Aluminum tolerance associated with enhancement of plasma membrane H+-ATPase in the root apex of soybean

Seventeen soybean cultivars were screened to discern differences in aluminum (Al) sensitivity. The Sowon (Al-tolerant) and Poongsan (Al-sensitive) cultivars were selected for further study by simple growth measurement. Aluminum-induced root growth inhibition was significantly higher in the Poongsan cultivar than in the Sowon cultivar, although the differences depended on the Al concentration (0, 25, 50, 75 or 100 μmol L^–1) and the amount of exposure (0, 3, 6, 12 or 24 h). Damage occurred preferentially in the root apex. High-sensitivity growth measurements using India ink implicated the central elongation zone located 2–3 mm from the root apex. The Al content was lower 0–5 mm from the root apices in the Sowon cultivar than in the apices of the Poongsan cultivar when exposed to 50 μmol L^–1 Al for 12 h. Furthermore, the citric acid exudation rate was more than twofold higher in the Sowon cultivar. Protein production of plasma membrane (PM) H⁺-ATPase from the root apices (0–5 mm) was upregulated in the presence of Al for 24 h in both cultivars. This activity, however, decreased in both cultivars treated with Al and the Poongsan cultivar was more severely affected. We propose that Al-induced growth inhibition is correlated with changes in PM H⁺-ATPase activity, which is linked to the exudation of citric acid in the root apex.     

Porphyromonas gulae 41-kDa fimbriae induced osteoclast differentiation and cytokine production

Porphyromonas gulae is considered to be associated with canine periodontitis. We have previously reported that the P. gulae American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) 51700 comprised 41-kDa fimbriae. The purpose of the present study was to demonstrate the roles of 41-kDa fimbrial protein in periodontal disease. In this study, we examined the involvement of the 41-kDa fimbrial protein in osteoclast differentiation and cytokine production in murine macrophages. Furthermore, alveolar bone resorption induced by P. gulae infection in rats was evaluated. To estimate osteoclast differentiation, bone marrow cells and MC3T3-G2/PA6 cells were cultured with or without the 41-kDa fimbrial protein for 7 days. BALB/c mouse peritoneal macrophages were stimulated with the 41-kDa fimbrial protein, and the levels of interleukin (IL)-1β and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α production were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Osteoclast differentiation was significantly enhanced by treatment with the 41-kDa fimbrial protein in a dose-dependent manner. The total area of pits formed on the dentine slices with osteoclasts incubated with the 41-kDa fimbrial protein was significantly greater than that of the control. The purified 41-kDa fimbrial protein induced IL-1β and TNF-α production in BALB/c mouse peritoneal macrophages after 6 hr of incubation in a dose-dependent manner. The bone loss level in rats infected with P. gulae was significantly higher than that of the sham-infected rats. These results suggest that P. gulae 41-kDa fimbriae play important roles in the pathogenesis of periodontal disease.     

Structure and functions of the placenta in common minke (Balaenoptera acutorostrata), Bryde’s (B. brydei) and sei (B. borealis) whales

The structure and functions of placentas were examined in 3 species of rorqual whales, common minke (Balaenoptera acutorostrata), Bryde’s (B. brydei) and sei (B. borealis) whales, with the aim of confirming the structural characteristics of the chorion, including the presence of the areolar part, and clarifying steroidogenic activities and fetomaternal interactions in the placentas of these whales. Placentas were collected from the second phase of the Japanese Whale Research Program under Special Permit in the North Pacific (JARPN II). Histological and ultrastructural examinations revealed that these whale placentas were epitheliochorial placentas with the interdigitation of chorionic villi lined by monolayer uninucleate cells (trophoblast cells) and endometrial crypts as well as folded placentation by fold-like chorionic villi. Moreover, well-developed pouch-like areolae were observed in the placentas, and active absorption was suggested in the chorionic epithelial cells of the areolar part (areolar trophoblast cells). Berlin blue staining showed the presence of ferric ions (Fe³⁺) in the uterine glandular epithelial cells and within the stroma of chorionic villi in the areolar part. An immunohistochemical examination revealed tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP; known as uteroferrin in uteri) in the cytoplasm of glandular cells and areolar trophoblast cells. This result suggested that, in cetaceans, uteroferrin is used to supply iron to the fetus. Furthermore, immunoreactivity for P450scc and P450arom was detected in trophoblast cells, but not in areolar trophoblast cells, suggesting that trophoblast cells synthesize estrogen in whale placentas. Therefore, we herein immunohistochemically revealed the localization of aromatase and uteroferrin in cetacean placentas during pregnancy for the first time.     

Mechanism of insulin action on glucose metabolism in ruminants

This review presents a brief overview on the mechanism of insulin action on glucose metabolism at the molecular basis in ruminants. For ruminants, an exact mechanism of insulin on glucose metabolism is still rudimentary, but it is clear that originally, if not all, the mechanism of insulin action in ruminants was the same as in other species. Like non‐ruminants, the insulin‐sensitive glucose transporter GLUT 4 is thought to be a key‐protein in the control of glucose uptake and metabolism in ruminants, and insulin regulates glucose transport by stimulating the translocation of GLUT 4 from an intracellular membrane pool to the plasma membrane in adipocytes and muscles. Moreover, insulin‐induced GLUT 4 translocation is activated through the common intracellular signaling pathway of insulin phosphatidylinositol 3‐kinase (PI3‐kinase) signaling pathway rather than the mitogen activated protein kinase (MAP kinase)‐dependent signaling pathway. However, GLUT 4 mRNA and protein, and insulin‐induced GLUT 4 translocation on adipocytes and muscles in ruminants are lower than those in rodents and human subjects. Furthermore, insulin‐induced PI3‐kinase activation is reduced concomitantly with the lower content of insulin receptor substrate‐1 (IRS‐1) in ruminants. In spite of normal status, a resistance to the stimulatory action of insulin on glucose metabolism in ruminants as compared to non‐ruminants may be due to, at least in part, the lower content of GLUT 4 and the lower capacity of insulin signal transduction, resulting to the lower glucose transport activity.     

The Institutional Design and Effectiveness of Timber Benefit Sharing under Joint Forest Management in Madhya Pradesh, India

This paper explores the institutional design of timber benefit sharing under the Joint Forest Management (JFM) policy and its effectiveness as an incentive for forest protection in Madhya Pradesh, India. Institutional analysis and case studies including household surveys for five committees were carried out. Except for plantations newly created under JFM, the places and times of timber harvesting were determined solely by the state forest department according to the division-level working plan. The sharing of the monetary benefits was determined by the state government and paid in equal amounts to committees in a lump sum, without taking the committees’ differing degrees of performance into consideration. Except in one committee, only a few respondents knew about the benefit sharing. In a committee where the shared benefits had been paid, even though little collective action had taken place, the money was used without communal decisions. It was confirmed that benefit sharing from timber production in Madhya Pradesh had not been implemented with flexible calculation and payment systems based on local people’s involvement in the decision-making process. Information provided by the concerned forest officers was the only way to motivate local people, and yet the appropriate information provisions were not likely to be in place. At the very least, improvements in the information provision with a change in the forest officers’ perceptions and attitudes are desirable.     

Molecular typing of VapA-positive Rhodococcus equi isolates from Jeju native horses, Korea

We recently demonstrated the presence of virulence-associated protein antigen (VapA)-positive Rhodococcus equi in Jeju Island, Korea. These bacteria contained one of two distinct plasmid types, a 90-kb type II plasmid, which has been found in isolates from the native Kiso horses of Japan, and a new variant, a 90-kb type V plasmid. However, the genotypic characters of the VapA-positive R. equi from Jeju native horses and their environments are poorly understood. Ninety-eight isolates from soil samples and 89 isolates from fecal samples were collected from five farms that breed or have bred Jeju native horses, and were tested for the presence of VapA by immunoblotting and PCR. Of the 98 soil isolates and 89 fecal isolates, seven and 13 were VapA-positive R. equi, respectively. In 2003, two Jeju foals died suddenly and were brought to the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Cheju National University, for postmortem examination. Pure cultures of R. equi were isolated from the lung lesions of both foals. Of the 16 clinical isolates, 14 were VapA-positive R. equi. Of the 34 VapA-positive clinical and environmental isolates, 16 contained the 90-kb type II plasmid and 18 contained a 90-kb type V plasmid. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) patterns of the VapA-positive isolates from Jeju horses and Kiso horses, containing the 90-kb type II plasmid, were compared and formed two distinct groups. Furthermore, 18 virulent isolates containing the 90-kb type V plasmid formed two distinct PFGE groups (of 16 and two isolates). These results demonstrate that two virulence plasmid types are widespread in R. equi in Jeju native horses. However, there is little diversity in the PFGE patterns of virulent isolates, suggesting the clonal spread of virulent R. equi. The PFGE pattern of the virulent R. equi isolates from Jeju native horses in Korea is not identical to those of Kiso native horses in Japan.     

Monilia mumecola, a new brown rot fungus on Prunus mume in Japan

In 1982, an anamorphic fungus in the genus Monilia was first isolated as the causal agent of brown rot disease of Japanese apricot or mume (Prunus mume) in Oita Prefecture, Kyushu, Japan. Inoculation of flowers, shoots, and fruit of P. mume with the fungus reproduced brown rot disease symptoms similar to those found in nature. The fungus somewhat resembled the colony appearance of Monilinia (anamorph Monilia) laxa, the apricot brown rot fungus, on PSA plates, but it differed from the latter and the other two brown rot fungi, M. fructigena and M. fructicola, in terms of growth rate, temperature optima for mycelial growth and sporulation, morphology and germination pattern of conidia, nuclear number in the conidium, and nucleotide sequences in the ITS region of ribosomal DNA. It is newly described as Monilia mumecola Y. Harada, Y. Sasaki & T. Sano. A key to anamorphic states of four brown rot fungi of fruit trees is provided.     

Effect of a novel rice fermented extract on gastric ulcers in horses

Gastric ulcers cause appetite loss, poor body condition, and colic in horses. This study investigated the protective effect of a rice fermented extract on the gastric mucosa in 17 healthy Thoroughbreds. For one month, horses in the rice fermented extract (nine horses) and control (eight horses) groups were orally administered a rice fermented extract (100%; 0.2 ml/kg, SID) and tap water (0.2 ml/kg), respectively. Gastric endoscopic images were obtained before and one month after rice fermented extract administration. The gastric ulcer score was lower after administration (median, 1; maximum, 2; minimum, 1) than before administration (median, 4; maximum, 4; minimum, 3) in the rice fermented extract group (P<0.05). In conclusion, the administration of a rice fermented extract for one month improves gastric mucosal lesions in Thoroughbreds with gastric ulcers.