Search

1. Paired box (Pax7) gene is a member of the paired box family and plays a critical role in animal growth and muscle development. However, the molecular characterisation of the goosePax7gene is unknown. 2. The open-reading frame of goosePax7is composed of 1509 bp, which encodes a protein of 503 amino acids and shares high homology with Pax7 of other birds. 3. Ten single-nucleotide polymorphisms were identified in the genomic DNA sequence, 8 located in the intron region and two located in the exon region. 4. Association analysis showed the C122T locus was significantly associated with the body weight of Zhedong-White geese in week 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12. 5. It was concluded that the goosePax7gene may be an important candidate gene for goose growth traits and marker-assisted selection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agouti signalling protein (ASIP) is an endogenous antagonist of melanocortin-1 receptor (MC1R) and is involved in the regulation of pigmentation in mammals. The objective of this study was to identify and characterise the ASIP gene in domestic goose.The goose ASIP cDNA consisted of a 44-nucleotide 5ʹ-terminal untranslated region (UTR), a 390-nucleotide open-reading frame (ORF) and a 45-nucleotide 3ʹ-UTR. The length of goose ASIP genomic DNA was 6176 bp, including three coding exons and two introns.Bioinformatic analysis indicated that the ORF encodes a protein of 130 amino-acid residues with a molecular weight of 14.88 kDa and an isoelectric point of 9.73.Multiple sequence alignments and phylogenetic analysis showed that the amino-acid sequence of ASIP was conserved in vertebrates, especially in the avian species.RT-qPCR showed that the goose ASIP mRNA was differentially expressed in the pigment deposition tissues, including eye, foot, feather follicle, skin of the back, as well as in skin of the abdomen. The expression level of the ASIP gene in skin of the abdomen was higher than that in skin of the back.Those findings will contribute to further understanding the functions of the ASIP gene in geese plumage colouring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some important developments of adhesion strength research for thermal spray coating systems have been reviewed in the present paper. The following topics were included: the influence of spraying pre-treatment on adhesion strength, sources and mechanisms of adhesion strength in coatings, some algorithms and calculation of numerical models based on the energy release rate in fracture mechanics, and the effects and relative discussions of residual stress in thermal spray coatings on the adhesion strength. These topics would provide some important insights into life prediction of thermal spray systems based on the adhesion strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flexible dye-sensitised solar cells (DSSCs) have been attracting considerable attention because of its flexibility and lightweight. In this study, TiO2 nano arrays with different morphologies were successfully synthesised on Ti foil via hydrothermal process. The effects of preparing conditions such as concentration of NaOH solution, hydrothermal temperature, reaction time and the additive NaCl on the formation of TiO2 nano arrays were systematically investigated by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and photovoltaic tests. The growth mechanisms of nano arrays with different morphologies were also discussed. Moreover, the as-prepared TiO2 nanosheets array film was used as a photoanode of the flexible DSSC, a power conversion efficiency of 1.88% was obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. The low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 8 (LRP8), a member of the low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) gene family, participates in the supplying of lipid during follicular development. The objective of the study was to identify and characterise theLRP8gene in goose. 2. A 2867 bp fragment that covered the complete coding region (CDS) of goose (Anser cygnoides)LRP8gene was cloned. It encoded a protein of 917 amino acid residues containing a 24-amino acid signal peptide and 5 functional domains. The goose LRP8 showed high nucleic acid and amino acid identities with those in other species. 3. Similarly to duckLRP8gene, two splice variants of LRP8, LRP8-1 (containing 8 ligand-binding repeats) and LRP8-2 (containing 7 ligand-binding repeats), were identified in goose. 4. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR analysis indicates that theLRP8-1transcript is expressed in heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidney, breast muscle, duodenum, hypothalamus, pituitary and ovary, negligible or absent in sebum and oviduct, and theLRP8-2transcript is widely expressed in all examined tissues. 5. A total of 7 SNPs were identified in the coding region of the gooseLRP8gene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of regression (partial dissolution) effects on the temperature dependence of nucleation rate in a binary solid solution has been studied theoretically. The results of the analysis are compared with the predictions of the simplest Volmer–Weber theory. Regression effects are shown to have a strong influence on the shape of the curve of nucleation rate versus temperature. The temperature TM at which the maximum rate of nucleation occurs is found to be lowered, particularly for low interfacial energy (coherent precipitation) and high-mobility species (e.g. interstitial atoms). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 3-hydroxyl-3-methylglutaryl Coenzyme A reductase (HMGCR) gene was examined for polymorphisms in Beijing-you chickens. A 'T' base insert was detected at nucleotide 2749 of the 3-UTR region of the HMGCR gene and was used as the basis for distinguishing a B allele, distinct from the A. Serum and muscle contents of total cholesterol. LDL-cholesterol in serum was significantly lower in AB birds and lowest in BB birds. Real-time PCR showed that the same trends across genotypes occurred in an abundance of HMGCR transcripts in liver, but there was no difference in contents of HMGCR mRNA in breast or thigh muscles. Hepatic expression and serum LDL-cholesterol were meaningfully correlated (partial, with total serum cholesterol held constant, r = 0.923). In muscle, similar genotypic differences were found for the abundance of the LDL receptor (LDLR) transcript. Cholesterol content in breast muscle related to LDLR expression (partial correlation with serum LDL-cholesterol held constant, r = 0.719); the equivalent partial correlation in thigh muscle was not significant. The results indicated that the B allele significantly reduces hepatic abundance of HMGCR transcripts, probably accounting for genotypic differences in serum cholesterol. In muscle, the cholesterol content appeared to reflect differences in LDLR expression with apparent mechanistic differences between breast and thigh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Around the world, there are 20 types of wild and about 70 domestic quail breeds or strains, including laboratory and commercial quail. Although all domestic quails were derived from wild strains, many obvious differences are evident today. However, how these differences occurred and which wild population was the first to be domesticated, remains unclear. This paper systematically presents the history of the development of domestic quail in China from 770 B.C. to the end of the 20 century. Taking into account recent research on some structural loci of domestic and wild quail, and in the light of recent survey reports of the present general situation of these birds, particularly in respect of their ecological performance and differences between wild and domestic quail, this review puts forward a new thesis forresolving the current uncertainty about the origin of domestic quail. It is suggested that unlike those of Japanese origin, Chinese quail are probably the earlier and more direct ancestorof most kinds of the domestic quail found around the world. Moreover, the review analyzes the possible evolutionary path to domestic quail, which is mainly a result of the flow of people from Japan to China. On the assumption that more and more wild quail populations are endangered, it aims to provide a basis forrenewing knowledge of wild quail resources and supporting the protection and use of these valuable worldwide stocks. This is especially important in China, the last country in the world to have so many wild quail populations. Furthermore, this new insight can promote and assist the world commercial quail industry to develop and flourish. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In order to uncover the mechanism of boron (B) utilization efficiency, B metabolism was studied through B forms and their balance of transformation. According to the reaction between B and some sugars in rape (Brassica napus L.), B was divided into free B, semi-bound B, and bound B using a sequential extraction procedure. One B-efficient rape cultivar (9589), one B-inefficient rape cultivar (95105), and the F1 hybrid (95105 × 9589) were involved in this pot experiment, which was carried out during 1998–1999. Two externally applied B treatments (B1: 0.05 mg kg-1 and B2: 0.25 mg kg-1) were used, and in both B treatments, the results showed that the concentration of the three B forms differed between the different cultivars. The free B and bound B concentration in the B-efficient cultivar (9589) was significantly lower than that in the B-inefficient cultivar (95105), and the F1 hybrid (95105 × 9589) was intermediate, but the semi-bound B concentration showed the opposite trend. Boron could react with some sugars which contained the vicinal group in cis position, which showed closely the relation between B and some sugar in plants. A significant difference of fructose content existed between cultivars. Using thin-layer chromatography and ultraviolet-scan analysis fructose was shown to react easily with B. From the close relationship between B and sugar, a hypothesis concerning the physiological mechanism of B utilization efficiency was formulated; a reaction constant km for the balance of B forms may indicate to some degree whether rape cultivars are B efficient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]