A semi-quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay was developed to estimate tissue-specific expression of two amylase genes in five different tissues of the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas and the experimental effects of food level on the cellular, enzymatic and gene expression changes of the digestive gland. Results indicated that both genes were transcribed a...

The ontogenetic development and pattern of main digestive enzyme activities (proteases, carbohydrases and lipases) were investigated in farmed sharpsnout seabream Diplodus puntazzo larvae and juveniles, during the passage from the larval stage to adult (from 21 to 277 days after hatching DAH). Larvae showed exponential growth, thus confirming that Rotifers and Artemia nauplii are suitable preys...

Feeding conditions during the nestling period may significantly affect whole-life fitness in altricial birds but little is known about the physiological mechanisms responsible for these effects. Permanent changes (irreversible developmental plasticity) in digestive physiology caused by the neonatal diet may form such a mechanism. We previously showed that the lack of starch in the diet of house...

BACKGROUND Digestive enzymes are able to break down proteins and carbohydrates and lipids, and their supplementation may play a role in the management of digestive disorders, from lactose intolerance to cystic fibrosis. To date, several formulations of digestive enzymes are available on the market, being different each other in terms of enzyme type, source and origin, and dosage. METHODS This...

The genus Nepenthes, a carnivorous plant, has a pitcher to trap insects and digest them in the contained fluid to gain nutrient. A distinctive character of the pitcher fluid is the digestive enzyme activity that may be derived from plants and dwelling microbes. However, little is known about in situ digestive enzymes in the fluid. Here we examined the pitcher fluid from four species of Nepenthe...