Allele frequency distribution of the canine dopamine receptor D4 gene exon III and I in 23 breeds

Various canine breeds are remarkably different from each other not only in their sizes and shapes but also in behavioral traits, suggesting that some of them are under genetic control. Although dopaminergic neurotransmission system is considered to affect animal behavior, little is known about related genes in canine. Relations between specific alleles in polymorphic regions of the dopamine receptor D4 gene (DRD4) and personality or psychiatric disorders have been reported in humans, and we first found polymorphism in exon III region of the gene in 4 canine breeds. In this study we surveyed allele frequency distribution in 23 breeds including a total of 1,535 unrelated individuals. In exon III, 8 alleles including a novel allele were identified. A group of breeds in which the alleles 447b, 498 and 549 were frequent tended toward high scores in aggression-related behavioral traits than that with frequent alleles 435 and 447a. Moreover, a polymorphism based on 24 bp insertion/deletion was found in exon I region for the first time in dogs. This information may be of use for candidate gene studies of behavioral variation in dogs.     

Pretreatment of macrophages with the combination of IFN-gamma and IL-12 induces resistance to Leishmania major at the early phase of infection

Interferon (IFN)-gamma is essential but not sufficient to control leishmaniasis. It is known that IFN-gamma is one of the major macrophage-activating cytokines, and the activated macrophages are a principal source of interleukin (IL)-12, which induces autocrine macrophage activation. In this study, the combined effect of IFN-gamma and IL-12 on the susceptibility of macrophages to Leishmania major infection was evaluated. Macrophages pretreated with IFN-gamma and/or IL-12 were infected with the parasites. Four hr post-infection (p.i.), the levels of infection and parasite load in the macrophages treated with the combination of IFN-gamma and IL-12 (IFN-gamma/IL-12) were significantly lower than those in the nontreated cells. However, the macrophages treated with either IFN-gamma or IL-12 did not show resistance to L. major infection. In addition, 72 hr p.i., the IFN-gamma/IL-12-treated and IFN-gamma-treated macrophages showed significantly lower levels of infection and parasite load than the nontreated cells, and higher levels of resistance was observed in the IFN-gamma/IL-12-treated macrophages than in the IFN-gamma-treated macrophages. Although IFN-gamma/IL-12 treatment of macrophages prior to the infection led to the induction of resistance, as described above, this resistance was not induced when these cytokines and the parasites were added simultaneously to the macrophage culture. These results suggest that IFN-gamma/IL-12 treatment prior to the infection restricts the early phase of the infection.     

Spatiotemporal distribution of Flavobacterium psychrophilum and ayu Plecoglossus altivelis in rivers revealed by environmental DNA analysis

Outbreaks of bacterial cold-water disease (BCWD), caused by Flavobacterium psychrophilum, are widespread in Japan, especially among ayu Plecoglossus altivelis. There are few investigations of F. psychrophilum in river water, and its seasonal distribution has not been clarified. We aimed to identify the spatiotemporal dynamics of F. psychrophilum and ayu to provide information that is useful for establishing a countermeasure for BCWD. Quantitative analysis of environmental DNA (eDNA) was used to clarify the year-round dynamics of ayu and F. psychrophilum. We sampled river water from the Nagara and Ibi rivers in Japan, and conducted monthly water sampling and eDNA quantification. Changes in the eDNA concentration of ayu were consistent with the known life histories of the fish. There was a strong negative correlation between the eDNA concentration of F. psychrophilum and water temperature, suggesting a strong dependence of F. psychrophilum dynamics in the river on water temperature. Furthermore, relatively high eDNA concentrations were recorded for both organisms in early summer and fall, suggesting that ayu is infected with F. psychrophilum during these seasons when experiencing up- and downmigration, respectively.

     

Effects of feeding high volumes of milk replacer on reproductive performance and on concentrations of metabolites and hormones in blood of Japanese black heifer calves

We evaluated the effects of feeding high volumes of milk replacer on growth and reproductive performances in Japanese black heifers. Fifty-one heifers were fed milk replacer at 9 L/day for 60 days (9 L × 60 days; n = 18) or 41 days (9 L × 41 days; n = 15), or at 7 L/day for 40 days (7 L × 40 days; n = 18). Artificial insemination (AI) was performed on heifers with ≥270 kg body weight and ≥116 cm body height at 300 days of age. The age at the first AI was 0.35 month later for 7 L × 40 days than the other groups (p < .01). However, age at calving did not differ among treatments (22.1 months). The interval from the first AI to pregnancy tended to be ~2 months longer for the 9 L × 60 days than the other groups (p = .07). Our results showed that feeding high volumes of milk replacer may reduce the age at calving via an improved rate of growth. In addition, we propose that feeding a maximum of 7 L milk replacer for 40 days may be the most appropriate rearing regime because the success of pregnancy per AI may be reduced in calves fed a maximum of 9 L for 41 and 60 days.     

Root and butt rot of Todo fir (Abies sachalinensis) caused by Heterobasidion annosum s.l. in Hokkaido,Japan

The occurrence and symptoms of root and butt rot were examined in a 35 × 30 m plot of 68‐year‐old Todo fir plantation in Hokkaido, Japan. Forty‐seven percent of the cut stumps were decayed and 52% of the decayed stumps showed similar decay characteristics with yellowish orange to light brown colouration and expanded pockets in the heartwood. Morphological characteristics of the pure cultures isolated from the decay were similar to the cultures isolated from basidiocarps of Heterobasidion annosum sensu lato, found on fallen logs outside of the research site. Also DNA analysis based on the combined data set of three gene loci (glyceraldehyde 3‐phosphate dehydrogenase, heat shock protein 80–1 and elongation factor 1‐alpha genes) showed that the isolates from the decay are included in the same clade with the Japanese H. annosum s.l. isolates. They form a subclade to H. parviporum (the European S group of H. annosum s.l.). This is the first report of molecular determination of H. annosum s.l. isolated from root and butt rot in a plantation in Japan.     

Monoclonal Gammopathy Associated With Naturally Occurring Canine Ehrlichiosis

Clinical, hematologic, and immunologic findings for 14 dogs with Ehrlichia canis monoclonal gammopathy were studied retrospectively. Epistaxis, anemia, thrombocytopenia, hypoalbuminemia, hypergammaglobulinemia, and proteinuria were documented in the majority of these dogs. The serum protein electrophoresis pattern was characterized by a distinct narrow-base monoclonal spike, by a broad-base monoclonal spike, or by a monoclonal spike superimposed on a polyclonal gammopathy. The monoclonal spike disappeared following tetracycline treatment for ehrlichiosis. The long-term prognosis following treatment was generally good. The diagnostic features of monoclonal gammopathy due to myeloma were compared with those of E. canis monoclonal gammopathy. Owing to numerous similarities in clinical, hematologic, and immunologic findings, we conclude that an E. canis antibody titer should be determined in all dogs in which a diagnosis of benign monoclonal gammopathy is contemplated or definitive evidence of myeloma, leukemia, or macroglobulinemia is lacking.     

The distribution of closely related large genets of Heterobasidion parviporum in a Todo fir (Abies sachalinensis) stand in Hokkaido,Japan

The distribution of genets of a root and butt rot pathogen Heterobasidion parviporum was studied in a 68‐year‐old Abies sachalinensis plantation in Japan. A total of 33 pure cultures of H. parviporum were isolated from diseased Todo fir stumps after clear‐felling. Individual genets of the fungus were identified by three different methods: somatic incompatibility test, random amplified polymorphic DNA, and DNA microsatellite analyses. The combined results of the three analyses identified at least eight genets within a 60 × 100 m plot. One genet, consisting of only one isolate, was genetically differentiated from the other genets by all three methods; the other 32 isolates, however, were grouped with minor discrepancies, into seven genetically close genets. The genetic differentiation was lower than that recorded previously in Europe. A single genet infected 1–15 trees in the plot. The longest distance of the two most isolated trees of a single genet was 51 m. The close genetic relationship between genets and their large sizes suggest that basidiospores from restricted sources (just a few fruiting bodies) infected the site before establishment of the present Todo fir stand and that the disease has spread mainly by vegetative growth of the mycelia through root contact. Absence of fruiting bodies of the fungus in the study plot also suggests the greater importance of vegetative growth than spore dispersal for the spread of this fungus.     

Influence of using texture information in remote sensed data on the accuracy of forest type classification at different levels of spatial resolution

We evaluated the influence of texture information from remote sensed data on the accuracy of forest type classification at different spatial resolutions. We used 4-m spatial resolution imagery to create five different sets of imagery with lower spatial resolutions down to 30 m. We classified forest type using spectral information alone, texture information alone, and spectral and texture information combined at each spatial resolution, and compared the classification accuracy at each resolution. The classification and regression tree method was used for classification. The accuracy of all three tests decreased slightly with lower spatial resolution. The accuracy with the combined data was generally higher than with either the spectral or texture information alone. At most resolutions, the lowest accuracy was with texture information alone. However, there was no clear difference in accuracy between the combined data and spectral data alone at 25- and 30-m spatial resolution. These results indicate that adding texture information to spatial information improves the accuracy of forest type classification from very high resolution (4-m spatial resolution) to medium resolution imagery (20-m spatial resolution), but this accuracy improvement does not appear to hold for relatively coarse resolution imagery (25- to 30-m spatial resolution).     

Effect of slag on paddy rice Part 2. Influence of different nitrogen and slag levels on growth and composition of rice plant

In a previous paper,¹⁾ we concluded that the fertility associated with a certain type of degraded paddy field such as Fujimi soil in Yamanashi prefecture, could be attributed to the low level of available silica, and much application of the electric furnace slags resulted in a good growth of rice plant.     

Ecology-oriented House Builders and FSC-certified Domestic Timber in Japan

Forest owners’ cooperatives are one of the leading organizations in the forest sector in Japan. Yusuhara Forest Owners’ Cooperative (YFOC) in Kochi Prefecture is one of such examples, which obtained FSC forest certification as a resource manager of the forest, which belongs to more than 1,200 small-scale forest owners. YFOC has successfully expanded sales of FSC-labeled timber in recent years. Most of their certified timber is purchased by house builders in urban cities including Osaka. This paper analyzes who desires FSC-certified timber from YFOC and why. Six case studies are reported, which reveal that ecology-oriented house builders are interested in using FSC certified timber because of traceability of the timber, price advantage from direct dealing, environmentally sound forest management of YFOC, and relatively high quality of the timber.