Spontaneous seminoma in medaka (Oryzias latipes)

Although spontaneous development of seminoma is rare in medaka, we encountered spontaneous testicular tumors located within the abdominal cavity in two adult medakas. The growth patterns of the tumors were a combination of solid and cord arrangements in one of the two cases (Case I) and lobular in the other case (Case II). The tumor cells resembled the cells at different stages of spermatogenesis, and a small number of oocyte-like cells were also scattered within the tumor. The tumor with solid and cord patterns showed loss of normal testicular architecture, and the tumor cells had partly invaded the dorsal muscular tissue and metastasized to the liver, kidney, and eye. The tumor with a lobular pattern did not exhibit local invasion or metastasis. The tumors were diagnosed as seminomas based on their histopathological characteristics, and the tumor in Case I was observed to be more malignant than that in Case II.     

Determination and quantification of γ-glutamyl-valyl-glycine in commercial fish sauces

It was recently reported that kokumi substances such as glutathione are perceived through the calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR). In addition, screening by the CaSR assay and sensory evaluation revealed that γ-glutamyl-valyl-glycine (γ-Glu-Val-Gly) was a potent kokumi peptide. In this study, the quantities of γ-Glu-Val-Gly in various commercial fish sauces originating from Vietnam (Nuoc Mum), Thailand (Nampra), China (Yu-lu), Korea, Japan (Shottsuru and Ikanago-shoyu), and Italy (Garum) were investigated using a LC/MS/MS method followed by derivatization with 6-aminoquinoyl-N-hydroxysuccinimidyl-carbamate (AQC). The analyses revealed γ-Glu-Val-Gly at concentrations ranging from 0.04 to 1.26 mg/dL, indicating that γ-Glu-Val-Gly is widely distributed among various commercial fish sauces.     

Analysis of Proton Generation and Consumption of Forest Surface Soils in Hokkaido, Northern Japan

We determined proton budgets of surface soils in a deciduous forest (Df) and a coniferous forest (Cf) of Volcanogenous Regosols in Tomakomai, Hokkaido of northern Japan. The total H⁺ source was 12.9 and 11.6 kmol_c ha^?1 y^?1 at Df and Cf respectively, and the external H⁺ was 1% at Df and 2% at Cf. The primary H⁺ sources were vegetation uptake of base cations and nitrification, while the major H⁺ sinks were release of base cations and NO₃ ⁺ uptake by vegetation. Leaching incubation experiments using A horizon soils including Df and Cf with NH₄ ⁺ solutions (5.3, 15.9 mg N L^?1) showed that H⁺ from nitrification was generally higher in the Df soil than Cf soil, and nitrification of Tomakomai Df soil was the highest in both treatments. Results of multiple regression analyses suggested that pH_kCl and exchangeable Ca²⁺ contributed to the H⁺ generation via nitrification. Leaching experiments with dilute HCl (pH 3.3) revealed that cation release (mainly Ca²⁺) occurred, and the proportion of release by decrease of exchangeable cations was higher than that by mineral weathering. Mineral weathering in the Tomakomai soil was higher than the other soils.     

Isolation,structural elucidation,and inhibitory effects of terpenoid and lipid constituents from sunflower pollen on Epstein-Barr virus early antigen induced by tumor promoter,TPA

Eight fatty acid esters of triterpene alcohols (1-8), four free triterpene alcohols (9, 12, 17, and 18), four diterpene acids (19-22), two tocopherol-related compounds (23 and 24), four estolides (25-28), three syn-alkane-4,6-diols (29-31), one 1,3-dioxoalkanoic acid (32), and one aliphatic ketone (33), along with the mixture of free fatty acids, were isolated from the diethyl ether extract of the pollen grains of sunflower (Helianthus annuus). Among these compounds, 14 (2-8, 12, 23, 25-28, and 33) were new naturally occurring compounds, and their structures were determined on the basis of spectroscopic methods. Twenty-four terpenoids and lipids (1-4, 6-9, 12, and 19-33) and six free triterpene triols (10, 11, and 13-16), derived from their fatty acid esters (2, 3, and 5-8) by alkaline hydrolysis, were evaluated with respect to their inhibitory effects on the induction of Epstein-Barr virus early antigen (EBV-EA) induced by the tumor promoter, 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA), in Raji cells, which is known to be a primary screening test for antitumor promoters. Among the 30 compounds tested, 21 compounds possessing a di- or a polycyclic ring system in the molecule (1-4, 6-16, and 19-24) showed potent inhibitory effects on EBV-EA induction (91-100% inhibition at 1 x 10(3) mol ratio/TPA).     

Absorption and urinary excretion of quercetin,rutin, and alphaG-rutin,a water soluble flavonoid,in rats

Quercetin, rutin, alphaG-rutin (a water soluble flavonoid), and a mixture of rutin and alphaG-rutin were administered to rats by a single gastric intubation, and their absorption and urinary excretion were examined. The plasma and 24 h urinary levels of aglycons (quercetin and tamarixetin/isorhamnetin) were measured by HPLC after deconjugation with beta-glucuronidase/sulfatase treatment. alphaG-rutin was absorbed more rapidly than quercetin or rutin, and the plasma concentrations of quercetin and tamarixetin/isorhamnetin reached the highest peak level 30 min after dosing. Quercetin, rutin, and the mixture of rutin and alphaG-rutin showed the first peak level 8 h, 8 h, and 30 min after dosing, respectively. The area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) for quercetin in rats administered alphaG-rutin was approximately 4.5- and 2-fold higher than those in rats administered quercetin and rutin, respectively, and was almost the same as that in rats administered a mixture of rutin and alphaG-rutin. The highest 24 h urinary excretion was observed in alphaG-rutin-administered rats. These results suggest that alphaG-rutin is absorbed more efficiently than either quercetin or rutin and that a high plasma concentration can be maintained by supplying rutin and alphaG-rutin in combination.     

Swim bladder tumor in the young adult scoliotic medaka (Oryzias latipes)

A swim bladder tumor was detected in one scoliotic medaka aged 22 weeks. The tumor was located in the dorsal abdominal cavity, with maximum dimension of 1,850 × 1,500 µm. No swim bladder lumen was identified, and the region where the swim bladder lumen would have been located, was replaced with adipose tissues. The tumor was a non-invasive, expansile, and encapsulated solid mass with a few cysts, and comprised a homogenous population of well-differentiated, densely packed, gas glandular epithelium-like cells. The tumor mass was connected to a rete mirabile that showed a hyperplastic capillary plexus; however, the tumor cells did not invade the rete mirabile, thereby revealing that the tumor was an adenoma originating from the gas glandular epithelium of the swim bladder. Since proliferative lesions in the swim bladder have been reported in some teleosts with skeletal deformations, including medaka, the occurrence of a spontaneous swim bladder tumor in teleosts is considered to be closely associated with various types of skeletal deformation, and spinal curvature in particular.     

The canine RAD51 mutation leads to the attenuation of interaction with PALB2

RAD51 forms a complex with BRCA2 and plays a central role in the DNA damage response pathway that is associated with homologous recombination. The structures of RAD51 and its homologues are highly conserved from prokaryotes to higher eukaryotes. Although a large number of BRCA2 mutations have been reported, there are only a few reports on the mutations of RAD51, which have been shown in humans and dogs. However, several mutations of canine RAD51 were identified from mammary gland tumour tissues in a recent study. Some of these mutations seem to have an influence on the homo‐oligomerization or interaction with “Partner and localizer of BRCA2” (PALB2). In this study, we cloned the canine PALB2 homologue and investigated the effect on its interaction with the RAD51 mutants to evaluate the alteration in the function of RAD51 mutants. The A209S and T225S mutants of RAD51 show an attenuation of the interaction between RAD51 and PALB2. These results indicate that the canine RAD51 mutations can potentially alter the homologous recombination pathways in response to DNA damage in dogs.     

p27(Kip1) negatively regulates the activation of murine primordial oocytes

In mice, small oocytes (primordial oocytes) are enclosed within flattened granulosa cells to form primordial follicles around birth. A small number of primordial oocytes enter the growth phase, whereas others are quiescent. The mechanism regulating this selection of primordial oocytes is not well understood. The objective of the present study was to understand the role of p27(Kip1), which regulates cell cycle progression in somatic cells, in the growth initiation of primordial oocytes in neonatal mice. We studied the localization of p27(Kip1) in 0-, 3-, 5-, 7- and 21-day-old mouse ovaries by immunohistochemistry. Ovaries from 3-day-old mice were treated with p27(Kip1) siRNAs (small interfering RNAs), and knockdown of p27(Kip1) was determined by immunohistochemistry and Western blotting. Ovaries treated with siRNAs were organ-cultured for 6 days, and oocyte growth was estimated histologically. Expression of p27(Kip1) was undetectable in the primordial oocytes of newborn mice. In the 3-day-old ovaries (n=3), p27(Kip1) was demonstrated in the nucleus of 36 ± 6% primordial oocytes. The percentage of p27(Kip1)-positive primordial oocytes increased to 72 ± 8 (n=3), 85 ± 7 (n=3) and 93 ± 5 (n=3) in the 5-, 7- and 21-day-old mouse ovaries, respectively. After knockdown of the p27(Kip1) protein by siRNAs, a higher proportion of oocytes entered the growth phase in cultured ovaries than those in the control. These results suggest that p27(Kip1) negatively regulates primordial oocyte growth and that knockdown of p27(Kip1) leads primordial oocytes to enter the growth phase in vitro.