Fungal endophytes enhanced insect resistance by improving the defenses of Achnatherum sibiricum before locust feeding.

Background: Epichloë endophytes provide many benefits to host plants, including enhanced insect resistance. Fungal alkaloids are usually thought to be responsible for the endophyte-conferred herbivore resistance. Nonetheless, the fungal alkaloid profiles and concentrations may vary considerably among grass-endophyte systems.

A novel mutation in IAA16 is associated with dicamba resistance in Chenopodium album.

Background: Resistance to dicamba in Chenopodium album was first documented over a decade ago, however, the molecular basis of dicamba resistance in this species has not been elucidated. In this research, the resistance mechanism in a dicamba-resistant C. album phenotype was investigated using a transcriptomics (RNA-sequence) approach.

High-level nitrofurantoin resistance in a clinical isolate of a comparative genomics and metabolomics analysis.

Nitrofurantoin is a commonly used chemotherapeutic agent in the treatment of uncomplicated urinary tract infections caused by the problematic multidrug resistant Gram-negative pathogen . The present study aims to elucidate the mechanism of nitrofurantoin action and high-level resistance in using whole-genome sequencing (WGS), qPCR analysis, mutation structural modeling and untargeted metabolomic analysis. WGS profiling of evolved highly resistant mutants (nitrofurantoin minimum inhibitory concentrations > 256 mg/L) revealed modified expression of several genes related to membrane transport (porin and efflux pump regulator ) and nitroreductase activity ( and , involved in nitrofurantoin reduction).

Supplementation of graded levels of rumen-protected choline to a pelleted total mixed ration did not improve the growth and slaughter performance of fattening lambs.

Choline is an essential nutrient in ruminant diets, which contributes to the fundamental biological functions of the animal. However, choline is easily degraded in the rumen before it can be absorbed. Rumen-protected choline (RPC) supplementation might support the fast growth of ruminants.

Active learning for an evidence-based veterinary medicine course during COVID-19.

Epidemiology is often a challenging course that is not well appreciated by many students learning veterinary medicine. The curriculum for this topic can sometimes be dry, difficult for students to contextualize, and heavy with statistics and mathematical concepts. We incorporated the concepts of epidemiology that are most important for practicing veterinarians and combined these with evidence-based veterinary medicine principles to create a practical course for second-year undergraduate veterinary students.

High level of conservation and diversity among the endophytic seed bacteriome in eight alpine grassland species growing at the Qinghai Tibetan Plateau.

Seed borne microorganisms play an important role in plant biology. Concerns have recently been raised about loss of seed microbial diversity by seed treatments, crop domestication and plant breeding. Information on the seed microbiomes of native plants growing in natural ecosystems is beneficial as they provide the best settings to detect indigenous plant microbe interactions.

Circulating Branched Chain Amino Acid Concentrations Are Higher in Dairy-Avoiding Females Following an Equal Volume of Sheep Milk Relative to Cow Milk: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Intolerances to bovine dairy are a motivating factor in consumers seeking alternate-or replacement-dairy beverages and foods. Sheep milk (SM) is an alternate dairy source, with greater protein, although similar amino acid composition compared to cow milk (CM). Studies are yet to address the appearance of circulating amino acids following consumption of SM, relative to CM, in humans.

Orthologous peramine and pyrrolopyrazine-producing biosynthetic gene clusters in Metarhizium rileyi, Metarhizium majus and Cladonia grayi.

Peramine is a non-ribosomal peptide-derived pyrrolopyrazine (PPZ)-containing molecule with anti-insect properties. Peramine is known to be produced by fungi from genus Epichloë, which form mutualistic endophytic associations with cool-season grass hosts. Peramine biosynthesis has been proposed to require only the two-module non-ribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) peramine synthetase (PerA), which is encoded by the 8.

Coumarin Content, Morphological Variation, and Molecular Phylogenetics of Melilotus.

and are widely used in forage production and herbal medicine due to the biological activity of their coumarins, which have many biological and pharmacological activities, including anti-HIV and anti-tumor effects. To comprehensively evaluate and coumarin content (Cou), morphological variation, and molecular phylogeny, we examined the Cou, five morphological traits and the molecular characterization based on the L-F spacer and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions of 93 accessions. Significant ( < 0.

Lack of production response in grazing dairy cows supplemented with long-acting injectable vitamin B12.

Aim: To determine the concentrations of vitamin B₁₂ in serum, liver and milk that identify adequate vitamin B(12) status in grazing lactating cows, based on no change in milk production in response to supplementation with vitamin B₁₂.

Methods: In October 2005, in early lactation, Friesian cows from one herd were injected S/C with 60 or 90 mg long-acting vitamin B₁₂, or no injection (Control; n=39 per group, Day 0). Pasture samples were collected for Co determination at monthly intervals over 82 days.

Linear ion trap MS(n) of enzymatically synthesized 13C-labeled fructans revealing differentiating fragmentation patterns of β (1-2) and β (1-6) fructans and providing a tool for oligosaccharide identification in complex mixtures.

Fructans are polymeric carbohydrates, which play important roles as plant reserve carbohydrates and stress protectants, and are beneficial for human health and animal production. Fructans are formed by the addition of β-d-fructofuranosyl units to sucrose, leading to very complex mixtures of 1-kestose based inulins, 6-kestose linked levans, and 6G-kestose derived neoseries inulins and levans in cool season grasses such as Lolium perenne. The identification of isomeric fructan oligomers in chromatographic analysis of crude plant extracts is often hampered by the lack of authentic standards, and unambiguous peak assignment usually requires time-consuming analyses of purified fructan oligomers.

Group-specific comparison of four lactobacilli isolated from human sources using differential blast analysis.

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) have been used in fermentation processes for centuries. More recent applications including the use of LAB as probiotics have significantly increased industrial interest. Here we present a comparative genomic analysis of four completely sequenced Lactobacillus strains, isolated from the human gastrointestinal tract, versus 25 lactic acid bacterial genomes present in the public database at the time of analysis.

Chromosomal diversity in Lactococcus lactis and the origin of dairy starter cultures.

A large collection of Lactococcus lactis strains, including wild-type isolates and dairy starter cultures, were screened on the basis of their phenotype and the macrorestriction patterns produced from pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) analysis of SmaI digests of genomic DNA. Three groups of dairy starter cultures, used for different purposes in the dairy industry, and a fourth group made up of strains isolated from the environment were selected for analysis of their chromosomal diversity using the endonuclease I-CeuI. Chromosome architecture was largely conserved with each strain having six copies of the rRNA genes, and the chromosome size of individual strains ranged between 2,240 and 2,688 kb.

Calf survival from embryo transfer-induced twinning in dairy-beef cows and the effects of synchronised calving.

In each of 4 years, 94-116 mature cows had two 6-7-day-old embryos, produced by the in vitro fertilisation of oocytes, inserted non-surgically into one uterine horn of each cow. Starting 5 days before the expected date of calving, the cows were continuously observed and assistance at calving was provided when required. In year 1, perinatal calf survival was similar in twin-calving (TC) and single-calving (SC) cows (98.

Direct infusion of a variant of insulin-like growth factor-I into the skin of sheep and effects on local blood flow, amino acid utilization and cell replication.

In vivo effects of local infusion of a variant of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I), long-R3-IGF-I, into the skin were investigated using six conscious sheep with food available ad libitum. An artery and vein on the abdominal flank of each animal, as well as the saphenous artery, were catheterized so that infusion of isotopically labelled amino acids, with or without IGF-I, could be used to determine amino acid uptake by arteriovenous difference in combination with blood flow determined by dye dilution. Measurements were made on each animal prior to IGF-I infusion, at hourly intervals for the 4 h of IGF-I infusion into the skin artery, then 2 and 4 h after IGF-I infusion ceased.

Nopaline causes a conformational change in the NocR regulatory protein-nocR promoter complex of Agrobacterium tumefaciens Ti plasmid pTiT37.

The nocR gene of Agrobacterium tumefaciens Ti plasmid pTiT37 is the regulatory gene of the nopaline catabolism (noc) operon of pTiT37. We have cloned and sequenced nocR, which encodes a DNA-binding protein. The deduced amino acid sequence is similar to those of members of the LysR family of prokaryotic activator proteins.