Effect of recombinant canine IFNγ on canine atopic dermatitis evaluated by clinical signs,histopathology and expression of Th1/Th2 cytokine mRNA

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is thought to be caused by immunologic abnormalities expressed as a Th1/Th2 cytokine imbalance in both humans and dogs. Several studies have focused on the therapeutic effects of IFNγ in human AD with successful results; however, the mechanism of action of IFNγ is not fully understood. We investigated the effect of recombinant canine interferon gamma (rCaIFNγ) on 10 dogs with AD and evaluated the ratio of IL‐4 mRNA to IFNγ mRNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells, serum total IgE levels, and histological changes in skin. After six injections of rCaIFNγ over a span of 2 weeks, seven of the 10 dogs showed improvement, and six of these seven dogs exhibited decreased IL‐4:IFNγ mRNA ratios. Two of the three cases that did not improve had increased IL‐4:IFNγ mRNA ratios. Total serum IgE levels were significantly decreased in nine of 10 cases. The number of IgE‐positive cells detected by immunostaining and the number of mast cells in skin biopsy samples were decreased. A reduction of epidermal cell layers was demonstrated by histopathology after treatment. These results demonstrated that rCaIFNγ may be a novel safe and effective therapeutic option for the treatment of canine AD, and the mechanism of action of rCaIFNγ may be related to the modulation of Th2 cytokines to Th1 cytokines with the reduction of serum IgE production. Funding: Self‐funded.     

Sequential transformation rates of soil organic sulfur fractions in two-step mineralization process

To understand the organic sulfur (S) stabilization in volcanic soils, we investigated organic S transformation rates and their relationships to soil properties in incubation experiments using forest soils from the Nikko volcanic region, central Japan. We hypothesized that carbon (C)-bonded S would first be transformed into ester sulfate-S and then into inorganic sulfate-S. We separately calculated the rates of decrease of C-bonded S (velocity 1, v ₁) and ester sulfate-S (velocity 2, v ₂) concentrations. During incubation, the ester sulfate-S concentration increased in two soils characterized by a high concentration of both ammonium oxalate-extractable aluminum (Al_o) and pyrophosphate-extractable Al (Al_p), whereas the C-bonded S concentration decreased in all soils. A large proportion of the S that was lost in the incubation experiments consisted of C-bonded S rather than ester sulfate-S. Velocity 2 was negatively correlated with both of Al_o and Al_p contents when soils were incubated at 20 °C. These results suggest that when C-bonded S is transformed into ester sulfate-S, complete mineralization to inorganic sulfate is inhibited, because ester sulfate-S is stabilized due to organo–mineral association. Incubation temperatures significantly affected v ₂. Thus, production of inorganic sulfate by mineralization of ester sulfate-S appeared to be regulated by soil Al contents and temperatures. Velocity 1 was proportional to soil pH ranging from 4.5 to 5.5, indicating that the degradation of C-bonded S is pH dependent.     

Social distancing measures differentially affected rats in North America and Tokyo

Journal of Pest Science - Because rats are commensal organisms that depend on human activities for food, shifts in human behavior will have pronounced effects on local rat populations. In the...     

Extractable sulfate content in Japanese forest soils

The amounts of extractable sulfate in 12 forest soils were measured as a preliminary work to study sulfur dynamics in forest ecosystems. The sulfate content determined by the distillation method varied widely (10–880 × 10⁻⁶ gSg⁻¹) depending on the soil type and the depth. Japanese forest soils were broadly divided into two groups in sulfate level: one retains a large amount of sulfate and the other does not. In general, the surface soils to the depth of 10 cm contained small amounts of sulfate (< 100 × 10⁻⁶ gSg⁻¹), while subsoils contained more. The soil samples with low (< 4.6) or high (6 <) pH (H₂O) retained small amounts of sulfate. Black soils derived from volcanic ash retained great quantities of sulfate. The two levels of sulfate contents in Japanese forest soils suggests that the sulfur dynamics are different in these soils.     

Transgenic apple (Malus x domestica) shoot showing low browning potential

Transgenic apple shoots were prepared from leaf disks by using Agrobacterium tumefaciens carrying the kanamycin (KM) resistance gene and antisense polyphenol oxidase (PPO) DNA. Four transgenic apple lines that grew on the medium containing 50 microgram/mL KM were obtained. They contained the KM resistance gene and grew stably on the medium for >3 years. Two transgenic shoot lines containing antisense PPO DNA in which PPO activity was repressed showed a lower browning potential than a control shoot.     

Relating sulfate adsorption to soil properties in Japanese forest soils

The relationship of sulfate adsorption capacity to the presence of aluminum, iron oxides, and organic carbon in four Japanese forest soils was investigated. Sulfate adsorption capacities were higher in subsoils than in surface soils, and their profiles were the inverse of those of organic carbon content. The black soil derived from volcanic ash had high sulfate adsorption capacity and showed no release of sulfate, while some of the surface horizons of the other soils desorbed sulfate. Oxalate extractable aluminum (Al₀) and iron (Fe₀) and ditionite-citrate-bicarbonate (DCB) extractable iron (Fe_d) were positively correlated with the sulfate adsorption capacity, and their correlation coefficients were almost identical (0.58–0.61). The lack of significant correlation between Al_d and the adsorption capacity suggests that DCB is unsuitable for extracting aluminum compounds which have the ability to adsorb sulfate. In contrast with oxides, organic carbon correlated with sulfate adsorption capacity negatively, and had a negative coefficient in a multiple regression equation, insignificantly. Furthermore, H₂O₂-treated samples containing decomposed organic matter adsorbed more sulfate than untreated samples. These results clearly indicated that organic matter hinders sulfate adsorption. A comparison of theβ value (standard regression coefficient) of organic carbon with that of Al₀ showed that the negative contribution of organic matter to sulfate adsorption capacity was slightly less than the positive contribution of oxides.     

A RAPD-derived STS marker is linked to a bacterial wilt (Burkholderia caryophylli) resistance gene in carnation

Bacterial wilt caused by Burkholderia caryophylli is one of the most important and damaging diseases of carnations (Dianthus caryophyllus) in Japan. We aimed to identify random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers associated with the genes controlling bacterial wilt resistance in a resistance-segregating population of 134 progeny plants derived from a cross between Carnation Nou No. 1 (a carnation breeding line resistant to bacterial wilt) and Pretty Favvare (a susceptible cultivar). We screened a total of 505 primers to obtain RAPD markers useful for selecting resistant carnation lines: 8 RAPD markers identified by bulked segregant analysis were linked to a major resistance gene; of these, WG44-1050 had the greatest effect on resistance to bacterial wilt. A locus with large effect on bacterial resistance was mapped around WG44-1050 through QTL analysis. The RAPD marker WG44-1050 was successfully converted to a sequence-tagged site (STS) marker suitable for marker-assisted selection (MAS). Five combinations of primers were designed for specific amplification of WG44-1050. In addition, the STS marker we developed was useful and reliable as a selection marker for breeding for resistance to bacterial wilt, using a highly resistant wild species, D. capitatus ssp. andrzejowskianus and a resistant line, Carnation Nou No. 1, as breeding materials.     

Prevalence of Listeria (spp.) in wild rats captured in the Kanto area of Japan.

In the Kanto area a total of 245 wild rats were captured. All rats captured in Ikebukuro (110 rats) and 9 out of 41 rats in Yokohama were Rattus rattus, and all other 126 rats were Rattus norvegicus. In Kashima and Ikebukuro, listeria was isolated from 28 rats (77.8%) and 27 rats (24.5%), respectively, but in the other 4 areas listeria was isolated from 0-7% rats. Listeria monocytogenes was isolated from 12 rats (10.9%) captured in Ikebukuro and 2 rats in Kashima and Numazu. The frequent isolation of L. monocytogenes in buildings suggests the possibility of R. rattus as a reservoir of L. monocytogenes and the continual environmental contamination in buildings by L. monocytogenes.