Development of a pen-site test kit for the rapid diagnosis of H7 highly pathogenic avian influenza

As well as H5 highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses (HPAIV), H7 HPAIV strains have caused serious damages in poultry industries worldwide. Cases of bird-to-human transmission of H7 HPAIV have also been reported [11]. On the outbreak of avian influenza, rapid diagnosis is critical not only for the control of HPAI but also for human health. In the present study, a rapid diagnosis kit based on immunochromatography for the detection of H7 hemagglutinin (HA) antigen of influenza A virus was developed using 2 monoclonal antibodies that recognize different epitopes on the H7 HAs. The kit detected each of the tested 15 H7 influenza virus strains and did not react with influenza A viruses of the other subtypes than H7 or other avian viral and bacterial pathogens. The kit detected H7 HA antigen in the swabs and tissue homogenates of the chickens experimentally infected with HPAIV strain A/chicken/Netherlands/2586/03 (H7N7). The results indicate that the present kit is specific and sensitive enough for the diagnosis of HPAI caused by H7 viruses, thus, recommended for the field application as a pen-site test kit.     

Studies of the New Herbicide KIH-6127. Part I. Novel Synthesis of Methyl 6-Acetylsalicylate as a Key Synthetic Intermediate for the Preparation of 6-Acetyl Pyrimidin-2-yl Salicylates and Analogues

A novel synthesis of methyl 6-acetylsalicylate as a key synthetic intermediate for methyl 2-[(4,6-dimethoxypyrimidin-2-yl)oxy]-6-[1-(methoxyimino)ethyl]benzoate (KIH-6127) was studied, and directed at 6-substituted pyrimidin-2-yl salicylate herbicides and their analogues. Three synthetic approaches were successful: a modification of the Sandmeyer reaction of 6-acetylanthranilate (Method A), a direct ring-opening reaction of 3-methylphthalide using potassium permangamate and magnesium nitrate (Method B), and a regioselective ortho-lithiation of the protected 3-hydroxyacetophenone (Method C). These methods were applicable for the synthesis of various 6-acyl salicylates.     

Development of novel clubroot resistant rapeseed lines (Brassica napus L.) effective against Japanese field isolates by marker assisted selection

Clubroot is an important disease infectible to cruciferous plants and a major threat to rapeseed production in Japan. However, no clubroot resistant rapeseed cultivars have been released. We surveyed pathotype variation of six isolates collected from rapeseed fields and found they were classified as pathotype groups 2 and 4 using Japanese F₁ Chinese cabbage cultivars. We produced the resynthesized clubroot resistant Brassica napus harboring two resistant loci, Crr1 and Crr2, by interspecific crossing and developed resistant rapeseed lines for southern and northern regions by marker-assisted selection and backcrossing. We improved the DNA marker for erucic acid content to remove linkage drag between Crr1 and high erucic acid content and successfully selected lines with clubroot resistance and zero erucic acid for northern regions. A novel line, ‘Tohoku No. 106’, suitable for southern regions showed stable resistance against all six isolates and high performance in infested fields. We conclude that Crr1 and Crr2 are important genes for CR rapeseed breeding and marker-assisted selection is effective in improving clubroot resistance.     

等电点电泳证实日本野生大豆中的一个Kunitz型胰蛋白酶抑制剂新变异

电泳测定了日本２５个县２２４个野生大豆的种胰蛋白酶抑制剂（ＳＫＴＩ）变异性。利用等电点电泳证实一个新的ＳＫＴＩ变异体,它比典型Ｔｉａ,Ｔｉｂ和Ｔｉｃ类型具有较高的等电点。这个变异体收集于日本的三重县津市的一个群体。经过两年的种植和比较测定表明它具有遗传稳定性,证明是一个新的遗传变异体。     

日本野生大豆中的四个种子蛋白和两个性状的多态及地理分布

本文电泳调查了日本1767野生大豆个体的种子胰蛋白酶抑制剂类型及频率分布。日本野生大豆存在两类型,即Tia和Tib,频率分别为94.5％和5.5％。从纬度上看,34°～38°带比其它纬度带有较高的Tib频率。本调查看到约1％的材料是Tia/Tib杂和体。 首次观察了3种蛋白的变异性。这些蛋白具有明显的多态性及地理分布差异。K1有3个形态:缺失体,快带和慢带;K2有两种形态:快带和慢带;B有两种形态:快带和慢带。本文提出这3种蛋白可以做为“等位酶”,用于野生大豆地理遗传分化的研究。 日本野生大豆的种皮过氧化物酶活性表型频率略高于中国,荧光型频率远高于中国。初步讨论了日本天然野生大豆群体的遗传变异,似乎由低纬度到高纬度地理变异的程度增大。     

Elimination of the major allergen tropomyosin from shrimp muscle by boiling treatment

Fisheries Science - Tropomyosin (TM) is the major allergen found in invertebrates, including shrimp. To reduce the allergenicity of shrimp muscle, attempts were made to eliminate TM from the muscle...     

Characterization of collagen and its hydrolysate from yellowfin tuna Thunnus albacares skin and their potencies as antioxidant and antiglycation agents

Fisheries Science - Collagen is one of the biopolymer proteins that may be useful for food and non-food purposes. Recently, even for collagen, it is becoming necessary to meet the requirements of...     

Interannual variation in quantitative relationships among egg production and densities of larvae and juveniles of the Japanese mantis shrimp <Emphasis Type="Italic">Oratosquilla oratoria</Emphasis> in Tokyo Bay,Japan

To explore which lifestages affect the stock size of young-of-the-year mantis shrimp Oratosquilla oratoria in Tokyo Bay, Japan, we investigated interannual variations in the quantitative relationships among egg production, larval density, and juvenile density. We collected adult females, larvae, and juveniles during monthly field surveys from 2004 to 2007. The interannual trend for the juvenile density index differed from those for egg production and larval density; although indices of both egg production and larval density were high in 2004 and 2007, the juvenile density index was high only in 2007, suggesting high mortality during the pelagic larval stage or the early phase of the postsettlement juvenile stage in 2004. We found that larval settlement started at the end of August and peaked in October, although larvae from the early spawning season (May–June) should have settled in August or earlier. Juveniles were found throughout the bay except in areas where bottom hypoxia occurred, suggesting that hypoxia restricts the spatial distribution of juveniles. Our results suggest that mortality during the early life history fluctuates among years, probably because of changes in environmental conditions in the bay, resulting in interannual variation in the stock size of young-of-the-year juvenile O. oratoria.     

Structural and thermodynamic characterization of tropomyosin from fast skeletal muscle of bluefin tuna

ABSTRACT:   Tuna tropomyosin is a mixture of nearly equimolar amounts of two isoforms (designated α and β). cDNA encoding the α form was cloned from bluefin tuna Thunnus thynnus fast skeletal muscle. The full-length cDNA contained 1220 bp, comprising an open reading frame of 855 bp encoding 284 amino acid residues, flanked by 5'-untranslational regions (156 bp) and 3'-untranslational regions (209 bp). The deduced amino acid sequence showed considerably high homology in a range of 93.7–98.6% to those of other vertebrate α-type tropomyosins. In phylogenetic analysis, bluefin tuna tropomyosin showed the closest relationship with the white croaker counterpart. The predicted mass was 32 919 Da, and isoelectric point was 4.50, assuming acetylation of the N-terminus. By differential scanning calorimetry, bluefin tuna tropomyosin gave two major endothermic peaks at 29.3 and 41.5°C, probably caused by the presence of two isoforms. Circular dichroism spectra supported such a unique denaturation profile.     

Precursor B-1 B cell lymphoma in a newborn calf.

A newborn Holstein female calf had neoplastic lesions in the skin and within the thoracic and abdominal cavities but not in the bone marrow, spleen, thymus, or most lymph nodes. Because the tumor cells were positive for CD79a (B cell marker), CD5 (B-1 cell marker) and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (marker for immature lymphoid precursors), a diagnosis of precursor B-1 B cell lymphoma was made. The diagnosis was strongly supported by the fact that B-1 cells can develop in the fetus, unlike B-2 cells, which are produced after birth. The lymphoma was distinct from the typical calf form of lymphoma of B-2 cell origin, which does not express CD5 and is characterized by generalized lymphadenopathy and involvement of the bone marrow, blood and spleen.