Characterization of Monoclonal Antibodies for Identification of Borrelia japonica,Isolates from Ixodes ovatus

Monoclonal antibodies for identification of Borrelia japonica isolated from tick, Ixodes ovatus and long-tailed shrew, Sorex unguiculatus in Japan and Borrelia related to Lyme disease (Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato) were prepared and characterized. All isolates belonging to B. japonica and isolates from I. dentatus and cottontail rabbit in North America reacted with MAb O1441b against flagellin which was prepared from immunized mice with strain HO14, type strain of B. japonica, but isolates from I. persulcatus, patient, and wood mouse, Apodemus speciosus ainu, in Japan, and isolates belonging to B. burgdorferi, B. garinii and B. afzelii from North America and Europe did not. Strains used in this study reacted with MAb P62 against common antigen which was prepared from immunized mice with strain NT24 isolated from I. persulcatus in Japan, but B. japonica did not. These MAbs are useful for identification and differentiation of B. japonica and B. burgdorferi sensu lato in Japan.     

Physiological activities and the active constituents of potentially medicinal plants used by wild chimpanzees of the Mahale mountains,Tanzania

Potential medicinal plants for wild chimpanzees have been studied in order to discover their physiologically active compounds. Tests of the physiological activity of 3 plant species—Vernonia amygdalina, Aspilia mossambicensis, andFicus exasperata—indicate that they contain a variety of active compounds. From one species,V. amygdalina, an antitumor agent and 2 possible antitumor promoters are identified. Furthermore, steroid glucosides were isolated as the bitter substances. These structurally new compounds are expected to exhibit a number of significant physiological activities. The chemical investigation of possible medicinal plants used by chimpanzees should be helpful in recovering naturally occurring compounds of medicinal significance for human use.     

Electromagnetic wave emitting products and “Kikoh” potentiate human leukocyte functions

Tourmaline (electric stone, a type of granite stone), common granite stone, ceramic disks, hot spring water and human palmar energy (called “Kikoh” in Japan and China), all which emit electromagnetic radiation in the far infrared region (wavelength 4–14 µm). These materials were thus examined for effects on human leukocyte activity and on lipid peroxidation of unsaturated fatty acids. It was revealed that these materials significantly increased intracellular calcium ion concentration, phagocytosis, and generation of reactive oxygen species in neutrophils, and the blastogenetic response of lymphocytes to mitogens. Chemotactic activity by neutrophils was also enhanced by exposure to tourmaline and the palm of “Kikohshi” i.e., a person who heals professionally by the laying on of hands. Despite the increase in reactive oxygen species generated by neutrophils, lipid peroxidation from unsaturated fatty acid was markedly inhibited by these four materials. The results suggest that materials emitting electromagnetic radiation in the far infrared range, which are widely used in Japan for cosmetic, therapeutic, and preservative purposes, appear capable of potentiating leukocyte functions without promoting oxidative injury.     

MSl3, a multicopy suppressor of mutants hyperactivated in the RAS-CAMP pathway, encodes a novel HSP70 protein of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The MSI3 gene was isolated as a multicopy suppressor of the heat shock-sensitive phenotype of the iral mutation, which causes hyperactivation of the RAS-cAMP pathway. Overexpression of MSI3 also suppresses the heat shock-sensitive phenotype of the bcyl mutant. Determination of the DNA sequence of MSI3 revealed that MSI3 can encode a 77.4 kDa protein related to the HSP70 family. The amino acid sequence of Msi3p is about 30% identical to that of the Ssalp of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This contrasts with the finding that members of the HSP70 family generally show at least 50% amino acid identity. The consensus nucleotide sequence of the heat shock element (HSE) was found in the upstream region of MSI3. Moreover, the steady-state levels of the MSI3 mRNA and protein were increased upon heat shock. These results indicate that the MSI3 gene encodes a novel HSP70-like heat shock protein. Disruption of the MSI3 gene was associated with a temperature sensitive growth phenotype but unexpectedly, thermotolerance was enhanced in the disruptant.     

Human T-cell receptor TCRAV,TCRBV, and TCRAJ sequences newly found in T-cell clones reactive with allogeneic HLA class II antigens

Correspondence to: F. Obata.     

Biodiversity and community structure of temperate butterfly species within a gradient of human disturbance: An analysis based on the concept of generalist vs. Specialist strategies

We monitored nine butterfly communities with varying degrees of human disturbance by conducting a census twice a month during 1980 by the line transect method in and around Tsukuba City, central Japan. We analyzed the biodiversity and community structures using the generalist/specialist concept. The site (community) order based on decreasing human disturbance was positively correlated with butterfly species diversity (H′), species richness (the total number of species), and the number of specialist species in a community, but not with the number of generalist species. The number of generalist species was rather constant, irrespective of the degree of human disturbance. Thus, both the butterfly species diversity and species richness were more dependent on the specialists than the generalists. Our analyses also showed that the generalist species were distributed widely over the communities, and they maintained high population densities, resulting in high rank status in abundance in a community, with more spatial variation in density per species. Specialist species showed the opposite trends. These results demonstrate that the generalist/specialist concept is a powerful tool applicable to analyse the biodiversity and structure of natural communities.     

Humid microenvironment prerequisite for the survival and growth of nymphs of the rice brown planthopper,Nilaparvata lugens (Stål) (Homoptera: Delphacidae)

Nymphs ofNilaparvata lugens were experimentally reared from the 2nd instar in a cage covering part of the leaf sheath of an individual rice plant grown in a Wagner pot. Plants were covered with the cage from the water surface of the pot to 10 cm above the surface (lower cage-group) or from 10 cm to 20 cm above the surface (upper cage-group). Temperatures measured at three different parts of the cage remained fairly constant in both groups at around 25°C (23.7–25.2°C in mean value). In the lower cage-group, relative humidities measured at the three heights in the cage in (76.3–90.5% in mean value) markedly increased with the approach to the water surface. The nymphs of this group, particularly during the molting period, aggregated close to the surface. Eighty-two percent of the released nymphs emerged in this group. Relative humidities measured at three heights of the upper cage-group were 69.5–72.7% in mean value, and all the nymphs in this group died within 3 days after their release although half of them stayed on the rice plants within 6 h after their release. The role of relative humidity as a limiting factor on the range of the microhabitat and the population density ofN. lugens in rice fields was discussed on the basis of the results.     

A possible role of cyclic AMP on tracheary element formation in cultured carrot-root slices

When the root-phloem slices ofDaucus carota cv. Hokkaidô-gosun were cultured on a Murashige and Skoog's medium containing 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D medium) and cyclic AMP or its analogues, tracheary elements were formed in the dark, while they were not formed on the medium containing only 2,4-D in the dark. The number of tracheary elements induced by cyclic AMP was far less than that induced by cytokinin or 8-bromo-cyclic AMP. But when theophylline, an inhibitor of cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase, was used in combination with cyclic AMP in the culture, the number of tracheary elements was significantly increased. A remarkable increase in cytokinin activity was found in the hydrolyzate of soluble RNA extracted from the slices cultured on the 2,4-D medium containing 8-bromo-cyclic AMP, but only negligible cytokinin activity was detected in the hydrolyzate of soluble RNA extracted from the slices cultured on the 2,4-D medium without 8-bromo-cyclic AMP. Since cytokinin production occurred in the slices cultured in the light, it was supposed that light irradiation might induce cyclic AMP production. The mechanism of cytokinin production leading to tracheary element formation mediated by cyclic AMP level is discussed.     

A novel synthesis of 2-deoxy-α-glycosides

The key step of the synthesis involves the reaction of glycals [3,4,6-tri-O-acetyl-d-glucal (1), the new glycal derivative 4-O-acetyl-1,5-anhydro-2,6-dideoxy-3-C-methyl-3-O-methyl-l-ribo-hex-l-enitol (2), and 3-acetamido-4,6,-di-O-acetyl-1,5-anhydro-2,3-dideoxy-d-arabino-hex-l-enitol (3)] with 1.5 molar equivalents of several alcohols in the presence ofN-bromosuccinimide in acetonitrile to give mainly the corresponding 2-bromo-2-deoxy-α-glycopyranosides (4-21). The glycopyranosides (4-8 and16-21) from1 and3 have the α-d-manno configuration and those (10-15) from2 have the α-l-altro configuration. The yields are high from1, virtually quantitative from2, and moderate from3. Debromination of the 2-bromo-2-deoxy compounds with tributylstannane and a radical initiator gives the corresponding 2-deoxy-α-glycopyranosides (22-38) in quantitative yields. In particular, the branched-chain glycal2 reacts with alcohols to give exclusively the corresponding α-glycopyranosides (27-32) of cladinose in strikingly high overall yields. The stereoselectivity and regiospecificity of the bromination reaction are described. 1,3-Dibromo-5,5-dimethylhydantoin andN-bromoacetamide are also found to be useful for the reaction.     

Isolation from a softwood xylan of oligosaccharides containing two 4-O-methyl-d-glucuronic acid residues

Partial hydrolysis of a larch arabino(4-O-methylglucurono)xylan afforded two series of oligouronides composed of 4-O-methyl- d-glucuronic acid and d-xylose residues. The first series included aldouronic acids up to the aldopentaouronic acid. Methylation analysis indicated that the aldopentao- and aldotetrao-uronic acids were mixtures of isomers. One aldotetraouronic acid was isolated and identified as O-β-d-Xylp-(1 → 4)-O-β-d-Xylp-(1 → 4)-O-(4-O-Me-α-d-GlcAp)-(1 → 2)-d-Xyl. The two isomeric aldotriouronic acids were separated from each other. The acids of the second series, which were composed of two uronic acids and 2-4 d-xylose residues, were identified as follows: O-β-d-Xylp-(1 → 4)-O-(4-O-Me-α-d-GlcAp)-(1 → 2)-O-β-d-Xylp-(1 → 4)-O(4-O-Me-α-d-GlcAp)-(1 → 2)-O-β-d-Xylp-(1 → 4)-d-Xyl, O-(4-O-Me-α-d-GlcAp)-(1 → 2)-O-β-d-Xylp-(1 → 4)-O-(4-O-Me-α-d-GlcAp)-(1 → 2)-O-β-d-Xylp-(1 → 4)-O-β-d -Xylp-(1 → 4)-D-Xyl, O-(4-O-Me-α-d-GlcAp)-(1 → 2)-O-β-d-Xylp-(1 → 4)-O-(4-O-Mec-α-d-GlcAp)-(1 → 2)-O-β-d-Xylp-(1 → 4)-D-Xyl, and O-(4-O-Me-α-d-GlcAp)-(1 → 2)-O-β-d-Xylp-(1 → 4)-O-(4-O-Me-α-d-GlcAp)-(1 → 2)-D-Xyl. The first three compounds were new acidic oligosaccharides. The 4-O-methyl-d-glucuronic acid in the second series was present in a larger proportion than in the first series, indicating that a large proportion of the uronic acid side-chains were located on two contiguous D-xylose residues in the backbone of the softwood xylan.