Phylogeny and expression analysis of C-reactive protein (CRP) and serum amyloid-P (SAP) like genes reveal two distinct groups in fish

This work was funded by British Society of Animal Science/Genesis Faraday to both SAM and SB Immune control of energy reallocation in fish and a BBSRC Research Experience Placements (2010).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

AI in drug discovery

Drug Discovery (Alexander Christopher Rebl): This part focuses on the role of AI in revolutionizing drug discovery. It explores how AI aids in various stages of drug discovery, from target identification to lead optimization, significantly enhancing the efficiency of these processes. The paper also delves into the technical foundations of AI in this domain, including data representation and modeling frameworks. Expert interviews are discussed, providing insights into the opportunities and challenges presented by AI in drug discovery, including ethical considerations, data quality, and the need for new professional expertise. AI is presented as a key solution to traditional challenges, offering a path to more efficient and cost-effective drug discovery

Economic evaluation of modernization of gas turbines on power plant

Tato bakalářská práce se zaměřuje na modernizaci plynových turbín, které jsou nedílnou součástí paroplynové elektrárny v Počeradech. Soustředí se na detailní popis jednotlivých celků bloku a dalších součástí potřebných pro jeho provoz. Výše zmíněná modernizace proběhla v roce 2020. Samostatná plynová turbína je zde rozebrána do posledních detailů, dále navazuje implementace servisního balíčku SP8. Krátce je zde shrnuto, jaké bylo očekávání a jak modernizace proběhla. Na závěr je popsáno ekonomické zhodnocení provedeného upgradu.This bachelor thesis focuses on the modernization of gas turbines, which are an integral part of the steam-gas power plant in Počerady, which took place in 2020. It focuses on a detailed description of the individual units of the unit and other components necessary for its operation. A separate gas turbine is dismantled to the last detail, followed by the implementation of the SP8 service package. It briefly summarizes what the expectations were and how the modernization took place. Finally, the economic evaluation of the upgrade is described.545 - Katedra ekonomiky a systémů řízenídobř

A Multidisciplinary Approach Evaluating Soybean Meal-Induced Enteritis in Rainbow Trout Oncorhynchus mykiss

This study evaluated a diverse range of markers of feeding stress to obtain a more precise assessment of the welfare of rainbow trout in relation to inadequate husbandry conditions. A feeding stress model based on dietary soybean meal was employed to identify suitable minimally invasive “classical” stress markers, together with molecular signatures. In a 56-day feeding experiment, rainbow trout were fed diets containing different levels of soybean meal. The impact of these different soybean meal diets on rainbow trout was assessed by water quality analyses, clinical health observations, classic growth and performance parameters, gut histopathology, blood-parameter measurements and multigene-expression profiling in RNA from whole blood. Soybean meal-induced enteritis was manifested phenotypically by an inflammatory reaction in the posterior section of the intestine and by diarrhoea in some trout. These inflammatory changes were associated with decreased supranuclear vacuolation. The haematocrit values and the levels of plasma cortisol and circulating lymphocytes in the blood were increased in trout that had consumed high amounts of SBM. Notably, the increased haematocrit depended significantly on the bodyweight of the individual trout. The transcript levels of certain genes (e.g., MAP3K1, LYG, NOD1, STAT1 and HSP90AB) emerged as potentially useful indicators in the blood of rainbow trout providing valuable information about inadequate nutrition. The expression-profiling findings provide a basis for improved, minimally invasive monitoring of feeding regimens in trout farming and may stimulate the development of practical detection devices for innovative aquaculture operations

Intracellular metabolome elucidates the time-of-day-dependent response to hydrogen peroxide in salmonid gill epithelial cells

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Combined proteomic and gene expression analysis to investigate reduced performance in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) caused by environmentally relevant microplastic exposure

The pollution of the environment with microplastics (MPs) is affecting aquatic organisms worldwide, and yet intensive research, has thus far failed to deliver an adequate understanding of the detrimental effects of MP ingestion by fish. Investigations using established health and performance parameters are often insufficient to determine MP toxicity, especially when considering MPs in environmentally relevant concentrations. In the present study, label-free quantitative (LFQ) proteomics of liver tissue was combined with gene expression analysis in order to investigate the long-term effects of MP exposure on rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). With the help of a specially designed diet, two groups of fish were exposed for 120 days to environmentally relevant concentrations of MPs (on average 13 particles per fish, every 2 days) and to slightly increased levels representing those expected in the near future (on average 73 MP particles per fish, every 2 days). Both groups were compared to a control. The results provide evidence that long-term exposure to MPs has a dose-dependent negative effect on the performance of rainbow trout. No differences in blood glucose level, hematocrit level or lipid peroxidation were observed between treatments. The proteomic analysis revealed 6071 unique proteins, but no significant change in hepatic protein concentrations compared to their matching controls, although certain proteins appear to have been up- or down-regulated multifold and should be considered in continuing experiments. When comparing highly regulated proteins with the levels of their respective mRNA transcripts, a good correlation was observed just for “differentially regulated trout protein 1”, encoded by drtp1. This may therefore be a suitable biomarker for future studies with trout. Several hypotheses were put forward to explain the observed differences in growth: nutrient dilution, caused by increased amounts of non-digestible material in the diet, and growth effects due to differences in diet quality could be excluded. Physical interference of MPs with the gastrointestinal tract are also unlikely, as fish are regularly exposed to particulate matter in natural environments and previous studies did not find evidence of such interferences. Instead, indirect detrimental effects of MPs, either due to their hydrophobic surface properties or the presence of certain additives, could cause allergic reactions, microbiota dysbiosis or general stress responses. Although no clear cause for the reduced growth was identified, the current study demonstrates the potential utility of omics approaches when dealing with such a complex question. Future studies should extend analyses to the gastrointestinal tract and associated tissues. It should be ensured that the MP exposure is realistic and that the duration of the experiments covers several months. Direct evidence of a significant negative influence of long-term exposure to realistic and near-future MP concentrations on fish highlight the importance of measures to prevent a further increase of MPs in the environment

Embryonic temperature influences the mucosal responses of Atlantic salmon alevins to a bacterial challenge

The present work investigated the effects of embryonic temperature on the responses of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) alevins to a bacterial challenge using Yersinia ruckeri as a model pathogen. Embryos were reared at 4°C, 6°C, and 8°C from fertilization to the eyed-egg stage. Alevins, before the start of feeding, were challenged with the pathogen, and mortality and early immune responses in mucosal organs were assessed. Fish from the 4°C and 6°C groups exhibited higher survival probabilities than those from the 8°C group 72 h post-infection. Mild histopathological changes were observed in the gills and skin across all temperature groups, with bacterial antigen detected in the secondary lamellae of gills and in the skin epithelial and basal layers. Gene expression profiling revealed slightly distinct immune gene expression patterns in low-temperature groups (4°C and 6°C) compared to the 8°C group. Gelsolin (gsn) expression increased in the skin across all temperature groups at 72 h post-infection. Claudin (cldn4) and collagen (col1a) were only upregulated in the skin of the 4°C group, while heat shock protein 70 (hspa1a) was downregulated in the gills of infected fish at 72 h compared to controls. Toll-like receptor 13 (tlr13) expression increased in infected fish at 24 h compared to controls. In the 6°C and 8°C groups, gsn expression also increased at 72 h post-infection. Cldn4 expression increased only in the gills of 8°C infected fish. This study revealed that low embryonic temperature could influence survival and mucosal immune defences following a bacterial challenge in Atlantic salmon alevins. Embryonic temperature influences the mucosal responses of Atlantic salmon alevins to a bacterial challengeacceptedVersio

Restricted cell functions on micropillars are alleviated by surface-nanocoating with amino groups

The topographical and chemical surface features of biomaterials are sensed by the cells, affecting their physiology at the interface. When placed on titanium, we recently discovered osteoblasts attempted caveolae-mediated phagocytosis of the sharp-edged microstructures. This active, energy-consuming process resulted in decreased osteoblastic cell functions (e.g. secretion of extracellular matrix proteins). However, chemical modification with plasma polymerized allylamine (PPAAm) was able to amplify osteoblast adhesion and spreading, resulting in better implant osseointegration in vivo. In the present in vitro study, we analyzed whether this plasma polymer nanocoating is able to attenuate the microtopography-induced changes of osteoblast physiology. On PPAAm, we found cells showed a higher cell interaction with the geometrical micropillars by 30 min, and a less distinct reduction in the mRNA expression of collagen type I, osteocalcin and fibronectin after 24 h of cell growth. Interestingly, the cells were more active and sensitive on PPAAm-coated micropillars, and react with a substantial Ca2+ ion mobilization after stimulation with ATP. These results highlight that it is important for osteoblasts to establish cell surface contact for them to perform their functions

The Discovery and Characterization of Conserved and Novel miRNAs in the Different Developmental Stages and Organs of Pikeperch (Sander lucioperca)

Micro RNAs (miRNAs) are short non-coding RNAs that act as post-transcriptional gene expression regulators. Genes regulated in vertebrates include those affecting growth and development or stress and immune response. Pikeperch (Sander lucioperca) is a species that is increasingly being considered for farming in recirculation aquaculture systems. We characterized the pikeperch miRNA repertoire to increase the knowledge of the genomic mechanisms affecting performance and health traits by applying small RNA sequencing to different developmental stages and organs. There were 234 conserved and 8 novel miRNA genes belonging to 104 families. A total of 375 unique mature miRNAs were processed from these genes. Many mature miRNAs showed high relative abundances or were significantly more expressed at early developmental stages, like the miR-10 and miR-430 family, let-7, the miRNA clusters 106-25-93, and 17-19-92. Several miRNAs associated with immune responses (e.g., slu-mir-731-5p, slu-mir-2188-5p, and slu-mir-8159-5p) were enriched in the spleen. The mature miRNAs slu-mir-203a-3p and slu-mir-205-5p were enriched in gills. These miRNAs are similarly abundant in many vertebrates, indicating that they have shared regulatory functions. There was also a significantly increased expression of the disease-associated miR-462/miR-731 cluster in response to hypoxia stress. This first pikeperch miRNAome reference resource paves the way for future functional studies to identify miRNA-associated variations that can be utilized in marker- assisted breeding programs.publishedVersio