Effects of cooking on concentrations of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and related compounds in fish and meat

We investigated the cooking-induced changes in concentrations of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) (dioxins) using mackerel and beef. The concentrations of dioxins (29 congeners) were determined by isomer specific analyses and were compared between uncooked and cooked samples. The cooking procedures examined in this study included grilling as a fillet, boiling as a fillet, and boiling as tsumire (small, hand-rolled balls) for mackerel and boiling as a slice, broiling as a slice, and broiling as a hamburger for beef. Three trials were carried out for each cooking method. Generally, concentrations of dioxins were reduced in every cooking trial. When nondetected congener concentrations were assumed to be half the limit of detection for mackerel, the maximum percentage reductions of total concentrations given as 2,3,7,8-tetraCDD equivalents (TEQ) were 31% in grilling as a slice, 14% in boiling as a slice, and 21% in boiling as tsumire under the conditions of this study. In contrast, for beef, the reductions were 42% in boiling as a slice, 42% in broiling as a slice, and 44% in broiling as a hamburger. These results suggest that ordinary cooking processes with heating undoubtedly reduce the dioxin content in animal products, and the reductions estimated should be considered when dioxin intake is evaluated using contamination data for individual food items.     

Alteration of methylation profiles in distinct cell lineages of the layers during vegetative propagation in carnations (Dianthus caryophyllus)

In vegetatively propagated plants, branches of periclinal chimera give rise to bud mutants, or “sports”, which have been used to breed new cultivars. Here, we have examined DNA methylation profiles in the cells of the L1 and L2+3 layers from single plants of vegetatively propagated carnations. The band patterns of methylation-sensitive amplified fragment polymorphism (M-AFLP) of the genomic DNAs in the L1 and L2+3 layers of the carnation cultivar, “White Sim”, vegetatively propagated over the past 50 years, were completely different. The bud mutant, “White Mind”, obtained from “White Sim” about 25 years ago, also had very different M-AFLP patterns to the parental “White Sim” line. The cultivar, “Red”, which was separated from “Satisfaction” as a bud mutant two years ago, showed similar patterns to “Satisfaction” in each corresponding layer. However, we were able to detect minor, but significantly different M-AFLP patterns between the cultivars, “Red” and “Satisfaction”. The number of bands that differed between these cultivars was larger in the L2+3 layers than in the L1 layers. The results indicate that the DNA methylation profiles differ between each cell layer derived from distinct cell lineages of vegetatively propagated plants, and that changes in these profiles occur frequently and accumulate in the cells of the L2+3 layers, rather than in the L1 layer. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Innervation of the wing membrane in the bent-winged bat Miniopterus fuliginosus

The nerves that innervate the fingertips and wing membrane from the upper arm of the bent-winged bat Miniopterus fuliginosus were examined under a stereomicroscope. The radial, median, ulnar and musculocutaneous nerves were formed by the brachial plexus, which ran to the wing membrane. The two suspected axillary nerves ran to the wing membrane. The radial nerve ran to the end of the first digit, while the median nerve ran along the forearm and subsequently branched-off to run along the second to fifth digits up to the end of the phalanges. The ulnar nerve ran to the plagiopatagium on the extensor side of the elbow joint. Finally, the musculocutaneous nerve passed through the ventral side of the humerus and branched out at the elbow joint to run radially to the propatagium area. In this study, the visible nerves that were distributed from the upper arm to the fingertips of Miniopterus fuliginosus were formed by C6–T1.     

Expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) associated with histopathological changes in rodent models of osteoarthritis

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its receptors have recently reported to be expressed in human osteoarthritis (OA), suggesting that VEGF could be implicated in the pathogenesis of this disease. In the present study, expression of VEGF in the articular cartilage was determined in three different OA models: medial meniscectomy and monoiodoacetate (MIA) injection in rats and age-associated spontaneous joint cartilage destruction in guinea pigs. VEGF was detected by immunohistochemical analysis in the regenerative and hypertrophic chondrocytes, perichondrium and osteophyte areas and chondrocyte clones. Stain intensity of VEGF immunoreactivity increased simultaneously with the degree of cartilage destruction and reparation. These results suggest that VEGF is a key factor in the articular cartilage in human OA and animal OA models.     

Administration of two oils rich in n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids to rat pups of dams fed a diet high in fat and low in n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids

Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA) with 20 or 22 carbons are considered important to the development of infants and sometimes added to infant formulae. In this study, two characteristic sources of n-3 LCPUFA (fish oil and microalgal oil) were orally administrated to rat pups of mildly n-3 PUFA — deficient dams to compare the consequences of the administration. The milk from the dams fed a n-3 PUFA — restricted diet contained less n-3 LCPUFA than that of the dams fed a control diet. Pups were administered 1 mg/g weight of the test oil at the age of 5–7 days. At the age of 7 days, they were sacrificed before or after the administration and fatty acid compositions of the stomach and serum lipid were studied. The administration changed docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; 22:6n−3) levels in the stomach contents and serum lipids with time. Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; 20:5n−3) levels increased immediately after the administration of fish oil. The administration of microalgal oil also affected the serum lipid EPA level, in spite of a lack of EPA. In this study, both oils effectively supplemented DHA. Fish oil returned the serum EPA level close to the control value while microalgae oil had little effect.     

Glutelin is partially degraded in globulin-less mutants of rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Multigenic glutelins and monogenic globulin are major storage proteins accumulating in vacuole-derived protein body (PB-II) of rice (Oryza sativa L.) seeds. Because their interplay in PB-II formation was scarcely known, the effect of globulin-less mutation on glutelin accumulation was investigated. In globulin-less mutants, no phenotypic defect was found in seed and plant growth, while PB-II was deformed and apparent glutelin composition was changed, producing new glutelin α polypeptides X1–X5. 2D-PAGE of different combinations of globulin-less and glutelin subunit mutations suggested that the X1/X2, X3, and X4/X5 were derived from glutelin GluB1/GluB2/GluB4, GluA3, and GluA1/GluA2 subunits, respectively. Western blot with glutelin GluB4 subunit-specific and its variable region discriminable antibodies indicated at least in part the new spots X1/X2 are partially degraded products of GluB4 α polypeptides by the removal of 2–39 residues from C-terminus. Time course experiments with maturing seeds indicated the partial degradation of GluB4 occurred earlier (from 7 days after flowering) and higher than that of GluA1/GluA2. Considering the above results together with the fact that globulin accumulates at the periphery of PB-II and its absence produces deformed PB-II, globulin protects glutelins from proteinase digestion and thereby facilitates stable glutelin accumulation.     

Characterization of cadmium-tolerant carrot cells in response to cadmium stress

Non-tolerant (CW) and Cd-tolerant (CCdl) carrot (Daucus carota L.) cells were compared for their response to cadmium (Cd). The CCdl cells were induced by selection from the CW cells on a B5 medium containing 100 µM Cd. The CCdl cells were more tolerant to Cd than the CW cells. In an 80 µM Cd treatment, the growth rate (8 d/O d) based on the fresh weight of the CCdl cells and CW cells was 69 and 24%, respectively, compared to the controls. Cd stress led to the decrease of the total glutathione content and to the increase of the contents of non-protein thiols (t-SH, phytochelatins) and Cd in both types of cells. Under Cd stress, the contents of t-SH and Cd of the CW cells were higher than those of the CCdl cells. The CW cells in the 80 and 160 µM Cd treatments accumulated Cd with the increase in time. In contrast, the Cd content in the CCdl cells in all the treatments and in the CW cells in the 40 µM Cd treatment gradually decreased after 1 d. In an additional experiment, both types of cells pretreated with 20–80 µM Cd for 1 d were transferred to a Cd-free medium. The CCdl cells in all the pretreatments continuously excluded Cd over a 4-d period, unlike the CW cells. Therefore, a larger depletion of Cd was found in the CCdl cells, which may be partially attributed to Cd tolerance.     

Using the ancient past for establishing current threat in poorly inventoried regions

The need for a global priority list for threatened plants has been widely recognized by the conservation community, yet the threatened status of the majority of the world’s plants species remains poorly known. This is especially true in the tropics and the oceanic islands of the Pacific, where progress towards the targets of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC) 2011–2020 is hindered by the paucity of complete species distribution data. Here we outline a new methodology to undertake threatened species assessments where detailed contemporary population data is lacking. This new interdisciplinary methodology draws upon the synthesis of archaeological and botanical data to calculate a percentage of long-term decline in habitat quality. We use this method to assess the threatened status of the endemic flora of Palau, Micronesia, a Pacific island nation known for its high levels of plant diversity and endemism, by utilizing data extending back to human colonization of the archipelago. For Palau, we calculate the percentage of a long-term decline in habitat quality to be 31–39% of the total available range of 55% of the endemic plant species. These data are also used to address a long debated question in the western Pacific: Are the origins of the savanna vegetation anthropogenic? Strong evidence for anthropogenic savannas in Micronesia support the estimated extent of historic deforestation in Palau. This new method worked well in our case study, and can be used in other locations with incomplete species distribution data to establish a first basis for conservation prioritization.     

The first occurrence of leaf mold of tomato caused by races 4.9 and 4.9.11 of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Passalora fulva</Emphasis> (syn. <Emphasis Type="Italic">Fulvia fulva</Emphasis>) in Japan

Tomato leaf mold caused by Passalora fulva was found on two tomato varieties carrying the Cf-9 gene in Japan, in 2007. The isolates obtained from Chiba and Fukushima were identified as race 4.9.11, and those from Gunma were races 4.9 or 4.9.11. This is the first report in Japan of tomato leaf mold caused by P. fulva strains that can overcome the Cf-9 gene.