Molecular cloning of the canine c-Met/HGF receptor and its expression in normal and regenerated liver

The c-Met proto-oncogene is the receptor for hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), which is a member of the tyrosine kinase family. Activation of the HGF/c-Met signal pathway leads to cell proliferation, motility, regeneration, and morphogenesis. In this study, the complete nucleotide sequence of complementary DNA (cDNA) of canine c-Met was cloned, and its distribution was determined in tissues. The canine c-Met cDNA clone had an open reading frame of 4419 bp that encoded a putative polypeptide of 1383 amino acids. The c-Met mRNA was expressed in a variety of canine tissues including peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), bone marrow, liver, kidney, lung, stomach, uterus, testis, thymus, lymph node, small intestine, colon, adrenal gland, thyroid gland, heart, muscle, skin, pancreas, ovary, prostate, spleen, fat, cerebrum, and cerebellum. In addition, the c-Met mRNA expression in normal and regenerated liver was examined. The levels of the mRNA increased 2-fold in regenerated liver compared to that found in normal liver, indicating that c-Met is involved in various functions including remodeling of canine hepatocytes.     

Iron-Enriched Bread with Karkade (Hibiscus sabdariffa) and Wheat Flour

Karkade (Hibiscus sabdariffa) was blended with wheat flour to make bread. When 0.5% Karkade was blended with wheat flour, maximum bread height and specific volume (cm³/g) were obtained (pH 4.8–5.0); these properties gradually deteriorated with increased Karkade. The pH of the bread crumb decreased with increased Karkade, reaching pH 3.35 when blended with 10% Karkade. The pH of Karkade alone was 2.5, which was adjusted to ≈5.0 by the addition of alkali just before blending with wheat flour and making bread. Control of the Karkade pH resulted in bread height and specific volume recovering to the original optimal levels. In addition, the deep reddish purple color (513 nm) of the bread crumb changed to a brownish color crumb. The Fe content was 0.14 mg of Fe/gram of dry crumb, or 6.22 mg of Fe/60 g of fresh bread when 5% Karkade was blended with wheat flour.     

Springiness of Pancake and Its Relation to Binding of Prime Starch to Tailings in Stored Wheat Flour

Wheat flours were stored at room temperature (15–25°C), 40, 60, 80, and 100°C for various times. The baking performance of these flours was then evaluated in terms of the springiness of pancakes (recovery from crushing). Baking performance improved with increased storage time at each temperature. Brabender Amylograph tests of the flours indicated that the onset temperature in viscosity decreased with increased storage time at each temperature. When the flours were fractionated by acetic acid (pH 3.5) with mortar and pestle, recoveries of the water-solubles and gluten fractions were unchanged, but recoveries of prime starch and tailings fractions changed remarkably with increased storage time. On the other hand, those changes were not observed when flours were fractionated with a Waring blender. The binding of prime starch to tailings was correlated significantly with baking performance.     

Effect of a Wheat Protein on pH-Dependent Water-Binding Capacity and Viscosity of Wheat Tailings Fractions

Wheat flour was fractionated with acetic acid using a mortar and pestle method or a blender method. Higher pH-dependent water-binding capacity (WBC) and viscosity were obtained only in the tailings fraction. The higher pH-dependent WBC was rather stable at 5–37°C, however it decreased with salt addition. Pepsin or bromelain treatment stopped the pH-dependent changes in WBC and viscosity, which suggests that this characteristic of the tailings fraction is due to the presence of proteins. HPLC indicated that the M_r of the proteins associated with high WBC at low pH was >200 kDa.     

Role of taurine deficiency in inducing green liver symptom and effect of dietary taurine supplementation in improving growth in juvenile red sea bream <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pagrus major</Emphasis> fed non-fishmeal diets based on soy protein concentrate

This study was conducted to investigate the mechanism of green liver symptom induction and the effect of dietary taurine supplementation on growth performance in juvenile red sea bream fed non-fishmeal diets based on soy protein concentrate (SPC). Juvenile fish (initial BW 72 g) were fed for 20 weeks on SPC diets supplemented with taurine at levels of 0, 1.0, and 2.0%. In the taurine-unsupplemented SPC diet group, specific growth rate (SGR) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were significantly inferior (P < 0.001), and incidence of green liver was observed in 70% of fish. In this group, hepatopancreatic and plasma taurine concentrations were lowest (P < 0.05), hepatopancreatic content of bile pigments was highest (P < 0.05), and osmotic tolerance of erythrocytes was inferior (P < 0.05) among the dietary treatment groups. Serum osmolality of all treatment groups was at similar levels. These physiological abnormalities as well as SGR and FCR were improved by dietary taurine supplementation. These results indicate that the mechanism for induction of green liver symptom is bile pigment overproduction due to increased hemolysis because erythrocytes become osmotically fragile due to dietary taurine deficiency. Taurine supplementation of SPC diets is essential for maintaining normal physiological condition and growth performance in juvenile red sea bream.     

Seasonal dynamics and yearly change in the abundance of metacercariae of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Parabucephalopsis parasiluri</Emphasis> (Trematoda: Bucephalidae) in the second intermediate host in the Uji–Yodo River,central Japan

An introduced pathogenic fish trematode, Parabucephalopsis parasiluri Wang, 1985 (Digenea: Bucephalidae), was studied to determine the seasonal fluctuation in its metacercariae abundance. The timing of the recruitment period of the metacercariae and the relationship between yearly fluctuation in metacercarial abundance and some environmental factors were also examined to develop an effective plan for disease control. Monthly changes in metacercarial abundance in the caudal fin of pale chub (Zacco platypus) and of the prevalence of the first intermediate host (golden mussel Limnoperna fortunei) suggest that P. parasiluri generally has an annual life cycle. The metacercarial abundance in chub increased when the water temperature fell below 7°C in winter, but the rapidity of the increase varied between 2007 and 2008. The fluctuations in the abundance of metacercariae in winter from 2001 to 2008 showed that mean flow rate and mean water level in January were negatively related to the infection level each year, and positively related to the mean water temperature. Based on these results, we propose a control plan for parabucephalopsiosis involving discharge control; that is, more than 50 m³/s (corresponding to 150 m³/s in the Yodo River) of water should be flushed from upstream dams for a period of at least one week starting on the day when the water temperature falls below 7°C.     

云南稻-鸭共生模式效益的研究及综合评价（三）

通过不同放鸭只数的试验,研究了在中高产田单位面积放鸭的数量与产量构成因素和病虫草害发生的关系,分析了产量构成,病虫草害发生的情况,为稻－鸭共生模式技术的推广提供理论依据。     

Histopathological changes of the spinal cord and motor neuron dynamics in SOD1 Tg mice

We analyzed the histopathological changes and the number of motor neurons (MNs) in the lumbar spinal cord of Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase transgenic (SOD1^G93ATg) mice, which are frequently used as a disease model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). In SOD1^G93ATg mice, hyaline inclusions and foamy vacuoles in the neuronal cell body were observed at 7 weeks of age before neurologic symptoms, and large vacuoles, spheroid formation, and nerve cell aggregation became prominent after 13 weeks of age. The number of healthy MNs was 28.7 to 37.1 cells/animal in wild-type mice and 9.3 to 13.6 cells/animal in transgenic (Tg) mice. Furthermore, the number of MNs, including degenerative neurons, in Tg mice was 27.3–36.1 cells/animal at 18 weeks of age and 17.8–19.6 cells/animal at 21 weeks of age. The present results provide useful information for the development of drugs in ALS treatment.     

Dietary utility of enzyme-treated fish meal for juvenile Pacific bluefin tuna <Emphasis Type="Italic">Thunnus orientalis</Emphasis>

ABSTRACT:   In order to develop an artificial diet, the dietary utility of enzyme-treated fish meal was investigated for juvenile Pacific bluefin tuna Thunnus orientalis (PBT). Diets containing each 63% of Chilean fish meal (FM), enzyme-treated Chilean fish meal (EC) and enzyme-treated Peruvian fish meal (EP), with 10% bonito oil and raw sand lance Ammodytes personatus (SL) were fed to juvenile tuna six times per day for one week. In a different trial, diets EC and SL were fed to tuna six times per day for 2 weeks. Only diet EC sustained similar growth or caused lower survival and higher feed efficiency, hepato- and enterosomatic indices and final carcass lipid content as compared to those of SL. Diets FM and EP led to lower specific growth rate (SGR) but similar feed efficiency, survival and hepatosomatic index, yet higher enterosomatic index. Moreover, PBT fed diet EC for 2 weeks led to similar growth performance but higher final carcass and hepatic lipid contents, and plasma cholesterol and phospholipid levels than those fed SL. Carcass fatty acid composition of diet EC group had lower 20:5  n -3 and 22:6  n -3 levels than the SL group. These results revealed that EC, as a suitable dietary protein source, could sustain growth of PBT, while dietary bonito oil led to higher carcass lipid but lower accumulation of n -3 highly unsaturated fatty acids.