Protein profile and reactive oxygen species production in mitochondria from pigs divergently selected for residual feed intake

The world population is expected to hit 9 billion people by the year 2050. The need to efficiently and sustainably produce high quality nutritious food will be a key challenge for producers. Meat is a complete source of protein, B-vitamins, and other macronutrients, and a necessity for a balanced diet [1-2]. As the world population continues to grow and developing countries become more affluent, the demand for meat will increase. In order to efficiently and sustainably produce enough meat to satisfy the demand, research must be conducted to establish the biological differences between animals with differing feed efficiencies. It has long been established that traits such as breed, sex, age, and season (temperature) impact the ability of an animal to efficiently convert dietary energy to metabolic energy (ATP). However, these aforementioned factors do not explain all of the variations in efficiencies. These variations can be partly explained by calculating residual feed intake (RFI). The concept of RFI was developed to account for the difference between actual feed consumption and expected consumption given average daily gain [3] and backfat [4]. A low RFI value would indicate the animal is more efficient in the converting dietary energy to metabolic energy than its contemporaries. Similarly an animal with a high RFI value would consume more than expected based on average daily gain and backfat. To understand and improve efficiency in meat production, the molecular differences between high and low RFI animals need to be better characterized. One of the end products of the conversion of dietary energy to metabolic energy is ATP. ATP is the metabolic currency of the cell. The mitochondria, known as the power house of the cell, generates up to 90% of ATP produced by the cell. The molecular make up of the mitochondria may impact the efficiency of an animal. Investigations into the electron transport chain and the protein profile of mitochondria may provide evidence for the observed differences in efficiencies from animals genetically selected from RFI. The electron transport chain is responsible for the conversion of the metabolic products originating from the TCA cycle into an energy gradient that is used to synthesize ATP from ADP. Superoxide anions are a form of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that originate from electron transport. Superoxide anions can cause oxidative stress and damage to cells and proteins. Energy is required to repair this oxidative damage, potentially leading to the partitioning of dietary energy away from protein accretion and growth towards cellular repair and replacement. In addition to ROS damage, the protein profile of mitochondria may hold clues as to the overall molecular differences between animals genetically selected for high and low RFI. Changes in the abundance of proteins related to ATP production, antioxidant defenses, and cell rescue could provide clues for the observed differences in RFI. Our overall objective was to determine potential molecular differences in the mitochondria using pigs genetically selected for RFI status as a model. Our data show there is a tissue specific increase in ROS production from the mitochondria in the less efficient, high RFI line. Coupled with the increase in ROS, proteins related to ATP production and cellular rescue were more abundant in the more efficient low RFI line. In addition to the data comparing RFI lines, a minimal difference in the protein profile was observed when animals separated by RFI phenotype irrespective of line. [1] McNeill S, Van Elswyk ME. Red meat in global nutrition. Meat Sci. 2012;92:166-73. [2] Murphy MM, Spungen JH, Bi X, Barraj LM. Fresh and fresh lean pork are substantial sources of key nutrients when these products are consumed by adults in the United States. Nutrition Research. 2011;31:776-83. [3] Boddicker N, Gabler NK, Spurlock ME, Nettleton D, Dekkers JCM. Effects of ad libitum and restricted feeding on early production performance and body composition of Yorkshire pigs selected for reduced residual feed intake. Anim. 2011;5:1344-53. [4] Koch RM, Gregory KE, Chambers D, Swiger LA. Efficiency of feed use in beef cattle. J. Anim. Sci. 1963;22:486-94

Arbitration Agreements, Expanded Judicial Review, and Preemption – Hall Street Associates and NAFTA Traders, Inc. – A National Debate with International Implications

On May 13, 2011, the Texas Supreme Court, in construing the Texas Arbitration Act, rejected the U. S. Supreme Court’s analysis in Hall Street Associates, L.L.C. v. Mattel, Inc. 1 At issue was whether the parties may by agreement expand judicial review of an arbitration award beyond the specific grounds for vacatur or modification set forth in the Federal Arbitration Act. In NAFTA Traders, Inc. v. Quinn2 the Texas Supreme Court held that the Texas Arbitration Act does not preclude the parties from supplementing judicial review by contract. A discussion on the reasoning of the Texas Court and others that have addressed this issue, together with implications, is vital to moving forward with contractual arbitration domestically and internationally

Changes in the Protein Profile of Porcine Liver in Response to Immune System Stimulation

Immune system function has a direct influence on swine growth. Using lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to stimulate the immune system of pigs provides insight on how they handle immunological stress. Several proteins were shown to be part of the liver’s response to LPS. These proteins included heat shock protein (HSP) 60, HSP70, and peroxiredoxin-2. Changes in the abundance of these proteins indicate the extent to which an animal can respond to this immune system stimulation (ISS). Proteins responsible for cellular rescue were found to be increased in abundance in pigs with stimulated immune systems

Autoimmunity in the Pathogenesis and Treatment of Keratoconjunctivitis Sicca

Dry eye is a chronic corneal disease that impacts the quality of life of many older adults. keratoconjunctivitis sicca (KCS), a form of aqueous-deficient dry eye, is frequently associated with Sjögren’s syndrome and mechanisms of autoimmunity. For KCS and other forms of dry eye, current treatments are limited, with many medications providing only symptomatic relief rather than targeting the pathophysiology of disease. Here, we review proposed mechanisms in the pathogenesis of autoimmune-based KCS: genetic susceptibility and disruptions in antigen recognition, immune response, and immune regulation. By understanding the mechanisms of immune dysfunction through basic science and translational research, potential drug targets can be identified. Finally, we discuss current dry eye therapies as well as promising new treatment options and drug therapy targets

A Review of Quality of Life Measures in Dry Eye Questionnaires

Dry eye disease (DED) is an ocular disease that affects 5% to 17% of the US population. Because of the negative effects of DED on patients’ quality of life (QOL), disease-specific questionnaires that assess QOL in patients with dry eyes are essential in the monitoring and management of this chronic ocular condition. This review provides clinicians and researchers with a summary of the current questionnaires available for assessing QOL in patients with dry eyes

Dynamic evolution in the key honey bee pathogen deformed wing virus: Novel insights into virulence and competition using reverse genetics

The impacts of invertebrate RNA virus population dynamics on virulence and infection out- comes are poorly understood. Deformed wing virus (DWV), the main viral pathogen of honey bees, negatively impacts bee health, which can lead to colony death. Despite previ- ous reports on the reduction of DWV diversity following the arrival of the parasitic mite Var- roa destructor, the key DWV vector, we found high genetic diversity of DWV in infested United States honey bee colonies. Phylogenetic analysis showed that divergent US DWV genotypes are of monophyletic origin and were likely generated as a result of diversification after a genetic bottleneck. To investigate the population dynamics of this divergent DWV, we designed a series of novel infectious cDNA clones corresponding to coexisting DWV genotypes, thereby devising a reverse-genetics system for an invertebrate RNA virus qua- sispecies. Equal replication rates were observed for all clone-derived DWV variants in single infections. Surprisingly, individual clones replicated to the same high levels as their mixtures and even the parental highly diverse natural DWV population, suggesting that complemen- tation between genotypes was not required to replicate to high levels. Mixed clone–derived infections showed a lack of strong competitive exclusion, suggesting that the DWV geno- types were adapted to coexist. Mutational and recombination events were observed across clone progeny, providing new insights into the forces that drive and constrain virus diversifi- cation. Accordingly, our results suggest that Varroa influences DWV dynamics by causing an initial selective sweep, which is followed by virus diversification fueled by negative fre- quency-dependent selection for new genotypes. We suggest that this selection might reflect the ability of rare lineages to evade host defenses, specifically antiviral RNA interference (RNAi). In support of this hypothesis, we show that RNAi induced against one DWV strain is less effective against an alternate strain from the same population