Detection of an autoantibody from Pug dogs with necrotizing encephalitis (Pug dog encephalitis).

An autoantibody against canine brain tissue was detected in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and serum of two Pug dogs (Nos. 1 and 2) by indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA). Dog No. 1, a 2-year-old male, exhibited severe depression, ataxia, and generalized seizures and died 2 months after the onset of symptoms. Dog No. 2, a 9-month-old male, exhibited severe generalized seizures and died 17 months after the onset of symptoms. Histopathologic examination revealed a moderate to severe multifocal accumulation of lymphocytes, plasma cells, and a few neutrophils in both the gray and white matter of the cerebrum in dog No. 1. In dog No. 2, the cellular infiltrates were mild, but there was a severe, diffuse, and multifocal necrosis in the cerebral cortex with prominent astrocytosis. With the aid of IFA using fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled antidog IgG goat serum and a confocal imaging system, specific reactions for glial cells were detected in the CSF of these Pug dogs but not in six canine control CSF samples. Double-labeling IFA using CSF from these Pug dogs and a rabbit antiserum against glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) revealed that the autoantibody recognized GFAP-positive astrocytes and their cytoplasmic projections. By immunoblot analysis, the autoantibody from CSF of these Pug dogs recognized two common positive bands at 58 and 54 kd, which corresponded to the molecular mass of human GFAP. The role of this autoantibody for astrocytes is not yet clear. However, if the presence of the autoantibody is a specific feature of Pug dog encephalitis, it will be a useful clinical diagnostic marker and a key to the pathogenesis of this unique canine neurologic disease.     

Endoscope Application for the Mussel Watch Program of Marine Pollution Monitoring

As a trial for the complete establishment of mussel watch program, it was shown that the ciliary stroke of Mytilus edulis can be used as an indicator of its bioaccumulation of pollutants from sea water when it was measured by use of a high function OES endoscope. This is reasonable because the ciliary strokes result in the intake of phytoplankton by raising the constant water current along the cilia from an inhalant siphon transported to the mouth. The ciliary strokes showed an evident diel fluctuation with the maximal activity during the night. The contribution of mucus excretion was evident for efficient filter-feeding. The ciliary stroke and the mucus excretion were activated almost simultaneously showing similar diel fluctuation while filter-feeding. The maximal ciliary stroke was observed at 20 °C in salt solution from 30 to 40‰ salinities. The stroke follows the Arrhenius equation in the temperature range from 5 to 30 °C with a break at around 20 °C when the experiment was performed with salt solution between 10 to 33‰ salinities.     

New cell lines for efficient propagation of koi herpesvirus and infectious salmon anaemia virus

The production of piscine viruses, in particular of koi herpesvirus (KHV, CyHV‐3) and infectious salmon anaemia virus (ISAV), is still challenging due to the limited susceptibility of available cell lines to these viruses. A number of cell lines from different fish species were compared to standard diagnostic cell lines for KHV and ISAV regarding their capability to exhibit a cytopathic effect (CPE) and to accumulate virus. Two cell lines, so far undescribed, appeared to be useful for diagnostic purposes. Fr994, a cell line derived from ovaries of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), produced constantly high ISA virus (ISAV) titres and developed a pronounced CPE even at high cell passage numbers, while standard cell lines are reported to gradually loose these properties upon propagation. Another cell line isolated from the head kidney of common carp (Cyprinus carpio), KoK, showed a KHV induced CPE earlier than the standard cell line used for diagnostics. A third cell line, named Fin‐4, established from the fin epithelium of rainbow trout did not promote efficient replication of tested viruses, but showed antigen sampling properties and might be useful as an in vitro model for virus uptake or phagocytosis.     

Evaluation from otolith Sr stable isotope ratios of possible juvenile growth areas of Japanese eels collected from the West Mariana Ridge spawning area

Fisheries Science - The widely distributed East Asian Japanese eel Anguilla japonica constitutes a single genetically homogeneous population with a single spawning area near the West Mariana Ridge....     

Identification and validation of quantitative trait loci associated with seed yield in soybean

In soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merrill], the genetic analysis of seed yield is important to aid in the breeding of high-yielding cultivars. Seed yield is a complex trait, and the number of quantitative trait loci (QTL) involved in seed yield is high. The aims of this study were to identify QTL associated with seed yield and validate their effects on seed yield using near-isogenic lines. The QTL analysis was conducted using a recombinant inbred line population derived from a cross between Japanese cultivars ‘Toyoharuka’ and ‘Toyomusume’, and eight seed yield-associated QTL were identified. There were significant positive correlations between seed yield and the number of favorable alleles at QTL associated with seed yield in the recombinant inbred lines for three years. The effects of qSY8-1, a QTL promoting greater seed yield, was validated in the Toyoharuka background. In a two-year yield trial, the 100-seed weight and seed yield of Toyoharuka-NIL, the near-isogenic line having the Toyomusume allele at qSY8-1, were significantly greater than those of Toyoharuka (106% and 107%, respectively) without any change for days to flowering and maturity. Our results suggest that qSY8-1 was not associated with maturity genes, and contributed to the 100-seed weight.     

Winter longitudinal variation in the body size of larval fishes in the Seto Inland Sea,Japan

This study revealed the spatial variation in abundance and body size of larval fishes in the Seto Inland Sea, Japan, in January 2014 and 2015. Fish larvae were collected by a 1.3-m-diameter ring net towed at the surface and at 10-m depth at 21 stations. The most dominant species was the sandlance Ammodytes japonicus, constituting 82% of total larval fish caught. The body size of A. japonicus was greater [ca. 9 mm total length (TL) in 2014] in eastern areas than in western areas (ca. 5 mm TL in 2014). This trend was also observed in rockfishes (Sebastiscus marmoratus and Sebastes inermis species complex), suggesting a common phenomenon in this region. Because the water temperature was lower in eastern areas, it is likely that the longitudinal differences in larval body size are attributable to earlier spawning in eastern areas caused by different temperature conditions.     

Spawning frequency of the Tsushima Current subpopulation of chub mackerel <Emphasis Type="Italic">Scomber japonicus</Emphasis> off Kyushu,Japan

Female Japanese chub mackerel Scomber japonicus of the Tsushima Current subpopulation were collected during the spawning season from March to May 2001. A total of 137 adult females were caught between midnight and daybreak. A considerable number of fish displayed new postovulatory follicles (POF), whereas there was no evidence of germinal vesicle breakdown or hydrated oocytes in any of the fish collected. This suggests a daily spawning synchronicity toward midnight. To estimate the spawning frequency (S), the female reproductive state was classified into four criteria based on the degenerative stage of the POFs and the developmental stage of the oocytes. To stage the POFs according to age and determine the stage duration, ovaries from S. japonicus were induced to spawn in the laboratory and were sampled 0–72 h after ovulation at appropriate intervals. The average S, which is evaluated from four different indices, was 16.9%, corresponding to the average female chub mackerel spawned every 5.9 days (8.5 times) during the 50 days.     

水稻与稻瘟病菌的蛋白质—细胞在体外的相互作用初步研究

在离体条件下,用蛋白质双向电泳技术分析水稻与稻瘟病菌在接触反应开始阶段的蛋白质变化情况,以寻找参与寄主与病原菌相互作用的蛋白质分子,结果表明在两个蛋白质与孢子或菌丝体混合后从电泳胶上消失,同时了出现了另外两个蛋白质,还没确定两个消失的蛋白质是被菌体细胞所吸附,还是由于被修饰而导致电泳行为改变。上述蛋白质在抗病和感病水稻品种中都存在,是组成型的,推测它们可能参与寄主与病原菌的接触反应,另外还发现,当悬浮培养的水稻细胞与稻瘟病菌的菌丝体蛋白质接触后会产生一些新的蛋白质分子,但孢子蛋白无此作用。由此推测水稻与稻瘟病菌的特异识别反应可能发生在孢子萌发之后和菌丝体阶段,以上结果在亲和与非亲和体系中相同。文中对此现象提出了初步解释,还介绍了一个在离体条件下研究寄主与病原菌的蛋白质-细胞相互作用的简单方法。     

Production of Hexaploid Wheats with Waxy Endosperm Character

In our wheat breeding program to introduce the low amylose character of Tanikei A6099 to elite lines, five waxy lines were unexpectedly obtained from 249 doubled haploid lines of the F₁ hybrid of Saikai 168 × Tanikei A6099. The amylose content of all the waxy lines was <1% and the blue value was <0.1. Starch granule-bound proteins were extracted and subjected to modified sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The waxy lines lacked the Wx protein. Starch paste viscosity measurements gave pasting profiles of waxy wheat starch that were quite different from those of nonwaxy wheats but similar to those of waxy maize. However, the peak viscosity of waxy wheats was much higher than that of the waxy maize.