Production of a desirable Brassica oleracea CMS line using an alloplasmic B. rapa CMS line carrying Diplotaxis erucoides cytoplasm as a bridge plant

In Brassica oleracea, production of F₁ hybrid seeds mainly makes use of the improved Ogura cytoplasmic male sterile (CMS) line. However, reliance on one particular line is a risk, and it would be advantageous to develop other CMS lines. In this study, we transferred Diplotaxis erucoides cytoplasm to B. oleracea cultivars using an alloplasmic B. rapaCMS line as a bridge plant to avoid incompatibility between donor and recipient plants. The new B. oleraceaCMS lines, which were derived by four generations of backcrossing, had small rudimentary anthers with no pollen grain and showed complete male sterility. There was no functional defect in other floral organs, and the ability to receive normal pollen did not appear to be impaired. Moreover, the B. oleraceaCMS lines carrying D. erucoides cytoplasm had larger leaf areas and a normal plastochron. As a consequence, the B. oleraceaCMS lines carrying D. erucoides cytoplasm have the potential to be valuable alternatives for use in commercial B. oleracea hybrid seed production.     

Potassium fertilization and soil diagnostic criteria for forage corn (Zea mays L.) production contributing to lower potassium input in regional fertilizer recommendation

Abstract

Effective soil diagnostic criteria for exchangeable potassium (Ex-K) combined with inorganic potassium (K) application rates were developed to lower K input in forage corn (Zea mays L.) production using experimental fields with different application rates and histories of cattle manure compost. Two corn varieties, ‘Cecilia’ as a low K uptake variety and ‘Yumechikara’ as a high K uptake variety, were selected from among 20 varieties and tested to make diagnostic criteria for K fertilization applicable to varieties with different K uptakes. The K uptakes increased from 96 to 303 kg K ha^?1 for ‘Cecilia’ and from 123 to 411 kg K ha^?1 for ‘Yumechikara’ with increasing Ex-K content on a dry soil basis from 0.11 to 0.92 g kg^?1 with no inorganic K fertilizer application. The K uptake by corn for achieving the target dry matter yield of 18 Mg ha^?1 was estimated to be approximately 200 kg K ha^?1 in common between the two varieties. Yields of both varieties achieved the target yield at an Ex-K content of approximately 0.30 g kg^?1 with no K fertilization, although ‘Yumechikara’ reached the target yield at a lower Ex-K content. At the low Ex-K content of 0.1 g kg^?1, inorganic K fertilizer application at 83 kg K ha^?1 was needed to gain the target yield, and apparent K recovery rate for K fertilizer was calculated to be 70% for both varieties. The K uptakes for gaining the target yield by the K fertilization were lower than that by soil K supply. Based on these results, diagnostic criteria of Ex-K and inorganic K application rates were set up as follows: at an Ex-K content of < 0.15 g kg^?1, inorganic K fertilizer is applied at 83 kg K ha^?1 (100 kg ha^?1 as potassium oxide (K₂O) equivalent); at an Ex-K content of 0.15–0.30 g kg^?1, the application rate is reduced to 33 kg K ha^?1 (40 kg K₂O ha^?1); at an Ex-K content of ≥ 0.30 g kg^?1, inorganic K fertilizer is not applied because of sufficient K in the soil. Additionally, we propose that cattle manure compost be used to supplement soil K fertility.     

Pro-apoptotic effects of tepoxalin, a cyclooxygenase/lipoxygenase dual inhibitor, on canine synovial fibroblasts

Canine osteoarthritis occurs frequently and causes secondary synovitis. Administration of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) is one of the major therapeutic options for pain management of joint diseases. Tepoxalin has an unique property as an NSAIDs that suppresses both cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase. The purpose of this study was to evaluate antiproliferative effects of tepoxalin on cultured canine synovial cells. Cytotoxic effects of tepoxalin, carprofen, meloxicam and AA-861 on cultured canine synoviocytes were evaluated by MTT colorimetric assay. Apoptosis was detected by morphological observations with Giemsa or annexin V/Hoechst 33342 staining and by the inhibition of caspase-3 activity with N-Ac-Asp-Glu-Val-Asp-CHO (Ac-DEVD-CHO). Cytotoxic effects of tepoxalin were evident in comparison with the effects of carprofen or meloxicam. The same tendency of cytotoxicity was observed when 5-lipoxygenase was inhibited by AA-861. The morphological findings and contradictory effects of Ac-DEVD-CHO with regard to the cytotoxicity proved the proapoptotic effects of tepoxalin. In conclusion, tepoxalin might control osteoarthritic synovitis by inducing apoptosis in proliferating synoviocytes, while most NSAIDs that selectively inhibit cyclooxygenase-2 most likely would not suppress synovial proliferation.     

Oleosome-Associated Protein of the Oleaginous Diatom Fistulifera solaris Contains an Endoplasmic Reticulum-Targeting Signal Sequence

Microalgae tend to accumulate lipids as an energy storage material in the specific organelle, oleosomes. Current studies have demonstrated that lipids derived from microalgal oleosomes are a promising source of biofuels, while the oleosome formation mechanism has not been fully elucidated. Oleosome-associated proteins have been identified from several microalgae to elucidate the fundamental mechanisms of oleosome formation, although understanding their functions is still in infancy. Recently, we discovered a diatom-oleosome-associated-protein 1 (DOAP1) from the oleaginous diatom, Fistulifera solaris JPCC DA0580. The DOAP1 sequence implied that this protein might be transported into the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) due to the signal sequence. To ensure this, we fused the signal sequence to green fluorescence protein. The fusion protein distributed around the chloroplast as like a meshwork membrane structure, indicating the ER localization. This result suggests that DOAP1 could firstly localize at the ER, then move to the oleosomes. This study also demonstrated that the DOAP1 signal sequence allowed recombinant proteins to be specifically expressed in the ER of the oleaginous diatom. It would be a useful technique for engineering the lipid synthesis pathways existing in the ER, and finally controlling the biofuel quality.     

Transfer factor of radioactive cesium to forage corn (Zea mays L.) from soil to which contaminated farmyard manure had been applied

Abstract

Radioactive cesium (Cs) deposited after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station accident contaminated farmyard manure (FYM) in the wide area surrounding the plant. We conducted a field trial to determine the transfer factor of radioactive Cs to forage corn (Zea mays L.) from soil to which the contaminated FYM had been applied. The main purpose of this experiment was to examine the behavior of the radioactive Cs from contaminated FYM that was incorporated in agricultural fields. Application of FYM containing 3900 Bq kg^?1 dry matter (DM) of cesium-137 (¹³⁷Cs) at a rate of 4.3 kg m^?2 increased the ¹³⁷Cs concentration in the soil by 64 Bq kg^?1 dry soil, and in the forage corn by 9.2 Bq kg^?1 DM. Therefore, we calculated the transfer factor to corn plants from the soil after application of contaminated FYM to be 0.14. This value is lower than that observed for soil to which uncontaminated FYM had been applied as a control, and it is within the range of reported soil-to-plant transfer factors of 0.003–0.49 listed in the recent parameter handbook by International Atomic Energy Agency. The increase in the radioactive Cs concentration in the corn plants, expressed as the sum of ¹³⁷Cs and cesium-134 (¹³⁴Cs), was only 3% of the 2012 provisional tolerance level for cattle roughage in Japan. Even though the application of contaminated FYM did not cause a large change in the radioactive Cs concentration in the corn plants in this trial, such application should be carefully controlled because it increased radioactive Cs concentrations in both soil and forage corn.