Itokawa dust particles: a direct link between S-type asteroids and ordinary chondrites

The Hayabusa spacecraft successfully recovered dust particles from the surface of near-Earth asteroid 25143 Itokawa. Synchrotron-radiation x-ray diffraction and transmission and scanning electron microscope analyses indicate that the mineralogy and mineral chemistry of the Itokawa dust particles are identical to those of thermally metamorphosed LL chondrites, consistent with spectroscopic observations made from Earth and by the Hayabusa spacecraft. Our results directly demonstrate that ordinary chondrites, the most abundant meteorites found on Earth, come from S-type asteroids. Mineral chemistry indicates that the majority of regolith surface particles suffered long-term thermal annealing and subsequent impact shock, suggesting that Itokawa is an asteroid made of reassembled pieces of the interior portions of a once larger asteroid.     

Isolation and identification of indigestible pyroglutamyl peptides in an enzymatic hydrolysate of wheat gluten prepared on an industrial scale

An enzymatic hydrolysate of wheat gluten was further digested in vitro with porcine pepsin and pancreatin to obtain an indigestible peptide. Indigestible pyroglutamyl peptide was isolated from the digest by strong cation-exchange, size-exclusion, and reversed-phase chromatographies. The pyroglutamyl peptide was digested with pyroglutamate aminopeptidase, and the digest was reacted with phenyl isothiocyanate. The resultant phenylthiocarbamyl (PTC) peptides were purified by reversed-phase HPLC by using binary gradient elution with ammonium acetate buffer, pH 6.0, and acetonitrile. The PTC peptides were analyzed with an automatic peptide sequencer on the basis of the Edman degradation method with a modified program. Some pyroglutamyl peptides were also analyzed by fast-atom bombardment ionization mass spectrometry without the pyroglutamate amino peptidase digestion. Consequently, pyroGlu-Asn-Pro-Gln, pyroGlu-Gln-Gln-Pro-Gln, pyroGlu-Gln-Pro-Gln, pyroGlu-Gln-Pro-Gly-Gln-Gly-Gln, pyroGlu-Gln, pyroGlu-Gln-Pro, pyroGlu-Ile-Pro-Gln, pyroGlu-Ile-Pro, pyroGlu-Gln-Pro-Leu, pyroGlu-Gln-Phe-Pro-Gln, pyroGlu-Ser-Phe-Pro-Gln, pyroGlu-Phe-Pro-Gln, and pyroGlu-Gln-Pro-Pro-Phe-Ser were identified.     

Binding of mammalian and avian ferritins with biotinylated hemin: demonstration of preferential binding of the H subunit to heme

The binding of ferritin to heme has been well studied using commercial horse spleen apoferritin, which is almost entirely composed of the L subunit, suggesting that mammalian ferritins bind heme. The present study revealed that both mammalian holoferritins (commercial horse spleen ferritin and purified horse spleen, bovine spleen and canine liver ferritins with L/H subunit ratios of 4.0, 1.1, and 2.3, respectively) and their apoferritins bound biotinylated hemin; apoferritins had higher binding activity than holoferritins, except for canine holo- and apoferritins, which showed the same binding. Bovine ferritin H subunit homopolymers expressed by a baculovirus expression system showed heme binding and had higher binding activity to biotinylated hemin than the L subunit homopolymer expressed by the same system. These bindings were inhibited by heme but not by iron-free or Zn-protoporphyrin IX (Zn-PPIX). Purified chicken liver holoferritin was found to be composed of only H subunits and showed the highest binding activity with biotinylated hemin compared with mammalian holoferritins. The binding of chicken liver holoferritin to biotinylated hemin was also inhibited by heme but not by PPIX or Zn-PPIX. These results indicate that mammalian and avian ferritins bind heme and that the H subunit preferentially recognizes heme.     

Flowering Date1, a major photoperiod sensitivity gene in adzuki bean,is a soybean floral repressor E1 ortholog

Adzuki bean is an important legume crop originating in temperate regions, with photoperiod in sensitivity being a key factor in its latitudinal adaptation. The Flowering Date1 (FD1) gene has a large effect on the photoperiodic response of flowering time, but the molecular basis for the effect of this locus is undetermined. The present study delimited the FD1 locus to a 17.1 kb sequence, containing a single gene, an E1 ortholog (VaE1). A comparison between Vigna angularis ‘Shumari’ (photoperiod insensitive) and ‘Acc2265’ (photoperiod sensitive) identified 29 insertions/deletions and 178 SNPs upstream of VaE1 in the FD1 locus. VaE1 expression in ‘Acc2265’ was greater under long-day than short-day conditions, whereas VaE1 expression in ‘Shumari’ was lower regardless of day length. These findings suggested that responsible gene of FD1 is a VaE1, which acts as a floral repressor by being upregulated in response to long-day conditions. The inability to upregulate VaE1 under long-day conditions was linked to its ability to flower under these conditions. These results provide greater understanding of the molecular control of a flowering date and clues enabling the breeding of adzuki bean at higher latitudes.     

Trace elements in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Anadara</Emphasis> spp. (Mollusca: Bivalva) collected along the coast of Vietnam,with emphasis on regional differences and human health risk assessment

This study measured concentrations of 21 trace elements in whole soft tissue of the blood cockle Anadara spp., which is a common food for local people, collected along the coast of Vietnam. Results showed that concentrations of As, Sr, Mo, Sn, and Pb in cockles collected from Khanh Hoa Province in the Central Coastal Zone (CCZ) had higher values than those from the other regions, while cockles collected from the Mekong River Delta (MRD) showed the highest concentrations of Hg. Regional differences in trace element concentrations of the cockle may be due to differences in human activities, i.e., shipyards in the CCZ and agriculture in the MRD. Trace element concentrations measured in the soft tissues of blood cockles investigated here were within safe levels for human consumption following criteria by the European Commission (EC) and the United States Food and Drug Agency, but several specimens had Cd levels exceeding the EC guidelines of 1 μg/g wet weight. The estimated target hazard quotients for trace elements via consuming bivalves were <1, indicating that the cumulative noncarcinogenic risk was completely insignificant. However, the estimated target cancer risk values by assumed inorganic As concentrations seem to implicate consumption of these cockles as posing potential human health concerns.     

Characteristics of the soils developed under broad-leaved evergreen forests in okinawa prefecture and the kinki district with special reference to their pedogenetic processes

Abstract

Properties of sesquioxides, clay mineralogical composition, and charge characteristics of the soils developed under broad-leaved evergreen forests in Okinawa Prefecture (subtropical climate) and the Kinki District (warm temperate climate) were studied with special reference to their pedogenetic processes in order to reexamine the corresponding parameters of Brown Forest soils and related soils in Japan.

The soils in Okinawa Prefecture were characterized by a higher degree of weathering as compared to the soils in the Kinki District. Major differences involved the values of the Fed/Fet ratio for the soil samples throughout the profile, and those of the ratios of (Fed-Feo)/Fet, CEC/clay, and (Feo + Alo)/ clay and the content of CaO plus Na₂O for the B horizon. The soils in the Kinki District did not show andic soil properties, nor Al translocation in the profile and, both of which were characteristic of Brown Forest soils developed under cool temperate climatic conditions at high altitudes in the same District.

The difference in the degree of weathering were reflected on the charge characteristics at the very surface of the soils, i.e., the surface of the particles of the soils in Okinawa Prefecture exhibited a lower reactivity as compared with those of the soils in the Kinki District.     

罗家角遗址水稻硅酸体形状特征及其在水稻进化上的意义

对距今约7000年的浙江省罗家角遗址4个文化层出土的1 5块陶片进行了植物硅酸体分析,结果从来自第2、3、4等3个文化层的5块陶片中检出了稻运动细胞硅酸体.形状解析结果显示:罗家角遗址水稻硅酸体的纵长、横长较小,形状系数较大,是一类小型硅酸体;利用硅酸体4个形状特征参数进行亚种判别的判别值也较小,和现代栽培稻籼亚种的硅酸体更相近.但在硅酸体的分布图上出现多峰现象.从硅酸体形状分析结果看,罗家角遗址及其周围的栽培稻可能是一些以籼亚种为主,并混杂粳亚种的多样性群体.     

Effect of deoxycorticosterone acetate-salt-induced hypertension on diabetic peripheral neuropathy in alloxan-induced diabetic WBN/Kob rats

The relationship between hypertension and diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) has recently been reported in clinical research, but it remains unclear whether hypertension is a risk factor for DPN. To investigate the effects of hypertension on DPN, we analyzed morphological features of peripheral nerves in diabetic rats with hypertension. Male WBN/Kob rats were divided into 2 groups: alloxan-induced diabetic rats with deoxycorticosterone acetate-salt (DOCA-salt) treatment (ADN group) and nondiabetic rats with DOCA-salt treatment (DN group). Sciatic, tibial (motor) and sural (sensory) nerves were subjected to qualitative and quantitative histomorphological analysis. Systolic blood pressure in the two groups exhibited a higher value (>140 mmHg), but there was no significant difference between the two groups. Endoneurial blood vessels in both groups presented endothelial hypertrophy and narrowing of the vascular lumen. Electron microscopically, duplication of basal lamina surrounding the endothelium and pericyte of the endoneurial vessels was observed, and this lesion appeared to be more frequent and severe in the ADN group than the DN group. Many nerve fibers of the ADN and DN groups showed an almost normal appearance, whereas morphometrical analysis of the tibial nerve showed a significant shift to smaller fiber and myelin sizes in the ADN group compared with DN group. In sural nerve, the fiber and axon-size significantly shifted to a smaller size in ADN group compared with the DN group. These results suggest that combined diabetes and hypertension could induce mild peripheral nerve lesions with vascular changes.