Isolation of a Megatrypanum trypanosome from sika deer (Cervus nippon yesoensis) in Japan

A trypanosome was isolated from a sika deer (Cervus nippon yesoensis) in Hokkaido, Japan, during the primary culture of sika deer renal cells. This is the first report of isolation of a Megatrypanum trypanosome from Japanese Cervidae. The trypanosome, designated TSD1, was propagated and maintained in Eagle's modified essential medium containing 20% fetal bovine serum with sika deer renal cells as feeder. The TSD1 trypanosome was morphometrically similar to Trypanosoma cervi, which is commonly isolated from American and European deer. PCR analysis with primers for 18S ribosomal DNA and nucleotide sequencing showed that TSD1 is a member of genus Trypanosoma, subgenus Megatrypanum. Phylogenetically TSD1 is closely related to T. theileri, a common trypanosome of cattle, but is distinguishable from T. theileri by some morphometrical and biological features.     

Monitoring saline intrusion in the Ayeyarwady Delta,Myanmar, using data from the Sentinel-2 satellite mission

Paddy and Water Environment - Summer rice cannot be grown near the coast of the Ayeyarwady Delta, Myanmar, because of the high salinity in river water during the dry season. This means that saline...     

Irradiation history of Itokawa regolith material deduced from noble gases in the Hayabusa samples

Noble gas isotopes were measured in three rocky grains from asteroid Itokawa to elucidate a history of irradiation from cosmic rays and solar wind on its surface. Large amounts of solar helium (He), neon (Ne), and argon (Ar) trapped in various depths in the grains were observed, which can be explained by multiple implantations of solar wind particles into the grains, combined with preferential He loss caused by frictional wear of space-weathered rims on the grains. Short residence time of less than 8 million years was implied for the grains by an estimate on cosmic-ray-produced (21)Ne. Our results suggest that Itokawa is continuously losing its surface materials into space at a rate of tens of centimeters per million years. The lifetime of Itokawa should be much shorter than the age of our solar system.     

Formaldehyde Concentrations in Ambient Air in Urban and Rural Areas in Gunma Prefecture, Japan

We measured formaldehyde concentrations in ambient air at urban (Isesaki) and rural (Annaka) sites in Gunma Prefecture, Japan from June 1998 to March 2003. Measurements were carried out once in a month to obtain daily mean formaldehyde concentrations. At both the sites, mean concentrations of formaldehyde were significantly higher from April to September (summer) than from October to March (winter). Formaldehyde concentrations in Annaka were essentially as high as those in Isesaki in summer, but were significantly lower in winter. At both the sites, concentrations of formaldehyde and oxidants correlated significantly with one another in the summer; correlation coefficients in Annaka and Isesaki were 0.82 and 0.64, respectively. The fraction of formaldehyde formed photochemically based on concentrations of benzene was calculated to be as high as 80% in both the sites in summer. The results suggested that formaldehyde concentrations were high even in rural air, reflecting photochemical reactions rather than automobile exhaust.     

Fractal analysis of ice crystals in frozen food

Fractal analysis of the morphology of ice crystal particles in frozen food was attempted for frozen soybean curd (tofu). From a microscopic image analysis of the ice crystal particles, it was found that the perimeter of the ice crystal particles could be recognized as a fractal. Effects of the storage time and storage temperature on the fractal dimension (d(p)) of the perimeter of the ice crystal particles were also investigated. As storage time was increased, the d(p) value tended to decrease. When the storage temperature was increased, the value of d(p) decreased more rapidly. The changes corresponded to the visual observation of the shape change for the ice crystal particles during storage reported by many researchers, suggesting that the fractal dimension d(p) could be used as a quantitative indicator reflecting the surface roughness of ice crystal particles.     

Phytophthora rot of alpine delphinium caused by Phytophthora sp. kelmania

Severe stunting and root rot were observed on alpine delphinium plants (Delphinium elatum) from Aomori Prefecture, Japan, in 2010 and 2011. A Phytophthora isolate from the diseased crown was identified as Phytophthora sp. kelmania based on morphological characteristics and DNA sequence data. Inoculation of alpine delphinium plants with the isolate produced a similar root rot. Pathogenicity of the isolate on four species of plants that are known hosts for P. sp. kelmania was confirmed. We propose the name “Phytophthora rot” (eki-byo in Japanese) for the present new disease on alpine delphinium.

     

Effects of CaCN2 treatment of seeds of Inubie (Echinochloa oryzicola) on synthesis of protein and RNA during germination

Protein and RNA induction during the germination of Inubie (Echinochloa oryzicola) seeds pretreated with CaCN₂ was studied. It was observed that the germination of Echinochloa oryzicola seeds was delayed after pretreatment with a high concentration of CaCN₂ for 18 h. A considerable difference in the protein patterns was detected in the SDS-PAGE gel between the control (H₂O) and CaCN₂ treatment, particularly a 48 kilodalton (kD) protein band disappeared in CaCN₂ treatment. At the tested three levels of CaCN₂, the induction of this 48 kD protein was apparently inhibited during the germination process even when the duration of the pretreatment was as short as 2 h. When imbibed with water, the amount of the 48 kD protein increased rapidly within 1 h from the trace level in the dry seeds, and reached the maximum level after about 1–2 d. The results showed that the CaCN₂ treatment also decreased the total RNA level in the germinating seeds. The relation of this protein induction and RNA decline with the beginning of Echinochloa oryzicola germination was discussed.     

Glutathione levels in phloem sap of rice plants under sulfur deficient conditions

Glutathione which is an abundant reduced sulfur compound in plants is considered to play important roles in the transmission of the sulfur nutrient status between organs within the plant body and in the long-distance transport of reduced sulfur. We determined the concentrations of glutathione, γ-glutamylcysteine (γ-EC), sulfate in the rice phloem sap collected by the insect laser technique. Phloem sap was collected from the plants cultured in sulfur-deficient and control solutions. The concentration of glutathione in the rice phloem sap was higher than that of sulfate in both control and sulfur-deficient plants. Under sulfur-deficient condition, the concentration of glutathione in the phloem sap did not decrease, whereas the sulfate concentration decreased significantly. The pattern of changes in γ-EC concentration was similar to that of glutathione. These data indicate the presence of mechanisms for the maintenance of a constant glutathione concentration in the phloem sap in rice plants under sulfur deficiency, whereas the sulfate concentration was found to be relatively unstable.     

Characterization of cadmium-tolerant carrot cells in response to cadmium stress

Non-tolerant (CW) and Cd-tolerant (CCdl) carrot (Daucus carota L.) cells were compared for their response to cadmium (Cd). The CCdl cells were induced by selection from the CW cells on a B5 medium containing 100 µM Cd. The CCdl cells were more tolerant to Cd than the CW cells. In an 80 µM Cd treatment, the growth rate (8 d/O d) based on the fresh weight of the CCdl cells and CW cells was 69 and 24%, respectively, compared to the controls. Cd stress led to the decrease of the total glutathione content and to the increase of the contents of non-protein thiols (t-SH, phytochelatins) and Cd in both types of cells. Under Cd stress, the contents of t-SH and Cd of the CW cells were higher than those of the CCdl cells. The CW cells in the 80 and 160 µM Cd treatments accumulated Cd with the increase in time. In contrast, the Cd content in the CCdl cells in all the treatments and in the CW cells in the 40 µM Cd treatment gradually decreased after 1 d. In an additional experiment, both types of cells pretreated with 20–80 µM Cd for 1 d were transferred to a Cd-free medium. The CCdl cells in all the pretreatments continuously excluded Cd over a 4-d period, unlike the CW cells. Therefore, a larger depletion of Cd was found in the CCdl cells, which may be partially attributed to Cd tolerance.