Effects of Dietary Supplementation with Hainanmycin on Protein Degradation and Populations of Ammonia-producing Bacteria In vitro

Wang, Z.B.,Xin, H.S.,Wang, M.J.,Li, Z.Y.,Qu, Y.L.,Miao, S.J.,Zhang, Y.G. Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2013 Animal Bioscience Vol.26 No.5

An in vitro fermentation was conducted to determine the effects of hainanmycin on protein degradation and populations of ammonia-producing bacteria. The substrates (DM basis) for in vitro fermentation consisted of alfalfa hay (31.7%), Chinese wild rye grass hay (28.3%), ground corn grain (24.5%), soybean meal (15.5%) with a forage: concentrate of 60:40. Treatments were the control (no additive) and hainanmycin supplemented at 0.1 (H0.1), 1 (H1), 10 (H10), and 100 mg/kg (H100) of the substrates. After 24 h of fermentation, the highest addition level of hainanmycin decreased total VFA concentration and increased the final pH. The high addition level of hainanmycin (H1, H10, and H100) reduced (p<0.05) branched-chain VFA concentration, the molar proportion of acetate and butyrate, and ratio of acetate to propionate; and increased the molar proportion of propionate, except that for H1 the in molar proportion of acetate and isobutyrate was not changed (p>0.05). After 24 h of fermentation, H10 and H100 increased (p<0.05) concentrations of peptide nitrogen and AA nitrogen and proteinase activity, and decreased (p<0.05) $NH_3$-N concentration and deaminase activity compared with control. Peptidase activitives were not affected by hainanmycin. Hainanmycin supplementation only inhibited the growth of Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens, which is one of the species of low deaminative activity. Hainanmycin supplementation also decreased (p<0.05) relative population sizes of hyper-ammonia-producing species, except for H0.1 on Clostridium aminophilum. It was concluded that dietary supplementation with hainanmycin could improve ruminal fermentation and modify protein degradation by changing population size of ammonia-producing bacteria in vitro; and the addition level of 10 mg/kg appeared to achieve the best results.

Quantifying herbicide dose-response and resistance in <i>Echinochloa</i> spp. by measuring root length in growth pouches

Zhang, C. J.,Lim, S. H.,Kim, J. W.,Song, J. S.,Yook, M. J.,Nah, G.,Valverde, B. E.,Kim, D. S. Canadian Science Publishing 2015 Canadian journal of plant science. Revue canadienn Vol.95 No.6

<P> Zhang, C. J., Lim, S. H., Kim, J. W., Song, J. S., Yook, M. J., Nah, G., Valverde, N. E. and Kim, D. S. 2015. Quantifying herbicide dose-response and resistance in Echinochloa spp. by measuring root length in growth pouches. Can. J. Plant Sci. 95: 1181-1192. The aim of the presented study was to develop a bioassay for rapid diagnosis of herbicide dose-response and resistance in Echinochloa. Pre-germinated seeds of Echinochloa spp. were incubated in growth pouches (18 cm×16.5 cm) containing herbicide solutions in a range of concentrations. Shoot and root lengths were measured after 6 d of incubation. Dose-responses estimated by measuring root lengths in the growth pouches were well-described by the log-logistic dose-response model and similar to those estimated by a whole-plant assay. Accurate dose-response curves were successfully generated for several herbicides with different modes of action, suggesting that the growth pouch method can be used for herbicide bioassays. The suitability of the growth pouch method for rapid diagnosis of acetyl coenzyme-A carboxylase (ACCase) and acetolactate synthase (ALS) inhibitor resistance in Echinochloa spp. was also tested. For cyhalofop-butyl, resistant and susceptible biotypes were discriminated at 180-300 mg a.i. L<SUP>−1</SUP> and 80-120 mg a.i. L<SUP>−1</SUP> for barnyardgrass (E. crus-galli) and late watergrass (E. oryzicola), respectively. For penoxsulam, the discriminatory dosage was 350-500 mg a.i. L<SUP>−1</SUP> for barnyardgrass and 650-1000 mg a.i. L<SUP>−1</SUP> for late watergrass. The method was further used to identify late watergrass biotypes resistant and susceptible to two other ALS inhibitors, azimsulfuron and bispyribac-sodium. Our results show that the growth pouch method can be reliably used in herbicide dose-response studies and to diagnose herbicide resistance in Echinochloa spp., with significant time and cost savings compared with conventional whole-plant assays. </P>

Cloning and characterization of a thermostable H₂O-forming NADH oxidase from Lactobacillus rhamnosus

Zhang, Y.W.,Tiwari, M.K.,Gao, H.,Dhiman, S.S.,Jeya, M.,Lee, J.K. IPC Science and Technology Press ; Elsevier Scienc 2012 Enzyme and microbial technology Vol.50 No.4

NADH oxidase (Nox) catalyzes the conversion of NADH to NAD<SUP>+</SUP>. A previously uncharacterized Nox gene (LrNox) was cloned from Lactobacillus rhamnosus and overexpressed in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3). Sequence analysis revealed an open reading frame of 1359bp, capable of encoding a polypeptide of 453 amino acid residues. The molecular mass of the purified LrNox enzyme was estimated to be ∼50kDa by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and 100kDa by gel filtration chromatography, suggesting that the enzyme is a homodimer. The enzyme had optimal activity at pH 5.6 and temperature 65<SUP>o</SUP>C, and k<SUB>cat</SUB>/K<SUB>m</SUB> of 3.77x10<SUP>7</SUP>s<SUP>-1</SUP>M<SUP>-1</SUP>, the highest ever reported. Heat inactivation studies revealed that LrNox had high thermostability, with a half-life of 120min at 80<SUP>o</SUP>C. Molecular dynamics simulation studies shed light on the factors contributing to the high activity of LrNox. Although the properties of Nox from several microorganisms have been reported, this is the first report on the characterization of a recombinant H<SUB>2</SUB>O-forming Nox with high activity and thermostability. The characteristics of the LrNox enzyme could prove to be of interest in industrial applications such as NAD<SUP>+</SUP> regeneration.

HT-2 toxin affects development of porcine parthenotes by altering DNA and histone methylation in oocytes matured in vitro

Zhang, Y.,Jia, R.X.,Pan, M.H.,Lu, Y.,Cui, X.S.,Kim, N.H.,Sun, S.C. Butterworths, etc 2017 Theriogenology Vol. No.

T-2 toxin is a type A mycotoxin produced by various Fusarium species, while HT-2 toxin is a major metabolite of T-2 toxin. Both T-2 toxin and HT-2 toxin are known to have deleterious effects on animals. Our previous work showed that HT-2 treatment caused the failure of porcine oocyte maturation. In this study, we reported that HT-2 also affected porcine embryo development. In HT-2 toxin treated group, all the percentages of embryos in 2-cell, 4-cell and blastocyst stage were significantly lower compared with those in control groups. We then explored the causes from the epigenetic modification aspect of the oocytes. The analysis of fluorescence intensity showed that 5-methyl cytosine (5 mC) level was increased after exposure to HT-2 toxin in porcine oocytes, indicating that the general DNA methylation level increased in the treated porcine oocytes. In addition, histone modifications were also affected, since our results showed that H3K4me2 and H3K9me2 levels were increased in the oocytes from HT-2-treated group. Therefore, our results indicated that HT-2 toxin decreased porcine embryo developmental competence through altering the epigenetic modifications of oocytes.

Association between PCR-RFLP Polymorphism of the Fifth Intron in Lipoprotein Lipase Gene and Productive Traits in Pig Resource Family

Zhang, B.Z.,Lei, M.G.,Deng, C.Y.,Xiong, Y.H.,Zuo, B.,Li, F.E. Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2005 Animal Bioscience Vol.18 No.4

The study was aimed at detecting polymorphism of the fifth intron in lipoprotein lipase (LPL) gene and analyzing association between the polymorphism and productive traits. A pair of primers was designed for amplifying the fifth intron. Sequence analysis indicated that a G1171C substitution existed in Large White breed. The mutation was detected by PCR-AfaI-RFLP. Polymorphism analysis in a pig resource family showed that there existed significant effects on carcass and meat quality traits. Thoraxwaist fat thickness of BB genotype was significantly higher (14.2%, p<0.05) than that of AA on carcass traits, while BB genotype was significantly lower (3.6% p<0.01, 4.1% p<0.01; 2.3% p<0.01, 1.9% p<0.01; 1.8% p<0.01, 1.4% p<0.05) than AA and AB genotype in pH of m. Longissimus Dorsi (LD), m. Biceps Femoris (BF), m. Semipinali Capitis (SC). The allelic frequencies were also significantly different between indigenous Chinese breeds and exotic breeds. Data analyzed revealed that the mutation locus affected production traits mostly by additive effects. Based on these results, it is necessary to do more studies on LPL gene before making the LPL locus into the application of marker-assisted selection (MAS) programs.

Finite-time H_~ static output control of Markov jump systems with an auxiliary approach

Shen, M.,Yan, S.,Zhang, G.,Park, J.H. Elsevier [etc.] 2016 Applied Mathematics and Computation Vol.273 No.-

<P>This paper considers the finite time H-infinity static output feedback control of Markov jump systems. With the help of introducing two new variables related to the original system state and output, sufficient conditions for the closed loop system to be stochastic finite time boundedness with the prescribed H-infinity performance level are proposed in terms of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). Meanwhile, the static output control gains are solved explicitly by the proposed conditions. It is shown that the proposed method is less or at least the same conservative than the existing result. Lastly, a numerical example is given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.</P>

Charge transfer bands of Mo-O and photoluminescence properties of micro-material Y₂MoO₆:Eu³⁺ red phosphor

Wang, M.,Zhang, H.,Li, L.,Liu, X.,Hong, F.,Li, R.,Song, H.,Gui, M.,Shen, J.,Zhu, W.,Wang, J.,Zhou, L.,Jeong, J.H. Elsevier Sequoia 2014 JOURNAL OF ALLOYS AND COMPOUNDS Vol.585 No.-

Eu<SUP>3+</SUP> activated micrometer Y<SUB>2</SUB>MoO<SUB>6</SUB> phosphors with strong red emission bands, under a broad-band excitation wavelength range of 340-400nm, have been prepared by solid-state reaction and sol-gel technique. The photoluminescence indicates that the materials exhibit a characteristic red emission peak of Eu<SUP>3+</SUP> ions at 612nm. Compared with the material obtained by sol-gel method, the Y<SUB>2</SUB>MoO<SUB>6</SUB>:Eu prepared using solid state method showed much stronger red emission under the n-UV excitation. The broad excitation bands are assigned to charge transfer (CT) bands originating from the ligands (O) to the central ions Mo<SUP>6+</SUP>. About 12nm shift of excitation bands in Y<SUB>2</SUB>MoO<SUB>6</SUB>:Eu was found. With a decrease of the crystalline size, the excitation bands of O-Mo CT shift to the short wavelength. The origin of CT shift in macromaterial Y<SUB>2</SUB>MoO<SUB>6</SUB>:Eu was investigated quantitatively from the chemical bond viewpoint. All constituent chemical bonds in the crystal with or without oxygen vacancy were considered. The changes of average energy gap of the chemical bond Mo-O and the environmental factor (h<SUB>e</SUB>) surrounding Mo<SUP>6+</SUP> ions in the crystals were discussed quantitatively. Calculated results from two different methods analysis specifications showed that the origin of CT blue-shifts mainly come from the vacancies of O6 sites within the crystals.

Taxonomy of fungal complex causing red-skin root of Panax ginseng in China

Xiao H. Lu,Xi M. Zhang,Xiao L. Jiao,Jianjun J. Hao,Xue S. Zhang,Yi Luo,Wei W. Gao 고려인삼학회 2020 Journal of Ginseng Research Vol.44 No.3

Background: Red-skin root of Asian ginseng (Panax ginseng) significantly reduces the quality and limits theproduction of ginseng in China. The disease has long been thought to be a noninfectious physiologicaldisease, except one report that proved itwas an infectious disease. However, the causal agents have not beensuccessfully determined. In the present study, we were to reveal the pathogens that cause red-skin disease. Methods: Ginseng roots with red-skin root symptoms were collected from commercial fields in NortheastChina. Fungi were isolated from the lesion and identified based on morphological characters alongwith multilocus sequence analyses on internal transcription spacer, b-tubulin (tub2), histone H3 (his3),and translation elongation factor 1a (tef-1a). Pathogens were confirmed by inoculating the isolates inginseng roots. Results: A total of 230 isolates were obtained from 209 disease samples. These isolates were classifiedinto 12 species, including Dactylonectria sp., D. hordeicola, Fusarium acuminatum, F. avenaceum, F. solani,F. torulosum, Ilyonectria mors-panacis, I. robusta, Rhexocercosporidium panacis, and three novel speciesI. changbaiensis, I. communis, and I. qitaiheensis. Among them, I. communis, I. robusta, and F. solani had thehighest isolation frequencies, being 36.1%, 20.9%, and 23.9%, respectively. All these species isolated werepathogenic to ginseng roots and caused red-skin root disease under appropriate condition. Conclusion: Fungal complex is the causal agent of red-skin root in P. ginseng.

Sensitivity of surface characteristics on the simulation of wind-blown-dust source in North America

Park, S.H.,Gong, S.L.,Gong, W.,Makar, P.A.,Moran, M.D.,Stroud, C.A.,Zhang, J. Pergamon Press ; Elsevier [distribution] 2009 Atmospheric environment Vol.43 No.19

Recently, a wind-blown-dust-emission module has been built based on a state-of-the-art wind erosion theory and evaluated in a regional air-quality model to simulate a North American dust storm episode in April 2001 (see Park, S.H., Gong, S.L., Zhao, T.L., Vet, R.J., Bouchet, V.S., Gong, W., Makar, P.A., Moran, M.D., Stroud, C., Zhang, J. 2007. Simulation of entrainment and transport of dust particles within North America in April 2001 (''Red Dust episode''). J. Geophys. Res. 112, D20209, doi:10.1029/2007JD008443). A satisfactorily detailed assessment of that module, however, was not possible because of a lack of information on some module inputs, especially soil moisture content. In this paper, the wind-blown-dust emission was evaluated for two additional dust storms using improved soil moisture inputs. The surface characteristics of the wind-blown-dust source areas in southwestern North America were also investigated, focusing on their implications for wind-blown-dust emissions. The improved soil moisture inputs enabled the sensitivity of other important surface characteristics, the soil grain size distribution and the land-cover, to dust emission to be investigated with more confidence. Simulations of the two 2003 dust storm episodes suggested that wind-blown-dust emissions from the desert areas in southwestern North America are dominated by emissions from dry playas covered with accumulated alluvial deposits whose particle size is much smaller than usual desert sands. As well, the source areas in the northwestern Texas region were indicated to be not desert but rather agricultural lands that were ''activated'' as a wind-blown-dust sources after harvest. This finding calls for revisions to the current wind-blown-dust-emission module, in which ''desert'' is designated to be the only land-cover category that can emit wind-blown dust.

Taxonomy of fungal complex causing red-skin root of Panax ginseng in China

Lu, Xiao H.,Zhang, Xi M.,Jiao, Xiao L.,Hao, Jianjun J.,Zhang, Xue S.,Luo, Yi,Gao, Wei W. The Korean Society of Ginseng 2020 Journal of Ginseng Research Vol.44 No.3

Background: Red-skin root of Asian ginseng (Panax ginseng) significantly reduces the quality and limits the production of ginseng in China. The disease has long been thought to be a noninfectious physiological disease, except one report that proved it was an infectious disease. However, the causal agents have not been successfully determined. In the present study, we were to reveal the pathogens that cause red-skin disease. Methods: Ginseng roots with red-skin root symptoms were collected from commercial fields in Northeast China. Fungi were isolated from the lesion and identified based on morphological characters along with multilocus sequence analyses on internal transcription spacer, β-tubulin (tub2), histone H3 (his3), and translation elongation factor 1α (tef-1α). Pathogens were confirmed by inoculating the isolates in ginseng roots. Results: A total of 230 isolates were obtained from 209 disease samples. These isolates were classified into 12 species, including Dactylonectria sp., D. hordeicola, Fusarium acuminatum, F. avenaceum, F. solani, F. torulosum, Ilyonectria mors-panacis, I. robusta, Rhexocercosporidium panacis, and three novel species I. changbaiensis, I. communis, and I. qitaiheensis. Among them, I. communis, I. robusta, and F. solani had the highest isolation frequencies, being 36.1%, 20.9%, and 23.9%, respectively. All these species isolated were pathogenic to ginseng roots and caused red-skin root disease under appropriate condition. Conclusion: Fungal complex is the causal agent of red-skin root in P. ginseng.