Potato Virus Y Resistance Gene, Ry chc, Mapped to the Distal End of Potato Chromosome 9

Summary A Japanese leading cultivar ‘Konafubuki’ has an extreme resistance gene Ry _chc to Potato virus Y (PVY) in a simplex fashion. To reduce complexity of the highly heterozygous autotetraploid genome and map the Ry _chc gene, haploid plants were parthenogenetically induced from ‘Konafubuki’. The ratio of 7 resistant: 5 susceptible haploids confirmed the single dominant, simplex genotype of ‘Konafubuki’. A selected resistant haploid 98H20-5 was crossed with a susceptible diploid, resulting in 119 F ₁ plants. Using RFLP and RAPD markers, Ry _chc was mapped to the most distal end of the chromosome 9 where the recovery of recombinant genotypes was extremely reduced in this mapping population possibly due to the linked inferiority factor. The location of Ry _chc is different from those of the other extreme resistance genes to PVY, but possibly resides in one of resistance gene clusters.     

Comparison of serum lipid compositions, lipid peroxide, alpha-tocopherol and lipoproteins in captive marine mammals (bottlenose dolphins, spotted seals and West Indian manatees) and terrestrial mammals

Concentrations of serum lipid components, lipid peroxide (LPO) and α-tocopherol and electrophoretic patterns of lipoproteins in serum samples obtained from captive marine mammals and terrestrial mammals were compared. Serum concentrations of total cholesterol, free fatty acid, and phospholipid in fish-eating animals were significantly higher than those in manatees and cows. Serum LPO and α-tocopherol concentrations in the fish-eating animals were also significantly higher than those in manatees, cows and dogs. Different patterns of densitometric scans of low density lipoprotein (LDL) and a significantly lower percentage of LDL were demonstrated in the dolphins compared with the seals, cow and dogs. The concentration of LPO was significantly correlated with triglyceride and phospholipid concentrations in serum from the dolphins. These results suggest that triglyceride and phospholipid are susceptible to oxidative reaction in fish-eating animals. Evaluation of serum lipids, LPO and α-tocopherol concentrations is needed for nutritional husbandry for fish-eating animals.     

Pathogenicity of highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses of H5N1 subtype isolated in Thailand for different poultry species

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) viruses of the H5N1 subtype have caused several rounds of outbreaks in Thailand. In this study, we used 3 HPAI viruses isolated in Thailand in January 2004 from chicken, quail, and duck for genetic and pathogenetic studies. Sequence analysis of the entire genomes of these isolates revealed that they were genetically similar to each other. Chickens, quails, domestic ducks, and cross-bred ducks were inoculated with these isolates to evaluate their pathogenicity to different host species. A/chicken/Yamaguchi/7/04 (H5N1), an HPAI virus isolated in Japan, was also used in the chicken and quail studies for comparison. All four isolates were shown to be highly pathogenic to chickens and quails, with 100% mortality by 10(6) EID50 inoculants of the viruses. They caused sudden death in chickens and quails within 2-4 days after inoculation. The mean death times (MDT) of quails infected with the Thai isolates were shorter than those of chickens infected with the same isolates. Mortality against domestic and cross-bred ducks ranged from 50 to 75% by intranasal inoculation with the 10(6) EID50 viruses. Neurological symptoms were observed in most of the inoculated domestic ducks and appeared less severe in the cross-bred ducks. The MDTs of the ducks infected with the Thai isolates were 4.8-6 days post-inoculation. Most of the surviving ducks infected with the Thai isolates had sero-converted until 14 dpi. Our study illustrated the pathobiology of the Thai isolates against different poultry species and would provide useful information for improving control strategies against HPAI.     

Genomic Structure of a Geminivirus in the Genus Begomovirus from Yellow Vein-affected Eupatorium makinor

A virus from yellow vein-affected Eupatorium makinoi was tentatively designated as Eupatorium-infecting geminivirus (EuGV) on the basis of whitefly transmissibility, electron microscopic observation of geminate particles in sap and symptomatology. EuGV-speciflc DNA fragments were obtained by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Based on the restriction analysis of the PCR products, EuGV was suggested to have a monopartite genome. We determined the putative, complete nucleotide sequence of the EuGV genome which is comprised of 2766 nucleotides. The EuGV sequence had two virus sense open reading frames (ORF)(V1, V2), four complementary sense ORFs (C1–C4) and a non-coding region termed the intergenic region. This genome structure is quite similar to other monopartite begomoviruses already reported. The nucleotide and amino acid sequences were compared with other begomoviruses. The results supported the conclusion that EuGV is distinct and divergent from other begomoviruses, whereas potential sequence motifs reported in other geminiviruses are well conserved. Received 17 March 1999/ Accepted in revised form 12 November 1999     

Studies of the New Herbicide KIH-6127. Part II. Synthesis and Herbicidal Activity of 6-Acyl Pyrimidin-2-yl Salicylates and Analogues against Barnyard Grass

The method reported previously (Part I) was employed to prepare a variety of novel 6-acylsalicylates as key intermediates. 6-Acylpyrimidin-2-yl salicylates (2-acyl-6-[(4,6-disubstituted pyrimidin-2-yl)oxy]benzoate derivatives: Type 1), the closely related phthalide compounds (3-alkyl-7-[(4,6-dimethoxypyrimidin-2-yl)oxy]phthalide derivatives: Type 2) and the ketal derivatives of 2-acyl-6-[(4,6-dimethoxypyrimidin-2-yl)oxy]benzoates (Type 3) were synthesized and their herbicidal activities measured. Methyl 2-acetyl-6-[(4,6-dimethoxypyrimidin-2-yl)oxy]benzoate gave excellent control of barnyard grass with a promising profile as a prototype rice herbicide.     

Dynamics of invasion and dissemination of H5N6 highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses in 2016–2017 winter in Japan

Large highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreaks caused by clade 2.3.4.4e H5N6 viruses occurred in Japan during the 2016–2017 winter. To date, several reports regarding these outbreaks have been published, however a comprehensive study including geographical and time course validations has not been performed. Herein, 58 Japanese HPAI virus (HPAIV) isolates from the 2016–2017 season were added for phylogenetic analyses and the antigenic relationships among the causal viruses were elucidated. The locations where HPAIVs were found in the early phase of the outbreaks were clustered into three regions. Genotypes C1, C5, and C6–8 HPAIVs were found in specific areas. Two strains had phylogenetically distinct hemagglutinin (HA) and non-structural (NS) genes from other previously identified strains, respectively. The estimated latest divergence date between the viral genotypes suggests that genetic reassortment occurred in bird populations before their winter migration to Japan. Antigenic differences in 2016–2017 HPAIVs were not observed, suggesting that antibody pressure in the birds did not contribute to the selection of HPAIV genotypes. In the late phase, the majority of HPAI cases in wild birds occurred south of the lake freezing line. At the end of the outbreak, HPAI re-occurred in East coast region, which may be due to the spring migration route of Anas bird species. These trends were similar to those observed in the 2010–2011 outbreaks, suggesting there is a typical pattern of seeding and dissemination of HPAIV in Japan.     

Studies of the New Herbicide KIH-6127. Part III. Synthesis and Structure–Activity Studies of Analogues of KIH-6127 against Barnyard Grass (Echinochloa oryzicola)*

The previously evaluated prototype, methyl 6-acetyl-2-[(4,6-dimethoxypyrimidin-2-yl)oxy]benzoate, was modified by the introduction of an oximino group. Further extensive synthetic modifications were then made to the 6-alkyl moiety (R¹), the ester moiety (R²), the alkoxyimino moiety (R³), the bridge-atom (X) and the 4,6-disubstituted-pyrimidine moiety (A, B, Z). Structure–activity relationships of the synthesized compounds were studied by examining their herbicidal activity against Barnyard grass (Echinochloa oryzicola) in paddy rice at various growth stages, including pre-emergence. The novel herbicide methyl 2-[(4,6-dimethoxypyrimidin-2-yl)oxy]-6-[1-(methoxyimino)ethyl]benzoate, (KIH-6127) was found to be the most effective compound. The commercial development of this compound is currently in progress. © 1997 SCI.