Lung Carcinogenic Bioassay of CuO and TiO(2) Nanoparticles with Intratracheal Instillation Using F344 Male Rats

Toxicity assessment of nanoparticles, now widespread in our environment, is an important issue. We have focused attention on the carcinogenic potential of copper oxide (CuO) and titanium dioxide (TiO(2)). In experiment 1, a sequential pilot study, the effectiveness of a carcinogenic bioassay featuring intraperitoneal injection (i.p.) of 20 mg 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) or 0.1% N-bis(2-hydroxypropyl)nitrosamine (DHPN) in drinking water for 2 weeks was examined. Based on the results, DHPN, as the lung carcinogen, and evaluation at week 30 were selected as the most appropriate for our purposes in Experiment 1. In experiment 2, the carcinogenic bioassay was used to assess the carcinogenic potentials of instilled nanoparticles of CuO and TiO(2). There were no significant intergroup differences in the lung neoplastic lesions induced by DHPN, although the neoplastic lesions induced by the nanoparticles in the CuO or TiO(2) intratracheal instillation (i.t.) groups, demonstrated a tendency to increase compared with the microparticles administration. At the very least, the carcinogenic bioassay with DHPN proved useful for assessment of the modifying effects of instilled particles, and further assessment of the carcinogenic potential of nanoparticles appears warranted.     

Effect of Deep Placement of N Fertilizers and Different Inoculation Methods of Bradyrhizobia on Growth,N2 Fixation Activity and N Absorption Rate of Field‐grown Soybean Plants

The effects of deep placement (supplied at 20 cm depth from soil surface below plants) of 100 kg N ha^?1 of N fertilizers, urea, coated urea or calcium cyanamide (lime nitrogen) on the growth, nitrogen fixation activity, nitrogen absorption rate and seed yield of soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.) plants were examined by comparing them with control plots without deep placement of N fertilizer in sandy dune field. In addition, three different inoculation methods of bradyrhizobia were used for each N treatment: (1) transplantation of 10‐day‐old seedling in a paper pot with vermiculite inoculated with Bradyrhizobium japonicum USDA110, (2) direct transplantation of inoculated 10‐day‐old seedlings, and (3) transplantation of 10‐day‐old seedlings in a non‐inoculated paper pot. The deep placement of N fertilizers, especially calcium cyanamide and coated urea, markedly increased the growth and total N accumulation in shoot, roots and nodules, which resulted in an increase in seed yield. Daily N₂ fixation activity and N absorption rate were estimated by relative abundance of ureide‐N analysed from the concentration of N constituents (ureide‐N, amide‐N and nitrate‐N) in root bleeding xylem sap and increase in total N accumulation in whole plants at R1, R3, R5 and R7 stages. The total amount of N₂ fixation was about 50 % higher in the plants with calcium cyanamide and coated urea deep placements compared with control plants. Deep placement of slow release fertilizers kept nodule dry weight higher in the maturing stage of seed, possibly through abundant supply of photoassimilate to the nodules by supporting leaf area and activity until late reproductive stages. The results indicate that deep placement of calcium cyanamide or coated urea enhances N₂ fixation activity, which ultimately increases the seed yield. The promotive effect was observed with the seedlings transplanted in paper pot with inoculum of bradyrhizobia within any treatments, although nodulation by indigenous rhizobia was observed in the plants transplanted with non‐inoculated paper pot.     

Studies on aminoacylase in higher plants

Aminoacylase which catalyzes the hydrolysis of N-acyl-L-amino acids has been reported to be present both in animal and plant tissues. BEIRNBAUM et al. (1) obtained the purified preparations from hog kidney and classified them into two different aminoacylases according to their substrate specificity : aminoacylase I hydrolyzed a variety of N-acetyl amino acid while aminoacylase I1 attacked only N-acetyl- aspartic acid. Recently aminoacylase from microbial sources has been concentrated and purified to employ active preparations in the resolution of racemic amino acids (2–4).     

Effect of shading on zinc deficiency symptoms in rice plant

Under Zn deficiency, some major deficiency symptoms were observed on rice plants, i.e., reduction of young leaf elongation and development of necrosis on the expanded leaves. To clarify the former phenomena, the physiological role of Zn was studied from the standpoint of protein synthesis (Kitagishi and Obata 1986; Obata et al. 1994, 1996) and metabolism of auxin (Takaki and Arita 1986; Domingo et al. 1992). In contrast, the direct cause of the latter phenomenon has not yet been studied.     

Determination of leghemoglobin components and xylem sap composition by capillary electrophoresis in hypernodulation soybean mutants cultivated in the field

The hypernodulation soybean mutant lines (NOD1-3, NOD2-4, NOD3-7) and their parent Williams, and the mutant En6500 and its parent Enrei were cultivated in a sandy dune field in Niigata, and the nodules and root bleeding xylem sap were sampled at 50, 70, 90, and 120 d after planting (DAP). The nodule size distribution patterns and concentration of leghemoglobin components were determined. The number of nodules of the hypernodulation mutant lines was about two to three times higher than that of the parent lines irrespective of the sampling date. At 50 DAP the nodule size was relatively smaller in the hypernodulation mutant lines, and the total dry weight of the nodules was almost the same in the mutant lines and their parents. At 70 DAP and 90 DAP, the size distribution of the hypernodulation mutant nodules became .almost the same as that of the parent lines, and both the number and total dry weight of the nodules were higher than those of the parent lines. The concentration of four Lb components was separately measured by capillary electrophoresis. The concentration of the Lb components in the hypernodulation mutant lines tended to be lower than in the parents, but the component ratios were not different between the hypernodulation mutants and their parents. Under field conditions, plant growth and nodulation characteristics were more similar between mutants and parents than in the hydroponic culture reported previously, although the mutants did exhibit hypernodulation traits. These findings suggest that the decrease in the Lb concentration and the different Lb components ratios in the mutants may be caused by secondary effects of excess nodulation, such as photosynthate deficiency, rather than by a genetic defect in mutation. The concentration of major nitrogenous compounds (allantoic acid, allantoin, asparagine, aspartic acid, and nitrate) in the xylem sap was also measured by capillary electrophoresis. The concentration of ureides and nitrate in xylem sap decreased with the plant age, but the asparagine concentration increased during the same period. The concentrations of ureides and asparagine were higher, and the nitrate concentration was lower in the mutant lines than in their parents, possibly due to the higher dependence on N₂ fixation than N0₃ ^- utilization. In the xylem sap, nitrate was the major inorganic anion followed by phosphate, sulfate, and chloride, and potassium was the major cation followed by calcium or magnesium and sodium.     

Effect of exogenous salicylic acid supply on nodule formation of hypernodulating mutant and wild type of soybean

Soybean plant is characterized by a systemic autoregulatory control system of nodulation (autoregulation) by initial infection with rhizobia, and plants commonly display a systemic acquired resistance (SAR) to pathogenic microbe infection related to salicylic acid (SA) signal transmission. We investigated the effect of exogenous SA supply on soybean nodulation to determine whether SA affects the autoregulation of nodulation. Seedlings of the hypernodulating mutants NOD1-3, NOD2-4 and their parent cv. Williams were treated or not treated (control) with a 100 μmS-SA solution at 5 d before the inoculation of Bradyrhizobium japonicum strain USDA110. The nodule dry weight and the number of nodules of the wild type soybean Williams exhibiting autoregulation drastically decreased by the addition of 100 μm SA. The decrease in the nodule number was not caused by the reduction of the rhizobium number in the medium. Salicylic acid inhibited only early nodule formation and did not affect the growth of formed nodules. The inhibitory effect of SA on the nodulation of NOD1-3 and NOD2-4 was significantly less pronounced than that in Williams. These results indicate that SA is directly involved in signal transmission in the autoregulation, and that SA or the SAR induced by SA stimulates the autoregulation of nodulation in soybean.     

Effects of anion channel blockers on xylem nitrate transport in barley seedlings

Abstract

Taxonomic characteristics in accumulating Co and Ni was investigated with 60 plant species (37 genera, 27 families) grown on granite derived soils containing slightly low level of available Co. Considerable variations in Co and Ni content were observed among plant !species with small differences with regard to sampling sites. Exceptionally high Co content (25 ppm on D.W. basis) was found in the leaves of Clethra barbinervis. The value was about 48 times higher than the lowest Co content species. Reasonably high Co content was found with some species in genera: Hydrangea and Viburunum. Ni was highly accumulated in the leaves of Sasa borealis (16 ppm) and in fruits of Clethra barbinervis (65 ppm). [Other Nirich species were especially found in genera: Struthiopteris, Hydrangea, Stewartia, Clethra, and Symplocos. High positive correlation (P<0.01) was found between the concentration of Co and Ni in plant species.     

Biodiversity and rarity distributions of native freshwater fish in an agricultural landscape: the importance of β diversity between and within water‐body types

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