Fatty acid composition of muscle and heart tissue of Nile perch,Lates niloticus,and Nile tilapia,Oreochromis niloticus,from various populations in Lakes Victoria and Kioga,Uganda

The fatty acid composition in the heart tissue and muscle tissue of the Nile perch, Lates niloticus, and Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus populations from Lakes Kioga and Victoria was determined by methanolysis and gas chromatography of the resulting fatty acid methyl esters. The analytical data were treated by multivariate principal component analysis. The most abundant individual fatty acids were palmitic acid (16:0), stearic acid (18:0), oleic acid (18:1n9), vaccenic acid (18:1n7), arachidonic acid (20:4n6) and docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n3). Due to high levels of both n6 and n3 fatty acids, the ratios of n3 to n6 were between 1 and 2, typical for freshwater fish species. Two Lake Victoria and one Lake Kioga populations of Nile tilapia and Nile perch were distinguished by the fatty acid profiles in their heart and muscle tissue. The heart tissue showed better separation than muscle tissue, due to dominance of polar phospholipids. It is rationalised that genetics are more important than diet in determining the fatty acid composition of the tissues.     

Growth factor transgenes interactively regulate articular chondrocytes

Adult articular chondrocytes lack an effective repair response to correct damage from injury or osteoarthritis. Polypeptide growth factors that stimulate articular chondrocyte proliferation and cartilage matrix synthesis may augment this response. Gene transfer is a promising approach to delivering such factors. Multiple growth factor genes regulate these cell functions, but multiple growth factor gene transfer remains unexplored. We tested the hypothesis that multiple growth factor gene transfer selectively modulates articular chondrocyte proliferation and matrix synthesis. We tested the hypothesis by delivering combinations of the transgenes encoding insulin‐like growth factor I (IGF‐I), fibroblast growth factor‐2 (FGF‐2), transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF‐β1), bone morphogenetic protein‐2 (BMP‐2), and bone morphogenetic protien‐7 (BMP‐7) to articular chondrocytes and measured changes in the production of DNA, glycosaminoglycan, and collagen. The transgenes differentially regulated all these chondrocyte activities. In concert, the transgenes interacted to generate widely divergent responses from the cells. These interactions ranged from inhibitory to synergistic. The transgene pair encoding IGF‐I and FGF‐2 maximized cell proliferation. The three‐transgene group encoding IGF‐I, BMP‐2, and BMP‐7 maximized matrix production and also optimized the balance between cell proliferation and matrix production. These data demonstrate an approach to articular chondrocyte regulation that may be tailored to stimulate specific cell functions, and suggest that certain growth factor gene combinations have potential value for cell‐based articular cartilage repair. J. Cell. Biochem. 114: 908–919, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Platelet‐Rich Plasma Increases Growth and Motility of Adipose Tissue‐Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells and Controls Adipocyte Secretory Function

Adipose tissue‐derived mesenchymal stem cells (Ad‐MSC) and platelet derivatives have been used alone or in combination to achieve regeneration of injured tissues. We have tested the effect of platelet‐rich plasma (PRP) on Ad‐MSC and adipocyte function. PRP increased Ad‐MSC viability, proliferation rate and G1‐S cell cycle progression, by at least 7‐, 2‐, and 2.2‐fold, respectively, and reduced caspase 3 cleavage. Higher PRP concentrations or PRPs derived from individuals with higher platelet counts were more effective in increasing Ad‐MSC growth. PRP also accelerated cell migration by at least 1.5‐fold. However, PRP did not significantly affect mature adipocyte viability, differentiation and expression levels of PPAR‐γ and AP‐2 mRNAs, while it increased leptin production by 3.5‐fold. Interestingly, PRP treatment of mature adipocytes also enhanced the release of Interleukin (IL)‐6, IL‐8, IL‐10, Interferon‐γ, and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor. Thus, data are consistent with a stimulatory effect of platelet derivatives on Ad‐MSC growth and motility. Moreover, PRP did not reduce mature adipocyte survival and increased the release of pro‐angiogenic factors, which may facilitate tissue regeneration processes. © 2015 The Authors. Journal of Cellular Biochemistry Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Cell. Biochem. 116: 2408–2418, 2015. © 2015 The Authors. Journal of Cellular Biochemistry Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Expression of Six Proteins Causes Reprogramming of Porcine Fibroblasts Into Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells With Both Active X Chromosomes

In this study, we created porcine‐induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells with the expression of six reprogramming factors (Oct3/4, Klf4, Sox2, c‐Myc, Lin28, and Nanog). The resulting cells showed growth dependent on LIF (leukemia inhibitory factor) and expression of multiple stem cell markers. Furthermore, the iPS cells caused teratoma formation with three layers of differentiation and had both active X chromosomes (XaXa). Our iPS cells satisfied the both of important characteristics of stem cells: teratoma formation and activation of both X chromosomes. Injection of these iPS cells into morula stage embryos showed that these cells participate in the early stage of porcine embryogenesis. Furthermore, the RNA‐Seq analysis detected that expression levels of endogenous pluripotent related genes, NANOG, SOX2, ZFP42, OCT3/4, ESRRB, and ERAS were much higher in iPS with six factors than that with four reprogramming factors. We can conclude that the expression of six reprogramming factors enables the creation of porcine iPS cells, which is partially close to naive iPS state. J. Cell. Biochem. 118: 537–553, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Increased levels of plasma 8-EPI-PGF2α in patients with end stage renal failure

Summary

F₂-isoprostanes are a series of prostaglandin-F₂ like compounds specifically derived from peroxidation of arachidonic acid by a mechanism independent of the cyclooxygenase pathway. Of these, 8-epi PGF_2α is shown to be a potent vasoconstrictor. In this study, we have analysed plasma 8-epi PGF_2α as a marker of oxidative stress in patients with end stage renal failure (ESRF) undergoing haemodialysis (HD) or continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). Plasma F₂-isoprostanes were isolated by solid-phase extraction on a C₁₈ followed by an NH₂ cartridge. Quantitative analysis of the F₂-isoprostanes as pentafluorobenzyl (PFB) ester/trimethylsilyl (TMS) ether derivatives was carried out by gas chromatography-electron capture mass spectrometry. For 34 individuals with ESRF, the mean level of esterified 8-epi PGF_2α was 0.58 ± 0.22 M; range 0.21–1.16 nM. 8-epi PGF_2α concentration in the patient groups was markedly higher (P<0.0005 by separate variance t-test) than that of control subjects (n=15) 0.28 ± 0.17 nM; range 0.02–0.63 nM. There was no difference in levels of 8-epi PGF_2α in plasma from patients undergoing HD or CAPD, nor was there any association with age, plasma lipids or plasma creatinine. These data provide direct evidence of increased oxidative stress in individuals with ESRF. This marker should be useful in clinical studies examining the degree of oxidative stress in vivo and the therapeutic impact of antioxidants.     

Comparative analysis of the aquaculture potential of hybrid Tilapia zillii (male) × T. guineensis (female) (Teleostei: Cichlidae) in floating cages,cement tanks and earth ponds

The effect of three rearing systems, floating cages, cement tanks and earth ponds, on the growth rate, feeding efficiency and mortality rates of hybrid tilapia — Tilapia zillii (male) × T. guineensis (female) — was evaluated for 233 days. Fish of average weight 12.59g were stocked at a density of 20 fish m^?3 and were fed a 30% protein pelleted commercial feed. The pH, degree of aeration and transparency were monitored. The mortality rate, final mean weight, daily weight gain, and feed conversion ratios were significantly different among rearing systems. The highest potential was in earth ponds (2.86%, 171.70g, 0.74g d^?1, 5.42, respectively), the cages were of intermediate potential (7.50%, 137.22g, 0.57g d^?1, 7.70) and the lowest potential was in cement tanks (31.86%, 45.23g, 0.15g d^?1, 10.28). These differences could be linked to the relevant physical and chemical characteristics of the three different rearing systems.