Cytoarchitectural differences of myoepithelial cells among goat major salivary glands

Previously, the distribution of myoepithelial cells (mecs) in the salivary glands was studied by both immunohistochemistry, and transmission electron microscopy; however, little was elucidated concerning their morphological features, especially in goats. This study was performed to investigate the correlation between the cytoarchitecture of the mecs in goat major salivary glands (parotid, mandibular, and sublingual glands) and the nature of the saliva secretion. The cytoarchitectural features of the mecs were examined by scanning and transmission electron microscopy as well as immunohistochemically. The secretory endpieces in the parotid gland are of the pure serous type, but in both the mandibular and sublingual glands they are of the mixed type. In all studied glands, the intercalated ducts were covered by mecs which, unlike the large stellate cells that surrounded the secretory endpieces, were spindle-shaped with few cytoplasmic processes. Interestingly, the mecs were found to bulge on the basal surfaces of the serous acini and intercalated ducts in all glands and to be in close contact to the seromucous tubules surface in the mandibular and sublingual glands forming a continuous network around it. In conclusion, the differences in the degree of development of the mecs as well as the number of their cytoplasmic processes may be correlated with the nature of the secretion and the number of the secretory granules. Thus these observations may have some relevance in the diagnosis of atrophy and pathogenic conditions of these glands.     

Ten-year evapotranspiration estimates in a Bornean tropical rainforest

This study was undertaken to quantify interannual variations of total evaporation (ET) in a tropical rainforest in Sarawak, Malaysia. To this end, we conducted 10-year meteorological measurements and formulated a simplified big-leaf model that reproduces transpiration (Et), rainfall interception (Ei), and ET as the sum of these. The model was validated independently using eddy covariance fluxes, rainfall interception based on throughfall and stemflow measurements, and sap flow measurements conducted for more than 2 years. Using the model, Et, Ei, and ET were estimated for the period 2000-2009. Annual Et, Ei, and ET averaged over 10 years were estimated as 1114, 209, and 1323 mm, respectively, with small seasonal fluctuations. The derived estimates showed conservative year-to-year variations in annual Et, Ei, and ET (CV = 5-7%) in contrast to considerable year-to-year variations in annual rainfall (CV = 11%). Specific rainfall characteristics (e.g. intense short duration storms) at this site can explain the conservative year-to-year Ei variations. Small interannual variations in meteorological conditions and absence of severe drought during the study period can explain the small year-to-year Et variations. To characterize ET at our site, we also compared Ei and ET at our site with those of other tropical forests. Based on the derived ET characteristics, we discuss possible ET changes in response to changes in rainfall regime at this site.     

Karyotype analysis of interspecific fusants of basidiomycetes by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis

The purpose of this research was to analyze the karyotype of the interspecific fusants of twoPleurotus species. Auxotrophic mutants derived from the cultivated strain ofP. ostreatus andP. cornucopiae were used. Protoplasts were fused electrically, and the fusants were selected under auxotrophic complementation. Esterase isozyme analysis showed that several fusants had isozyme bands originating from both parental strains, and others had unilateral isozyme bands. The fusant that had expressed isozyme bands of both parental strains showed chromosomal DNA bands of both of the parental strains in pulsedfield gel electrophoresis analysis. Despite the above results, the chromosomal composition of the fusants obtained by the pulsed-field gel electrophoresis did not exhibit all of the bands of both fusion parents.     

Analysis of the electrophoretic karyotype ofFlammulina velutipes

The karyotype ofFlammulina velutipes (Curt.: Fr.) Sing. was analyzed electrophoretically using contourclamped homogeneous electric field gel electrophoresis and hybridization with DNA probes. The chromosomal DNA from the monokaryon (Fv-4K) and the dikaryon (Fv-4) were resolved into six and eight bands, respectively. The sizes of the chromosomes ranged from 1.9 to 6.0 megabase (Mb) pairs. Each of the separated bands of chromosomal DNA was identified by use of five cloned probes. The number of these chromosomes was estimated to be 6 and 12, respectively; and the size of the entire genome was estimated to be about 20.1 and 38.6Mb, respectively. From a comparison of the hybridization patterns, the existence of allelic chromosomes of different sizes was deduced in the Fv-4 strain.     

Utilization of Sake lees as Broiler Feedstuff and its Effects on Growth Performance and Intestinal Immunity

Increasing food loss and waste (FLW) is a global problem, and efforts are being made to use waste food as potential livestock feed material. The amount of self-supplied feed is lower in Japan than in other countries, and the government recommends FLW use for animal feed. Sake (Japanese rice wine) is a traditional alcoholic beverage. During the sake manufacturing process, large amounts of squeezed solids or “lees” (sake lees) are generated. Sake lees are nutritious and functional, but are prone to spoilage. In this study, we investigated whether sake lees should be mixed with animal feed immediately or after drying. To assess the usefulness of sake lees as a poultry feed ingredient and determine the effect of sake lees on intestinal immunity, we performed a feeding trial with three treatments: a raw sake lees (RSL) diet, dried sake lees (DSL) diet, and control diet. Three-week-old broilers were fed these diets (n=8 per group) for two weeks. We then calculated feed efficiency and performed RT-qPCR to assess the effects of diet on intestinal immunity. The growth performance in the RSL diet group was equivalent to that in the control diet group. The DSL diet became difficult for broilers to eat, resulting in decreased growth performance. In the ileum of RSL-diet broilers, the mRNA expression levels of TGF-β1 and avian β-defensin (AvBD)12 were significantly increased compared to those of control diet broilers (p<0.05), and a significant correlation was observed between the two genes (p<0.05). Our results indicated that sake lees should not be dried and should be mixed immediately with feed, and this sake lees when fed to chicken activates the intestinal immunity. However, sake lees have a lower fat content than corn, and it is thus important to combine sake lees with high-energy feed.     

Harpinpsta from Pseudomonas syringae pv. tabaci Is Defective and Deficient in Its Expression and HR-inducing Activity

To elucidate the role of harpins produced by Pseudomonas syringae, the corresponding hrpZ gene was isolated from P. s. pv. tabaci. The sequence information revealed that this gene carries a serious mutation with 326 bp lacking in the central region and potentially encodes only 140 N-terminal amino acids because of a frame shift. The investigation of biological properties using recombinant harpin indicated harpin_psta was incapable of inducing HR in both host and nonhost plants. Based on an immunoblot analysis to detect harpin from P. s. pathovars in hrp-inducing medium, the truncated harpin_psta was neither expressed nor secreted into the culture medium. These results suggest that harpin is not the sole determinant of the host-parasite specificity in P. s. pv. tabaci. Received 10 August 2000/ Accepted in revised form 21 December 2000     

Morphological changes and habitat shifts with growth of endangered floodplain fish: Possible adaptations to fluctuating environments

Adaptations that maximise food intake are dependent on food and/or habitat types. However, there have been few studies on the ability of floodplain primary freshwater fish to rapidly change their morphology, especially the internal one, to maximise utilisation efficiency of food resources in response to environmental fluctuations during their life history. We investigated morphological changes of an Acheilognathinae species (Acheilognathus longipinnis) that inhabits creeks in Japan to determine whether body shape variation correlated with environmental characteristics, including water depth, current velocity, vegetation cover and food availability. When shifting from floodwater-level to low-water-level season, the current velocity of the study area increased as the water level decreased, causing a significant increase in periphyton and a significant decline in zooplankton and phytoplankton. Concurrently, during the short period when A. longipinnis grow from the juvenile to the premature stage, changes in internal morphology, that is intestinal elongation, and changes in external morphology such as an increase of body depth were observed. In contrast, intestinal length significantly decreased in the adult stage. Our findings suggest that morphological changes between floodwater-level and low-water-level seasons associated with juvenile to premature development are an adaptation to changes in food availability due to environmental fluctuations. Additionally, the shortening of the intestine from the premature to the adult stage may be an adaptive strategy for reproduction.     

Hybrid aspen with a transgene for fungal manganese peroxidase is a potential contributor to phytoremediation of the environment contaminated with bisphenol A

To assess the possible utility of a fungal gene for manganese-dependent peroxidase (MnP) produced by a transgenic plant in phytoremediation, we transformed hybrid aspen with a chimeric gene for MnP. Our gene construct allowed expression of the gene for MnP in plants and relatively high MnP activity was detected in the hydroponic medium in which roots of plants that expressed the transgene had been cultured. Some of our transgenic plants were able to remove bisphenol A from the medium more efficiently than wild-type plants. Our results demonstrate that, without any modification of the coding sequence, a chimeric gene for fungal MnP can be expressed in a woody plant, with secretion of active MnP from roots into the rhizosphere. Our strategy suggests new options using woody plants for phytoremediation.     

Pericardial mesothelioma in a neonatal calf

We encountered an extremely rare tumor, a pericardial mesothelioma, in a neonatal calf. The patient calf showed severe abdominal distention, and died immediately after birth. The thoracic cavity was contained a huge heart with a large amount of pericardial fluid. A number of granular and cobblestone-like nodules were dispersed over the epicardium and pericardium. The nodules consisted of papillary proliferations of neoplastic cells, and the neoplasm occasionally showed mesenchymal proliferations. Immunohistochemistry revealed that they had the characteristics of mesothelial cells (cytokeratin-and vimentin-positive), and the neoplasm was diagnosed as mesothelioma.