Effect of fasting on physical/chemical properties of ordinary muscles in full-cycle cultured Pacific bluefin tuna Thunnus orientalis during chilled storage

Using the full-cycle cultured (FC) Pacific bluefin tuna [body weight 16.3±1.9 kg (pre-fasting group, pre-FG), 14.2±0.9 kg (post-fasting group, post-FG)], changes in the physical/chemical properties of the cephalal parts of dorsal (D) and ventral (V) ordinary muscles (OM) by fasting (6 days) during chilled storage (4°C) were investigated. Condition factors were 26.7 (pre-FG) and 20.3 (post-FG, P < 0.05). Fasting changed the liver color to green. Fasting also decreased the amount of protein and lipid contents of the DOM and VOM of FC tuna. The breaking strength and pH of the DOM and VOM of post-FG tuna were higher (P <0.05) than for pre-FG tuna during storage. In contrast, the glycogen contents of DOM and VOM of post-FG tuna were lower than for pre-FG tuna. The color values (L*, a* and b*) of DOM of post-FG tuna were lower than for pre-FG tuna throughout the storage period. In addition, the metmyoglobin (metMb) content of DOM of post-FG tuna was lower (P <0.05) than that of pre-FG tuna, and the metMb content of VOM of post-FG tuna remained low after fasting. These results indicate that fasting suppresses deterioration (especially meat color) of FC tuna muscles during chilled storage.     

Changes of Tight Junction Protein Claudins in Small Intestine and Kidney Tissues of Mice Fed a DDC Diet

DDC (3,5-diethoxycarbonyl-1,4-dihydrocollidine)-fed mice are widely used as a model for cholestatic liver disease. We examined the expression of tight junction protein claudin subspecies by immunofluorescent histochemistry in small intestine and kidney tissues of mice fed a DDC diet for 12 weeks. In the small intestine, decreases in claudin-3, claudin-7 and claudin-15 were observed in villous epithelial cells corresponding to the severity of histological changes while leaving the abundance of these claudin subspecies unchanged in crypt cells. Nevertheless, the proliferative activity of intestinal crypt cells measured by immunohistochemistry for Ki-67 decreased in the mice fed the DDC diet compared with that of control mice. These results suggest the possibility that DDC feeding affects the barrier function of villous epithelial cells and thus inhibits the proliferative activity of crypt epithelial cells. On the other hand, in the kidney, remarkable changes were found in the subcellular localization of claudin subspecies in a segment-specific manner, although histological changes of renal epithelial cells were quite minimal. These results indicate that immunohistochemistry for claudin subspecies can serve as a useful tool for detecting minute functional alterations of intestinal and renal epithelial cells.     

Relationship between light and diel vertical migration of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Diaphus theta</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Euphausia pacifica</Emphasis> off eastern Hokkaido

Underwater irradiance in sound-scattering layers (SSLs) during diel vertical migration (DVM) of marine organisms was investigated by a drifting vessel at locations in the western North Pacific during the period August 24–27, 2008. The inhabitants of the layers were identified via sampling as Diaphus theta, a type of myctophid fish, and Euphausia pacifica, a species of zooplankton. Underwater irradiance was estimated by the Beer–Lambert law using irradiance measurements on the deck and the diffuse attenuation coefficients obtained in the water. During DVM, the mean irradiances at 490 nm at the lower and upper boundaries of the SSL composed of E. pacifica were ?54.0 and ?45.3 dB, respectively. In contrast, the values for the boundaries of the D. theta SSL were ?82.5 and ?59.3 dB, respectively. It was possible to distinguish between D. theta and E. pacifica based on these ranges and the differences between the mean volume-backscattering strength (ΔMVBS) at 120 and 38 kHz. It was also possible to distinguish between D. theta/E. pacifica and other causes of scattering more clearly using these two parameters together than when using the ΔMVBS parameters separately. Our results suggest that underwater irradiance is an important parameter for discriminating among organisms in DVM.     

Visual spectral sensitivity of photopic juvenile Pacific bluefin tuna (Thunnus orientalis)

Although Pacific bluefin tuna is a species that relies on vision, its photopic visual function is not well known; we therefore recorded electroretinograms to investigate photopic spectral sensitivity in juveniles of this species (49-81?days post-hatch; standard length 74-223?mm). The peak spectral sensitivity wavelength was 505?nm. We estimated that two (λ(max)?=?512-515?nm and 423-436?nm) or three (λ(max)?=?512-515?nm, 423-436?nm, and 473?nm) types of cone visual pigments contribute to photopic vision; these spectral sensitivities are adapted to surface water habitats in clear ocean and coastal water.     

Timing to promote initial swimbladder inflation by surface film removal in Pacific bluefin tuna,Thunnus orientalis (Temminck and Schlegel), larvae

This study investigated the optimal timing of day to promote initial swimbladder inflation (ISI) for improved Pacific bluefin tuna (PBT), Thunnus orientalis, larval survival. Larval swimbladder inflation frequency was compared based on three experiments using different time schemes of surface film removal (SFR) from 3 to 9 days post hatch (dph). SFR was conducted from 05:00 to 19:00 hours (light period: S.5–19), 19:00 to 05:00 hours (dark period: S.19–5), 08:00 to 19:00 hours (S.8–19) and the entire day (S.24) in Experiment 1; from 08:00 to 19:00 hours (S.8–19‐E2), 08:00 to 13:00 hours (S.8–13), 13:00 to 19:00 hours (S.13–19) in Experiment 2; and from 13:00 to 16:00 hours (S.13–16), 16:00 to 19:00 hours (S.16–19), 18:00–19:00 hours (S.18–19) in Experiment 3. The swimbladder inflation frequency at the experiment termination (9 dph) was significantly higher (P < 0.001) in S.24 (91.1 ± 5.7%), S.5–19 (92.2 ± 5.1%) and S.8–19 (93.3 ± 3.4%) than in S.19–5 (11.1 ± 5.1%) in Experiment 1, and remarkably higher in S.8–19‐E2 (81.7%) and S.13–19 (88.3%) than in S.8–13 (0.0%) in Experiment 2, and significantly higher (P < 0.001) in S.16–19 (84.4 ± 5.1%) and S.18–19 (70.0 ± 12.0%) than in S.13–16 (7.8 ± 3.9%) in Experiment 3. These results suggest that the optimal timing to promote larval ISI by SFR is a few hours before the end of light period (16:00–19:00 hours) from 3 to 9 dph.     

Effect of tank wall colour and pattern on the survival rate of juvenile Pacific bluefin tuna Thunnus orientalis (Temminck and Schlegel) during ship transportation

Juvenile Pacific bluefin tuna (Thunnus orientalis; PBT) often experience high mortality during ship transportation. This study investigated whether the addition of colours or patterns to the walls of tanks affected survival rate. In the first experiment, three colours and lattice patterns were tested: dark blue single‐colour, red single‐colour, and red–blue lattice pattern. Fish in all tanks exhibited abnormal behaviours when sunlight entered the tanks between 0800 and 1000 hours, but mortality only increased in the single‐coloured tanks as a result of collision with the tank walls. In the second experiment, four colours and patterns were tested: dark blue single‐colour, red–blue lattice pattern, red–blue lattice pattern with shade sheet and red–green lattice pattern with shade sheet. Again, we visually observed that fish in all treatment groups exhibited abnormal behaviour when sunlight entered the tanks, but there were no collision deaths in the lattice‐patterned tanks and survival in this group was significantly higher than in the single‐coloured tanks. Thus, the use of a high‐contrast colour pattern can prevent mass death of juvenile PBT during ship transportation.     

Influence of initial swimbladder inflation failure on survival of Pacific bluefin tuna,Thunnus orientalis (Temminck and Schlegel), larvae

This study investigated the influence of initial swimbladder inflation (ISI) failure on survival of Pacific bluefin tuna (PBT), Thunnus orientalis, larvae to prevent mass mortality due to sinking death. In Experiment 1, swimbladder inflation frequency and survival within an ISI promoted (PS) group, for which surface film of rearing water was removed, and a group without ISI promotion (NPS) were compared in 20 and 30 kL tanks. The PS group demonstrated significantly higher swimbladder inflation frequency and increased survival than the NPS group within 20 kL tanks at 9 days post hatching (dph). Similar tendencies were observed within 30 kL tanks. In Experiment 2, larval distribution and swimbladder inflation frequency in the night‐time were examined through larval sampling within the upper and middle layers of the water column and tank bottom within 1.6 and 30 kL tanks at 5 dph. Larvae at tank bottom had higher distributional density and significantly lower swimbladder inflation frequency than those distributed in the upper and middle layers within 1.6 kL tanks. Similar tendencies were observed within 30 kL tanks. Results of this study suggest the improvement of larval survival due to prevention of sinking death through ISI promotion in mass‐scale PBT larviculture.     

Molecular identification of Erysipelothrix isolates from the tonsils of healthy cattle by PCR

For 79 isolates from the tonsils of healthy cattle identified as Erysipelothrix by cultivation, biochemical and serological tests, genotypic identification was performed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using four species-specific sets of oligonucleotide primers (ER1F-ER1R, ER2F-ER2R, ER3F-ER3R and ER4F-ER4R). The results of PCR for 79 bovine isolates were compared with those of serological typing. For 19 isolates, serotyping and genotyping results were the same. PCR allowed for the identification of 36 untypable isolates as Erysipelothrix species, strain 1. Serotyping and genotyping results of the remaining 24 isolates were different. Supplemental tests are frequently needed for Erysipelothrix identification.