Beetles in the family Coccinellidae, commonly known as ladybugs, lady beetles, or ladybirds, are easily identifiable and popular beneficial insects. Current research aims to support conservation efforts of beneficial ...Beetles in the family Coccinellidae, commonly known as ladybugs, lady beetles, or ladybirds, are easily identifiable and popular beneficial insects. Current research aims to support conservation efforts of beneficial insects in agroecosystems by exploring genetic processes related to nutrition. As a part of this research, colonies of Coleomegilla maculata have been maintained in culture and inbred over many generations since 2009. One result of this inbreeding has been the discovery of novel morphological phenotypes unique to laboratory strains or present in wild populations at such low levels that they have not yet been described. One such phenotype is described here. The strain described here, ye (yellow elytra and eyes) was characterized with classical Mendelian breeding and digital image analysis. This phenotype differs from wild populations by possessing yellow pigment in the elytra and pale grey to white eyes. In contrast, wild populations of C. maculata possess pink or red pigmented elytra with black spots, and black eyes. C. maculata is not known to exhibit polymorphism in the field. Inheritance is autosomal and recessive. This species was not previously known to exhibit the dramatic variation of color described here. The strain is stable in the homozygous recessive form, and retains laboratory rearing characteristics similar to the wild type laboratory strain.展开更多
Background: Most data on laser resurfacing have come from studies of people with Fitzpatrick skin types 1 - 3;however, the world’s population is comprised mostly of Fitzpatrick skin types 4 - 6, which are more suscep...Background: Most data on laser resurfacing have come from studies of people with Fitzpatrick skin types 1 - 3;however, the world’s population is comprised mostly of Fitzpatrick skin types 4 - 6, which are more susceptible to post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH). Objective: For the purpose of expanding the expertise of plastic surgeons treating patients with darker skin types, this study examined the incidence of PIH in Asians who underwent laser resurfacing, including a histologic arm on fractional ablative resurfacing. Methods & Materials: The clinical study included six subjects of Vietnamese origin who underwent single-depth fractionated CO2 laser resurfacing. The histologic study involved a seventh subject. The MiXto SX®laser with a new scanning handpiece was used, along with magnifying loupes to assess ablative depth after each of three laser passes performed. Photographs were taken at various postoperative intervals. Results: All six clinical subjects showed cosmetic improvement in skin texture and tone with no post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. In the histologic study, H&E stained sections revealed uniform diathermy. Conclusion: It is possible to significantly reduce PIH in darker skinned subjects through use of a new scanning handpiece and a technique using loupes to assess the depth of ablative resurfacing. The histologic study confirms these findings.展开更多
The Baumann Skin Typing System diagnoses patients as having one of 16 skin types based on their answers to a validated questionnaire [i] known as the Baumann Skin Type Indicator [ii]. The BSTI questionnaire has been t...The Baumann Skin Typing System diagnoses patients as having one of 16 skin types based on their answers to a validated questionnaire [i] known as the Baumann Skin Type Indicator [ii]. The BSTI questionnaire has been tested over the last decade on over 200,000 people of various ages and ethnicities in different geographic locations around the world. In this study, data were collected from 52,862 patients to compare skin type prevalence between those who presented to doctor’s offices and those who took the quiz without supervision online. The most common skin types varied only slightly between patients that took the quiz online and those that completed the questionnaire in their doctor’s office. This indicates that the prevalence of skin types seen in the doctor’s office is similar to that in the general population and that supervision is not necessary to get an accurate result on the BSTI. [iii] In addition, comparison of data gathered in China, Korea, and the US did not show a significant difference in skin type prevalence between Asian and Caucasian skin types. [iv] This study demonstrates that the English version of the BSTI is valid for English speaking patients online, and in doctors’ offices in the US, China and Korea.展开更多
We report the case of a 10-year-old girl with congenital complete heterochromia iridis and segmental pigmentation disorder in its hyperpigmented form. We have found no publication that mentions the combination of thes...We report the case of a 10-year-old girl with congenital complete heterochromia iridis and segmental pigmentation disorder in its hyperpigmented form. We have found no publication that mentions the combination of these 2 disorders.展开更多
An algal astaxanthin feeding trial was carried out to investigate the ef fects of natural astaxanthin from Haematococcus pluvialis as feed additives on growth, pigmenting efficacy and antioxidant capacity in blood par...An algal astaxanthin feeding trial was carried out to investigate the ef fects of natural astaxanthin from Haematococcus pluvialis as feed additives on growth, pigmenting efficacy and antioxidant capacity in blood parrot(C ichlasoma citrinellum × C ichlasoma. synspilum). Tissue total antioxidant capacity(TAC), superoxide dismutase(SOD), catalase(CAT) and maleic dialdehyde(MDA) were chosen as measures of its antioxidant capacity. All fish which received an astaxanthin(from micro-algal H. pluvialis) supplemented diet with 400 mg/kg of astaxanthin, after 50 days of feeding, the astaxanthin-fed fish displayed a pinkcolored skin and the control-fed fish displayed a grayish skin. For the growth, the weight gains of controlfed fish and astaxanthin-fed fish were 200% and 300%, respectively. Samples of skin and scales were used for analysis of total carotenoids and astaxanthin content, and fish feeding astaxanthin showed significantly( P <0.05) higher concentrations than the control group, indicating that the pigmentation of this fish had been significantly improved by dietary astaxanthin. Compared with the control fish, pigmented fish had lower SOD, CAT and MDA and higher TAC. It can be concluded that supplementation with dietary astaxanthin could eff ectively enhance growth, skin coloration and the antioxidant capacity of this fish. This study will provide a reference for application of natural astaxanthin from H. pluvialis as feed additives in blood parrot artificial breeding. Our data is also useful in ornamental fish farming, especially when the retentivity of astaxanthin in the skin and scales are involved. It is leading to the possibility of increasing the pigmentation of farmed-fish by adding the powdered form of H. pluvialis to the diet as an ef fective pigment.展开更多
The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of light intensity and enhanced nitrogen supply on the growth and photosynthesis of the green-tide macroalga, Ulvaprolifera. Thalli of U. prolifera were grown in na...The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of light intensity and enhanced nitrogen supply on the growth and photosynthesis of the green-tide macroalga, Ulvaprolifera. Thalli of U. prolifera were grown in natural or NH^-enriched seawater under two different light intensities for 7 days, and then the growth rate, pigmentation, and photosynthetic performance of the thalli were evaluated. The results show that the relative growth rate （RGR） was markedly higher under the high light level than under the low light level. Enrichment with NH~ enhanced the RGR under high light intensity, but did not affect RGR under low light intensity. In low light conditions, NH;-enrichment resulted in a marked decrease in the maximal photosynthetic rate （Pro） and the maximum carbon fixation rate （Vmax）, but it did not affect the half saturation constant for carbon （K0.5） or the ratio of Vmax to K0.5, which reflects the carbon acquisition efficiency. In high light conditions, Pm, K05, and the dark respiration rate （Rd） increased under NHI enrichment, but Vmax and the Vmax/Ko5 ratio decreased. Regardless of the light intensity, NH^＋4-enrichment did not affect the apparent photosynthetic efficiency （a）, which reflects the ability of the alga to use light energy at low light levels. Under both low and high light intensities, the chlorophyll a （Chl a）, chlorophyll b （Chl b）, and carotenoids （Car） contents in thalli were higher in NH1-enriched than in natural seawater, except that there was a decrease in the Chl b content of thalli in NH1-enriched seawater under low light intensity. Therefore, NH^＋4 enrichment improved the growth and photosynthetic performance of U. prolifera under high light intensity, but not under low light intensity. We discuss the possible mechanisms underlying these physiological responses.展开更多
Carotenoids accumulation in red halophilic archaea cells is considered apotential biotechnological product possessing a number of biological functions. Anarchaeal strain was isolated from brine water in a saltern crys...Carotenoids accumulation in red halophilic archaea cells is considered apotential biotechnological product possessing a number of biological functions. Anarchaeal strain was isolated from brine water in a saltern crystallizer pond ofHanguSaltworks, China. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis showed that it wasHaloarcula belonged to extremely halophilic archaea genus Halobacteriaceae. Todeterminethe effect of carbon source on the growth in Haloarcula cells, sucrose,lactose, glucose and soluble starch were supplemented into the culturemediumcontainingdissolved yeast extract and casein hydrolysate （10 g/L, 4：3 w/w） at alevel of 10 g/L, respectively, and sucrose was found to be a suitable one. To determinethe optimal supplementing levels of sucrose, three levels of sucrose （5, 10, 15 g/L）were added to the modified complete medium, and 10 g/L of sucrose supplementationwas optimal. The analysis of TLC and column gel chromatograph on pigment extractshowed five major pigments accumulated in Haloarcula cells, which werepreliminary detected as lycopene, bacterioruberin and its derivatives according to their absorptionpeak features.展开更多
Fruit pigmentation is a major signal that attracts frugivores to enable seed dispersal.In mostfleshy fruit,green chlorophyll typically accumulates early in development and is replaced by a range of pigments during rip...Fruit pigmentation is a major signal that attracts frugivores to enable seed dispersal.In mostfleshy fruit,green chlorophyll typically accumulates early in development and is replaced by a range of pigments during ripening.In species such as grape and strawberry,chlorophyll is replaced by red anthocyanins produced by theflavonoid biosynthetic pathway.Eggplant(Solanum melongena)is unique,as its fruit accumulates an-thocyanins beginning from fruit set,and these are later replaced by the yellowflavonoid-pathway interme-diate naringenin chalcone.To decipher the genetic regulation of this extraordinary pigmentation shift,we integrated mRNA and microRNA(miRNA)profiling data obtained from developing eggplant fruit.We discovered that SQUAMOSA PROMOTER BINDING-LIKE(i.e.,SPL6a,SPL10,and SPL15),MYB1,and MYB2 transcription factors(TFs)regulate anthocyanin biosynthesis in early fruit development,whereas the MYB12 TF controls later accumulation of naringenin chalcone.We further show that miRNA157 and miRNA858 negatively regulate the expression of SPLs and MYB12,respectively.Taken together,ourfind-ings suggest that opposing and complementary expression of miRNAs and TFs controls the pigmentation switch in eggplant fruit skin.Intriguingly,despite the distinctive pigmentation pattern in eggplant,fruit development in other species makes use of homologous regulatory factors to control the temporal and spatial production of different pigment classes.展开更多
Photorhabdus luminescens is a Gram-negative, bioluminescent, pigment producing enteric bacterium, which is pathogenic to insects and has the capability to undergo phase variation. The phase I variant of P. luminescens...Photorhabdus luminescens is a Gram-negative, bioluminescent, pigment producing enteric bacterium, which is pathogenic to insects and has the capability to undergo phase variation. The phase I variant of P. luminescens exists as a mutualistic symbiont where it plays a critical role in the life-cycle of the soil-dwelling nematode, Heterorhabditis bacteriophora. Both the bacterium and the nematode receive their nutritional requirements from the bioconversion of the insect host which is rich in many macromolecules such as the disaccharide, trehalose. Trehalose is a non-reducing disaccharide of glucose that is formed by an a-1,1-glycosidic bond and is associated with the physiology of many bacteria, insects and nematodes. Trehalose has been shown to be the most abundant storage sugar found within insect hemolymph （1%-2%）. The physicochemical properties of trehalose allow this carbohydrate to act as a stress protectant where it has been implicated with thermal stress, dehydration, and osmotic protection of many microorganisms. Due to these properties, trehalose may allow culture stability of the phase I variant in vitro and in vivo. Traits of the phase I variant that were studied in this work include bioluminescence and the production of the red anthroquinone-derived pigment. The carbohydrates that were utilized in this study were glucose and trehalose; where shake flask cultures of the phase I variant were cultured at room temperature for up to six days in carbohydrate supplemented basal media with increasing carbohydrate concentrations of 0. 1%, 0.5% and 1.0% （v/v）. Relative luminosity, pigmentation and pH were graphed as a function of time, carbohydrate used, and carbohydrate concentration. Data obtained from this study suggests that the supplementation of 1.0% trehalose, when culturing the phase I variant ofP. luminescens, can maintain bioluminosity and pigmentation over extended periods of time （five days） as compared to basal media and basal media supplemented with 1.0% glucose.展开更多
A laboratory colony of Coleomegilla maculata (DeGeer), ye, selected for a pigmentation deficiency, was restored to near wild type cuticle coloration by adding crushed heads and wings of the red colored parental strain...A laboratory colony of Coleomegilla maculata (DeGeer), ye, selected for a pigmentation deficiency, was restored to near wild type cuticle coloration by adding crushed heads and wings of the red colored parental strain to the diet. While the wings and other colored portions of the cuticle re-gained the red color, the eyes of the pigmentation deficient insects were not changed from the pale mutant form. Plant derived carotenes lycopene and beta-carotene did not restore the mutant beetles to a visibly distinguishable red color. An additional pigmentation deficient mutant strain, gold, partially recovered red cuticle color when provided with diet containing pigmented insect particles. This work represents the first rescue of a color phenotype in a lady beetle.展开更多
Juvenile turbot （Scophthalmus maximus） the initial stock densities at 0.28, 0.87, 1.12, 1.16, 2.75 were reared in five different experiment groups in kg/m^2 respectively for the study of the density effect on growth...Juvenile turbot （Scophthalmus maximus） the initial stock densities at 0.28, 0.87, 1.12, 1.16, 2.75 were reared in five different experiment groups in kg/m^2 respectively for the study of the density effect on growth, pigmentation and feed coefficient rate. The experiment lasted for 60 days with final stock densities at 1.91, 6.31, 8.86, 11.97, 17.67 kg/m^2 respectively. Result showed that, in the same experiment condition, the stocking density has a positive effect on growth in low density and negative in high density. The SGR （special growth rate） was 3.189, 3.304, 3.447, 3.341, and 3.087 respectively. The uniformity of weight distributing among experiment groups decreased with increasing density. The stocking density had positive effect on feed coefficient rate. Group 1 had the least feed coefficient rate 0.96, and highest at 1.25 in Group 5, the highest density group. High stocking density inhibited the growth and increased the feed coefficient rate. The stocking density had negative relationship to pigmentation improvement for whitened fish.展开更多
The aim of the present study was to develop a formulated feed for improving skin pigmentation and growth performance of koi carp juveniles. Two experiments were conducted for determination of an optimal dietary astaxa...The aim of the present study was to develop a formulated feed for improving skin pigmentation and growth performance of koi carp juveniles. Two experiments were conducted for determination of an optimal dietary astaxanthin and FM （fish meal） ration for koi carp juveniles. In the first experiment, three isonitrogenous and isoenergetic dietary treatments were designed with three different levels of astaxanthin consisted of 60, 80 and 100 mg/kg and a commercial feed served as a control. For the second experiment, four isonitrogenous and isoenergetic dietary treatments were formulated with graded inclusions of dietary FM replaced from 0% to 60% at 20% increments by SM （soybean meal）, PBM （poultry by-product meal）, and a CD （control diet）. Obtained results demonstrated that skin pigmentation of koi carp juveniles fed the diet containing 80 mg/kg astaxanthin, 36.02% protein, 7.78% lipid, 4.20 Kcal/g GE （gross energy） were more better than those at the diet with lower estaxanthin content and commercial diet. Moreover, the highest growth and feed utilization of fish were observed at this diet with WG （weight gain）, SGR （specific growth rate） and FCR （feed conversion ratio） were 121.80%, 0.95 （%/day） and 1.6, respectively.展开更多
A laboratory colony of <i>Coleomegilla maculata</i> (DeGeer), ye, selected for a pigmentation deficiency, was restored to near wild type cuticle coloration by adding crushed heads and wings of the red colo...A laboratory colony of <i>Coleomegilla maculata</i> (DeGeer), ye, selected for a pigmentation deficiency, was restored to near wild type cuticle coloration by adding crushed heads and wings of the red colored parental strain to the diet. While the wings and other colored portions of the cuticle re-gained the red color, the eyes of the pigmentation deficient insects were not changed from the pale mutant form. Plant derived carotenes lycopene and beta-carotene did not restore the mutant beetles to a visibly distinguishable red color. An additional pigmentation deficient mutant strain, gold, partially recovered red cuticle color when provided with diet containing pigmented insect particles. This work represents the first rescue of a color phenotype in a lady beetle.展开更多
Pigmentation traits expressed in animals are visual characteristics that allow us to distinguish between breeds and between strains within breed. The objective of this study was to map quantitative trait loci （QTLs）...Pigmentation traits expressed in animals are visual characteristics that allow us to distinguish between breeds and between strains within breed. The objective of this study was to map quantitative trait loci （QTLs） affecting the pigmentation traits in approximately 800 F2 grand daughter dairy cattle from a Holstein-Friesian and Jersey cross breed cattle. Traits analyzed included pigmentation phenotypes on the body, teat and hoop. The phenoypes were collected from digital photos or visual inspection of live animals. QTL mapping was implemented using half-sib and line-of-descent inheritance models. Our analysis initially detected a number of significant QTLs on chromosomes： 2, 6, 13, 15, 18 and 22. The significant QTLs were divided into two groups： one group influencing the pigmentation color and the other group affecting the absence or level of pigmentation. The most significant QTL peaks were observed on Bovine taurus autosome 18 （BTA18） close to melanocortin 1 receptor （MC1R） for the color traits, on BTA6 close to the receptor tyrosine kinase （K/T） and BTA22 close to microphthalmia-associated transcription factor （M/TF） gene for the spotting traits. Association studies were conducted for candidate regions or genes known to affect pigmentation in dairy cattle.展开更多
文摘Beetles in the family Coccinellidae, commonly known as ladybugs, lady beetles, or ladybirds, are easily identifiable and popular beneficial insects. Current research aims to support conservation efforts of beneficial insects in agroecosystems by exploring genetic processes related to nutrition. As a part of this research, colonies of Coleomegilla maculata have been maintained in culture and inbred over many generations since 2009. One result of this inbreeding has been the discovery of novel morphological phenotypes unique to laboratory strains or present in wild populations at such low levels that they have not yet been described. One such phenotype is described here. The strain described here, ye (yellow elytra and eyes) was characterized with classical Mendelian breeding and digital image analysis. This phenotype differs from wild populations by possessing yellow pigment in the elytra and pale grey to white eyes. In contrast, wild populations of C. maculata possess pink or red pigmented elytra with black spots, and black eyes. C. maculata is not known to exhibit polymorphism in the field. Inheritance is autosomal and recessive. This species was not previously known to exhibit the dramatic variation of color described here. The strain is stable in the homozygous recessive form, and retains laboratory rearing characteristics similar to the wild type laboratory strain.
文摘Background: Most data on laser resurfacing have come from studies of people with Fitzpatrick skin types 1 - 3;however, the world’s population is comprised mostly of Fitzpatrick skin types 4 - 6, which are more susceptible to post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH). Objective: For the purpose of expanding the expertise of plastic surgeons treating patients with darker skin types, this study examined the incidence of PIH in Asians who underwent laser resurfacing, including a histologic arm on fractional ablative resurfacing. Methods & Materials: The clinical study included six subjects of Vietnamese origin who underwent single-depth fractionated CO2 laser resurfacing. The histologic study involved a seventh subject. The MiXto SX®laser with a new scanning handpiece was used, along with magnifying loupes to assess ablative depth after each of three laser passes performed. Photographs were taken at various postoperative intervals. Results: All six clinical subjects showed cosmetic improvement in skin texture and tone with no post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. In the histologic study, H&E stained sections revealed uniform diathermy. Conclusion: It is possible to significantly reduce PIH in darker skinned subjects through use of a new scanning handpiece and a technique using loupes to assess the depth of ablative resurfacing. The histologic study confirms these findings.
文摘The Baumann Skin Typing System diagnoses patients as having one of 16 skin types based on their answers to a validated questionnaire [i] known as the Baumann Skin Type Indicator [ii]. The BSTI questionnaire has been tested over the last decade on over 200,000 people of various ages and ethnicities in different geographic locations around the world. In this study, data were collected from 52,862 patients to compare skin type prevalence between those who presented to doctor’s offices and those who took the quiz without supervision online. The most common skin types varied only slightly between patients that took the quiz online and those that completed the questionnaire in their doctor’s office. This indicates that the prevalence of skin types seen in the doctor’s office is similar to that in the general population and that supervision is not necessary to get an accurate result on the BSTI. [iii] In addition, comparison of data gathered in China, Korea, and the US did not show a significant difference in skin type prevalence between Asian and Caucasian skin types. [iv] This study demonstrates that the English version of the BSTI is valid for English speaking patients online, and in doctors’ offices in the US, China and Korea.
文摘We report the case of a 10-year-old girl with congenital complete heterochromia iridis and segmental pigmentation disorder in its hyperpigmented form. We have found no publication that mentions the combination of these 2 disorders.
基金Supported by the Xiamen Scientific and Technologic Projects(XSTP)(Nos.3052Z20031086,3052Z20123004)the project of Xiamen Southern Ocean Technology Center of China(No.14CZP035HJ09)+2 种基金partly funded by the Marine Science Base Scientific Research Training and Scientific Research Ability Enhancement Project of Xiamen University(No.J1210050)the National Marine Commonweal Research Program,China(No.201205020-2)the XMU Training Program of Innovation and Enterpreneurship for Undergraduates(No.2016X0619)
文摘An algal astaxanthin feeding trial was carried out to investigate the ef fects of natural astaxanthin from Haematococcus pluvialis as feed additives on growth, pigmenting efficacy and antioxidant capacity in blood parrot(C ichlasoma citrinellum × C ichlasoma. synspilum). Tissue total antioxidant capacity(TAC), superoxide dismutase(SOD), catalase(CAT) and maleic dialdehyde(MDA) were chosen as measures of its antioxidant capacity. All fish which received an astaxanthin(from micro-algal H. pluvialis) supplemented diet with 400 mg/kg of astaxanthin, after 50 days of feeding, the astaxanthin-fed fish displayed a pinkcolored skin and the control-fed fish displayed a grayish skin. For the growth, the weight gains of controlfed fish and astaxanthin-fed fish were 200% and 300%, respectively. Samples of skin and scales were used for analysis of total carotenoids and astaxanthin content, and fish feeding astaxanthin showed significantly( P <0.05) higher concentrations than the control group, indicating that the pigmentation of this fish had been significantly improved by dietary astaxanthin. Compared with the control fish, pigmented fish had lower SOD, CAT and MDA and higher TAC. It can be concluded that supplementation with dietary astaxanthin could eff ectively enhance growth, skin coloration and the antioxidant capacity of this fish. This study will provide a reference for application of natural astaxanthin from H. pluvialis as feed additives in blood parrot artificial breeding. Our data is also useful in ornamental fish farming, especially when the retentivity of astaxanthin in the skin and scales are involved. It is leading to the possibility of increasing the pigmentation of farmed-fish by adding the powdered form of H. pluvialis to the diet as an ef fective pigment.
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.41376129)the Public Science and Technology Research Funds Projects of Ocean(Nos.201305005,201305021,201105008-2)+1 种基金the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province(No.BK2011400)the Strategic Priority Research Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences(No.XDA11020404-1)
文摘The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of light intensity and enhanced nitrogen supply on the growth and photosynthesis of the green-tide macroalga, Ulvaprolifera. Thalli of U. prolifera were grown in natural or NH^-enriched seawater under two different light intensities for 7 days, and then the growth rate, pigmentation, and photosynthetic performance of the thalli were evaluated. The results show that the relative growth rate （RGR） was markedly higher under the high light level than under the low light level. Enrichment with NH~ enhanced the RGR under high light intensity, but did not affect RGR under low light intensity. In low light conditions, NH;-enrichment resulted in a marked decrease in the maximal photosynthetic rate （Pro） and the maximum carbon fixation rate （Vmax）, but it did not affect the half saturation constant for carbon （K0.5） or the ratio of Vmax to K0.5, which reflects the carbon acquisition efficiency. In high light conditions, Pm, K05, and the dark respiration rate （Rd） increased under NHI enrichment, but Vmax and the Vmax/Ko5 ratio decreased. Regardless of the light intensity, NH^＋4-enrichment did not affect the apparent photosynthetic efficiency （a）, which reflects the ability of the alga to use light energy at low light levels. Under both low and high light intensities, the chlorophyll a （Chl a）, chlorophyll b （Chl b）, and carotenoids （Car） contents in thalli were higher in NH1-enriched than in natural seawater, except that there was a decrease in the Chl b content of thalli in NH1-enriched seawater under low light intensity. Therefore, NH^＋4 enrichment improved the growth and photosynthetic performance of U. prolifera under high light intensity, but not under low light intensity. We discuss the possible mechanisms underlying these physiological responses.
基金supported by Young Scholar Foundation of Tianijn University of Science and Technology(2015LG05)National Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training Program(201510057048)
文摘Carotenoids accumulation in red halophilic archaea cells is considered apotential biotechnological product possessing a number of biological functions. Anarchaeal strain was isolated from brine water in a saltern crystallizer pond ofHanguSaltworks, China. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis showed that it wasHaloarcula belonged to extremely halophilic archaea genus Halobacteriaceae. Todeterminethe effect of carbon source on the growth in Haloarcula cells, sucrose,lactose, glucose and soluble starch were supplemented into the culturemediumcontainingdissolved yeast extract and casein hydrolysate （10 g/L, 4：3 w/w） at alevel of 10 g/L, respectively, and sucrose was found to be a suitable one. To determinethe optimal supplementing levels of sucrose, three levels of sucrose （5, 10, 15 g/L）were added to the modified complete medium, and 10 g/L of sucrose supplementationwas optimal. The analysis of TLC and column gel chromatograph on pigment extractshowed five major pigments accumulated in Haloarcula cells, which werepreliminary detected as lycopene, bacterioruberin and its derivatives according to their absorptionpeak features.
基金the Abney Foundation,Leona M.and Harry B.Helmsley Charitable TrustJeanne and Joseph Nissim Foundation for Life Sciences+1 种基金Tom and Sondra Rykoff Family Foundation Researchthe Raymond Burton Plant Genome Research Fund for supporting the AA lab activity.
文摘Fruit pigmentation is a major signal that attracts frugivores to enable seed dispersal.In mostfleshy fruit,green chlorophyll typically accumulates early in development and is replaced by a range of pigments during ripening.In species such as grape and strawberry,chlorophyll is replaced by red anthocyanins produced by theflavonoid biosynthetic pathway.Eggplant(Solanum melongena)is unique,as its fruit accumulates an-thocyanins beginning from fruit set,and these are later replaced by the yellowflavonoid-pathway interme-diate naringenin chalcone.To decipher the genetic regulation of this extraordinary pigmentation shift,we integrated mRNA and microRNA(miRNA)profiling data obtained from developing eggplant fruit.We discovered that SQUAMOSA PROMOTER BINDING-LIKE(i.e.,SPL6a,SPL10,and SPL15),MYB1,and MYB2 transcription factors(TFs)regulate anthocyanin biosynthesis in early fruit development,whereas the MYB12 TF controls later accumulation of naringenin chalcone.We further show that miRNA157 and miRNA858 negatively regulate the expression of SPLs and MYB12,respectively.Taken together,ourfind-ings suggest that opposing and complementary expression of miRNAs and TFs controls the pigmentation switch in eggplant fruit skin.Intriguingly,despite the distinctive pigmentation pattern in eggplant,fruit development in other species makes use of homologous regulatory factors to control the temporal and spatial production of different pigment classes.
文摘Photorhabdus luminescens is a Gram-negative, bioluminescent, pigment producing enteric bacterium, which is pathogenic to insects and has the capability to undergo phase variation. The phase I variant of P. luminescens exists as a mutualistic symbiont where it plays a critical role in the life-cycle of the soil-dwelling nematode, Heterorhabditis bacteriophora. Both the bacterium and the nematode receive their nutritional requirements from the bioconversion of the insect host which is rich in many macromolecules such as the disaccharide, trehalose. Trehalose is a non-reducing disaccharide of glucose that is formed by an a-1,1-glycosidic bond and is associated with the physiology of many bacteria, insects and nematodes. Trehalose has been shown to be the most abundant storage sugar found within insect hemolymph （1%-2%）. The physicochemical properties of trehalose allow this carbohydrate to act as a stress protectant where it has been implicated with thermal stress, dehydration, and osmotic protection of many microorganisms. Due to these properties, trehalose may allow culture stability of the phase I variant in vitro and in vivo. Traits of the phase I variant that were studied in this work include bioluminescence and the production of the red anthroquinone-derived pigment. The carbohydrates that were utilized in this study were glucose and trehalose; where shake flask cultures of the phase I variant were cultured at room temperature for up to six days in carbohydrate supplemented basal media with increasing carbohydrate concentrations of 0. 1%, 0.5% and 1.0% （v/v）. Relative luminosity, pigmentation and pH were graphed as a function of time, carbohydrate used, and carbohydrate concentration. Data obtained from this study suggests that the supplementation of 1.0% trehalose, when culturing the phase I variant ofP. luminescens, can maintain bioluminosity and pigmentation over extended periods of time （five days） as compared to basal media and basal media supplemented with 1.0% glucose.
文摘A laboratory colony of Coleomegilla maculata (DeGeer), ye, selected for a pigmentation deficiency, was restored to near wild type cuticle coloration by adding crushed heads and wings of the red colored parental strain to the diet. While the wings and other colored portions of the cuticle re-gained the red color, the eyes of the pigmentation deficient insects were not changed from the pale mutant form. Plant derived carotenes lycopene and beta-carotene did not restore the mutant beetles to a visibly distinguishable red color. An additional pigmentation deficient mutant strain, gold, partially recovered red cuticle color when provided with diet containing pigmented insect particles. This work represents the first rescue of a color phenotype in a lady beetle.
基金Supported by the Key Technology Research Program of Ministry of Agriculture (No. 04-11-01B) and the National High-tech Research and Development Program of China (863 Program) (No. 2004AA603320 and 2004AA603330)
文摘Juvenile turbot （Scophthalmus maximus） the initial stock densities at 0.28, 0.87, 1.12, 1.16, 2.75 were reared in five different experiment groups in kg/m^2 respectively for the study of the density effect on growth, pigmentation and feed coefficient rate. The experiment lasted for 60 days with final stock densities at 1.91, 6.31, 8.86, 11.97, 17.67 kg/m^2 respectively. Result showed that, in the same experiment condition, the stocking density has a positive effect on growth in low density and negative in high density. The SGR （special growth rate） was 3.189, 3.304, 3.447, 3.341, and 3.087 respectively. The uniformity of weight distributing among experiment groups decreased with increasing density. The stocking density had positive effect on feed coefficient rate. Group 1 had the least feed coefficient rate 0.96, and highest at 1.25 in Group 5, the highest density group. High stocking density inhibited the growth and increased the feed coefficient rate. The stocking density had negative relationship to pigmentation improvement for whitened fish.
文摘The aim of the present study was to develop a formulated feed for improving skin pigmentation and growth performance of koi carp juveniles. Two experiments were conducted for determination of an optimal dietary astaxanthin and FM （fish meal） ration for koi carp juveniles. In the first experiment, three isonitrogenous and isoenergetic dietary treatments were designed with three different levels of astaxanthin consisted of 60, 80 and 100 mg/kg and a commercial feed served as a control. For the second experiment, four isonitrogenous and isoenergetic dietary treatments were formulated with graded inclusions of dietary FM replaced from 0% to 60% at 20% increments by SM （soybean meal）, PBM （poultry by-product meal）, and a CD （control diet）. Obtained results demonstrated that skin pigmentation of koi carp juveniles fed the diet containing 80 mg/kg astaxanthin, 36.02% protein, 7.78% lipid, 4.20 Kcal/g GE （gross energy） were more better than those at the diet with lower estaxanthin content and commercial diet. Moreover, the highest growth and feed utilization of fish were observed at this diet with WG （weight gain）, SGR （specific growth rate） and FCR （feed conversion ratio） were 121.80%, 0.95 （%/day） and 1.6, respectively.
文摘A laboratory colony of <i>Coleomegilla maculata</i> (DeGeer), ye, selected for a pigmentation deficiency, was restored to near wild type cuticle coloration by adding crushed heads and wings of the red colored parental strain to the diet. While the wings and other colored portions of the cuticle re-gained the red color, the eyes of the pigmentation deficient insects were not changed from the pale mutant form. Plant derived carotenes lycopene and beta-carotene did not restore the mutant beetles to a visibly distinguishable red color. An additional pigmentation deficient mutant strain, gold, partially recovered red cuticle color when provided with diet containing pigmented insect particles. This work represents the first rescue of a color phenotype in a lady beetle.
基金supported by grants from Livestock Improvement Corporation (LIC) as part of the Boviquest project
文摘Pigmentation traits expressed in animals are visual characteristics that allow us to distinguish between breeds and between strains within breed. The objective of this study was to map quantitative trait loci （QTLs） affecting the pigmentation traits in approximately 800 F2 grand daughter dairy cattle from a Holstein-Friesian and Jersey cross breed cattle. Traits analyzed included pigmentation phenotypes on the body, teat and hoop. The phenoypes were collected from digital photos or visual inspection of live animals. QTL mapping was implemented using half-sib and line-of-descent inheritance models. Our analysis initially detected a number of significant QTLs on chromosomes： 2, 6, 13, 15, 18 and 22. The significant QTLs were divided into two groups： one group influencing the pigmentation color and the other group affecting the absence or level of pigmentation. The most significant QTL peaks were observed on Bovine taurus autosome 18 （BTA18） close to melanocortin 1 receptor （MC1R） for the color traits, on BTA6 close to the receptor tyrosine kinase （K/T） and BTA22 close to microphthalmia-associated transcription factor （M/TF） gene for the spotting traits. Association studies were conducted for candidate regions or genes known to affect pigmentation in dairy cattle.
