Maternal and genetic effects on individual variation during early development in Japanese flounder <Emphasis Type="Italic">Paralichthys olivaceus</Emphasis>

ABSTRACT:   To investigate the changes in maternal effects during early development in Japanese flounder Paralichthys olivaceus , four-by-four factorial mating by artificial fertilization was performed to produce 16 families. Larvae and juveniles of each family were reared under common environmental conditions until completion of metamorphosis. The magnitude of maternal effects was estimated as the differences between sire and dam variance. Maternal effects were highest at hatching, and then disappeared at 30 days after hatching. During early development, larval size at hatching was largely affected by egg size, but this effect decreased as larvae grew. Estimated mean heritability during early development was nearly constant (0.14 ± 0.06 for total length and 0.10 ± 0.05 for body depth). Therefore, it is suggested that early development in Japanese flounder is affected by both maternal effect and genetic factors.     

Preventive effect of Kaempferia parviflora ethyl acetate extract and its major components polymethoxyflavonoid on metabolic diseases

Previously, we reported that rhizome powder of Kaempferia parviflora Wall. Ex. Baker prevented obesity and a range of metabolic diseases. In this study, to clarify which molecular mechanisms and active ingredients of K. parviflora have an anti-obesity effect, we investigated the effect of ethyl acetate extract of K. parviflora (KPE) on TSOD mice, a spontaneously obese Type II diabetes model, and on pancreatic lipase. In the TSOD groups, KPE showed a suppressive effect on body weight increase and visceral fat accumulation and also showed preventive effects on symptoms related to insulin resistance, hypertension and fatty liver. In addition, KPE also suppressed body weight increase and food intake in TSNO mice groups, which served as reference animals, at an early stage of administration. Searching for the ingredients in KPE revealed that KPE contains at least 12 kinds of polymethoxyflavonoid (PMF). Furthermore, KPE and its component PMFs showed an inhibitory effect on pancreatic lipase. The above results suggest that KPE has a preventive effect on obesity and various metabolic diseases. The mechanisms of action probably involve inhibition of pancreatic lipase by the PMFs in KPE.     

Bovine sirtuins: initial characterization and expression of sirtuins 1 and 3 in liver, muscle, and adipose tissue

Sirtuins, the mammalian homologs of the silent information regulator 2 gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, are members of the NAD(+)-dependent family of histone deacetylases. In vertebrates, 7 sirtuins have been described, with different cellular localizations and target proteins. Glucose and lipid metabolism are among the processes regulated by these enzymes. In ruminants, gluconeogenesis is the main biochemical pathway by which glucose is obtained. Because sirtuins in bovines have not been studied, the aim of this work was to obtain sequences coding for the 7 sirtuins and determine the expression patterns of sirtuin1 (Sirt1) and sirtuin3 (Sirt3) in the liver, muscle, and adipose tissue of calves and bulls. Using PCR amplification, we obtained sirtuin gene sequences and reported them to the National Center for Biotechnology Information GenBank. Characteristic sequence motifs corresponding to the sirtuin catalytic core domain were found, including the active and zinc-binding sites. Relative expression patterns of Sirt1 and Sirt3 in liver, muscle, and adipose tissue were quantified by real-time PCR, normalizing to the geometric mean of the housekeeping genes cyclophilin A and β-actin. Expression of Sirt1 was less in liver and muscle, whereas it was greater in adipose tissue of adult animals, with statistical differences (P=0.0071) only in the latter. In the case of Sirt3, expression was greater in all 3 adult tissues, but statistical differences were found only in liver (P=0.0141) and muscle (P=0.0017). The greatest expression was observed in liver for Sirt1 and in muscle for Sirt3, whereas the least expression was in muscle for Sirt1 and in adipose tissue for Sirt3. In other species, sirtuin expression (both Sirt1 and Sirt3) in liver is reported to be the greatest among these 3 tissues, a pattern different from what we measured. These differences in expression can be associated with metabolic differences between nonruminant and ruminant species. However, further research on the relationship between bovine sirtuins and ruminant metabolism is required for a better understanding of these fields.     

Cerebral vascular hamartoma with thrombosis in a dog

A cerebral vascular hamartoma was identified in the frontal lobe, striatum and thalamus of the right side of the brain of a male, 7-year-old Shih Tzu. Histologically, the lesion consisted of thin-walled vessels, which showed various sizes and occasionally contained fibrin thrombi. These vascular walls were composed of a single layer of fibromuscular tissue lined by flat endothelium with various amount of collagen, but devoid of large coat of smooth muscles and elastic tissue. Immunohistochemically, the lining endothelial cells were positive for von Willebrand Factor antibody. Neuropil between the vessels was stained with Klüver-Barrera stain, and positive for synaptophysin and GFAP antibodies. Based on these findings, the lesion was diagnosed as vascular hamartoma, which might resemble venous malformation in humans.     

Effects of age,sex, and breed on the composition of free extractable ceramides in the stratum corneum of healthy dogs

Veterinary Research Communications - Ceramide (CER), an important component of the extracellular lamellar lipids in the stratum corneum (SC), plays a critical role in maintaining the cutaneous...     

A method for predicting the occurrence of paralytic shellfish poisoning along the coast of Hokkaido in the Okhotsk Sea in summer

To design a method for predicting outbreaks of paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) in scallop fishing grounds, the relationship between the distribution of the toxic dinoflagellate Alexandrium tamarense and the dynamics of the Soya Warm Current (SWC) was examined in the Okhotsk Sea off Hokkaido. Surveys were conducted from May to June to clarify the transportation mechanism of A.?tamarense from the oceanic area to the coastal area. The sea-level difference (SLD) between Wakkanai and Abashiri was monitored as an index of the strength of the SWC southeastward flow in an alongshore belt to examine the possible occurrence of A.?tamarense in the coastal area during temporal weakening of the SWC. A bottom-mounted acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) was used for direct observations of the SWC. The results indicated that PSP occurred when low-salinity water contaminated with A.?tamarense extended to the coast during temporal weakening of the SWC due to a decrease of the SLD. Our results strongly indicate that predictions can be realized by monitoring the decrease of SLD as an index of temporal weakening of the SWC after surveys of the distribution of A.?tamarense in the oceanic area before the period of PSP occurrence.     

Screening of cultivated and wild adzuki bean for resistance to race 3 of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cadophora gregata</Emphasis> f. sp. <Emphasis Type="Italic">adzukicola</Emphasis>, cause of brown stem rot

Two diseases of adzuki bean, brown stem rot (BSR, caused by Cadophora gregata f. sp. adzukicola) and adzuki bean Fusarium wilt (AFW, caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. adzukicola), are serious problems in Hokkaido and have been controlled using cultivars with multiple resistance. However, because a new race of BSR, designated race 3, was identified, sources of parental adzuki bean for resistance to race 3 were needed. Therefore, we examined 67 cultivars and lines of cultivated and wild adzuki bean maintained at the Tokachi Agricultural Experiment Station using a root-dip inoculation method. Consequently, nine adzuki bean cultivars, one wild adzuki bean accession and 30 lines (including two lines resistant to all the three races of BSR and AFW) were confirmed to be resistant or tolerant to race 3 of BSR, and we found a cultivar Akamame as well as a wild adzuki bean Acc2515 to be a new source for a resistance gene to the race 3. This cultivar also holds promise as a source of resistance against other races of BSR and AFW.