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The article presents abstracts from papers related to animal physiology that were published in the February 2005 issue of the "Journal of Animal Science." The paper "Satellite Cell Proliferation and Differentiation," by M. Doumit, N. Mesires, J. Scheffler and E. Helman, studies the association of postnatal skeletal muscle growth with increases in muscle DNA content. The paper "Gene Expression During Skeletal Muscle Growth and Development," by J. Reecy and D. Moody, reviewed recent findings that describe changes in gene expression associated with skeletal muscle growth, regeneration, and atrophy. Experiments designed to determine mRNA expression profiles in skeletal muscle have utilized both hybridization and sequencing based platforms, such as SAGE, microarray, expressed sequence tag data, and massively parallel signature sequencing. The paper "Comparison of Circulating Concentrations of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) Between Cows Gestating Single and Twin Calves," by S. Echternkamp, K. Vonnahme and S. Ford, determined whether increased placental development in cows gestating twins was associated with increased VEGF concentrations in the maternal blood.

Objective Type 1 regulatory T (Tr1) cells are involved in the pathogenesis of numerous immune-mediated diseases. However, little is known about whether and how Tr1 cells affect the development of IgA vasculitis (IgAV). We aimed to investigate this question in IgAV patients. Methods. Tr1 cells in peripheral blood and kidney tissue of IgAV patients were analysed by multi-parametric flow cytometry and immunofluorescence techniques. An in vitro assay of suppression of T cell proliferation and cytokine release was performed to evaluate the function of Tr1 cells. Real-time PCR and cell stimulation in vitro were used to explore the roles of IL-27 and early growth response gene 2 (EGR2). Results The frequency of Tr1 cells was decreased in peripheral blood but increased in kidney tissue from IgAV patients. A defective suppressive function of Tr1 cells in IgAV was observed. The frequency of Tr1 cells and the cytokines secreted by them were up-regulated in the presence of recombinant IL-27 in vitro. Moreover, IL-27 also increased the expression of EGR2. Furthermore, lower frequency of Tr1 cells during remission had a higher recurrence rate. Conclusion Tr1 cells are involved in the pathogenesis of IgAV. The low IL-27 in IgAV is responsible for impaired frequency and function of Tr1 cells, and EGR2 may be the specific transcription factor involved in the progression. Tr1 may be a risk factor for IgAV recurrence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives This study investigated the expression of proviral-integration site for Moloney murine leukaemia virus (PIM) -1 kinase in RA synovium and RA fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLSs) along with its impact on RA-FLS aggressiveness. Methods The expression of PIM kinases was assessed in synovial tissues by immunohistochemistry and double IF. After PIM-1 inhibition using either small-interfering RNA or the chemical inhibitor AZD1208, we performed proliferation and migration assays and measured the levels of MMPs and IL-6 released from RA-FLSs under stimulation with proinflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, S100A4 and IL-6/soluble IL-6 receptor). Additionally, PIM-1-associated downstream signalling pathways were analysed by immunoblotting. Results Three isoforms of PIM kinases were immunodetected in the synovial tissues from patients with RA or OA. Specifically, PIM-1 and PIM-3 were upregulated in RA synovium and PIM-1 was expressed in T cells, macrophages and FLSs. Additionally, upon stimulation of RA-FLSs with TNF-α, S100A4 and IL-6/sIL-6R, PIM-1 and PIM-3, but not PIM-2, were significantly inducible. Moreover, PIM-1 knockdown or AZD1208 treatment significantly suppressed basal or cytokine-induced proliferation and migration of RA-FLS and the secretion of MMPs from stimulated RA-FLSs. PIM-1 knockdown significantly affected the phosphorylation levels of extracellular signal-regulated kinase and cAMP responsive element binding protein in RA-FLSs. Conclusion PIM-1 was upregulated in RA synovial tissues and RA-FLSs and its inhibition significantly reduced the proliferation, migration and MMP production of RA-FLSs in vitro. These findings suggest PIM-1 as a novel regulator of the aggressive and invasive behaviour of RA-FLSs and indicate its potential as a target for RA treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the growth factors in the regulation of embryonic development. It highlights the stimulatory impacts of growth factors for culture of preimplantation mammalian embryos as well as early bovine embryos. An overview on the nuclear transfer procedures for in vitro culture, is also mentioned.