Genetic diversity and expression profiles of cysteine phytases in the sheep rumen during a feeding cycle

Cysteine phytase is the main phytate-degrading enzyme of ruminant animals. To explore the genetic diversity and dynamic expression profile of cysteine phytase in sheep rumen during a feeding cycle, four transcript (0, 4, 9 and 16 h after feeding) and one DNA (9 h after feeding) clone libraries were constructed, respectively. A total of 46 distinct gene fragments were identified, and most of these sequences had low identities (<60%) with known phytases. Great divergence was found in the constitution and abundance of genes at the genome and transcriptional levels, and the transcript data are more reliable to reflect the information of functional genes. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the genes from uncultured bacteria instead of Firmicutes played the major phytate-degrading role. Further comparative analysis revealed the dynamic constitution of cysteine phytase genes in rumen at different time points.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

Ruminal phytases, that are cysteine phytases, are novel in sequences and functions. Great divergence in the constitution and abundance of cysteine phytase genes at the genome and transcriptional levels suggested that transcript data are more reliable to reflect the information of functional genes. Phylogenetic and rarefaction analyses indicated that the cysteine phytase genes from uncultured bacteria instead of Firmicutes play the major phytate-degrading role in rumen, and their constitution is dynamic at different time points. This study provides a new insight into ruminal cysteine phytase genes and undermines their expression profiles over a whole feeding cycle.

Test of lepton universality using b+ → K+ℓ+ℓ- decays

A measurement of the ratio of the branching fractions of the B(+) → K(+)μ(+)μ(-) and B(+) → K(+)e(+)e(-) decays is presented using proton-proton collision data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3.0 fb(-1), recorded with the LHCb experiment at center-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV. The value of the ratio of branching fractions for the dilepton invariant mass squared range 1 < q(2) < 6 GeV(2)/c(4) is measured to be 0.745(-0.074)(+0.090)(stat) ± 0.036(syst). This value is the most precise measurement of the ratio of branching fractions to date and is compatible with the standard model prediction within 2.6 standard deviations.

First observation of a baryonic Bc+ decay

A baryonic decay of the B(c)(+) meson, B(c)(+) → J/ψppπ(+), is observed for the first time, with a significance of 7.3 standard deviations, in pp collision data collected with the LHCb detector and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3.0 fb(-1) taken at center-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV. With the B(c)(+) → J/ψπ(+) decay as the normalization channel, the ratio of branching fractions is measured to be B(B(c)(+) → J/ψppπ(+))/B(B(c)(+) → J/ψπ(+)) = 0.143(-0.034)(+0.039)(stat) ± 0.013(syst). The mass of the B(c)(+) meson is determined as M(B(c)(+) = 6274.0 ± 1.8(stat) ± 0.4(syst) MeV/c(2), using the B(c)(+) → J/ψppπ(+) channel.

Evidence for CP violation in B+ → ppK+ decays

Three-body B+ → ppK+ and B(+) → ppπ(+) decays are studied using a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3.0 fb(-1) collected by the LHCb experiment in proton-proton collisions at center-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV. Evidence of CP violation in the B(+) → ppK(+) decay is found in regions of the phase space, representing the first measurement of this kind for a final state containing baryons. Measurements of the forward-backward asymmetry of the light meson in the pp rest frame yield A(FB)(ppK(+),m(pp)<2.85 GeV/c(2)) = 0.495 ± 0.012 (stat) ± 0.007 (syst) and A(FB)(ppπ(+),m(pp) <2.85 GeV/c(2)) = -0.409 ± 0.033 (stat) ± 0.006 (syst). In addition, the branching fraction of the decay B(+) → Λ(1520)p is measured to be B(B(+) → Λ(1520)p) = (3.15 ± 0.48 (stat) ± 0.07 (syst) ± 0.26 (BF)) × 10(-7), where BF denotes the uncertainty on secondary branching fractions.

Effects of surgically implanted dummy ultrasonic transmitters on physiological response of bighead carp Hypophthalmichthys nobilis

The study assessed the effects of surgically implanted dummy ultrasonic transmitters on physiological response of bighead carp Hypophthalmichthys nobilis in April 2011. Before the surgery, 15 blood samples were extracted randomly from 195 bighead carp samples, and then the rest of the fish were divided into three groups: (1) control group, handing but no tagging, (2) sham group, surgical procedure without implantation of transmitter and (3) surgery group, surgical implantation of transmitters. In 3 h, 24 h, 7 days and 14 days after surgery, 15 fish were extracted randomly from the three groups, respectively, for sampling. Then the plasma samples were analyzed, and physiological measures of stress response (cortisol, glucose), tissue damage [alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST)] and nutritional status [total protein, globulin, albumin, triglyceride, cholesterol, and alkaline phosphatase (ALP)] were compared. The result showed that there was no significant difference between sham and surgery groups in 3 h, 24 h, 7 days and 14 days after surgery. When compared to the control group, there were significant increases in concentrations of plasma cortisol, glucose, ALT, AST, total protein and globulin of sham and surgery groups in 3 h after surgery. After 24 h, the levels of plasma cortisol, ALT, AST, total protein, globulin and ALP were elevated in both sham and surgery groups, whereas the levels of plasma glucose had declined to normal level and plasma albumin, cholesterol and triglyceride were significantly decreased in both sham and surgery groups. After 7 days, the levels of plasma glucose, albumin and cholesterol continued to decline, while the level of plasma ALT, globulin and ALP had declined but still remained higher for sham and surgery groups than control group; however, the plasma total protein level had returned to normal. After 14 days, there was no significant difference between the three groups. The above results showed that surgical implantation of ultrasonic transmitters had indeed caused significantly negative effects on the physiological response of bighead carp. However, all the negative influences on stress response, tissue damage and nutritional status had disappeared in 14 days after surgery, and the presence of transmitters had no significant negative impact. Therefore, the bighead carp should be temporary cultured at least 14 days for the recovery of physiological response and then released into the free water for the ultrasonic telemetry research.

First measurement of the charge asymmetry in beauty-quark pair production

The difference in the angular distributions between beauty quarks and antiquarks, referred to as the charge asymmetry, is measured for the first time in bb pair production at a hadron collider. The data used correspond to an integrated luminosity of 1.0 fb(-1) collected at 7 TeV center-of-mass energy in proton-proton collisions with the LHCb detector. The measurement is performed in three regions of the invariant mass of the bb system. The results obtained are A(C)(bb))(40<M(bb))<75 GeV/c(2)) = 0.4 ± 0.4 ± 0.3%, A(C)(bb))(75<M(bb)) < 105 GeV/c(2)) = 2.0 ± 0.9 ± 0.6%, A(C)(bb)(M(bb)) > 105 GeV/c(2)) = 1.6 ± 1.7 ± 0.6%, where A(C)(bb)) is defined as the asymmetry in the difference in rapidity between jets formed from the beauty quark and antiquark, where in each case the first uncertainty is statistical and the second systematic. The beauty jets are required to satisfy 2 < η < 4, E(T) >20 GeV, and have an opening angle in the transverse plane Δ ϕ > 2.6 rad. These measurements are consistent with the predictions of the standard model.

Precision measurement of the mass and lifetime of the Ξ(b)(0) baryon

Using a proton-proton collision data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3 fb(-1) collected by LHCb at center-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV, about 3800 Ξ(b)(0) → Ξ(c)(+)π(-), Ξ(c)(+)) → pK(-)π(+) signal decays are reconstructed. From this sample, the first measurement of the Ξ(b)(0) baryon lifetime is made, relative to that of the Λ(b)(0) baryon. The mass differences M(Ξ(b)(0))-M(Λ(b)(0)) and M(Ξ(c)(+))-M(Λ(c)(+)) are also measured with precision more than 4 times better than the current world averages. The resulting values are τ(Ξ(b)(0))/τ(Λ)(b)(0)) = 1.006 ± 0.018 ± 0.010,M(Ξ(b)(0))-M(Λ(b)(0)) = 172.44 ± 0.39 ± 0.17 MeV/c(2),M(Ξ(c)(+))-M(Λ(c)(+)) = 181.51 ± 0.14 ± 0.10 MeV/c(2),where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second is systematic. The relative rate of Ξ(b)(0) to Λ(b)(0) baryon production is measured to be f(Ξ)(b)(0))/f(Λ)(b)(0))B(Ξ(b)(0) → Ξ(c)(+)π(-))/B(Λ(b)(0) → Λ(c)(+)π(-))B(Ξ(c)(+) → pK(-)π(+))/B(Λ(c)(+) → pK(-)}π(+)) = (1.88 ± 0.04 ± 0.03) × 10(-2),where the first factor is the ratio of fragmentation fractions, b → Ξ(b)(0) relative to b → Λ(b)(0). Relative production rates as functions of transverse momentum and pseudorapidity are also presented.

Protection Effect of Vaxxitek HVT + IBD Vaccine Against Infectious Bursal Disease in Broiler Chickens

The very virulent infectious bursal disease virus (vvIBDV) infection cause constant and frequent outbreaks of IBD. In order to prevent the disease caused by vvIBDV, moderate-virulent live vaccines are usually used in broilers, but these vaccine influence the immune system of chickens and cause the immunosuppression. VAXXITEK® HVT+IBD bivalent vaccine, a novel vaccine produced by Merial Company, is the recombinant vaccine generated by inserting IBDV VP2 gene into the HVT genome. The recombinant vaccine could prevent Marek’s disease and IBD of chickens at the same time after vaccinated by the subcutaneous route at 1-day-old. The objective of this study was to evaluate protection effect of this new vaccine against IBD in broilers. The results of the lab and field immunization trial showed that the vaccination of VAXXITEK® HVT+IBD vaccine did not damage the bursa of broilers; the level of IBD antibody of the VAXXITEK® HVT+IBD vaccination groups was higher than IBD-BLEN® vaccination groups at 21-day-old; the protection effect of the VAXXITEK® HVT + IBD vaccination groups was better than IBD-BLEN® vaccination groups, especially at 21-28 day. The results indicated that VAXXITEK® HVT + IBD vaccine could provide better protection to broiler chickens against IBD.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/pa.v24i1-2.19102 Progress. Agric. 24(1&2): 69 - 78, 2013

Observation of the resonant character of the Z(4430)(-) state

Resonant structures in B^{0}→ψ^{'}π^{-}K^{+} decays are analyzed by performing a four-dimensional fit of the decay amplitude, using pp collision data corresponding to 3  fb^{-1} collected with the LHCb detector. The data cannot be described with K^{+}π^{-} resonances alone, which is confirmed with a model-independent approach. A highly significant Z(4430)^{-}→ψ^{'}π^{-} component is required, thus confirming the existence of this state. The observed evolution of the Z(4430)^{-} amplitude with the ψ^{'}π^{-} mass establishes the resonant nature of this particle. The mass and width measurements are substantially improved. The spin parity is determined unambiguously to be 1^{+}.

Measurement of charged particle multiplicities and densities in [Formula: see text] collisions at [Formula: see text]TeV in the forward region

Charged particle multiplicities are studied in proton-proton collisions in the forward region at a centre-of-mass energy of [Formula: see text]TeV with data collected by the LHCb detector. The forward spectrometer allows access to a kinematic range of [Formula: see text] in pseudorapidity, momenta greater than [Formula: see text] and transverse momenta greater than [Formula: see text]. The measurements are performed using events with at least one charged particle in the kinematic acceptance. The results are presented as functions of pseudorapidity and transverse momentum and are compared to predictions from several Monte Carlo event generators.

Ferromagnetism in Mn-doped Sb(2)Te

We report that Sb2Te, a natural superlattice phase consisting of two elemental Sb2 layers interleaved with single Sb2Te3 layers, becomes ferromagnetic at low temperatures on doping with small percentages of Mn. Ferromagnetism appears for Mn concentrations as low as Sb1.98Mn0.02Te, where a ferromagnetic Tc of ~8.6 K is observed. Tc decreases with increasing Mn content in the stoichiometric materials but increases with increasing Te excess in materials of the type Sb1.93-yMn0.07Te1+y, starting at ~3 K at y = 0 and reaching a Tc of ~8.9 K at y = 0.06.

Measurement of [Formula: see text] polarisation in [Formula: see text] collisions at [Formula: see text] = 7 TeV

The polarisation of prompt [Formula: see text] mesons is measured by performing an angular analysis of [Formula: see text] decays using proton-proton collision data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.0[Formula: see text], collected by the LHCb detector at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV. The polarisation is measured in bins of transverse momentum [Formula: see text] and rapidity [Formula: see text] in the kinematic region [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text], and is compared to theoretical models. No significant polarisation is observed.

Measurement of the [Formula: see text] meson lifetime using [Formula: see text] decays

The lifetime of the [Formula: see text] meson is measured using semileptonic decays having a [Formula: see text] meson and a muon in the final state. The data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of [Formula: see text], are collected by the LHCb detector in [Formula: see text] collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV. The measured lifetime is [Formula: see text]where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second is systematic.

Dominant-negative function of the C-terminal fragments of NBR1 and SQSTM1 generated during enteroviral infection

Coxsackievirus infection induces an abnormal accumulation of ubiquitin aggregates that are generally believed to be noxious to the cells and have a key role in viral pathogenesis. Selective autophagy mediated by autophagy adaptor proteins, including sequestosome 1 (SQSTM1/p62) and neighbor of BRCA1 gene 1 protein (NBR1), are an important pathway for disposing of misfolded/ubiquitin conjugates. We have recently demonstrated that SQSTM1 is cleaved after coxsackievirus infection, resulting in the disruption of SQSTM1 function in selective autophagy. NBR1 is a functional homolog of SQSTM1. In this study, we propose to test whether NBR1 can compensate for the compromise of SQSTM1 after viral infection. Of interest, we found that NBR1 was also cleaved after coxsackievirus infection. This cleavage took place at two sites mediated by virus-encoded protease 2A(pro) and 3C(pro), respectively. In addition to the loss-of-function, we further investigated whether cleavage of SQSTM1/NBR1 leads to the generation of toxic gain-of-function mutants. We showed that the C-terminal fragments of SQSTM1 and NBR1 exhibited a dominant-negative effect against native SQSTM1/NBR1, probably by competing for LC3 and ubiquitin chain binding. Finally, we demonstrated a positive, mutual regulatory relationship between SQSTM1 and NBR1 during viral infection. We showed that knockdown of SQSTM1 resulted in reduced expression of NBR1, whereas overexpression of SQSTM1 led to increased level of NBR1, and vice versa, further excluding the possible compensation of NBR1 for the loss of SQSTM1. Taken together, the findings in this study suggest a novel mechanism through which coxsackievirus infection induces increased accumulation of ubiquitin conjugates and subsequent viral damage.

Observation of photon polarization in the b→sγ transition

This Letter presents a study of the flavor-changing neutral current radiative B±→K±π∓π±γ decays performed using data collected in proton-proton collisions with the LHCb detector at 7 and 8 TeV center-of-mass energies. In this sample, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3  fb-1, nearly 14 000 signal events are reconstructed and selected, containing all possible intermediate resonances with a K±π∓π± final state in the [1.1,1.9]  GeV/c2 mass range. The distribution of the angle of the photon direction with respect to the plane defined by the final-state hadrons in their rest frame is studied in intervals of K±π∓π± mass and the asymmetry between the number of signal events found on each side of the plane is obtained. The first direct observation of the photon polarization in the b→sγ transition is reported with a significance of 5.2σ.

Search for Majorana neutrinos in B- → π+ μ- μ- decays

A search for heavy Majorana neutrinos produced in the B- → π+ μ- μ- decay mode is performed using 3  fb(-1) of integrated luminosity collected with the LHCb detector in pp collisions at center-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV at the LHC. Neutrinos with masses in the range 250 to 5000 MeV and lifetimes from zero to 1000 ps are probed. In the absence of a signal, upper limits are set on the branching fraction B(B- → π+ μ- μ-) as functions of neutrino mass and lifetime. These limits are on the order of 10(-9) for short neutrino lifetimes of 1 ps or less. Limits are also set on the coupling between the muon and a possible fourth-generation neutrino.

Measurement of the Bs(0) → Ds-Ds+ and Bs(0) → D-Ds+ effective lifetimes

The first measurement of the effective lifetime of the B(s)(0) meson in the decay B(s)(0) → Ds-Ds+ is reported using a proton-proton collision data set, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3 fb(-1), collected by the LHCb experiment. The measured value of the B(s)(0) → Ds-Ds+ effective lifetime is 1.379 ± 0.026 ± 0.017 ps, where the uncertainties are statistical and systematic, respectively. This lifetime translates into a measurement of the decay width of the light B(s)(0) mass eigenstate of ΓL = 0.725 ± 0.014 ± 0.009 ps(-1). The B(s)(0) lifetime is also measured using the flavor-specific B(s)(0)→ D-Ds+ decay to be 1.52 ± 0.15 ± 0.01 ps.

Observation of B(s)(0) → J/ψ f1(1285) decays and measurement of the f1(1285) mixing angle

Decays of B(s)(0) and B(0) mesons into J/ψ π+π-π+π- final states, produced in pp collisions at the LHC, are investigated using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3 fb-1 collected with the LHCb detector. B(s)(0) → J/ψ f1(1285) decays are seen for the first time, and the branching fractions are measured. Using these rates, the f1(1285) mixing angle between strange and nonstrange components of its wave function in the qq structure model is determined to be ±(24.0-2.6-0.8+3.1+0.6)°. Implications on the possible tetraquark nature of the f1(1285) are discussed.

Common variant in VEGFA and response to anti-VEGF therapy for neovascular age-related macular degeneration

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of visual impairment in aging populations in industrialized countries. Here we investigated whether the genotype of vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) gene is associated with response to anti-VEGF therapy. 223 eyes with neovascular AMD were treated with intravitreal anti-VEGF therapy. Responders were defined as patients who had an improvement in best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) of at least 5 letters or one line on the EDTRS visual acuity chart along with resolution of intraretinal or subretinal fluid over 12 months. Patients who did not meet the definition of responders were classified as poor-responders. The vision of responders (n = 148) improved while the vision of poor-responders (n = 75) worsened (P<0.001). Responders on average had a decrease in central foveal thickness (CFT), while poor-responders had an increase in CFT (P <0.001). Compared with the responder group, the poor-responder group had a higher frequency of the risk (T) allele (Allelic P = 0.019) and TT genotype (P = 0.002 under a recessive model) for the VEGFA-rs943080 polymorphism. VEGFA expression was 1.8-fold higher in cells with the VEGFA rs943080 TT genotype than in cells with the VEGFA rs943080 CC genotype (P = 0.012). Age, gender, smoking, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension did not play a significant role in treatment response, but BMI was found to be significantly different between responders and poorresponders (P = 0.033). In conclusion, we demonstrated a potential pharmacogenetic relationship between the VEGFA gene and treatment response to anti-VEGF therapy.The studies are registered at ClinicalTrials.gov under the identifiers NCT00474695 (http://clinicaltrials. gov/ct2/show/NCT00474695) and NCT01464723 (http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01464723).