Allelic polymorphism of insulin-like growth factor I gene and its association with production traits in native chickens

Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGFI) is an essential regulator of growth, cell proliferation/differentiation and protein synthesis in a variety of cell types. IGFI is considered as one of the most important can-didate genes controlling production and reproduction traits in chickens. This locus could be linked to the highly effective genes affecting egg production and growth traits. The aim of present study was to investigate the IGFI gene polymorphism and its association with growth and egg production traits in Iranian native chicken. A total of 313 blood samples were collected from the Native poultry breeding centre, Khorasan province, Iran. Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of the IGFI 5'-UTR was detected by PCR-RFLP method and PstI restriction endonuclease enzyme. Finally, the SNP was con-firmed by sequencing of RFLP profiles. Association between IGFI alleles and production traits was evaluated using multivariate regression analysis and GLM procedures. Two alleles A (PstI –) and B (PstI +) and three genotypes (A/A, A/B and B/B) were identified for the IGFI gene. Allele B was the most frequent (60.1%) and considered as reference allele for association study. A/B genotype was significantly correlated with lower first egg weight and higher egg laying intensity compared to B/B and A/A genotypes. No significant association was observed between IGFI genotypes and other pro-duction traits including egg weight, weight of sexual maturity and body weight. These results suggest that there is a possibility of IGFI genotypes acting as a genetic marker for selecting some egg produc-tion traits in native chickens

Serological evidence of Coxiella burnetii infection among companion dogs in Fars Province, South Iran

Coxiella burnetii is an important zoonosis at a global scale. The epidemiological role of dogs in transmission of Q fever has recently been demonstrated, but there is still a dearth of information on the subject. The aim of present study was to evaluate the occurrence and seroprevalence of Coxiella burnetii infection among companion dogs population in Fars province, South Iran. Blood samples were collected from 181 asymptomatic dogs, mostly referred to Veterinary Hospital of Shiraz Univer-sity for regular vaccination. The IgG antibody detection against C. burnetii was made by indirect Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA), employing C. burnetii phase I and II antigens. A logistic regression model was developed to analyse multiple risk factors associated with seropositi¬vity. Specific antibodies against C. burnetii were detected in 14 (7.7%) cases, 12 with S/P% of 20–50% and 2 with S/P% greater than 80%. Prevalence was significantly higher in adult dogs above 5 years (18.18 %; 2 out of 11) compared with dogs between 1 and 5 years (7.86 %; 7 out of 89) and less than 1 year (6.17%; 5 out of 81) (P=0.043). Prevalence was also higher in male dogs (11.21 %; 12 out of 107) than in female (2.7 %; 2 out of 74) (P=0.035). Breed, type of housing, type of food and exposure to other farm animals showed no significant differences between positive and negative cases (P>0.05). The results of this study showed the presence of C. burnetii infection among the companion dogs population in Iran, which could be a public health concern for humans. In areas like Iran, where human cases of Q fever are not common or remain unreported, the public health implications of Q fever seroprevalence in dogs are quite significant

Effect of combination of Melatonin and All-Trans retinoic acid on maturation, fertilization and embryonic development of immature mouse oocytes

Background and Objective: With respect to the antioxidant role of melatonin and retinoic acid, it seems to be effective both in the maturation and embryonic development. This study was done to investigate the effect of combination of melatonin and All-Trans retinoic acid (RA) on maturation, fertilization and embryonic development of immature mouse oocytes. Methods: In this experimental study, cumulus - oocyte complex (COCs) were recovered from 4-6 week old female mice NMRI and were divided into 6 maturation medium groups including control, sham, experiment 1(melatonin 100 nM, 1 and 2 µM), experiment 2 (retinoic acid 1, 2, 4, 6 µM), experiment 3 (melatonin 2 µM+RA 4 µM), experiment 4 (Mel 100nM + retinoic acid 4µM). The maturation rate was recorded after 24 hours of culture in a humidified atmosphere of 5% CO2 at 37°C. The matured oocytes were fertilized with sperm. Fertilization and embryonic development rates to the blastocyst stage were recorded. Results: Maturation rate in the control and sham groups were 50.6% and 49.4%, respectively. Maturation rate were 54.3%, 54.8%, 59.9% in melatonin group with concentrations of 100 nM, 1 and 2 µM, respectively. Maturation rate were 51.6%, 51%, 59% and 49.6% in t-RA group with concentrations of 1, 2, 4, 6 μM. Maturation rate were 60.4% and 54.2% in the experiment 3 and 4 groups, respectively. The maturation rates in the melatonin 2 µM, retinoic acid 4 µM and experiment 3 significantly increased in compare to control (P<0.05). The embryonic development rate in the melatonin with 100nM concentration and 4 µM of retinoic acid increased significantly compared to controls (P<0.05). Although, embryonic development rate in experiment 3 was higher than control, but lower in compare to melatonin 100 nM and the retinoic acid 4 µM. The embryonic development rate in experiment 4 significantly increased in compare to control (P<0.05). Conclusion: Combination of melatonin and All-Trans retinoic acid in medium culture increase maturation rate and improved embryonic development in dose dependent manner

Pantoprazole Derivatives: Synthesis, Urease Inhibition Assay and In Silico Molecular Modeling Studies

A number of pantoprazole derivatives were synthesized and screened for their urease inhibitory properties. Some of them showed potent inhibitions against jack bean urease. All compounds showed varying degree of IC50 in the range of 25.85 to 181 μMol as compared to standard acetohydroxamic acid (AHA) (100±2.02 μMol). Derivatives bearing 5-aryl-1,3,4-oxadiazole ring substitutions (aryl= pyrazyl, pyridyl and phenyl) were found to be more potent inhibitors than AHA and pantoprazole. The most promising compound, 2-((3,4-dimethoxypyridin-2-yl)methylthio)-5-(pyrazin-2-yl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole 12, with IC50 value of 25.85±1.21 showed remarkable urease inhibition activity. In silico molecular modeling investigation performed to rationalize the possible binding interaction and ADME properties of compounds over the active site of urease enzyme. The induced fit docking study showed that compound 12 interacted with conserved residues His593 and Arg609 located at the mouth of the urease active site flap and are essential for enzyme catalytic activity. These target compounds could be further studied as a lead skeleton for discovery of novel urease inhibitors. © 2020 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinhei