Cloning of the phloem-specific small heat-shock protein from leaves of rice plants

The N-terminal amino-acid sequence of a major rice phloem-sap protein, designated as RPP23, was determined. The complete amino-acid sequence of RPP23 was deduced from the corresponding rice EST- clone and contained an extra 46 amino acids at the N-terminus, that was apparently cleaved off to form mature RPP23 in sieve tubes. RPP23 shared a similarity to plant small heat-shock proteins (smHSPs), though the N-terminal region of RPP23 was distinct from that of known smHSPs. Immunocytological analyses using leaf sections showed that RPP23 was located only in the phloem regions of leaves, and was present in non-stressed plants. In mature leaves, stronger immunocytological signals were detected in sieve elements than in companion cells.     

A rapid and easy method of detecting levels of gene expression in intact tobacco plants using an Agrobacterium-mediated transient assay: Toward development of nutritional diagnosis based on gene expression

For the use of gene expression for nutritional diagnosis, a rapid and easy method of detecting levels of gene expression was proposed. Agrobacterium tumefaciens carrying the GUS reporter gene was injected into intact tobacco leaves with a plastic syringe, and transient GUS expression was determined. GUS activities were reproducible in young leaves.     

Microbial distribution and function across wheat rhizosphere with oxamide and ammonium sulfate as N sources

Analysis of the effect of slow-releasing N fertilizers on microbial parameters of the rhizosphere soil is essential for their effective use. This investigation revealed the comparative effects of oxamide and ammonium sulfate as different N sources on some selected microbial parameters as well as the pH in the rhizosphere of wheat (Triticum aestivum cv. Nourin No. 61). The study was conducted on a Japanese upland alluvial soil using a rhizobox system. In the central compartment (CC) of the rhizoboxes treated with oxamide and ammonium sulfate, four wheat seedlings were grown for 53 d. In either of the treatments, the pH of the rhizosphere soil increased with the increase in the distance from the CC. In contrast, nitrate production, bacterial and fungal numbers, microbial biomass nitrogen, and β-acetylglucosaminidase activity decreased with the increase in the distance, with the highest values of the respective parameters being recorded in the CC. However, remarkable changes of these microbial parameters were found within a distance of 1–2 mm from the CC to the distant compartments. Thus the results indicated that pH, bacterial number, and nitrate production were high in the oxamide treatment. In contrast, higher fungal number, microbial biomass N, and .B-acetylglucosaminidase activity were associated with the ammonium sulfate treatment. It was assumed that the significant (p<O.05) effect of the rhizosphere on microbial activities varied with the treatments.     

Effect of atropine and pyridostigmine on growth hormone response to GH-releasing peptide-2 and GH-releasing hormone in swine

To investigate the effects of high and low somatostatinergic tone on GH-releasing peptide-2 (GHRP-2) and GH-releasing hormone (GHRH)-induced growth hormone (GH) secretion in swine, we examined GHRP-2- and GHRH-induced GH secretion after pretreatment with atropine or pyridostigmine. Pretreatment of swine with atropine (80 µg/kg bodyweight (BW), intravenous (i.v.)) 15 min before i.v. administration of saline, GHRP-2 (30 µg/kg BW), GHRH (1 µg/kg BW) or a combination of GHRP-2 and GHRH, reduced plasma GH area under the curve ( P  < 0.05), completely blocked GH response to GHRH, and attenuated GH response to GHRP-2 and GHRH combined ( P  < 0.05), without affecting GH response to GHRP-2 only. A synergistic effect of GHRP-2 and GHRH was not observed. In contrast, pretreatment of swine with pyridostigmine (100 µg/kg BW, i.v.), under the same pretreatment conditions as above, increased plasma GH concentration ( P  < 0.01), augmented GH response to GHRP-2 ( P  < 0.05), and GHRP-2 and GHRH combined ( P  < 0.05), but did not affect GH response to GHRH. These results suggest that the cholinergic muscarinic agents atropine and pyridostigmine modulate the GH response to GHRP-2 and GHRH, and that GHRP-2 acts antagonistically on the inhibitory effect of somatostatin in swine.     

Correction to: Dispersion and degradation of environmental DNA from caged fish in a marine environment

Fisheries Science - In the original publication the text in right column of page 330, the sequences of primers were incorrectly published as.