Novel structures in secreting the androgenic gland hormone

The secretory granules in the androgenic gland of the terrestrial isopod Armadillidium vulgare, which have been indistinct for long time because of vulnerable structures, were revealed by using the rapid-freezing and freeze-substitution method. The fine structure of the androgenic gland is conspicuous by the distribution of numerous particular organelles in the cytoplasm consisting of the endoplasmic reticulum and the Golgi complex, and by having a number of highly organized structures developed between the androgenic gland cells. The structures connect to the intercellular space, which is seen as intercellular canaliculi for exporting the androgenic gland hormone. The plasma membranes near the particular structure of the intercellular canaliculi in the androgenic gland are often specialized to form cellular junctions. The secretory granules including the electron-dense materials, which are supposed to be peptides of androgenic gland hormone, are distributed beside the particular structure of the intercellular canaliculi. Some of the granules are seen to fuse with the plasma membranes. This observation suggests that, in the Armadillidium vulgare, the secretory granules containing androgenic gland hormone are transferred to the extracellular space through the intercellular canaliculi particularly developed for exporting the peptide hormone. This is the first evidence to show the secretory mechanism of the androgenic gland hormone in the Isopoda.     

Efficient flower induction from cultured buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum L.) node segments in vitro

Flower induction from shoot segments of buckwheat seedlings was examinedin vitro. Cytokinin, (especially kinetin at 0.1M), short day conditions and a high concentration ofsolidifying agent improved the flower induction from node segments invitro, in up to about 50% of node segments. The use of anaeration membrane on bottle caps and a high content of sucrose in the mediumimproved flower induction in vitro considerably. In theimproved conditions, flowers were induced from 100% cultures and 10bloomed flowers per explant were induced in vitro in 8weeks. Both long and short types of stigmas, and normal set of flowers wereobserved under the microscope. When pollen produced invitro was cultured on an artificial medium, 70% of the pollengrains germinated, indicating normal viability of in vitropollen, and indicating the potential for artificial pollination invitro. All the varieties examined flowered at a similar percentage,suggesting that the process was independent of variety and that flowers couldbeproduced in vitro. Flower induction from buckwheat plantsin vitro and possible cross breeding invitro are also discussed.     

Assessment of Poliovirus Eradication in Japan: Genomic Analysis of Polioviruses Isolated from River Water and Sewage in Toyama Prefecture

Seventy-eight poliovirus strains isolated from river water and sewage in Toyama Prefecture, Japan, during 1993 to 1995 were characterized by the PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) method and by partially sequencing the VP3 and VP1 regions of the viral genome. Of these isolates, 36 were identified as Sabin vaccine strains, and 42 were identified as vaccine variant strains that had less than 1.4% nucleotide divergence from the Sabin strains, including 7 isolates with patterns different from those of Sabin strains as determined by PCR-RFLP analysis. These findings suggest that wild-type poliovirus was not circulating in Toyama Prefecture.     

Acoustic variation of pant hoot calls by male chimpanzees: a playback experiment

Pant hoots, a type of long-distance calls of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), were played back to two male chimpanzees in a group of seven captive individuals to determine if chimpanzees would modify those vocalizations in response to strange males. Subjects emitted pant hoots with higher rates of delivery, shorter duration of buildup, and lower minimum fundamental frequency of climax when they were presented with pant hoots of strangers than when they produced the calls spontaneously. Considering the direction of acoustical change, we concluded that the rate of delivery, duration of buildup, and minimum frequency of climax might be associated with the underlying emotional states of the callers rather than call matching. Individual difference between two subject males was significant in minimum frequency and duration of climax and in average frequency of call, which appears to reflect differences of the caller's age and social status. These results suggest that different acoustic variables relate to within- and interindividual differences of these vocalizations. Received: March 7, 2000 / Accepted: May 8, 2000     

Inhibition of Phosphatidic Acid Biosynthesis by cis-9,10-Methylene Hexadecanoic Acid

We tested the effect of oral administration of fermented sake lees with lactic acid bacteria (FESLAB) on a murine model of allergic rhinitis upon immunization and nasal sensitization with ovalbumin (OVA). We used Lactobacillus paracasei NPSRIk-4 (isolated from sake lees), and L. brevis NPSRIv-8 (from fermented milk) as starter strains to produce the FESLAB. Oral FESLAB administration resulted in the development of significantly fewer sneezing symptoms than those seen in sham control animals given sterile water. We also found that FESLAB suppressed the allergen-induced degranulation of RBL2H3 rat basophilic leukemia cells.     

Two isoforms of 17-kDa essential light chain of aorta media smooth muscle myosin

Aorta myosin contains two kinds of light chain, 20-kDa phosphorylatable light chain and 17-kDa essential light chain (LC17). Purified myosin from porcine aorta media showed 3 distinct light chain bands on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) in the presence of urea (urea-PAGE). The mobilities of the faster two components did not change after incubation of the myosin with a myosin light chain kinase. Gel slices containing the faster two bands were separately subjected to PAGE in the presence of sodium dodecylsulfate. Both components showed identical mobility with that of LC17. The two components were designated as LC17a and LC17b in increasing order of mobility on urea-PAGE. They were isolated by DEAE-Toyopearl ion exchange column chromatography. The amino acid compositions of LC17a and LC17b were similar to each other, but the contents of Ser, Met, Ile, and His were distinctly different. These results suggest that the two components are isoforms. The ratio of the content of each isoform (LC17a: LC17b) in the purified porcine aorta myosin was 39:61, and essentially the same ratio was found with washed muscle homogenate of porcine aorta. Then washed aorta muscle homogenates of rabbit and rat were examined. Two bands having similar mobilities to those of porcine homogenate were also found in urea-PAGE. The ratios of the two components were 31:69 and 66:34, respectively, for rabbit and rat. Aorta smooth muscle thus may contain many types of isomyosin.     

Possible existence of autoantibodies against immunoglobulin allotypes in normal rabbits, and their relation to the expression of these allotypes

The concentration of a3 allotype was increased in the serum of heterozygous a1 a3 rabbits which received antiidiotypic antibodies against anti-a3 antibodies in the perinatal period. This is explained by the normal presence of anti-a3 autoantibodies which control the expression of a3 allotype in heterozygous a1 a3 rabbits under physiological conditions.