Immunohistochemical localization of transforming growth factor alpha in regenerating rat liver

Immunohistochemical localization of TGF-alpha and cell proliferation kinetics during liver regeneration after two-thirds partial hepatectomy (PH) were investigated. Twenty-four to 72 hr after PH, appreciable increase in the number of TGF-alpha-positive hepatocytes was observed in zones 1 and 2. At the peak at 36 hr, almost all positive cells were stained in their nuclei. Considerable increase in the BrdU labeling index was observed 24-36 hr after PH with a peak at 24 hr in zones 1 and 2. These results indicated an association between TGF-alpha expression and hepatocyte regeneration. It is suggested that immunohistochemical localization of TGF-alpha may be a useful marker of cell proliferation activity in rat liver.     

Raman spectroscopic study of changes in fish actomyosin during setting.

Actomyosins (AMs) isolated from tilapia, lemon sole, ling cod, and rock fish were heated at 40 degrees C, and structural changes in AMs were investigated using Raman spectroscopy to elucidate low-temperature gelling phenomenon, that is, "setting", of surimi. The following conformational transitions were observed in lemon sole, ling cod, and rock fish gels during setting: a slow unfolding of alpha-helix and exposure of hydrophobic amino acid residues occurring in long-time incubation at 40 degrees C, thereby forming hydrophobic interactions among AM molecules. In addition, the most frequent conformation in disulfide bonds was gauche-gauche-trans (g-g-t) form in the set gel. On the other hand, tilapia AM did not form a gel with heating at 40 degrees C, its alpha-helical structure in the myosin being far more stable than that of the other species. The heat resistance of the tight alpha-helix may prevent the gelation of tilapia AM. It is, therefore, likely that the unfolding of the alpha-helix of myosin is a prerequisite for gelation of AM during setting.     

Effects of changes in environmental factors on the non-specific immune response of Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus L.

Lysozyme acts as a non‐specific defence substance and is found in the peripheral blood, cutaneous mucus and certain tissues of marine and freshwater fishes. In the present study, we examined the effect of various environmental factors (water temperature, salinity, pH and suspended sediments) on plasma lysozyme activity in the Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus L. When the fish were reared at different water temperatures (18.4, 23, 28 and 33°C), plasma lysozyme activity increased at 28°C after 2 and 4 weeks. A significant decrease in lysozyme activity was found in the fish reared at 33°C for 4 weeks. These results suggest that there is a water temperature range that affects the amount of plasma lysozyme activity that can be detected. Fish cultured at 24 g L^?1 of salinity for 2 and 4 weeks and 12 g L^?1 for 4 weeks resulted in significantly increased plasma lysozyme activity, suggesting that environmental salinity also affects the amount of plasma lysozyme that can be detected. Lysozyme activity also significantly increased when the fish were held in acidic water at pH 4.0 and in suspended sediments at 2000 mg L^?1 for 2 weeks. It was concluded that changes in some aquatic environmental factors affect the non‐specific immune responses of Nile tilapia.     

Serological properties and intrinsic antibiotic resistance of soybean bradyrhizobia isolated from Thailand

A group of Bradyrhizobium strains isolated from soybean plants in Thailand did not correspond to any known DNA homology groups of Bradyrhizobium japonicum and Bradyrhizobium elkanii reported by Hollis et al. (J. Gen. Microbiol., 123, 215–222, 1981). To clarify the phenotypic characteristics of the group, serological properties and intrinsic antibiotic resistance (IAR) profile of 94 Thai strains were compared with those of USDA and Japanese strains. Indirect ELISA tests for each Thai strain were performed agaiIl.st polyclonal antisera prepared against 15 USDA standard serotype strains of B. japonicum and B. elkanii. Among the 94 Thai strains tested, 36 which were previously identified as B. elkanii, with the exception of one strain, were strongly responsive to an antiserum prepared against USDA 31. The remaining 58 strains, with the exception of two strains, showed multiple cross reactions which were peculiar to the Thai strains. These serological reaction patterns did not correspond to any known serogroups labeled as B. japonicum and B. elkanii. In the IAR test, the taxonomically unknown Thai soybean bradyrhizobia exhibited a high level of resistance to neomycin (50 µg/mL), polymyxin (50 µg/mL), nalidixic acid (15 µg/mL), and kanamycin (15 µg/mL). Kanamycin could thus be useful in combination with neomycine and nalidixic acid for distinguishing between the unknown Thai strains and strains of B. japonicum and B. elkanii. Our results demonstrated that the unknown Thai strains were serologically and IAR-phenotypically remote from both B. japonicum and B. elkanii.     

Red soils derived from limestone contain higher amounts of trace elements than those derived from various other parent materials

The concentrations of 48 trace elements (Li, Be, Sc, V, Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, As, Br, Rb, Sr, Y, Zr, Nb, Mo, Ag, In, Cd, Sn, Sb, I, Cs, Ba, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, Hf, Ta, W, Tl, Pb, Bi, Th and U) in 14 soils derived from limestone, sampled at three sites, are compared with the concentrations in 500 soil samples derived from a variety of other parent materials. The 500 samples were collected from 75 sites nationwide in order to include the wide range of common soil types in Japan. Most analytical results were obtained by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), but Cr, As, Br, Zr, Sn, and I concentrations were determined by energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (EDXRF), because the acid dissolution techniques employed in this study were found to be incapable of recovering these elements completely. In order to examine the reliability of analyses, the concentrations of many elements were also determined by EDXRF, inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES), and atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS). Box and whisker diagrams (Tukey plots), constructed using log-transformed values of each element, show clearly that geometric means of nearly all the trace elements in soils derived from limestone are higher than those in soils derived from other parent materials. The only exceptions are Sr, Ag and Eu, though statistical analysis (Student’s t-test) shows that the differences for these three elements were not significant at p < 0.05. Similarly, the observed differences of geometric means for Sc, Br and Ba between limestone soils and other types of soils were also not significant at p < 0.05. It can be concluded, therefore, that the concentrations of the above-mentioned 48 trace elements in soils derived from limestone are significantly higher than those in other types of soils, with the exception of Sc, Br, Sr, Ag, and Ba, though it was necessary to exclude 81 soil samples, developed on scoriaceous (basaltic) volcanic ash from Mt. Fuji, as an exceptional group for comparisons of V and Cu, as these soils contain higher levels of these two elements. The above results can be attributed to the gradual accumulation of trace elements in the limestone soils due to the intense weathering processes.     

Extraskeletal osteosarcoma with pulmonary metastasis in a female f344 rat

A subcutaneous mass in the right femoral region of a female F344 Slc/N rat was examined histopathologically. At 83 weeks of age, the animal showed symptoms of severe anemia and nasal bleeding. Necropsy revealed that the mass had invaded the skeletal muscles but did not affect the bones. Multicentric nodules were also observed in the lung. Histopathology revealed a sheet-like growth pattern of polygonal tumor cells with round or comma-shaped nuclei and pale eosinophilic cytoplasm. Osteoid tissue was observed in not only the original lesion but also the metastatic foci in the lung. Each tumor cell was surrounded by argentophil fibers and few collagen fibers. Immunohistochemically, the tumor cells were positive for proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), vimentin, osterix and osteocalcin, but negative for keratin, S-100, von Willebrand factor, CD-31, CD-34, desmin, α-smooth muscle actin, lysozyme, α1-antitrypsin and rat malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH) antigen. CD-68-positive cells were considered to be infiltrated macrophages because they were negative for PCNA. On the basis of these findings, we diagnosed the present case as extraskeletal osteosarcoma.     

Screening methods of apple trees for resistance toValsa canker

Summary Valsa canker is the most serious wood rot disease of apple in Japan. Dormant, excised twig assay in vitro was used to determine resistance to Valsa canker. ‘Fuji’, ‘Starking Delicious’, ‘M.26 EMLA’, and ‘MM.106’ were considered to be highly susceptible, while Malus sieboldii showed moderate resistance. Several cultivars belonging toM. prunifolia, M. baccata, andM. × domestica showed comparative resistance. The phloridzin content in the bark ofMalus species was studied in relation toValsa canker resistance. Phloridzin content ofM. sieboldii was lower than inM. × domestica. Comparatively resistant cultivars had similar or higher phloridzin content compared to susceptible cultivars. No clear correlations were found between resistance and phloridzin contents in the bark ofMalus species.     

Pathogenic and genetic variability of Ralstonia solanacearum strains from the Philippines

In the Philippines, bacterial wilt caused by Ralstonia solanacearum is one of the most important diseases affecting vegetables and banana. In this study, 89 strains of R. solanacearum isolated from various hosts were screened for their biovar, phylotype, pathogenicity, and genetic diversity. Foreign strains were included for comparison with these Philippine strains. Results of the biochemical and multiplex-PCR tests divided the Philippine strains into five biovars (1, 2, 3, 4, and N2) and three phylotypes (I, II, and IV). Three potato strains belonged to biovar N2/phylotype IV. Pathogenicity tests divided the strains into five pathogenicity types based on their virulence in tomato, potato, eggplant, sweet pepper, and tobacco. Strains classified as biovar N2 were weakly pathogenic to potato (pathogenicity type III) and almost all strains isolated from banana were not pathogenic to the test plants except potato (pathogenicity type V). The results of AFLP analysis divided the strains into four clusters. Cluster 1 was composed of strains isolated from solanaceous crops, ginger (Zingiber officinale), and Morus sp. from the Philippines and other Asian countries. Cluster 2 grouped the potato strains (biovar N2) from the Philippines and Japan and blood disease bacterium strains from Indonesia. Cluster 3 contained the local and foreign strains isolated from potato (biovar 2) and banana (biovar 1). Cluster 4 consisted only of the tomato strain from the USA.     

Changes in the N Recovery Process from 15N-Labeled Swine Manure Compost and Rice Bran in Direct-Seeded Rice by Simultaneous Application of Cattle Manure Compost

The N recovery from ¹⁵N-labeled swine manure compost and rice bran with or without simultaneous application of unlabeled cattle manure compost was examined in a paddy field with direct-seeded rice during a 1-year period (1 crop season). In all the ¹⁵N-labeled materials including (¹⁵NH₄)₂SO₄, the processes of N recovery from the ¹⁵N materials by rice plants were different between the plots with and without application of cattle manure compost. At the tillering stage, the N recovery rates from the ¹⁵N materials in the plots with application of cattle manure compost were significantly lower than those in the plots without application of cattle manure compost. These recovery rates, however, became close and no significant differences were observed at the maturity stage. Thus, simultaneous application of cattle manure compost could impede the N recovery from swine manure compost, rice bran as well as (NH₄)₂SO₄.