Effect of dietary astaxanthin rich yeast,Phaffia rhodozyma,on meat quality of broiler chickens

We evaluated effects of dietary supplementation with astaxanthin (Ax)‐rich yeast, Phaffia rhodozyma (Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous), on broiler chicken meat quality. Fourteen‐day‐old female Ross broilers were divided into three groups: control group, Ax‐free diet; Ax 10 group, 10 mg/kg Ax diet; and Ax 20 group, 20 mg/kg Ax diet for 28 days. At 42 days old, chickens were slaughtered, and then growth performance, meat quality and sensory attributes were analyzed. Compared with the control, a* values increased significantly after slaughter and 48 h postmortem for Ax 20 samples (P < 0.05) and for b* values in Ax 20 and Ax 10 groups (P < 0.05). Cooking loss decreased in the Ax 20 group (P < 0.05). After 120 h aging, contents of several free amino acids and total free amino acid content of Ax 20 group were significantly higher than the control (P < 0.05). In sensory evaluation, meat texture attributes improved significantly in the Ax 20 group (P < 0.01). No significant changes occurred in flavor attribute scores of meat soup from the Ax 20 group compared with the control even though most assessors preferred meat soup from the Ax 20 group. Overall, Ax‐rich yeast in the diet improves broiler chicken meat quality.     

普通小麦与山羊草叶绿体基因组长度热点突变区的核苷酸序列分析

 检测了Ae. speltoides和Ae. ovata叶绿体基因组的一个长度热点突变区的核苷酸序列，并与普通小麦、四倍体Ae. crassa 以及Ae. squarrosa的相应序列进行了比较分析。从rbcL基因的终止密码子到cemA基因内的HindIII位点，Ae. speltoides和Ae. ovata的核苷酸序列长度分别为2 808 和 2 810bp。与四倍体Ae. crassa的序列相比，在普通小麦和Ae. speltoides中各有一个791 bp的大片段缺失，在Ae. ovata中存在一个793 bp的大片段缺失。Ae. ovata的缺失片段比普通小麦和Ae. speltoides的长2个碱基，推测Ae. ovata的大片段缺失在进化上是独立发生的。Ae. speltoides的大片段缺失与普通小麦的完全相同，支持Ae. speltoides是普通小麦叶绿体基因组供体的假说。除了大片段缺失外，在这个区域还检测到了7 个插入/缺失和15个碱基替换突变。研究结果表明，这个长度热点突变区的核苷酸序列分析是研究小麦与山羊草叶绿体基因组之间遗传变异关系的一个非常有效的途径。     

Oxygen isotopic compositions of asteroidal materials returned from Itokawa by the Hayabusa mission

Meteorite studies suggest that each solar system object has a unique oxygen isotopic composition. Chondrites, the most primitive of meteorites, have been believed to be derived from asteroids, but oxygen isotopic compositions of asteroids themselves have not been established. We measured, using secondary ion mass spectrometry, oxygen isotopic compositions of rock particles from asteroid 25143 Itokawa returned by the Hayabusa spacecraft. Compositions of the particles are depleted in (16)O relative to terrestrial materials and indicate that Itokawa, an S-type asteroid, is one of the sources of the LL or L group of equilibrated ordinary chondrites. This is a direct oxygen-isotope link between chondrites and their parent asteroid.     

Population genetic structure of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Microdochium majus</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Microdochium nivale</Emphasis> associated with Fusarium head blight of wheat in Hokkaido,Japan

The extent of mycotoxin-induced responses in living roots of two maize (Zea mays L.) cultivars differing in their susceptibility to Fusarium was studied. Application of mycotoxin zearalenone (ZEN) or its derivates α-zearalenol (α-ZEL) and β-zearalenol (β-ZEL) caused a rapid depolarization of plasma membrane potential (E_M). The extent of E_M depolarization was dependent on the type of mycotoxin that have been used and showed concentration dependence. Interestingly, ZEN, but not its derivatives α-ZEL and β-ZEL, significantly decreased respiration of maize root cells. Electrolyte leakage increased with the duration of toxins treatment and was significantly higher in susceptible cv. Pavla than in resistant cv. Lucia. A strong superoxide dismutase insensitive nitro blue tetrazolium (NBT) reduction activity was identified in the root tips of control plants. This activity was rapidly inhibited by mycotoxin application in the meristematic/distal transition zones of roots in both cultivars examined. The level of recovery was a function of the mycotoxin concentration. Moreover, mycotoxin treatment also resulted in the onset and the progression of root cell death which was dependent on both, the type and concentration of mycotoxin.     

First application of PCR-Luminex system for molecular diagnosis of fungicide resistance and species identification of fungal pathogens

Fungicide resistance in plant pathogens is often caused by a single point mutation in a gene encoding fungicide target proteins. Such is the case for resistance to MBI-D (inhibitors of scytalone dehydratase in melanin biosynthesis) fungicides in rice blast fungus (Magnaporthe oryzae), which is caused by a mutation in the scytalone dehydratase gene that results in a replacement of valine with methionine at codon 75 of the fungicide target protein. PCR-Luminex, a novel system developed for high-throughput analysis of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) was successfully introduced to diagnose MBI-D resistance using specific oligonucleotide probes coupled with fluorescent beads. The PCR-Luminex system was further tested for its potential in identifying species causing Fusarium head blight on wheat. Four major pathogens, Fusarium graminearum (=F. asiaticum), F. culmorum, F. avenaceum, and Microdochium nivale, known to cause the disease, were tested, and the species were identified using the PCR-Luminex method. So far, this report is the first on the application of the DNA-based PCR-Luminex system in the area of crop protection and/or agricultural sciences.     

In planta distribution of 'Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus' as revealed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and real-time PCR

Huanglongbing (HLB) is one of the most devastating diseases of citrus worldwide, and is caused by a phloem-limited fastidious prokaryotic alpha-proteobacterium that is yet to be cultured. In this study, a combination of traditional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and real-time PCR targeting the putative DNA polymerase and 16S rDNA sequence of 'Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus,' respectively, were used to examine the distribution and movement of the HLB pathogen in the infected citrus tree. We found that 'Ca. Liberibacter asiaticus' was distributed in bark tissue, leaf midrib, roots, and different floral and fruit parts, but not in endosperm and embryo, of infected citrus trees. Quantification analysis of the HLB bacterium indicated that it was distributed unevenly in planta and ranged from 14 to 137,031 cells/mug of total DNA in different tissues. A relatively high concentration of 'Ca. Liberibacter asiaticus' was observed in fruit peduncles. Our data from greenhouse-infected plants also indicated that 'Ca. Liberibacter asiaticus' was transmitted systemically from infection site to different parts of the plant. Understanding the distribution and movement of the HLB bacterium inside an individual citrus tree is critical for discerning its virulence mechanism and to develop management strategies for HLB.     

Comparison of rDNA-ITS Sequences between Potato and Tobacco Strains in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Rhizoctonia solani</Emphasis> AG-3

Genetic diversity among 51 isolates of Rhizoctonia solani AG-3, representing potato and tobacco populations, was inferred from the sequences of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and 5.8S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene. The 5.8S rDNA sequence was completely conserved not only in AG-3, but across all the AG isolates examined, whereas the rDNA-ITS sequence was found to be variable among the isolates. The nucleotide sequence similarity in the ITS 1 region was high (96-100%) for isolates within each of the two populations, but was 91-92% for isolates from different populations. The AG-3 isolates had 56 to 91% sequence similarities in the ITS 1 region with R. solani isolates of the other AGs. Phylogenetic analysis based on the ITS-5.8S rDNA sequence data indicated that the different populations in AG-3 are distantly related to each other. Genetic divergence between the two populations was also supported by the results of DNA-DNA hybridization studies. This study suggests that AG-3 consists of two genetically isolated groups corresponding to separate subgroups: AG-3 PT (potato type) and AG-3 TB (tobacco type). Specific primer sets for the detection of the two AG-3 subgroups were developed from the aligned rDNA-ITS sequences. Received 22 April 1999/ Accepted in revised form 2 July 1999