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.     

Pine Wilt Disease Caused by the Pine Wood Nematode: The Induced Resistance of Pine Trees by the Avirulent Isolates of Nematode

Since the beginning of the 20th century, pine trees in Japan have been seriously damaged by the pine wilt disease. This disease is caused by the pine wood nematode, Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, which is transmitted by the Japanese pine sawyer, Monochamus alternatus. The control of disease depends to a large extent on chemicals, but the public is now demanding environmentally friendly control methods. The virulence of B. xylophilus varies very widely. Pre-inoculation of young pine trees in a nursery with avirulent B. xylophilus has induced systemic resistance of trees against a subsequent inoculation with virulent B. xylophilus. This induced resistance was considered a hopeful means for developing a biological control for the disease. The induced resistance by the avirulent nematodes was also expressed in mature pine trees in a forest where the disease was naturally epidemic. However, the effects of induced resistance were not satisfactory for practical biological control. Since the inoculation with higher concentrations of the avirulent B. xylophilus induced the resistance more effectively, the pre-inoculation method will need to be improved to develop the biological control. The induced resistance of pine trees by avirulent B. xylophilus should be one of the candidate biological control methods against pine wilt disease. This induced resistance also provides an experimental system to clarify physiological interactions between the nematodes and pine trees.     

Comparison of the nucleotide and amino acid sequences of parental and attenuated isolates of Zucchini yellow mosaic virus

To identify possible sites of viral attenuation, the complete nucleotide sequences of two isolates of Zucchini yellow mosaic virus (ZYMV) were determined; a severe isolate Z5-1 and an attenuated isolate from Z5-1 (designated ZYMV-2002). The viral genome of both isolates consisted of 9593 nucleotides in size and contained an open reading frame encoding a single polyprotein of 3080 amino acids. Comparison of the nucleotide sequences for Z5-1 and ZYMV-2002 revealed 14 nucleotide mutations, resulting in seven amino acid substitutions with four in the HC-Pro region, two in the CI region, and one in the NIb region. These results provide a genetic basis for future manipulation of the ZYMV reverse genetics system. The nucleotide sequence data reported are available in the DDBJ/EMBL/GenBank databases under the accession numbers AB188115 and AB188116     

MET amplification leads to gefitinib resistance in lung cancer by activating ERBB3 signaling

The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) kinase inhibitors gefitinib and erlotinib are effective treatments for lung cancers with EGFR activating mutations, but these tumors invariably develop drug resistance. Here, we describe a gefitinib-sensitive lung cancer cell line that developed resistance to gefitinib as a result of focal amplification of the MET proto-oncogene. inhibition of MET signaling in these cells restored their sensitivity to gefitinib. MET amplification was detected in 4 of 18 (22%) lung cancer specimens that had developed resistance to gefitinib or erlotinib. We find that amplification of MET causes gefitinib resistance by driving ERBB3 (HER3)-dependent activation of PI3K, a pathway thought to be specific to EGFR/ERBB family receptors. Thus, we propose that MET amplification may promote drug resistance in other ERBB-driven cancers as well.     

DNA fragmentation and cytotoxicity by recombinant human tumor necrosis factor in L929 fibroblast cells.

Induction of cell DNA fragmentation by treatment of recombinant human Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha (rhTNF alpha) was examined by using mouse L929 cells derived from mouse fibroblast cells. The amount of DNA fragments derived from rhTNF alpha-treated cells, detected by alkaline elution technique, was smaller than that derived from X-irradiated cells. The rhTNF alpha caused the DNA fragmentation depending on its incubation time and concentration. The DNA damage caused by rhTNF alpha treatment correlated with its cytotoxicity. This result suggested that the DNA fragmentation is one of causes of cell death. The treatment with proteinase K of DNA obtained from rhTNF alpha-treated cells did not increase the amount of DNA fragmentation, which indicates that rhTNF alpha causes DNA-fragmentation but not DNA-protein cross-linking.     

Assessment of the decay risk of airborne wood-decay fungi III: decay risks at different sampling sites

The decay risk of airborne wood-decay fungi in the same volume of air was investigated by using an air sampler over the course of a year at three different sampling sites. Japanese cedar disks measuring 7.8 cm in diameter and about 3 mm in thickness, and with a moisture content of about 100 % were placed in a “BIOSAMP” air sampler and then exposed to 1000 l of air in the northern, central, and southwest parts of Japan. The exposed disks were incubated for 20 weeks in a damp container maintained at 26 ± 2 °C and degraded by fungi trapped on the disks. The decay risk was calculated from the mass loss during incubation, and the factors affecting the said risk were explored. The results showed that sampling sites apparently do not affect decay risk, even though the Scheffer’s climate indexes of the sites were quite different. The relation between the sampling month and decay risk reveals that decay risk remains virtually the same year-round. Relative humidity on a sampling day is one of the key factors affecting decay risk in sampling conducted at the central or southwest site. In contrast, no weather factors influenced decay risk at the northern sampling site.     

Morphological observation of canine natural killer cells mediated cytotoxicity.

The cytotoxic effects of canine NK cells on CL-1 target cells were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). NK cell mediated cytotoxicity on CL-1 target cells was detected by 51Cr release assay. SEM showed that a canine NK cell extended projections to the CL-1 target cell. Furthermore, the surface of CL-1 target cells changed a mesh-like structure. Therefore, the cytotoxic effects of canine NK cells on CL-1 target cells were morphologically demonstrated.     

Antifungal activities of hyoscyamine and scopolamine against two major rice pathogens: <Emphasis Type="Italic">Magnaporthe oryzae</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Rhizoctonia solani</Emphasis>

The antifungal activities of hyoscyamine and scopolamine, major alkaloids extracted from the desert plant Hyoscyamus muticus, against two rice pathogens, Magnaporthe oryzae and Rhizoctonia solani, were studied. The minimum inhibitory concentration of hyoscyamine that resulted in distinctive inhibition (MIC₅₀) was 1 μg/ml for both fungi. Exposure to hyoscyamine caused the leakage of electrolytes from the mycelia of both fungi. Hyoscyamine (>1 μg/ml) irreversibly delayed or inhibited conidial germination and appressorium formation in M. oryzae grown on polystyrene plates. Hyoscyamine effectively inhibited the attachment of conidia to the surface of rice (Oryza sativa) leaves and inhibited appressorium formation on the leaves. A high concentration of scopolamine (1000 μg/ml) also delayed or inhibited conidial germination in M. oryzae, but conidial germination was restored after washing the conidia with water. Antifungal activity of hyoscyamine was reduced by scopolamine. Magnaporthe oryzae infection was significantly suppressed (by >95%) in leaves of intact rice plants treated with hyoscyamine (10 μg/ml). Moreover, 10 μg hyoscyamine/ml significantly reduced the disease severity index for sheath blight to ≤0.2, when compared with the disease index of control plants (>7.0). Hyoscyamine (>20 μg/ml) completely inhibited sclerotial germination and development of R. solani by delaying the initiation, maturation, and melanization of the sclerotia. These results suggest that tropane alkaloids may be useful for controlling blast and sheath blight diseases of rice and for studying the mechanisms that regulate conidial germination in M. oryzae and sclerotial germination and development in R. solani.