Fermentation products as feed additives mitigate some ill-effects of heat stress in pigs.

Heat stress (HS) may result in economic losses to pig producers across the USA and worldwide. Despite significant advancements in management practices, HS continues to be a challenge. In this study, an in-feed antibiotic (carbadox, CBX) and antibiotic alternatives ( [XPC], and [SGX] fermentation products) were evaluated in a standard pig starter diet as mitigations against the negative effects of HS in pigs. A total of 100 gilts were obtained at weaning (6.87 ± 0.82 kg BW, 19.36 ± 0.72 d of age) and randomly assigned to dietary treatments (2 rooms/treatment, 2 pens/room, 6 to 7 pigs/pen). After 4 wk of dietary acclimation, half of the pigs in each dietary group (1 room/dietary treatment) were exposed to repeated heat stress conditions (RHS; daily cycles of 19 h at 25°C and 5 h at 40°C, repeated for 9 d), and the remaining pigs were housed at constant thermal neutral temperature (25°C, [NHS]). Pigs subjected to RHS had elevated skin surface temperature ( < 0.05; average 41.7°C) and respiration rate ( < 0.05; 199 breaths per minute (bpm) during HS, and overall reduced ( < 0.05) BW, ADG, ADFI, and G:F regardless of dietary treatment. Independent of diet, RHS pigs had significantly shorter ( < 0.05) jejunum villi on d 3 and d 9 compared to NHS pigs. Heat stress resulted in decreased villus height to crypt depth ratio (V:C) in pigs fed with control diet with no added feed additive (NON) and CBX diets at d 3, whereas the pigs fed diets containing XPC or SGX showed no decrease. Transcriptional expression of genes involved in cellular stress (, , , ), tight junction integrity (, , ), and immune response (, , and ) were measured in the ileum mucosa. Pigs in all dietary treatments subjected to RHS had significantly higher ( < 0.05) transcript levels of and , and an upward trend ( < 0.07) of mRNA expression. RHS pigs had higher ( < 0.05) transcript levels of and in NON diet, in XPC and CBX diets, and in SGX diet compared to the respective diet-matched pigs in the NHS conditions. Neither RHS nor diet affected peripheral natural killer () cell numbers or NK cell lytic activity. In conclusion, pigs subjected to RHS had decreased performance, and supplementation with fermentation products in the feed (XPC and SGX) protected pigs from injury to the jejunum mucosa.

Respiratory substrates regulate S-nitrosylation of mitochondrial proteins through a thiol-dependent pathway.

S-Nitrosylation is a reversible post-translational modification on cysteinyl thiols that can modulate the function of redox-sensitive proteins. The S-nitrosylation of mitochondrial proteins has been shown to regulate various mitochondrial activities involved in energy-transducing systems and mitochondrion-driven apoptosis. In isolated rat brain mitochondria, we demonstrate that mitochondrial protein S-nitrosylation is regulated by respiratory substrates (glutamate/malate) through a thiol-dependent pathway. Mitochondrial proteins become susceptible to S-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO)-induced S-nitrosylation in mitochondria with an oxidized environment (low glutathione (GSH), NADH, and NADPH, and high GSSG, NAD(+), and NADP(+)) caused by isolation of mitochondria using a discontinuous Percoll gradient. Activation of mitochondrial respiration by respiratory substrates leads to increased NAD(P)H and GSH levels, which in turn reduces mitochondrial S-nitrosylated proteins. 1-Chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (CDNB), which depletes mitochondrial GSH and inhibits the thioredoxin-thioredoxin reductase system, prevented the denitrosylation of mitochondrial proteins caused by respiratory substrate treatment. Using biotin-switch coupled with LC-MS/MS, several mitochondrial proteins were identified as targets of S-nitrosylation including adenine nucleotide translocase (ANT) and voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC), important components of the mitochondria permeability transition pore (MPTP), as well as ATP synthase. The S-nitrosylation of ATP synthase by GSNO was found to inhibit its activity. These findings emphasize the importance of respiratory substrates in regulating S-nitrosylation through a thiol-dependent (GSH and/or thioredoxin) pathway, with implications for mitochondrial bioenergetics and mitochondrion-driven apoptosis.

Iron regulatory protein 2 turnover through a nonproteasomal pathway.

Iron regulatory protein 2 (IRP2) controls the synthesis of many proteins involved in iron metabolism, and the level of IRP2 itself is regulated by varying the rate of its degradation. The proteasome is known to mediate degradation, with specificity conferred by an iron-sensing E3 ligase. Most studies on the degradation of IRP2 have employed cells overexpressing IRP2 and also rendered iron deficient to further increase IRP2 levels. We utilized a sensitive, quantitative assay for IRP2, which allowed study of endogenous IRP2 degradation in HEK293A cells under more physiologic conditions. We found that under these conditions, the proteasome plays only a minor role in the degradation of IRP2, with almost all the IRP2 being degraded by a nonproteasomal pathway. This new pathway is calcium-dependent but is not mediated by calpain. Elevating the cellular level of IRP2 by inducing iron deficiency or by transfection causes the proteasomal pathway to account for the major fraction of IRP2 degradation. We conclude that under physiological, iron-sufficient conditions, the steady-state level of IRP2 in HEK293A cells is regulated by the nonproteasomal pathway.

Trypsin-chymotrypsin inhibitors from Vigna mungo seeds.

Three trypsin-chymotrypsin inhibitors were isolated from seeds of the black gram (Vigna mungo) with a procedure that entailed cation exchange chromatography on SP-Sepharose, anion exchange chromatography on Q-Sepharose, ion exchange chromatography by fast protein liquid chromatography (FPLC) on Mono Q and Mono S, and gel filtration by FPLC on Superdex 75. Two of the trypsin-chymotrypsin inhibitors were adsorbed on the first four types of chromatographic media. All three inhibitors have a molecular mass of 16 kDa as judged by gel filtration and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The trypsin inhibitory activity of the inhibitors was attenuated in the presence of the reducing agent dithiothreitol. The remaining inhibitor was unadsorbed on SP-Sepharose but adsorbed on Q-Sepharose, Mono Q and Mono S. The protease inhibitors did not exert any inhibitory effect on hepatoma (Hep G2) and breast cancer (MCF 7) cells or antifungal action toward Botrytis cinerea, Fusarium oxysporum and Mycosphaerella arachidicola. Two of the inhibitors slightly inhibited the activity of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase, with an IC50 in the millimolar range.

Musa acuminata (Del Monte banana) lectin is a fructose-binding lectin with cytokine-inducing activity.

A homodimeric, fructose-binding lectin was isolated from Del Monte bananas by using a protocol that involved ion-exchange chromatography on DEAE-cellulose and SP-Sepharose, and gel filtration by fast protein liquid chromatography on Superdex 75. Not only fructose, but also glucose, mannose, rhamnose and glucosamine could inhibit the lectin. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of its identical 15-kDa subunits was similar to lectins from other Musa species except for the deletion of the N-terminal glycine residue in Del Monte banana lectin. The hemagglutinating activity was stable up to 80 degrees C and also stable in the range pH 1-13. However, the hemagglutinating activity dwindled to an undetectable level at 90 degrees C. The lectin was capable of eliciting a mitogenic response in murine splenocytes and inducing the expression of the cytokines interferon-gamma, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and interleukin-2 in splenocytes. The lectin also inhibited proliferation of leukemia (L1210) cells and hepatoma (HepG2) cells and the activity of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase. The additional information obtained in the present study includes demonstration of fructose-binding activity and cytokine-inducing activity of Del Monte banana lectin. Fructose binding is an unusual characteristic of plant lectins. It is possible that the banana lectin can be developed into a useful anti-HIV, immunopotentiating and antitumor agent in view of its trypsin stability and thermostability.

Isolation and characterization of a trypsin-chymotrypsin inhibitor from the seeds of green lentil (Lens culinaris).

A Bowman-Birk type trypsin-chymotrypsin inhibitor was isolated from seeds of the legume green lentil (Lens culinaris) by means of affinity chromatography on Affi-gel blue gel, ion exchange chromatography on Q-Sepharose, ion exchange chromatography by fast protein liquid chromatography (FPLC) on Mono Q and Mono S, and gel filtration by FPLC on Superdex 75. The trypsin-chymotrypsin inhibitor was bound on the first three types of chromatographic media. It appeared as a single 16-kDa peak in gel filtration and a single 16-kDa band in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The trypsin inhibitory activity of the inhibitor was sensitive to the reducing agent dithiothreitol. It was completely abrogated after treatment with 10 mM dithiothreitol for 20 minutes. The protease inhibitor did not exert any inhibitory effect on hepatoma (Hep G2) and breast cancer (MCF 7) cell lines. There was no suppressive action on several fungal species including Botrytis cinerea, Fusarium oxysporum and Mycosphaerella arachidicola. It slightly inhibited the activity of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase, with an IC50 of 30 mM.