An update on recent colony losses in Scotland from a sample survey covering 2006-2008

Peterson et al. (2009) reported figures on honey bee colony losses from a postal survey of beekeepers in Scotland carried out in early summer 2006 on behalf of the Executive of the Scottish Beekeepers' Association (SBA). We now provide updated figures on Scottish colony losses and on the reasons for these losses, from a repeat survey in late spring 2008 and covering the period April 2006 to April 2008

Colony losses in Scotland in 2004-2006 from a sample survey

In the early summer of 2006, a postal survey of beekeeping in Scotland was carried out on behalf of the Executive of the Scottish Beekeepers' Association (SBA), to obtain an overview of some general aspects of current beekeeping practice and experience in Scotland. Of particular interest were colony losses and also extent and impact of the parasitic mite Varroa destructor (Anderson and Trueman, 2000). The Scottish experience is of interest, as V. destructor is not yet universally present throughout the country

Varroa and losses of bee colonies in Scotland

In relation to Scotland, some interesting findings on unexplained colony losses and a possible link to Varroa infestation of bee colonies arise from a survey of members of the Scottish Beekeepers' Association (SBA) carried out in May 2006. This survey covered the period April 2004 to March 2006 and was undertaken largely as a response to reports of apparently newly emerging problems with queen rearing in parts of southern England and concern over the effects of the arrival of Varroa destructor in Scotland in 1996 and its subsequent wide spread across the country

The SBA survey 2008 : some preliminary findings

Following the survey of SBA members in 2006, a second survey was carried out in late spring of 2008 to monitor the ongoing effects of Varroa and experiences of colony loss. It also attempted to collect information on various environmental factors rumoured to be possible causes of colony collapse disorder (CCD), to enable further investigation and modelling of the risk of sudden colony collapse. The design of this survey was described in the November 2008 issue of the Scottish Beekeeper

The major histocompatibility complex of cattle with particular reference to some aspects of East Coast fever

Following an introduction and review of literature pertaining to relevant aspects of major histocompatibility systems and a review of literature on the bovine system specifically, an introduction to East Coast fever (ECF) and review of literature on ECF immunology and lymphoblastoid cell line (LCL) vaccination is given.The development and application of a technique for selection of bovine lymphocyte antigen (BoLA) ~ defined subpopulations within established LCLs transformed by the causative organism of ECF (Theileria parva) is then described. The results are discussed in the context of T.parva-preferred target cells in in vitro transformation systems, and the possible application of the technique in producing LCLs lacking BoLA expression is considered. No evidence of modulation of BoLA phenotype (workshop specificities) as a consequence of Theileria~induced transformation was found.Two large scale LCL challenge experiments in cattle are reported, in which degrees of compatibility between LCLs and recipient cattle were quantified and the effect of this on the responses to LCL inoculation and subsequent stabilate challenge, assessed. Evidence is presented for the BoLA system being an important factor in determining the response to LCL inoculation and the generation of immunity to a second challenge with the homologous parasite, when cattle are inoculated with low numbers of cells initially.Also presented are the results of a series of experiments carried out to investigate the specificity of bovine alloreactive cytotoxic cells generated in vitro. The results suggest that BoLA workshop specificities, as defined by alloantisera, are restrictive in this system. The results also suggest that effects due to expression of the products of a BoLA locus other than that coding for the workshop specificities were being detected in some experiments.The significance of these results for future studies of the bovine immune system in general, and for studies of the immune response in ECF in particular, is discussed

Biochemical and molecular studies of the polyunsaturated fatty acid desaturation pathway in fish

Fish have an absolute dietary requirement for certain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) termed “essential fatty acids” (EFA) that include members of both the n-6 and n-3 series typified by linoleic acid, 18:2n-6, and α-linolenic acid, 18:3n-3. However, the biologically active forms of EFA are generally the C20 and C22 metabolites of 18:2n-6 and 18:3n-3, viz. 20:4n-6, 20:5n-3 and 22:6n-3. Some fish species can convert C18 PUFA to the C20 and C22 PUFA through a series of alternating desaturation and chain elongation reactions mediated by microsomal systems containing elongases and Δ6 and Δ5 fatty acid desaturases. In species that cannot perform these conversions, the C20 and C22 PUFA themselves are dietary EFA and their C18 homologues do not satisfy EFA requirements. The extent to which the foregoing statements apply quantitatively to a given fish species varies widely. Therefore, a vital area in lipid nutrition in fish is the provision of sufficient amounts of the correct EFA to satisfy the requirements for normal growth and development, requirements that can vary quantitatively during the life of the fish and are particularly important factors in larval marine fish. This paper reviews the work on defining and characterising the fatty acid desaturation and elongation pathway in fish. Biochemical studies have been advanced by the use of cell cultures which have elucidated key parts of the pathway. Thus, the presence of the so-called Sprecher shunt, where 22:6n-3 is produced from 20:5n-3 through two successive elongations and a Δ6 desaturase followed by peroxisomal chain shortening, was demonstrated in trout. Similarly, the block in the pathway in marine and/or piscivorous fish could be due to either a deficiency of C18-20 elongase or Δ5 desaturase and this varies between different marine species. Recent work has focussed on the molecular biology of the pathway with the cloning of fatty acid desaturases and elongases from a variety of fish species. Zebrafish have been used as a model species and a unique desaturase possessing both Δ6 and Δ5 activity along with an elongase with very high C18-20 activity have been cloned and characterised. Understanding this pathway is of increased importance due to the current dependence of salmonid and marine fish aquaculture on fish oil, the supply of which is becoming increasingly limited and unsustainable, necessitating the use in fish feeds of sustainable plant oils, rich in C18 PUFA, but devoid of C20 and C22 PUFA

Gahnite composition as a means to fingerprint metamorphosed massive sulfide and non-sulfide zinc deposits

Gahnite occurs in and around metamorphosed massive sulfide (e.g., Broken Hill-type Pb–Zn–Ag (BHT), volcanogenic massive sulfide Cu–Zn–Pb–Au–Ag (VMS), sedimentary exhalative Pb–Zn (SEDEX)), and nonsulfide zinc (NSZ) deposits. In addition to occurring in situ, gahnite occurs as a resistate indicator mineral in unconsolidated sediments (e.g., glacial till) surrounding such deposits. The spatial association between gahnite and metamorphosed ore deposits has resulted in its use as an empirical exploration guide to ore. Major and trace element compositions of gahnite from BHT, NSZ, SEDEX, and VMS deposits are used here to develop geochemical fingerprints for each deposit type. A classification tree diagram, using a combination of six discrimination plots, is presented here to identify the provenance of detrital gahnite in greenfield and brownfield terranes, which can be used as an exploration guide to metamorphosed massive sulfide and non-sulfide zinc deposits. The composition of gahnite in BHT deposits is discriminated from gahnite in SEDEX and VMS deposits on the basis of plots of Mg versus V, and Co versus V. Gahnite in SEDEX deposits can be distinguished from that in VMS deposits using plots of Co versus V, Mn versus Ti, and Co versus Ti. In the Sterling Hill NSZ deposit, gahnite contains higher concentrations of Fe3+ and Cd, and lower amounts of Al, Mg, and Co than gahnite in BHT, SEDEX, and VMS deposits. Plots of Co versus Cd, and Al versus Mg distinguish gahnite in the Sterling Hill NSZ deposit from the other types of deposits

Effects of diets containing vegetable oil on expression of genes involved in highly unsaturated fatty acid biosynthesis in liver of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar)

Fish are an important dietary source of the long-chain C20 and C22 highly unsaturated fatty acids (HUFA), arachidonate (20:4n-6), eicosapentaenoate (20:5n-3) and docosahexaenoate (22:6n-3), that are crucial to the health of higher vertebrates and that can be beneficial in human diets. Δ5 and Δ6 fatty acid desaturases, and fatty acid elongases are critical enzymes in the biosynthetic pathways of HUFA from shorter chain C18 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) such as linoleic (18:2n-6) and α-linolenic (18:3n-3) acids. Recently, full-length cDNAs for fatty acid desaturase and elongase enzymes have been cloned from Atlantic salmon. Functional characterisation of the desaturase revealed n-3 Δ5 desaturase activity, whereas the elongase had broad substrate specificity for PUFA with a range of chain lengths from C18 to C22. The study described here was primarily focused on the nutritional regulation of genes involved in the HUFA biosynthetic pathway in Atlantic salmon. A feeding trial was performed whereby salmon smolts in seawater pens were fed for 40 weeks on five different diets. The diets consisted of a control diet containing fish oil (FO) and four diets in which the FO was replaced in a graded manner by linseed oil (LO). Specifically, in terms of added oils, the five diets were 100% FO (FO), 100%LO (LO100) and FO/LO in ratios of 3:1 (LO25), 1:1 (LO50) and 1:3 (LO75). Fish were sampled at 20 and 40 weeks, and samples of liver were collected for lipid analyses and total RNA extraction. Hepatocytes were also prepared and the activity of the HUFA biosynthetic pathway determined. Expression of fatty acid desaturase and elongase genes was determined by quantitative real time PCR and the ratio of the copy number of the targeted gene against that of β-actin was calculated. The results showed that after 20 weeks of feeding, desaturase and elongase gene expression in liver was increased in a graded manner by increasing dietary LO. Expression of both genes was positively and negatively correlated with dietary 18:3n-3 and n-3 HUFA, respectively. By 40 weeks of feeding, expression of neither gene showed the same degree of correlation with dietary fatty acid composition. In contrast, activity of the HUFA biosynthetic pathway, which showed some association with diet at 20 weeks, was positively and significantly correlated with dietary LO after 40 weeks of feeding. Elongation activity reflected the overall activity of the HUFA biosynthetic pathway to a greater degree than Δ5 desaturation activity. The possible mechanisms underlying the observed results and the regulation of the HUFA biosynthetic pathway are discussed

Highly unsaturated fatty acid synthesis in vertebrates: new insights with the cloning and characterization of a delta6 desaturase of Atlantic salmon

Fish are an important source of the n-3 highly unsaturated fatty acids (HUFA), eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA) acids that are crucial to the health of higher vertebrates. The synthesis of HUFA involves enzyme-mediated desaturation, and a ∆5 fatty acyl desaturase cDNA has been cloned from Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and functionally characterized previously. Here we report cloning and functional characterisation of a ∆6 fatty acyl desaturase of Atlantic salmon, and describe its genomic structure, tissue expression and nutritional regulation. A salmon genomic library was screened with a salmon ∆5 desaturase cDNA and positive recombinant phage isolated and subcloned. The full-length cDNA for the putative fatty acyl desaturase was shown to comprise 2106bp containing an ORF of 1365 bp specifying a protein of 454 amino acids (GenBank accession no. AY458652). The protein sequence included three histidine boxes, two transmembrane regions, and an N-terminal cytochrome b5 domain containing the haem-binding motif HPGG, all of which are characteristic of microsomal fatty acid desaturases. Functional expression showed that this gene possessed predominantly ∆6 desaturase activity. Screening and sequence analysis of the genomic DNA of a single fish revealed that the ∆6 desaturase gene comprised 13 exons in 7965 bp of genomic DNA. Quantitative real time PCR assay of gene expression in Atlantic salmon showed that both ∆6 and ∆5 fatty acyl desaturase genes, and a fatty acyl elongase gene, were highly expressed in intestine, liver and brain, and less so in kidney, heart, gill, adipose tissue, muscle and spleen. Furthermore, expression of both ∆6 and ∆5 fatty acyl desaturase genes in intestine, liver, red muscle and adipose tissue was higher in salmon fed a diet containing vegetable oil than in fish fed a diet containing fish oil

Zebrafish cDNA encoding multifunctional fatty acid elongase involved in production of eicosapentaenoic (20:5n-3) and docosahexaenoic (22:6n-3) acids

Enzymes that increase the chain length of fatty acids are essential for biosynthesis of highly unsaturated fatty acids. The gLELO gene encodes a protein involved in the elongation of polyunsaturated fatty acids in the fungus Mortierella alpina. A search of the Genbank database identified several EST sequences, including one obtained from zebrafish (Danio rerio), with high similarity to gLELO. The full-length transcript, ZfELO, encoding a polypeptide of 291 amino acid residues was isolated from zebrafish liver cDNA. The predicted amino acid sequence of the open reading frame (ORF) shared high similarity with the elongases of C. elegans and human. When expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the zebrafish ORF conferred the ability to lengthen the chain of a range of C18, C20 and C22 polyunsaturated fatty acids, indicating that biosynthesis of 22:6n-3 from 18:3n-3 via a 24-carbon intermediate is not only feasible, but that one elongase enzyme can perform all three elongation steps required. The zebrafish enzyme was also able to elongate monounsaturated and saturated fatty acids, and thus demonstrates a greater level of promiscuity in terms of substrate use than any elongase enzyme described previously