Faecalibacter macacae gen. nov., sp. nov., isolated from the faeces of Macaca assamensis.

Huge numbers of bacteria reside in the digestive tract of most animals. During an investigation into the bacterial diversity of primates, strain YIM 102668T was isolated. When neighbour-joining phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences was conducted, strain YIM 102668T formed a cluster within the family Flavobacteriaceae and in a lineage not associated with any known group of previously proposed genera. Closely related genera were Algoriella (94.8 %), Chishuiella (94.8 %), Empedobacter (highest 94.6 %), Moheibacter (90.9 %) and Weeksella (90.6 %). In addition, strain YIM 102668T contained MK-6 as the predominant respiratory quinone and iso-C15 : 0 as the major fatty acid. The major polar lipid was phosphatidylethanolamine and the genomic DNA G+C content was 30.6 mol%. These chemotaxonomic characterizations confirmed that strain YIM 102668T belonged to the family Flavobacteriaceae. Supported by the results of phylogenetic, phenotypic and chemotaxonomic analyses, we propose that strain YIM 102668T represents a novel genus, for which the name Faecalibacter macacae gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is YIM 102668T (=KCTC 52109T=CCTCC AB 2016016T).

A retrospective study of female reproductive parameters in the Kunming dog.

The Kunming dog is the first and only working dog breed from China to be recognized worldwide. As a domestic working dog, its excellent working performance has been well established; however, its normal reproductive parameters are not well understood. Therefore, this study was conducted to document the main reproductive parameters of this purebred working dog in field breeding conditions. Data on 1004 heats (753 with mating) from 203 bitches between 2008 to 2014, were collected and analyzed. The pregnancy rate and whelping rate was 79.42% and 75.30%, respectively. Finally, for 567 litters (4298 puppies), the mean litter size was 7.19 ± 0.12 puppies (range 1-15). The mean gestation period and birth weight were approximately 61.64 ± 0.10 days and 407.25 ± 1.21 g. The mean sex ratio was 1.03 males to 1.00 female. Estrus occurred throughout the year with no significant differences between seasons and months (P > 0.05), which confirms that Kunming dogs are non-seasonal breeders; births occurred in every month of the year. Pregnant bitches exhibited significantly longer inter-estrus intervals than non-pregnant bitches (220.85 ± 2.05 vs. 180.19 ± 2.94 days, P < 0.05). Bitch parity influenced litter size, and the gestation length and birth weight of the puppies were negatively affected by litter size. This study helps elucidate the reproductive potential of this breed and provides reference values for reproductive performance in the Kunming dog.

Birth of puppies of predetermined sex after artificial insemination with a low number of sex-sorted, frozen-thawed spermatozoa in field conditions.

The aim of this study was to evaluate fertility and sex ratios after artificial insemination in dogs under field conditions. Semen was cryopreserved as unsorted (control) or was separated into X- and Y-chromosome-bearing sperm using a cell sorter. Sixty female dogs were inseminated with frozen-thawed spermatozoa of 100 × 106 unsorted (a dose in practice) and 4 × 106 sorted (X and Y group, respectively). A total of 20 dogs became pregnant and 126 puppies were born from the three groups. The percentage of parturition was similar for the X (5/20; 25.0%) and Y (4/20; 20.0%) group (P > 0.05), but lower than controls (11/20; 55.0%) (P < 0.05). Ultimately 28 out of the 32 puppies produced from X group were female (87.5%) and 19/22 (86.4%) puppies of Y group were male. In contrast, sex ratio (51.4% to 48.6%) in the control was significantly different from the X, Y group (P < 0.05). However, male and female puppies in the control had similar birth weights and weaning weights to those from the X and Y groups. This preliminary information indicated that normal puppies of predicted sex can be produced with low numbers of sorted cryopreserved dog spermatozoa at a farm level, making sperm-sexing technology potentially applicable for elite breeding units.

Functional and transcript analysis of a novel metal transporter gene EpNramp from a dark septate endophyte (Exophiala pisciphila).

Various metal transporters mediate sub-cellular sequestration of diverse metal ions, contribute to cellular metal tolerance, and control metal partitioning, particularly under conditions of high rates of metal influx into organisms. In the current study, a ubiquitous and evolutionary conserved metal transporter gene, homology to natural resistance associated macrophage protein (Nramp), was cloned from a metal-tolerant isolate of dark septate endophyte (DSE, Exophiala pisciphila), and its functional and transcript characterization were analyzed. The full-length Nramp gene from E. pisciphila (named EpNramp) was 1716 bp and expected to encode a polypeptide of 571 amino acid residues. EpNramp fused to green fluorescent protein suggested that EpNramp was a plasma membrane metal transporter, which was consistent with the results of bioinformatics analysis with 11 transmembrane domains. Yeast functional complementation revealed that EpNramp could complement the growth defect of Fe-uptake yeast mutant (fet3fet4 double mutant) by mediating the transport of Fe(2+). Expression of EpNramp increased Cd(2+) sensitivity and Cd(2+) accumulation in yeast. In addition, qPCR data revealed that E. pisciphila significantly down-regulated EpNramp expression with elevated Cd(2+) exposure. Altogether, EpNramp is a bivalent cation transporter localized in cell membrane, which is necessary for efficient translocation of both Fe and Cd, and its activities partly attributed to the tolerance of DSE to toxic and excessive Cd(2+) supplements.