Effects of Addition Level and Chemical Type of Propionate Precursors in Dicarboxylic Acid Pathway on Fermentation Characteristics and Methane Production by Rumen Microbes In vitro

Li, X.Z.,Yan, C.G.,Choi, S.H.,Long, R.J.,Jin, G.L.,Song, Man K. Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2009 Animal Bioscience Vol.22 No.1

Two in vitro experiments were conducted to examine the effects of propionate precursors in the dicarboxylic acid pathway on ruminal fermentatation characteristics, $CH_4$ production and degradation of feed by rumen microbes. Fumarate or malate as sodium salts (Exp. 1) or acid type (Exp. 2) were added to the culture solution (150 ml, 50% strained rumen fluid and 50% artificial saliva) to achieve final concentrations of 0, 8, 16 and 24 mM, and incubated anaerobically for 0, 1, 3, 6, 9 and 12 h at $39^{\circ}C$. For both experiments, two grams of feed consisting of 70% concentrate and 30% ground alfalfa (DM basis) were prepared in a nylon bag, and were placed in a bottle containing the culture solution. Addition of fumarate or malate in both sodium salt and acid form increased (p<0.0001) pH of culture solution at 3, 6, 9 and 12 h incubations. The pH (p<0.0001) and total volatile fatty acids (VFA, p<0.05) were enhanced by these precursors as sodium salt at 3, 6 and 9 h incubations, and pH (p<0.001) and total VFA (p<0.01) from fumarate or malate in acid form were enhanced at a late stage of fermentation (9 h and 12 h) as the addition level increased. pH was higher (p<0.001) for fumarate than for malate as sodium salt at 3 h and 6 h incubations. Propionate ($C_3$) proportion was increased (p<0.0001) but those of $C_2$ (p<0.05) and $C_4$ (p<0.01 - p<0.001) were reduced by the addition of sodium salt precursors from 3 h to 12 incubation times while both precursors in acid form enhanced (p<0.011 - p<0.0001) proportion of $C_3$ from 6h but reduced (p<0.018 - p<0.0005) $C_4$ proportion at incubation times of 1, 3, 9 and 12 h. Proportion of $C_3$ was increased (p<0.05 - p<0.0001) at all incubation times by both precursors as sodium salt while that of $C_3$ was increased (p<0.001) from 6h but $C_4$ proportion was decreased by both precursors in acid form as the addition level increased. Proportion of $C_3$ was higher (p<0.01 - p<0.001) for fumarate than malate as sodium salt from 6 h incubation but was higher for malate than fumarate in acid form at 9 h (p<0.05) and 12 h (p<0.01) incubation times. Increased levels (16 and 24 mM) of fumarate or malate as sodium salt (p<0.017) and both precursors in acid form (p<0.028) increased the total gas production, but no differences were found between precursors in both chemical types. Propionate precursors in both chemical types clearly reduced (p<0.0001 - p<0.0002) $CH_4$ production, and the reduction (p<0.001 - p<0.0001) was dose dependent as the addition level of precursors increased. The $CH_4$ generated was smaller (p<0.01 - p<0.0001) for fumarate than for malate in both chemical types. Addition of fumarate or malate as sodium type reduced (p<0.004) dry matter degradation while both precursors in both chemical types slightly increased neutral detergent fiber degradability of feed in the nylon bag.

Mucosally administered Lactobacillus surface-displayed influenza antigens (sM2 and HA2) with cholera toxin subunit A1 (CTA1) Induce broadly protective immune responses against divergent influenza subtypes

Li, R.,Chowdhury, M.Y.E.,Kim, J.H.,Kim, T.H.,Pathinayake, P.,Koo, W.S.,Park, M.E.,Yoon, J.E.,Roh, J.B.,Hong, S.P.,Sung, M.H.,Lee, J.S.,Kim, C.J. Elsevier Scientific Pub. Co 2015 Veterinary microbiology Vol.179 No.3

The development of a universal influenza vaccine that provides broad cross protection against existing and unforeseen influenza viruses is a critical challenge. In this study, we constructed and expressed conserved sM2 and HA2 influenza antigens with cholera toxin subunit A1 (CTA1) on the surface of Lactobacillus casei (pgsA-CTA1sM2HA2/L. casei). Oral and nasal administrations of recombinant L. casei into mice resulted in high levels of serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) and their isotypes (IgG1 & IgG2a) as well as mucosal IgA. The mucosal administration of pgsA-CTA1sM2HA2/L. casei may also significantly increase the levels of sM2- or HA2-specific cell-mediated immunity because increased release of both IFN-γ and IL-4 was observed. The recombinant pgsA-CTA1sM2HA2/L. casei provided better protection of BALB/c mice against 10 times the 50% mouse lethal doses (MLD<SUB>50</SUB>) of homologous A/EM/Korea/W149/06(H5N1) or A/Aquatic bird/Korea/W8½005 (H5N2) and heterologous A/Puerto Rico/8/34(H1N1), or A/Chicken/Korea/116/2004(H9N2) or A/Philippines/2/08(H3N2) viruses, compared with L. casei harboring sM2HA2 and also the protection was maintained up to seven months after administration. These results indicate that recombinant L. casei expressing the highly conserved sM2, HA2 of influenza and CTA1 as a mucosal adjuvant could be a potential mucosal vaccine candidate or tool to protect against divergent influenza viruses for human and animal.

PHF2 histone demethylase acts as a tumor suppressor in association with p53 in cancer

Lee, K-H,Park, J-W,Sung, H-S,Choi, Y-J,Kim, W H,Lee, H S,Chung, H-J,Shin, H-W,Cho, C-H,Kim, T-Y,Li, S-H,Youn, H-D,Kim, S J,Chun, Y-S Macmillan Publishers Limited 2015 Oncogene Vol.34 No.22

Plant homeodomain finger 2 (PHF2) has a role in epigenetic regulation of gene expression by demethylating H3K9-Me2. Several genome-wide studies have demonstrated that the chromosomal region including the PHF2 gene is often deleted in some cancers including colorectal cancer, and this finding encouraged us to investigate the tumor suppressive role of PHF2. As p53 is a critical tumor suppressor in colon cancer, we tested the possibility that PHF2 is an epigenetic regulator of p53. PHF2 was associated with p53, and thereby, promoted p53-driven gene expression in cancer cells under genotoxic stress. PHF2 converted the chromatin that is favorable for transcription by demethylating the repressive H3K9-Me2 mark. In an HCT116 xenograft model, PHF2 was found to be required for the anticancer effects of oxaliplatin and doxorubicin. In PHF2-deficient xenografts, p53 expression was profoundly induced by both drugs, but its downstream product p21 was not, suggesting that p53 cannot be activated in the absence of PHF2. To find clinical evidence about the role of PHF2, we analyzed the expressions of PHF2, p53 and p21 in human colon cancer tissues and adjacent normal tissues from patients. PHF2 was downregulated in cancer tissues and PHF2 correlated with p21 in cancers expressing functional p53. Colon and stomach cancer tissue arrays showed a positive correlation between PHF2 and p21 expressions. Informatics analyses using the Oncomine database also supported our notion that PHF2 is downregulated in colon and stomach cancers. On the basis of these findings, we propose that PHF2 acts as a tumor suppressor in association with p53 in cancer development and ensures p53-mediated cell death in response to chemotherapy.

Conjugated Linoleic Acid in Rumen Fluid and Milk Fat, and Methane Emission of Lactating Goats Fed a Soybean Oil-based Diet Supplemented with Sodium Bicarbonate and Monensin

Li, X.Z.,Yan, C.G.,Long, R.J.,Jin, G.L.,Shine Khuu, J.,Ji, B.J.,Choi, S.H.,Lee, H.G.,Song, Man K. Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2009 Animal Bioscience Vol.22 No.11

A metabolic study was conducted with four ruminally-cannulated lactating goats (Saanen, 29 weeks lactation, 65${\pm}$5 kg) in a 4${\times}$4 Latin square design with 4 dietary treatments. The goats were fed a basal mixed diet consisting of 80% concentrate and 20% chopped rye grass hay (DM basis, CON). The goats were also fed the CON diet supplemented with soybean oil at a 5% level of the concentrate (SO), the SO diet supplemented with 0.5% of sodium bicarbonate (SO-B) or the SO-B diet supplemented with 30 ppm monensin (SO-BM). The goats were housed in individual pen and the study was conducted for 8 weeks. An increased molar proportion of propionate (C3) was observed at 1 h (p<0.003) and 6 h (p<0.029) post-feeding from all the supplemented diets. Calculated methane emission was markedly decreased prior to morning feeding (p<0.01), and at 1 h (p<0.05) and 6 h post-feeding (p<0.05) in goats fed the supplemented diets. All the supplements increased (p<0.0001) cis9, trans11-CLA content in rumen fluid. Concentrations of both cis9, trans11-CLA (p<0.0001) and trans10, cis12-CLA (p<0.026) were also increased in the milk fat of lactating goats fed the supplemented diets. The SO-B and SO-BM diets further increased CLA content in goat milk compared to the SO diet. All supplements increased unsaturated (UFA, p<0.002), monounsaturated (MUFA, p<0.002) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (p<0.014) and reduced SFA to UFA ratio (p<0.023). The concentration of MUFA was even greater (p<0.002) for SO-BM than for the SO-B diet. In conclusion, feeding soybean oil (5% of concentrate) to lactating goats was a useful way to improve milk fat and to improve fatty acid profile in the milk by increasing potentially healthy fatty acids such as CLA. Supplementation of sodium bicarbonate or sodium bicarbonate with monensin to the soybean oil-based diet increased CLA content further in goat milk. Supplementation of soybean oil may be an effective method to reduce methane emission in lactating goats.

c-Cbl-Mediated Neddylation Antagonizes Ubiquitination and Degradation of the TGF-β Type II Receptor

Zuo, W.,Huang, F.,Chiang, Y.,Li, M.,Du, J.,Ding, Y.,Zhang, T.,Lee, H.,Jeong, L.,Chen, Y.,Deng, H.,Feng, X.H.,Luo, S.,Gao, C.,Chen, Y.G. Cell Press 2013 Molecular cell Vol.49 No.3

Transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) is a potent antiproliferative factor in multiple types of cells. Deregulation of TGF-β signaling is associated with the development of many cancers, including leukemia, though the molecular mechanisms are largely unclear. Here, we show that Casitas B-lineage lymphoma (c-Cbl), a known proto-oncogene encoding an ubiquitin E3 ligase, promotes TGF-β signaling by neddylating and stabilizing the type II receptor (TβRII). Knockout of c-Cbl decreases the TβRII protein level and desensitizes hematopoietic stem or progenitor cells to TGF-β stimulation, while c-Cbl overexpression stabilizes TβRII and sensitizes leukemia cells to TGF-β. c-Cbl conjugates neural precursor cell-expressed, developmentally downregulated 8 (NEDD8), a ubiquitin-like protein, to TβRII at Lys556 and Lys567. Neddylation of TβRII promotes its endocytosis to EEA1-positive early endosomes while preventing its endocytosis to caveolin-positive compartments, therefore inhibiting TβRII ubiquitination and degradation. We have also identified a neddylation-activity-defective c-Cbl mutation from leukemia patients, implying a link between aberrant TβRII neddylation and leukemia development.

Polymorphisms in the Promoter Region of the Chinese Bovine PPARGC1A Gene

Li, M.J.,Liu, M.,Liu, D.,Lan, X.Y.,Lei, C.Z.,Yang, D.Y.,Chen, H. Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2013 Animal Bioscience Vol.26 No.4

The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator-1 alpha protein, encoded by the PPARGC1A gene, plays an important role in energy homeostasis. The genetic variations within the PPARGC1A gene promoter region were scanned in 808 Chinese native bovines belonging to three cattle breeds and yaks. A total of 6 SNPs and one 4 bp insertion variation in the promoter region of the bovine PPARGC1A gene were identified: SNP -259 T>A, -301_-298insCTTT, -915 A>G, -1175 T>G, -1590 C>T, -1665 C>T and -1690 G>A, which are in the binding sites of some important transcription factors: sex-determining region Y (SRY), myeloid-specific zinc finger-1 (MZF-1) and octamer factor 1(Oct-1). It is expected that these polymorphisms may regulate PPARGC1A gene transcription and might have consequences at a regulatory level.

Preparation and characterization of glass-ceramics with α-cordierite as the main crystalline phase from bluestone tailings

C.H. Li,W. Zhao,J.L. Zhang,W. Lu,P. Li,B.J. Yan,H.W. Guo 한양대학교 세라믹연구소 2021 Journal of Ceramic Processing Research Vol.22 No.4

The bluestone tailings are quickly expanded in China with the continuous utilization and mining of bluestone resources. Theincremental recycling of bluestone tailings is important to solve the resources waste and environmental pollution. This studyaims to reuse the bluestone tailings as the main material to prepare α-cordierite glass-ceramics based on melting process. Theresults show that the nucleation temperature, crystallization peak temperature and the activation energy for crystallizationdecreased gradually with increasing the percentage of bluestone tailings. The complete preparation parameters of α-cordieriteglass-ceramics include a bluestone tailings percentage of 70%, a heating rate of 5 oC·min^-1, a crystallization duration of 1.5h, a crystallization temperature of 970 oC, a nucleation temperature of 830 oC, and a nucleation duration of 1.0 h. Theperformances analyses reveals that the α-cordierite glass-ceramics based on the optimized parameters exhibits high densityand Vickers hardness, low dielectric loss and water absorption, and strong chemical resistance.

Expression Analysis of the Mx Gene and Its Genome Structure in Chickens

Yin, C.G.,Du, L.X.,Li, S.G.,Zhao, G.P.,Zhang, J.,Wei, C.H.,Xu, L.Y.,Liu, T.,Li, H.B. Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2010 Animal Bioscience Vol.23 No.7

Among the known interferon-induced antiviral mechanisms, the Mx pathway is one of the most powerful pathways. The Mx protein has direct antiviral activity and inhibits a wide range of viruses by blocking an early stage of the viral replication cycle. Cloning, characterization, and expression of Mx in vivo and in vitro have been conducted. The chicken Mx gene spans 21 kb and is made up of 14 exons and 13 introns, of which the promoter region was analyzed. The real-time PCR results showed that Mx expression was increased in chicken embryo fibroblasts (CEF) after 12- and 24-h induction with polyI: C. Induction of Mx expression by poly I: C in vivo revealed tissue-specific patterns among the chicken tissues tested. A trace expression of Mx was detected in healthy chicken liver tissues from adult chickens without inducement; the expression levels in the liver, heart, and gizzard were higher than in the muscle and kidney. This is the first report to demonstrate the expression of a glutathione-S-transferase-tagged-Mx fusion protein of 75 KDa, as well as the biological activity tested by SDS-PAGE and western blotting.

ASCL2 Gene Expression Analysis and Its Association with Carcass Traits in Pigs

Cheng, H.C.,Zhang, F.W.,Deng, C.Y.,Jiang, C.D.,Xiong, Y.Z.,Li, F.E.,Lei, M.G. Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2007 Animal Bioscience Vol.20 No.10

Achaete-scute like 2 (ASCL2) gene encodes a member of the basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor which is essential for the maintenance of proliferating trophoblasts during placental development. ASCL2 gene preferentially expresses the maternal allele in the mouse. However, it escapes genomic imprinting in the human. In this study, the complete open reading frame consisting of 193 amino acids of ASCL2 gene was obtained. Sequence analysis indicated that a C-G mutation existed in the 3' region between Meishan and Large White pigs. The polymorphism was used to determine the monoallelic or biallelic expression with RT-PCR-RFLP in pigs of Large $White{\times}Meishan$ $F_1$ hybrids. Imprinting analysis indicated that the ASCL2 gene expression was biallelic in all the tested tissues (heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidney, stomach, small intestine, skeletal muscle, fat, uterus, ovary and pituitary). PCR-RFLP was used to detect the polymorphism in 270 pigs of the "$Large\;White{\times}Meishan$" $F_2$ resource population. The statistical results showed highly significant associations of the genotypes and fat meat percentage (FMP), lean meat percentage (LMP) and ratio of lean to fat (RLF) (p<0.01), and significant associations of the genotypes and loin eye area (LEA) and internal fat rate (IFR) (p<0.05).

Pseudonocardia endophytica sp. nov., isolated from the pharmaceutical plant Lobelia clavata

Chen, H.-H.,Qin, S.,Li, J.,Zhang, Y.-Q.,Xu, L.-H.,Jiang, C.-L.,Kim, C.-J.,Li, W.-J. Microbiology Society 2009 International journal of systematic and evolutiona Vol.59 No.3

<P>An endophytic actinomycete strain, designated YIM 56035(T), was isolated from the inner tissue of the traditional Chinese medicinal plant Lobelia clavata. The strain stained Gram-positive, was aerobic and exhibited branching, white aerial mycelium and yellowish-brown substrate mycelium. The strain formed spore chains on aerial hyphae. The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 70.3 mol%. On the basis of morphological, physiological, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic characteristics, strain YIM 56035(T) was assigned to the genus Pseudonocardia. Analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences showed 98.5, 97.3, 97.3 and 97.1 % similarity to the closely related type strains Pseudonocardia kongjuensis LM 157(T), Pseudonocardia autotrophica IMSNU 20050(T), Pseudonocardia ammonioxydans H9(T) and Pseudonocardia compacta IMSNU 20111(T), respectively. The results of DNA-DNA hybridizations and comparison of some phenotypic characteristics revealed that the strain represents a novel species of the genus Pseudonocardia. The name Pseudonocardia endophytica sp. nov. is proposed, with the type strain YIM 56035(T) (=DSM 44969(T) =CCTCC AA 206026(T) =KCTC 19150(T)).</P>