Vaccination induced antibodies to recombinant avian influenza A virus M2 protein or synthetic M2e peptide do not bind to the M2 protein on the virus or virus infected cells.

Background: Influenza viruses are characterized by their highly variable surface proteins HA and NA. The third surface protein M2 is a nearly invariant protein in all Influenza A strains. Despite extensive studies in other animal models, this study is the first to describe the use of recombinant M2 protein and a peptide coding for the extracellular part of the M2 protein (M2e) to vaccinate poultry.

Effect of organically and conventionally produced diets on jejunal gene expression in chickens.

Using a nutrigenomics approach we studied the response of second-generation chickens at a transcriptional level to organically grown feed ingredients compared with conventionally grown feed ingredients. Both diets consisted of the same amounts of ingredients, the only difference was the production method. Gene expression was analysed in jejuni using whole genome chicken cDNA arrays.

A serpin in the cellulosome of the anaerobic fungus Piromyces sp. strain E2.

A gene encoding a novel component of the cellulolytic complex (cellulosome) of the anaerobic fungus Piromyces sp. strain E2 was identified. The encoded 538 amino acid protein, named celpin, consists of a signal peptide, a positively charged domain of unknown function followed by two fungal dockerins, typical for components of the extracellular fungal cellulosome.