Suppressive effect of abscisic acid on systemic acquired resistance in tobacco plants

Recent studies have indicated that the phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA), induced in response to a variety of environmental stresses, plays an important role in modulating diverse plant–pathogen interactions. In Arabidopsis thaliana, we previously clarified that ABA suppressed the induction of systemic acquired resistance (SAR), a plant defense system induced by pathogen infection through salicylic acid (SA) accumulation. We investigated the generality of this suppressive effect by ABA on SAR using tobacco plants. For SAR induction, we used 1,2-benzisothiazole-3(2H)-one 1,1-dioxide (BIT) and benzo(1,2,3)thiadiazole-7-carbothioic acid S-methyl ester (BTH) that activate upstream and downstream of SA in the SAR signaling pathway, respectively. Wild-type tobacco plants treated with BIT or BTH exhibited enhanced disease resistance against Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) and tobacco wildfire bacterium, Pseudomonas syringae pv. tabaci (Pst), however, which was suppressed by pretreatment of plants with ABA. Pretreatment with ABA also suppressed the expression of SAR-marker genes by BIT and BTH, indicating that ABA suppressed the induction of SAR. ABA suppressed BTH-induced disease resistance and pathogenesis-related (PR) gene expression in NahG-transgenic plants that are unable to accumulate SA. The accumulation of SA in wild-type plants after BIT treatment was also suppressed by pretreatment with ABA. These data suggest that ABA suppresses both upstream and downstream of SA in the SAR signaling pathway in tobacco.     

Fixed-fixed flexural vibration testing method of beams for timber guardrails

Resonance frequencies of beams with various types of end supports were examined for flexural vibration. Rectangular beams with dimensions of 300 (L) × 25 (R) × 5 or 10mm (T) were used as the test specimens. Various compressing stresses were applied to the parts around both ends of a test beam and flexural vibration tests were conducted. The measured resonance frequency started to increase from the resonance frequency of a beam with simply supported ends and was stable around the resonance frequency of a beam with fixed ends as the compressing stress increased. The stable resonance frequency was lower than the theoretical value because perfect fixation of a beam to a post was difficult. From these results, the temporal change in resonance frequency itself, rather than the stable resonance frequency, is effective to examine whether a beam has enough strength as a guardrail.     

In vitro metabolism of trans-permethrin and its major metabolites, PBalc and PBacid, in humans

To estimate the metabolic profile of trans-permethrin in humans, a comparison of the in vitro metabolism of trans-permethrin in humans and rats was conducted using hepatic microsomes, and cytochrome P450 and UDP-glucuronyltransferase isoforms, which catalyze the metabolism of 3-phenoxybenzyl alcohol (PBalc) and 3-phenoxybenzoic acid (PBacid), respectively. In humans and rats, the major metabolic reaction of trans-permethrin in microsomal incubations was the cleavage of ester linkage to give PBalc, followed by oxidation to 4'-OH-PBalc, 4'-OH-PBacid, and PBacid. As to 4'-hydroxylation of PBalc, several CYPs were able to catalyze the reaction, and CYP2E1 was identified as a predominant isoform. PBacid and its conjugates (glucuronide and glycine) are major urinary metabolites of trans-permethrin in mammals. PBacid is also a metabolite of several pyrethroids, and has been used as a biomarker of human exposure to pyrethroids. Our study indicated that there was no difference in glucuronyltransferase activity of PBacid between humans and rats, and that only UGT1A9 can catalyze the glucuronidation of PBacid among human UGTs. Some UGT1A9 variants are known to have poor glucuronidation activity. From these results, it was assumed that deficiency or polymorphism of UGT1A9 might affect the profile of PBacid and its conjugates in urine collected from persons exposed to trans-permethrin or other pyrethroids. These results are helpful for understanding the metabolism of trans-permethrin in humans and determining methods for quantification of target analytes for assessment of human exposure to trans-permethrin and other pyrethroids that give PBacid and its conjugates as urinary metabolites.     

Quality evaluation of different types of non-fish meal diets for yellowtail

SUMMARY: Two feeding experiments were conducted to evaluate the feed quality of non-fish meal diets having the same protein ingredient composition but prepared as different types, and to determine the supplemental effect of crystalline essential amino acids (EAA) on feed utilization by young yellowtail, Seriola quinqueradiata . Non-fish meal diets formulated with soy protein concentrate, defatted soybean meal, corn gluten meal, meat meal, and krill meal were prepared as either soft dry pellets (SDP) or extruded pellets (EP) by using a large- or a small-sized twin screw extruder under different preparation conditions; or as a single moist pellet (SMP), each with and without EAA mixtures. Commercial yellowtail SDP was used as the control diet. Fish weighing 134 g and 237 g on average were reared with the experimental diets, for 93 (net cages) and 44 (aquariums) days, respectively. The fish fed both the control and test diets were found to have a good appetite. Growth rate and feed gain ratio were highest in the control diet group. The physiological condition of fish fed the control diet was evaluated as superior compared to those on the non-fish meal diets. Among the non-fish meal diet groups, the best performances were obtained for fish fed the SDP type diet with EAA supplement, and performance parameters excelled in the order of SDP, EP and SMP both among the diets with and without supplemental EAA. This suggests that the nutritional quality of non-fish meal diet was affected by the diet preparation method. It also indicates that supplementation of EAA could improve the quality of non-fish meal diets, irrespective of the diet type, probably as a result from the enhancement of feed protein utilization.