绵羊大爷的帽子

绵羊大爷一边在他的小屋里翻找，一边轻声笑。不戴帽子没法儿进城。”他说，“我怎么能在这间小屋里把帽子弄丢了呢？”

Developmental Changes of the FAS and HSL mRNA Expression and Their Effects on the Content of Intramuscular Fat in Kazak and Xinjiang Sheep

Twenty-four male Kazak sheep and 30 Xinjiang fine wool sheep at different ages were selected to investigate the development-dependent expression levels of fatty acid synthase （FAS） gene and hormone-sensitive lipase （HSL） gene in muscle and their effects on the contents of intramuscular fat （IMF）. Longissimus dorsal muscle was sampled to measure IMF and total RNA was extracted to determine FAS and HSL mRNA expression levels by real-time PCR. The results showed that： l） The IMF content increased continuously with growth and showed significant differences （P 〈 0.05） between different age groups in male Kazak sheep, but in Xinjiang fine wool sheep there was no such difference observed. Furthermore, the IMF contents in Kazak were much higher （P 〈 0.01） than that of the other breed from day 30 to 90. 2） FAS mRNA expression level was the highest （P 〈 0.05） on day 0 in Kazak sheep and then declined with growth, in the other breed the gene showed a d‘ecline-rise-decline-rise＇ expression manner as the animals grew. HSL mRNA expression level had a similar model in two breeds, in Kazak sheep it was the highest on day 0 （P 〈 0.05） and in Xinjiang fine wool sheep on day 30 （P 〈 0.01）, then both decreased after this term. 3） In male Kazak sheep, FAS and HSL mRNA expression level were both negatively related to IMF content （r= -0.485 （P = 0.02）, r= -0.423 （P = 0.05））, and the ratio of FAS/HSL expression exhibited significantly negatively related IMF contents. In male Xinjiang sheep, there were no obvious relationship between FAS and HSL expression and IMF content （P 〉 0.05）.

HISTOCHEMICAL TECHNIQUES IDENTIFYING MAST CELLS IN PIG,CATTLE AND SHEEP

Carnoy′s fluid and neutral buffered formalin(NBF)have been proved to be good fixatives for preservation of mast cells in pig,cattle and sheep except NBF blocked staining of most porcine mast cells,especially those located in intestinal mucosa(MMC)and in thymus medulla(TMMC). Both toluidine blue and Alcian blue were the excellent stains generally,but Alcian blue stained more porcine mast cells than did toluidine blue( P <0 01). Staining with toluidine blue of a wide pH range(from 0 1 to 7 0)showed that porcine mast cells were not very pH dependent,but the dye at pH 0 5 seemed to have the strongest affinity for all mast cells in pigs and it was also suitable for bovine and ovine mast cell staining. In the three species,unlike in rodents,the Alcian blue method did not distinguish between mast cells in the intestinal mucosa(MMC)and those in the connective tissue of the intestinal submucosa,tongue and skin(CTMC). Porcine CTMC,but not MMC,fluoresced strongly when stained with berberine sulphate or with a mixture of berberine sulphate and acridine orange. It suggested that porcine CTMC contained heparin proteoglycan.

Effect of RPlys on Digestive Metabolism of Nitrogen in Sheep

[Objective] The aim was to study the effect of RPlys on digestive metabolism of nitrogen in sheep.[Method] The contribution of RPlys for nitrogen residual in sheep was researched by digestive metabolism test.[Result] The results showed that adding RPlys decreased excretion of urine nitrogen （P0.05） and had no significant effect on excretion of fecal nitrogen （P0.05）,and precipitation coefficient of nitrogen was increased （P0.05）.[Conclusion] RPlys is propitious to the aggradations of nitrogen in sheep.

Effects of Lysine on the Expression of GHR mRNA in Sheep

[Objective] This study was to investgate the effects of lysine on the growth of sheep and its mechanism. [Method] Fifteen sheep about one-year old as experimental material were divided into three groups （group A, group B end group C）, into whose basal feed 0, 4 and 10 g h/sine were respectively added. After 28 d of feeding, the experimental sheep were all slaughtered for sampling; then total RNAs were extrac- ted from the samples and used to clone GHR and GAPDH genes via retrotrenscription for analyzing the expression abundance of GHR mRNA in Iongissimus dorsi muscle from different treatments. [Result] The expression of GHR mRNA in treatment B was significantly higher than that in treatment A（ P 〈0.01 ）, and significantly higher then that in treatment C （ P 〈0.05） ; while that in treatment C and treatment A was insignificantly different（ P 〉 0.05）. [ Conclusion] Addition of lysine into basal feed of sheep could dose-independently improve the expression of GHR gene in Iongissimus dorsi muscle.

Genomic DNA Isolation by Phenol/Chloroform Extracting Method from Sheep Blood Clot

[ Objective] The aim was to establish the method of extracting genomic DNA from sheep blood clot on the basis of the improvement of method for extracting genomic DNA from tissues. [Method]The genomic DNA with complete primary structure and high purity was obtained from the sheep blood clot after the steps of cutting the sheep blood clot with ophthalmic scissors, cell lysis with tissue DNA extracts and digested by proteinase K, extracting with phenol/chloroform and precipitating with ethanol were performed. [ Result] The concentration of the extracted DNA was 159.90 ±0.70 ng/μl and the ratio of the A260/A280 was 1.80 ＋0.01. The sheep microsatellite locus of BM203 was amplified by using the extracted DNA from the sheep blood clot as template of PCR, and the PCR result was perfect. [Conclusion]This method is simple and feasible, the quantity and quality of the extracted DNA can satisfy the demands for the subsequent researches. It is worth to extending and using for reference.

Quantitative Study on Expression of MSTN Gene in Different Tissues of Tibetan Sheep at Different Ages

[Objective] The aim was to investigate the difference in MSTN gene expression in different tissues of Tibetan sheep at different ages.[Method] According to the sequence（NM_001009428.1）published in GenBank,a pair of specific primers was designed to amplify part of cDNA sequence of MSTN by using QRT-PCR technique.The relative expression level of MSTN gene in rennet stomach,rumen,leg muscle and cardiac muscle of Tibetan sheep at different ages were analyzed.[Result] After normalization with β-actin gene,the relative expression level of MSTN gene in the 6-month-old Tibetan sheep was the highest and it was 2.52 times than that in 12-month-old Tibetan sheep（P0.05）,the relative expression level of MSTN gene in leg muscle was the highest among all tissues and it was 3 984.78 times than that in rumen（P0.01）.[Conclusion] The results established theoretical foundation for the correct use of MSTN antibody.

Seasonal Variation of Physiological and Biochemical Indexes of White-tibetan Sheep

In this study, to understand the variation regulation of physiological and biochemical indexs of White-Tibetan sheep with seasons, the physiological and bio- chemical indexs of White-Tibetan sheep in Hongyuan Areas of Sichuan Province in four seasons were measured. The results showed that the respiratory change range of white-Tibetan sheep in four seasons was from （32.74±21.33） to （49.96±17.62） times/min, and the variation ranges of body temperature and heart rate were from （39.27±1.05） to （39.73±0.31） ℃ and from （88.75±8.32） to （104.63±10.39） times/min, respectively. The indexes of WBC, MCV, MCH and MCHC in autumn and winter were extremely significantly lower than those in spring and summer, while RBC,HCT and RDW-CV in autumn and winter were extremely significantly higher than those in spring and summer, HGB and PLT changed in different seasons with no signifi- cance. The indexes of AST,TP, ALB, GLO and LDH in summer and autumn were relatively higher than those in winter and spring, while the indexes of PCHE, GLU, CHOL and CA in summer and autumn were relatively lower than those in winter and spring, however, the indexes of ALT and ALP were relatively higher in spring and autumn.

Effects of Different Diuretics on Water Drinking Amount, Urination Volume and Related Blood Indices of Sheep Fed with Cottonseed

[Objective] This study aimed to investigate the effects of three kinds of diuretics on the water drinking amount and urination volume of sheep fed with cottonseed hulls. [Method] The method of self-control was adopted. Five two-year-old male Kazak sheep about 40 kg which never had intake of the feeds containing gossypol were selected. The experiment was divided into five periods, namely the control period, a period with the supplement of 300 mg/d of hydrochlorothiazide, a period with the supplement of 200 mg/d of hydrochlorothiazide, a period with the supplement of 350 mg of GY-01 and a period with the supplement of 200 mg of GY-01. The sheep were fed with the concentrate and the cottonseed hulls in the control period, and corresponding diuretics were supplemented in the rest four periods. The water drinking amount, urination volume and the contents of the hormone and ion in the blood were determined in each period. [Result] After 350 mg GY-01 was supplemented, the water drinking amount of each sheep had an increase of 60.14% compared with that of the sheep in the control period and the urination volume was 2.67 times of that of the latter, and the differences were both significant （P0.01）. The antidiuretic hormone declined by 32.59% compared with that of the sheep in the control period, with the significant difference （P 0.05）. The adrenocorticotropic hormone content increased by 81.93% compared with that of the sheep in the control period and the difference was significant （P0.01）. An increase of 28.04% （P 0.05） and 39.39% （P 0.01） was found in the contents of serum potassium and phosphorus respectively compared with that of sheep in the control period. [Conclusion] The diet with supplement of GY-01 can increase the urination volume of livestock fed with the cottonseed hulls, and the most appropriate supplement amount is 200 mg GY-01.

Nature,Characteristics and Uitrastructure Observation of Fibers of Seven Kinds of Special Animals

[Objective]Aimed to study the nature,characteristics and ultrastructure of fibers of Ovis aries and several kinds of special animals.[Method]Wool,cashmere,alpaca,Bactrian camel hairs,rabbit hair,mohair and yak hair were used as the experimental materials,and scanning electron microscopy was used to observe their scale structure.[Result]The rake angle of wool was large with an average of 33.2°,the scale density was 16.2-34.9 scales/mm,the average height of scale was 12.95 μm,and the average thickness was 0.63 μm;the rake angle of cashmere was smaller than wool with an average of 20.6°,the scale density was of 10.3-15.6 scales/mm,the scale distance was large,the average height of scale was 16.09 μm,and the average thickness was 0.46 μm;the average rake angle of alpaca was 34.6°,with the average scale height of 5.85 μm,and average thickness of 0.33 μm;the average rake angle of camel hair was 33.5°,with the average scale height of 11.30 μm and average thickness of 0.37 μm;the average rake angle of rabbit hair was 31.2°,with average scale height of 7.03 μm and average thickness of 0.36 μm;the rake angle value of mohair was between wool and cashmere,and the average of which was 23.7°,the scale density value was also between the wool and cashmere,with the average scale height of 15.82 μm and average thickness of 0.61 μm;the average rake angle yak hair was 33.2°,with the average height of 9.08 μm and average thickness of 0.46 μm.[Conclusion]The results of this study could provide a basis for the identification of different fiber types.

Molecular Cloning, Sequence Analysis and Prokaryotic Expression of Ovine Activin Receptor Type IIB(ActRIIB) Gene

Objective] This study aimed to clone ovine activin receptor type llB （Ac-tRIIB） gene, construct the prokaryotic expression vector and express the target gene in vitro, thus providing basis for further function verification. [Method] The template cDNA which was reversely transcribed from total RNA of sheep liver tissue, was subjected to polymerase chain reaction （PCR） using specific primers of ActRIIB. The ful-length cDNA of ovine ActRIIB was obtained by pMD18-T cloning and sequencing for bioinformatics analysis. Ovine ActRIIB encoding sequence was subcloned into prokaryotic expression vector pET41a with restriction sites BamHl/Notl, and then transformed into BL21 （DE3）. The induced products by lPTG were analyzed with SDS-PAGE and Western Blot. [Result] The amplified ful-length cDNA of ovine Ac-tRllB gene was 1 564 bp in length （Genbank accession number： JX422071.1） with an open reading frame of 1 539 bp, encoding 512 amino acides. Ovine ActRllB shared the highest homology （99.6%） with bovine ActRllB. ActRllB had highly ho-mologous C-terminal domains and belonged to the TGFβ family. After prokaryotic expression, an approximately 92 kD His-tagged ActRllB recombinant protein was obtained, which was consistent with the excepted result. [Conclusion] Cloning and successful expression of ovine ActRIIB laid solid foundation for further investigation of its biological function.

Study on the Developmental Changes of Muscular GHR mRNA Expression in Sheep

[ Objective] The study aimed to explore the expression of muscular growth hormone receptor gene （GHR） in sheep at the early stage of growth and development. [Method] The GHR mRNA expression levels in longissimus dorsal muscles of male Kazak sheep and Xinjiang fine wool sheep with different ages were quantitatively analyzed by real time PCR. [ Result] Sheep GHR mRNA expression level in longissimus dorsal muscle increased firstly followed by decline, and then kept steady until the end of the experiment, with the expression peak appearing on postnatal day 30. The GHR mRNA expression level of Kazak sheep was extremely lower than that of Xingjiang fine wool sheep from 2 to 90 days old （ P 〈0.01 ）. E Conclusionl Both age and breed had great effects on the expression of muscular GHR gene in sheep.

Long-term modulation of the immune system by perinatal nutrition

Nutrition during perinatal period is more critical for the developme nt of the immune system than during adulthood, and the relationship between earl y nutrition and diseases in later life has been established. In humans and labor atory animals, the plasticity of metabolic function in foetuses or neonates enab les them to adapt to malnutrition for survival; however, such an adaptation, as usually evidenced by retarded growth, stunted development of lymphoid organs and impaired immunocompetence, can maintain and persist into later life even when n utrition is improved. Early nutrition may thus programme' the immune system of a nimals. Limited experimental studies have also revealed that long-term immunity against nematode parasites in sheep can be enhanced by a short-term protein su pplementation shortly after weaning, a form of 'nutritional programming', but su ch an effect appears to vanish if the nutritional status of young animals alread y meets at least the requirement for maintenance.

Developmental Changes of IGF-Ⅰ mRNA Expression Level in Sheep Muscle

[ Objective] To detect the mRNA of muscle insulin-like growth factorl （IGF-I） in the early development of Kazak sheep and Xinjiang fine-wool sheep, so as to provide information for the research about the early growth and development of sheep. [ Method] With real-time quan- titative PCR, the muscle IGF-I mRNA level was separately detected in two varieties of sheep at 2, 30, 60, 90 and 120 days old. Then the data was analyzed with SPSS software. [ Result] The IGF-I mRNA in sheep muscle first increased and then decreased with ages, peaking at 30 days old in Kazak sheep and at 60 days old in Xinjiang fine-wool sheep. The IGF-I expression level of Kazak sheep had no significant difference with Xinjiang fine-wool sheep at 2 or 90 days old （ P 〉0.05）, but was lower than that of the latter with extremely significant difference （ P 〈0.01 ） from 30 to 60 days old. [ Conclusion] The male Kazak sheep and Xinjiang fine-wool sheep have similar model of developmental changes of muscular IGF-I mRNA, but the expression level is different between these two species.

Application of PDE3 and Brilliant Cresyl Blue in In-vitro Culture of Sheep Oocyte

[Objective] The aim of this study was to increase the viability of sheep oocytes in vitro by using phosphodiesterase type 3（PDE 3） inhibitor milrinone combined with brilliant cresyl blue（BCB） staining.[Method] The differences between BCB tested and morphologically selected oocytes,as well as the effect of them on embryo development were compared;and then suitable inhibitive time of milrinone to sheep oocytes in vitro was studied and used in BCB-oocytes for in vitro embryo production（IVEP）.[Result] The BCB＋ oocytes percentage in A-and B-level sheep oocytes was 64.42%,which was extremely significantly higher than that in C-level（17.0%）.The maturing rate,cleavage rate and blastocyst rate of BCB＋ oocytes（86.16%,85.29% and 34.40%） of was significantly higher than those of BCB-oocytes（50.94%,36.19% and 6.73%）.The best time for PDE 3 inhibitor delaying the sheep oocyte mature in vitro was 6 h.In addition,the rate of embryo development in vitro could be significantly increased by inhibiting the BCB-oocytes for 6 h with Milrinone.[Conclusion] The study will provide reference for improving the efficiency of sheep oocytes culture in vitro.

Cloning and Sequence Analysis of Sheeppox Virus RPO30 Gene

[Objective] The study aimed to clone RPO30 gene from Sheeppox virus （SPPV） and predict the structure and function of the sequence. [Method] RPO30 gene of SPPV was cloned with PCR, linked into pMD18-T simple vector and then transformed into E. coli DH5a. In blue-white screen, the white colonies were selected to prepare plasmids. The positive plasmids were selected by double digestion and PCR, and then sequenced. Finally, the structure and function of the sequence obtained were predicted by bioinformatics methods. [Results] The RPO30 gene was successfully obtained; its ORF was 585 bp, encoding 193 amino acids and containing a recognition site for Hind III. Moreover, the SPPV RPO30 gene shared different homologies with the RPO30 gene sequences of other pox virus strains from GenBank database. Further analysis by biological software showed that in RPO30 protein, amino acids 4-12, 18-26, 50- 61, 68- 92 and 176-190 had a high possibility to form the active center, and acting to these regions was likely to inactivate the enzyme encoded by the sequence, thus to inhibit viral replication efficiently. [Conclusion] This study will lay foundation for further study on the structure and function of RPO30.

Immune Potential of a Novel Multiple-epitope Vaccine to FMDV Type Asia 1 in Guinea Pigs and Sheep

To develop a safe and efficient recombinant subunit vaccine to foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) type Asia 1 in sheep, a tandem repeated multiple-epitope gene consisting of residues 137-160 and 197-211 of the VP1 gene of FMDV was designed and artificially synthesized. The biologically functional molecule, the ovine IgG heavy constant region (oIgG) as a protein carrier was introduced for design of the multiple-epitope recombinant vaccine and recombinant expression plasmids pET-30a-RE and pET-30a-RE-oIgG were successfully constructed. The recombinant proteins, RE and RE-oIgG, were expressed as a formation of inclusion bodies in E. coli. The immune potential of this vaccine regime in guinea pigs and sheep was evaluated. The results showed that IgG could significantly enhance the immune potential of antigenic epitopes. The recombinant protein RE-oIgG could not only elicit the high levels of neutralizing antibodies and lymphocytes proliferation responses in the vaccinated guinea pigs, but confer complete protection in guinea pigs against virus challenge. Although the recombinant protein RE could not confer protection in the vaccinated animals, it could delay the appearance of the clinical signs and reduce the severity of disease. Inspiringly, the titers of anti-FMDV neutralizing antibodies elicited in sheep vaccinated with RE-oIgG was significantly higher than that for the RE vaccination. Therefore, we speculated that this vaccine formulation may be a promising strategy for designing a novel vaccine against FMDV in the future.

Cloning and Sequence Analysis of Genome from the Inner Mongolia Strain of the Endogenous Betaretroviruses (enJSRV)

In order to amplify the complete genome of enJSRV from the strain of Inner Mongolia (enJSRV-NM), we used enJSRV-specific and JSRV-specific DNA probes in dot blot hybridization. Seven pairs of primers were designed based on Genbank sequences. Seven fragments were obtained by PCR and were cloned into the PMD19-T vectors. The recombinant plasmids were sequenced and analyzed. The results showed that the genome was 7 942 bp in length and contained four overlapping open reading frames corresponding to the gag, pro, pol and env genes as well as an additional open reading frame (orf-x) that overlaps the 3' end of the pol gene. The nucleotide acid sequences of the enJSRV-NM loci were compared with the sequences of South Africa enJS56A1 strain (Accession No. AF153615) and USA JSRV21 strain (Accession No. AF105220). The nucleotide acid identities were 99.2% and 92.3% respectively. Two zinc fingers were found in the NC region in the predicted amino acid sequence. However, the YXXM motif, which is a reliable molecular marker for the infectious exogenous virus, was not found in the TM region. It was found that the enJSRV-NM region was 90%-98% identical at the amino acid level to its exogenous infectious counterparts in most of the retroviral genome. This is the first nucleotide sequence of enJSRV reported in P.R China. The resource work has provided a wide range of information useful not only for expression genomics and annotation of genomic DNA sequence, but also for further research on the clinical diagnosis of OPA.

A Zooarchaeological Study on the Origins of Animal Domestication in Ancient China

A series of criteria such as morphological metrics, pathology, age structure, sex ratios, relative proportions, archaeological phenomena, diet analysis, and DNA studies are established for identifying the origins of domestic animals in ancient China in a scientific way. Using these criteria, it is established that the earliest domestic dog has been found in southern Hebei Province(ca. 10,000 BP), and the earliest domestic pig in southern Henan Province(ca. 9000 BP). Domestic sheep have been found in the Gansu–Qinghai region dating from 5600–5000 BP, and domestic cattle in eastern Gansu Province(ca. 5000 BP). Domestic horses from the period 4000–3600 BP have been discovered in eastern Gansu, and domestic chickens have been identified from sites in eastern Henan Province dating to ca. 3300 BP. Although the locations and time of the origins of animal domestication vary, they are mostly located in northern China.