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Dystocia, a prolonged or non-progressive birth event, is the main contributor to lamb mortality in Australia and across the world. Dystocia can cause neonatal hypoxia, central nervous system (CNS) damage leading to increased risk of starvation, exposure and mismothering, and death. These prolonged birth events can also cause fatigue, injury and death in the ewe. Dystocia may interrupt the expression of maternal behaviour and the strength of the ewe-lamb bond, and consequently lamb survival. This study focused on the effect of dystocia on ewe behaviour in the 2 h post-lambing. A total of 18 ewes were chosen for continuous behaviour annotation and analysis (dystocic (n = 9) and eutocic (n = 9)) based on the quality of video recordings, length of stage 2 parturition and classification by a single experienced observer. Dystocic ewes showed significantly lower expression of maternal behaviours and a significantly greater expression of avoidance behaviours compared to eutocic ewes. Additionally, dystocic ewes performed fewer behaviours in total compared to eutocic ewes. Dystocia can significantly affect the quality and quantity of ewe maternal behaviour expression, leading to increased avoidance of the lamb, increased risk of maternal disinterest, and increased risk of death for the lamb. If dystocic events can be identified quickly and accurately, measures can be taken to ensure the ewe and lamb recover successfully.

In order to develop cost-effective processes for conversion of lignocellulosic biomass, discovery of novel enzymes for enhanced lignocellulose hydrolysis is one of the main scientific and industrial goals. This could be achieved by applying proteomic strategies for identification of proteins secreted by filamentous fungi that are among the most powerful producers of biomass-degrading enzymes. Here a strategy for a comparative study of proteins differentially secreted on media inducing production of biomass-degrading enzymes (e.g., lignocellulosic biomass) and media repressing secretion of those enzymes (e.g., glucose) are presented. The protocols presented include preparation of samples for mass spectrometry and identification of cellulolytic and other carbohydrate-degrading enzymes using bioinformatics.

As global travel becomes more common, the risk of spreading infectious diseases is increasing. Vectors too are spreading and becoming invasive species in environmental niches where they had previously been absent. The potential continues to grow for people to bring back diseases and infect local naive insect populations, which over time will increase the likelihood of the disease transmission occurring locally. This article evaluates the impact of a mission’s trip to Haiti and the return to a region of the United States that just recently became invaded by Aedes aegypti. The attack rate among the missionaries was approximately 20% (n=2), but this brings into question precautions that missionaries and other travelers will want to take upon return from tropical regions with endemic vector borne disease. Providers as well as travel clinics should educate patients regarding their viremic period and the potential to bring back diseases with them. While it would take hundreds of people to be viremic and to be bitten by the naive vector to establish local transmission, the preventative action is minor and would require travelers from endemic areas to continue to apply insect repellant for 7 days after return from an endemic region.

Cell surfaces are decorated by a variety of proteins that facilitate interactions with their environments and support cell stability. These secreted proteins are anchored to the cell by mechanisms that are diverse, and, in archaea, poorly understood. Recently published in silico data suggest that in some species a subset of secreted euryarchaeal proteins, which includes the S-layer glycoprotein, is processed and covalently linked to the cell membrane by enzymes referred to as archaeosortases. In silico work led to the proposal that an independent, sortase-like system for proteolysis-coupled, carboxy-terminal lipid modification exists in bacteria (exosortase) and archaea (archaeosortase). Here, we provide the first in vivo characterization of an archaeosortase in the haloarchaeal model organism Haloferax volcanii. Deletion of the artA gene (HVO_0915) resulted in multiple biological phenotypes: (a) poor growth, especially under low-salt conditions, (b) alterations in cell shape and the S-layer, (c) impaired motility, suppressors of which still exhibit poor growth, and (d) impaired conjugation. We studied one of the ArtA substrates, the S-layer glycoprotein, using detailed proteomic analysis. While the carboxy-terminal region of S-layer glycoproteins, consisting of a putative threonine-rich O-glycosylated region followed by a hydrophobic transmembrane helix, has been notoriously resistant to any proteomic peptide identification, we were able to identify two overlapping peptides from the transmembrane domain present in the ΔartA strain but not in the wild-type strain. This clearly shows that ArtA is involved in carboxy-terminal post-translational processing of the S-layer glycoprotein. As it is known from previous studies that a lipid is covalently attached to the carboxy-terminal region of the S-layer glycoprotein, our data strongly support the conclusion that archaeosortase functions analogously to sortase, mediating proteolysis-coupled, covalent cell surface attachment.

Methane production and consumption in anaerobic marine sediments is catalyzed by a series of reversible tetrahydromethanopterin (H(4)MPT)-linked C1 transfer reactions. Although many of these reactions are conserved between one-carbon compound utilizing microorganisms, two remain diagnostic for archaeal methane metabolism. These include reactions catalyzed by N5-methyltetrahydromethanopterin: coenzyme M methyltransferase and methyl-coenzyme M reductase (MCR). The latter enzyme is central to C-H bond formation and cleavage underlying methanogenic and reverse methanogenic phenotypes. Here, we describe a set of novel tools for the detection and quantification of H4MPT-linked C1 transfer reactions mediated by uncultivated anaerobic methane-oxidizing archaea (ANME). These tools include polymerase chain reaction primers targeting ANME MCR subunit A subgroups and protein extraction methods from marine sediments compatible with high-resolution mass spectrometry for profiling community structure and functional dynamics.

Reports of cornual pregnancy persisting until fetal viability and of ultrasound diagnosis of asymptomatic uterine rupture are rare.A 24-year-old woman, gravida 6, para 5, presented for initial ultrasound evaluation at 28 5/7 weeks' gestation after registering late for prenatal care. Her history included 2 prior cesarean deliveries. Obstetric ultrasound evaluation revealed a clinically silent uterine rupture with a live fetus. The site of rupture was suspected to be the prior uterine scar. After completion of a course of antenatal corticosteroids, the patient underwent exploratory laparotomy, abdominal delivery of a live, male neonate, hysterectomy and appendectomy. The patient experienced an unremarkable postoperative course and was discharged on postoperative day 4. The infant was discharged on hospital day 83 with chronic lung disease, stage 1 retinopathy of prematurity, atrial septal defect and a right clubfoot; there were no additional findings at the 4-month follow-up. Pathologic examination demonstrated cornual implantation with subsequent uterine rupture.This case demonstrates the importance of maintaining a suspicion for ectopic pregnancy at advanced gestational ages and for uterine rupture even in the absence of symptoms. The case also illustrates that fetal survival can occur in cornual pregnancy.

A major aim of the research program known as SheepGENOMICS was to deliver DNA markers for commercial breeding programs. To that end, a resource flock was established, comprehensively phenotyped and genotyped with DNA markers. The flock of nearly 5000 sheep, born over two consecutive years, was extensively phenotyped, with more than 100 recorded observations being made on most of the animals. This generated more than 460 000 records over 17 months of gathering information on each animal. Here, we describe the experimental design and sample-collection procedures, and provide a summary of the basic measurements taken. Data from this project are being used to identify collections of genome markers for estimating genomic breeding values for new sheep industry traits.