Fine mapping and candidate gene analysis of a new mutant gene for panicle apical abortion in rice

The rice panicle architecture depends on the arrangement of branches and spikelets which directly affect grain yield. We identified a mutant for panicle apical abortion (PAA-Hwa) from a japonica cultivar Hwacheongbyeo treated with N-methyl-N-nitrosourea. Under normal growth conditions, the mutant had multiple abnormal phenotypes, such as a slight reduction in plant height, narrow and dark green leaf blades, and small erect panicles with clear PAA compared to the wild-type plants. Genetic analysis revealed that the PAA was controlled by a single recessive gene, which is tentatively designated as paa-h. The paa-h gene was fine mapped at an interval of 71 kb flanked by sequence tagged site markers aptn3 and S6685-1 at the long arm of chromosome 4. Sequence analysis of the candidate genes within the delimited region showed a single base-pair change corresponding to an amino acid substitution from glycine to glutamic acid at the candidate gene, LOC_Os04g56160. We expect that the paa-h gene will be a clue to uncover the molecular mechanism of PAA and to maintain the panicle identity for grain yield in rice breeding programs.     

Radial variations in the anatomical characteristics and density of the wood of Acacia mangium of five different provenances in Indonesia

The anatomical characteristics and density of wood were examined in 23-year-old Acacia mangium trees that had been planted in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The seeds had been collected from trees of five different provenances. The distance from the pith of the boundary between juvenile and mature wood was also examined to clarify the maturity of the wood. Lengths of wood fibers near the pith and the distance from the pith of the boundary between juvenile and mature wood differed significantly among provenances. By contrast, other anatomical characteristics of the wood such as fiber wall area, fiber wall thickness, fiber diameter, vessel lumen area, vessel diameter, vessel frequency and wood density did not differ significantly among provenances. Wood density was strongly correlated with the area of fiber walls. Our observations suggest that Sidei and Daintree might be more appropriate provenances among those examined for the Acacia mangium tree-breeding programs in Indonesia that are aimed at improving wood quality, because these provenances are associated with longer initial wood fibers and narrower juvenile areas than the other provenances studied.     

Nicotinamide attenuates the decrease of astrocytic phosphoprotein PEA-15 in focal cerebral ischemic injury

Nicotinamide exerts neuroprotective effects against focal cerebral ischemic injury. Phosphoprotein enriched in astrocytes 15 (PEA-15) is prominently expressed in astrocytes that exert broad anti-apoptotic functions. This study investigated whether nicotinamide modulates PEA-15 and levels of two phosphorylated PEA-15 (Serine 104 and 116) in an animal model of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO)-induced injury. Adult male rats were treated with vehicle or nicotinamide (500 mg/kg) 2 hr after the onset of MCAO and cerebral cortices were collected at 24 hr after MCAO. In a proteomic approach, MCAO induced decreases of PEA-15 levels, while nicotinamide treatment attenuated the injury-induced decrease in PEA-15. The results of Western blot analysis suggest that nicotinamide prevented injury-induced reduction in phospho-PEA-15 (Serine 104) and phospho-PEA-15 (Serine 116) levels. The phosphorylation of PEA-15 exerts anti-apoptotic functions, and reduction of PEA-15 phosphorylation leads to apoptotic cell death. These results suggest that nicotinamide exerts a neuroprotective effect by attenuating the injury-induced decreases of PEA-15 and phospho-PEA-15 (Ser 104 and Ser 116) proteins.     

Effects of Ferulic Acid and Transglutaminase on Hard Wheat Flour Dough and Bread

The effects of ferulic acid and transglutaminase (TG) on the properties of wheat flour dough and bread were investigated. Ferulic acid and TG were blended with hard wheat flour at levels of 250 and 2,000 ppm of flour weight, respectively. The addition of ferulic acid reduced the mixing time and mixing tolerance. The addition of TG did not obviously affect the mixing properties. Significant effects of ferulic acid plus TG on the rested dough texture were observed for overmixed dough. The maximum resistance (Rmax) of the dough was significantly reduced with the addition of ferulic acid but increased with the addition of TG. The addition of TG with ferulic acid restored the Rmax reduced by ferulic acid alone. The proportion of SDS‐soluble high molecular weight proteins in the dough increased with the addition of ferulic acid and decreased with TG, when assessed with size‐exclusion HPLC fractionation. Although the addition of TG improved the handling properties of the dough made sticky with added ferulic acid, it did not improve the quality of the bread with added ferulic acid as measured by loaf volume and firmness.     

Habitat niche separation of the nonnative rainbow trout and native masu salmon in the Atsuta River,Hokkaido, Japan

The mechanisms by which nonnative species establish populations can be classified into two broad categories: they usurp the niches of native species through interspecific competition, or they avoid this intense interspecific competition by making use of minimal niche overlap with the native species. In this study, we considered how a nonnative salmonid species, the rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss, established a population in the presence of the native salmonid species, the masu salmon O. masou, in Hokkaido, Japan. Circumstantial field evidence shows that the masu salmon exceeds the rainbow trout in abundance and suggests that these species use different types of cover habitat (rainbow trout abundance increases with increasing abundance of large woody debris aggregates, whereas masu salmon abundance increases with increasing abundance of undercut banks). These results imply that the rainbow trout established a population due to minimal niche overlap with the masu salmon, and not by competitive exclusion of the native species.     

Quercetin ameliorates glutamate toxicity-induced neuronal cell death by controlling calcium-binding protein parvalbumin

BackgroundGlutamate is the main excitatory neurotransmitter. Excessive glutamate causes excitatory toxicity and increases intracellular calcium, leading to neuronal death. Parvalbumin is a calcium-binding protein that regulates calcium homeostasis. Quercetin is a polyphenol found in plant and has neuroprotective effects against neurodegenerative diseases.ObjectivesWe investigated whether quercetin regulates apoptosis by modulating parvalbumin expression in glutamate induced neuronal damage.MethodsGlutamate was treated in hippocampal-derived cell line, and quercetin or vehicle was treated 1 h before glutamate exposure. Cells were collected for experimental procedure 24 h after glutamate treatment and intracellular calcium concentration and parvalbumin expression were examined. Parvalbumin small interfering RNA (siRNA) transfection was performed to detect the relation between parvalbumin and apoptosis.ResultsGlutamate reduced cell viability and increased intracellular calcium concentration, while quercetin preserved calcium concentration and neuronal damage. Moreover, glutamate reduced parvalbumin expression and quercetin alleviated this reduction. Glutamate increased caspase-3 expression, and quercetin attenuated this increase in both parvalbumin siRNA transfected and non-transfected cells. The alleviative effect of quercetin was statistically significant in non-transfected cells. Moreover, glutamate decreased bcl-2 and increased bax expressions, while quercetin alleviated these changes. The alleviative effect of quercetin in bcl-2 family protein expression was more remarkable in non-transfected cells.ConclusionsThese results demonstrate that parvalbumin contributes to the maintainace of intracellular calcium concentration and the prevention of apoptosis, and quercetin modulates parvalbumin expression in glutamate-exposed cells. Thus, these findings suggest that quercetin performs neuroprotective function against glutamate toxicity by regulating parvalbumin expression.     

On the radial-growth variations of Japanese beech <Emphasis Type="Italic">(Fagus crenata)</Emphasis> on the northernmost part of Honshu Island,Japan

We developed ring-width chronologies for living trees of Japanese beech at two forest sites on the northern-most part of Honshu Island, Japan. A statistical threshold (running expressed population signal) yielded these site chronologies spanning 1853–1994 (142 years) and 1867–1994 (128 years). We examined two factors, climate and masting, that could affect the variations of radial growth. The response function analysis revealed that the ring width correlated positively with July and August temperatures of the previous growth year. The optimal radial growth of Japanese beech may largely depend on a warm previous summer with above-average temperatures. The years of good masting coincided mostly with those showing abrupt growth depression, although only the short-term records of masting were available. Part of this work was presented at the 6th Pacific Regional Wood Anatomy Conference, Kyoto, December 2005, and the 7th International Conference on Dendrochronology, Beijing, June 2006     

Effect of chelating agent in disperse dye dyeing on polyester fabric

In this study, mild acid based chelating agents (glycolic acid, gluconic acid, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, and citric acid) were used for the dyeing of polyester fabrics with metal sensitive disperse dye in closed dyeing process. The chelating and pH adjustment efficiencies were compared in disperse dyeing condition. In the comparative analysis with different chelating agents, glycolic acid showed a higher chelation efficiency and consequently showed higher dye bath exhaustion and color strength. Slight differences in the color fastness of the dyed samples obtained by employing four different chelating agents were observed.     

Impact of inland waters on highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreaks in neighboring poultry farms in South Korea

BackgroundSince 2003, the H5 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) subtype has caused massive economic losses in the poultry industry in South Korea. The role of inland water bodies in avian influenza (AI) outbreaks has not been investigated. Identifying water bodies that facilitate risk pathways leading to the incursion of the HPAI virus (HPAIV) into poultry farms is essential for implementing specific precautionary measures to prevent viral transmission.ObjectivesThis matched case-control study (1:4) examined whether inland waters were associated with a higher risk of AI outbreaks in the neighboring poultry farms.MethodsRivers, irrigation canals, lakes, and ponds were considered inland water bodies. The cases and controls were chosen based on the matching criteria. The nearest possible farms located within a radius of 3 km of the case farms were chosen as the control farms. The poultry farms were selected randomly, and two HPAI epidemics (H5N8 [2014–2016] and H5N6 [2016–2017]) were studied. Conditional logistic regression analysis was applied.ResultsStatistical analysis revealed that inland waters near poultry farms were significant risk factors for AI outbreaks. The study speculated that freely wandering wild waterfowl and small animals contaminate areas surrounding poultry farms.ConclusionsPet birds and animals raised alongside poultry birds on farm premises may wander easily to nearby waters, potentially increasing the risk of AI infection in poultry farms. Mechanical transmission of the AI virus occurs when poultry farm workers or visitors come into contact with infected water bodies or their surroundings. To prevent AI outbreaks in the future, poultry farms should adopt strict precautions to avoid contact with nearby water bodies and their surroundings.     

Sensible consumerism for environmental sustainability

Navjot Sodhi and we often discussed how growing global demands for food are placing increasing pressures on tropical forests. Although more consumers are demanding for ‘greener’ products associated with sustainable production, green consumerism and improved production practices per se might not adequately curtail destruction of forests and biodiversity. Instead, we argue that consumers in emerging and developed countries need to avoid wasteful and excessive consumption. We demonstrate how reasonable recalibration of consumer aspirations and changes in consumption levels in China, India, the European Union and United States might substantially alleviate environmental impacts associated with oilseed production in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brazil and Argentina. We do so through a scenario analysis that projects oilseed demands and expansion from current levels to 2100 under three alternative consumption trends. We show that pursuing a business-as-usual course of consumption would impose severe pressures in producer countries to clear land for oil-palm and soybean agriculture (up to an additional ～12 million hectares by 2040), which could exacerbate rates of deforestation and biodiversity loss in these tropical regions. On the other hand, if each person in the EU and US reduces his/her daily vegetable oil consumption by an average of 25 g – roughly equivalent to forgoing one large serving of French Fries – the pressure to convert tropical forests for oilseed expansion could be reduced by up to ～70%. Our analysis demonstrates how changes in consumer behavior in industrialized nations could substantially alleviate environmental impacts associated with agricultural production in the developing tropics.