Decreased apoptosis in fatty livers submitted to subnormothermic machine-perfusion respect to cold storage

Machine perfusion at subnormothermic temperature (20°C), MP20, was developed by Vairetti et al. and showed to afford a better preservation of fatty livers respect to traditional cold storage (CS) in terms of enzyme release into the perfusate, bile production, glycogen stores, energy charge and oxidative stress. Here we investigated whether it also caused decreased cell death by apoptosis. Fatty and lean Zucker rats were submitted to MP20 or CS for 6 h and reperfused normothermically for 2 h. Apoptotic cells were revealed by immunohistochemistry of activated caspase-3 and M30 (new epitope on CK18 degraded by caspase-3) and by the TUNEL assay. Portal pressure was also determined. A statistically significant reduction of hepatocyte apoptosis, but especially of sinusoidal cells was determined for fatty livers submitted to MP20 respect to CS. Portal pressure was significantly lower after MP20 respect to CS. The reduction of sinusoidal cell death by apoptosis without need for anti-apoptotic therapies appears particularly positive since apoptotic sinusoidal cells hinder microcirculation in the sinusoids and are thrombogenic. These results further confirm the potential of MP20 for preserving fatty livers that would be otherwise discarded as grafts, and thus for increasing the donor pool for liver transplantation

Stearoyl CoA desaturase gene polymorphism in Italian cattle breeds

AbstractStearoyl COA desaturase (SCD) is a rate-limiting enzyme in the biosynthesis of monounsaturated fatty acids. In cattle, a number of studies support the hypothesis that SCD gene regulation and polymorphism may affect fatty acid composition and fat quality in meat and milk. In ruminant-derived food products, SCD activity has been correlated to the content of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), a mixture of geometrical and positional isomers of linoleic acid C18:2 having several positive effects on human health (i.e. anticarginogenic, antiatherogenic and immunomodulating effects).Aim of this study was to assess the polymorphism of 3 previously reported Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) in exon 5 of SCD gene in 12 cattle breeds raised in Italy, to evaluate the genetic variability and the genetic differences due to breed and/or selection purpose. Breeds sampled cover the whole geographic area of Italian peninsula and represent different selective purposes: 6 meat-purpose or meat-prevalence breeds (Pied..

Identification of polymorphism in the SCL24A5 gene of cattle

The SLC24A5 (Solute Carrier family 24, member 5) gene is implicated in skin pigmentation in zebrafish and humans as it regulates the morphogenesis of melanosomes, specialized lysosomes involved in melanin deposit. In humans, the ancestral allele predominates in African and East Asian populations, while the allelic variant is nearly fixed in European populations and correlates with lighter pigmentation. Considering the role of melanin in the protecting of DNA from ultraviolet radiation, the lack of information in cattle and the importance of polymorphisms associated with pigmentation phenotypes, we investigated the SLC24A5 gene in cattle with light and dark skin pigmentation. To identify SNPs (Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms) in this gene and their association to dark skin pigmentation in cattle, each of the nine SLC24A5 exons, three introns (1, 3 and 8) and a portion of intron 5, were sequenced in a set of sixteen animals belonging to four Italian cattle breeds, two African zebu breeds and two African sanga breeds. The region spanning exons 3 and 4 was sequenced in fifteen animals belonging to seven additional breeds. A total of sixteen SNPs were identified: eleven positioned in introns (six in intron 1, one in intron 5 and four in intron 8) and five in exons (one in exon 1, two in exon 6 and two in exon 7). Three SNPs (located in exons 1, 6 and 7) were non synonymous, determining Pro19Leu, Ala238Val, and Met341Ile amino acid changes, respectively. All the SNPs identified were polymorphic between Bos taurus, Bos indicus and Sanga, while none of them resulted associated with the studied phenotype and discriminated the three breeds (Chianina, Mucubal and Goudali) characterized by dark pigmented skin from the others