Induction and sequencing of Rousette bat interferon alpha and beta genes

Bats are considered to be natural reservoirs for several viruses of clinical importance, including rabies virus, Nipah virus, and Hendra virus. Type I interferons (IFNs) is an important part of the immune system in the defense against viral infection. To investigate the function of type I IFNs upon viral infection in bats, the nucleic acid, and amino acid sequences of Egyptian Rousette (Rousettus aegyptiacus) IFN-alpha and -beta were characterized. Sequence data indicated that bat IFN-alpha consists of 562-bp encoded 187-aa, and IFN-beta consisted of 558-bp encoded 186-aa. Phylogenetic analysis of the overall identity of IFN-beta shared the highest sequence homology with pig IFN-beta in both nucleotide and amino acid level. Stimulation of bat primary kidney cells (BPKCs) and bat lung cell lines, Tb-1 Lu, with polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (poly(I:C)) or exogenous bat type I IFNs resulted in increased type I IFNs mRNA expression in BPKCs, but not in Tb-1 Lu. Characterization of the bat IFN-alpha and -beta genes allows understanding of the immune responses upon stimulation in different tissues, thus providing practical strategies for control and treatment of clinically important diseases. These results are important especially for the virus infection, and suggest that future molecular studies on virus infection experiment of bats in vitro will require careful consideration of the differences of type I IFN expression patterns in different cell types.     

Estimation of dietary threonine requirement using plasma amino acid concentrations in mature thoroughbreds

The experiment was conducted to estimate dietary threonine (Thr) requirement using plasma amino acid concentrations as a criterion in mature thoroughbreds. Four adult thoroughbreds were used, and a 4 × 4 Latin square design was used for four dietary Thr levels. Plasma Thr concentration was constant until 0.41%, and then increased rapidly with increasing dietary Thr levels. The Thr requirement was estimated to be 67% of lysine with plasma Thr concentration at four Thr levels.     

A database for poplar gene co-expression analysis for systematic understanding of biological processes,including stress responses

Reforestation in the humid tropics and arid zones, where trees are often subject to stresses, is an effective approach for mitigating global warming. Forestation with Populus species that are tolerant to the stresses in such regions has been conducted. The selection of poplar trees with higher stress tolerance leads to more efficient reforestation. The genome-wide bioinformatics approaches of gene function have been used for revealing the mechanisms of biological processes, including such stress tolerance. The decoding of the poplar genome has been followed by the genome-wide identification of genes and then the inference of gene function for systematic understanding of biological processes. To predict gene function in poplar, we analyzed poplar gene expression data using DNA microarray datasets obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus database and developed a database for poplar gene co-expression analysis. Using the database, we illustrate the steps to retrieve two groups of co-expressed genes that are specifically expressed in experiments of hypoxic stress response in gray poplar, a flooding-tolerant tree species. Our database allows users to extract genes involved in biological processes, such as stress reaction, and then is useful for understanding such mechanisms in tree species.     

大豆籽粒蛋白质和磷含量及凝固剂浓度对豆腐加工品质的影响

对6个大豆品种的种子蛋白质含量、磷含量及凝固剂MgCl2浓度（0.25%、0.30%、0.35%、0.40%、0.45%）对豆腐加工品质（豆奶蛋白质浓度、豆腐硬度）的影响进行了研究。结果表明,豆奶蛋白质浓度与大豆种子蛋白质含量显著相关（r=0.93）;种子蛋白质含量与0.25% MgCl2时豆腐断裂应力的相关不显著（r=－0.11）,而与最大断裂应力极     

Effect of Initial Stocking Density on Larviculture Performance of the Ocellate Puffer,Takifugu rubripes

Depending on the initial stocking density, ocellate puffer larvae exhibit the cannibalism that resulted in high mortality. We aimed to clarify the relationship between stocking density of larvae, mortality, and the effect of density on cannibalism. Ocellate puffer larvae were reared at five different stocking densities between 5 and 25 larvae/L with duplicate 1‐m³ tank for each treatment. Larvae were stocked at 0 d after hatch (d.a.h.), and the experimental cultures lasted for 55 d. In larvae stocked initially at more than 10 larvae/L, cannibalism was evident from 11 to 17 d.a.h., and the survival rate at 55 d.a.h. was less than 15%. The survival rate was 25.5% at 5 larvae/L, and cannibalism was observed from 31 to 32 d.a.h. Consequently, an initial density of 5 larvae/L was the most efficient in terms of survival and the prevention of cannibalism. On the other hand, when cannibalism is still observed at 5 larvae/L, it is necessary to lower the stocking density before the onset of cannibalism.     

The effect of docosahexaenoic and eicosapentaenoic acids in live food on the development of abnormal morphology in hatchery-reared brown sole Pseudopleuronectes herzensteini

We examined the effect of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) on the rates of abnormal morphology in juvenile brown sole Pseudopleuronectes herzensteini. Larvae during the D–E stages (15–24 days post hatching) were fed live food containing various amounts of DHA and/or EPA prepared using emulsified oils (DHA ethyl ester, EPA ethyl ester, and corn oil). Larvae during the F–I stages were fed Artemia enriched with a commercial diet supplement. We found that DHA and EPA promoted larval development and improved the incidence of morphological abnormalities in brown sole juveniles to a similar extent. However, DHA was more effective than EPA in preventing the appearance of morphological abnormalities in brown sole. The incidence of normal morphology was clearly improved by an increase of the DHA content in brown sole larvae at 25 days post-hatching. These results suggest that it is important to promote larval development and feed larvae with live food containing high levels of DHA during the D–E stages to prevent morphological abnormalities in brown sole juveniles.     

Stereochemistry and active conformation of a novel insecticide,acetamiprid

Acetamiprid, (NI-25; (E)-N¹-[(6-chloro-3-pyridyl)methyl]-N²-cyano-N¹-methylacetamidine), is a novel neonicotinoid insecticide having an N-cyanoacetamidine structure as its characteristic feature. The [¹H] and [¹³C]-NMR spectra indicated the existence of two different structures in acetamiprid at room temperature in solution. The measurement of CH-NOE and C–C coupling constants proved the E-configuration at the cyanoimino group in both existing structures. The [¹³C] chemical shifts of N-CH₃ and the long range C–H coupling in the formamidine analogue of acetamiprid suggested that there exist two conformers generated by the rotation of C–C single bond in the amidine moiety. Dynamic NMR spectra of acetamiprid and the computer simulation of the two-site exchange demonstrated that the two conformers change slowly to each other at room temperature. The conformational analysis by semi-empirical molecular orbital calculations using MNDO-PM3 method predicted four conformers as energy-minimum structures, among which two E-conformers were more stable than Z-conformers. One of the E-conformers in which two methyl groups are in cis configuration was superimposable onto the structure of imidacloprid, which is a known neonicotinoid insecticide having more rigid structure. This E-conformer was assumed as the active conformation of acetamiprid on the basis of the molecular similarity in terms of steric and electrostatic properties. © 1997 SCI     

Molecular cloning and sequencing of the cDNA encoding the bat CD4

Chiroptera is thought to be a vector or a natural reservoir of various pathogenic microbes. However, there are few basic studies on the subject of chiroptera immune systems. This is the first report to determine the sequence of bat CD4 cDNA. Comparison with other animals' CD4 and phylogenetic analysis have shown that bat CD4 had a higher homology to cat and dog CD4 than to human and mouse CD4. Moreover, from the analysis of the structure of the CD4 Ig-like C-type 1 region, in bat CD4 there was an insertion of 18 extra amino acids. In addition, bat CD4 lacked cystein, which suggested that the disulfide bond could not be formed. Human, monkey and mouse CD4 have the cystein and the disulfide bond, but pig, cat, whale and dog CD4, like that of the bat, lacked the cystein. We conducted the present study in order to help elucidate the infectious diseases derived from the bat as well as bat immune systems.     

Difference in age at first conception between early and late litters of feral raccoon (Procyon lotor) in Kanagawa prefecture

Due to the long parturition period of raccoons, we assumed that age at first conception of late born females was later than that of early born females. From March 2005 to September 2008, 201 females estimated to be younger than 24 months were separated into early- and late-born groups on the basis of their estimated birth month (to the nearest 2 months), and parous status and body mass index (BMI) were examined. Age at first conception of late-born females (over 18 months old) was estimated to be later than that of early-born females (over 12 months old). The average BMI in early-born individuals at 12 months old might have affected their ability to conceive because of body fat deposition.