Two Intra-Individual ITS1 rDNA Sequence Variants Identified in the Female and Male Rotylenchulus reniformis Populations of Alabama

Around 300 different plant species are infected by the plant-parasitic reniform nematode (Rotylenchulus reniformis), including cotton. This is a devasting nematode with a preference for cotton; it is commonly found in Alabama farms and causes severe reduction in yields. Its first internal transcribed spacer (ITS1) region can be sequenced, and potential mutations can be found in order to study the population dynamics of the reniform nematode. The goal of our study was to sequence the ITS1 rDNA region in male and female RNs that were collected from BelleMina, Hamilton, and Lamons locations in Alabama. After separating the single male and female RNs from the samples collected from the three selected listed sites above, the ITS1 region was amplified selectively using specific primers, and the resulting products were cloned and sequenced. Two distinct bands were observed after DNA amplification of male and female nematodes at 550 bp and 730 bp, respectively. The analysis of sequenced fragments among the three populations showed variation in average nucleotide frequencies of female and male RNs. Singletons within the female and male Hamilton populations ranged from 7.8% to 10%, and the variable sites ranged from 13.4% to 26%. However, female and male BelleMina populations had singletons ranging from 7.1% to 19.7% and variable regions in the range of 13.9% to 49.3%. The female and male Lamons populations had singletons ranging from 2.5% to 8.7% and variable regions in the range of 2.9% to 14.2%. Phylogenetic (neighbor-joining) analysis for the two ITS1 fragments (ITS-550 and ITS-730) showed relatively high intra-nematode variability. Different clone sequences from an individual nematode often had greater similarity with other nematodes than with their own sequences. RNA fold analysis of the ITS1 sequences revealed varied stem and loop structures, suggesting both conserved and variable regions in the variants identified from female and male RNs, thus underscoring the presence of significant intra- and inter-nematodal variation among RN populations in Alabama.

PSXIII-B-9 Effects of Hemp (Cannabis Sativa) Supplementation on Behavior, Heart Rate, Hemogram and Serum Biochemistry Profiles of Beef cow-Calf Pairs During Weaning

Weaning is a stressful event that affects animal welfare and performance. This study examined the effects of industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa) supplementation on behavior, chute score and physiological responses of cow-calf pairs during weaning. Ten apparently healthy Angus cow-calf pairs, average BCS of 6.0, were randomly allocated to one of two groups for 7 days: Control (CON, 200g/head of commercial grower feed, n=10) and Hemp (HMP, 200g/head containing 80% commercial grower feed containing 20% hemp, n=10), daily. Hay and water were provided ad libitum. Chute and exit scores were recorded and blood samples were collected at d 0, 4 and 7 of the feeding period. Animal activity data was recorded using automated activity monitoring systems Moomonitor and IceQubes for cows and calves, respectively. At weaning, cow-calf pairs were separated abruptly and observed. Data was analyzed using Stata 14.2. Overall, rectal temperature, respiratory rate, rumination duration, rumen fluid pH and activity did not differ (P > 0.05) between treatments. Specifically, hemogram and serum biochemistry results did not differ (P > 0.05) between cow groups. However, resting duration tended to be greater in HEMP compared with CON (383.94±19.3 vs 298.60±16.1 mins/day, P = 0.06) cows. In addition, feeding duration was greater in HEMP compared with CON (473.8±24.5 vs 262.3±31.6 min/day) cows. In calves, heart rate was lower in HEMP compared with CON (62.67 vs 94.7 beats/min, P = 0.03). Hemoglobin concentration was smaller in HEMP compared with CON (12.6 vs 14.1mg/mL, P = 0.02). However, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration was greater in HEMP compared with CON (33.04 vs 32.04g/dl, P = 0.04). We concluded that hemp supplementation increased resting and feeding duration of cows, and reduced heart rate of calves during weaning. This is the first report on the use of hemp to improve welfare of cow-calf pairs during weaning.

Anthocyanin Accumulation in Muscadine Berry Skins Is Influenced by the Expression of the MYB Transcription Factors, MybA1, and MYBCS1

The skin color of grape berry is very important in the wine industry. The red color results from the synthesis and accumulation of anthocyanins, which is regulated by transcription factors belonging to the MYB family. The transcription factors that activate the anthocyanin biosynthetic genes have been isolated in model plants. However, the genetic basis of color variation is species-specific and its understanding is relevant in many crop species. This study reports the isolation of MybA1, and MYBCS-1 genes from muscadine grapes for the first time. They are designated as VrMybA1 (GenBank Accession No. KJ513437), and VrMYBCS1 (VrMYB5a) (GenBank Accession No. KJ513438). The findings in this study indicate that, the deduced VrMybA1 and VrMYBCS1 protein structures share extensive sequence similarity with previously characterized plant MYBs, while phylogenetic analysis confirms that they are members of the plant MYB super-family. The expressions of MybA1, and MYBCS1 (VrMYB5a) gene sequences were investigated by quantitative real-time PCR using in vitro cell cultures, and berry skin samples at different developmental stages. Results showed that MybA1, and MYBCS1 genes were up-regulated in the veràison and physiologically mature red berry skins during fruit development, as well as in in vitro red cell cultures. This study also found that in ripening berries, the transcription of VrMybA1, and VrMYBCS1 in the berry skin was positively correlated with anthocyanin accumulation. Therefore, the upregulation of VrMybA1, and VrMYBCS1 results in the accumulation and regulation of anthocyanin biosynthesis in berry development of muscadine grapes. This work greatly enhances the understanding of anthocyanin biosynthesis in muscadine grapes and will facilitate future genetic modification of the antioxidants in V. rotundifolia.

Principal Component Analysis and Molecular Characterization of Reniform Nematode Populations in Alabama

U.S. cotton production is suffering from the yield loss caused by the reniform nematode (RN), Rotylenchulus reniformis. Management of this devastating pest is of utmost importance because, no upland cotton cultivar exhibits adequate resistance to RN. Nine populations of RN from distinct regions in Alabama and one population from Mississippi were studied and thirteen morphometric features were measured on 20 male and 20 female nematodes from each population. Highly correlated variables (positive) in female and male RN morphometric parameters were observed for body length (L) and distance of vulva from the lip region (V) (r = 0.7) and tail length (TL) and c' (r = 0.8), respectively. The first and second principal components for the female and male populations showed distinct clustering into three groups. These results show pattern of sub-groups within the RN populations in Alabama. A one-way ANOVA on female and male RN populations showed significant differences (p ≤ 0.05) among the variables. Multiple sequence alignment (MSA) of 18S rRNA sequences (421) showed lengths of 653 bp. Sites within the aligned sequences were conserved (53%), parsimony-informative (17%), singletons (28%), and indels (2%), respectively. Neighbor-Joining analysis showed intra and inter-nematodal variations within the populations as clone sequences from different nematodes irrespective of the sex of nematode isolate clustered together. Morphologically, the three groups (I, II and III) could not be distinctly associated with the molecular data from the 18S rRNA sequences. The three groups may be identified as being non-geographically contiguous.