Grouped, stacked rods and tapeta lucida in the retina of Japanese anchovy Engraulis japonicus

ABSTRACT: Morphology of the photoreceptor cells and tapetum of the Japanese anchovy Engraulis japonicus was studied by histologically and by chemical analysis. The Japanese anchovy has a duplex retina. The cones form parallel rows consisting of alternately placed long cones and bifid cones. Both types of cones are intimately associated and form triple units that are regularly spaced along the row of cones. The rods are grouped and stacked. This fish has a retinal tapetum lucidum composed of guanine and hypoxanthine. Three structures of the tapetum lucidum were recognized: platelet, diamond and rod types. Photomechanical changes include movements of the photoreceptor cells and the retinal tapetum. The retina of the Japanese anchovy is thought to be highly sensitive and well adapted to a dim light environment.     

Cerebellar ataxia due to Toxocara infection in Mongolian gerbils,Meriones unguiculatus

We assessed the usefulness of gerbils as an experimental model for neurologic toxocarosis. Mongolian gerbils, Meriones unguiculatus, infected with Toxocara canis or Toxocara cati (1000 eggs/gerbil) showed progressive neurologic disorders from 50 days after infection in T. canis-infected gerbils or from 120 days after infection in T. cati-infected gerbils. The incidence of the onset was 6 of the 13 gerbils (49%) in the T. canis-gerbils and 5 of the 7 gerbils (71%) in the T. cati-gerbils. Histopathologically, the cerebellum was the most affected in both groups. We observed loss of Purkinje cells, glial nerve fibers, and nerve sheaths. We also found foci consisting of aggregated macrophages scattered in the white matter of the cerebellum. The affected gerbils showed ataxia and ultimately died of cachexia. Our findings suggest that irreversible neurologic toxocarosis in gerbils can be induced by infection with either T. canis or T. cati.     

The duality of teleost gonadotropins

The duality of salmon gonadotropins has been proved by biochemical, biological, and immunological characterization of two chemically distinc gonadotropins. GTH I and GTH II were equipotent in stimulating estradiol production, whereas GTH II appears to be more potent in stimulating maturational steroid synthesis. The ratio of plasma levels and pituitary contents of GTHs and the secretory control by a GnRH suggest that GTH I is the predominant GTH during vitellogenesis and early stages of spermatogenesis in salmonids, whereas GTH II is predominant at the time of spermiation and ovulation. GTH I and GTH II are found in distinctly separate cells. In trout, GTH I is expressed first in ontogeny, whereas GTH II cells appear coincident with the onset of spermatogenesis and vitellogenesis, and increase dramatically at the time of final reproductive maturation. Comparison of the amino acid sequences of polypeptides and the base sequences of cDNA revealed that salmon GTH I β is more similar to bovine FSHβ than bovine LHβ and salmon GTH II β shows higher homology to bovine LHβ than to bovine FSHβ. The existence of two pituitary gonadotropins in teleosts as well as tetrapods suggests that the divergence of the GTH gene took place earlier than the time of divergence of teleosts from the main line of evolution leading to tetrapods.     

Inactivation of staphylococcal enterotoxin-A with an electrolyzed anodic solution.

Electrolyzed anodic NaCl solutions [EW+], prepared by the electrolysis of 0.1% NaCl, have been shown to instantly inactivate most pathogens that cause food-borne disease. Elimination of food-borne pathogens does not necessarily guarantee food safety because enterotoxins produced by pathogens may remain active. We have tested whether EW+ can inactivate Staphylococcal enterotoxin A (SEA), one of the major enterotoxins responsible for food poisoning. Fixed quantities of SEA were mixed with increasing molar ratios of EW+, and SEA was evaluated by reversed-phase passive latex agglutination (RPLA) test, immunoassay, native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE), and amino acid analysis after 30 min incubations. Exposure of 70 ng, or 2.6 pmol, of SEA in 25 microL of PBS to a 10-fold volume of EW+, or ca. 64.6 x 10(3)-fold molar excess of HOCl in EW+, caused a loss of immuno-reactivity between SEA and a specific anti-SEA antibody. Native PAGE indicated that EW+ caused fragmentation of SEA, and amino acid analysis indicated a loss in amino acid content, in particular Met, Tyr, Ile, Asn, and Asp. Staphylococcal enterotoxin-A excreted into culture broth was also inactivated by exposure to an excess molar ratio of EW+. Thus, EW+ may be a useful management tool to ensure food hygiene by food processing industries.     

Biological dinitrogen fixation and soil microbial biomass carbon as influenced by free-air carbon dioxide enrichment (FACE) at three levels of nitrogen fertilization in a paddy field

An experiment was conducted in an Andosol paddy field in Shizukuishi (Iwate Prefecture, Japan) to determine the effects of free-air CO₂ enrichment (FACE) on biological N₂-fixation activity and soil microbial biomass C at three levels of N application. Rice (Oryza sativa L. cv. Akitakomachi) plants were grown under ambient CO₂ or FACE (ambient +200 µmol mol^-1 CO₂) conditions throughout the growing season with each treatment having four replicated plots. Three levels of N fertilizer (high, standard and low; 15, 9 and 4 g N m^-2, respectively) were applied to examine the effect of different N availability under both CO₂ conditions. Soil samples were collected at four different times from upper and lower soil layers (0-1-cm and 1-10-cm soil depths, respectively) and analysed for biological N₂-fixation (BNF) activity and microbial biomass C (MBC) by the acetylene reduction and chloroform fumigation-extraction methods, respectively. The amounts of chlorophyll-type compounds (Chls), an index of algal growth, and soil available C were also determined. Compared to the ambient CO₂ treatment, the FACE treatment had significantly higher BNF activity in both the upper and lower soil layers at ripening only in low-N soil and at harvest at all three levels of N fertilization rates. MBC was significantly increased by FACE in both the upper and lower soil layers from the middle to later period of the growing season compared to the ambient CO₂ treatment. The FACE treatment increased the Chls in the upper soil layers at ripening only in low-N soil and at harvest at all three levels of N fertilization rates. The amount of soil available C was not significantly different between FACE and ambient CO₂ treatments in both the upper and lower soil layers throughout the cropping season. From these results it can be concluded that the FACE treatment had a significantly positive influence on BNF activity, MBC and Chls at different levels of N fertilization rates in paddy field during the cropping season.     

松粳6号水稻品种同化物地上地下分配模拟模型研究

采用黑龙江省主栽水稻品种松粳6号来研究同化物在地上、地下分配及其动态变化,在试验的基础上,通过模型对水稻同化物分配动态的模拟来较好的解释和预测干物质分配系数,动态模拟干物质在地上、地下的分配规律.     

Cartilage acidic protein-1B (LOTUS), an endogenous Nogo receptor antagonist for axon tract formation

Neural circuitry formation depends on the molecular control of axonal projection during development. By screening with fluorophore-assisted light inactivation in the developing mouse brain, we identified cartilage acidic protein-1B as a key molecule for lateral olfactory tract (LOT) formation and named it LOT usher substance (LOTUS). We further identified Nogo receptor-1 (NgR1) as a LOTUS-binding protein. NgR1 is a receptor of myelin-derived axon growth inhibitors, such as Nogo, which prevent neural regeneration in the adult. LOTUS suppressed Nogo-NgR1 binding and Nogo-induced growth cone collapse. A defasciculated LOT was present in lotus-deficient mice but not in mice lacking both lotus- and ngr1. These findings suggest that endogenous antagonism of NgR1 by LOTUS is crucial for normal LOT formation.     

Effect of modified oligopeptides from the beetle Allomyrina dichotoma on Escherichia coli infection in mice

The novel peptides based on a putative active site of defensin, an anti-bacterial peptide from the beetle Allomyrina dichotoma, were synthesized. These synthetic oligopeptides exhibited strong anti-bacterial activity in vitro, even against antibiotic-resistant pathogenic bacteria. Then, anti-bacterial activity of two newly synthesized peptides, RLYLRIGRR-NH(2) (peptide A) and RLRLRIGRR-NH(2) (peptide B) was also examined by macroscopic and histopathologic assessment during the course of infection in mice inoculated with antibiotic-resistant pathogenic Escherichia coli (E. coli) in vivo. Peptide B decreased the mortality of mice inoculated with antibiotic-resistant pathogenic E. coli. The results of macroscopic and histopathologic examinations revealed that peptide B could protect the mice from infection. In contrast, peptide A failed to protect mice from infection with antibiotic-resistant pathogenic E. coli. Also, modified peptides A and B produced no toxicity or side effects in mice. These results suggest that peptide B is useful for developing novel antibiotics against antibiotic-resistant pathogenic bacteria.     

B-cell immunoblastic lymphoma with multinucleated giant cells in a cat

A 10-year-old male mixed breed cat died after six months history of intermittent vomiting and weight loss. At necropsy, large white-colored foci were found in both kidneys, and whitish thickening of the gastric wall was present at the pyloric part of the stomach. Histopathological examination revealed that both lesions consisted of proliferation of large-sized neoplastic lymphocytes intermingled with multinucleated giant cells. Immunohistochemically, the neoplastic cells were positive for both B-cell antigen receptor complex (CD 79 alpha cy) and MHC class II, although multinucleated giant cells were negative. The present case was diagnosed as B-cell immunoblastic lymphoma with multinucleated giant cells.     

The regulation of calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II during oocyte activation in the rat

Increases in intracellular Ca2+ are required for oocyte activation and subsequent development. Calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) plays a crucial role in oocyte activation. However, how CaMKII is regulated during this process is not well characterized. We show here for the first time in rat oocytes that CaMKII is phosphorylated during oocyte activation. CaMKII phosphorylation was suppressed by KN93, a CaMKII inhibitor, but not KN92, which is the inactive analogue of KN93. Electrical stimulation of rat oocytes resulted in degradation of both cyclin B and Mos, presumably due a rise in Ca2+ induced by the electrical pulse. KN93 blocked the degradation of both proteins induced by the electrical pulse. Addition of a protein phosphatase inhibitor, okadaic acid (OA), further increased the amount of CaMKII and also increased the amount of phosphorylated enzyme. Importantly, in oocytes undergoing spontaneous activation, accumulation and phosphorylation of CaMKII also occurs in a time-dependent manner. Consistent with this, addition of KN93 inhibited spontaneous activation. Collectively, our results show that CaMKII is phosphorylated during oocyte activation and that this phosphorylation is involved in inactivation of p34cdc2 kinase and somewhat involved in degradation of Mos. Furthermore, CaMKII phosphorylation is negatively regulated by a protein phosphatase.