Here, we show that this expression pattern was conserved in Xenopus and established during the early embryonic development, starting at the early tailbud stage. In late tadpole stage, uts2b mRNA was detected both in the hindbrain and in the spinal cord. Spinal uts2b⁺ cells were identified as axial motoneurons. In adult, however, the uts2b expression was only detected in the hindbrain. We assessed the ability of the uts2b promoter to drive the expression of a fluorescent reporter in motoneurons by recombineering a green fluorescent protein (GFP) into a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) clone containing the entire X. tropicalis uts2b locus. After injection of this construction in one-cell stage embryos, a transient GFP expression was observed in the spinal cord of about a quarter of the resulting animals from the early tailbud stage and up to juveniles. The GFP expression pattern was globally consistent with that of the endogenous uts2b in the spinal cord but no fluorescence was observed in the brainstem. A combination of histological and electrophysiological approaches was employed to further characterize the GFP⁺ cells in the larvae. More than 98% of the GFP⁺ cells expressed choline acetyltransferase, while their projections were co-localized with α-bungarotoxin labeling. When tail myotomes were injected with rhodamine dextran amine crystals, numerous double-stained GFP⁺ cells were observed. In addition, intracellular electrophysiological recordings of GFP⁺ neurons revealed locomotion-related rhythmic discharge patterns during fictive swimming. Taken together our results provide evidence that uts2b is an appropriate driver to express reporter genes in larval motoneurons of the Xenopus spinal cord.