Nucleotide sequence and expression of the feline vascular endothelial growth factor

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is an angiogenic factor which targets vascular endothelial cells. In this study, cDNA encoding a feline VEGF (fVEGF) isoform was cloned from a feline lymphoid tumor cell line and sequenced. The fVEGF cDNA contained an open reading frame of 567 nucleotides coding for a polypeptide of 163 amino acids with a putative signal peptide of 26 amino acids. The predicted fVEGF amino acid sequence shared 98.4, 94.2 and 94.2% homology with the sequences of canine, bovine and human VEGF, respectively. Though predicted fVEGF polypeptide was two amino acid residues shorter than human VEGF165, a potential glycosylation site and regions critical for receptor binding were conserved in all the species examined. Transient expression of fVEGF in mammalian cells resulted in secretion of VEGF which could be detected by antibodies against human VEGF165. Furthermore, wide expression of fVEGF mRNA was observed in various feline tissues using RT-PCR methods.     

Rhizome dynamics in Calystegia japonica Choisy and Calystegia hederacea Wall. in relation to overwintering

Calystegia japonica Choisy and Calystegia hederacea Wall., common perennial weeds throughout cropped and uncropped land in Japan, are known to regenerate mostly by rhizomes. The rhizome dynamics of the two species were investigated, focusing on their overwintering characteristics. The dry weight of rhizomes continued to increase for 6–7 weeks after the decrease in weight of the aerial parts began, then it decreased in winter because of the partial death and consequent fragmentation of the rhizomes. Overwintering as naturally fragmented rhizomes is a unique characteristic of the two Calystegia spp. as it is not observed in other rhizomatous weeds that maintain systematic connections at least during the following regeneration in spring. In C. japonica , rhizome degradation was more pronounced and more systematic than in C. hederacea , where thicker fragments that included apices remained. Qualitative changes in C. japonica rhizomes, such as increases in dry matter accumulation and starch, and a temporary decrease in sprouting ability, seem to relate to this specialized survival mechanism. Calystegia hederacea did not show either specialization or preparation for overwintering in its rhizome. The adaptability of Calystegia weeds to annual crop fields can be attributed to their capacity to regenerate from naturally fragmented rhizomes.     

Behavioral regulators in the brain of neonatal chicks

Domestic chickens are precocial and therefore have relatively well‐developed processes at hatch. As a result, neonatal chicks grow well at hatch with no parental care. The regulation of food intake in animals, including domestic birds, is complicated. Just after hatching, neonatal chicks find their food by themselves and they can control their food intake. Recently, prolactin releasing peptide and gonadotropin‐inhibitory hormone were confirmed as central orexigenic factors in the neonatal chick. Both peptides have a common structure as RFamide peptides. On the other hand, vasoactive intestinal peptide and pituitary adenylate cyclase‐activating polypeptide, both belonging to the glucagon superfamily, were recognized as inhibitory. Broiler chicks have either a greater capability to acclimatize to novel environments, or a blunted hypothalamus‐pituitary‐adrenal axis compared with layer chicks. These differences are explained by higher melatonin concentrations in the pineal gland and other parts of the brain of broiler chicks since melatonin attenuates the stress response. Stressful behavior in chicks can be attenuated by neurotransmitters or by nutrients such as creatine, phosphatidylserine, L‐serine and (‐)‐epigallocatechin gallate. It is suggested that the regulation of behavior is somewhat specific and can be attenuated by some manipulation in neonatal chicks.     

Studies on soils of Peaty paddy fields II

Chemical changes ordinarily occuring in flooded paddy soils in Japan had been investigated in detail by Dr. SHIOIRI and his coworkers (1). The problem of degraded paddy soils had also been discussed by them on the basis of the experimental results on the deficiency of free iron oxides which affect the root of rice plant. As described in the previous report (2), causes for low rice production in the peaty Paddy fields seemed to be different from those in the degraded paddy ones. Thereupon, for a comprehensive understanding of the properties of peaty paddy soils, many important aspects such as the nature and role of each soil layer, and the behaviour of iron and nitrogen in soil Will have to be studied.     

Preliminary time‐course study of antiinflammatory macrophage infiltration in crush‐injured skeletal muscle

Muscle damage induces massive macrophage infiltration of the injury site, in which activated pro‐inflammatory and anti‐inflammatory phenotypes (currently classified as M1 and M2, respectively) have been documented as distinct functional populations predominant at different times after the conventional acute injury by intramuscular injection of snake venoms (cardiotoxin, notexin) or chemicals (bupivacaine hydrochloride, barium chloride). The present study employed a muscle‐crush injury model that may better reflect the physiologic damage and repair processes initiated by contusing a gastrocnemius muscle in the lower hind‐limb of adult mice with hemostat forceps, and examined the time‐course invasion of M1 and M2 macrophages during muscle regeneration by immunocytochemistry of CD197 and CD206 marker proteins. CD197‐positive M1 macrophages were observed exclusively at 1–4 days after crush followed by the alternative prevalence of CD206‐positive M2 at 7 days of myogenic differentiation, characterized by increasing levels of myogenin messenger RNA expression. Preliminary PCR analysis showed that M2 may produce hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) in culture, providing additional benefit to understanding that M2 populations actively promote regenerative myogenesis (muscle fiber repair) and moto‐neuritogenesis (re‐attachment of motoneuron terminals onto damaged fibers) through their time‐specific infiltration and release of growth factor at the injury site early in muscle regeneration.     

Mapping of QTLs for leaf developmental behavior in rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Leaf developmental behavior in rice (Oryza sativa L.) is one of the important agronomic characteristics, which not only determines vegetative growth but also influences grain yield. This study was conducted to identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for total number of leaves (TNL), days to the emergence of flag-leaf (DEF) and the leaf emergence rates (LER) on main stem, which mainly represent leaf developmental behavior, using recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from a cross between a japonica variety, Asominori and an indica variety, IR24, cultivated in 2001 and 2002. The transgressive segregations in both parental directions and continuous variations of all three tested traits were observed. Significant correlations among these traits were detected. A total of fourteen QTLs for leaf development behavior were detected with 289 RFLP markers. Six QTLs controlling TNL were mapped to chromosomes 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 12, and accounted for 5.615.7% of the total phenotypic variations, and three QTLs for DEF were mapped to chromosome 3, 6, 8 and accounted for 10.735.4% of total phenotype variation and five QTLs for LER were mapped to chromosome 1(two QTLs), 2, 4, 9 and explained 6.217.5% of phenotype variation. The identification of QTLs for leaf developmental behavior in rice may be useful for selection of fast growing genotype before heading using maker-assisted selection.     

Dilated cardiomyopathy and heart failure caused by a mutation in phospholamban

Molecular etiologies of heart failure, an emerging cardiovascular epidemic affecting 4.7 million Americans and costing 17.8 billion health-care dollars annually, remain poorly understood. Here we report that an inherited human dilated cardiomyopathy with refractory congestive heart failure is caused by a dominant Arg --> Cys missense mutation at residue 9 (R9C) in phospholamban (PLN), a transmembrane phosphoprotein that inhibits the cardiac sarcoplasmic reticular Ca2+-adenosine triphosphatase (SERCA2a) pump. Transgenic PLN(R9C) mice recapitulated human heart failure with premature death. Cellular and biochemical studies revealed that, unlike wild-type PLN, PLN(R9C) did not directly inhibit SERCA2a. Rather, PLN(R9C) trapped protein kinase A (PKA), which blocked PKA-mediated phosphorylation of wild-type PLN and in turn delayed decay of calcium transients in myocytes. These results indicate that myocellular calcium dysregulation can initiate human heart failure-a finding that may lead to therapeutic opportunities.     

Growth of the brittle star Ophiura sarsii sarsii in Funka Bay,Hokkaido, Japan

Fisheries Science - The brittle star Ophiura sarsii with a disc diameter (DD) of less than 9 mm is an important prey item for flathead flounder Hippoglossoides dubius in Funka...