Effects of bistheonellide A,an Actin-polymerization Inhibitor,on Chinese Hamster V79 Cells and on IL-8 Production in PMA-stimulated HL-60 Cells

Bioassay-guided isolation from the ethanol extract of a marine sponge Theonella sp. collected in Palau yielded bistheonellide A, which strongly inhibited the colony formation of Chinese hamster V79 cells (EC₅₀ = 6.8 nM). Bistheonellide A is an actin-polymerization inhibitor and was suggested to control cytokine production. Therefore, we attempted to detect an effect of this compound on IL-8 production in PMA-stimulated HL-60 cells. Interestingly, bistheonellide A did not modulate the production of IL-8 under cytotoxic concentrations as determined by LDH analysis. Although the correlation between the inhibition of microtubule assembly and the stimulation of IL-8 production has been observed for several compounds, the polymerization of actin was not related to an IL-8 production in the case of bistheonellide A. It will be suggested that the actin polymerization is not involved in the IL-8 production system.     

Luteophanol D,New Polyhydroxyl Metabolite from Marine Dinoflagellate Amphidinium sp

Luteophanol D (1), a new polyhydroxyl linear carbon-chain metabolite, has been isolated from the cultured marine dinoflagellate Amphidinium sp., which was isolated from Okinawan marine acoel flatworm Pseudaphanostoma luteocoloris. The structure of 1 was elucidated by detailed analyses of 2D NMR spectra. Luteophanol D (1) possesses two tetrahydropyran rings and twenty-three hydroxyl groups on C₆₃-linear aliphatic chain with one exo-methylene and two methyl branches.     

Feline demodicosis caused by an unnamed species

A case of feline demodicosis is described in this report. A 13-year-old spayed female domestic short hair cat weighing 4.5 kg was being treated with cefovecin and alternately with prednisone or methylprednisolone. On further physical examination, the cat showed mild erythema and hair loss on the bridge of the nose, around the eyes, on the chin, on the side part of the breast and on the abdomen. A large number of Demodex mites were found in deep skin scrapings from the affected areas. The cat was then treated with ivermectin at 600 μg/kg administered SC daily. After 4 weeks of treatment, the cat was clinically normal with no mites detected in the skin scrapings from the face or breast areas. The mite responsible may represent a previously seen but as yet unnamed new species. This is third report that describes a case of feline demodicosis caused by a different, unnamed mite species that has different morphological characteristics to those of known Demodex mites and may represent a previously seen but as yet unnamed species.     

Performance of geophytes on extensive green roofs in the United Kingdom

Dwarf geophytes have great potential for use on extensive green roofs because they often come from arid areas and can survive dry and hot summer in a dormant state. However, there has been little research regarding geophytes on green roofs. This experiment was conducted to study the performance of 26 species of geophytes on a green roof during 2005–2006 in Sheffield, UK. The geophytes were grown at two substrate depths (5 cm and 10 cm) of substrate on a green roof without irrigation. To investigate the susceptibility of geophytes to competition from a covering of permanent plants, the geophytes were grown with or without a surface vegetation layer of Sedum album. Overall, the growth, survival rate, regeneration and flowering of geophytes were more successful at a substrate depth of 10 cm than of 5 cm, probably because of improved moisture retention, fewer temperature fluctuations and the protection from digging by animals. The flowering period was limited to spring, therefore, it is recommended to combine with other plant species such as covering plants. Geophyte species did not compete much with S. album and Sedum cover had no significant effects on the growth, survival rate, regeneration and flowering of geophytes in most species. Iris bucharica, Muscari azureum, Tulipa clusiana var. chrysantha, Tulipa humilis, Tulipa tarda and Tulipa turkestanica had good performance at the substrate depth of 5 cm. In addition, Narcissus cyclamineus ‘February gold’ and Tulipa urumiensis exhibited a successful performance at the substrate depth of 10 cm.     

High-grade myofibroblastic sarcoma of inguinal region in a dog

A subcutaneous tumor in the left inguinal region was present in an 11-year-old female bloodhound. Histopathologically, the tumor showed invasive growth and extensive necroses, and it was composed of spindle-shaped, elongated, and stellate neoplastic cells accompanied by occasional giant cells arranged in fascicular, herringbone, or irregular storiform patterns with abundant production of collagen fibers. The cytoplasm of most tumor cells was positive for vimentin, alpha-smooth muscle actin, and calponin, but was negative for desmin, smoothelin, and S-100. Furthermore, most of the tumor cells were negative for Iba1 while some tumor cells were weakly positive. Thus, this tumor was diagnosed as a high-grade myofibroblastic sarcoma according to the diagnostic criteria for human myofibroblastic sarcomas.     

Trial for detecting carriers with major genes in a selected layer line

Production traits of a Rhode Island Red layer line were analyzed to detect carrier animals with major genes that influenced a particular trait by applying the major gene index (MGI) approach. This method was used to examine the deviation of predicted breeding values between parents and offspring. Advantages of this method include its simplicity and time‐reducing, cost‐saving benefits compared with any other statistical approach for screening major genes. The layer line had been selected based on the desired gain index for 6 years at the National Livestock Breeding Center, Okazaki station. The line consisted of 125 sires and 2986 dams. Two economic traits as breeding objectives were studied – age at sexual maturity (ASM, days) and egg production efficiency (EP, %). The MGI detected nine sires and 23 dams as carriers with major genes for ASM, and five sires and 26 dams for EP. They were identified as important breeding stock, and pedigree information provided candidates possessing major genes with favorable effect at the founding of the selected layer line. It seems likely that the simple approach of the MGI could be a useful preliminary method for detecting carrier animals with major genes before applying molecular techniques on a sampled population to identify in more detail the existence of major genes and their carriers.     

Comparison of 4-Mercapto-4-methylpentan-2-one contents in hop cultivars from different growing regions

Contributions of hop-derived thiols were examined. Extremely strong fruity, black currant-like aromas were detected in beers hopped with some U.S. cultivars. 4-Mercapto-4-methylpentan-2-one (4MMP) was supposed to be the main contributor to the fruity aroma, and the contents between cultivars were investigated. In hop pellets, a negative correlation between 4MMP concentration and copper ion content in hops was observed. 4MMP was detected only in U.S., Australian, and New Zealand cultivars, but no European ones, which are treated with copper-containing fungicides (Bordeaux mixture) and therefore have a high content of copper ions. The 4MMP content was highest in Simcoe cultivars, followed by Summit, Apollo, Topaz, Cascade pellets, and also differed between crop years. It was indicated that most 4MMP exists freely in wort or in hop pellets with only small amounts formed from precursors and that the amounts increased during the fermentation process.     

Relationship between hybridization frequency of Brassica juncea × B. napus and distance from pollen source (B. napus) to recipient (B. juncea) under field conditions in Japan

Several imported transgenic canola (Brassica napus) seeds have been spilled and have grown along roadsides around import ports. B. juncea, a relative of B. napus with which it has high interspecific crossability, is widely distributed throughout Japan. There is public concern about the harmful impacts of feral B. napus plants on biodiversity, but spontaneous hybridization between spilled B. napus and weedy B. juncea populations is hardly revealed. We evaluated the relationship between the hybridization frequency of B. juncea × B. napus and their planting distance in field experiments using the mutagenic herbicide-tolerant B. napus cv. Bn0861 as a pollen source for hybrid screening. The recipient B. juncea cv. Kikarashina was planted in an experimental field with Bn0861 planted in the center. No hybrids were detected under natural flowering conditions in 2009. However, the flowering period was artificially kept overlapping in 2010, leading to a hybridization frequency of 1.62% in the mixed planting area. The hybridization frequency decreased drastically with distance from the pollen source, and was lower under field conditions than estimated from the high crossability, implying that spontaneous hybridization between spilled B. napus and weedy B. juncea is unlikely in the natural environment.