A complete chitinolytic system in the atherinopsid pike silverside Chirostoma estor: gene expression and activities.

The expression and digestive activity of pike silverside Chirostoma estor endogenous chitinases were analysed in samples from four life stages: whole eggs; larvae; juvenile intestine and hepatopancreas and adult intestine and hepatopancreas. A chitinase cDNA was cloned and partially sequenced (GenBank accession number: FJ785521). It was highly homologous to non-acidic chitinase sequences from other fish species, suggesting that it is a chitotriosidase. Quantitative PCR showed that this chitinase was expressed throughout the life span of C. estor, with maximum expression in the hepatopancreas of juveniles. Chitotriosidase and chitobiosidase activities were found at all life stages, along with a very high level of N-acetyl glucosaminidase (NAGase). The chitotriosidase activity could be encoded by the cloned complementary (c)DNA, although additional chitinase genes may be present. The chitotriosidase activity appeared to be transcriptionally regulated only at the juvenile stage. The expression and activity of chitinases tended to increase from the early to juvenile stages, suggesting that these variables are stimulated by chitin-rich live food. Nevertheless, the feeding of juvenile and adult fish with both live food and a balanced commercial diet seemed to provoke significant reductions in pancreatic NAGase secretion and/or synthesis in the gut. Moreover, all chitinase activities were lower in adults, probably reflecting a higher intake and use of the balanced diet. The observation of chitotriosidase and chitobiosidase activities together with a very high NAGase activity suggest the presence of a complete and compensatory chitinolytic chitinase system that enables this stomachless short-gut fish species to use chitin as an energy substrate. These novel findings suggest that dietary inclusions of chitin-rich ingredients or by-products might reduce the farming costs of C. estor without impairing performance.

Effect of resveratrol and lipoic acid on sirtuin-regulated expression of metabolic genes in bovine liver and muscle slice cultures.

Sirtuins (Sirt) are NAD-dependent deacetylases that are activated by the antioxidants resveratrol (RSV) and lipoic acid (LA). The objective of this study was to determine in bovine liver and muscle slice cultures the effect of RSV and LA treatment on the expresssion of Sirt1, Sirt3, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator 1α (PPARGC1A), and the forkhead box O transcription factors FoxO1 and FoxO3 as well as other factors involved in glucose and lipid metabolism and related to Sirt activity. Tissue slices from crossbred bulls were treated during 60 min with 40 or 80 µ RSV and 30, 100, 300, or 1,000 µ LA under restricted conditions (Krebs-Ringer buffer without nutrients) and fed conditions (2.5 m propionate in combination with 1 n glucagon) for liver slices or with 0.01 µ epinephrine for muscle slices. Quantitative real-time PCR was used to analyze the expression of the mRNA for the genes studied and western blot analysis for the expression of the protein for Sirt1. Our results show that the expression of the mRNA for Sirt1 was enhanced by RSV in liver under restriction ( ≤ 0.0112) and by LA in muscle, more under restriction ( ≤ 0.0121) than after epinephrine administration ( < 0.0001). Sirt3 is affected in a dose-dependent manner by both compounds in both tissues and under both metabolic conditions ( ≤ 0.0452). The expression of the protein for Sirt1 was increased by LA in both tissues under restricted conditions ( = 0.0026 and = 0.0201, respectively) but in liver also in fed conditions ( = 0.0016). Genes involved in the antioxidant response were upregulated in both tissues. These results indicate that bovine Sirt respond differently to RSV and LA stimulation than monogastric Sirt do and that gluconeogenesis in ruminants is not related to Sirt to the same degree as in monogastric species. However, these results provide information about the possible role of Sirt in ruminant metabolism.

Effect of 2,4-thiazolidinedione on limousin cattle growth and on muscle and adipose tissue metabolism.

The main adipogenic transcription factor PPARγ possesses high affinity to 2,4-TZD, a member of the Thiazolidinedione family of insulin-sensitizing compounds used as adipogenic agents. We evaluated 2,4-TZD's effect on bovine growth and PPAR tissue expression. Seventeen Limousin bulls (18 month-old; 350 kg body weight (BW)) were assigned into 2 treatments: control and 2,4-TZD (8 mg/70 kg BW) and were fed until bulls reached 500 kg BW. They were weighed and their blood was sampled. DNA, RNA, and protein were determined in liver; skeletal muscle; subcutaneous (SC), omental, perirenal adipose tissues (AT) to determine protein synthesis rate and cellular size. Expression of PPAR mRNA was measured in liver and muscle (PPARα, -δ, and -γ) and SC adipose tissue (γ) by real-time PCR. No significant differences were found (P > 0.1) in weight gain, days on feed, and carcass quality. Muscle synthesis was greater in controls (P < 0.05); cell size was larger with 2,4-TZD (P < 0.05). PPARα, -δ, and -γ expressions with 2,4-TZD in liver were lower (P < 0.01) than in muscle. No differences were found for PPARγ mRNA expression in SCAT. The results suggest the potential use of 2,4-TZD in beef cattle diets, because it improves AT differentiation, liver, and muscle fatty acid oxidation that, therefore, might improve energy efficiency.

Ghrelin stimulates myogenic differentiation in a mouse muscle satellite cell line and in primary cultures of bovine myoblasts.

Ghrelin is an acylated hormone that influences food intake, energy metabolism and reproduction, among others. Ghrelin may also stimulate proliferating myoblast cell differentiation and multinucleated myotube fusion. The aim of this work was to assess the effect of human ghrelin (hGHRL) and human ghrelin fragment 1-18 (hGHRL1-18) on myoblast differentiation by means of mRNA expression and protein level. Two types of cells were tested, the cell line i28 obtained from mouse skeletal muscle and primary cultures of bovine myoblasts. Both ghrelin and its N-terminal fragment hGHRL1-18 were used at concentrations of 0, 0.01, 0.1, 1, 10 and 100 nm. Treatments were applied to pre-confluent cultures and were maintained for 4 days. We determined that between 0.1 and 100 nm, hGHRL and hGRHL1-18 had similar effects on myogenic differentiation of i28 cells (p < 0.01). On the other hand, only the higher concentrations (10 and 100 nm) of hGHRL stimulated bovine myoblast differentiation. These results could be attributed to the presence, in both i28 cells and in bovine myoblasts, of the mRNA for GHS-R1a and CD36 receptors. The use of ghrelin in livestock production is still questionable because of the limited effects shown in this study, and additional research is needed in this field.

Bovine sirtuins: initial characterization and expression of sirtuins 1 and 3 in liver, muscle, and adipose tissue.

Sirtuins, the mammalian homologs of the silent information regulator 2 gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, are members of the NAD(+)-dependent family of histone deacetylases. In vertebrates, 7 sirtuins have been described, with different cellular localizations and target proteins. Glucose and lipid metabolism are among the processes regulated by these enzymes. In ruminants, gluconeogenesis is the main biochemical pathway by which glucose is obtained. Because sirtuins in bovines have not been studied, the aim of this work was to obtain sequences coding for the 7 sirtuins and determine the expression patterns of sirtuin1 (Sirt1) and sirtuin3 (Sirt3) in the liver, muscle, and adipose tissue of calves and bulls. Using PCR amplification, we obtained sirtuin gene sequences and reported them to the National Center for Biotechnology Information GenBank. Characteristic sequence motifs corresponding to the sirtuin catalytic core domain were found, including the active and zinc-binding sites. Relative expression patterns of Sirt1 and Sirt3 in liver, muscle, and adipose tissue were quantified by real-time PCR, normalizing to the geometric mean of the housekeeping genes cyclophilin A and ß-actin. Expression of Sirt1 was less in liver and muscle, whereas it was greater in adipose tissue of adult animals, with statistical differences (P=0.0071) only in the latter. In the case of Sirt3, expression was greater in all 3 adult tissues, but statistical differences were found only in liver (P=0.0141) and muscle (P=0.0017). The greatest expression was observed in liver for Sirt1 and in muscle for Sirt3, whereas the least expression was in muscle for Sirt1 and in adipose tissue for Sirt3. In other species, sirtuin expression (both Sirt1 and Sirt3) in liver is reported to be the greatest among these 3 tissues, a pattern different from what we measured. These differences in expression can be associated with metabolic differences between nonruminant and ruminant species. However, further research on the relationship between bovine sirtuins and ruminant metabolism is required for a better understanding of these fields.

Induction of peroxisomal proliferator-activated receptor gamma and peroxisomal proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1 by unsaturated fatty acids, retinoic acid, and carotenoids in preadipocytes obtained from bovine white adipose tissue1,2.

The importance of dietary fat components, such as fatty acids, in the expression of multiple genes is clear. In the case of beef cattle, fat in the form of fatty acids (saturated or unsaturated), vitamin A (mainly retinoic acid), or carotenoids (beta-carotene and lutein) is obtained from dietary feed or pasture. The aim of this work was to study the effect of fatty acids (phytanic and pristanic acids), vitamin A (all-trans and 9-cis retinoic acid), and carotenoids (beta-carotene and lutein) on the expression of PPARgamma and its coactivator PGC-1alpha during differentiation of bovine white adipose tissue. Samples were collected at slaughter from subcutaneous adipose tissue and processed in a solution containing type II collagenase for 2 h at 37 degrees C. Cells were resuspended in basal medium, Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium containing 5% fetal bovine serum, plated on 24-well culture plates at a density of 1 x 10(4) cells/cm(2), and incubated at 37 degrees C in a 5% CO(2) atmosphere. Preadipocyte differentiation after reaching confluence was induced by various treatments: rosiglitazone (20 microM); unsaturated fatty acids: phytanic acid (25, 50, 100 microM) and pristanic acid (25, 50, 100 microM); retinoids: 9-cis retinoic acid (0.5, 0.75, 1 microM) and all-trans retinoic acid (0.5, 0.75, 1 microM); and carotenoids: beta-carotene (10, 20, 30 microM) and lutein (10, 20, 30 microM). Expression of PPARgamma and PGC-1alpha was measured in differentiated cells. Phytanic acid, all-trans retinoic acid, and 9-cis retinoic acid were the best activators of PPARgamma expression, and the combination of 9-cis and all-trans retinoic acid was the best activator of PGC-1alpha expression (P < 0.05). Therefore, these are powerful agents for the promotion of bovine adipogenesis and constitute promising compounds to be used in bovine fattening.