Taxonomic Notes on Two Apolygus Species (Heteroptera: Miridae: Mirinae) in Korea

Apolygus subhilaris (Yasunaga 1992) is reported for the first time from the Korean peninsula, and a new host plant of A. watajii Yasunaga and Yasunaga 2000 is confirmed. Diagnostic characters to separate them from allied species are given with photos of dried specimens, male genitalia and live adults. A key to Korean Apolygus species is provided.     

First record of the genus Adelphocorisella Miyamoto and Yasunaga (Hemiptera: Miridae) from Korea

Adelphocorisella lespedezae Miyamoto and Yasunaga, 1993 , which was previously known only from Japan, is reported from Korea for the first time and diagnosed. An image of its dorsal habitus as well as illustrations of the male genitalia are provided. The discovery of the mirid species also represents the first distributional record in Korea as well as the continental Palaearctic Region for the genus Adelphocorisella Miyamoto and Yasunaga, 1993 .     

Taxonomic review of genus Sejanus Distant (Heteroptera: Miridae: Phylinae) from Korea,with a new species

Four species of Sejanus Distant, 1910 recognized from the Korean Peninsula including the first record of S. komabanus (Yasunaga et al., 2013), S. vivaricolus (Yasunaga et al., 2013) and a new species herein described, S. yasunagai Oh, Duwal & Lee sp. nov. Each species is diagnosed with images of dorsal habitus, male and female genitalic structures. A key to the Korean Sejanus species also presented.urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:CE49D679-AE73-4FE2-83D4-C4191F1D9954.     

Functional and morphological stasis during molecular evolution

The evolutionary distance between two sets of proteins was estimated using the techniques of Miyata and Yasunaga (1980) and Kimura (1980). Human beta 2-microglobulin was compared with the homologous murine molecule, while human and equine alpha-globin were similarly treated. It was found that a large amount of molecular evolution has occurred in beta 2-microglobulin since its divergence from the common ancestor of mice and humans. Kimura's estimate of evolutionary distance, K, is 0.353, while those of Miyata and Yasunaga are KS = 0.708 and KA = 0.171. The respective values for human and equine alpha-globin are 0.152, 0.293, and 0.084. In spite of this molecular evolution, it is shown that murine beta 2-microglobulin can effect the expression of HLA class I antigens on the surface of human-mouse hybrid cells and that the tertiary structures of human and equine deoxyhemoglobin are nearly identical. These observations are discussed in the light of Kimura's theory of neutral allelic drift.     

Taxonomic review of the genus Orius (Heteroptera: Anthocoridae) in the Korean Peninsula

A total of five species the genus Orius are revised from the Korean Peninsula, containing four native species, O. minutus (Linnaeus 1758), O. sauteri (Poppius 1909), O. nagaii Yasunaga 1993 and O. strigicollis (Poppius 1914), and an introduced species for biological control, O. laevigatus Fieber 1860. Orius laticollis Reuter 1884, formally recorded in the Korean Peninsula, is deleted from the Korean fauna registry. The preparation of the macerated slide specimen was applied to this group for the first time, which is confirmed to be effective to identify the Orius species, especially the female specimens whose genital structures have been hardly observed in the traditional dissection method. Observing macerated specimens, new taxonomical characters are documented.     

Pattern of synonymous and nonsynonymous substitutions: An indicator of mechanisms of molecular evolution

Comparison of numbers of synonymous and nonsynonymous substitutions is useful for understanding mechanisms of molecular evolution. In this paper, I examine the statistical properties of six methods of estimating numbers of synonymous and nonsynonymous substitutions. The six methods are Miyata and Yasunaga’s (MY) method; Nei and Gojobori’s (NG) method; Li, Wu and Luo’s (LWL) method; Pamilo, Bianchi and Li’s (PBL) method; and Ina’s (Ina) two methods. When the transition/transversion bias at the mutation level is strong, the numbers of synonymous and nonsynonymous substitutions are estimated more accurately by the PBL and Ina methods than by the NG, MY and LWL methods. When the nucleotide-frequency bias is strong and distantly related sequences are compared, all the six methods give underestimates of the number of synonymous substitutions. The concept of synonymous and nonsynonymous categories is also useful for analysis of DNA polymorphism data.     

The complete amino acid sequence of giant multisubunit hemoglobin from the polychaete Tylorrhynchus heterochaetus

The extracellular hemoglobin from the polychaete Tylorrhynchus heterochaetus is a "giant," multisubunit protein with an apparent molecular weight of 3.37 X 10(6), and consists of two types of subunits: a "monomeric" chain (chain I) and a disulfide-bonded "trimer" of chains IIA, IIB, and IIC. We reported the amino acid sequences of chains I, IIB, and IIC previously (Suzuki, T., Yasunaga, H., Furukohri, T., Nakamura, K., and Gotoh, T. (1985) J. Biol. Chem. 260, 11481-11487). The sequence of chain IIA has now been determined. Chain IIA consists of 146 amino acid residues with a heme group and has a molecular weight of 17,236. All of the constituent chains of Tylorrhynchus hemoglobin appear to be homologous with those of vertebrate hemoglobins and contain heme. Distal (E7) His, distal (E11) Val, and proximal (F8) His are all conserved in the four chains. Phylogenetically, chain IIA appears more closely related to the monomeric chain I than to either of the other "trimeric" chains IIB and IIC. This is the first giant extracellular hemoglobin to be sequenced completely.     

Resonance energy transfer between green fluorescent protein variants: complexities revealed with myosin fusion proteins

Green fluorescent protein and its variants are frequently used as F?rster (fluorescence) resonance energy transfer (FRET) pairs to determine the proximity of protein domains. We prepared fusion proteins comprising yellow fluorescent protein-Dictyostelium myosin II motor domain-cyan fluorescent protein (YFP-myosin-CFP) and compared their FRET properties with an existing construct (GFP-myosin-BFP), containing a green fluorescent protein acceptor and blue fluorescent protein donor [Suzuki, Y., Yasunaga, T., Ohkura, R., Wakabayashi, T. and Sutoh, K. (1998) Nature 396, 380-383]. The latter construct showed an apparent 40% reduction in acceptor fluorescence on ATP addition, when excited via the donor, compared with the YFP-myosin-CFP constructs which showed a small increase (相似文献   

Geographic variability in diapause response of Japanese Orius species

Interspecific and latitudinal variation in diapause characteristics were examined in 12 strains of Orius species (Heteroptera: Anthocoridae) including O. sauteri (Poppius), O. nagaii Yasunaga, O. minutus (L.), O. strigicollis (Poppius), and O. tantillus (Motschulsky) from Japan. A latitudinal cline was found in the photoperiodic response controlling reproductive diapause: the lower the latitude, the lower the diapause incidence and the shorter the critical daylength. To examine the overwintering success, eight strains including four species derived from different latitudes (26–43° N) were reared outdoors in Tsukuba (36° N), central Japan from the autumn of 1998 to the summer of 1999, and their winter survival and spring fecundity were recorded. Most females of the northern strains entered diapause in the autumn when the temperature was still high, and died before winter without oviposition. In the southern strains including a nondiapause Okinawa (26° N) strain of O. strigicollis, females overwintered as well as native strains in a state of quiescence. In all strains, the winter survival was significantly lower in males than in females, and eggs and nymphs failed to overwinter.     

Cage evaluation of augmentative biological control of Thrips palmi with Wollastoniella rotunda in winter greenhouses

Cage trials of an anthocorid predator, Wollastoniella rotunda Yasunaga et Miyamoto, as a biological control agent of Thrips palmi Karny were conducted in Fukuoka, Japan, under winter greenhouse production conditions. Females of W. rotunda were released on caged eggplants, and placed in two greenhouses on 27 October. The development, population growth, and effectiveness of W. rotunda were observed until early March. Results from the cage trials showed that W. rotunda successfully developed, reproduced, and suppressed T. palmi populations under the conditions found in winter greenhouses. During the experiment, one full generation and a second generation of adult predators occurred. The T. palmi population which was exposed to predators remained at a low density throughout the trial period, but it increased dramatically on eggplants without W. rotunda. The maximum difference between predator treatments and controls was approximately 10‐fold by the end of January. Wollastoniella rotunda has the potential to be an effective control agent for T. palmi on eggplant, even during the winter in temperate regions.     

Consequences of scavenging behaviour in a plant bug associated with a glandular plant

To elucidate the specific associations of insects with glandular plants, the relationship between a plant bug and a wild azalea was examined. The plant bug Orthotylus gotoi Yasunaga (Hemiptera: Miridae) was found only on shrubs of Rhododendron macrosepalum Maxim. (Ericaceae) in Kyoto, central Japan. R. macrosepalum has leaves, stems, and sepals with dense stalked glands that trap and kill many arthropods. However, nymphs and adults of O. gotoi are able to move freely on R .  macrosepalum . O. gotoi frequently fed on carcasses of various arthropods trapped on R .  macrosepalum , whereas it rarely fed upon plant tissues. In laboratory experiments, O. gotoi nymphs mainly fed on the carcasses of insects, which resulted in enhanced rates of growth and metamorphosis, and adult O. gotoi lived longer when they were provided with insect carcasses. These observations and experiments suggest that O. gotoi is a scavenger. Therefore, if O. gotoi mainly feeds on carcasses of arthropods, this may result in a specific dependence on the glandular plant.  © 2006 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2006, 88 , 593–602.     

The tribe Bryocorini (Insecta: Heteroptera: Miridae: Bryocorinae): phylogeny,description of a new genus,and adaptive radiation on ferns

A cladistic analysis of the tribe Bryocorini based on 68 morphological characters is conducted. Bryocorini are supported as a monophyletic group with Eccritotarsini as their sister taxon. Based on the phylogenetic analysis, we redefine the tribe Bryocorini to contain the following seven genera: Bryocorella Carvalho, 1956, Bryocoris Fallén, 1829, Bryophilocapsus Yasunaga, 2000, Cobalorrhynchus Reuter, 1906 gen. dist., D iplazicoris gen. nov. , Hekista Kirkaldy, 1902, and Monalocoris Dahlbom, 1851. The genus Bryocorella is transferred to Bryocorini from the tribe Eccritotarsini. The subgenus Cobalorrhynchus is treated as a separate genus. Diplazicoris is described as monotypic to accommodate D iplazicoris lombokianus sp. nov. An updated diagnosis of the tribe, a key to genera, and a diagnosis of each recognized genus are presented. Selected photomicrographs, scanning micrographs, and illustrations of the pretarsus, metepisternal scent efferent system, metafemoral trichobothria, and morphology of head, pronotum, and male and female genitalia are provided. Mapping of the host data on the revealed tree shows that Bryocorini represent one of the very few currently known examples of the adaptive radiation of a fairly large insect group on ferns. © 2015 The Linnean Society of London     

Exploration of universal cysteines in the binding sites of three opioid receptor subtypes by disulfide-bonding affinity labeling with chemically activated thiol-containing dynorphin A analogs.

A ligand containing an SNpys group, i.e. 3-nitro-2-pyridinesulfenyl linked to a mercapto (or thiol) group, can bind covalently to a free mercapto group to form a disulfide bond via the thiol-disulfide exchange reaction. This SNpys chemistry has been successfully applied to the discriminative affinity labeling of mu and delta opioid receptors with SNpys-containing enkephalins [Yasunaga, T. et al. (1996) J. Biochem. 120, 459-465]. In order to explore the mercapto groups conserved at or near the ligand binding sites of three opioid receptor subtypes, we synthesized two Cys(Npys)-containing analogs of dynorphin A, namely, [D-Ala2, Cys(Npys)8]dynorphin A-(1-9) amide (1) and [D-Ala2, Cys(Npys)12]dynorphin A-(1-13) amide (2). When rat (mu and delta) or guinea pig (kappa) brain membranes were incubated with these Cys(Npys)-containing dynorphin A analogs and then assayed for inhibition of the binding of DAGO (mu), deltorphin II (delta), and U-69593 (kappa), the number of receptors decreased sharply, depending upon the concentrations of these Cys(Npys)-containing dynorphin A analogs. It was found that dynorphin A analogs 1 and 2 effectively label mu receptors (EC50 = 27-33 nM), but also label delta receptors fairly well (160-180 nM). However, for kappa receptors they showed drastically different potencies as to affinity labeling; i.e., EC50 = 210 nM for analog 1, but 10,000 nM for analog 2. Analog 2 labeled kappa receptors about 50 times more weakly than analog 1. These results suggested that dynorphin A analog 1 labels the Cys residues conserved in mu, delta, and kappa receptors, whereas analog 2 only labels the Cys residues conserved in mu and delta receptors.     

Human endogenous retrovirus K10: expression of Gag protein and detection of antibodies in patients with seminomas.

The human endogenous retrovirus K10 (HERV-K10) has been identified in the human genome by its homology to retroviruses of other vertebrates (M. Ono, T. Yasunaga, T. Miyata, and H. Ushikubo, J. Virol. 60:589-598, 1986). Using PCR amplification, DNA cloning, sequencing, and procaryotic expression, we were able to demonstrate that HERV-K10 encodes a 73-kDa protein which was processed by a HERV-K10-encoded protease to yield proteins p22/p26, p30, and p15/16. Analysis of the teratocarcinoma cell line Tera 1 or tumor tissues by immunoblotting demonstrated that the 80-kDa polyprotein of HERV-K10 gag and a processed protein of 39 kDa were expressed. In addition, a major protein of 39 kDa and additional species of 30, 22, 19, and 17 kDa could be detected in the supernatant of Tera 1 cells, suggesting that HERV-K10 Gag proteins are either secreted or processed to probably incomplete viral particles. In addition, the gag gene of HERV-K10 was expressed in the baculovirus system. Using this recombinant system to test antisera from patients with different diseases and healthy individuals, we were able to detect antibodies against the N-terminal part of HERV-K10 Gag in 2 to 4% of groups of tumor patients with titers ranging between 1:80 and 1:640, while approximately 0.1 to 0.5% of healthy individuals exhibited antibodies with lower titers. In contrast, patients with seminoma had antibody titers in the range of 1:2,560 at the time when the tumor was detected. Immunohistochemistry using specific rabbit sera or monoclonal antibodies against HERV-K10 Gag revealed that the Gag protein is expressed in the cytoplasm of the tumor cells. Furthermore, an 80-kDa protein corresponding to the HERV-K10 Gag polyprotein could be detected in tumor biopsies. For the first time, these data indicate that HERV-K10 Gag proteins are synthesized in seminoma cells and tumors exhibit relatively high antibody titers against Gag. So far, no information on which role HERV-K10 plays in the development of this tumor exists.     

A Study on Chemical Components of Essential Oils from Citrus bergamia and Its Close Relatives and Its Taxonomy

Citrus bergamia Risso. is a rare perfumery plant. Taxonomists have different views on the taxonomy of C. bergamia. Chemical components of leaf and peel essential oils from C. bergamia, and its close relatives, C. limon, C. aurantifolia and three varieties of C. aurantium, were analyzed by GC and GC-MS. The analytical result shows that the chemical compositions of the leaf essential oils from C. bergamia are basically the same as those from three varieties of C. aurantium. Their main components are linalool (29.19-39.75% )and linalyl acetate (24.73-30.24% )etc., and contents of other components are also similar. But their peel essential oils are different. The peel essential oils from C. bergamia contain less limonene (29.94%) than those from C. aurantium (92.55-94.31% ) and less beta-pinene (3.00%) and y-terpinene(3.48% )than those from C. limon or C. aurantifolia (respectiyely 9.16% and 10.42% ) . The peel essential oils from C. bergamia contain not only as much linalool (22.20%) and linalyl acetate (32.66%)as those in the leaf essential oils from C. aurantium, but also as much limonene(29.94% )as that in the peel essential oils from C. limon or C. aurantifolia . The contents of limonene are close to those of the essential oils from C. aurantifolia. This result shows that C. bergamia may be a natural hybrid between C.aurantium and C. aurantifolia, as proposed by Sinclair W. B.     

Enterotoxigenicity and frequency of Campylobacter jejuni, C. coli and C. laridis in human and animal stool isolates from different countries

Campylobacter jejuni and C. coli strains were collected during three different years from adult patients with enterocolitis in Sweden (n = 372) from 49 patients in Kuwait, and Campylobacter strains from hens from Mexico, Pakistan and Sweden (n = 107) and Swedish pigs (n = 47). C. jejuni was the predominant species in human and hen isolates, and C. coli in pigs C. coli was significantly more common in human isolates from Sweden, and more common in hen isolates from Pakistan, than in hens from Sweden and Mexico. C. laridis was only isolated from pigs (17%) and was in no case enterotoxigenic. Both in human and hen isolates, C. jejuni strains were more enterotoxigenic than C. coli strains. C. jejuni strains from Swedish hens were less enterotoxigenic than those from Pakistan and Mexico (P less than 0.001), and strains from pigs were less enterotoxigenic than those from hens (P less than 0.001). We conclude that C. jejuni are more often enterotoxigenic and possibly more virulent than c. coli and C. laridis. The relative frequency of C. jejuni and C. coli in humans and animals differs from one country to another.     

Chromodorid opisthobranch Mollusca from the Indo-West Pacific

Seven species of Chromodoris and one of Hypselodoris are described from collections from the Indo-West Pacific. Of the species of Chromodoris, two are from Fiji, two are from the Gulf of Kutch in north-western India, one being a new species, and three are from the coast of East Africa. Hypselodoris infucata is described from both the Gulf of Kutch and Zanzibar.
C. youngbleuthi and C. inopinata are compared with published accounts of five other species with red reticulate markings (C. tinctoria, C. alderi, C. reticulata, C. obsoleta and Risbecia reticulata) and it is suggested that apart from C. alderi, which is considered a junior synonym of C. tinctoria, all these species are distinct.
C. inornata Pease, which has often been confused with other forms with red or purple spots, is compared with published information on eight other species (C. petechialis, C. daphne, C. festiva (Angas), C. splendida, C. tenuis, C. tumulifera, C. splendens and C. inornata Gohar & Soliman). It is suggested that all these forms are distinct and that C. inornata Gohar & Soliman, which is distinct from C. inornata Pease, should take the name Chromodoris dollfusi Pruvot-Fol 1933.     

西藏冬虫夏草无性型的分子生物学研究

从西藏采集的冬虫夏草子实体中分离出 3个菌株C3、C4、C5,通过培养特征的研究以及采用分子生物学方法 ,以rDNAITS区为分子指标 ,与冬虫夏草 [Cordycepssinensis(Berk .)Sacc.) ]的有性世代及中国被毛孢 (HirsutellasinensisLiu ,Guo,Yu&Zeng)进行比较分析 ,发现C4的培养特征与C3、C5 完全不同 ,其序列与冬虫夏草的相似率为 93 %,与中国被毛孢的相似率为 94%,而C3、C5 与冬虫夏草的相似率很低 (分别为 5 5 %和 6 9%) ,从而证明C4是西藏冬虫夏草的无性型 ,为中国被毛孢。