Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UNIPROT:P17174 (aspartate aminotransferase)
 14,872 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Cattle grazing tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) often develop fescue toxicosis. This condition is thought to be caused by ergot alkaloids produced by the endophyte Neotyphodium coenophialum. Endophytes from wild tall fescue plants, which do not produce ergot alkaloids, were transferred into the endophyte-free tall fescue germplasm, HiMag. The novel associations also lacked the ability to produce ergot alkaloids. Our objective was to determine whether cattle grazing these novel endophyte associations showed signs of fescue toxicosis. At the Fayetteville, Arkansas location, tester steers (n = 72) were assigned to one of four pasture treatments: endophyte-free HiMag tall fescue (HiMag-); 'Kentucky-31' tall fescue infected with its native, toxic endophyte (KY+); and two novel endophyte-infected tall fescue associations, HiMag4 and HiMag9. At the Mount Vernon, Missouri location, steers (n = 54) were used to test three of the four cultivars (HiMag9 was not tested). Ergot alkaloid concentrations in the forage of HiMag4 and HiMag9 were low or undetectable. Respiration rate, rectal temperature, ADG, and hair scores were measured during the grazing period. Blood was collected via jugular venipuncture and used for prolactin, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), cholesterol, triglyceride, and creatinine analysis. Weight gains by steers grazing HiMag4 and HiMag9 did not differ from those of steers grazing HiMag-, but were greater than gains (P < 0.05) by steers on the KY+ treatment. Steers grazing KY+ had higher (P < 0.05) respiration rates, rectal temperatures, and hair scores than did steers grazing novel endophyte and HiMag- pastures. Prolactin, ALP, cholesterol, LDH, and triglycerides all were suppressed (P < 0.05) in steers grazing KY+ compared with steers grazing novel endophyte and HiMag- pastures. Steers grazing the novel endophyte tall fescues did not suffer from the decreased weight gains and toxicities associated with fescue toxicosis, resulting in enhanced animal production.
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PMID:Growth rate and physiology of steers grazing tall fescue inoculated with novel endophytes. 1503 46

Two dose response trials were conducted with piglets and chickens to study the effects of increasing amounts of ergot (Claviceps purpurea) with a defined alkaloid content and pattern on performance, biochemical serum characteristics and organ weights (of chickens). The ergot was mixed into the cereal-soybean meal based diets at levels of 0, 0.5, 1, 2 and 4 g/kg. The total alkaloid content of the ergot was analysed to be 2775 mg/kg and showed the following composition: ergometrine 8.1%, ergotamine 5.4%, ergocomine 3.2%, alpha-ergocryptine 1.9%, ergocristine 14.9% and residue 66.5%. Each treatment was tested with eight castrated male and eight female piglets over a period of 35 days (8 kg initial live weight) and 28 male chickens for 21 days (43 g initial live weight). Cumulative daily dry matter intake and live weight gain [g/d] were 595, 535, 560, 577 and 490 and 413, 399, 420, 443 and 347 for the piglets fed the unsupplemented control diet and the diets containing 0.5, 1, 2 and 4 g ergot per kg, respectively. Feed intake and live weight gain of the piglets fed the highest ergot supplemented diet were significantly decreased. Serum aspartate aminotransferase activity of the 4 g ergot treatment was significantly increased. Also serum albumin concentrations showed significant linear alterations. Serum activities of glutamate dehydrogenase, gamma-glutamyltransferase, total protein and porcine growth hormone were not significantly influenced by dietary treatment. The experiment with chickens demonstrated no significant effects on performance due to dietary ergot exposure. The serum activities of glutamate dehydrogenase and alanine aminotransferase were not significantly influenced by dietary treatment while serum activities of gamma-glutamyltransferase and aspartate aminotransferase and the concentrations of albumin and total bilirubin were significantly affected. Heart weights showed a significant linear decrease due to ergot feeding. According to these results, piglets seemed to react more sensitively on the occurrence of ergot in the diet as compared to chickens. The critical level of total ergot alkaloids for piglets seemed to be in the range from 5.6 mg to 11.1 mg/kg diet for the present study. Ergot effects on signs of inflammation in the proximal duodenum occurred in chickens fed diets containing 2.8 mg and 11.1 mg total ergot alkaloids/kg although live performance remained unaffected. Further studies are necessary to define the critical level of ergot alkaloids in dependence on alkaloid pattern.
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PMID:Comparative studies on the effect of ergot contaminated feed on performance and health of piglets and chickens. 1608 Mar 3

Ergot alkaloids (EA) are mycotoxins formed by Claviceps purpurea. Due to the large variation in EA content, the mass proportion of ergot (hardened sclerotia) in animal diets is not suited to establish safe levels of EA. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to examine the dose-dependent effects of dietary EA on laying hens. Ergoty rye or ergot-free rye (control diet) was included in the diets either untreated or after hydrothermal treatment ("expansion"). The total EA levels in five different diets containing 0-3% of untreated or expanded rye were 0.1-14.56 mg/kg (untreated rye) and 0.08-13.03 mg/kg (expanded rye). The average EA reduction amounted to 11% due to expanding. The proportions of the sum of all -inine isomers however were consistently higher (19.5-48.4%) compared to the sum of their -ine isomer counterparts which decreased at the same time. Most of the laying performance and reproductive traits were significantly compromised during the test period between weeks 22 and 42 of age when the diet with the highest EA content was fed. Toxic effects were less pronounced due to expanding. Relative weights of liver, proventriculus, and gizzard as well as the aspartate aminotransferase activity, the antibody titers to Newcastle disease virus, albumin, and total bilirubin concentrations were all significantly increased in hens fed at the highest dietary ergot level whereby expanding additionally modified the albumin and total bilirubin responses. No carry-over of EA into egg yolk and albumen, blood, liver, and breast muscle was found, but bile contained quantifiable levels of ergometrine and ergometrinine. Biological recovery of ingested individual alkaloids with the excreta varied from 2 to 22% and was strongly positive linearly related to the octanol to water partition coefficient (logkOW). This suggests the lipophilicity of alkaloids as a factor influencing their metabolism and elimination. Based on the overall results of this study, a lowest observed adverse effect level (LOAEL) of 14.56 mg EA/kg for laying hen diets can be proposed, while the no observed adverse effect level (NOAEL) corresponds to a dietary EA level of 3.72 mg/kg. However, it must be stressed that these critical levels apply for the specific EA pattern tested in the present experiment, while batches of ergot containing a less typical alkaloid composition, or other expanding conditions, might contribute to variations in the LOAEL/NOAEL.
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PMID:Toxic effects, metabolism, and carry-over of ergot alkaloids in laying hens, with a special focus on changes of the alkaloid isomeric ratio in feed caused by hydrothermal treatment. 2680 37