ABSTRACT
To study the luteal and placental function of pinnipeds, we analyzed the localization of steroidogenic enzymes (P450scc, 3 beta HSD and P450arom) in the corpus luteum and the placenta of ribbon seals (Phoca fasciata) and Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) immunohistochemically. P450scc and 3 beta HSD were present in all luteal cells of both species. Almost all of the luteal cells were immunostained for P450arom, while P450scc and 3 beta HSD were negatively immunostained in placentae and P450arom was present in the syncytiotrophoblast of placentae. These findings suggest that 1) corpora lutea of both species synthesize pregnenolone, progesterone and estrogen during the entire pregnancy period, and 2) like other terrestrial carnivores in the suborder Caniformia, placentae of both species do not have the capability for synthesizing progesterone in the latter half of active pregnancy period.
Subject(s)
3-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases/metabolism , Aromatase/metabolism , Cholesterol Side-Chain Cleavage Enzyme/metabolism , Corpus Luteum/metabolism , Placenta/metabolism , Sea Lions/metabolism , Animals , Female , Immunohistochemistry , Pregnancy , Steroids/biosynthesisABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate serum lipid peroxide (LPO) and alpha-tocopherol concentrations and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in captive bottle-nosed dolphins and to evaluate effects of storage on production of LPO in various marine fish. ANIMALS: 16 bottle-nosed dolphins. PROCEDURE: 8 dolphins (group A) were fed chub mackerel and herring (high fat) and arabesque greenling and banded blue-sprat (low fat); the other 8 dolphins (group B) were fed chub mackerel and Pacific saury (high fat) and shishamo smelt and Japanese horse mackerel (low fat). Each group had been on these respective diets for 3 years. Serum LPO and alpha-tocopherol concentrations, serum SOD activity, and superoxide production by neutrophils were measured. All types of marine fish were frozen at -20 C for 6 months, and concentrations of LPO were measured at various time points. RESULTS: Serum LPO concentrations in group-A dolphins were significantly higher than those in group B. Serum alpha-tocopherol concentrations and SOD activity in group A were significantly lower than those in group B. A significant negative correlation was found between serum LPO and alpha-tocopherol concentrations in all 16 dolphins. The LPO concentrations in mackerel and herring fed to group-A dolphins were higher than those of other fish. Concentrations of LPO in herring stored for 3 and 6 months at -20 C were higher than those in herring before freezing and in herring stored for 1 month. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Serum LPO and alpha-tocopherol concentrations in captive bottle-nosed dolphins may be strongly influenced by high amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acid and LPO found in marine fatty fishes. High concentrations of serum LPO, as found in group-A dolphins, were associated with decreased antioxidative states. Monitoring of serum LPO and alpha-tocopherol concentrations and serum SOD activity may be useful for the management of captive marine mammals.
Subject(s)
Dolphins/blood , Lipid Peroxides/biosynthesis , Superoxide Dismutase/blood , alpha-Tocopherol/blood , Animals , Diet , Female , Fishes , Lipid Peroxides/blood , Male , Neutrophils/enzymology , Neutrophils/metabolism , Statistics, Nonparametric , Superoxides/metabolism , Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances/metabolismABSTRACT
We subcloned six discrete protein-coding regions representing the gag (Kp24 and Kp55), env (Kp41, Kp120N, and Kp120CC), and pol (Kp66/31) gene products of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and expressed them in Escherichia coli as fusion proteins with the first 56 residues of galactokinase. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for confirming the presence of HIV-1 antibodies was developed by coating the six purified antigens on individual wells of a microtiter plate (the HIVAGEN assay). This assay yielded no false-negative results and fewer indeterminate results than the Western blot assay for 143 specimens from patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) or AIDS-related complex (ARC). Analysis of 1016 specimens from seronegative donors by the HIVAGEN assay yielded no false-positive results, and the rate of indeterminate results was substantially lower than for the Western blot assay. The HIVAGEN assay is well suited for routine confirmation of the presence of HIV-1 antibodies because it is objective, quantitative, rapid, precise, and readily automatable.
