Susceptibility and resistance of ruminal bacteria to antimicrobial feed additives

Susceptibility and resistance of ruminal bacterial species to avoparcin, narasin, salinomycin, thiopeptin, tylosin, virginiamycin, and two new ionophore antibiotics, RO22-6924/004 and RO21-6447/009, were determined. Generally, antimicrobial compounds were inhibitory to gram-positive bacteria and those bacteria that have gram-positive-like cell wall structure. MICs ranged from 0.09 to 24.0 micrograms/ml. Gram-negative bacteria were resistant at the highest concentration tested (48.0 micrograms/ml). On the basis of their fermentation products, ruminal bacteria that produce lactic acid, butyric acid, formic acid, or hydrogen were susceptible and bacteria that produce succinic acid or ferment lactic acid were resistant to the antimicrobial compounds. Selenomonas ruminantium was the only major lactic acid-producing bacteria resistant to all the antimicrobial compounds tested. Avoparcin and tylosin appeared to be less inhibitory (MIC greater than 6.0 micrograms/ml) than the other compounds to the two major lactic acid-producing bacteria, Streptococcus bovis and Lactobacillus sp. Ionophore compounds seemed to be more inhibitory (MIC, 0.09 to 1.50 micrograms/ml) than nonionophore compounds (MIC, 0.75 to 12.0 micrograms/ml) to the major butyric acid-producing bacteria. Treponema bryantii, an anaerobic rumen spirochete, was less sensitive to virginiamycin than to the other antimicrobial compounds. Ionophore compounds were generally bacteriostatic, and nonionophore compounds were bactericidal. The specific growth rate of Bacteroides ruminicola was reduced by all the antimicrobial compounds except avoparcin. The antibacterial spectra of the feed additives were remarkably similar, and it appears that MICs may not be good indicators of the potency of the compounds in altering ruminal fermentation characteristics.     

Morphological and Molecular Variation of Morus laevigata in India

Morus spp., commonly known as mulberry, is significantly associated with human civilization and spread of silk-culture from Asia to Europe, Africa and Latin America. One of its species, Morus laevigata, traditionally well known for its timber value, forage use and silkworm's feed, is widely distributed in India extending from Himalayan foothill to Andaman islands. The variability occurring for 12 morpho-biochemical parameters and RAPD profiles, generated with 13 selected RAPD primers, for M. laevigata accessions from six different zones were investigated. Analyses revealed high degree of genotypic similarity of collection from Himalayan foothill (West Bengal) with those from Andaman Islands. Specific accessions from central India and south India also revealed genotypic similarities with specific accessions from north-east India. These observations are discussed in the context of clonal propagation of mulberry and evolutionary perspective of dispersal of this species, through human activities     

Estimation of nuclear DNA content of various bamboo and rattan species

We determined the nuclear DNA content (genome size) of over 35 accessions each of bamboo and rattan species from Southeast Asia. The 2C DNA per nucleus was quantified by flow cytometry. The fluorescence of nuclei isolated from the leaves and stained with propidium iodide was measured. The genome size of the bamboo species examined was between 2.5 and 5.9 pg DNA per 2C nucleus. The genome size of the rattan species examined ranged from 1.8 to 10.5 pg DNA per 2C nucleus. This information will be useful for scientists working in diverse areas of plant biology such as biotechnology, biodiversity, genome analysis, plant breeding, physiology and molecular biology. Such data may be utilized to attempt to correlate the genome size with the ploidy status of bamboo species in cases where ploidy status has been reported.     

Effect of GABAergic substances on firing rate and thermal coefficient of hypothalamic neurons in the juvenile chicken

The goal of the study is to investigate the GABAergic action on firing rate (FR) and temperature coefficient (TC) on hypothalamic neurons in the juvenile chicken. Extracellular recordings were obtained from 37 warm-sensitive, 32 cold-sensitive and 56 temperature-insensitive neurons in brain slices to determine the effect of GABA(A)-receptor agonist muscimol, GABA(A)-receptor antagonist bicuculline, GABA(B)-receptor agonist baclofen and GABA(B)-receptor antagonist CGP 35348. Muscimol and baclofen in equimolar concentrations (1 microM) significantly inhibited FR of the neurons, regardless of their type of thermosensitivity. In contrast, bicuculline, as well as CGP 35348 (10 microM) increased FR of the majority of the neurons. The TC of most chick hypothalamic neurons could not be estimated during muscimol application because FR was completely inhibited. GABA(B)-receptor agonist specifically increased TC. This effect was restricted to cold-sensitive neurons, which were determined in a high number. The TC was significantly increased (p<0.05) by baclofen and significantly decreased (p<0.05) by CGP 35348. The effects of muscimol and baclofen on FR and TC were prevented by co-perfusion of the appropriate antagonists bicuculline and CGP 35348. The results suggest that the fundamental mechanisms of GABAergic influence on temperature sensitive and insensitive neurons in the chicken PO/AH are conserved during evolution of amniotes.     

Analysis of DNA curvature distribution in mycobacterial promoters using theoretical models

In this paper, 125 different mycobacterial promoters are analyzed for their DNA curvature distribution using several di- and tri-nucleotide dependent models of DNA curvature. Different models give similar behavior and therefore qualitative validation of the results. Mycobacterial promoters resembling the E. coli sigma(70) type have almost 81% (85%) sequences having medium and high curvature profiles using dinucleotide-dependent models. Non-E. coli sigma(70) type mycobacterial promoters have comparatively higher percent of low curvature profiles. Very few extended -10 promoters have low curvature profiles. Mycobacterial promoters having A(n)T(m) (n+m > or =3) tract in the upstream region of -35 box and repeated in phase with each other have high curvature profiles. M. smegmatis promoters have high curvature profiles compared to M. tuberculosis promoters.     

Endothelial Ca2+ wavelets and the induction of myoendothelial feedback

When arteries constrict to agonists, the endothelium inversely responds, attenuating the initial vasomotor response. The basis of this feedback mechanism remains uncertain, although past studies suggest a key role for myoendothelial communication in the signaling process. The present study examined whether second messenger flux through myoendothelial gap junctions initiates a negative-feedback response in hamster retractor muscle feed arteries. We specifically hypothesized that when agonists elicit depolarization and a rise in second messenger concentration, inositol trisphosphate (IP(3)) flux activates a discrete pool of IP(3) receptors (IP(3)Rs), elicits localized endothelial Ca(2+) transients, and activates downstream effectors to moderate constriction. With use of integrated experimental techniques, this study provided three sets of supporting observations. Beginning at the functional level, we showed that blocking intermediate-conductance Ca(2+)-activated K(+) channels (IK) and Ca(2+) mobilization from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) enhanced the contractile/electrical responsiveness of feed arteries to phenylephrine. Next, structural analysis confirmed that endothelial projections make contact with the overlying smooth muscle. These projections retained membranous ER networks, and IP(3)Rs and IK channels localized in or near this structure. Finally, Ca(2+) imaging revealed that phenylephrine induced discrete endothelial Ca(2+) events through IP(3)R activation. These events were termed recruitable Ca(2+) wavelets on the basis of their spatiotemporal characteristics. From these findings, we conclude that IP(3) flux across myoendothelial gap junctions is sufficient to induce focal Ca(2+) release from IP(3)Rs and activate a discrete pool of IK channels within or near endothelial projections. The resulting hyperpolarization feeds back on smooth muscle to moderate agonist-induced depolarization and constriction.     

Identification of selenosugars and other low-molecular weight selenium metabolites in high-selenium cereal crops

Several novel selenium containing compounds were characterized in staple crops (wheat, rice and maize) grown on soils naturally rich in selenium. A dedicated method based on the coupling of liquid chromatography with multiplexed detection (ICP-MS, ESI-Orbitrap MS(/MS)) was developed for the speciation of low-molecular weight (<5 kDa) selenium metabolites. Nine species present in different proportions as a function of the crop type were identified by cation-exchange HPLC-ESI-Orbitrap MS on the basis of the accurate molecular mass and MS/MS spectra. The natural origin of these species was then validated by varying extraction conditions and by using hydrophilic interaction LC (HILIC)-ESI-Orbitrap MS(/MS). Among the identified compounds, Se-containing monosaccharides (hexose moiety, m/z 317 and m/z 358) or Se-containing disaccharides (hexose-pentose moiety, m/z 407 and m/z 408) were the first selenosugars reported in edible plants. It is also the first report of the presence of 2,3-dihydroxypropionyl-selenolanthionine (m/z 345) in rice. Because these crops can be an important source of selenium in animal and human nutrition, the understanding of the origin and the fate of these species during metabolic processes will be of great interest.