The draft genome of Ciona intestinalis: insights into chordate and vertebrate origins

The first chordates appear in the fossil record at the time of the Cambrian explosion, nearly 550 million years ago. The modern ascidian tadpole represents a plausible approximation to these ancestral chordates. To illuminate the origins of chordate and vertebrates, we generated a draft of the protein-coding portion of the genome of the most studied ascidian, Ciona intestinalis. The Ciona genome contains approximately 16,000 protein-coding genes, similar to the number in other invertebrates, but only half that found in vertebrates. Vertebrate gene families are typically found in simplified form in Ciona, suggesting that ascidians contain the basic ancestral complement of genes involved in cell signaling and development. The ascidian genome has also acquired a number of lineage-specific innovations, including a group of genes engaged in cellulose metabolism that are related to those in bacteria and fungi.     

Evaluation of useful plants for the treatment of polluted pond water with low N and P concentrations

Eutrophication of ponds for agricultural use has begun to adversely affect rice production and the residential living environment in Japan. Cultivation of useful terrestrial and aquatic plant species in plant-bed filter ditches enables to treat domestic wastewater in addition to resource recycling and amenity functions. We evaluated the ability of several plant species, Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.), hanana (Brassica campestris L. var.), African marigold (Tages erecta L.), sorghum (Sorghum vulgare Pers.), kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.), papyrus (Cyperus papyrus L.), and reed (Phragmites communis Trin.), to remove nitrogen and phosphorus from polluted pond water whose N and P concentrations were much lower than those in domestic wastewater. Artificial pond water containing 2.5 mg L^-1 of N and 0.5 mg L^-1 of P was supplied to ditches at a loading rate of 1.1 g m^-2 d^-1 for N and 0.21 g m^-2 d^-1 for P. Italian ryegrass, papyrus, or kenaf in ditches removed N and P more effectively than other plants. The average removal rate of Italian ryegrass in ditches was 0.62 g m^-2 d^-1 for N and 0.10 g m^-2 d^-1 for P, that of papyrus 0.81 g m^-2 d^-1 for N and 0.15 g m^-2 d^-1 for P, and that of kenaf 0.73 g m^-2 d^-1 for N and 0.11 g m^-2 d^-1 for P. The influence of N and P concentrations on the removal rates of Italian ryegrass, papyrus, and kenaf was studied. Concentrations at a removal rate of zero were 0.2–0.3 mg L^-1 for N and 0.01–0.03 mg L^-l for P. At low concentrations, the plant removal rates increased sharply with the rise in the concentration. When N concentrations exceeded 0.3–0.6 mg L^-1 and P concentrations 0.10–0.45 mg L^-1, the removal rates were high and less affected by the concentration. It was considered that these plant species could be used most efficiently at the concentrations where removal rates are less restricted.     

Physiological effects of psyllid (Paratrioza cockerelli) on potato

Feeding by psyllid nymphs causes “Psyllid yellows,” a characteristic yellowing of shoots which results in a dramatic loss of tuber yield. If psyllid infestation is not controlled, the onset of shoot yellowing and growth reductions can occur within two weeks. When insecticides are applied after yellowing, recovery of plants often is not complete. In this study comparisons were made of the physiology and growth of tops and tubers of recovered and permanently injured potatoes of the cultivars ‘Denali,’ ‘Kennebec,’ and ‘Norgold Russet.’ Permanently injured plants senesced rapidly, developed less shoot growth, aerial tubers and shortened and thickened internodes. They had lower tuber yields than plants that recovered. Permanently injured ‘Denali’ developed shoots on old flowering stems. In permanently injured plants of all cultivars, the tubers were small and badly misshapen but numbers increased. In recovered ‘Kennebec’ plants tubers were also misshapen, but were of average size. Tubers of recovered ‘Denali’ and ‘Norgold Russet’ were of acceptable shape. In samplings made during tuber growth, dry weight percentages of total soluble sugars, sucrose and glucose of tubers from permanently injured plants were found to be the same as those of recovered plants. In all cultivars, starch percentages of tubers from permanently injured plants were higher than that of the recovered, but the pattern of carbohydrate content changes was similar for permanently injured and recovered cultivars.     

Heavy metal contamination of agricultural soil and countermeasures in Japan

Many heavy metals exist in minute amounts in natural agricultural soil. However, when their amounts exceed a certain level due to pollutants brought from outside, soil contamination occurs and agricultural products become contaminated. There have been many cases in Japan of heavy metal contamination originating from old mines and smelters, and soil contamination of agricultural land has become a social issue. In particular, cadmium (Cd) is one of the most harmful heavy metals. If agricultural products absorb an excessive amount of Cd, they may adversely affect people’s health, and therefore allowable concentrations are regulated by law. If agricultural land has become contaminated with Cd, measures for minimizing the absorption of Cd by agricultural crops are necessary; these include: (1) soil dressing, (2) water management (paddy field), (3) chemical cleaning of soil, (4) phytoextraction, and (5) use of different varieties and rootstock. Other heavy metals such as arsenic, lead, copper, zinc, and mercury also sometimes cause contamination of agricultural soil.     

The First Case of Feline Infectious Peritonitis-like Pyogranuloma in a Ferret Infected by Coronavirus in Japan

A male ferret, which was purchased from abroad at 9 months of age, had shown significant weight loss starting at 13 months of age. The ferret subsequently showed decreasing motor activity and recumbency and was euthanized at 14 months of age. At necropsy, a white, quail egg-sized mass was found in the mesentery. Histopathologically, multifocal granulomas consisting of necrotic foci, macrophages, fibroblasts and plentiful fibrous connective tissues were observed in the mesenteric mass. Surrounding the granulomas, inflammatory cell infiltration consisting of neutrophils, lymphocytes and plasmacytes was observed diffusely and significantly. Immunohistochemistry revealed small numbers of macrophages around necrotic foci that were positively stained for anti-mouse feline coronavirus. Electron microscopically, the cytoplasm of the macrophages contained viral particles, which were identified as coronavirus. The histopathological features in this ferret were similar to those in cats with feline infectious peritonitis (FIP). This was the first case in ferrets in Japan.     

Low-dose recombinant canine interferon-γ for treatment of canine atopic dermatitis: An open randomized comparative trial of two doses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the minimum effective dose of recombinant canine interferon-γ (rCaIFN-γ) for the treatment of dogs with atopic dermatitis (AD). Thirty-four dogs with AD from 17 animal hospitals in Japan were administered half or one-fifth of the approved rCaIFN-γ dose of 10 000 units/kg, three times a week for 4 weeks, followed by once weekly for an additional 4 weeks. Pruritus, excoriation, erythema and alopecia were evaluated and scored by the investigators on weeks 2, 4, 6, 8 and 12. The efficacy rate (number of excellent cases + number of good cases/total number of cases) at week 8 in the 2000 units/kg group was 36.4% for pruritus, 36.4% for excoriation, 45.5% for erythema and 36.4% for alopecia. In contrast, in the 5000 units/kg group, the efficacy rate was 64.3% for pruritus, 57.1% for excoriation, 78.6% for erythema and 78.6% for alopecia. The efficacy rate of the 5000 units/kg group was high for all signs evaluated and comparable to that of the 10 000 units/kg group reported in a previous study. The results of this study showed that 2000 units/kg of rCaIFN-γ is less effective than 5000 units/kg to treat dogs with AD, and the efficacy of the 5000 units/kg dose is comparable to that of 10 000 units/kg at week 8.     

Characterization of the D/C mosaic neurotoxin produced by Clostridium botulinum associated with bovine botulism in Japan

Clostridium botulinum types C and D are related to avian and mammalian botulism. Bovine botulism occurred at various farms from 2004 to 2007 in Japan. Since culture supernatants of isolates from cases of bovine botulism were neutralized completely and partially with type D and C antitoxins, respectively, we attempted to confirm the nucleotide sequences of the neurotoxin gene in isolates. The neurotoxin gene comprised two-thirds of the type D neurotoxin gene and one-third of the type C neurotoxin gene, indicating that the neurotoxin of bovine isolates is a mosaic of type D and C neurotoxins, D/C mosaic neurotoxin. We prepared four sets of primers to differentiate the genes of the mosaic and authentic forms with PCR. The results showed that all bovine botulism-related isolates possess the gene for the D/C mosaic form. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis analysis demonstrated that isolates from bovine botulism which had occurred between 2004 and 2007 were genetically homologous, except for the isolate from one area. We further examined the biological and antigenic properties of the D/C mosaic neurotoxin, which was found to exhibit the highest lethal activity in mice compared with other types of neurotoxins. In the D/C mosaic neurotoxin, three epitopes recognized by monoclonal antibodies that specifically react to and neutralize the toxin were located in the carboxyl-terminal domain of the heavy chain. These results indicate that D/C mosaic neurotoxin is a pathogenic agent causing bovine botulism and has unique characteristics different from other type C and D neurotoxins.     

Influence of Starch and Gluten Characteristics on Rheological Properties of Wheat Flour Gel at Small and Large Deformation

Starch and gluten were isolated from 10 wheat cultivars or lines with varied amylose content. The rheological properties of 30% wheat flour gel, starch gel, and the gel of isolated gluten mixed with common starch were determined in dynamic mechanical testing under shear deformation, creep‐recovery, and compression tests under uniaxial compression. Variation of wheat samples measured as storage shear modulus (G′), loss shear modulus (G″), and loss tangent (tan δ = G″/G′) was similar between flour and starch gels and correlated significantly between flour and starch gel. The proportion of acetic acid soluble glutenin exhibited a significant relationship with tan δ of gluten‐starch mixture gel. The small difference in amylose content strongly affected the rheological parameters of flour gels in creep‐recovery measurement. Wheat flour gel with lower amylose content showed higher creep and recovery compliance that corresponded to the trend in starch gel. Compressive force of flour gel at 50 and 95% strain correlated significantly with that of starch gel. Gel mixed with the isolated gluten from waxy wheat lines appeared to have a weaker gel structure in dynamic viscoelasticity, creep‐recovery, and compression tests. Starch properties of were primarily responsible for rheological changes in wheat flour gel.     

Estimates of genetic parameters for chemical traits of meat quality in Japanese black cattle

Genetic parameters for 54 carcass and chemical traits, such as general composition (moisture, crude fat and crude protein), fatty acid composition and water‐soluble compounds (free amino acids, peptides, nucleotides and sugars) of 587 commercial Japanese Black cattle were assessed. Heritability estimates for carcass traits and general composition ranged between 0.19–0.28, whereas those for fatty acid composition ranged between 0.11–0.85. Most heritability estimates for water‐soluble compounds were lower than 0.30; these traits were affected by aging period. Moderate heritability was observed for glutamine, alanine, taurine, anserine, inosine 5′‐monophosphate (IMP), inosine and myo‐inositol. In particular, heritability estimates were the highest (0.66) for taurine. Traits with moderate heritability were unaffected by aging period, with the exception of IMP, which was affected by aging period but exhibited moderate heritability (0.47). Although phenotypic correlations of water‐soluble compounds with carcass weight (CW), beef marbling standard (BMS) and monounsaturated fatty acid were generally low, genetic correlations between these traits were low to high. At the genetic level, most of the water‐soluble compounds were positively correlated with monounsaturated fatty acid but negatively correlated with CW and BMS. Thus, our results indicate that genetic variance and correlations could exist and be captured for some of the water‐soluble compounds.