Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP) of Genomic DNA of Moraxella (Branhamella) catarrhalis Isolates in a Hospital

Epidemiological typing, based on restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), was attempted for the 38 clinical isolates of Moraxella catarrhalis obtained at Shinshu University Hospital during the years 1987 and 1993. Digestion with SmaI or NotI generated well separable, 12 to 5 genomic DNA fragments ranging from 1,000 kb to 30 kb and the strains could be classified into 14 or 13 types, respectively. The electrophoretic profile differed with the strain in most of them and was hence useful to distinguish the each strain. Investigation for their RFLP have, however, suggested that majority of them, including the type strain ATCC25238, may have derived from a common ancestor.     

Seasonal change in the food habits of the Iriomote catFelis iriomotensis

The food habits of the Iriomote catFelis iriomotensis were studied by analyzing 177 feces collected monthly from 1987 to 1988. A total of 26 food items were identified. The frequency of lizards and frogs in the feces was higher than those of mammals and birds. The food habits changed greatly seasonally.Eumeces skinks were fed on most frequently, and found in the feces with a similar high frequency occurrence in March–April and July–September, while their proportion to the total number of food items was larger in March–April than in July–September. The cats fed on larg-sized skinks, adultEumeces kishinouyei, more in March–April than in other seasons. The number of skinks sighted in the course of a road census was greater from March to August, and large-sized skinks were sighted more in March–April than in July–August. The cats fed selectively on large-sized skinks in every season. Therefore, changes in the food habits depended on the food availability. Characteristics of food habits in the Iriomote cat are discussed in comparison with the food habits of other felids in temperate and tropical regions.     

Axillary bud flowering after apical decapitation in Pharbitis in relation to photoinduction

The flowering response of axillary buds of seedlings of Pharbitis nil Choisy, cv. Violet, was examined in relation to the timing of apical bud removal (plumule including the first leaf or second leaf) before or after a flower-inductive 16-h dark period. When the apical bud was removed well before the dark period, flower buds formed on the axillary shoots that subsequently developed, but when removed just before, or after, the dark period, different results were observed depending on the timing of the apical bud removal and plant age. In the case of 8-day-old seedlings, fewer flower buds formed on the axillary shoots developing from the cotyledonary node when plumules were removed 20 to 0 h before the dark period. When the apical bud was removed after the dark period, no flower buds formed. Using 14-day-old seedlings a similar reduction of flowering response was observed on the axillary shoots developing from the first leaf node when the apical bud was removed just after the dark period. To further elucidate the relationship between apical dominance and flowering, kinetin or IAA was applied to axillary buds or the cut site where the apical bud was located. Both chemicals influenced flowering, probably by modulating apical dominance which normally forces axillary buds to be dormant.     

Expression of the [beta]-Glucuronidase Gene in Pollen of Lily (Lilium longiflorum), Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum), Nicotiana rustica,and Peony (Paeonia lactiflora) by Particle Bombardment

A [beta]-glucuronidase (GUS) gene that is under the control of the anther-specific LAT52 promoter of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) and the nopaline synthetase polyadenylation terminator was successfully expressed in pollen of Lilium longiflorum, Nicotiana tabacum, Nicotiana rustica, and Paeonia lactiflora using a pneumatic particle gun. The GUS gene in plasmid pBI221 was also expressed, to a lesser extent, in pollen of all of these species. The presence of methanol in the substrate solution for histochemical GUS assay and the incubation time in this solution influenced successful detection of GUS expression in bombarded pollen. Cytological analysis of GUS-expressing pollen of lily showed that introduced gold particles were seen in intracellular compartments of pollen, including the vegetative cytoplasm, vegetative nucleus, and generative cytoplasm.     

Aplopsora corni sp. nov. onCornus controversa from Hokkaido,Japan

Aplopsora corni sp. nov. is proposed for a rust fungus whose uredinial and basidial stage occurs onCornus controversa (Cornaceae) in Hokkaido. This new species is separated by its larger urediniospores and probasidia from the morphologically closely relatedA. nyssae onNyssa aquatica andN. sylvatica (Cornaceae) distributed in southern North America.     

Production of (R)-3-Chloro-1,2-Propanediol from Prochiral 1,3-Dichloro-2-Propanol by Corynebacterium sp. Strain N-1074

The production of (R)-3-chloro-1,2-propanediol [(R)-MCP] from prochiral 1,3-dichloro-2-propanol (DCP) was examined with a bacterial strain identified as a Corynebacterium strain. The addition of glycerol as a carbon source or some chlorinated alcohols to a medium was effective for the induction of activity catalyzing the transformation of DCP into MCP. The optimum pH for (R)-MCP production by the resting cell reaction was around 8.0. The optical purity of (R)-MCP formed was improved by keeping the level of DCP in the reaction mixture at a low concentration. (R)-MCP was obtained from 77.5 mM DCP with a 97.3% molar conversion yield and an 83.8% enantiomeric excess of its optical purity by periodic feeding of the substrate.     

Carbamylcholine-induced morphological changes and spatial dynamics of [Ca2+]c in Harderian glands of guinea pigs: calcium-dependent lipid secretion and contraction of myoepithelial cells

To determine whether lipid-secreting cells have cytosolic Ca²⁺ concentration ([Ca²⁺]_c)-related secretory mechanisms, morphological changes and intracellular calcium dynamics of Harderian glands of guinea pigs stimulated by secretagogs were studied by electron microspy and Fura-2/AM digital image analysis. Control glandular cells contained large lipid vacuoles that were bordered by multi-layered membranes. Rough-surfaced endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria, and smooth-surfaced endoplasmic reticulum may be involved in lipid vacuole formation. Myoepithelial cells surrounded alveoli. After carbamylcholine (CCh, 10^–6, 10^–5, and 10^–3 M) stimulation, lipid materials within the membranous structures were frequently discharged by an exocytotic mechanism. Conspicuous deformation of glandular cells caused by vigorous contraction of myoepithelial cells was observed in isolated alveoli after 10^–6M CCh stimulation, whereas the deformaties of glandular tissues perfused via vessels were small even after 10^–3M CCh stimulation. Connective tissue between glandular alveoli inhibited unbridled myoepithelial-cell contraction. Fura-2/AM digital imaging analysis revealed that CCh stimulation caused an increase in [Ca²⁺]_c in isolated alveoli. The morphological reactions and changes in [Ca²⁺]_c were prevented by atropine. When extracellular calcium ions were absent, enhanced extrusion of lipid vacuoles, myoepithelial-cell contraction, and a rise in [Ca²⁺]_c after CCh stimulation were not observed. Nicotine and catecholamines had no effect on the secretion or on the dynamics of [Ca²⁺]_c. It can be concluded that acetylcholine elicits exocytosis in glandular cells and contraction of the myoepithelial cells of Harderian glands, accompanied by an increase in [Ca²⁺]_c. The dynamics of [Ca²⁺]_c of the gland alveoli are mostly dependent on extracellular Ca²⁺.     

Osteological and histological comparison of the development of the interphalangeal intercalary skeletal element between hyloid and ranoid anurans

Some frog species have a unique skeletal element, referred to as the intercalary element (IE), in the joints between the terminal and subterminal phalanges of all digits. IEs are composed of cartilage or connective tissue and have a markedly differ shape than the phalanges. IEs are highly related to the arboreal lifestyle and toe pads. The IE is found only in neobatrachian frogs among anurans, suggesting that it is a novelty of Neobatrachia. IEs are widely distributed among multiple neobatrachian lineages and are found in the suborders Hyloides and Ranoides (the two major clades in Neobatrachia). However, it is unclear whether the IEs found in multiple linages resulted from convergent evolution. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to examine how similar or different the developmental trajectories of the IEs are between Hyloides and Ranoides. To that end, we compared the osteological and histological developmental processes of the IEs of the hyloid frog Dryophytes japonicus and the ranoid frog Zhangixalus schlegelii. Both species shared the same IE-initiation site and level of tissue differentiation around the IE when it began to form in tadpoles, although the IE developments initiated at different stages which were determined by external criteria. These results suggest that similar mechanisms drive IE formation in the digits of both species, supporting the hypothesis that the IEs did not evolve convergently.