Genome-wide association study identifies markers associated with carcass and meat quality traits in Italian Large White pigs

A GWAS was performed using the genotypes obtained by PorcineSNP60 v2 BeadChip and 11 phenotypic traits (carcass lean meat percentage; backfat thickness; Longissimus thoracis muscle thickness; lightness; backfat thickness measured with caliper at the midline; meat pH measured at about 1 h post mortem and 24 h post mortem; CIE L*, a* and b* color parameters; and water-holding capacity). Three markers were associated with three of the phenotypic traits considered: M1GA0009592 (SSC7) with backfat thickness and lean meat content, DIAS0002910 (SSC6) and ALGA0109856 (SSC6) with water-holding capacity. The marker M1GA0009592, associated with backfat thickness, lies in a QTL region near the gene JARID2, which is a transcription factor also involved in the regulation of adipose-derived stem cell pluripotency. The results seem to indicate a possible role of these genomic regions in the regulation of pig carcass fatness (i.e. backfat at last rib) and water-holding capacity

Characterisation of wine yeasts isolated at different temperatures using the enrichment technique

Research NoteSaccharomyces cerevisiae strains isolated from fermenting grape must incubated at extreme fermentation temperatures (40 and 5 degrees C) were oenologically characterised. These cultures compared with S. cerevisiae wine strains, show a wider optimum temperature for growth and can ferment vigorously in a wider temperature range (27 to 35 degrees C)

Exploring the canal environment in terms of water, bed sediments and vegetation in a reclaimed floodplain of Northern Italy

The Po plain (Italy) is one of the largest floodplains in Europe that needs environmental restoration. To achieve this goal, the knowledge of the 'environment' (water, bed sediments and vegetation) of the canals crossing such floodplain is necessary. The water flow of the canals was kept low for hydraulic safety purposes from October to March (NIR), and high for irrigation purposes from April to September (IR). Within this framework, this study aimed to assess in 9 sites of the east part of Po plain 1) the canals' environment quality in terms of vegetation diversity, and water and bed sediment physicochemical properties; and 2) how these features are influenced by canal managements and landscape properties. Water was monthly sampled both in NIR and IR periods, the bed sediments were sampled in summer and winter pe-riods, while the vegetation was recorded in spring and autumn. The low water flow during NIR worsened the water quality by increasing the concentrations of nutrients and salts. A higher salt and nutrient concentrations were observed both in water and bed sediments of canals crossing areas with fne texture alluvial deposits than in those flowing through medium texture alluvial deposits. Further, higher nutrient and salt concentrations were observed for the ca-nals used as collectors of the water coming from other canals. Despite the differences observed for the bed sediments and water quality, the vegetation type and biodiversity did not show differences among the study sites probably be-cause affected by the land use of the surrounding landscape. Indeed, the canals cross agricultural land which limit the developments of natural vegetation and do not promote plant biodiversity. Overall, the present study found out the key role of landscape properties and canal managements on 'canal environment' quality which need to be consid-ered to perform an appropriate reclamation of such environments

Investigating the features of PDO green hams during salting: Insights for new markers and genomic regions in commercial hybrid pigs

Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) dry-cured hams production is greatly dependent on raw meat quality. This study was performed to identify genetic markers associated with the quality of dry-cured ham. Carcass traits of 229 heavy pigs belonging to three commercial genetic lines were registered (weight, EUROP classification). Phenotypic traits (Semimembranosus muscle ultimate pH, ham weight and lean meat content, adsorbed salt) of the corresponding thighs, undergone PDO ham process in three different plants, were measured, using a fast and non-invasive technology. Green ham weight and lean meat percentage influenced the estimated salt content and the weight loss during salting, even if the processing plant greatly affected the variability of the measured ham traits. The genomic data were obtained with the GeneSeek Genomic Profiler (GGP) 70k HD Porcine Array, using the slaughter day and the sex of the animals in the statistical analyses. The phenotypic traits were associated with the genotypes through GenAbel software. The results showed that 18 SNPs located on nine porcine chromosomes were found to be associated with nine phenotypic traits, mainly related to ham weight loss during salting. New associations were found between markers in the genes Neural Precursor Cell Expressed Developmentally Down-Regulated 9 (NEDD9, SSC7), T-Cell Lymphoma Invasion and Metastasis 2 (TIAM2, SSC1), and the ham quality traits. After validation, these SNPs may be useful to improve the quality of thighs for the production of PDO dry-cured hams

Transcriptome Metabolic Characterization of Tuber borchii SP1—A New Spanish Strain for In Vitro Studies of the Bianchetto Truffle

Truffles are ascomycete hypogeous fungi belonging to the Tuberaceae family of the Pezizales order that grow in ectomycorrhizal symbiosis with tree roots, and they are known for their peculiar aromas and flavors. The axenic culture of truffle mycelium is problematic because it is not possible in many cases, and the growth rate is meager when it is possible. This limitation has prompted searching and characterizing new strains that can be handled in laboratory conditions for basic and applied studies. In this work, a new strain of Tuber borchii (strain SP1) was isolated and cultured, and its transcriptome was analyzed under different in vitro culture conditions. The results showed that the highest growth of T. borchii SP1 was obtained using maltose-enriched cultures made with soft-agar and in static submerged cultures made at 22 °C. We analyzed the transcriptome of this strain cultured in different media to establish a framework for future comparative studies, paying particular attention to the central metabolic pathways, principal secondary metabolite gene clusters, and the genes involved in producing volatile aromatic compounds (VOCs). The results showed a transcription signal for around 80% of the annotated genes. In contrast, most of the transcription effort was concentrated on a limited number of genes (20% of genes account for 80% of the transcription), and the transcription profile of the central metabolism genes was similar in the different conditions analyzed. The gene expression profile suggests that T. borchii uses fermentative rather than respiratory metabolism in these cultures, even in aerobic conditions. Finally, there was a reduced expression of genes belonging to secondary metabolite clusters, whereas there was a significative transcription of those involved in producing volatile aromatic compounds

Occurrence and diversity of bacterial communities in Tuber magnatum during truffle maturation

none9Tuber magnatum, an ascomycetous fungus and obligate ectomycorrhizal symbiont, forms hypogeous fruit bodies, commonly called Italian white truffles. The diversity of bacterial communities associated with T. magnatum truffles was investigated using culture-independent and -dependent 16S rRNA genebased approaches. Eighteen truffles were classified in three groups, representing different degrees of ascocarp maturation, based on the percentage of asci containing mature spores. The culturable bacterial fraction was 4.17 (+/- 1.61) x 10.000.000, 2.60 (+/- 1.22) x 10.000.000 and 1.86 (+/-1.32) x 1.000.000 cfu g-1 for immature, intermediate and mature ascocarps respectively. The total of bacteria count was two orders of magnitude higher than the cfu g-1 count. Sequencing results from the clone library showed a significant presence of alpha-Proteobacteria (634 of the 771 total clones screened, c. 82%) affiliated with Sinorhizobium, Rhizobium and Bradyrhizobium spp. The bacterial culturable fraction was generally represented by gamma-Proteobacteria (210 of the 384 total strains isolated, c. 55%), which were mostly fluorescent pseudomonads. Fluorescent in situ hybridization confirmed that alpha-Proteobacteria (85.8%) were the predominant components of truffle bacterial communities with beta-Proteobacteria (1.5%), gamma-Proteobacteria (1.9%), Bacteroidetes (2.1%), Firmicutes (2.4%) and Actinobacteria (3%) only poorly represented. Molecular approaches made it possible to identify alpha-Proteobacteria as major constituents of a bacterial component associated with T. magnatum ascoma, independently from the degree of maturation.openE. BARBIERI; C. GUIDI; J. BERTAUX; P. FREY-KLETT; J. GARBAYE; P. CECCAROLI; R. SALTARELLI; A. ZAMBONELLI; V. STOCCHIBarbieri, Elena; C., Guidi; J., Bertaux; P., FREY KLETT; J., Garbaye; Ceccaroli, Paola; Saltarelli, Roberta; A., Zambonelli; Stocchi, Vilbert

Transcriptome analysis of skeletal muscle tissue to identify genes involved in pre-slaughter stress response in pigs

The knowledge of genes and molecular processes controlling stress reactions and involved in the genetic system determining resistance to stress in pigs could be important for the improvement of meat quality. This research aimed to compare the expression profiles of skeletal muscle between physically stressed and not stressed pigs of different breeds immediately before slaughter. DNA microarray analysis showed that different functional categories of genes are up-regulated in stressed compared to not stressed pigs and relevant differences among breeds were found. - Utilizzando la tecnica microarray vengono confrontate liste di geni differenzialmente espressi in suini di diverse razze sottoposti oppure no a trattamenti stressanti pre macellazione per identificare le basi genetiche della resistenza e suscettibilità allo stress nel suino nella fase premacellazione e vengono analizzati gli effetti dello stress sulla qualità della carne nei soggetti stressati e non stressati. I risultati indicano interessanti differenze nella risposta allo stress tra le razze Large White Italiana, Duroc Italiana e Pietrain. e diverse categorie di geni sovraregolati nel confronto tra soggetti stressati e non stressati

Normative Multi-Agent Programs and Their Logics

Multi-agent systems are viewed as consisting of individual agents whose behaviors are regulated by an organization artefact. This paper presents a simplified version of a programming language that is designed to implement norm-based artefacts. Such artefacts are specified in terms of norms being enforced by monitoring, regimenting and sanctioning mechanisms. The syntax and operational semantics of the programming language are introduced and discussed. A logic is presented that can be used to specify and verify properties of programs developed in this language

Introducing a new breed of wine yeast: interspecific hybridisation between a commercial Saccharomyces cerevisiae wine yeast and Saccharomyces mikatae

Interspecific hybrids are commonplace in agriculture and horticulture; bread wheat and grapefruit are but two examples. The benefits derived from interspecific hybridisation include the potential of generating advantageous transgressive phenotypes. This paper describes the generation of a new breed of wine yeast by interspecific hybridisation between a commercial Saccharomyces cerevisiae wine yeast strain and Saccharomyces mikatae, a species hitherto not associated with industrial fermentation environs. While commercially available wine yeast strains provide consistent and reliable fermentations, wines produced using single inocula are thought to lack the sensory complexity and rounded palate structure obtained from spontaneous fermentations. In contrast, interspecific yeast hybrids have the potential to deliver increased complexity to wine sensory properties and alternative wine styles through the formation of novel, and wider ranging, yeast volatile fermentation metabolite profiles, whilst maintaining the robustness of the wine yeast parent. Screening of newly generated hybrids from a cross between a S. cerevisiae wine yeast and S. mikatae (closely-related but ecologically distant members of the Saccharomyces sensu stricto clade), has identified progeny with robust fermentation properties and winemaking potential. Chemical analysis showed that, relative to the S. cerevisiae wine yeast parent, hybrids produced wines with different concentrations of volatile metabolites that are known to contribute to wine flavour and aroma, including flavour compounds associated with non-Saccharomyces species. The new S. cerevisiae x S. mikatae hybrids have the potential to produce complex wines akin to products of spontaneous fermentation while giving winemakers the safeguard of an inoculated ferment.Jennifer R. Bellon, Frank Schmid, Dimitra L. Capone, Barbara L. Dunn, Paul J. Chamber