Carcass traits of different marketable sizes of rohu,Labeo rohita (Hamilton, 1822)

The present study was carried out to investigate the carcass traits of farmed freshwater Labeo rohita in relation to body size as important information to calculate yield and/or support for machine/manual processing. For this purpose ninety specimens were collected for nine weight groups from 600 to 1100 g, each group with a 100 g increment. Specimens were collected from grow‐out culture ponds of the Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture (CIFA), Bhubaneswar. The carcass evaluation technique was followed to evaluate carcass yield, offal yield and carcass cutability. Head size percentage of rohu increased as the body mass increased, which in turn increased the processing yield. Dry matter and ether extract percentage also increased with the body mass; however, moisture percentage showed a decreasing trend. The fore cut showed a distinctly higher ether extract percentage followed by the middle and posterior cuts. There was a good correlation development to describe the relationship between yield traits and body weight.     

Low degree metabolites explain essential reactions and enhance modularity in biological networks

Background  

Recently there has been a lot of interest in identifying modules at the level of genetic and metabolic networks of organisms, as well as in identifying single genes and reactions that are essential for the organism. A goal of computational and systems biology is to go beyond identification towards an explanation of specific modules and essential genes and reactions in terms of specific structural or evolutionary constraints.     

Complete Genome Sequence of Avian Paramyxovirus (APMV) Serotype 5 Completes the Analysis of Nine APMV Serotypes and Reveals the Longest APMV Genome

Background

Avian paramyxoviruses (APMV) consist of nine known serotypes. The genomes of representatives of all APMV serotypes except APMV type 5 have recently been fully sequenced. Here, we report the complete genome sequence of the APMV-5 prototype strain budgerigar/Kunitachi/74.

Methodology/Principal Findings

APMV-5 Kunitachi virus is unusual in that it lacks a virion hemagglutinin and does not grow in the allantoic cavity of embryonated chicken eggs. However, the virus grew in the amniotic cavity of embryonated chicken eggs and in twelve different established cell lines and two primary cell cultures. The genome is 17,262 nucleotides (nt) long, which is the longest among members of genus Avulavirus, and encodes six non-overlapping genes in the order of 3′N-P/V/W-M-F-HN-L-5′ with intergenic regions of 4–57 nt. The genome length follows the ‘rule of six’ and contains a 55-nt leader sequence at the 3′end and a 552 nt trailer sequence at the 5′ end. The phosphoprotein (P) gene contains a conserved RNA editing site and is predicted to encode P, V, and W proteins. The cleavage site of the F protein (G-K-R-K-K-R↓F) conforms to the cleavage site motif of the ubiquitous cellular protease furin. Consistent with this, exogenous protease was not required for virus replication in vitro. However, the intracerebral pathogenicity index of APMV-5 strain Kunitachi in one-day-old chicks was found to be zero, indicating that the virus is avirulent for chickens despite the presence of a polybasic F cleavage site.

Conclusions/Significance

Phylogenetic analysis of the sequences of the APVM-5 genome and proteins versus those of the other APMV serotypes showed that APMV-5 is more closely related to APMV-6 than to the other APMVs. Furthermore, these comparisons provided evidence of extensive genome-wide divergence that supports the classification of the APMVs into nine separate serotypes. The structure of the F cleavage site does not appear to be a reliable indicator of virulence among APMV serotypes 2–9. The availability of sequence information for all known APMV serotypes will facilitate studies in epidemiology and vaccinology.     

The MHC class II-associated invariant chain interacts with the neonatal Fc gamma receptor and modulates its trafficking to endosomal/lysosomal compartments

The neonatal Fc receptor for IgG (FcRn) transfers maternal IgG to the offspring and protects IgG from degradation. The FcRn resides in an acidic intracellular compartment, allowing it to bind IgG. In this study, we found the association of FcRn and invariant chain (Ii). The interaction was initiated within the endoplasmic reticulum by Ii binding to either the FcRn H chain alone or FcRn H chain-beta(2)-microglobulin complex and appeared to be maintained throughout the endocytic pathway. The CLIP in Ii was not required for FcRn-Ii association. The interaction was also detected in IFN-gamma-treated THP-1, epithelial and endothelial cells, and immature mouse DCs. A truncated FcRn without the cytoplasmic tail was unable to traffic to early endosomes; however, its location in early endosomes was restored by Ii expression. FcRn was also detected in the late endosome/lysosome only in the presence of Ii or on exposure to IFN-gamma. In immature human or mouse DCs, FcRn was barely detected in the late endosome/lysosome in the absence of Ii. Furthermore, the cytoplasmic tail of Ii conferred tailless FcRn to route to both the early endosome and late endosome/lysosome in a hybrid molecule. Because the FcRn is expressed in macrophages and DCs or epithelial and endothelial cells where Ii is induced under inflammation and infection, these results reveal the complexity of FcRn trafficking in which Ii is capable of expanding the boundary of FcRn trafficking. Taken together, the intracellular trafficking of FcRn is regulated by its intrinsic sorting information and/or an interaction with Ii chain.     

Cloning and characterization of the cDNA encoding a novel human pre-B-cell colony-enhancing factor.

A novel gene coding for the pre-B-cell colony-enhancing factor (PBEF) has been isolated from a human peripheral blood lymphocyte cDNA library. The expression of this gene is induced by pokeweed mitogen and superinduced by cycloheximide. It is also induced in the T-lymphoblastoid cell line HUT 78 after phorbol ester (phorbol myristate acetate) treatment. The predominant mRNA for PBEF is approximately 2.4 kb long and codes for a 52-kDa secreted protein. The 3' untranslated region of the mRNA has multiple TATT motifs, usually found in cytokine and oncogene messages. The PBEF gene is mainly transcribed in human bone marrow, liver tissue, and muscle. We have expressed PBEF in COS 7 and PA317 cells and have tested the biological activities of the conditioned medium as well as the antibody-purified protein in different in vitro assays. PBEF itself had no activity but synergized the pre-B-cell colony formation activity of stem cell factor and interleukin 7. In the presence of PBEF, the number of pre-B-cell colonies was increased by at least 70% above the amount stimulated by stem cell factor plus interleukin 7. No effect of PBEF was found with cells of myeloid or erythroid lineages. These data define PBEF as a novel cytokine which acts on early B-lineage precursor cells.     

H2O2-Induced Platelet Aggregation and Increase in Intracellular Ca2+ Concentration Are Blocked by Inhibitors of Intracellular Signaling

Inhibitors of signaling enzymes such as guanosine-5-O-2-thiodiphosphate, aristolochic acid, aspirin, indomethacin, and trifluoperazine block H₂O₂-induced platelet aggregation and H₂O₂-induced increase in the intracellular concentration of Ca²⁺. These findings suggest that the effect of H₂O₂ on platelets is associated with activation of signal pathways responsible for increase in the concentration of intracellular Ca²⁺. On H₂O₂-induced platelet aggregation, the concentration of cAMP in the cytoplasm decreases and that of cGMP increases.     

Recombinant newcastle disease virus expressing a foreign viral antigen is attenuated and highly immunogenic in primates

Paramyxoviruses such as human parainfluenza viruses that bear inserts encoding protective antigens of heterologous viruses can induce an effective immunity against the heterologous viruses in experimental animals. However, vectors based on common human pathogens would be expected to be restricted in replication in the adult human population due to high seroprevalence, an effect that would reduce vector immunogenicity. To address this issue, we evaluated Newcastle disease virus (NDV), an avian paramyxovirus that is serotypically distinct from common human pathogens, as a vaccine vector. Two strains were evaluated: the attenuated vaccine strain LaSota (NDV-LS) that replicates mostly in the chicken respiratory tract and the Beaudette C (NDV-BC) strain of intermediate virulence that produces mild systemic infection in chickens. A recombinant version of each virus was modified by the insertion, between the P and M genes, of a gene cassette encoding the human parainfluenza virus type 3 (HPIV3) hemagglutinin-neuraminidase (HN) protein, a test antigen with considerable historic data. The recombinant viruses were administered to African green monkeys (NDV-BC and NDV-LS) and rhesus monkeys (NDV-BC only) by combined intranasal and intratracheal routes at a dose of 10(6.5) PFU per site, with a second equivalent dose administered 28 days later. Little or no virus shedding was detected in nose-throat swabs or tracheal lavages following immunization with either strain. In a separate experiment, direct examination of lung tissue confirmed a highly attenuated, restricted pattern of replication by parental NDV-BC. The serum antibody response to the foreign HN protein induced by the first immunization with either NDV vector was somewhat less than that observed following a wild-type HPIV3 infection; however, the titer following the second dose exceeded that observed with HPIV3 infection, even though HPIV3 replicates much more efficiently than NDV in these animals. NDV appears to be a promising vector for the development of vaccines for humans; one application would be in controlling localized outbreaks of emerging pathogens.     

Protein fingerprinting profiles in different strains of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Aeromonas hydrophila</Emphasis> isolated from diseased freshwater fish

Summary Aeromonas hydrophila(Ah) strains isolated from diseased fish in India were studied for protein profiling using the SDS-PAGE protein fingerprinting profile pattern of whole cells of 12 local strains of A. hydrophilaand one reference strain (MTCC 646). Variability among the strains was observed. The average similarity between the 12 strains of A. hydrophila ranged from 0.272 to 0.916. Proteins with molecular mass of 55.6 and 14.67 kDa in Ah1, Ah2 and Ah3, 28.5 and 27.9 kDa in Ah4, Ah5 and Ah6, 21.4 and 19.5 kDa in Ah7, Ah8, Ah9 and 72.9, 91.5 and 71.3 kDa in Ah10, Ah11 and Ah12 were common. The protein polypeptide bands from 19.5 to 86.2 kDa were common in both local strains and reference strain of A. hydrophila. The protein fingerprinting study showed that there is genetic similarity between strains of A. hydrophila and reference strain (MTCC 646). These protein markers may be useful for further strain differentiation in epidemiological study.     

Comparative immunogenicity analysis of intradermal versus intramuscular administration of SARS-CoV-2 RBD epitope peptide-based immunogen In vivo

COVID-19 pandemic has caused severe disruption of global health and devastated the socio-economic conditions all over the world. The disease is caused by SARS-CoV-2 virus that belongs to the family of Coronaviruses which are known to cause a wide spectrum of diseases both in humans and animals. One of the characteristic features of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is the high reproductive rate (R₀) that results in high transmissibility of the virus among humans. Vaccines are the best option to prevent and control this disease. Though, the traditional intramuscular (IM) route of vaccine administration is one of the effective methods for induction of antibody response, a needle-free self-administrative intradermal (ID) immunization will be easier for SARS-CoV-2 infection containment, as vaccine administration method will limit human contacts. Here, we have assessed the humoral and cellular responses of a RBD-based peptide immunogen when administered intradermally in BALB/c mice and side-by-side compared with the intramuscular immunization route. The results demonstrate that ID vaccination is well tolerated and triggered a significant magnitude of humoral antibody responses as similar to IM vaccination. Additionally, the ID immunization resulted in higher production of IFN-γ and IL-2 suggesting superior cellular response as compared to IM route. Overall, our data indicates immunization through ID route provides a promising alternative approach for the development of self-administrative SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidates.