Etablierung eines „Beratungsnetzwerks Ökorinderzucht“ auf Basis des ökologischen Gesamtzuchtwerts

The goal of the project „Implementation of a consulting network for ecological dairy breeding based on the ecological total merit index” is the genetic improvement of dairy herds of ecologically working farms in Bavaria. The centerpiece of the project is the development of an ecological module within the internet-based commercial mating program of the LKV Bayern. The ecological mating program automatically analyses the breeding values for all cows and offers adequate sires for mating with respect to the genetic strengths and weaknesses of the cow compared with all cows on ecological farms. By working with the program the farmers get information on the genetic background of the herd and will become sensitized for problems of selection. The program can be handled by the farmer on its own or in the context of different consulting services

Etablierung eines „Beratungsnetzwerks Ökorinderzucht“ auf Basis des Ökologischen Gesamtzuchtwerts

Das Projekt „Etablierung eines Beratungsnetzwerks Ökorinderzucht auf Basis des Ökologischen Gesamtzuchtwerts“ hat die züchterische Verbesserung der Herden von ökologischen Milchviehbetrieben in Bayern zum Ziel. Kernstück des Projekts ist die Entwicklung eines Ökomoduls innerhalb des internetbasierten Anpaarungsprogramms des LKV Bayern. Mit dem ökologischen Anpaarungsprogramm werden nach einer automatisierten Zuchtwertanalyse, für jede Einzelkuh Bullenvorschläge gemacht, die die Stärken und Schwächen der Kuh hinsichtlich des Betriebsziels berücksichtigen. Durch die Arbeit mit dem Programm erfolgt eine züchterische Bestandsaufnahme und die Betriebsleiter werden für züchterische Fragestellungen sensibilisiert. Das Programm soll durch den Landwirt selbst oder im Rahmen verschiedener Beratungsangebote genutzt werden können. Nach einer intensiven Testphase soll das Ökomodul den Betrieben im Herbst 2012 zur Verfügung stehen

An evolutionarily young defense metabolite influences the root growth of plants via the ancient TOR signaling pathway.

To optimize fitness a plant should monitor its metabolism to appropriately control growth and defense. Primary metabolism can be measured by the universally conserved TOR (Target of Rapamycin) pathway to balance growth and development with the available energy and nutrients. Recent work suggests that plants may measure defense metabolites to potentially provide a strategy ensuring fast reallocation of resources to coordinate plant growth and defense. There is little understanding of mechanisms enabling defense metabolite signaling. To identify mechanisms of defense metabolite signaling, we used glucosinolates, an important class of plant defense metabolites. We report novel signaling properties specific to one distinct glucosinolate, 3-hydroxypropylglucosinolate across plants and fungi. This defense metabolite, or derived compounds, reversibly inhibits root growth and development. 3-hydroxypropylglucosinolate signaling functions via genes in the ancient TOR pathway. If this event is not unique, this raises the possibility that other evolutionarily new plant metabolites may link to ancient signaling pathways

Production of 3,4-dihydroxy L-phenylalanine by a newly isolated Aspergillus niger and parameter significance analysis by Plackett-Burman design

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The amino acid derivative 3,4-dihydroxy L-phenylalanine (L-dopa) is gaining interest as a drug of choice for Parkinson's disease. <it>Aspergillus oryzae </it>is commonly used for L-dopa production; however, a slower growth rate and relatively lower tyrosinase activity of mycelia have led to an increasing interest in exploiting alternative fungal cultures. In the present investigation, we report on the microbiological transformation of L-tyrosine to L-dopa accomplished by a newly isolated filamentous fungus <it>Aspergillus niger</it>.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The culture <it>A. niger </it>(isolate GCBT-8) was propagated in 500 ml Erlenmeyer flasks and the pre-grown mycelia (48 h old) were used in the reaction mixture as a source of enzyme tyrosinase. Grinded mycelia gave 1.26 fold higher L-dopa production compared to the intact at 6% glucose (pH 5.5). The rate of L-tyrosine consumption was improved from 0.198 to 0.281 mg/ml. Among the various nitrogen sources, 1.5% peptone, 1% yeast extract and 0.2% ammonium chloride were optimized. The maximal L-dopa was produced (0.365 mg/ml) at 0.3% potassium dihydrogen phosphate with L-tyrosine consumption of 0.403 mg/ml.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Over ~73% yield was achieved (degree of freedom 3) when the process parameters were identified using 2k-Plackett-Burman experimental design. The results are highly significant (p ≤ 0.05) and mark the commercial utility (LSD 0.016) of the mould culture which is perhaps the first ever report on L-dopa production from <it>A. niger</it>.</p

Pooled analysis of prognostic impact of urokinase-type plasminogen activator and its inhibitor PAI-1 in 8377 breast cancer patients

BACKGROUND: Urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) and its inhibitor (PAI-1) play essential roles in tumor invasion and metastasis. High levels of both uPA and PAI-1 are associated with poor prognosis in breast cancer patients. To confirm the prognostic value of uPA and PAI-1 in primary breast cancer, we reanalyzed individual patient data provided by members of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer-Receptor and Biomarker Group (EORTC-RBG). METHODS: The study included 18 datasets involving 8377 breast cancer patients. During follow-up (median 79 months), 35% of the patients relapsed and 27% died. Levels of uPA and PAI-1 in tumor tissue extracts were determined by different immunoassays; values were ranked within each dataset and divided by the number of patients in that dataset to produce fractional ranks that could be compared directly across datasets. Associations of ranks of uPA and PAI-1 levels with relapse-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) were analyzed by Cox multivariable regression analysis stratified by dataset, including the following traditional prognostic variables: age, menopausal status, lymph node status, tumor size, histologic grade, and steroid hormone-receptor status. All P values were two-sided. RESULTS: Apart from lymph node status, high levels of uPA and PAI-1 were the strongest predictors of both poor RFS and poor OS in the analyses of all patients. Moreover, in both lymph node-positive and lymph node-negative patients, higher uPA and PAI-1 values were independently associated with poor RFS and poor OS. For (untreated) lymph node-negative patients in particular, uPA and PAI-1 included together showed strong prognostic ability (all P<.001). CONCLUSIONS: This pooled analysis of the EORTC-RBG datasets confirmed the strong and independent prognostic value of uPA and PAI-1 in primary breast cancer. For patients with lymph node-negative breast cancer, uPA and PAI-1 measurements in primary tumors may be especially useful for designing individualized treatment strategies