INFLUENCE OF DIETARY-PROTEIN INTAKE AND RECOMBINANT HUMAN SOMATOTROPIN ADMINISTRATION ON GROWTH AND BODY-COMPOSITION OF JUVENILE TAMBACU (A PIARACTUS-MESOPOTAMICUS X COLOSSOMA-MACROPOMUM CROSS)

This experiment was undertaken to study the interaction between level of dietary protein and recombinant human somatotropin (rhGH) administration on performance and body composition of juvenile tambacu (a crossbred Brazilian fish). A total of 72 juvenile tambacu, initially weighing and measuring (mean +/- s.e.m.) 23 +/- 2 g and 9 +/- 0.5 cm, respectively, were randomly divided into 18 groups of 4 fish each. Water temperature was 28 degrees C. Triplicate groups received one of two levels of dietary protein (15 and 30% as fed basis) and one of 3 doses of rhGH (0, 2 and 4 mu g/g) via intraperitoneal injection twice a week for 6 weeks, using a randomized complete block design. Somatotropin was noted to stimulate linear and body weight gain. The higher protein level supported increased growth in weight and length, but there was no interaction between protein level and rhGH dose for either parameter. Protein efficiency ratio and percentage protein deposited showed higher values on diets containing 15% protein. Somatotropin treatment did not significantly affect body composition, but there was a trend towards improved protein retention and reduced carcass lipid. In conclusion, the results of this experiment suggest that rhGH is able to stimulate linear gain in tambacu.

Dietary macronutrients, endocrine functioning and intermediary metabolism in broiler chickens - Pair wise substitutions between protein, fat and carbohydrate

Three pens of male broiler chicks were raised under standard conditions and fed from 7 to 42 days of age three isocaloric diets each with 15.8; 19.6 and 19.5% of CP; and 51, 51, and 44% of CHO; and 6.5; 3.0 and 7.7% of fat, and designated as the low protein (LowCP), low lipid (LowL) and low carbohydrate (LowCHO) diets, respectively. Body weights and feed intake were monitored weekly and blood samples were collected at the same time for posterior analysis of hormone and metabolite content. Chickens fed the LowCP diet were characterized by a reduced body weight gain and feed intake and poorer feed conversion efficiency compared to those fed the LowL and LowCHO diets, which were very similar in this respect. Plasma corticosterone and glucose levels and creatine kinase activity were not significantly changed by diet composition. LowCP chickens were characterised by the lowest plasma T-4 and uric acid levels (indicative for reduced protein breakdown and lower protein ingestion) but highest plasma triglyceride levels (congruent with their higher fat deposition) compared to the LowL and LowCHO chickens. LowL chickens had on average higher plasma T-3 and free fatty acid levels compared to the LowCP and LowCHO chickens.In conclusion, a limited substitution of carbohydrate for fat in iso-nitrogenous, iso-energetic diets has no pronounced effects on plasma hormone and metabolite levels, except for the elevation in T-3 (may enhance glucose uptake) and free fatty acid levels in the plasma of the chickens fed the LowL diet. The protein content of the diet has a greater impact on zootechnical performance, and underlying endocrine regulation of the intermediary metabolism compared to the dietary lipid and CHO fraction. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effects of soy protein and resistance exercise on body composition and blood lipids in postmenopausal women

Objective: To assess the effect of soy protein and progressive resistance training on body composition and lipids in postmenopausal women.Design: In a controlled trial, 46 postmenopausal women were randomized to one of four groups: 25 g of soy protein (SP, n = 10), 25 g of soy protein plus resistance exercise (SPE, n = 14), 25 g of maltodextrine (placebo) (PL, n = 11), or placebo plus resistance exercise (PLE, n = 11). Progressive resistance training was held three times a week for 16 weeks and included 8 exercises (3 series of 8-12 repetitions). At baseline and after 16 weeks, body mass index, waist circumference (WC), body fat, muscle mass and serum lipid levels were measured. To confirm isoflavone absorption, urinary concentrations were determined. The t-test of Student and ANOVA were used in the statistical analysis.Results: Subjects were classified as overweight and showed android fat distribution: Urinary isoflavone excretion indicated compliance to soy protein treatment. After 16 weeks of intervention, both SPE and PLE groups showed a significant increase of 1.3 kg in muscle mass and reduction in WC of -1.4 and -2.1 cm, respectively (p < 0.05). Significant decreases in the mean values of total cholesterol and LDL (-29.0 and -24.0 mg/dL, p < 0.001 and p < 0.006, respectively) were observed in the users of soy protein alone (SP).Conclusions: Soy protein supplementation did not influence the indicators of body composition. However, it exerted possible favorable effects on lipid profile in postmenopausal women. The increase in muscle mass and reduction in abdominal fat were correlated with resistance training. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V.. All rights reserved.

Effects of dietary macronutrient content on energy metabolism and uncoupling protein mRNA expression in broiler chickens

The objective of the present study was to investigate the effects of dietary macronutrient ratio on energy metabolism and on skeletal muscle mRNA expression of avian uncoupling protein (UCP), thought to be implicated in thermogenesis in birds. Broiler chickens from 2 to 6 weeks of age received one of three isoenergetic diets containing different macronutrient ratios (low-lipid (LL) 30 v. 77 g lipid/kg-, low-protein (LP) 125 v. 197 g crude protein (N X 6.25)/kg; low-carbohydrate (LC) 440 v. 520 g carbohydrate/kg). LP chickens were characterised by significantly lower body weights and food intakes compared with LL and LC chickens (-47 and -38% respectively) but similar heat production/kg metabolic body weight, as measured by indirect calorimetry, in the three groups. However, heat production/g food ingested was higher in animals receiving the LP diet (+41%, P<0.05). These chickens also deposited 57% less energy as protein (P<0.05) and 33% more as fat. No significant differences in energy and N balances were detected between LL and LC chickens. The diets with the higher fat contents (i.e. The LP and LC diets) induced slightly but significantly higher relative expressions of avian UCP mRNA in gastrocnemius muscle, measured by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, than the LL diet (88 and 90 v. 78% glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase respectively, P<0.05). Our present results are consistent with the recent view that UCP homologues could be involved in the regulation of lipid utilisation as fuel substrate and provide evidence that the macronutrient content of the diet regulates energy metabolism and especially protein and fat deposition.

Effects of apolipoprotein B-100 on the metabolism of a lipid microemulsion model in rats

In previous studies, it was shown that lipid microemulsions resembling LDL (LDE) but not containing protein, acquire apolipoprotein E when injected into the bloodstream and bind to LDL receptors (LDLR) using this protein as ligand. Aiming to evaluate the effects of apolipoprotein (apo) B-100 on the catabolism of these microemulsions, LDE with incorporated apo B-100 (LDE-apoB) and native LDL, all labeled with radioactive lipids were studied after intraarterial injection into Wistar rats. Plasma decay curves of the labels were determined in samples collected over 10 h and tissue uptake was assayed from organs excised from the animals sacrificed 24 h after injection. LDE-apo B had a fractional clearance rate (FCR) similar to native LDL (0.40 and 0.33, respectively) but both had FCR pronouncedly smaller than LDE (0.56, P<0.01). Liver was the main uptake site for LDE, LDE-apoB, and native LDL, but LDE-apoB and native LDL had lower hepatic uptake rates than LDE. Pre-treatment of the rats with 17 alpha-ethinylestradiol, known to upregulate LDLR, accelerated the removal from plasma of both LDE and LDE-apoB, but the effect was greater upon LDE than LDE-apoB. These differences in metabolic behavior documented in vivo can be interpreted by the lower affinity of LDLR for apo B-100 than for apo E, demonstrated in in vitro studies. Therefore, our study shows in vivo that, in comparison with apo E, apo B is a less efficient ligand to remove lipid particles such as microemulsions or lipoproteins from the intravascular compartment. (C) 1999 Elsevier B.V. B.V. All rights reserved.

Changes in lipid composition in hippocampus early and late after status epilepticus induced by kainic acid in wistar rats

Oxidative damage to biological membranes has been reported as a cause of alterations in many different diseases. We had previously reported lipid peroxidation in the kainic acid model of temporal epilepsy. In this study we evaluated earlier and later modifications in the lipid composition after status epileticus induced by kainic acid. Lipid composition was determined by thin-layer chromatography, in the cortex and hippocampus 12-14 h, 7-8, 75-80, or 140-150 days after the end of status epileticus. In the hippocampus there was a significant change in the lipid protein ratio after status epileticus and this was accompanied by an alteration in lipid composition in all tested times. These results suggested that lipid peroxidation induced by kainic acid could be accompanied by chronic changes in the lipid composition that could be related to the development of seizures.

Effects of pretreatment with rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) in the prevention of lipid oxidation in salted tilapia fillets

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Sensitive Affimer and Antibody Based Impedimetric Label-Free Assays for C-Reactive Protein

C-reactive protein (CRP) is an acute phase protein whose levels are increased in many disorders. Levels greater than 3 mu g/mL serum have hitherto been considered to indicate pathology, but there is increasing interest in assessments between 0.1 and 10 mu g/mL, which have been found to correlate with severity of risk for cardiovascular disease. We report herein the generation of both antibody and Affimer based impedance immunoassays for CRP that are substantially more sensitive than clinically utilized immunonephelometry and immunoturbidity assessments. Significant in this study is not only the use of a constrained peptide to detect a clinically important target but also that derived electrochemical impedance assays can be highly sensitive even with probes whose relatively weak (mu M) affinities are not amenable to target detection by surface plasmon resonance (SPR). Key to this finding is acknowledging that receptive surfaces of comparatively low initial steric bulk and charge transfer resistance are especially primed to be highly responsive to target binding in electroanalytical assays of this type.

Transference of a crystal protein gene from bacillus thuringiensis and its expression in bradyrhizobium sp. cells

The plasmid pHT409 that harbours the cryIA(a) gene for the production of a δ-endotoxin (crystal protein) from Bacillus thuringiensis was transferred into Bradyrhizobium sp. A conjugal transfer system aiming to introduce the plasmid into the Bradyrhizobium sp. host from colonies of an Escherichia coli donor strain (DH5α

Influence of dietary protein level on the broiler chicken's response to methionine and betaine supplements

Two experiments were conducted to compare broiler chicken responses to methionine and betaine supplements when fed diets with low protein and relatively high metabolizable energy levels (17%, 3.3 kcal/g) or moderate protein and lower metabolizable energy levels (24%, 3.0 kcal/g), resulting in different levels of carcass fat. In Experiment 1, the basal diets were formulated with corn, soybean meal, poultry by-product meal, and poultry oil. In Experiment 2, glucose monohydrate was also added, so that identical amino acid profiles could be maintained in the 17 and 24% protein diets. On average, feeding the 17 vs. 24% protein diet decreased 21-d body weight gain by 20%, increased feed conversion ratio (FCR) by 13%, and increased abdominal fat pad weight by 104%. Methionine and betaine supplements improved the performance of chicks fed the 24% protein diet in both experiments, as indicated by body weight gain and FCR. Only supplementary methionine increased performance of chicks fed 17% protein diets, and then only in Experiment 2. Neither methionine nor betaine decreased abdominal fat pad size in either experiment. Methionine supplementation decreased relative liver size and increased breast muscle protein. Both methionine and betaine increased sample feather weight, but when expressed as a percentage of body weight, no significant differences were detected. It is concluded that increasing carcass fat by manipulating percentage dietary protein level or amino acid balance does not influence betaine's activity as a lipotropic agent.

Specific and nonspecific collapse in protein folding funnels

Experiments with fast folding proteins are beginning to address the relationship between collapse and folding. We investigate how different scenarios for folding can arise depending on whether the folding and collapse transitions are concurrent or whether a nonspecific collapse precedes folding. Many earlier studies have focused on the limit in which collapse is fast compared to the folding time; in this work we focus on the opposite limit where, at the folding temperature, collapse and folding occur simultaneously. Real proteins exist in both of these limits. The folding mechanism varies substantially in these two regimes. In the regime of concurrent folding and collapse, nonspecific collapse now occurs at a temperature below the folding temperature (but slightly above the glass transition temperature).

Evidence for involvement of Saccharomyces cerevisiae protein kinase C in glucose induction of HXT genes and derepression of SUC2

The PKC1 gene in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae encodes protein kinase C that is known to control a mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase cascade consisting of Bck1, Mkk1 and Mkk2, and Mpk1. This cascade affects the cell wall integrity but the phenotype of Pkc1 mutants suggests additional targets which have not yet been identified. We show that a pkc1Δ mutant, as opposed to mutants in the MAP kinase cascade, displays two major defects in the control of carbon metabolism. It shows a delay in the initiation of fermentation upon addition of glucose and a defect in derepression of SUC2 gene after exhaustion of glucose from the medium. After addition of glucose the production of both ethanol and glycerol started very slowly. The V max of glucose transport dropped considerably and Northern blot analysis showed that induction of the HXT1, HXT2 and HXT4 genes was strongly reduced. Growth of the pkc1Δ mutant was absent on glycerol and poor on galactose and raffinose. Oxygen uptake was barely present. Derepression of invertase activity and SUC2 transcription upon transfer of cells from glucose to raffinose was deficient in the pkc1Δ mutant as opposed to the wild-type. Our results suggest an involvement of Pkc1p in the control of carbon metabolism which is not shared by the downstream MAP kinase cascade. © 2002 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Dietary energy requirement of piracanjuba fingerlings, Brycon orbignyanus, and relative utilization of dietary carbohydrate and lipid

Ten isonitrogenous casein-gelatin-based diets were formulated to contain five estimated metabolizable energy concentrations (10.92, 12.29, 13.63, 14.82 and 16.16 kJ g -1) at two carbohydrate-to-lipid ratios (CHO : L, 5.3 and 12.8, g : g) in a 5 × 2 factorial arrangement. Each diet was assigned to triplicate groups of 11 piracanjuba fingerlings (5.25 ± 0.14 g) and fed to apparent satiation twice a day for 90 days. Higher daily weight gain was obtained by fish fed the 13.63 kJ g -1 diets for both CHO : L ratios. There was a significant reduction of feed consumption when dietary energy concentration increased above 13.63 kJ g -1. Feed conversion ratio and apparent net energy retention improved as dietary energy increased. Apparent net protein retention tended to be lower in the highest and lowest dietary energy concentrations. The results suggest that dietary lipid energy was more efficiently utilized by piracanjuba fingerlings than carbohydrate energy. Body composition and hepatosomatic index (HSI) were not influenced by dietary CHO : L ratio. However, an increase in dietary energy concentration beyond 13.63 kJ g -1 resulted in a significant increment in lipid deposition, while body moisture and HSI decreased. Our findings indicate that at 300 g kg -1 dietary crude protein, a CHO : L ratio of 5.3 is recommended for piracanjuba, and the required energy is either 13.63 kJ g -1 if raised for aquaculture or 14.82 kJ g -1 if destined to stock enhancement. © 2006 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Alterations in chlorophyll a fluorescence, pigment concentrations and lipid peroxidation to chilling temperature in coffee seedlings

Coffea arabica L. is considered to be sensitive to low temperatures throughout its life cycle. In some Brazilian regions, seedling production occurs under shade conditions and during the winter, with average temperatures of around 10 °C. The formation and functioning of the photosynthetic apparatus are strongly controlled by temperature. This study aimed to assess the changes that occurred in pigment contents, lipid peroxidation and variables of chlorophyll a fluorescence during the greening process of coffee seedlings submitted to chilling. Results indicate that saturation of the photosynthetic activity of coffee seedlings occurred before saturation of the accumulation of chloroplastid pigments. Pigment accumulation during the greening process is far beyond the metabolic needs for the maintenance of photosynthetic activity, more specifically of photosystem II. Coffee seedlings attained a quantum yield equivalent to that of the control with approximately half the chlorophyll a and b contents and around 40% of the carotenoid. Low temperature decreases the metabolism of seedlings, consequently reducing free radical production and lipid peroxidation. The chilling temperature (10 °C) used inhibited the accumulation of chloroplast pigments, in turn altering the capacity of the photosynthetic tissue of etiolated coffee seedlings to capture and transfer photon energy to the photosystem II reaction centre. These alterations were better demonstrated by O-J-I-P chlorophyll a fluorescence transients, rather than F v/F m and F v/F 0 ratios. © 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Caffeine reduces cadmium accumulation in the organism and enhances the levels of antioxidant protein expression in the epididymis

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of caffeine (20. mg/L) intake on cadmium (15. mg/L) accumulation in the rat blood, testes, epididymis and prostate as well as cadmium-induced changes to the antioxidant defense system of the epididymis. Caffeine reduced the cadmium concentration in all tissues analyzed. Meanwhile, cadmium reduced catalase activity and increased superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in the epididymis. Caffeine increased SOD activity, catalase and glutathione tissue expression and sustains the cadmium's effect on catalase and GSP-Px activity. No differences in the expression of metallothionein and lipid peroxidation were observed among the different treatments in the epididymis. In conclusion, low doses of cadmium alter the antioxidant enzymatic profile of the epididymis, but not induced oxidative lipid damage. Caffeine intake reduces overall cadmium accumulation in the organism and enhances the levels of antioxidant protein expression in the epididymis, thus exerting a protective effect against this metal. © 2012 Elsevier Inc.