Biological defleecing: intravenous infusion of amino acid mixtures lacking lysine and methionine creates a weakened zone in the wool staple, which is amenable to mechanical wool harvesting

2015 ◽  
Vol 55 (10) ◽  
pp. 1264 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. I. Hynd ◽  
N. M. Edwards ◽  
S. Weaver ◽  
K. Chenoweth ◽  
R. Stobart ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Intravenous Infusion ◽  
Fibre Diameter ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Fibre Strength ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Weakened Zone ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Staple Strength

Conventional shearing of sheep is labour-intensive, expensive and presents significant occupational health and safety risks. The only alternative at present is based on injection of epidermal growth factor, which severs the fibre at the follicle level. This technology cannot be used in pregnant animals and requires application of a net to retain the severed fleece. An alternative is to create a weakened zone within the wool staple, which would be sufficiently strong to retain the fleece on the sheep while a protective covering regrows, but sufficiently weak as to allow painless and automated removal of the fleece. We demonstrate that this approach is possible using mixtures of amino acids lacking lysine and methionine. Initially we demonstrate the relationships between staple strength, a subjective ‘harvestability’ score and a subjective ‘pain’ score, using fleeces from animals treated with varying levels of cortisol to create a wide range of strengths of wool attachment. We assigned a score to the ease with which we could manually break the staples, and also to the animal’s response to breaking the staples still attached to the skin. The relationships between these variables indicated that a staple was considered harvestable and could be removed with minimal skin flinch response at a staple strength of ~10–13 N/kTex. Staples within this range were then produced by intravenous infusion of mixtures of amino acids lacking in lysine and methionine for a 5-day period. The weak point was uniformly created across the entire fleece and when a prototype roller-pin device was applied to the weakened wool, it uniformly broke the fleece of the three sheep tested. The mode of action of the amino acid treatment on wool growth was studied. There was no effect of unbalanced amino acids on the rate of follicle bulb cell division, the number of active wool follicles, or the length of the keratinisation zone in the wool follicle. Fibre diameter was reduced by ~4 microns by treatment, and intrinsic fibre strength (strength relative to cross-sectional area of the wool fibres), was reduced by ~50%. Results of these trials are encouraging but further work is required to develop a practical, on-farm method of altering systemic amino acid supply and to design an automated, high-throughput system of severing the weakened wool.

Stress-strain properties of individual Merino wool fibres are minor contributors to variations in staple strength induced by genetic selection and nutritional manipulation

2009 ◽  
Vol 49 (8) ◽  
pp. 668 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. N. Thompson ◽  
P. I. Hynd
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Selection ◽  
Fibre Diameter ◽  
Strain Curve ◽  
Single Fibre ◽  
Fibre Strength ◽  
Force Extension ◽  
Stress Strain ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Fibre Stress ◽  
Staple Strength

This paper investigates the contribution of single fibre stress-strain properties to variations in staple strength induced by both selective breeding for staple strength and nutritional manipulation. Merino weaners (n = 40), selected from ‘sound’ and ‘tender’ lines of staple strength selection flocks, were allocated to feeding regimes designed to induce liveweight changes simulating typical Mediterranean seasonal changes. Average staple strength differed by 5 N/ktex between ‘sound’ and ‘tender’ selection flocks and 18 N/ktex between extreme nutritional treatments. The force-extension properties of individual wool fibres (n = 100 per sheep) were measured using a single fibre strength meter. After normalising for differences in fibre cross-sectional area at the point of break, the key parameters used to describe the stress-strain curve for each fibre were: Young’s modulus (GPa), yield stress (MPa), stress at 15% strain (MPa), stress at break (MPa), strain at break (%) and work to break (MPa). The average stress-strain properties of single fibres differed widely between individual sheep. Stress at break ranged from 163 to 235 MPa (44% range), strain at break ranged from 21 to 44% (103% range) and work to break from 43 to 71 MPa (65% range). There were no significant differences in any of the single fibre properties between the staple strength selection flocks, nor was there any significant interaction (P > 0.05) between staple strength selection flock and nutritional regimes. Nutritional regime had a significant effect on stress at break, strain at break and work to break, but none of the single fibre stress-strain properties removed any appreciable variance in staple strength over and above that accounted for by differences in along- and between-fibre diameter variation. There appears to be little scope for improvement of single fibre stress-strain properties as a means of increasing staple strength in normal production environments. Selection directly for staple strength or indirectly using the fibre diameter variability traits is an effective method to improve staple strength.

Variations in the strength of wool fibres - A review

1992 ◽  
Vol 43 (6) ◽  
pp. 1337 ◽  
Author(s):  
PJ Reis
Keyword(s):  
Fibre Diameter ◽  
Protein Composition ◽  
Nutrient Supply ◽  
Rate Of Change ◽  
Seasonal Effects ◽  
Major Influence ◽  
Fibre Strength ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Pregnancy And Lactation ◽  
Staple Strength

This review outlines the factors that may influence the strength of wool fibres and the associated changes in structure and protein composition that have been observed in weakened fibres. The strength of a wool staple is dependent on the intrinsic strength of the fibres that it contains and the total cross-sectional area of fibre being tested. The minimum fibre diameter and the rate of change of diameter along a staple are important determinants of strength. Different sheep kept under similar conditions show a large range of staple strengths. Estimates of heritability for staple strength are sufficiently high (0.17 to 0.49 in Merinos; 0.20 to 0.58 in Romneys) to prompt the establishment of selection programmes in both breeds. A variety of physiological and environmental factors influence the strength of wool fibres. Nutrient supply exerts a major influence via effects on fibre diameter. In addition, there are specific effects of some amino acids (methionine and lysine), trace elements (copper and zinc) and vitamins (folic acid). Seasonal effects are important in breeds which exhibit a large annual rhythm of wool growth, e.g. Romneys, but not in Merinos. Pregnancy and lactation influence fibre strength through competition for essential nutrients but hormonal factors may also be involved. Fibre strength may also be influenced by stress involving excessive secretion of glucocorticoids and by various parasites and diseases which can influence nutrient supply and cause stress. No clear association has been established between the strength of wool fibres and the proportions of the constituent proteins. The content of high-tyrosine proteins in the matrix of weak fibres is frequently, but not invariably, reduced. Likewise, fibre strength has been associated with the proportions of components of the high-sulfur proteins in some studies, but not in others. Thus in Romneys, but not Merinos, tender (weak) wool contained a higher proportion of orthocortex than sound wool, and hence contained less ultra-high-sulfur proteins. Weak fibres produced by specific nutritional treatments in adult sheep and lambs show a loss of cuticle scale pattern and malformed or degraded fibres.

scholarly journals Analysis of Htra Gene from Zebrafish (Danio Rerio)

2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Murwantoko ◽  
Chio Oka ◽  
Masashi Kawaichi
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Amino Acid Sequence ◽  
Danio Rerio ◽  
Serine Proteases ◽  
Catalytic Domain ◽  
Fruit Fly ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Igf Binding ◽  
Bacterial Homolog

HtrA which is characterized by the combination of a trypsin-like catalytic domain with at least one C-terminalPDZ domain is a highly conserved family of serine proteases found in a wide range of organisms. However theidentified HtrA family numbers varies among spesies, for example the number of mammalian, Eschericia coli,fruit fly-HtrA family are 4, 3 and 1 gene respectively. One gene is predicted exist in zebrafish. Since no completeinformation available on zebrafish HtrA, in this paper zebrafish HtrA (zHtrA) gene was analyzed. The zHtrA isbelonged to HtrA1 member and predicted encodes 478 amino acids with a signal peptide, a IGF binding domain,a Kazal-type inhibitor domain in the up stream of HtrA-bacterial homolog. At the amino acid sequence the zHtrA1showed the 69%, 69%, 68%, 54% and 54% with the rat HtrA1, mouse HtrA1, human HtrA1, human HtrA3 andmouse HtrA4 respectively. The zHtrA1 is firstly expressed at 60 hpf and mainly in the vertebral rudiments in thetail region.

An Automated Detection System for Most L-α-Amino Acids

1969 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 154-161 ◽  
Author(s):  
K Van Dyke ◽  
C Szustkiewicz
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Detection System ◽  
Automated System ◽  
Acid Oxidase ◽  
Enzymatic Reactions ◽  
Amino Acid Oxidase ◽  
Automated Method ◽  
Wide Range

Abstract An automated system for the determination of the L-α form of the majority of amino acids is presented. The method is based upon oxidative deamination of the amino acid coupled with oxidation of o-dianisidine by hydrogen peroxide. This procedure can be used comparatively for the determination of a mixture of L-α-amino acids or for the majority of separated L-α-amino acids (especially in conjunction with column separations from urine and blood which give falsely positive identification with ninhydrin detection). The stereospecific nature of the L-α-amino acid oxidase enables the investigator to quantitate the amount of L-α-amino acid in the presence of the D-α form. From an academic viewpoint, the extreme sensitivity and wide range of the detection system make it advantageous for the study of the enzyme itself. This automated method also may be employed to follow enzymatic reactions—e.g., those catalyzed by peptidases or racemases. The methodology is extremely convenient with good reagent stability and is much more sensitive than manometric technics.

The Synthesis of a Cubane-Substituted Dipeptide

2012 ◽  
Vol 65 (6) ◽  
pp. 690 ◽  
Author(s):  
Quentin I. Churches ◽  
Roger J. Mulder ◽  
Jonathan M. White ◽  
John Tsanaktsidis ◽  
Peter J. Duggan
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Pure Form ◽  
Bioactive Molecules ◽  
Side Chains ◽  
Cyclic Hydrocarbon ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Effective Synthesis ◽  
Dipeptide Derivative

Amino acids and peptides bearing cyclic hydrocarbon side-chains are of interest in the development of a wide range of bioactive molecules. The preparation of an amino acid and a dipeptide derivative bearing an unfunctionalised cubane substituent is described. Attempts to prepare a cubylalanine derivative via the corresponding dehydroalanine were unsuccessful due to the high sensitivity of this vinyl cubane compound. Conversely, the addition of cubyllithium to a (RS)-glyoxylate sulfinimine led to an effective synthesis of a cubylglycine derivative and a cubane-substituted dipeptide in diastereomerically pure form.

The relationships between the concentrations of individual amino acids and protein in wheat and barley grain grown at selected locations throughout Manitoba

1996 ◽  
Vol 76 (2) ◽  
pp. 163-169 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. J. Boila ◽  
S. C. Stothers ◽  
L. D. Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Barley Grain ◽  
Regression Equations ◽  
Acid Protein ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Indispensable Amino Acids ◽  
Protein Amino Acids ◽  
Barley Protein ◽  
Amino Acid Concentrations

The concentrations of protein and individual amino acids were determined in the grain from three cultivars of wheat and three cultivars of barley, each grown at 12 locations throughout Manitoba over 3 consecutive years. Protein concentration differed (P < 0.05) among the cultivars of wheat but not (P > 0.05) among cultivars of barley. Although the concentrations of several amino acids differed (P < 0.05) among cultivars of wheat or barley the differences among cultivars of each grain were not considered to be critical in relation to the requirements for indispensable amino acids for swine or poultry. The percentage of an ammo acid in the DM of wheat and barley increased (P < 0.05) linearly with an increase in percentage of protein in the grain. The wide range of r2 (0.29 to 0.88) obtained for this amino acid-protein relationship may be due to the different effect of environment (location and year of growth) on the concentration of individual amino acids, compared to protein, among cultivars of wheat or barley. The percentage of total variance due to an interaction between cultivar and environment was low for protein but was several fold higher for individual amino acids. The error in the prediction of amino acid concentrations with regression equations may be no different than the error associated with predicting the mean concentrations of amino acids in the protein of wheat or barley as g (100 g protein)−1, and obtained from tabulations of analyses. However, regression equations for lysine in wheat and barley did account for the significant (P < 0.05) decrease in concentration of lysine in the protein as the percentage of protein in these grains increased. Key words: Grain, wheat, barley, protein, amino acids, Manitoba

Use-dependent block of excitatory amino acid currents in cultured neurons by ketamine

1987 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
pp. 251-266 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. F. MacDonald ◽  
Z. Miljkovic ◽  
P. Pennefather
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Aspartic Acid ◽  
Excitatory Amino Acids ◽  
Hippocampal Neurons ◽  
Excitatory Amino Acid ◽  
Outward Current ◽  
Bathing Solution ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Repeated Applications

1. Mouse hippocampal neurons grown in dissociated cell culture were patch clamped using a whole cell voltage clamp (discontinuous switching clamp) technique. The currents generated by pressure applications of excitatory amino acids were studied over a wide range of holding potentials, and current-voltage curves were plotted. Excitatory amino acids that activated the N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptor demonstrated some degree of desensitization with repeated applications, whereas the currents observed in response to kainic acid (KAI) did not. Desensitization could be minimized by keeping the frequency of application sufficiently low (i.e., less than 0.1 Hz). 2. The short-acting dissociative anaesthetic, ketamine (2–50 microM), selectively blocked L-aspartic acid (L-Asp), NMDA, and L-glutamic acid (L-Glu) currents while sparing those in response to KAI. Therefore, ketamine is a relatively selective blocker of the NMDA response versus that (those) activated by KAI. 3. The block by ketamine of excitatory amino acid currents is highly voltage dependent. Concentrations of ketamine that had little effect on outward current responses at depolarized potentials were quite effective at blocking inward current responses at hyperpolarized potentials. In contrast, DL-2-amino-5-phosphonovaleric acid (APV) was equally effective at blocking both inward and outward currents (voltage independent). The voltage dependence of ketamine (a positively charged molecule) could be accounted for if ketamine blocked the NMDA response by binding to a site that experienced 55% of the membrane field. 4. In the presence of ketamine, peak inward currents evoked by repeated applications of NMDA, L-Asp, or L-Glu progressively declined to a steady-state level of block (use-dependent block). This decrement occurred at frequencies much lower than those that were employed to demonstrate desensitization (in the absence of ketamine). Moving the membrane potential to depolarized values did not, in itself, relieve the ketamine block. However, if the appropriate excitatory amino acid (L-Asp, NMDA, L-Glu) was applied during the period of depolarization, a relief of the block could be demonstrated. No recovery from the blockade occurred with periods of rest (no amino acid application) as long as 5 min. Furthermore, no recovery was observed even when ketamine was washed out of the bathing solution until the appropriate agonist was applied. Thus recovery from blockade, like development of blockade, was use dependent.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

A Study of Relations between the Absorption of Amino Acids, Dipeptides, Water and Electrolytes in the Normal Human Jejunum

1975 ◽  
Vol 49 (5) ◽  
pp. 401-408 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. B. A. Silk ◽  
P. D. Fairclough ◽  
Nicola J. Park ◽  
Annette E. Lane ◽  
Joan P. W. Webb ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Sodium Chloride ◽  
Human Subjects ◽  
Sodium Content ◽  
Sodium Chloride Solutions ◽  
Electrolyte Absorption ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Osmotic Solution ◽  
Normal Human

1. A double-lumen perfusion technique was used to study the effect of a wide range of concentrations of the dipeptide glycyl-l-alanine and its constituent amino acids on water and electrolyte absorption from iso-osmotic solutions in the upper jejunum of normal human subjects. 2. There was no significant absorption of water and electrolytes from sodium chloride solution (150 mmol/l) but the presence of the dipeptide or its constituent amino acids stimulated water and electrolyte absorption. 3. Water absorption reached a peak at increasing amino acid and dipeptide concentrations and then tailed off. Our data suggest that the tailing off is not solely due to the diminished sodium content of the solutions. 4. During perfusion of the dipeptide-sodium chloride and amino acid-sodium chloride solutions solute and water were absorbed as an iso-osmotic solution. Analysis of the results indicates that this could occur at high dipeptide concentrations only if the majority of the dipeptide enters the cell intact.

Sorbitol and proline as intracellular osmotic solutes in the green alga Stichococcus bacillaris

1978 ◽  
Vol 56 (6) ◽  
pp. 676-679 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lewis M. Brown ◽  
Johan A. Hellebust
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
High Salinity ◽  
Single Amino Acid ◽  
Salinity Range ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Osmotic Solutes ◽  
Steady State Levels ◽  
Total Amino Acids ◽  
Stichococcus Bacillaris

A freshwater isolate of Stichococcus bacillaris Naeg. (strain UTEX 314) was evaluated for its ability to grow, photosynthesize, and osmoregulate over a wide range of salinity. The growth and photosynthetic measurements indicate that it is a euryhaline organism. Studies of the soluble organic metabolite pools showed that the steady-state levels of two solutes varied with salinity; sorbitol (a polyol) and proline (an amino acid). Intracellular proline levels increased from 0.002 to 0.28 M over the salinity range of 0 to40%c whereas the sorbitol level increased from 0.10 to 0.52 M. The level of total amino acids (excepting proline) remained relatively constant. No single amino acid of this group exceeded an intracellular concentration of 0.04 M. The changes in the concentrations of these solutes accounted for at least 75% of the required increase in intracellular osmolality in cells following adaptation to high salinity media. Sorbitol and proline are very soluble, nontoxic, and are efficient osmotic solutes. These properties make them ideal solutes for osmoregulation.

scholarly journals Amino acids in Arctic aerosols

2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 17367-17396 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Scalabrin ◽  
R. Zangrando ◽  
E. Barbaro ◽  
N. M. Kehrwald ◽  
J. Gabrieli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Water Cycle ◽  
Amino Acid Content ◽  
Boreal Summer ◽  
Total Amino Acid ◽  
Radiation Balance ◽  
Polar Regions ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Amino Acid Concentrations

Abstract. Amino acids are significant components of atmospheric aerosols, affecting organic nitrogen input to marine ecosystems, atmospheric radiation balance, and the global water cycle. The wide range of amino acid reactivities suggest that amino acids may serve as markers of atmospheric transport and deposition of particles. Despite this potential, few measurements have been conducted in remote areas to assess amino acid concentrations and potential sources. Polar regions offer a unique opportunity to investigate atmospheric processes and to conduct source apportionment studies of such compounds. In order to better understand the importance of amino acid compounds in the global atmosphere, we determined free amino acids (FAAs) in seventeen size-segregated aerosol samples collected in a polar station in the Svalbard Islands from 19 April until 14 September 2010. We used an HPLC coupled with a tandem mass spectrometer (ESI-MS/MS) to analyze 20 amino acids to quantify compounds at fmol m−3 levels. Mean total FAA concentration was 1070 fmol m−3 where serine and glycine were the most abundant compounds in almost all samples and accounted for 45–60% of the total amino acid relative abundance. The other eighteen compounds had average concentrations between 0.3 and 98 fmol m−3. The higher amino acid concentrations were present in the ultrafine aerosol fraction (<0.49 μm) and accounted for the majority of the total amino acid content. Local marine sources dominate the boreal summer amino acid concentrations, with the exception of the regional input from Icelandic volcanics.

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