Seasonal variation of paulownia witches’-broom phytoplasma in paulownia trees and distribution of the disease in the Tohoku district of Japan

Seasonal variation of paulownia witches’-broom (PWB) phytoplasma within different organs (leaves, branch and trunk bark and roots) in paulownia trees was investigated by the amplification of a PWB-specific DNA fragment by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). In leaf samples, PWB phytoplasma was first detected in June and the incidence gradually increased. On the other hand, the PWB was detected at relatively low incidence in branch bark, trunk bark and roots and the incidence did not change among seasons. A survey of PWB in 27 fields in the Tohoku district of Japan showed that malformed flower buds were observed in paulownia trees in almost all of the fields. PWB-phytoplasma was also detected by PCR from paulownia trees in almost all of the fields in Iwate and Fukushima Prefectures. The frequencies of trees in which phytoplasma was detected by PCR were higher than those in which symptoms were observed. These results indicated that PCR amplification of a PWB-specific DNA fragment is an effective tool for practical diagnose and that PWB is widely distributed in the Tohoku district of Japan.     

Modulation by sphingosine of phosphorylation of substrate proteins by protein kinase C in nuclei from cow mammary gland

Protein kinase C (PKC) is an enzyme activated by diacylglycerols such as 1-oleoyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycerol (OAG), phospholipids (in particular phosphatidylserine; PS) and Ca2+, which regulate a wide variety of intracellular functions by phosphorylating multiple substrate proteins and enzymes. The effect of sphingosine, the backbone moiety of sphingolipids, on PKC activity and phosphorylation of endogenous proteins catalyzed by PKC was investigated in nuclei of cow mammary gland. Sphingosine inhibited nuclear PKC activity when lysine-rich histone was used as the substrate. The sphingosine inhibition of the PKC activity was reversed by the excess addition of PS, but not by OAG or Ca2+. Several nuclear proteins, including 56-kDa, 43-kDa, 38-kDa and 36-kDa proteins, were shown to be substrates for PKC. Of the substrate proteins, the 38-kDa and 36-kDa proteins were identified as annexin I, the Ca2+/phospholipid-binding protein; the 56-kDa and 43-kDa proteins have not yet been identified. Sphingosine inhibited phosphorylation of the 56-kDa protein and the 36-kDa annexin I, whereas it enhanced that of the 43-kDa protein. The 38-kDa annexin I species was unaffected by sphingosine. As with the PKC activity, inhibition by sphingosine of phosphorylation of the 56-kDa protein and 36-kDa annexin I was reversed by the excess addition of PS, but not by OAG or Ca2+. In addition, by the excess addition of PS and not by OAG or Ca2+, the sphingosine-enhanced phosphorylation of the 43-kDa protein was reversed and returned to near the level in the absence of sphingosine. It is suggested that sphingosine is involved in the regulation of PKC-dependent phosphorylation in the nucleus by modulating the association of PKC or its substrates, particularly annexin I, with membrane phospholipids in cow mammary gland.     

Changes in vitamin A added to a fermented total mixed ration prepared with reed canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea L.)

A fermented total mixed ration (TMR) was prepared by adding a vitamin premix containing vitamin A and enzyme to reed canarygrass roughage. The vitamin A levels were then determined after 30 days of fermentation at 20 or 30°C. The vitamin A contents had decreased in roughage fermented at both storage temperatures, and decreased further when an enzyme supplement was included. Because the majority of the added vitamin A was destroyed during fermentation and storage, the addition of vitamin A at the beginning of preparation of fermented TMR is not recommended.     

Nitrate Loss for Denitrification during High Frequency Research in Floodplain Groundwater of the Tama River

This study aims to identify the possible roles of a floodplain inbiogeochemical nitrogen cycles, based on analysis of groundwaterdynamics of inorganic nitrogen species. Groundwater samples collected from boreholes made of poly vinyl chloride located onthe floodplain in the middle reach of the Tama River, Nagata district were analyzed for dissolved organic carbon, dissolved oxygen, inorganic nitrogen compounds, major anions and the stableisotope ratio of nitrate-nitrogen.Dissolved oxygen in groundwater samples collected from marked borehole (G-5) was low (50 ± 16 μM) and nitrate decreasedfrom 63 μM to < 10 μM during our research period. Concentrations of nitrate, nitrite and nitrous oxide decreased one after the other. These decreases in concentration, combinedwith ¹⁵N-enrichment of groundwater nitrate suggest denitrification as a significant nitrate sink, yielding an isotopic fractionation of nitrate-nitrogen with an enrichment factor (ε= –17.9‰) that is comparable tothose in various soil and groundwater systems. This study provesthat floodplains can perform as nitrogen sinks for groundwaterin river catchments.     

A Case Study on Estimation of Dry Deposition of Sulfur and Nitrogen Compounds by Inferential Method

In order to estimate dry deposition, deposition velocity calculation and concentration measurement were carried out in Niigata, Japan. Deposition velocities of SO₂ and HNO₃ for some surfaces such as coniferous forest, deciduous forest, agricultural land, and water were calculated taking into account diurnal variations of meteorological elements using routine meteorological data. Deposition velocities of fine and coarse aerosols were also estimated respectively. Concentrations of SO₂, HNO₃, sulfate and nitrate in fine and coarse aerosols respectively were measured from July to December in 1998 using filter pack and denuder methods. The results indicate that HNO₃ dry deposition for the high aerodynamic roughness surfaces such as forests is quite large. It is suggested that sulfate and nitrate aerosols depositions as well as the gases depositions should be taken into account to estimate dry deposition of sulfur and nitrogen compounds. It is also indicated that dry depositions of sulfur and nitrogen compounds are unable to ignore compared with their wet depositions.     

Response of plasma bone markers to a single intramuscular administration of calcitriol in dairy cows

To elucidate the effects of an exogenous calcitriol (1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D₃) on plasma bone markers, the formation item osteocalcin (OC), undercarboxylated OC (ucOC) and bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (BALP), and the resorption parameter tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase isoform 5b (TRAP5b) and hydroxyproline (HYP) were measured in conjunction with plasma calcitriol and calcium (Ca) concentrations in dairy cows receiving calcitriol or its vehicle according to a 2 × 2 crossover design. Calcitriol (0.5 μg/kg, i.m.) increased significantly its plasma level during 6 h to day 2 and plasma Ca concentration during 12 h to day 7 compared to the vehicle. Also, plasma OC and ucOC started to rise from day 3 and 1, respectively, and remained elevated until day 7. No change in plasma BALP, TRAP5b or HYP associated with calcitriol treatment was noted. These results demonstrate that exogenous calcitriol stimulates osteoblasts to biosynthesise OC, a determinant of the bone formation in cows.     

Decreases in serum apolipoprotein B-100 and A-I concentrations in cows with milk fever and downer cows

Milk fever occurring during the peripartum period has been suggested to be caused by fatty liver developed during the nonlactating stage because diseased cows have increased serum concentrations of non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) and show hepatic lipidosis. In cows with fatty liver and related diseases such as ketosis, serum concentrations of apolipoprotein (apo) B-100 and apoA-I are decreased. The purpose of the present study was to examine whether apoB-100 and apoA-I concentrations are similarly decreased in cows with milk fever. Apolipoprotein concentrations were also measured in cows with downer syndrome, which has been suggested to be related, at least in part, to milk fever. Compared with healthy cows during early lactation, apoB-100 and apoA-I concentrations were decreased in cows with milk fever and also in downer cows. In cows with milk fever, the decreases in apoB-100 and apoA-I concentrations were associated with increased NEFA and decreased cholesterol and phospholipid concentrations. However, in downer cows, serum lipid concentration changes were not as distinct as in cows with milk fever. These results, coupled with previous findings on the decreases in apoB-100 and apoA-I concentrations of cows with fatty liver-related diseases, suggest that fatty liver is involved in the development of milk fever and partly in that of downer cow syndrome.