Classification of abomasal displacement in cows according to histopathology of the liver and clinical chemistry

Histopathological features of livers and blood chemical values in cows with abomasal displacement were investigated. Liver biopsy samples were collected during redressment operations in 92 cows with abomasal displacement, and the samples were stained with haematoxylin and eosin or periodic acid Schiff (PAS). Blood was collected for chemical tests. Livers were histopathologically divided into the following four types: normal histology cases (21%), fatty degeneration cases (36%), cloudy swelling cases (19%) and fatty degeneration cases with cloudy swelling (24%). The number of PAS-positive samples was significantly higher in the normal histology group and significantly lower in the severe fatty degeneration group and severe cloudy swelling group. Cows with fatty degeneration had significantly higher levels of serum 3-hydroxybutyric acid, non-esterified fatty acid and aspartate aminotransferase than did those with cloudy swelling or normal histology. The results indicate that the morbid conditions of cows with abomasal displacement can be classified into four types.     

Interaction between the helicase domain of the tobacco mosaic virus replicase and a tobacco arginine decarboxylase

In a yeast two-hybrid screening test for tobacco proteins that interact with TMV replicase using the helicase (H) domain as bait, a cDNA clone was selected that encodes a polyamine biosynthetic enzyme, arginine decarboxylase (ADC). In yeast cells, the C-terminal internal region of ADC interacted with the H domain. This observation was confirmed in vitro by far-Western blotting. Inhibition of the binding between the H domain and the IRnHEL (I region and N-terminus of helicase domain) region by ADC using a yeast three-hybrid assay suggested possible interference of the heterodimerization of 126K and 183K by ADC.The nucleotide sequence data of pADCF reported in this study is available in the DDBJ/EMBL/GenBank databases under accession number AB110952     

Cartilage acidic protein-1B (LOTUS), an endogenous Nogo receptor antagonist for axon tract formation

Neural circuitry formation depends on the molecular control of axonal projection during development. By screening with fluorophore-assisted light inactivation in the developing mouse brain, we identified cartilage acidic protein-1B as a key molecule for lateral olfactory tract (LOT) formation and named it LOT usher substance (LOTUS). We further identified Nogo receptor-1 (NgR1) as a LOTUS-binding protein. NgR1 is a receptor of myelin-derived axon growth inhibitors, such as Nogo, which prevent neural regeneration in the adult. LOTUS suppressed Nogo-NgR1 binding and Nogo-induced growth cone collapse. A defasciculated LOT was present in lotus-deficient mice but not in mice lacking both lotus- and ngr1. These findings suggest that endogenous antagonism of NgR1 by LOTUS is crucial for normal LOT formation.     

Herbivore-induced volatiles from tea (Camellia sinensis) plants and their involvement in intraplant communication and changes in endogenous nonvolatile metabolites

As a defense response to attacks by herbivores such as the smaller tea tortrix ( Adoxophyes honmai Yasuda), tea ( Camellia sinensis ) leaves emit numerous volatiles such as (Z)-3-hexen-1-ol, linalool, α-farnesene, benzyl nitrile, indole, nerolidol, and ocimenes in higher concentration. Attack of Kanzawa spider mites ( Tetranychus kanzawai Kishida), another major pest insect of tea crops, induced the emission of α-farnesene and ocimenes from tea leaves. The exogenous application of jasmonic acid to tea leaves induced a volatile blend that was similar, although not identical, to that induced by the smaller tea tortrix. Most of these herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPV) were not stored in the tea leaves but emitted after the herbivore attack. Both the adaxial and abaxial epidermal layers of tea leaves emitted blends of similar composition. Furthermore, HIPV such as α-farnesene were emitted mostly from damaged but not from undamaged leaf regions. A principal component analysis of metabolites (m/z 70-1000) in undamaged tea leaves exposed or not to HIPV suggests that external signaling via HIPV may lead to more drastic changes in the metabolite spectrum of tea leaves than internal signaling via vascular connections, although total catechin contents were slightly but not significantly increased in the external signaling via HIPV.     

Construction and characterization of a BAC library of soybean

We have constructed a soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merrill) bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) library from green leaf protoplasts of the cultivar, Misuzudaizu. The library contains 53,760 clones with an average insert size of 116 kb. About 2.9% chloroplast DNA origin was revealed by PCR and colony hybridization. Apart from 2.8% clones having no insert, this library represents 5.2 genome equivalents. With this genome coverage, the probability of having any DNA sequence represented in the library is higher than 99.5%. Three-dimensional pools of the BAC library in combination with the use of a high efficiency genome scanning (HEGS) electrophoresis facilitate rapid and efficient PCR-based screening. An average of five positive clones were identified after screening the BAC library with SSR and STS markers. BAC-end walking was performed for three SSR associated BACs. This library will provide a good resource for positional cloning of agronomically and biologically important QTL genes that Misuzudaizu possesses.     

Odontoclastic resorptive lesions in a dog

We found odontoclastic resorptive lesions on premolars and molars in a 4- year-old miniature dachshund. The teeth had been extracted because the dentin was resorbed. In some teeth, the roots had been replaced by hard tissue, and so we amputated the crowns and curetted roots and alveolar bone. Histopathological examination revealed that the dentin was resorbed by odontoclasts and was replaced with bony tissue. Ten months later we found resorptive lesions in other teeth, and we treated them along with the first treatment. At the time of writing, since this is the first report of a dog with the same lesion in other teeth after the first treatment, we hope to establish better treatment and prevention methods.     

Growth inhibition due to continuous cropping of dryland rice and other crops

Rice, corn, sorghum, mungbeans, and cowpeas were continuously grown on the same land at 2- to 6-week intervals between crops to determine effects on yield. Decline of growth and yield occurred during continuous cropping. Dryland rice, mungbeans, and cowpeas were affected most, corn slightly, and sorghum was not visibly affected.

Growth inhibition in dryland rice and mungbeans occurred after one or two crops; growing the same crop in rapid succession resulted il1low grain yields. The persistence of inhibitory effects was indicated. One crop rotation or 5 months of fallow removed only a part of the harmful effects.

The causal agent appears to have a specific affinity to the host crop. Root residues of the previous crop may serve as a source of the causal agent for the subsequent crop.

Biological agents were involved in growth inhibition of rnungbeans and dryland rice. In mungbeans, the inhibitory effects appeared to be directly dependent on microorganisms. It appeared that microorganisms were not the primary cause of harmful effects in dryland rice.     

Guanine-cytosine contents of the host and symbiont cDNA in a symbiotic coral

ABSTRACT:   Hermatypic (reef-building) corals harbor dinoflagellate endo-symbionts Symbiodinium spp. In studying gene expression in such symbiotic corals, problems arise regarding how to distinguish the coral and symbiont mRNA, and how to estimate their fractions in the mRNA population of the holobiont (symbiotic complex of the coral and Symbiodinium cells). In this study, these issues were addressed using juveniles of hermatypic coral Acropora tenuis in symbiosis with Symbiodinium cells of strain PL-TS-1. First, the guanine-cytosine (GC) contents were determined in expressed sequence tags (EST) from PL-TS-1 cells cultured in vitro and symbiont-free larvae of A. tenuis , and their average GC contents were found to be significantly different. The average GC content of the EST from the holobiont was much closer to that of A. tenuis larvae, suggesting that the majority (>90%) of mRNA isolated from the holobiont originated in the host. In protein-coding sequences, little overlap was observed between the GC-content distributions of PL-TS-1 cells and A. tenuis larvae. All of the coding sequences ( n  = 59) found in the A. tenuis EST had GC contents below 0.5, whereas the GC content exceeded 0.5 in the majority (43/44) of coding sequences from the nuclear genome of PL-TS-1 cells.     

Identification of bovine dendritic cell phenotype from bovine peripheral blood

Dendritic cells (DCs) are professional antigen presenting cells, which initiate primary immune responses and also play an important role in the generation of peripheral tolerance. There is no reliable method established for the isolation of bovine peripheral blood DCs, and furthermore, the phenotypes and the functions of bovine DCs are still not fully clear. In the present study, we have attempted to identify bovine peripheral blood DCs by negative-selection. In bovine peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), we have newly characterized the phenotype of DCs, which is CD11c+/CD172a+. These cells display features of myeloid type DCs. In the thymic medulla, CD11c+/CD172a+ cells were also present and CD1+/CD172a+ cells were additionally detected as a population of DCs. The data suggest that one of the bovine DCs phenotypes from PBMC is derived from myeloid lineages lacking a CD1 molecule, which then drift to several tissues, and that they then may express a CD1 molecule upon their functional differentiation.