Using Molecular Marker Technology for Improvement in Sow Reproductive Longevity

The longevity or productive life of sows is one of the important components that contribute to the economic bottom line of swine production. Involuntary sow culling rates caused by locomotion failure, reproductive failure or death have been growing in recent years causing many females to be culled before they reach their most productive parities and before the investment costs of those females have been recovered. In addition to factors such as management, sow condition, health, nutrition, and facilities, there are likely to be genetic components controlling sow longevity that have yet to be fully identified. Research ongoing at Iowa State University, in conjunction with Sygen and PIC, has focused on identifying the genes associated with variation in sow longevity

Cell-free prediction of protein expression costs for growing cells

Translating heterologous proteins places significant burden on host cells, consuming expression resources leading to slower cell growth and productivity. Yet predicting the cost of protein production for any given gene is a major challenge, as multiple processes and factors combine to determine translation efficiency. To enable prediction of the cost of gene expression in bacteria, we describe here a standard cell-free lysate assay that provides a relative measure of resource consumption when a protein coding sequence is expressed. These lysate measurements can then be used with a computational model of translation to predict the in vivo burden placed on growing E. coli cells for a variety of proteins of different functions and lengths. Using this approach, we can predict the burden of expressing multigene operons of different designs and differentiate between the fraction of burden related to gene expression compared to action of a metabolic pathway

A Clumpy Stellar Wind and Luminosity-Dependent Cyclotron Line Revealed by The First Suzaku Observation of the High-Mass X-ray Binary 4U 1538-522

We present results from the first Suzaku observation of the high-mass X-ray binary 4U 1538-522. The broad-band spectral coverage of Suzaku allows for a detailed spectral analysis, characterizing the cyclotron resonance scattering feature at $23.0 \pm 0.4$ keV and the iron K$\alpha$ line at $6.426 \pm 0.008$ keV, as well as placing limits on the strengths of the iron K$\beta$ line and the iron K edge. We track the evolution of the spectral parameters both in time and in luminosity, notably finding a significant positive correlation between cyclotron line energy and luminosity. A dip and spike in the lightcurve is shown to be associated with an order-of-magnitude increase in column density along the line of sight, as well as significant variation in the underlying continuum, implying the accretion of a overdense region of a clumpy stellar wind. We also present a phase-resolved analysis, with most spectral parameters of interest showing significant variation with phase. Notably, both the cyclotron line energy and the iron K$\alpha$ line intensity vary significantly with phase, with the iron line intensity significantly out-of-phase with the pulse profile. We discuss the implications of these findings in the context of recent work in the areas of accretion column physics and cyclotron resonance scattering feature formation.Comment: 15 pages, 8 figures. Accepted to ApJ on 2 July 201

Investigation of effects of three candidate genes on leg action and fat deposition traits in pigs

Data from 188 sows were used in the current study to examine the effects of high mobility group AT-hook1 (HMGA1), transcription factor 7-like-2 (TCF7L2) and insulin-like growth factor binding protein 3 (IGFBP3) genes on leg action and fat deposition traits, and further to explore the possible relationships between these genes on both traits. The candidate genes used in the study are known for their roles in fat deposition and growth. Overall leg action was scored on a scale of 1 (good movement) to 9 (leg weakness). Fatness traits included 10th rib backfat (BF10), adjusted 10th rib backfat to 125 kg (adjBF10) and last rib backfat (last BF), measured by ultrasonic imaging approach. The association analyses between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and traits were performed using PROC MIXED procedures of SAS. The results showed that the associations between HMGA1, TCF7L2 and IGFBP3 genotypes with fat deposition traits were mostly suggestive in this limited data set. Leg action was also suggestively associated with IGFBP3 gene effects but was not associated with HMGA1 and TCF7L2 genes. Thus, IGFBP3 AA homozygote individuals tended to have had better movements (5.40), and were fatter when compared to GG homozygotes (5.84). The results from this study suggest a possible association between the IGFBP3 gene effects on both leg action and fatness. Therefore, further studies must be carried out in several populations, and using larger data to demonstrate these results conclusively

Association of PITl Polymorphisms with Growth and Carcass Traits in Pigs

PIT1, a member of the POU-domain family of genes, is a positive regulatory factor of growth hormone, prolactin, and thyrotroph-stimulating hormone beta in several mammals. Therefore, PIT1 was chosen as a candidate gene to investigate its association with growth and carcass traits in pigs. The five Iowa State University reference/resource three-generation families consisting of crosses of Meishan x Duroc, Meishan x Hampshire, Meishan x Landrace, Minzhu x Hampshire, and Minzhu x Landrace were used. The three PIT1 polymorphisms were based on two RFLP using a PIT1 POU-domain cDNA probe and the restriction enzymes BamHI and MspI and a PCR/RFLP using RsaI. Birth, 21-d, and 42-d weights, average daily gain, several backfat measurements, longissimus muscle area, muscle color, marbling, and firmness scores were evaluated for their association with the three PIT1 polymorphisms. Mixed-animal-model analyses were used with the informative family data in which the PIT1 polymorphisms were segregating. Results from mixed-model analyses revealed that pigs with the MspI CC genotype (P \u3c .01) were associated with heavier birth weight (.12 kg) than DD genotype pigs. The MspI CC genotype pigs were also significantly associated with greater average backfat (.41 cm, P \u3c .01), greater first-rib backfat (.45 cm, P \u3c .01), greater last-rib backfat (.32 cm, P \u3c .07), and greater last lumbar backfat (.46 cm, P \u3c .10) than the DD genotype pigs. The CC genotype represents primarily Chinese alleles and may be useful for future genetic improvement in synthetic lines involving Chinese and American pigs.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS

Purification and analytical characterization of an anti- CD4 monoclonal antibody for human therapy

A purification process for the monclonal anti-CD4 antibody MAX.16H5 was developed on an analytical scale using (NH&SO, precipitation, anion-exchange chromatography on MonoQ or Q-Sepharose, hydrophobic interaction chromatography on phenyl- Sepharose and gel filtration chromatography on Superdex 200. The purification schedule was scaled up and gram amounts of MAX.16H5 were produced on corresponding BioPilot columns. Studies of the identity, purity and possible contamination by a broad range of methods showed that the product was highly purified and free from contaminants such as mouse DNA, viruses, pyrogens and irritants. Overall, the analytical data confirm that the monoclonal antibody MAX.16H5 prepared by this protocol is suitable for human therapy

REGULATION OF LABOR UNIONS AND LABOR DISPUTES IN FRANCE

In a study of British labor, Andre Philip contrasted what he termed le Trade Unionisme\u27\u27 of England with les syndicats professionels of France. So foreign did he deem the British concept of trade unionism to his French readers that, in speaking of British trade unions, he preferred not to use the French term

Rapid communication: Linkage mapping of the porcine immunoreceptor DAP10 and NKG2D genes

Genus and Species. Sus scrofa. Loci. DNAX-activation protein 10 (DAP10) and natural killer cell receptor D (NKG2D). Source and Description of Primers. Primers were designed from the porcine DAP10 and NKG2D sequences (GenBank accession nos. AF285446 and AF285448, respectively). The DAP10 primers were used to amplify approximately 500 bp of the fragment spanning DAP10 exon 4 and DAP12 exon 5. The DAP10 and DAP12 genes are linked in opposite transcriptional orientation, separated by 152 bp (Yim et al., 2001). The NKG2D primers were used to amplify approximately 700 bp of the fragment spanning NKG2D exons 8 and 9