Signal Transduction Mechanisms of Focal Adhesions: Src and FAK-Mediated Cell Response.

Cell-to-substrate adhesion sites, also known as focal adhesion sites (FAs), are complexes of different proteins on the cell surface. FAs play important roles in communication between cells and the extracellular matrix (ECM), leading to signal transduction involving different proteins that ultimately produce the cell response. This cell response involves cell adhesion, migration, motility, cell survival, and cell proliferation.

Focal Adhesion Kinase (FAK) and c-Src Dependent Signal Transduction in Cell Adhesion.

This review predominantly acquaints the role of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and cellular-Src (c-Src) in cell adhesion. Cell adhesion is a crucial phenomenon that causes the cells to interact with the extracellular matrix (ECM) or with each other. There are different proteins involved in cell adhesion including cell adhesion molecules (CAMs)/receptors that are present on the cell surface and various cytoplasmic proteins.

Effects of Mechanical Stress on Endothelial Cells In Situ and In Vitro.

Endothelial cells lining blood vessels are essential for maintaining vascular homeostasis and mediate several pathological and physiological processes. Mechanical stresses generated by blood flow and other biomechanical factors significantly affect endothelial cell activity. Here, we review how mechanical stresses, both in situ and in vitro, affect endothelial cells.

Recent Applications of Deconvolution Microscopy in Medicine.

Deconvolution microscopy is a computational image-processing technique used in conjunction with fluorescence microscopy to increase the resolution and contrast of three-dimensional images. Fluorescence microscopy is a widely used technique in biology and medicine that involves labeling specific molecules or structures within a sample with fluorescent dyes and then electronically photographing the sample through a microscope. However, the resolution of conventional fluorescence microscopy is limited by diffraction within the microscope's optical path, which causes blurring of the image and reduces the ability to resolve structures in close proximity with one another.

Effects of Electrical Stimulation of the Cell: Wound Healing, Cell Proliferation, Apoptosis, and Signal Transduction.

Electrical stimulation of the cell can have a number of different effects depending on the type of cell being stimulated. In general, electrical stimulation can cause the cell to become more active, increase its metabolism, and change its gene expression. For example, if the electrical stimulation is of low intensity and short duration, it may simply cause the cell to depolarize.

Effects of Electrical Stimulation on the Signal Transduction-Related Proteins, c-Src and Focal Adhesion Kinase, in Fibroblasts.

Electrical stimulation of the skin and muscles, e.g., in the fields of rehabilitation medicine and acupuncture, is known to locally increase blood flow and metabolism, and thus have beneficial health effects.

Validation of Brix refractometer to estimate immunoglobulin G concentration in goat colostrum.

Background And Aim: Immunoglobulin G (IgG) concentration is high in goat colostrum, particularly in the first few hours after parturition, and this is important for the kid's immunity and growth. IgG levels vary depending on several factors, including breed, disease status, colostrum management, handling, and collection time postpartum. A handheld optical refractometer, an affordable instrument that is simple to use in the field, is used widely in dairy farms to measure total solids.

Impact of insulin-like growth factor 1, immunoglobulin G and vitamin A in colostrum on growth of newborn Black Bengal goats and its crossbred.

The study aims to investigate the relationships between colostral concentrations of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), immunoglobulin G (IgG) and vitamin A (Vit A) and growth (body weight and average daily gain) in Black Bengal (BB) and its crossbred. The colostrum from dams (n = 16) was collected at parturition to measure the concentrations of IGF-1, IgG and Vit A. The kid weight at birth (W-0), day 14 (W-14) and day 28 (W-28) were measured and the average daily gain during day 1-14 (ADG1-14) and day 14-28 (ADG14-28) were calculated.

Growth performance of Black Bengal, Saanen, and their crossbred F1 as affected by sex, litter size, and season of kidding.

The objective of the present study was to determine the factors that influenced growth performance of the goat kids of Black Bengal (BB), Saanen (SA), and their crossbred F1 (male Bengal × female Saanen [BBSA] and male Saanen × female Black Bengal [SABB]). Data for 674 kids were analyzed from 316 litters and 134 does. All kids were weekly measured on their characteristics (body weight, length, height at the withers, and chest girth) from birth to 11 weeks old.

Effects of Litter Size and Parity Number on Mammary Secretions Including, Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1, Immunoglobulin G and Vitamin A of Black Bengal, Saanen and Their Crossbred Goats in Thailand.

The present study aims to investigate the composition including concentrations of IGF-1, IgG and Vit A in colostrum and their effects by litter size and goat parity in 3 groups of goats; Black Bengal (BB), Saanen (SA) and their crossbred (BBSA). Thirty-eight goats were used (23 BB, 7 BBSA and 8 SA). The composition (fat, protein, lactose and total solid; TS) in colostrum (Day 0; D0) and milk (Day 4; D4 and Day 7; D7) were measured.

Regulation of Fibroblast Cell Polarity by Src Tyrosine Kinase.

Src protein tyrosine kinases (SFKs) are a family of nonreceptor tyrosine kinases that are localized beneath the plasma membrane and are activated during cell adhesion, migration, and elongation. Due to their involvement in the activation of signal transduction cascades, SFKs have been suggested to play important roles in the determination of cell polarity during cell extension and elongation. However, the mechanism underlying Src-mediated polarity formation remains unclear.

IL-12p40 gene expression in lung and hilar lymph nodes of MPS-resistant pigs.

Mycoplasma pneumonia of swine (MPS) is caused by Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (M.hp) and is a common chronic respiratory disease of pigs. Recently, a genetically selected variant of the Landrace pig (Miyagino L2) has a lower incidence of pulmonary MPS lesions.

FAK-Dependent Cell Motility and Cell Elongation.

Fibroblastic cells show specific substrate selectivity for typical cell-substrate adhesion. However, focal adhesion kinase (FAK) contributes to controlling the regulation of orientation and polarity. When fibroblasts attach to micropatterns, tyrosine-phosphorylated proteins and FAK are both detected along the inner border between the adhesive micropatterns and the nonadhesive glass surface.

Software-Based Three-Dimensional Deconvolution Microscopy of Cytoskeletal Proteins in Cultured Fibroblast Using Open-Source Software and Open Hardware.

As conventional fluorescence microscopy and confocal laser scanning microscopy generally produce images with blurring at the upper and lower planes along the -axis due to non-focal plane image information, the observation of biological images requires "deconvolution." Therefore, a microscope system's individual blur function (point spread function) is determined theoretically or by actual measurement of microbeads and processed mathematically to reduce noise and eliminate blurring as much as possible. Here the author describes the use of open-source software and open hardware design to build a deconvolution microscope at low cost, using readily available software and hardware.

Addition of Wakame seaweed (Undaria pinnatifida) stalk to animal feed enhances immune response and improves intestinal microflora in pigs.

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of supplementation of Wakame seaweed stalks on the immunity and intestinal microflora of pigs. Three separate experiments were performed: Relatively young (start at 20-30 kg; Experiments 1 and 2) and fattening period (70 kg; Experiment 3). All pigs (including the control group) were fed the same commercial feed, free from antibiotic additives, but in the feed for the treatment groups, 1% seaweed powder was added.

Correlations between mitochondrial respiration activity and residual feed intake after divergent genetic selection for high- and low- oxygen consumption in mice.

The aims of the present study were to identify the differences between two mouse lines (high (H)- and low (L)-oxygen consumption) in terms of mitochondrial respiratory activity when GMP (glutamate, malate, and pyruvate) and succinic acid are used as substrates and to examine the relationship between mitochondrial respiration activity and feed efficiency in both lines. The average daily feed intake, feed conversion ratio (FCR), and residual feed intake (RFI) were significantly higher in the H than the L line. The correlation between FCR and RFI was significant (r = 0.

Effects of butyrate supplementation in antibiotic-free milk replacer and starter on growth performance in suckling calves.

The aim of this study was to evaluate butyrate supplementation of antibiotic-free milk replacer and starter on growth performance in male Holstein calves. Twenty-nine calves were divided into two groups. Group C (n = 13) was fed antibiotic-free milk replacer without supplementation, and Group B (n = 16) was fed antibiotic-free milk replacer supplemented with butyrate (1.

Comparative transcriptome analysis of rumen papillae in suckling and weaned Japanese Black calves using RNA sequencing.

The length and density of rumen papillae starts to increase during weaning and growth of ruminants. This significant development increases the intraruminal surface area and the efficiency of VFA (acetate, propionate, butyrate, etc.) uptake.

Downregulated angiopoietin-like protein 8 production at calving related to changes in lipid metabolism in dairy cows.

Acute physiological adaptation of lipid metabolism during the postpartum transition period of cows facilitates peripheral metabolic regulation. Hepatokines, which are hormones secreted from hepatocytes, are presumed to play a critical role in systemic metabolic regulation. Angiopoietin-like protein 8 (ANGPTL8) has been identified as a novel hepatokine associated with circulating triglyceride concentrations in mice and humans.

Activation of Rho-kinase and focal adhesion kinase regulates the organization of stress fibers and focal adhesions in the central part of fibroblasts.

Specific regulation and activation of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) are thought to be important for focal adhesion formation, and activation of Rho-kinase has been suggested to play a role in determining the effects of FAK on the formation of stress fibers and focal adhesions. To clarify the role of FAK in stress fiber formation and focal adhesion organization, the author examined the formation of new stress fibers and focal adhesions by activation of Rho-kinase in FAK knockout (FAK) fibroblasts. FAK cells were elliptical in shape, and showed reduced numbers of stress fibers and focal adhesions in the central part of the cells along with large focal adhesions in the peripheral regions.

Post-prandial decrease in plasma growth hormone levels is not related to the increase in plasma insulin levels in goats.

Objective: In the present study, we examined whether the post-prandial reduction in plasma growth hormone (GH) levels is related to the increase in plasma insulin levels in ruminants.

Methods: We performed two experiments: intravenous bolus injection of insulin (0.2 IU/kg body weight) or glucose (1.

Selection for high and low oxygen consumption-induced differences in maintenance energy requirements of mice.

Maintenance energy requirements (MER) of mice selected for high (H) or low (L) oxygen consumption (OC) were compared. Forty-four mice from H and L OC lines were weaned at 3 weeks and divided into four experimental groups: group A were sacrificed at 4 weeks; group B were fed ad libitum, and groups C and D were fed 2.8 and 2.

Microwave-Assisted Tissue Preparation for Rapid Fixation, Decalcification, Antigen Retrieval, Cryosectioning, and Immunostaining.

Microwave irradiation of tissue during fixation and subsequent histochemical staining procedures significantly reduces the time required for incubation in fixation and staining solutions. Minimizing the incubation time in fixative reduces disruption of tissue morphology, and reducing the incubation time in staining solution or antibody solution decreases nonspecific labeling. Reduction of incubation time in staining solution also decreases the level of background noise.

Effects of mycoplasmal pneumonia of swine (MPS) lung lesion-selected Landrace pigs on MPS resistance and immune competence in three-way crossbred pigs.

To clarify the genetic influence of mycoplasmal pneumonia of swine (MPS) lesion-selected Landrace (La) on MPS resistance and immune characteristics in three-way crossbred pigs (LaWaDa), the LaWaDa pigs were compared with the non-selected crossbred (LbWbDb) and purebred (La) pigs. The MPS lesion score in the three lines was as follows: La line < LaWaDa line < LbWbDb line, with significant differences among the lines. The proportions of myeloid cells and T cells were lower and higher, respectively, in the LaWaDa pigs compared with those in the other two lines.

Search for an index for the taste of Japanese Black cattle beef by panel testing and chemical composition analysis.

To search for an index for chemical composition related to superior taste in Japanese Black beef, we conducted panel tests and analyzed the chemical composition of seven beef brands. Thirty-five sirloin beefs from five heifers were used in this study, sold under seven beef brands graded as more than A4 on the Japanese Meat Grade scale. The chemical composition analyses assessed both raw and roasted meat, the latter of which was roasted under the same conditions as those used for the panel test.