Why is welfare pork so expensive?

Specialty (niche) pork products may provide societal benefits in terms of e.g. higher animal welfare, reduced use of antibiotics, and lower environmental impact. At the same time, they offer a business opportunity for farmers, slaughterhouses, meat processers, and retailers, who can capitalise on consumer segments willing to pay a price premium. However, the added cost of delivering niche products and a limited willingness among consumers to pay the higher prices may negate the benefits of this approach, particularly as niche products typically have high substitutability with standard pork. One way to ensure the success of the niche pork products is to drive down costs across all parts of the value chain. Inspired by data from the Danish pork market, the present study seeks to identify cost drivers in the value chain. We found two promising approaches to reduce the costs associated with niche products. First, the pricing strategy can be altered so that mainstream pork is replaced entirely by specialty pork products in the chiller section, thereby making niche the new standard. Second, with improved carcass balance, the price premium paid to farmers can be assigned to a larger proportion of the pig, thus enabling the retail price to be lowered. For example, we found that improved carcass balance had the potential to halve the necessary retail price increase, regardless of the pricing strategy employed. The conclusion is that it is possible to drive down costs across all parts of the value chain to enable further production and profitable sale of welfare pork.

Matrix Gla Protein drives stemness and tumor initiation in ovarian cancer.

Ovarian cancer (OC) displays the highest mortality among gynecological tumors, mainly due to early peritoneal dissemination, the high frequency of tumor relapse following primary debulking, and the development of chemoresistance. All these events are thought to be initiated and sustained by a subpopulation of neoplastic cells, termed ovarian cancer stem cells (OCSC), that are endowed with self-renewing and tumor-initiating properties. This implies that interfering with OCSC function should offer novel therapeutic perspectives to defeat OC progression. To this aim, a better understanding of the molecular and functional makeup of OCSC in clinically relevant model systems is essential. We have profiled the transcriptome of OCSC vs. their bulk cell counterpart from a panel of patient-derived OC cell cultures. This revealed that Matrix Gla Protein (MGP), classically known as a calcification-preventing factor in cartilage and blood vessels, is markedly enriched in OCSC. Functional assays showed that MGP confers several stemness-associated traits to OC cells, including a transcriptional reprogramming. Patient-derived organotypic cultures pointed to the peritoneal microenvironment as a major inducer of MGP expression in OC cells. Furthermore, MGP was found to be necessary and sufficient for tumor initiation in OC mouse models, by shortening tumor latency and increasing dramatically the frequency of tumor-initiating cells. Mechanistically, MGP-driven OC stemness was mediated by the stimulation of Hedgehog signaling, in particular through the induction of the Hedgehog effector GLI1, thus highlighting a novel MGP/Hedgehog pathway axis in OCSC. Finally, MGP expression was found to correlate with poor prognosis in OC patients, and was increased in tumor tissue after chemotherapy, supporting the clinical relevance of our findings. Thus, MGP is a novel driver in OCSC pathophysiology, with a major role in stemness and in tumor initiation.

Expression and secretion of a lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase by a fast-growing cyanobacterium.

BACKGROUND: Cyanobacteria have the potential to become next-generation cell factories due to their ability to use CO2, light and inorganic nutrients to produce a range of biomolecules of commercial interest. Synechococcus elongatus UTEX 2973, in particular, is a fast-growing, genetically tractable, cyanobacterium that has garnered attention as a potential biotechnological chassis. To establish this unique strain as a host for heterologous protein production, we aimed to demonstrate expression and secretion of the industrially relevant TfAA10A, a lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase from the Gram-positive bacterium Thermobifida fusca. RESULTS: Two variations of TfAA10A were successfully expressed in S. elongatus UTEX 2973: One containing the native N-terminal, Sec-targeted, signal peptide and a second with a Tat-targeted signal peptide from the Escherichia coli trimethylamine-N-oxide reductase (TorA). Although the TorA signal peptide correctly targeted the protein to the plasma membrane, the majority of the TorA-TfAA10A was found unprocessed in the plasma membrane with a small fraction of the mature protein ultimately translocated to the periplasm. The native Sec signal peptide allowed for efficient secretion of TfAA10A into the medium with virtually no protein being found in the cytosol, plasma membrane or periplasm. TfAA10A was demonstrated to be correctly cleaved and active on the model substrate phosphoric acid swollen cellulose. Additionally, expression and secretion only had a minor impact on cell growth. The secretion yield was estimated at 779 ± 40 µg L-1 based on densitometric analysis. To our knowledge, this is the highest secretion yield ever registered in cyanobacteria. CONCLUSIONS: We have shown for the first time high-titer expression and secretion of an industrially relevant and catalytically active enzyme in S. elongatus UTEX 2973. This proof-of-concept study will be valuable for the development of novel and sustainable applications in the fields of bioremediation and biocatalysis.

Modeling the cost of eradicating livestock-associated methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus in countries with a high proportion of positive herds.

Due to an increased incidence of human infections, livestock-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (LA-MRSA) in pigs and its spread into the human population has been a major public and political issue in Denmark. Similar concerns are also being raised about LA-MRSA in other Western European countries. At a time when the proportion of LA-MRSA-positive pig farms was low, Norway adopted a 'trace and destroy' strategy aimed at keeping LA-MRSA out of the pig population. However, to date, no country with a high proportion of LA-MRSA-positive pig herds has chosen to use an eradication strategy. This study analyses the cost and complexities of conducting an LA-MRSA eradication program in a situation where a large proportion of herds are positive. The total cost of the eradication program was estimated based on the following components: 1) planning, 2) monitoring and testing, 3) cleaning and disinfection, 4) production gains and losses, 5) net reduction in breeding exports, and 6) loss of genetic progress, including the costs of a mitigating caesarean section strategy in breeding herds. Costs were related to the depopulation of 1 million sows, to gilt supply (as this was an important limiting factor during an eradication program in Denmark), and to aggregated losses linked to a temporary halt on breeding progress. Using conservative assumptions, the total eradication costs were estimated at €1.8 billion, broken down into: planning costs (3%), monitoring and testing (6%), cleaning and disinfection (19%), production gains and losses (33%), net loss from breeding exports (19%) and loss of genetic progress (20%). The long-term effects of an LA-MRSA eradication program for Danish pig production were uncertain and were therefore not taken into account in the analysis.

In vivo quantitative phosphoproteomic profiling identifies novel regulators of castration-resistant prostate cancer growth.

Prostate cancer remains a leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide owing to our inability to treat effectively castration-resistant tumors. To understand the signaling mechanisms sustaining castration-resistant growth, we implemented a mass spectrometry-based quantitative proteomic approach and use it to compare protein phosphorylation in orthotopic xenograft tumors grown in either intact or castrated mice. This investigation identified changes in phosphorylation of signaling proteins such as MEK, LYN, PRAS40, YAP1 and PAK2, indicating the concomitant activation of several oncogenic pathways in castration-resistant tumors, a notion that was confirmed by tumor transcriptome analysis. Further analysis demonstrated that the activation of mTORC1, PAK2 and the increased levels of YAP1 in castration-resistant tumors can be explained by the loss of androgen inhibitory actions. The analysis of clinical samples demonstrated elevated levels of PAK2 and YAP1 in castration-resistant tumors, whereas knockdown experiments in androgen-independent cells demonstrated that both YAP1 and PAK2 regulate cell colony formation and cell invasion activity. PAK2 also influenced cell proliferation and mitotic timing. Interestingly, these phenotypic changes occur in the absence of obvious alterations in the activity of AKT, MAPK or mTORC1 pathways, suggesting that PAK2 and YAP1 may represent novel targets for the treatment of castration-resistant prostate cancer. Pharmacologic inhibitors of PAK2 (PF-3758309) and YAP1 (Verteporfin) were able to inhibit the growth of androgen-independent PC3 xenografts. This work demonstrates the power of applying high-resolution mass spectrometry in the proteomic profiling of tumors grown in vivo for the identification of novel and clinically relevant regulatory proteins.

Direct evidence of milk consumption from ancient human dental calculus.

Milk is a major food of global economic importance, and its consumption is regarded as a classic example of gene-culture evolution. Humans have exploited animal milk as a food resource for at least 8500 years, but the origins, spread, and scale of dairying remain poorly understood. Indirect lines of evidence, such as lipid isotopic ratios of pottery residues, faunal mortality profiles, and lactase persistence allele frequencies, provide a partial picture of this process; however, in order to understand how, where, and when humans consumed milk products, it is necessary to link evidence of consumption directly to individuals and their dairy livestock. Here we report the first direct evidence of milk consumption, the whey protein ß-lactoglobulin (BLG), preserved in human dental calculus from the Bronze Age (ca. 3000 BCE) to the present day. Using protein tandem mass spectrometry, we demonstrate that BLG is a species-specific biomarker of dairy consumption, and we identify individuals consuming cattle, sheep, and goat milk products in the archaeological record. We then apply this method to human dental calculus from Greenland's medieval Norse colonies, and report a decline of this biomarker leading up to the abandonment of the Norse Greenland colonies in the 15(th) century CE.

The PI3-kinase isoform p110δ is essential for cell transformation induced by the D816V mutant of c-Kit in a lipid-kinase-independent manner.

PI3-kinase has a crucial role in transformation mediated by the oncogenic c-Kit mutant D816V. In this study, we demonstrate that the c-Kit/D816V-mediated cell survival is dependent on an intact direct binding of PI3-kinase to c-Kit. However, mutation of this binding site had little effect on the PI3-kinase activity in the cells, suggesting that c-Kit/D816V-mediated cell survival is dependent on PI3-kinase but not its kinase activity. Furthermore, inhibition of the lipid kinase activity of PI3-kinase led only to a slight inhibition of cell survival. Knockdown of the predominant PI3-kinase isoform p110δ in c-Kit/D816V-expressing Ba/F3 cells led to reduced cell transformation both in vitro and in vivo without affecting the overall PI3-kinase activity. This suggests that p110δ has a lipid-kinase-independent role in c-Kit/D816V-mediated cell transformation. We furthermore demonstrate that p110δ is phosphorylated at residues Y524 and S1039 and that phosphorylation requires an intact binding site for PI3-kinase in c-Kit/D816V. Overexpression of p110δ carrying the Y523F and S1038A mutations significantly reduced c-Kit/D816V-mediated cell survival and proliferation. Taken together, our results demonstrate an important lipid-kinase-independent role of p110δ in c-Kit/D816V-mediated cell transformation. This furthermore suggests that p110δ could be a potential diagnostic factor and selective therapeutic target for c-Kit/D816V-expressing malignancies.

RNF4 is required for DNA double-strand break repair in vivo.

Unrepaired DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) cause genetic instability that leads to malignant transformation or cell death. Cells respond to DSBs with the ordered recruitment of signaling and repair proteins to the sites of DNA lesions. Coordinated protein SUMOylation and ubiquitylation have crucial roles in regulating the dynamic assembly of protein complexes at these sites. However, how SUMOylation influences protein ubiquitylation at DSBs is poorly understood. We show herein that Rnf4, an E3 ubiquitin ligase that targets SUMO-modified proteins, accumulates in DSB repair foci and is required for both homologous recombination (HR) and non-homologous end joining repair. To establish a link between Rnf4 and the DNA damage response (DDR) in vivo, we generated an Rnf4 allelic series in mice. We show that Rnf4-deficiency causes persistent ionizing radiation-induced DNA damage and signaling, and that Rnf4-deficient cells and mice exhibit increased sensitivity to genotoxic stress. Mechanistically, we show that Rnf4 targets SUMOylated MDC1 and SUMOylated BRCA1, and is required for the loading of Rad51, an enzyme required for HR repair, onto sites of DNA damage. Similarly to inactivating mutations in other key regulators of HR repair, Rnf4 deficiency leads to age-dependent impairment in spermatogenesis. These findings identify Rnf4 as a critical component of the DDR in vivo and support the possibility that Rnf4 controls protein localization at DNA damage sites by integrating SUMOylation and ubiquitylation events.

De novo sequencing of antimicrobial peptides isolated from the venom glands of the wolf spider Lycosa singoriensis.

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), named lycocitin 1, 2 and 3, and a peptide with a monoisotopic molecular mass of 3038.70 Da were detected in the venom glands of the wolf spider Lycosa singoriensis. Two of the peptides, lycocitin 1 and 2, are new AMPs whereas lycocitin 3 is highly homologous to lycotoxin II isolated from the venom of spider Lycosa carolinensis. In addition, two other peptides with monoisotopic masses of 2034.20 and 2340.28 Da showing the motif typical for antimicrobial peptides were also identified. These peptides and lycocitin 1, 2 and 3 were de novo sequenced using electron capture dissociation and low-energy collisional tandem mass spectrometry. The amino acid sequence of lycocitin 1 was determined as GKLQAFLAKMKEIAAQTL-NH(2). Lycocitin 2 differs from lycocitin 1 by a replacement of a lysine residue for an arginine residue at the second position. Lycocitin 3 differs from the known lycotoxin II consisting of 27 amino acid residues by a deletion of Gly-26. Both lycocitin 1 and 2 inhibit growth of Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli) bacteria and fungi (Candida albicans, Pseudomonas aeruginosa) at micromolar concentrations.

Advantages of external accumulation for electron capture dissociation in Fourier transform mass spectrometry.

A combination of external accumulation (XA) with electron capture dissociation (ECD) improves the electron capture efficiency, shortens the analysis time, and allows for rapid integration of multiple scans in Fourier transform mass spectrometry. This improves the signal-to-noise ratio and increases the number of detected products, including structurally important MS3 fragments. With XA-ECD, the range of the labile species amenable to ECD is significantly extended. Examples include the first-time determination of the positions of six GalNAc groups in a 60-residue peptide, five sialic acid and six O-linked GalNAc groups in a 25-residue peptide, and the sulfate group position in a 11-residue peptide. Even weakly bound supramolecular aggregates, including nonspecific peptide complexes, can be analyzed with XA-ECD. Preliminary results are reported on high-rate XA-ECD that uses an indirectly heated dispenser cathode as an electron source. This shortens the irradiation time to > or = 1 ms and increases the acquisition rate to 3 scans/s, an improvement by a factor of 10-100.

Comparison of electron capture dissociation and collisionally activated dissociation of polycations of peptide nucleic acids.

Electron capture dissociation (ECD) in Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry coupled with electrospray ionization enhances the sequence elucidation of peptide nucleic acids compared with conventional low-energy collisionally activated dissociation (CAD). Examples are shown where ECD produced complete or extensive sequence coverage in PNAs six to ten nucleobases long. However, facile base losses from the reduced species and low abundances of backbone ECD fragments presented a significant problem. This was rationalized through the lower degree of charge solvation on the backbone compared to polypeptides. Combination of both CAD and ECD data is advantageous, as these techniques produce cleavages at different sites.

Electron capture dissociation of singly and multiply phosphorylated peptides.

Analysis of phosphotyrosine and phosphoserine containing peptides by nano-electrospray Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FTICR) mass spectrometry established electron capture dissociation (ECD) as a viable method for phosphopeptide sequencing. In general, ECD spectra of synthetic and native phosphopeptides appeared less complex than conventional collision activated dissociation (CAD) mass spectra of these species. ECD of multiply protonated phosphopeptide ions generated mainly c- and z(.)-type peptide fragment ion series. No loss of water, phosphate groups or phosphoric acid from intact phosphopeptide ions nor from the c and z(.) fragment ion products was observed in the ECD spectra. ECD enabled complete or near-complete amino acid sequencing of phosphopeptides for the assignment of up to four phosphorylation sites in peptides in the mass range 1400 to 3500 Da. Nano-scale Fe(III)-affinity chromatography combined with nano-electrospray FTMS/ECD facilitated phosphopeptide analysis and amino acid sequencing from crude proteolytic peptide mixtures.

Application of Staphylococcal enterotoxin B on normal and atopic skin induces up-regulation of T cells by a superantigen-mediated mechanism.

BACKGROUND: The skin of patients with inflammatory skin diseases such as atopic dermatitis is frequently colonized with Staphylococcus aureus. Colonization with S aureus has been reported to exacerbate atopic dermatitis. Recent studies have demonstrated that S aureus isolated from the skin of patients with atopic dermatitis releases bacterial toxins that act as superantigens. We have previously applied the staphylococcal superantigen staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) on intact human skin and found that the application led to induction of dermatitis. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the study was to determine whether superantigen-induced dermatitis is primarily due to a T cell-superantigen-mediated reaction or represents nonspecific cytokine-driven inflammation. METHODS: We applied SEB, vehicle, and sodium lauryl sulfate on normal skin in healthy (n = 6) and atopic subjects (n = 6) and biopsy specimens were taken from all treated areas. The biopsy specimens from all subjects and peripheral blood from the atopic subjects were analyzed for the T-cell receptor (TCR) Vbeta repertoire with mAbs against TCR Vbeta 2, 3, 8.1, 12, 14, and 17. RESULTS: From all subjects, both healthy and patients with atopic dermatitis, skin biopsy specimens from SEB-treated areas demonstrated selective accumulation of T cells expressing SEB-reactive TCR Vbeta 12 and 17 (P <.05). This selective up-regulation was not found in the sodium lauryl sulfate-treated areas. CONCLUSION: Our data strongly support that superantigen-induced T-cell activation is involved in the dermatitis seen after experimental application of SEB on intact skin.

Superantigen Staphylococcal enterotoxin B induces release of IL-1beta in human epidermis.

Lesional skin in patients with inflammatory skin diseases is often colonized with Staphylococcus aureus, which is capable of releasing superantigens. We therefore studied whether application of superantigen on the skin led to release of cytokines, especially IL-1beta. Suction blisters were raised on vehicle- and superantigen-treated skin and IL-1beta protein levels measured in suction blister fluid and supernatant from blister roofs. In all volunteers studied, application of the superantigen Staphylococcal enterotoxin B led to increased release of IL-1beta protein from suction blister roofs (n=7). In contrast, we did not detect any difference in IL-1beta in the blister fluid (n=5). IL-1beta is known as a mediator of inflammation, and the increase in IL-1beta may be involved in the aggravation of inflammatory skin diseases seen following Staphylococcus aureus colonization.

[Superantigens and their importance for inflammatory skin diseases]. / Superantigener. Og deres betydning for inflammatoriske hudsygdomme.

Superantigens are a group of bacterial and viral proteins that are characterized by their capacity to stimulate a large number of T-cells simultaneously. Superantigens bind directly to the MHC class II molecule on the antigen-presenting cell and crosslink the cell with T-cells expressing certain V beta-chains on their T-cell receptor which leads to a vigorous polyclonal T-cell activation. Staphylococcal superantigens seem to be involved in the pathogenesis of systemic diseases such as toxic shock syndrome and Kawasaki syndrome. Furthermore, superantigens seem to play an important role in the induction and maintenance of inflammatory skin diseases such as atopic dermatitis and psoriasis. The skin of patients with atopic dermatitis is often colonized with superantigen-releasing Staphylococcus aureus, and application of staphylococcal superantigen on intact human skin induces a local dermatitis reaction. Guttate psoriasis is often preceded by a streptococcal throat infection, and T-cells specific for streptococcal superantigens have been identified in fresh guttate psoriasis lesions.