Comparative proteome and peptidome analysis of the cephalic fluid secreted by Arapaima gigas (Teleostei: Osteoglossidae) during and outside parental care

Parental investment in Arapaima gigas includes nest building and guarding, followed by a care provision when a cephalic fluid is released from the parents’ head to the offspring. This fluid has presumably important functions for the offspring but so far its composition has not been characterised. In this study the proteome and peptidome of the cephalic secretion was studied in parental and non-parental fish using capillary electrophoresis coupled to mass spectrometry (CE-MS) and GeLC-MS/MS analyses. Multiple comparisons revealed 28 peptides were significantly different between males and parental males (PC-males), 126 between females and parental females (PC-females), 51 between males and females and 9 between PC-males and PC-females. Identification revealed peptides were produced in the inner ear (pcdh15b), eyes (tetraspanin and ppp2r3a), central nervous system (otud4, ribeye a, tjp1b and syn1) among others. A total of 422 proteins were also identified and gene ontology analysis revealed 28 secreted extracellular proteins. From these, 2 hormones (prolactin and stanniocalcin) and 12 proteins associated to immunological processes (serotransferrin, α-1-antitrypsin homolog, apolipoprotein A-I, and others) were identified. This study provides novel biochemical data on the lateral line fluid which will enable future hypotheses-driven experiments to better understand the physiological roles of the lateral line in chemical communication

Heterozygosity of the Celtic polled locus in Canadian scurred beef cattle

Polled cattle are preferable to horned or scurred animals because they are safer for handling and cause less bruising. Although DNA testing can determine horned/polled genotype, scurs may appear in polled animals. The inheritance of scurs is complex because it is a sex-influenced trait that interacts with the polled locus. We demonstrate that in 685 purebred and crossbred Canadian beef cattle, all 153 scurred animals were heterozygous polled at the Celtic variant. In addition, male obligate carriers of scurs were smooth polled when homozygous for the polled mutation. Scurred and non-scurred males were sequenced for five genes (CTDNEP1, SHBG, SOX15, FGF11, and DHRS7C) within the scur candidate region on BTA19 that are functionally related to bone development and hormone regulation. Multipoint linkage analysis was conducted using 18 microsatellite markers and two informative variants (DHRS7C g.29594018G>C and CTDNEP1 c.462G>A) in the scurred families and further supported mapping on BTA19 between BMS2142 (logarithm of the odds (LOD) = 5.42) and IDVGA46 (LOD = 3.47). These data indicate epistatic interactions between the scurred and polled loci and emphasise the necessity for a scurred DNA test to assist purebred beef producers in eradicating the scur trait.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author

The homeodomain transcription factor PITX2 is required for specifying correct cell fates and establishing angiogenic privilege in the developing cornea

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/109268/1/dvdy24165.pd