The role of photorespiration during drought stress: an analysis utilizing barley mutants with reduced activities of photorespiratory enzymes.

The significance of photorespiration in drought-stressed plants was studied by withholding water from wild-type barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) and from heterozygous mutants with reduced activities of chloroplastic glutamine synthetase (GS-2), glycine decarboxylase (GDC) or serine : glyoxylate aminotransferase (SGAT). Well-watered plants of all four genotypes had identical rates of photosynthesis. Under moderate drought stress (leaf water potentials between –1 and –2 MPa), photosynthesis was lower in the mutants than in the wild type, indicating that photorespiration was increased under these conditions. Analysis of chlorophyll a fluorescence revealed that, in the GDC and SGAT mutants, the lower rates of photosynthesis coincided with a decreased quantum efficiency of photosystem II and increased non-photochemical dissipation of excitation energy. Correspondingly, the de-epoxidation state of xanthophyll-cycle carotenoids was increased several-fold in the drought-stressed GDC and SGAT mutants compared with the wild type. Accumulation of glycine in the GDC mutant was further evidence for increased photorespiration in drought-stressed barley. The effect of drought on the photorespiratory enzymes was determined by immunological detection of protein abundance. While the contents of GS-2 and P- and H-protein of the GDC complex remained unchanged as drought stress developed, the content of NADH-dependent hydroxypyruvate reductase increased. Enzymes of the Benson–Calvin cycle, on the other hand, were either not affected (ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase-oxygenase and plastidic fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase) or declined (sedoheptulose- 1,7-bisphosphatase and NADP-dependent glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase). These data demonstrate that photorespiration was enhanced during drought stress in barley and that the control exerted by photorespiratory enzymes on the rate of photosynthetic electron transport and CO2 fixation was increased

Sincronização da ovulação em fêmeas suínas submetidas ao desmame precoce Synchronization of ovulation in sows in early weaning system

Verificou-se a eficiência de protocolos para sincronizar a ovulação em porcas desmamadas precocemente. Trinta porcas com média de 4,4± 2,0 partos e estádio de lactação de 14,8± 0,7 dias foram distribuídas em três grupos de 10 animais: 1- nenhum tratamento hormonal; 2- 1000 UI de PMSG, via intramuscular (IM), 48h pós-desmame e 0,25mg de GnRH, IM, 72h após a aplicação do PMSG; 3- 1000 UI de PMSG, IM, 48h pós-desmame e 500 UI de hCG, IM, 72h após o PMSG. O momento da ovulação foi detectado por ultra-sonografia transretal. A taxa de sincronização (ovulação até 48h após aplicação de hCG ou GnRH) dos grupos 2 e 3 (94,7%) foi maior (P<0,01) que no grupo controle (40%). Com o uso dos protocolos de sincronização de ovulação, as fêmeas tratadas apresentaram, em relação ao grupo controle, tendência de maior taxa de prenhez (95% vs. 70%; P<0,10) e similares intervalo do desmame ao estro (96,5± 3,0 vs. 130,2± 31,4h) e número de leitões nascidos vivos por fêmea gestante no primeiro cio pós-desmame (10,9± 0,8 vs. 12,0± 0,9). Dessa maneira, os protocolos de sincronização usados neste estudo foram eficientes em sincronizar a ovulação, e podem viabilizar o uso da inseminação artificial em horários predeterminados.<br>The objective of this study was to test the efficiency of two protocols in synchronize the ovulation of sows in early weaning system. Thirty multiparous crossbred (Large-White x Landrace) sows with a mean± SD of 4.4± 2.0 parturitions and 14.8± 0.7 days in lactation were divided into three groups of 10 animals each: group 1- control; group 2- received 1000 IU of PMSG (FOLLIGON® , INTERVET) IM, 48 hours after weaning + 0.25mg of GnRH (FERTAGIL® , INTERVET) IM, 72h after PMSG; group 3- received 1000 IU of PMSG 48 hours after weaning + 500 IU of hCG (PROFASI® , SERONO) IM, 72h after PMSG. Time of ovulation was monitored by transrectal ultrasound. Synchronization of ovulation rates (ovulated within 48 hours after the treatment with hCG or GnRH) in groups 2 and 3 were higher (94.7%; P< 0.01) than in group 1 (40%). Sows from groups 2 and 3 showed a tendency of higher pregnancy rate than those from group 1 (95% vs. 70%; P<0.10), but similar weaning-to-estrus interval (96.5± 3.0h vs. 130.2± 31.4h) and similar litter size (10.9± 0.8 vs. 12.0± 0.9), respectively. The data show that the protocols used in the current study were efficient in synchronize time of ovulation and render possible the use of AI at a predetermined moment