Characterization of carbonic anhydrase from Turkish native "Gerze" chicken and influences of metal ions on enzyme activity.

Abstract Carbonic anhydrase was purified and characterized from erythrocytes of the Turkish native chicken, Gerze, for the first time. The enzyme was purified 57.65-fold with a yield of 52%, and a specific activity of 954.08 U/mg proteins having optimum pH at 8.0; optimum temperature at 30 °C; optimum ionic strength at 10 mM and stable pH at 8.0. The purified enzyme had apparent KM and Vmax values of 0.73 mM and 0.236 µmol × min(-1), respectively. Al(+3), Hg(+2), Cu(+2), Pb(+2), and Cd(+2) showed inhibitory effects on the enzyme. Pb(+2) exhibited the strongest inhibitory action. Cd(+2) and Hg(+2) were moderate inhibitor, whereas Al(+3) and Cu(+2) showed weaker actions. All tested metals inhibited the enzyme in competitive manner. Our findings indicate that these metals inhibit the chicken enzyme in a similar manner to other α-CAs from mammals investigated earlier, but susceptibility to various metals differ between the native chicken and other mammalian enzymes.

Transferability of Nikita and Sukkula retrotransposons in domestic goose (Anser anser domesticus) genome.

This article aimed to detect the existence of barley-specific Nikita and Sukkula retrotransposons in domestic geese samples and to evaluate the evolutionary relationships between these and other transposons belonging to the family Anatidae. Inter-retrotransposonamplified polymorphism-polymerase chain reaction (IRAP-PCR) method was performed for these retrotransposons movements in three diverse domestic goose populations (Chinese x Embden crossbred, Turkish White, and Turkish Multicolor). Polymorphism ratios were between 0 and 33% in all samples for Nikita and 0-73% in all samples for Sukkula. In addition, intrapopulation genetic polymorphism rates were also 0-15% in Chinese x Embden crossbred, 0-25% in Turkish White, 0-25% in Turkish Multicolor for Nikita; while 0-27% in Chinese x Embden, and 0-50% in Turkish Multicolor for Sukkula. There was no polymorphism for Sukkula among Turkish White samples. Moreover, the neighbour-joining method was used for phylogenetic tree construction using 38 sequences of different ducks, geese, and swans. In silico analyses supported the transitions of retrotransposons in the family Anatidae. It is concluded that transposon mobility among the phylogenetically distant species may lead to understanding evolutionary relationships. This report is one of the first studies investigating retrotransposon movements in domestic geese, revealing a new perspective on the goose genome regarding mobile genetic elements.

In vitro enzymatic response of Turkish native chicken "Gerze" to heavy metal exposure.

Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) was purified and characterized from the Turkish native chicken, Gerze, erythrocytes for the first time, and some characteristics were investigated. Purification procedure consisted of ammonium sulphate fractionation and affinity chromatography on 29, 59-ADP Sepharose-4B. The enzyme was purified 1063.22-fold with a yield of 43.27% and specific activity of 93.5 EU/mg proteins. Kinetic parameters of the enzyme were determined with glucose-6-phosphate (G6P) as substrate and purified enzyme had an apparent K(M) and V(max) values of 0.222 mM and 0.097 U/ml, respectively. The same parameters were determined with NADP(+) and the K(M) and V(max) values were 0.0603 mM and 0.153 U/ml, respectively. The following metals, Cd(+2), Pb(+2), Hg(+2), Cu(+2), Zn(+2) and Fe(+3) showed inhibitory effects on the enzyme. Cd(+2) and Pb(+2) exhibited the strongest inhibitory action. Hg(+2) and Cu(+2) were moderate inhibitors, whereas Zn(+2) and Fe(+3) showed weaker actions. All tested metals inhibited the enzyme in competitive manner.

Fatty acid profile and sensory properties of lamb meat from males of five indigenous breeds.

The objective of this study was to determine meat quality characteristics, fatty acid profiles, and sensory characteristics of 50 single-birth male lambs from five breeds: Artli ( n = 10 ), Çepni ( n = 10 ), Hemsin ( n = 10 ), Karayaka ( n = 10 ), and Of ( n = 10 ). At the beginning of the experiment, the average age and weight of the lambs were 120  ±  5 d and 30.7  ±  0.68 kg respectively. After 60 d of intensive fattening, the average live weight before slaughter was 40.96 kg  ±  0.76 kg. All evaluations were performed on samples from the longissimus thoracis et lumborum (LTL) muscle. There was no difference between breeds in terms of the pH values of the hot carcasses, whereas the cold carcass pH values were higher ( P < 0.001 ) in Hemsin animals than in the other breeds. Meat chemical properties (such as organic matter; dry matter; and fat, measured as the ether extract), physical properties (such as cooking loss; drip loss; and water-holding capacity, WHC), and instrumental values (such as colour, L * and b * values, chewiness, hardness, and resilience) were significantly affected by breed differences. Additionally, the differences between breeds were found to be significant in terms of the fatty acid composition and the evaluation of organoleptic properties, such as sensory characteristics, flavour, and juiciness of cooked (boiled or roasted) meat. The results show that lamb meat's physical, chemical, and sensory properties vary by breed. The differences found in the composition and presence of meat fatty acids between and within breeds can be used as a source of variation for future genetic improvement strategies.

Genetic diversity and relationship among indigenous Turkish Karayaka sheep subpopulations.

The Karayaka is the most populous sheep breed in the Black Sea region of Turkey. In the present study, we investigated the intra- and inter-population genetic relationships among indigenous Karayaka sheep subpopulations. Nine microsatellites were genotyped for 64 individuals from Samsun, Ordu, Giresun and Tokat provinces. The average number of alleles ( N a ), allelic richness ( A r ), observed heterozygosity ( H o ), expected heterozygosity ( H e ), polymorphism information content (PIC) and inbreeding coefficient ( F IS ) for all subpopulations were estimated as N a = 16.44 , A r = 9.887 , H o = 0.303 , H e = 0.886 , PIC = 0.866 and F IS = 0.630 , respectively. The observed and expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.171 (Giresun) to 0.376 (Ordu) and 0.757 (Samsun) to 0.845 (Ordu), respectively. It was determined that a 10.5 % of total genetic variation ( F IT = 66.9  %) in Karayaka sheep corresponded to genetic differences among subpopulations ( F ST ), whereas 63.0 % was explained by genetic difference among individuals ( F IS ). This study gives the first evidence about genetic relationships of Karayaka subpopulations. The results show that Karayaka sheep subpopulations are genetically different from each other. These findings revealed that the Karayaka breed has discrete subpopulations and should be taken into consideration when preparing conservation programs and future breeding strategies.

Goose fat, a promising nutrient for fish feeding, activates antioxidant enzymes in rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss.

The objective of this experiment was to test effects of different dietary lipids in rainbow trout feeding on the activity and expression of antioxidant enzymes, superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and glutathione S-transferase (GST). Four iso-nitrogenous and iso-lipidic casein-gelatin based experimental diets were formulated. The sources of dietary lipids were cod liver oil (CO, rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids), goose fat (GF, rich in saturated fatty acids and monounsaturated fatty acids), soybean oil (SO, rich in linoleic acid), and a blend of CO, GF and SO. Dietary treatments had no significant effect on growth performance and survival was not affected. SOD, GPx and GST enzymes had the maximum activity in GF diet. However qPCR data showed that SOD and GPx mRNA levels were minimum in GF group. Overall data showed that rainbow trout liver enzymes were activated upon GF diet probably activating the enzyme structure itself without stimulating gene expression.