Development of a fructose based medium for biosynthesis of cyclosporin-A byBeauveria nivea
SummaryA new fructose based medium was developed to growBeauveria nivea ATCC 34921 for the production of Cyclosporin A (CyA). Two different sugars and three different nitrogen sources were used for CyA production. Different pH levels in the broth revealed that the best pH for CyA production was 5.5. Maximum concentration of 170 mg CyA/L of broth was obtained with the new medium in 8 days corresponding to yields of 14.8 mg CyA/g dry weight biomass and 5.67 mg CyA/g fructose supplied.
Effects of the new anti-lymphocytic peptide cyclosporin A in animals.
The fungus metabolite cyclosporin A is a small cyclic peptide acting as a novel antilymphocytic agent. It is effective following either parenteral or oral administration in mice, rats and guinea-pigs. The suppressive effect after short and prolonged treatment on plaque-forming cells, the inhibition of the secondary humoral response and the reversibility of its effect on haemagglutinin formation is demonstrated. Cyclosporin A inhibits delayed hypersensitivity skin reaction to oxazolone (primary and secondary responses) in mice and to tuberculin in guinea-pigs. Its failure to suppress antibody synthesis to lipopolysaccharide antigens in nude mice suggests a selective effect on T cells. High doses of the compound affect the haemopoietic tissues very weakly as shown by the bone marrow and stem cell numbers in mice, which finding markedly contrasts with most other immunosuppressive and cytostatic drugs.
Genetics of the phenotypic evolution in sheep: a molecular look at diversity-driving genes
Background After domestication, the evolution of phenotypically-varied sheep breeds has generated rich biodiversity. This wide phenotypic variation arises as a result of hidden genomic changes that range from a single nucleotide to several thousands of nucleotides. Thus, it is of interest and significance to reveal and understand the genomic changes underlying the phenotypic variation of sheep breeds in order to drive selection towards economically important traits. Review Various traits contribute to the emergence of variation in sheep phenotypic characteristics, including coat color, horns, tail, wool, ears, udder, vertebrae, among others. The genes that determine most of these phenotypic traits have been investigated, which has generated knowledge regarding the genetic determinism of several agriculturally-relevant traits in sheep. In this review, we discuss the genomic knowledge that has emerged in the past few decades regarding the phenotypic traits in sheep, and our ultimate aim is to encourage its practical application in sheep breeding. In addition, in order to expand the current understanding of the sheep genome, we shed light on research gaps that require further investigation. Conclusions Although significant research efforts have been conducted in the past few decades, several aspects of the sheep genome remain unexplored. For the full utilization of the current knowledge of the sheep genome, a wide practical application is still required in order to boost sheep productive performance and contribute to the generation of improved sheep breeds. The accumulated knowledge on the sheep genome will help advance and strengthen sheep breeding programs to face future challenges in the sector, such as climate change, global human population growth, and the increasing demand for products of animal origin.