Inhibitory effects of edible marine algae extracts on degranulation of RBL-2H3 cells and mouse eosinophils

Inhibitory effects on degranulation of rat basophilic leukemia (RBL-2H3) cells and mouse eosinophils by marine algae extracts were examined. More than 50% of the degranulation of RBL-2H3 cells was inhibited by water extracts of Ecklonia cava and Chrysymenia wrightii at a concentration of 100 μg/mL. More than 50% of the degranulation of RBL-2H3 cells was inhibited by methanol extracts of Petalonia binghamiae, Scytosiphon lomentaria, Undaria pinnatifida, Porphyra dentata, Codium fragile and Ulva japonica at a concentration of 200 μg/mL. Most inhibitory substances in the methanol extracts were partitioned into ethyl acetate and hexane layers. The ethyl acetate-partitioned layer of methanol extract of Petalonia binghamiae had higher inhibitory effects than the hexane-partitioned layer on the degranulation of RBL-2H3 cells. By contrast, the hexanepartitioned layer of the same extract had a higher inhibitory effect than the ethyl acetate-partitioned layer on the degranulation of mouse eosinophils. The ethyl acetate-partitioned layer of methanol extract of Petalonia binghamiae was further separated into eight fractions by silica gel column chromatography. Most inhibited the degranulation of RBL-2H3 cells, but not that of mouse eosinophils significantly. These results suggest methanol extract of Petalonia binghamiae contains materials that inhibit the degranulation of basophils and eosinophils differentially.     

Resource level as a proximate factor influencing fluctuations in male flower production in Cryptomeria japonica D. Don

Airborne pollen of Cryptomeria japonica causes severe pollinosis, and the number of people suffering from pollinosis has increased rapidly during recent decades. Male flower production in C. japonica shows annual variability; thus, predicting male flower production for the following spring could be a countermeasure against pollinosis. We analyzed factors that explain fluctuations in male flower production of C. japonica according to parameters reflecting internal resource dynamics based on field observations. In addition, we carried out experiments to regulate available resource levels using artificial shading to test the effect of internal resource levels on the number of male flowers produced. We found that temperature and precipitation in the previous summer and a relative increase in male flower production in the previous year were negatively related, whereas sunshine duration in the previous summer and diameter at breast height were positively related to the current year increase in male flower production. The number of male flowers was significantly reduced by the shading treatment and was positively correlated with the amount of total non-structural carbohydrates in the root. These results suggest that understanding the parameters controlling internal resource levels could lead to more accurate predictions of male flower production.     

Detection of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1-expressing cells in canine normal and tumor tissues

Cancer immunotherapy is a novel cancer treatment for canine tumors. Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1) is overexpressed in some human tumors and inhibits antitumor immunity. In this study, we comprehensively evaluated expression pattern of IDO1 and the nature of IDO1-expressing cells in canine normal and tumor tissues. In normal tissue samples, IDO1 expression was detected only in the lymph nodes, spleen, tonsil tissues, and colon tissues. In contrast, IDO1-positive tumor cells were observed in several tumor tissue types. This is the first study to evaluate IDO1 expression in canine normal and tumor tissues, and the results suggest that IDO1 is a promising target for novel cancer immunotherapy in dogs with tumors.     

Suitability of Japanese codling as a raw material for surimi-based products revealed by primary sequence analysis of myosin heavy chain and thermal gel properties

Fisheries Science - Complementary DNA encoding a part of myosin heavy chain was cloned from fast skeletal muscle of Japanese codling Physiculus japonicus. Japanese codling, a frequent catch off the...     

Comparison of Effect of Brassinosteroid and Gibberellin Biosynthesis Inhibitors on Growth of Rice Seedlings

Brassinosteroid(BR) and gibberellin(GA) are two predominant plant hormones that regulate plant cell elongation. Mutants disrupt the biosynthesis of these hormones and display different degrees of dwarf phenotypes in rice. Although the role of each plant hormone in promoting the longitudinal growth of plants has been extensively studied using genetic methods, their relationship is still poorly understood. In this study, we used two specific inhibitors targeting BR and GA biosynthesis to investigate the roles of BR and GA in growth of rice seedlings. Yucaizol, a specific inhibitor of BR biosynthesis, and Trinexapac-ethyl, a commercially available inhibitor of GA biosynthesis, were used. The effect of Yucaizol on rice seedlings indicated that Yucaizol significantly retarded stem elongation. The IC_(50) value was found to be approximately 0.8 μmol/L. Yucaizol also induced small leaf angle phenocopy in rice seedlings, similarly to BR-deficient rice, while Trinexapac-ethyl did not. When Yucaizol combined with Trinexapac-ethyl was applied to the rice plants, the mixture of these two inhibitors retarded stem elongation of rice at lower doses. Our results suggest that the use of a BR biosynthesis inhibitor combined with a GA biosynthesis inhibitor may be useful in the development of new technologies for controlling rice plant height.     

Prevalence of antimicrobial resistance in bacteria isolated from Great Cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo hanedae) in Japan

Wild birds are recognized as disseminators of antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) bacteria into the environment. Here, we isolated AMR indicator bacteria from 198 Great Cormorant cloacal swabs collected in Shiga (n=90), Oita (n=52), Gifu (n=29), and Gunma (n=27) Prefectures, Japan, in 2018 and 2019. In total, 198 Aeromonas spp. and 194 Escherichia spp. were isolated, and their antimicrobial susceptibility was examined. Aeromonas spp. were resistant to colistin (8.6%), nalidixic acid (4%), and other antimicrobials (<2%), with 3.0% positivity for mcr-3. Escherichia spp. showed resistance to colistin (3.1%), ampicillin (2.6%), tetracycline (2.1%), and other antimicrobials (<2%). This study shows the presence of AMR bacteria in Great Cormorants, indicating that these birds potentially disseminate AMR bacteria.     

Effects of temperature, salinity and their interaction on growth of toxic Ostreopsis sp. 1 and Ostreopsis sp. 6 (Dinophyceae) isolated from Japanese coastal waters

Some species belonging to Ostreopsis, a benthic dinoflagellate genus, are known to produce palytoxin analogues. Around the coastal regions of Japan, the toxic Ostreopsis sp. 1 and Ostreopsis sp. 6 which are genetically divergent from other species of Ostreopsis are present from the southern to northern regions and in the southern region, respectively. The present study examined the growth responses of these strains to seven temperatures (15–35 °C) in combination with five salinities (20–40) and discusses the effects of temperature and salinity on their distribution and bloom dynamics in Japan. Tolerable temperatures and salinities ranged 15–30 °C and 25–40 for Ostreopsis sp. 1, and 17.5–30 °C and 20–40 for Ostreopsis sp. 6. The optimal temperature ranges which gave growth rates of >90 % of maximal growth rate of each strain were 22–25 °C for Ostreopsis sp. 1 and 24–30 °C for Ostreopsis sp. 6. Therefore, Ostreopsis sp. 1 is putatively tolerant to lower temperatures and thus possesses adaptability to colder waters of relatively higher latitude regions of Japan, whereas Ostreopsis sp. 6 presumably possesses adaptability to warmer waters of the southern region. We conclude that growth responses of Japanese toxic Ostreopsis sp. 1 and Ostreopsis sp. 6 to temperature-salinity affect their distribution and bloom dynamics in Japan.     

Derivation of a yearly transition probability matrix for land-use dynamics and its applications

Transition matrices have often been used in landscape ecology and GIS studies of land-use to quantitatively estimate the rate of change. When transition matrices for different observation periods are compared, the observation intervals often differ because satellite images or photographs of the research site taken at constant time intervals may not be available. If the observation intervals differ, the transition probabilities cannot be compared without calculating a transition matrix with the normalized observation interval. For such calculation, several previous studies have utilized a linear algebra formula of the power root of matrices. However, three difficulties may arise when applying this formula to a practical dataset from photographs of a research site. We examined the first difficulty, namely that plural solutions could exist for a yearly transition matrix, which implies that there could be multiple scenarios for the same transition in land-use change. Using data for the Abukuma Mountains in Japan and the Selva el Ocote Biosphere Reserve in Mexico, we then looked at the second difficulty, in which we may obtain no positive Markovian matrix and only a matrix partially consisting of negative numbers. We propose a way to calibrate a matrix with some negative transition elements and to estimate the prediction error. Finally, we discuss the third difficulty that arises when a new land-use category appears at the end of the observation period and how to solve it. We developed a computer program to calculate and calibrate the yearly matrices and to estimate the prediction error.