The quality after culture in vitro or in vivo of porcine oocytes matured and fertilized in vitro and their ability to develop to term

The quality of porcine blastocysts produced in vitro is poor in comparison with those that develop in vivo. We examined the quality of in vitro‐matured and fertilized (IVM/IVF) oocytes, their abilities to develop to blastocysts under in vivo and in vitro conditions, and the potential of the embryos to develop to term after transfer. IVM/IVF oocytes were either transferred and the embryos recovered on Days 5 and 6 (100% and 87.5%, respectively) (‘ET‐vivo’ embryos), or cultured in vitro for 5 or 6 days (‘IVC’ embryos). The proportion of blastocysts differed significantly between the two groups on Day 5 (20.6% and 8.0%, respectively), but not on Day 6 (23.8% and 21.2%, respectively). The mean number of cells in ET‐vivo blastocysts on Days 5 or 6 was significantly higher (72.8 and 78.7, respectively) than that in IVC blastocysts (22.1 and 39.7, respectively). When IVM/IVF oocytes and IVC blastocysts on Day 6 were transferred, all (three and three, respectively) developed to piglets (16 and 16, respectively), without any difference in the rates of development to term (2.1% and 2.6%, respectively). These data suggest that, although blastocyst production differs between the two culture conditions, IVM/IVF oocytes possess the same ability to develop to term.     

2,4-Nonadienal and benzaldehyde bioantimutagens in Fushimi sweet pepper (Fushimi-togarashi)

Fushimi sweet pepper, "Fushimi-togarashi", is one of the "Kyo-yasai", traditional vegetables, in Kyoto, Japan. The chloroform fraction of Fushimi sweet pepper showed bioantimutagenicity on UV induced mutation in Escherichia coli B/r WP2. The bioantimutagen was purified with silica gel chromatography and identified as 2, 4-nonadienal (ID(50) = 20 microg/plate) on the basis of GC retention time and EI-MS spectrum of authentic 2,4-nonadienal. The sweet pepper also contained a known bioantimutagen, benzaldehyde (ID(50) = 2 mg/plate). Additive bioantimutagenicity was also observed by 2, 4-nonadienal with benzaldehyde. 2,4-Nonadienal did not show bioantimutagenicity in an UV excision repair deficient strain, E. coli B/r WP2s uvrA(-)(). Furthermore no delay of the first cell division after UV irradiation was observed in E. coli B/r WP2. These results indicate that the bioantimutagenic activity of 2, 4-nonadienal on UV mutagenesis might depend on the excision repair system in E. coli B/r WP2.     

Mass and local topography measurements of Itokawa by Hayabusa

The ranging instrument aboard the Hayabusa spacecraft measured the surface topography of asteroid 25143 Itokawa and its mass. A typical rough area is similar in roughness to debris located on the interior wall of a large crater on asteroid 433 Eros, which suggests a surface structure on Itokawa similar to crater ejecta on Eros. The mass of Itokawa was estimated as (3.58 +/- 0.18) x 10(10) kilograms, implying a bulk density of (1.95 +/- 0.14) grams per cubic centimeter for a volume of (1.84 +/- 0.09) x 10(7) cubic meters and a bulk porosity of approximately 40%, which is similar to that of angular sands, when assuming an LL (low iron chondritic) meteorite composition. Combined with surface observations, these data indicate that Itokawa is the first subkilometer-sized small asteroid showing a rubble-pile body rather than a solid monolithic asteroid.     

Seismic data from man-made impacts on the moon

Unusually long reverberations were recorded from two lunar impacts by a seismic station installed on the lunar surface by the Apollo 12 astronauts. Seismic data from these impacts suggest that the lunar mare in the region of the Apollo 12 landing site consists of material with very low seismic velocities near the surface, with velocity increasing with depth to 5 to 6 kilometers per second (for compressional waves) at a depth of 20 kilometers. Absorption of seismic waves in this structure is extremely low relative to typical continental crustal materials on earth. It is unlikely that a major boundary similar to the crustmantle interface on earth exists in the outer 20 kilometers of the moon. A combination of dispersion and scattering of surface waves probably explains the lunar seismic reverberation. Scattering of these waves implies the presence of heterogeneity within the outer zone of the mare on a scale of from several hundred meters (or less) to several kilometers. Seismic signals from 160 events of natural origin have been recorded during the first 7 months of operation of the Apollo 12 seismic station. At least 26 of the natural events are small moonquakes. Many of the natural events are thought to be meteoroid impacts.     

Chromosome 17 deletions and p53 gene mutations in colorectal carcinomas

Previous studies have demonstrated that allelic deletions of the short arm of chromosome 17 occur in over 75% of colorectal carcinomas. Twenty chromosome 17p markers were used to localize the common region of deletion in these tumors to a region contained within bands 17p12 to 17p13.3. This region contains the gene for the transformation-associated protein p53. Southern and Northern blot hybridization experiments provided no evidence for gross alterations of the p53 gene or surrounding sequences. As a more rigorous test of the possibility that p53 was a target of the deletions, the p53 coding regions from two tumors were analyzed; these two tumors, like most colorectal carcinomas, had allelic deletions of chromosome 17p and expressed considerable amounts of p53 messenger RNA from the remaining allele. The remaining p53 allele was mutated in both tumors, with an alanine substituted for valine at codon 143 of one tumor and a histidine substituted for arginine at codon 175 of the second tumor. Both mutations occurred in a highly conserved region of the p53 gene that was previously found to be mutated in murine p53 oncogenes. The data suggest that p53 gene mutations may be involved in colorectal neoplasia, perhaps through inactivation of a tumor suppressor function of the wild-type p53 gene.     

Residency and movement of stream-dwelling Japanese charr, Salvelinus leucomaenis, in a central Japanese mountain stream

Abstract – The residency and movement of stream-dwelling adult (2+ and older) Japanese charr, Salvelinus leucomaenis , were studied by mark and recapture experiments in the Jadani Stream, a headwater tributary of the Tedori River, central Japan, from 1986 to 1989. Of the marked fish, 31.3–58.3% were recaptured in the same pools where they had been caught during the study periods of summer (June–August), autumn (August–November) and winter–spring (November to the next June) and no seasonal movement was observed. The mean distances that the fish moved during the study periods ranged from 139.0 to 502.3 m and many movements longer than 1000 m were observed. Between the resident and the moved fish, there was little difference in body length, growth rate or sex. For the fish that had been resident in the same pools and riffles at previous recaptures, most fish were recaptures in the same locations at the next recapture. Conversely, for the fish that moved previously, most fish were recaptured in different locations from previous sites at the next recapture. These results suggest that Japanese charr exhibit relatively high residency throughout the year, but many fish moved longer distance. The results also suggest the presence of static and mobile components in the charr population.     

Effect of parthenocarpy,peeling and fruit age on the changes in volume and specific gravity of cucumber fruits during storage at 20°C

Either parthenocarpically grown, peeled or at any stage of picking, cucumber fruits showed a tendency to increase in volume and decrease in specific gravity while they were stored under unsaturated vapour pressure at 20°C. The amount of change varied according to the treatment.Recovery from a flaccid appearance occurred in all fruit except very young ones. In those fruits the incipient recovery from wilting, an increase in volume and a decrease in specific gravity, coincided.Parthenocarpic fruits showed an increase in volume at almost the same rate in any transverse quarter of a fruit, in contrast to the pollinated ones in which the most distal quarter enlarged more than the other parts. Pithy appearance of the fruit wall was evenly distributed through a parthenocarpic fruit to a moderate degree, but at the proximal half of a pollinated one it was severe.     

Volume and specific gravity of cucumber fruits as affected by moisture condition after harvest

When cucumber fruits were stored at temperatures of 10, 20 and 30°C, in conditions that were so wet that they were able to absorb water freely through the skin, they maintained a constant specific gravity which was a hhigh as it had been at the time of picking, with a hyperbolic increase in volume. After removal to unsaturated vapour conditions at 20°C, their volume and specific gravity changed in a similar way to these of fruit which had not been in wet storage. Storage in humid conditions at 10°C resulted in almost constant specific gravity and volume, but storage at 20 or 30°C produced a gradual increase in volume as well as a decrease in specific gravity of fruits, in spite of the fresh weight showing little change. After removal of these fruits to unsaturated vapour conditions, the volume and specific gravity changed at a much faster rate with their specific rates having a peak. The shorter the humid storage, the higher the peak. The decrease in the specific gravity of picked cucumber fruits was discussed in relation to the presence of water stress.     

Effective Synthesis and Antifouling Activity of Dolastatin 16 Derivatives

Some derivatives of dolastatin 16, a depsipeptide natural product first obtained from the sea hare Dolabella auricularia, were synthesized through second-generation synthesis of two unusual amino acids, dolaphenvaline and dolamethylleuine. The second-generation synthesis enabled derivatizations such as functionalization of the aromatic ring in dolaphenvaline. The derivatives of fragments and whole structures were evaluated for antifouling activity against the cypris larvae of Amphibalanus amphitrite. Small fragments inhibited the settlement of the cypris larvae at potent to moderate concentrations (EC₅₀ = 0.60-4.62 μg/mL), although dolastatin 16 with a substituent on the aromatic ring (24) was much less potent than dolastatin 16.     

Trans-endocytosis of CD80 and CD86: a molecular basis for the cell-extrinsic function of CTLA-4

Cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA-4) is an essential negative regulator of T cell immune responses whose mechanism of action is the subject of debate. CTLA-4 shares two ligands (CD80 and CD86) with a stimulatory receptor, CD28. Here, we show that CTLA-4 can capture its ligands from opposing cells by a process of trans-endocytosis. After removal, these costimulatory ligands are degraded inside CTLA-4-expressing cells, resulting in impaired costimulation via CD28. Acquisition of CD86 from antigen-presenting cells is stimulated by T cell receptor engagement and observed in vitro and in vivo. These data reveal a mechanism of immune regulation in which CTLA-4 acts as an effector molecule to inhibit CD28 costimulation by the cell-extrinsic depletion of ligands, accounting for many of the known features of the CD28-CTLA-4 system.