Mapping Pectic-Polysaccharide Epitopes in Cell Walls of Forage Chicory (Cichorium intybus) Leaves.

The cell walls of forage chicory (Cichorium intybus) leaves are known to contain high proportions of pectic polysaccharides. However, little is known about the distribution of pectic polysaacharides among walls of different cell types/tissues and within walls. In this study, immunolabelling with four monoclonal antibodies was used to map the distribution of pectic polysaccharides in the cell walls of the laminae and midribs of these leaves. The antibodies JIM5 and JIM7 are specific for partially methyl-esterified homogalacturonans; LM5 and LM6 are specific for (1→4)-ß-galactan and (1→5)-α-arabinan side chains, respectively, of rhamnogalacturonan I. All four antibodies labelled the walls of the epidermal cells with different intensities. JIM5 and JIM7, but not LM5 or LM6, labelled the middle lamella, tricellular junctions, and the corners of intercellular spaces of ground, xylem and phloem parenchyma. LM5, but not LM6, strongly labelled the walls of the few sclerenchyma fibres in the phloem of the midrib and lamina vascular bundles. The LM5 epitope was absent from some phloem parenchyma cells. LM6, but not LM5, strongly labelled the walls of the stomatal guard cells. The differential distribution of pectic epitopes among walls of different cell types and within walls may reflect the deposition and modification of these polysaccharides which are involved in cell wall properties and cell development.

Sheep Rumen Fermentation Characteristics Affected by Feeding Frequency and Feeding Level When Fed Fresh Forage.

Feeding frequency and feeding level are two important factors affecting rumen fermentation characteristics, but few studies on these have been conducted on fresh forage. Eight rumen-fistulated sheep were fed either fresh chicory or perennial ryegrass hourly in the first period (d 14 to 21) of the experiment and twice-daily in the second period (d 22 to 27) at 1.3 or 2.2 times the requirement of metabolizable energy for maintenance. When fed hourly, but not twice-daily, rumen fluid pH value was affected by forage species and feeding level. The total concentrations of short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) were similar at both feeding levels when fed chicory hourly, but they were greater at the higher feeding level in comparison with the lower feeding level when fed perennial ryegrass. However, forage species and feeding level did not affect rumen fluid total SCFA concentration when sheep were fed twice-daily. Therefore, rumen fermentation characteristics were affected by forage species, feeding frequency, feeding level and their interactions and the differences in fermentation characteristics were more apparent when feeding was performed hourly rather than twice-daily. This study highlighted the importance of feeding frequency on manipulating sheep ruminal metabolism when fed fresh forage.

The effects of tannin-rich plants on parasitic nematodes in ruminants.

Apart from the obvious role of plants in herbivore nutrition, they are also a rich source of bioactive products that can operate either to the benefit or the detriment of grazing animals. Here, we review the available evidence for the potential beneficial effects that plant-derived bioactive substances can have on gastrointestinal parasites. Tannin-rich plants have attracted most attention for their effect on internal nematodes in ruminants. These plants could act through direct antiparasitic activity but might also act indirectly by increasing host resistance. The effects vary with the species of plant, parasite and host. More research is required to understand better the mechanisms of action, and therefore make more pertinent use of these bioactive plants in livestock systems.

Methanogen community structure in the rumens of farmed sheep, cattle and red deer fed different diets.

Development of inhibitors and vaccines that mitigate rumen-derived methane by targeting methanogens relies on knowledge of the methanogens present. We investigated the composition of archaeal communities in the rumens of farmed sheep (Ovis aries), cattle (Bos taurus) and red deer (Cervus elaphus) using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) to generate fingerprints of archaeal 16S rRNA genes. The total archaeal communities were relatively constant across species and diets, and were less variable and less diverse than bacterial communities. There were diet- and ruminant-species-based differences in archaeal community structure, but the same dominant archaea were present in all rumens. These were members of three coherent clades: species related to Methanobrevibacter ruminantium and Methanobrevibacter olleyae; species related to Methanobrevibacter gottschalkii, Methanobrevibacter thaueri and Methanobrevibacter millerae; and species of the genus Methanosphaera. Members of an archaeal group of unknown physiology, designated rumen cluster C (RCC), were also present. RCC-specific DGGE, clone library analysis and quantitative real-time PCR showed that their 16S rRNA gene sequences were very diverse and made up an average of 26.5% of the total archaea. RCC sequences were not readily detected in the DGGE patterns of total archaeal 16S rRNA genes because no single sequence type was abundant enough to form dominant bands.

Effect of intake on whole body plasma amino acid kinetics in sheep.

While both the quantity and quality of food ingested are potent regulators of whole body protein metabolism in ruminants, little data are available on responses across a wide range of intakes. The current study examined the responses in whole body protein flux (PrF) to such intake changes and compared these with the responses across the hind-quarters (in a companion study). Six growing sheep (6-8 months, 30-35 kg) received each of four intakes of dried grass pellets (0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.5 times maintenance energy; M) for a minimum of 7 days. At each intake, a mixture of U-13C amino-acids (AA) was infused intravenously for 10 h. Arterial plasma and blood were obtained over the last 4 h of infusion and the concentrations and the enrichments of thirteen 13C labelled AA were determined. The absolute values for plasma Irreversible Loss Rate (ILR) but also converted PrF varied between the AA. PrF values were lower for histidine, methionine, aspartate, glycine and proline (range 68 to 174 g x d(-1) at 1.5 M) than for isoleucine, leucine, valine and glutamate (range 275 to 400 g x d(-1) at 1.5 M). These discrepancies may be explained by (1) the differential AA removal by the splanchnic tissues, (2) the de novo synthesis of the non-essential AA, (3) the transfer of AA from the erythrocytes or plasma to the tissues. The first two assumptions require further investigation whereas recent work has shown a minor role for AA transfers between erythrocytes and tissues. For most AA, ILR and PrF responded linearly to intake but curvilinear responses were observed for phenylalanine, lysine, leucine, isoleucine and tyrosine. These differences were not due to hind-quarter metabolism and may involve the digestive tract and liver.