Seasonal variation in pigmentation and anthocyanidin phenetics in commercial Eustoma flowers

The seasonal change in petal color and pigmentation of 29 commercial Eustoma cultivars was studied. The flowers are basically divided into four groups according to the major anthocyanidin phenotype in association with petal coloration, i.e., delphinidin (Dp)-based (purple flower), cyanidin (Cy)-based (reddish purple flower), pelargonidin (Pg)-based (pink flower), and none (white flower) groups. The constitution of petal anthocyanidins was not changed by forcing treatment in most of the flowers. Lightness (L^*) and chroma (C^*, color saturation) showed a change along with the increase/decrease of hue angle difference (ΔH^*), thus simultaneously the chromatic tonalities tended to move to redder and bluer, respectively. Floral pigment clustering described two flower groups in a dendrogram, based on anthocyanidin constitutions as phenetic markers, which are apparently the Dp- and Pg-based phenotypes of anthocyanidin syntheses. The Cy-based flowers made a subcluster with the Pg-based flowers, indicating a close relationship in the biosynthesis of the two anthocyanidins, and suggesting the Dp- and Pg-syntheses complement one another.     

Mesh-like vascular changes in copper deficiency-induced rat cardiomyopathy

The pathological effects of copper deficiency (COD) are well known. However, the pathogenesis of cardiomyopathy resulting from COD remains unclear. In this study, aimed to elucidate the pathogenesis of COD-induced cardiomyopathy by examining the morphology of the cardiovascular system in copper-deficient rats using histopathology, immunohistochemistry, and scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Changes detected in the myocardium and interstitium were consistent with those reported for COD. Morphological changes included mesh-like changes in the capillary endothelial cells that appear to be a novel finding in COD-induced cardiomyopathy. These changes are hypothesized to result from abnormal vascular remodeling following damage to the basement membrane and due to the mechanical effects of myocardial contractions. Although cardiomyopathy may be associated with microcirculatory disorders arising from these lesions, further investigations are necessary to demonstrate a causal relationship between the pathogenesis of cardiomyopathy and the contribution of these lesions to disease progression.     

Identification of the core rumen bacterial taxa and their population dynamics during the fattening period in Japanese Black cattle

The rumen microbiota comprises a vast range of bacterial taxa, which may affect the production of high-quality meat in Japanese Black cattle. The aim of this study was to identify core rumen microbiota in rumen fluid samples collected from 74 Japanese Black cattle raised under different dietary conditions using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. In the rumen of fattening Japanese Black cattle, 10 bacterial taxa, showing >1% average relative abundance and >95% prevalence, irrespective of the dietary conditions and the fattening periods, were identified as the core rumen bacterial taxa, which accounted for approximately 80% of the rumen microbiota in Japanese Black cattle. Additionally, population dynamics of the core rumen bacterial taxa revealed two distinct patterns: Prevotella spp. and unclassified Bacteroidales decreased in the mid-fattening period, whereas unclassified Clostridiales, unclassified Ruminococcaceae, Ruminococcus spp., and unclassified Christensenellaceae increased during the same period. Therefore, the present study reports the wide distribution of the core rumen bacterial taxa in Japanese Black cattle, and the complementary nature of the population dynamics of these core taxa, which may ensure stable rumen fermentation during the fattening period.     

Expression of HSP70 in response to heat-shock and its cDNA cloning from Mediterranean blue mussel

Expression of HSP70 in response to heat-shock was investigated at the protein and mRNA levels in Mediterranean blue mussel. Western and Northern blot analyses revealed that HSP70 was expressed following heat-shock in the mantle at both protein and mRNA levels, suggesting that gene expression of HSP70 is implicated in the cellular response to heat-shock stress in mussel. It was then attempted to clone HSP70 cDNA in order to determine the primary structure of mussel HSP70. As a result, two full-length cDNA encoding HSP70 were isolated from a cDNA library prepared from the heat-shocked mantle. The isolated cDNA consist of single open reading frames of 2067 bp and 1911 bp which encode proteins of 689 amino acids and 637 amino acids, respectively. Both HSP70 cDNA encode an ATPase do main, and a substrate-binding do main in addition to a Glu-Glu-Val-Asp (EEVD) peptide motif that is specific for cytosolic HSP70. These findings suggest that the cDNA clones obtained in the present study encode cytosolic HSP70.     

Dual effects of reversed winter–spring temperatures on year‐to‐year variation in the recruitment of chub mackerel (Scomber japonicus)

To clarify the effects of temperature on the recruitment of chub mackerel (Scomber japonicus) in the North Pacific, we investigated the influence of winter surface temperature (WST) on spawners at the time of maturity around the spawning grounds and the influence of ambient spring temperature on larvae using estimated temperature (ET) obtained from particle tracking experiments. We found a significant positive correlation between ET approximately 10 days following hatching and the recruitment per spawning stock biomass (RPS) after 2000. The closer (more meandering) the Kuroshio Current (KC) axis was in relation to the spawning ground, the higher (lower) the spring surface temperature and the higher (lower) RPS was in the spawning ground. In contrast, WST inside KC near the maturity/spawning ground was significantly negatively correlated with RPS. A significant negative correlation between the temperatures in winter and spring was detected in the area after 2000, when the conditions of the Pacific decadal oscillation index and the stability of the Kuroshio Extension were synchronous, indicating that KC shifted northward during this time. The reversed temperature pattern was consistent with the winter–spring movement of KC axis in the offshore direction and was correlated with the winter–spring difference in the intensity of the Aleutian low. These results suggest that the annual variation in chub mackerel recruitment after 2000 was strongly affected by the combined effects of ambient temperature because of the reversal of conditions that occurred between winter and spring around the maturity/spawning ground, which was related to the KC path.     

Influence of light intensity on feeding, growth, and early survival of leopard coral grouper (Plectropomus leopardus) larvae under mass-scale rearing conditions

This study investigated the effect of different light intensities on feeding, growth and survival of early stage leopard coral grouper Plectropomus leopardus larvae. Four different light intensities (0, 500, 1000 and 3000 lx) were used and larvae were kept under constant light conditions from 0 day after hatching (DAH) to 5 DAH. The larvae were fed a small S-type of Thai strain rotifers at a density of 20 individuals/mL from 2 DAH. The number of rotifers in larval digestive organ and total length of larvae were examined at 3 h intervals between 04:00 and 22:00 h on 3 DAH, and thereafter at 6 h intervals until the end of the experiment (5 DAH). Four experimental trials of the larval rearing were repeated using by 60 kL mass-scale rearing tanks. The results indicate that coral grouper larvae are visual feeders and their food intake increases with increasing light intensity. Food intake of larvae reared at 3000 lx was significantly higher than those reared at 0–1000 lx on 3 DAH despite being the first-feeding day (P < 0.01). On 4 DAH, total length of larvae reared at 3000 lx was significantly larger than those reared at the lower light intensities (0, 500 and 1000 lx), and thereafter light intensity significantly influenced larval feeding and growth until the end of the experiment. Survival on 5 DAH did not show a significant difference between light intensities, but survival rate at 3000 lx and 1000 lx had a tendency to be higher than those reared at the lower light intensities (0 and 500 lx). In contrast, larvae reared at 0 lx exhibited stagnant and/or negative growth. These results indicate that light intensity is significantly the factor affecting larval feeding, growth, and survival in coral grouper larvae under the rearing conditions.     

Evaluation of three phytoplankton species as food for the pearl oyster <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pinctada fucata</Emphasis>

In the pearl cultivation farms of the Ehime Prefecture, Japan, mass mortalities of the pearl oyster Pinctada fucata have occurred since 1994. The occurrences of mass mortality roughly coincided with a shift of the dominant phytoplankton from Skeletonema and Chaetoceros to Chaetoceros and Nitzschia all of which belong to Bacillariophyceae. Hence, we evaluated Nitzschia, together with Chaetoceros and Isocrysis, as food for the oyster. Wet weights, lengths, widths, glycogen contents, and growth rates in terms of wet weight of the oysters in all the feeding treatments were significantly higher than those in the non-feeding treatment. The highest glycogen content (2.34%) and growth rate (2.21 g month⁻¹) were found in the Chaetoceros treatment. Growth rate in the Isocrysis treatment (1.63 g month⁻¹) was also high, although glycogen content in this treatment (0.41%) was low. In the Nitzschia treatment, growth rate of the oyster (0.94 g month⁻¹) was the lowest and glycogen content (0.83%) was also low relative to that in the Chaetoceros treatment. Chlorophyll a concentration in fecal pellets was lowest in the Nitzschia treatment (<2.7 μg mg⁻¹), suggesting more complete digestion of Nitzschia by the oyster. Thus, Nitzschia was edible and digestible but not assimilated by P. fucata. We propose the following scenario for the relationship between Nitzschia dominance and mass mortality. When Nitzschia dominates in a culture area, the physiological condition of P. fucata deteriorates due to low assimilation of Nitzschia by the oyster, followed by susceptibility of the oyster to infection by agents lethal to the oyster.     

A plant vacuolar protease, VPE, mediates virus-induced hypersensitive cell death

Programmed cell death (PCD) in animals depends on caspase protease activity. Plants also exhibit PCD, for example as a response to pathogens, although a plant caspase remains elusive. Here we show that vacuolar processing enzyme (VPE) is a protease essential for a virus-induced hypersensitive response that involves PCD. VPE deficiency prevented virus-induced hypersensitive cell death in tobacco plants. VPE is structurally unrelated to caspases, although VPE has a caspase-1 activity. Thus, plants have evolved a regulated cellular suicide strategy that, unlike PCD of animals, is mediated by VPE and the cellular vacuole.