Glutathione concentration and gamma-glutamyltransferase activity in water buffalo colostrum

Evidence is presented that the buffalo mammary gland contains enzymes that catalyse the synthesis and utilization of glutathione. A significant, inverse correlation (r = 0.79) was detected between colostrum gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) and glutathione (GSH), suggesting that the enzyme uses GSH as a substrate for its activity. A similar trend was shown in mammary gland homogenates (r = 0.75). Our results show that GSH is secreted into buffalo colostrum and suggest that the enzyme GGT degrades it. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first demonstration of the involvement of GGT-mediated GSH metabolism in the synthesis of colostrums, which elucidates the role of the enzyme that has always been reported very high in colostrum. © 2009 Blackwell Verlag GmbH

Transthyretin Promotes Axon Growth via Regulation of Microtubule Dynamics and Tubulin Acetylation

Transthyretin (TTR), a plasma and cerebrospinal fluid protein, increases axon growth and organelle transport in sensory neurons. While neurons extend their axons, the microtubule (MT) cytoskeleton is crucial for the segregation of functional compartments and axonal outgrowth. Herein, we investigated whether TTR promotes axon elongation by modulating MT dynamics. We found that TTR KO mice have an intrinsic increase in dynamic MTs and reduced levels of acetylated a-tubulin in peripheral axons. In addition, they failed to modulate MT dynamics in response to sciatic nerve injury, leading to decreased regenerative capacity. Importantly, restoring acetylated a-tubulin levels of TTR KO dorsal root ganglia (DRG) neurons using an HDAC6 inhibitor is sufficient to completely revert defective MT dynamics and neurite outgrowth. In summary, our results reveal a new role for TTR in the modulation of MT dynamics by regulating a-tubulin acetylation via modulation of the acetylase ATAT1, and suggest that this activity underlies TTR neuritogenic function.This work was supported by: FEDER – Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional funds through the COMPETE 2020 – Operacional Programme for Competitiveness and Internationalisation (POCI), Portugal 2020, and by Portuguese funds through FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia/Ministério da Ciéncia, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior in the framework of the project POCI-01-0145-FEDER-028336 (PTDC/MED-NEU/28336/2017); Norte-01-0145-FEDER-000008 – Porto Neurosciences and Neurologic Disease Research Initiative at I3S, supported by Norte Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through FEDER; and Thompson Family Foundation (TFFI) award, RO1AG050658 (NIH/National Institute on Aging) and R21NS120076 (NIH/NINDS) awards to FB, and a PRIN-2017FJC3-004 (MIUR) to MEP. TM is supported by the Deutsche Forshcunggemeinschaft (EXC 2145 SyNergy – ID 390857198; TRR 274/1 2020 – ID 408885537). JE is a FCT fellow (SFRH/BD/116343/2016). MAL is an FCT Investigator (IF/00902/2015)

Antimicrobial Peptides and Physical Activity: A Great Hope against COVID 19

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), α- and β-defensins, possess antiviral properties. These AMPs achieve viral inhibition through different mechanisms of action. For example, they can: (i) bind directly to virions; (ii) bind to and modulate host cell-surface receptors, disrupting intracellular signaling; (iii) function as chemokines to augment and alter adaptive immune responses. Given their antiviral properties and the fact that the development of an effective coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) treatment is an urgent public health priority, they and their derivatives are being explored as potential therapies against COVID-19. These explorations using various strategies, range from their direct interaction with the virus to using them as vaccine adjuvants. However, AMPs do not work in isolation, specifically in their role as potent immune modulators, where they interact with toll-like receptors (TLRs) and chemokine receptors. Both of these receptors have been shown to play roles in COVID-19 pathogenesis. In addition, it is known that a healthy lifestyle accompanied by controlled physical activity can represent a natural weapon against COVID-19. In competitive athletes, an increase in serum defensins has been shown to function as self-protection from the attack of microorganisms, consequently a controlled physical activity could act as a support to any therapies in fighting COVID-19. Therefore, including information on all these players' interactions would produce a complete picture of AMP-based therapies' response

Passive transfer status and growth performance in newborn buffalo calves allowed to nurse the dam

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of passive transfer status, determined by measuring serum IgG concentration 24 hours after parturition, on growth performance in buffalo calves fed milk replacer or allowed to nurse the dam during the first month of life. Experiment consisted of 24 healthy buffalo calves from birth to 30 days old. Significant quadratic associations were detected between serum IgG concentration 24 hours after birth and day-30 weight (P < 0.05; R2 = 0.62) and between serum IgG concentration 24 hours after birth and the mean daily gain from birth to day 30 (P < 0.01; R2 = 0.74) in buffalo calves allowed to nurse the dam. No significant association was detected between serum IgG concentration 24 hours after birth and measures of growth performance in buffalo calves fed milk replacer. Results indicated that passive transfer status, determined as serum IgG concentration 24 hours after birth, was a significant source of variation in growth performance when buffalo calves nursed the dam. Maximizing passive transfer of immunity by allowing buffalo calves to nurse the dam increased the growth performance during the first month of life

Influence of γ-glutamyltransferase and alkaline phosphatase activity on in vitro fertilisation of bovine frozen/thawed semen

AbstractThe aim of this work was to evaluate whether the residual amount of γ-glutamyl-transferase (GGT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) in bovine sperm after freezing/thawing is correlated with fertility parameters, including blastocyst rates after in vitro fertilisation (IVF). The enzyme activities were determined in both spermatozoa and supernatant after centrifugation. While ALP was only correlated with sperm viability, GGT activity was correlated with sperm motility (rs = .4; p < .05) both in sperm and supernatant. Interestingly, GGT activity was also correlated with cleavage (rs = .5; p < .05 and .8; p < .01, for sperm and supernatant respectively) and blastocyst (rs = .6 and .9, for sperm and supernatant respectively; p < .01) rates obtained after IVF. These results suggest that GGT could play an important role in the protection of sperm against oxidative stress and could be considered a reliable marker to assess frozen/thawed sperm quality in bovine

Expression and localization of aquaporin 1 along the intestine of colostrum suckling buffalo calves

Aquaporin 1 (AQP1), a six-transmembrane domain protein, belongs to a highly conserved group of proteins called aquaporins known to regulate permeability across cell membranes. Although the role of AQP1 has been extensively studied, its specific activity along the gastrointestinal tract in animals during early postnatal development is poorly known. This study investigates the expression of AQP1 mRNA and protein in the small and large intestine of water buffalo calves after colostrum ingestion by using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), western blotting, and cellular localization of AQP1 by immunohistochemistry. Our results revealed AQP1 immunoreactivity and the presence of the corresponding mRNA in all the examined tracts of the intestine but with a different cellular localization. Western blotting confirmed the presence of AQP1, with a more intense band in colostrum-suckling animals. These findings offer insights into AQP1 expression in the small and large intestine, suggesting its involvement in osmoregulation in gastrointestinal physiology particularly during the first week after birth in relation to specific maturation of intestinal structures

Expression and Localization of Aquaporin 4 and Aquaporin 5 along the Large Intestine of Colostrum-Suckling Buffalo Calves.

Aquaporins (AQPs) are membrane channel proteins that play a role in regulating water permeability in many tissues. To date, seven isoforms of AQPs have been reported in the gastrointestinal tract in different mammalian species. In contrast, both tissue distribution and expression of AQPs are unknown in the buffalo. The purpose of this study was to investigate the expression of both AQP4 and AQP5 mRNAs and their relative proteins in the large intestinal tracts of buffalo calves after colostrum suckling using reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), Western blotting and immunohistochemistry. Our results revealed a diversified tissue AQP4 and AQP5 immunolocalization accompanied by their highest expression in the tissues of colostrum-suckling buffalo calves confirmed by Western blotting. In particular, AQP4 was distributed along the endothelium and enterocytes while AQP5 in the endocrine cells. These findings provide direct evidence for AQP4 and AQP5 expression in the large intestine, suggesting that different AQPs collaborate functionally and distinctively in water handling during intestinal development, especially during the first period after delivery

Transthyretin Promotes Axon Growth via Regulation of Microtubule Dynamics and Tubulin Acetylation

Transthyretin (TTR), a plasma and cerebrospinal fluid protein, increases axon growth and organelle transport in sensory neurons. While neurons extend their axons, the microtubule (MT) cytoskeleton is crucial for the segregation of functional compartments and axonal outgrowth. Herein, we investigated whether TTR promotes axon elongation by modulating MT dynamics. We found that TTR KO mice have an intrinsic increase in dynamic MTs and reduced levels of acetylated alpha-tubulin in peripheral axons. In addition, they failed to modulate MT dynamics in response to sciatic nerve injury, leading to decreased regenerative capacity. Importantly, restoring acetylated alpha-tubulin levels of TTR KO dorsal root ganglia (DRG) neurons using an HDAC6 inhibitor is sufficient to completely revert defective MT dynamics and neurite outgrowth. In summary, our results reveal a new role for TTR in the modulation of MT dynamics by regulating alpha-tubulin acetylation via modulation of the acetylase ATAT1, and suggest that this activity underlies TTR neuritogenic function

EVALUATION OF EWE COLOSTRUM QUALITY BY ESTIMATION OF ENZYME ACTIVITY LEVELS

The objective of this study was to assess the potential use of colostral enzymes for the determination of colostrum quality in ewe. The enzymes gamma glutamyltransferase (GGT), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were measured in the colostrum from 11 ewes, milked within six hours after birth, by a dry chemistry system and spectrophotometrically. The quality of colostrum, given by the content of gamma globulines (IgG), was measured by electrophoresis separation of colostrum proteins. The highest activity was found for GGT, followed by LDH and ALP. A very high correlation (r = 0.83, P < 0.001) between GGT and IgG concentration was shown, suggesting this enzyme can be a good marker for the evaluation of colostrum quality in ewe

ANALISI DELL’INDICE DI INTERAZIONE BAMBINO-PETS IN FATTORIA ZOOANTROPOLOGICA: STUDIO PILOTA

INTRODUZIONE - La didattica applicata alla zooantropologia prevede un’attuazione in campo educativo e pedagogico dei principi zooantropologici; essa si prefigge un duplice obiettivo: di ridurre il gap relazionale tra animali e giovani generazioni e di recuperare i contenuti e le valenze della relazione, al fine dell’utilizzo pedagogico ed educativo. Nasce un nuovo modello educativo che pone al centro delle strutture pedagogiche l’animale, non più come oggetto da sfruttare, ma come soggetto che aiuti il bambino nella sua crescita educativa (1,2). In quest’ottica generale, la Fattoria Zooantropologica sembra essere un buon sistema in grado di permettere la “fruizione” da parte di bambini e\o soggetti con disabilità di questo modello relazionale e di consentire, altresì, attività e terapie assistite con gli animali (3,4). La Fattoria Zooantropologica offre l’opportunità di attivare la relazione reciproca in un ambiente nuovo, attraente e confortevole tra il fruitore e l’animale che giova di un habitat naturale e familiare. L’esperienza diretta permette ai bambini di usare tutti i loro sensi per imparare: più i bambini vedono, toccano, odorano, sentono, gustano, più imparano (5,6). Partendo da questi presupposti, lo studio si è posto l’obiettivo di effettuare una valutazione del gradimento delle differenti specie animali, attraverso l’analisi degli indici di interazione dei bambini rispetto agli animali presenti in fattoria, al fine di fornire delle linee guida nella scelta del pet in relazione ad una amplificazione delle risposte cognitive ed emozionali del bambino