GENETIC POLYMORPHISM OF THE CSN1S1 GENE IN THE GREEK-INDIGENOUS SCOPELOS GOAT

The objective of this study was to evaluate the variability of the αs1-casein locus in the Scopelos breed. Skopelos is an indigenous Greek dairy goat breed that is characterised by high milk yield and robusteness. The notion is that the extensive polymorphisms of the caprine gene (CSN1S1) that encodes the aS1 casein (CN) fraction in different goat breeds is associated with milk yield and composition. The latter are investigated and discussed for Skopelos goats

High-Throughput, Sequence-Based Analysis of the Microbiota of Greek Kefir Grains from Two Geographic Regions

Pozadina istraživanja. Kefir je prirodni probiotički napitak koji se tradicionalno dobiva fermentacijom mlijeka s kefirnim zrncima. Kefirna zrnca sadržavaju združenu populaciju bakterija i kvasaca uklopljenih u proteinsko-polisaharidni matriks. Geografsko porijeklo kefirnih zrnaca može bitno utjecati na njihov mikrobni sastav, a time i na svojstva dobivenog napitka. Iako u literaturi nalazimo detaljne podatke o sastavu kefirnih zrnaca iz različitih geografskih područja, nema dostupnih informacija o mikrobiomu grčkog kefira. Stoga je svrha ovoga rada bila ispitati strukturu i raznolikost bakterijske zajednice grčkih kefirnih zrnaca. Eksperimentalni pristup. Metodom sekvenciranja visoke propusnosti ispitani su struktura i raznolikost sastava kefirnih zrnaca iz dvaju geografski udaljenih područja u Grčkoj, radi boljeg razumijevanja raznolikosti bakterijskih populacija u zrncima. Ovaj pristup ispitivanju metagenoma, koji ne ovisi o kulturi, za sekvenciranje koristi gen 16S rRNA sa segmentima oko V4 varijabilne regije. Rezultati i zaključci. Koljeno Firmicutes (kojem pripadaju i bakterije mliječno-kiselog vrenja), s 99 % sekvenci u oba uzorka kefirnih zrnaca, izrazito je dominiralo među identificiranim bakterijama. Na razini porodice, sekvence Lactobacillaceae bile su zastupljene s više od 98 % jedinica (engl. operational taxonomic units, OTU), zatim slijede: Ruminococcaceae, Lahnospiraceae, Bacteroidaceae, te ostale, manje zastupljene porodice. Relativno je mali broj vrsta bakterija dominirao, od kojih je nazastupljenija bila bakterija Lac¬tobacillus kefiranofaciens, i to s 95,0 % jedinica u kefiru A i 96,3 % jedinica u kefiru B. Međutim, pronađena je vrlo raznolika subdominantna populacija u oba uzorka zrnaca, uključujući i vrste bakterija koje su dosad bile povezivane s probavnim traktom ljudi i životinja. a za neke od njih se smatra da imaju probiotička svojstva (Faecalibacterium spp., Bacteroides spp. i Blautia spp.). Razlike u profilima bakterijskih vrsta između dvaju uzoraka kefirnih zrnaca su vrlo male, što potvrđuje izrazitu homogenost uzoraka usprkos njihovoj velikoj geografskoj udaljenosti. Novina i znanstveni doprinos. Ovaj rad po prvi put detaljno istražuje raznolikost bakterijskih vrsta i njihovo bogatstvo u grčkom kefiru.Research background. Kefir is a natural probiotic drink traditionally produced by milk fermentation using kefir grains. Kefir grains are composed of a complex population of bacteria and yeasts embedded in a polysaccharide-protein matrix. The geographic origin of kefir grains may largely influence their microbial composition and the associated kefir drink properties. Although the detailed bacterial composition of kefir grains from several geographic regions has been reported, to date, analogous data about the microbiome of Greek kefir are lacking. Hence, the aim of this study is to investigate the structure and the diversity of the bacterial community of Greek kefir grains. Experimental approach. The bacterial community structure and diversity of two different kefir grains from distant geographic regions in Greece were examined via high-throughput sequencing analysis, a culture-independent metagenomic approach, targeting the 16S rRNA V4 variable region, in order to gain a deeper understanding of their bacterial population diversities. Results and conclusions. Firmicutes (a phylum that includes lactic acid bacteria) was strikingly dominant amongst the identified bacterial phyla, with over 99 % of the sequences from both kefir grains classified to this phylum. At the family level, Lactobacillaceae sequences accounted for more than 98 % of the operational taxonomic units (OTUs), followed by Ruminococcaceae, Lahnospiraceae, Bacteroidaceae and other bacterial families of lesser abundance. Α relatively small number of bacterial genera dominated, with Lactobacillus kefiranofaciens being the most abundant in both kefir grains (95.0 % of OTUs in kefir A and 96.3 % of OTUs in kefir B). However, a quite variable subdominant population was also present in both grains, including bacterial genera that have been previously associated with the gastrointestinal tract of humans and animals, some of which are believed to possess probiotic properties (Faecalibacterium spp., Bacteroides spp., Blautia spp.). Differences among the bacterial profiles of the two grains were very small indicating a high homogeneity despite the distant geographic origin. Novelty and scientific contribution. This is the first study to deeply explore and report on the bacterial diversity and species richness of Greek kefir

Over-expression of a tomato N-acetyl-L-glutamate synthase gene (SlNAGS1) in Arabidopsis thaliana results in high ornithine levels and increased tolerance in salt and drought stresses

A single copy of the N-acetyl-L-glutamate synthase gene (SlNAGS1) has been isolated from tomato. The deduced amino acid sequence consists of 604 amino acids and shows a high level of similarity to the predicted Arabidopsis NAGS1 and NAGS2 proteins. Furthermore, the N-terminus ArgB domain and the C-terminus ArgA domain found in SlNAGS1 are similar to the structural arrangements that have been reported for other predicted NAGS proteins. SlNAGS1 was expressed at high levels in all aerial organs, and at basic levels in seeds, whereas it was not detected at all in roots. SlNAGS1 transcript accumulation was noticed transiently in tomato fruit at the red-fruit stage. In addition, an increase of SlNAGS1 transcripts was detected in mature green tomato fruit within the first hour of exposure to low oxygen concentrations. Transgenic Arabidopsis plants have been generated expressing the SlNAGS1 gene under the control of the cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) 35S promoter. Three homozygous transgenic lines expressing the transgene (lines 1-7, 3-8, and 6-5) were evaluated further. All three transgenic lines showed a significant accumulation of ornithine in the leaves with line 3-8 exhibiting the highest concentration. The same lines demonstrated higher germination ability compared to wild-type (WT) plants when subjected to 250 mM NaCl. Similarly, mature plants of all three transgenic lines displayed a higher tolerance to salt and drought stress compared to WT plants. Under most experimental conditions, transgenic line 3-8 performed best, while the responses obtained from lines 1-7 and 6-5 depended on the applied stimulus. To our knowledge, this is the first plant NAGS gene to be isolated, characterized, and genetically modified

A Model for Organizational Entrepreneurship with Organizational Culture Approach in Iran's Teaching Hospitals

BACKGROUND፡ One of the most basic tools and strategies for developing new ideas and entrepreneurship is establishing the entrepreneurial culture in the organization. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine the effect of organizational culture on entrepreneurship of district 1 teaching hospitals in Iran.METHOD: The study was applied in terms of purpose and descriptive-analytical of survey type in terms of nature that was conducted in 2019 on 946 staff members of district 1 teaching hospitals in Iran using census sampling method. The measurement tools used were standard questionnaires of Margaret Hill Entrepreneurship and Edgar Schein Organizational Culture. Pearson correlation coefficient was used to determine the relationship between organizational culture and organizational entrepreneurship. Partial least squares (PLS) was used for structural equation modeling (SEM) and analyzed in Smart pls2 software.RESULTS: The results showed that there is a significant direct relationship between the organizational culture and organizational entrepreneurship (r=0.94). Also, there was a relationship between the internal consistency component with organizational entrepreneurship (r=0.93), between the external compatibility component with organizational entrepreneurship (r=0.90). (p≤0.05)CONCLUSION: The results indicated a positive and significant relationship between organizational culture and its dimensions (internal consistency and external compatibility) with organizational entrepreneurship. Thus, making the decisions that concentrate on the organizational culture of the hospitals and taking steps to coordinate people's values and norms that promote organizational culture and enhance organizational entrepreneurship are recommended

Investigation of Staphylococcus aureus growth and enterotoxin production during artisanal kefir fermentation

The behavior of two enterotoxigenic strains of Staphylococcus aureus (264 and 137) at two inoculation levels (ca. 2.3 and 4.2 log10 CFU/mL) was evaluated during artisanal kefir manufacture using three kefir grains (‘A’, ‘C’ and ‘K’) at two different grain-to-milk inoculation ratios [1 and 5% (w/v)]. Enumeration of S. aureus, lactic acid bacteria and yeasts was performed at different time points during milk fermentation at 25 °C, whereas enterotoxin production was evaluated at the end of fermentation (24 h post-inoculation). Enterotoxin was detected in four trials conducted using the 1% kefir grain-to-milk ratio and the higher S. aureus inoculum. Enterotoxin production was not detected in any of the trials conducted either with the lower S. aureus inoculum, the 5% grain-to-milk ratio, or kefir grain ‘C’. The results indicate that the growth and enterotoxin production of S. aureus during artisanal kefir-making can be influenced by all the factors studied, i.e. by the initial level of S. aureus contamination, the type of kefir grain used and the ratio of the kefir grain added to the milk. Artisanal kefir-makers should adhere to good hygiene practices and use the 5% grain-to-milk ratio scheme to minimize the risk of enterotoxin production. © 2020 Elsevier Lt