Catalog of Micro-Tom tomato responses to common fungal, bacterial, and viral pathogens

Lycopersicon esculentum cultivar Micro-Tom is a miniature tomato with many advantages for studies of the molecular biology and physiology of plants. To evaluate the suitability of Micro-Tom as a host plant for the study of pathogenesis, Micro-Tom plants were inoculated with 16 well-known fungal, bacterial, and viral pathogens of tomato. Athelia rolfsii, Botryotinia fuckeliana, Oidium sp., Phytophthora infestans, and Sclerotinia sclerotiorum caused typical symptoms and sporulated abundantly on Micro-Tom. Micro-Tom was resistant to Alternaria alternata, Corynespora cassiicola, and Fusarium oxysporum. When Micro-Tom was inoculated with 17 isolates of Ralstonia solanacearum, many isolates induced wilt symptoms. Agrobacterium tumefaciens also was pathogenic, causing crown galls on stem tissue after needle prick inoculation. In Micro-Tom sprayed with Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato, P. s. pv. tabaci, or P. s. pv. glycinea, bacterial populations did not increase, and yellow lesions appeared only on leaves sprayed with P. s. pv. tomato. Tomato mosaic virus, Tomato aspermy virus, and Cucumber mosaic virus systemically infected Micro-Tom, which developed symptoms characteristic of other cultivars of tomato after infection with the respective virus. These results indicated that Micro-Tom was generally susceptible to most of the important tomato pathogens and developed typical symptoms, whereas certain pathogens were restricted by either hypersensitive resistance or nonhost resistance on Micro-Tom. Therefore, an assortment of Micro-Tom–pathogen systems should provide excellent models for studying the mechanism of susceptible and resistant interactions between plants and pathogens.     

Demographic survey of the yellow-phase Japanese eel Anguilla japonica in Japan

Catch statistics and biological data of the Japanese eel Anguilla japonica from 12 river systems in nine prefectures of Japan (36°N, 140°E–31°N, 130°E) during 1999–2004 were analyzed in order to evaluate the demography of A. japonica in Japan. Significant differences in biological characteristics of 6388 eels were found among the river systems. Fishery catches of eels in all locations have declined, but the magnitudes or patterns of decline seem to be different. Of sex-identified eels, mean total lengths ± SD (mm) of females (n = 3776) and males (n = 962) were 495.6 ± 104.3 and 412.9 ± 80.7, respectively, and overall sex ratio (% female) was 79.6 %. Mean age (years) and growth rate (mm year^?1) were 5.0 ± 1.9 and 96.7 ± 38.6 for females (n = 3643) and 3.6 ± 1.7 and 120.5 ± 65.4 for males (n = 907), respectively. This study highlights the demographic heterogeneity of the A. japonica among the studied river systems, which suggests that it is important to conserve a variety of habitats in multiple river systems as an inclusive management target in addition to restoration of the diversity of habitats for eels in a single river system.     

Plasma leptin concentration in dogs: effects of body condition score, age, gender and breeds

Leptin is a cytokine produced by adipocytes, and plays a key role in the regulation of energy balance. In the present study, we measured plasma leptin concentrations of 166 normal and obese dogs visiting veterinary practices, and clarified the influence of age, gender and breed on plasma leptin levels in dogs. Leptin levels were higher in the dogs with higher body condition scores. There was no noticeable influence of age, gender and breed, but those in optimal puppies and obese Miniature Dachshund tended to be lower than those in corresponding groups. We conclude that plasma leptin is a reliable marker of adiposity in dogs regardless of age, gender and breed variations, and thereby useful as a blood biochemistry test for health examinations and treatment of obesity.     

Innate lymphoid cells promote anatomical containment of lymphoid-resident commensal bacteria

The mammalian intestinal tract is colonized by trillions of beneficial commensal bacteria that are anatomically restricted to specific niches. However, the mechanisms that regulate anatomical containment remain unclear. Here, we show that interleukin-22 (IL-22)-producing innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) are present in intestinal tissues of healthy mammals. Depletion of ILCs resulted in peripheral dissemination of commensal bacteria and systemic inflammation, which was prevented by administration of IL-22. Disseminating bacteria were identified as Alcaligenes species originating from host lymphoid tissues. Alcaligenes was sufficient to promote systemic inflammation after ILC depletion in mice, and Alcaligenes-specific systemic immune responses were associated with Crohn's disease and progressive hepatitis C virus infection in patients. Collectively, these data indicate that ILCs regulate selective containment of lymphoid-resident bacteria to prevent systemic inflammation associated with chronic diseases.     

Seed development of Araucaria angustifolia: plant hormones and germinability in 2 years of seeds production

New Forests - During seed development, plant hormones are involved in processes such as the accumulation of reserves, cellular activity and physiological responses. The present study aimed to...     

Activities of mesencephalic nucleus neurons during fictive swimming of the carp Cyprinus carpio

ABSTRACT:   Fish swim by undulatory contractions of the axial trunk musculature. It has been presumed that a descending signal from the brainstem activates central pattern generators in the spinal cord to make the swimming rhythm. In the carp the electrical or chemical stimulation of a mesencephalic nucleus, the nucleus fasciculi longitudinalis medialis (Nflm), could initiate swimming. However, it has not been established what signals originate from the Nflm in order to make the fish swim. The activity of the Nflm neurons was therefore examined electrophysiologically during fictive swimming in paralyzed carp. Three types of neuronal activities closely related to the swimming rhythms were obtained. The first type was a continuous tonic firing throughout an episode of fictive swimming. Neurons involved in this tonic activity may project to the spinal cord and contribute to the activation of spinal neurons to initiate fish swimming. The second type was accompanied by continual phasic firings occurring in rhythm with the activity of spinal motoneurons. Supposing that the swimming rhythm originates in the spinal cord, the synchronous activity in the brain neurons may suggest that in the nucleus there is a relay neuron conveying the rhythm information from the cord to other neurons there or in the brain. The third type exhibited reduced firing rates during fictive swimming. It is possible that the neurons engaged in this activity may be inhibitory and suppress the activities of other neurons in the nucleus and spinal cord during rest or during decelerating swimming.     

Long-term monitoring of feral genetically modified herbicide-tolerant Brassica napus populations around unloading Japanese ports

Genetically modified, herbicide-tolerant (GMHT) Brassica napus plants originating from seed spill have recently been found along roadsides leading from Japanese ports that unload oilseed rape. Such introductions have potential biodiversity effects (as defined by the Cartagena Protocol): these include replacement of native elements in the biota through competitive suppression or hybridization. We conducted surveys in the period 2006–2011 to assess such threats. We examined shifts in the population distribution and occurrence of GMHT plants in 1,029 volunteer introduced assemblages of B. napus, 1,169 of B. juncea, and 184 of B. rapa around 12 ports. GMHT B. napus was found around 10 of 12 ports, but its proportion in the populations varied greatly by year and location. Over the survey period, the distributions of a pure non-GMHT population around Tobata and a pure GMHT population around Hakata increased significantly. However, there was no common trend of population expansion or contraction around the 12 ports. Furthermore, we found no herbicide tolerant B. juncea and B. rapa plants derived from crosses with GMHT B. napus. Therefore, GMHT B. napus is not invading native vegetation surrounding its populations and not likely to cross with congeners in Japanese environment.     

Comparative Evaluation on Nitrogen Saturation of Forest Catchments in Japan and Northeastern United States

To analyze the differences in the status and processes of nitrogen saturation in Japan and northeastern United States, we examined the hydrobiogeochemistry of nitrogen of forested watersheds in these regions. Two distinct differences were found between watersheds in Japan compared with those in US. 1) In Japanese watersheds, marked decreases of NO₃ ^? concentration in surface waters during the summer growing season were not found and NO₃ ^? concentrations sometimes increased especially in the summer at nitrogen saturated sites. This contrast with watersheds in US where decreases in NO₃ ^? concentration during the summer are commonly observed except those watersheds in advanced stages of nitrogen saturation. These differences in NO₃ ^? concentration relationships can be attributed to climatic differences, with Japan having high precipitation and high discharge during the summer, while in many regions of North America lowest discharges are found in the summer. The climatic regime in Japan leads to high rates of mineralization and the rapid transport of NO₃ ^? to streams in summer. 2) Japanese watersheds, even those with high NO₃ ^? concentrations in surface waters, show little evidence of acidification. This is in contrast to sites in US where increased NO₃ ^? concentrations, especially during episodic events, result in surface water acidification.     

Redox regulation of germline and vulval development in Caenorhabditis elegans

In vitro studies have indicated that reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the oxidation of signaling molecules are important mediators of signal transduction. We have identified two pathways by which the altered redox chemistry of the clk-1 mutants of Caenorhabditis elegans acts in vivo on germline development. One pathway depends on the oxidation of an analog of vertebrate low density lipoprotein (LDL) and acts on the germline through the Ack-related tyrosine kinase (ARK-1) kinase and inositol trisphosphate (IP3) signaling. The other pathway is the oncogenic ras signaling pathway, whose action on germline as well as vulval development appears to be modulated by cytoplasmic ROS.