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In this work the hoof quality of 9 Anglo Arabian, 10 Haflinger, 7 Maremmano, and 15 Monterufoli equines was evaluated. Anglo Arabian is a cosmopolitan breed, others are Italian horses: Haflinger derives from Trentino Alto Adige, Maremmano and Monterufoli from Tuscany. Hoof samples, from the front left foot, were collected during the trimming in order to assess the physical-chemical characteristics and mineral content in nail. Collected data were submitted to ANOVA, principal component and discriminant analyses and a heathmap of the square distance among mineral content in hoof of different breeds was carried out. The softest hoof was found in Monterufoli Pony, having also highest dry matter content. Highest Fe, Ni, Pb, Se content, characterized the Anglo Arabian hoof, while Monterufoli Pony hoof showed the highest Na content. The multivariate analyses have shown K, Li, Mn, Na, and P were the most identifying minerals in the hoof nail. In Anglo Arabian, Haflinger, Maremmano hoof there was a high bioaccumulation of minerals, while the Monterufoli Pony hoof quickly remove the minerals, probably through the nail consumption and the osmoregulation activity. All statistical analysis showed that Monterufoli Pony hoof was different from the hoof of other considered breeds. All animals have shown foot of good quality suitable for the barefoot practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Salmonella enterica effector SteD depletes mature MHC class II (mMHCII) molecules from the surface of infected antigen-presenting cells through ubiquitination of the cytoplasmic tail of the mMHCII β chain. This requires the Nedd4 family HECT E3 ubiquitin ligase Wwp2 and a tumor-suppressing transmembrane protein adaptor Tmem127. Here, through a proteomic screen of dendritic cells, we found that SteD targets the plasma membrane protein CD97 for degradation by a similar mechanism. SteD enhanced ubiquitination of CD97 on K555 and mutation of this residue eliminated the effect of SteD on CD97 surface levels. We showed that CD97 localises to and stabilises the immunological synapse between dendritic cells and T cells. Removal of CD97 by SteD inhibited dendritic cell-T cell interactions and reduced T cell activation, independently of its effect on MHCII. Therefore, SteD suppresses T cell immunity by two distinct processes., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

The Salmonella enterica effector SteD depletes mature MHC class II (mMHCII) molecules from the surface of infected antigen-presenting cells through ubiquitination of the cytoplasmic tail of the mMHCII β chain. Here, through a genome-wide mutant screen of human antigen-presenting cells, we show that the NEDD4 family HECT E3 ubiquitin ligase WWP2 and a tumor-suppressing transmembrane protein of unknown biochemical function, TMEM127, are required for SteD-dependent ubiquitination of mMHCII. Although evidently not involved in normal regulation of mMHCII, TMEM127 was essential for SteD to suppress both mMHCII antigen presentation in mouse dendritic cells and MHCII-dependent CD4 + T cell activation. We found that TMEM127 contains a canonical PPxY motif, which was required for binding to WWP2. SteD bound to TMEM127 and enabled TMEM127 to interact with and induce ubiquitination of mature MHCII. Furthermore, SteD also underwent TMEM127- and WWP2-dependent ubiquitination, which both contributed to its degradation and augmented its activity on mMHCII., Competing Interests: Declaration of Interests The authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2020 Imperial College London. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Acetyl-CoA carboxylase 1 (ACC1) is a cytosolic enzyme catalyzing the rate limiting step in de novo fatty acid biosynthesis. There is mounting evidence showing that ACC1 is susceptible to dysregulation and that it is over-expressed in liver diseases associated with lipid accumulation and in several cancers. In the present study, ACC1 regulation at the translational level is reported. Using several experimental approaches, the presence of an internal ribosome entry site (IRES) has been established in the 5' untranslated region (5' UTR) of the ACC1 mRNA. Transfection experiments with the ACC1 5' UTR inserted in a dicistronic reporter vector show a remarkable increase in the downstream cistron translation, through a cap-independent mechanism. The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress condition and the related unfolded protein response (UPR), triggered by treatment with thapsigargin and tunicamycin, cause an increase of the cap-independent translation of ACC1 mRNA in HepG2 cells, despite the overall reduction in global protein synthesis. Other stress conditions, such as serum starvation and incubation with hypoxia mimetic agent CoCl 2 , up-regulate ACC1 expression in HepG2 cells at the translational level. Overall, these findings indicate that the presence of an IRES in the ACC1 5' UTR allows ACC1 mRNA translation in conditions that are inhibitory to cap-dependent translation. A potential involvement of the cap-independent translation of ACC1 in several pathologies, such as obesity and cancer, has been discussed., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Foot quality is essential to the horse's movement. The barefoot approach favours the animal's welfare. Environment and selection determine hoof characteristics., Material and Methods: Hoof characteristics of eight Anglo-Arabian (AA) and nine Haflinger (HA) horses were studied. After a preliminary visual analysis of feet, nail samples were collected after trimming for physico-chemical analysis. The parameters were submitted to analysis of variance. A principal component analysis and a Pearson correlation were used to compare mineral contents., Results: The hooves of both breeds were healthy and solid. The hooves of HA horses were longer than those of AA horses (14.90 ±0.30 cm vs 13.10 ±0.60 cm), while the AA hoof was harder than the HA hoof both in the wall (74.55 ±2.95 H vs 60.18 ±2.67 H) and sole (67.00 ±5.87 H vs 43.0 ±4.76 H). In comparison with the sole, the AA hoof wall also had a lower moisture percentage (12.56 ±0.67% vs 20.64 ±0.76%), while crude protein and ash contents were similar in both regions. The AA hoof showed a higher Se content, while the HA hoof had a higher level of macroelements. The negative correlations of K with Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb, and Zn in the AA hoof may indicate osmoregulation activity., Conclusion: The hoof morphology of AA and HA horses met the literature parameters for mesomorphic horses. Both breeds had healthy and well-conformed hooves, useful for sport and recreation activities., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interests Statement: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interests regarding the publication of this article.

Background: The aim of this work was the comparison between the carcass and the meat ewes of the regional Traditional market and the Islamic religious (Halal) market., Methods: Thirty and 20 at the end of career traditional market and Halal market ewes were slaughtered following the EC (European Council, 2009) animal welfare guidelines. Live weight of ewes was taken and dressing percentage of carcasses was calculated. On every carcass zoometric measurement and the evaluation trough the EU grid rules were performed. On the Musculus longissimus thoracis of 12 Traditional market carcasses and 11 Halal market carcasses the physical-chemical and nutritional analysis were performed. Consumer tests for liking meat ewe were performed in order to find consumer's preference level for Traditional and Halal markets ewe meat. Considering as fixed factor the ewe meat market (Traditional and Halal), results were submitted to oneway Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and to Principal Component Analysis (PCA)., Results: The Halal market ewes have shown lower dressing percentages (42.91 ± 0.82 vs 46.42 ± 0.69) and lower conformation score (4.5 ± 0.5 vs 7.8 ± 0.4). The Halal market meat showed higher cooking loss in oven (37.83 ± 1.20 vs 32.03 ± 1.15 %), lesser Chroma value (18.63 ± 0.70 vs 21.84 ± 0.67), and lesser Hue angle value (0.26 ± 0.02 vs 0.34 ± 0.02). This product had also lower fat percentage (4.2 ± 0.4 vs 7.09 ± 0.4). The traditional market meat had higher percentage in monounsatured fatty acids (MUFA) (43.84 ± 1.05 vs 38.22 ± 1.10), while the Halal market meat had higher percentage in ω3 poliunsatured fatty acids (PUFA) (5.04 ± 0.42 vs 3.60 ± 0.40). The consumer test showed as the ewe meat was appreciate by the consumers., Conclusions: Both meat typologies have shown good nutritional characteristics. The traditional market meat had higher MUFA composition, and a better MUFA/satured fatty acids (SFA) ratio, while the Halal market meat had higher PUFA composition. These results were also supported by the PCA. The consumers preferred the traditional market meat.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a chronic disease characterized by accumulation of lipid droplets in hepatocytes. Enhanced release of non-esterified fatty acids from adipose tissue accounts for a remarkable fraction of accumulated lipids. However, the de novo lipogenesis (DNL) is also implicated in the etiology of the NAFLD. Sterol Regulatory Element-Binding Protein-1 (SREBP-1) is a transcription factor modulating the expression of several lipogenic enzymes. In the present study, in order to investigate the effect of lipid droplet accumulation on DNL, we used a cellular model of steatosis represented by HepG2 cells cultured in a medium supplemented with free oleic and palmitic fatty acids (FFAs). We report that FFA supplementation induces the expression of genes coding for enzymes involved in the DNL as well as for the transcription factor SREBP-1a. The SREBP-1a mRNA translation, dependent on an internal ribosome entry site (IRES), and the SREBP-1a proteolytic cleavage are activated by FFAs. Furthermore, FFA treatment enhances the expression and the nucleus-cytosolic shuttling of hnRNP A1, a trans-activating factor of SREBP-1a IRES. The binding of hnRNP A1 to the SREBP-1a IRES is also increased upon FFA supplementation. The relocation of hnRNP A1 and the consequent increase of SREBP-1a translation are dependent on the p38 MAPK signal pathway, which is activated by FFAs. By RNA interference approach, we demonstrate that hnRNP A1 is implicated in the FFA-induced expression of SREBP-1a and of its target genes as well as in the lipid accumulation in cells., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The Unfolded Protein Response (UPR) is an intracellular signaling pathway which is activated when unfolded or misfolded proteins accumulate in the Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER), a condition commonly referred to as ER stress. It has been shown that lipid biosynthesis is increased in ER-stressed cells. The N(ε)-lysine acetylation of ER-resident proteins, including chaperones and enzymes involved in the post-translational protein modification and folding, occurs upon UPR activation. In both ER proteins acetylation and lipid synthesis, acetyl-CoA is the donor of acetyl group and it is transported from the cytosol into the ER. The cytosolic pool of acetyl-CoA is mainly derived from the activity of mitochondrial citrate carrier (CiC). Here, we have demonstrated that expression of CiC is activated in human HepG2 and rat BRL-3A cells during tunicamycin-induced ER stress. This occurs through the involvement of an ER stress responsive region identified within the human and rat CiC proximal promoter. A functional Unfolded Protein Response Element (UPRE) confers responsiveness to the promoter activation by UPR transducers ATF6α and XBP1. Overall, our data demonstrate that CiC expression is activated during ER stress through the binding of ATF6α and XBP1 to an UPRE element located in the proximal promoter of Cic gene. The role of ER stress-mediated induction of CiC expression has been discussed., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A growing amount of evidence suggests the involvement of ER (endoplasmic reticulum) stress in lipid metabolism and in the development of some liver diseases such as steatosis. The transcription factor SREBP-1 (sterol-regulatory-element-binding protein 1) modulates the expression of several enzymes involved in lipid synthesis. Previously, we showed that ER stress increased the SREBP-1a protein level in HepG2 cells, by inducing a cap-independent translation of SREBP-1a mRNA, through an IRES (internal ribosome entry site), located in its leader region. In the present paper, we report that the hnRNP A1 (heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein A1) interacts with 5'-UTR (untranslated region) of SREBP-1a mRNA, as an ITAF (IRES trans-acting factor), regulating SREBP-1a expression in HepG2 cells and in primary rat hepatocytes. Overexpression of hnRNP A1 in HepG2 cells and in rat hepatocytes increased both the SREBP-1a IRES activity and SREBP-1a protein level. Knockdown of hnRNP A1 by small interfering RNA reduced either the SREBP-1a IRES activity or SREBP-1a protein level. hnRNP A1 mediates the increase of SREBP-1a protein level and SREBP-1a IRES activity in Hep G2 cells and in rat hepatocytes upon tunicamycin- and thapsigargin-induced ER stress. The induced ER stress triggered the cytosolic relocation of hnRNP A1 and caused the increase in hnRNP A1 bound to the SREBP-1a 5'-UTR. These data indicate that hnRNP A1 participates in the IRES-dependent translation of SREBP-1a mRNA through RNA-protein interaction. A different content of hnRNP A1 was found in the nuclei from high-fat-diet-fed mice liver compared with standard-diet-fed mice liver, suggesting an involvement of ER stress-mediated hnRNP A1 subcellular redistribution on the onset of metabolic disorders.

"Preemptive analgesia" means that analgesia given before the painful stimulus prevents or reduces subsequent pain. The concept of preemptive analgesia originates from basic science and experimental studies. However, in some clinical studies preemptive effect is not always present. The authors think that it happens for: differences among experimental models and clinical reality, wrong use of some pharmacological knowledges, some methodological errors in clinical research. The authors analyze these factors and review in a critical manner clinical studies on preemptive analgesia. In some operations, only one administration of an analgesic drug, before surgery, is not sufficient to produce an evident preemptive effect. Postoperative pain can be reduced making a pharmacological treatment before surgery, for the whole time of painful stimulus. For this reason, the term "preemptive analgesia", like "analgesia given before surgery" is not adequate. The authors suggest that the concept of prevention of postoperative pain is well defined by the term of "balanced periemptive analgesia"; it is a new approach that use many modalities of analgesia in different times to prevent and control painful stimulus for the whole time of its origin: before and/or during operation and, if necessary, in the postoperative period for the residual pain.