A new species of Trichogramma (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) parasitic on eggs of the alderfly Sialis melania (Neuroptera: Sialidae) from Japan,with comments on its phylogeny and male wing polymorphism

A new species of Trichogramma that parasitizes Sialis melania eggs is described as Trichogramma tajimaense Yashiro, Hirose and Honda, sp. nov. from Japan. Its phylogenetic position is based on a DNA‐based analysis, and data regarding its male wing polymorphism are also presented. The view that T. tajimaense is closely related to T. semblidis, another parasitoid of Sialis eggs, is supported by the results of a phylogenetic analysis, as well as by the biological and morphological similarities between both species. Trichogramma tajimaense is also similar in male wing polymorphism to T. kurosuae, a gregarious egg parasitoid of the lepidopteran Ivela auripes, as both Trichogramma species exhibit male wing trimorphism (fully alate, brachypterous and apterous forms) in contrast to the male wing dimorphism (fully alate and apterous forms) of T. semblidis. However, no phylogenetic analysis reveals a close relationship between T. tajimaense and T. kurosuae, and a difference exists between these two species in the mean percentage of flightless (brachypterous and apterous) males that emerge from a host egg mass; 96% of T. tajimaense males are incapable of flight, whereas about 50% of T. kurosuae males are flightless. Because all or almost all males of T. semblidis parasitizing Sialis eggs are apterous, T. tajimaense is more similar to T. semblidis than to T. kurosuae in the proportion of flightless males. In addition, male wing polymorphisms of Trichogramma in relation to mating systems could also show a similarity between T. tajimaense and T. semblidis when considering both species as quasi‐gregarious parasitoids of Sialis eggs.     

A Xenograft Mantle Transplantation Technique for Producing a Novel Pearl in an Akoya Oyster Host

The brightness and color of pearls varies among different pearl-producing shellfish and have been a source of human fascination since ancient times. When produced through cultivation, the characteristics and quality of a pearl depend on the kind of shellfish used and also the transplanted mantle graft. This suggests that the Akoya pearl oyster, which is generally used in Japan for pearl culturing, can produce different kinds of pearl through the use of mantles from different species of shellfish. However, a transplanted heterogeneous mantle would be rejected by the immune system of the Akoya oyster. We have therefore developed a new method to suppress the Akoya immune system that archives immune tolerance to other shellfish. It is generally known that small quantities of antigens can be used to produce archived immunological tolerance in a clinical setting. We successfully suppressed the Akoya pearl oyster immune response against a Mabé pearl oyster graft through repeat injections of mantle homogenates. We then transplanted a Mabé pearl oyster mantle graft into the immunologically tolerant Akoya pearl oyster and obtained a Mabé pearl from an Akoya pearl oyster. Our new technique thus makes the production of novel and different pearls in the Akoya possible. We believe that this has significant future potential for the advancement of the pearl industry.     

The contribution of the asymmetric alpha 1beta 1 half-oxygenated intermediate to human hemoglobin cooperativity.

Considerable controversy remains as to the functional and structural properties of the asymmetric alpha1beta1 half-oxygenated intermediate of human hemoglobin, consisting of a deoxygenated and an oxygenated dimer. A recent dimer-tetramer equilibrium study using [Zn(II)/Fe(II)-O(2)] hybrid hemoglobins, in which Zn-protoporphyrin IX mimics a deoxyheme, showed that the key intermediate, [alpha(Fe-O(2))beta(Fe-O(2))][alpha(Zn)beta(Zn)], exhibited an enhanced tetramer stability relative to the other doubly oxygenated species. This is one of the strongest findings in support of distinctly favorable intra-dimer cooperativity within the tetramer. However, we present here a different conclusion drawn from direct O(2) binding experiments for the same asymmetric hybrid, [alpha(Fe)beta(Fe)][alpha(Zn)beta(Zn)], and those for [alpha(Fe)beta(Zn)](2) and [alpha(Zn)beta(Fe)](2). In this study, the O(2) equilibrium curves for [alpha(Fe)beta(Fe)][alpha(Zn)beta(Zn)] were determined by an O(2)-jump stopped-flow technique to circumvent the problem of dimer rearrangement, and those for [alpha(Fe)beta(Zn)]( 2) and [alpha(Zn)beta(Fe)]( 2) were measured by using an Imai apparatus. It was shown that the first and second O(2) equilibrium constants for [alpha(Fe)beta(Fe)][alpha(Zn)beta(Zn)] are 0.0209 mmHg(-1) and 0.0276 mmHg(-1), respectively, that are almost identical to those for [alpha(Fe)beta(Zn)](2) or [alpha(Zn)beta(Fe)](2). Therefore, we did not observe large difference among the asymmetric and symmetric hybrids. The discrepancy between the present and previous studies is mainly due to previously observed negative cooperativity for [alpha(Fe)beta(Zn)](2) and [alpha(Zn)beta(Fe)](2), which is not the case in our direct O(2) binding study.     

Non-invasive diagnosis of cutaneous leishmaniasis by the direct boil loop-mediated isothermal amplification method and MinION™ nanopore sequencing

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is gaining attention as a public health problem. We present two cases of CL imported from Syria and Venezuela in Japan. We diagnosed them as CL non-invasively by the direct boil loop-mediated isothermal amplification method and an innovative sequencing method using the MinION? sequencer. This report demonstrates that our procedure could be useful for the diagnosis of CL in both clinical and epidemiological settings.     

Allopatric speciation of Meteterakis (Heterakoidea: Heterakidae), a highly dispersible parasitic nematode,in the East Asian islands

To clarify how the species diversity of highly dispersible parasites has developed, molecular phylogenetic analyses of Meteterakis spp., multi-host endoparasitic nematodes of reptiles and amphibians from the East Asian islands, were conducted. The results demonstrated the existence of two major clades, the J- and A-groups, with exclusive geographic ranges that are discordant with the host faunal province. However, diversification within the J-group was concordant with the host biogeography and suggested co-divergence of this group with vicariance of the host fauna. In contrast, the phylogenetic pattern within the A-group was discordant with host biogeography and implied diversification by repeated colonization. In addition, the mosaic distribution pattern of a J-group and an A-group species in the Japanese Archipelago, along with comparison of population genetic parameters and the genetic distance from their closest relatives, suggested the initial occurrence of a J-group lineage followed by exclusion in the western part of this region caused by invasion of an A-group lineage. Thus, the present study suggested that the species diversity of highly dispersible parasites including Meteterakis is formed not only by co-divergence with host faunal vicariance but also by peripatric speciation and exclusive interactions between species.     

Association of lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase activity and low-density lipoprotein heterogeneity with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk: a longitudinal pilot study

Background

Lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) is believed to be involved in reverse cholesterol transport, which is known to play a key role in suppression of atherosclerosis. However, recent investigations have demonstrated that higher LCAT activity, measured in terms of the serum cholesterol esterification rate by an endogenous substrate method, is associated with increased formation of triglyceride (TG)-rich lipoproteins (TRLs), leading to a decrease in the low-density lipoprotein (LDL) particle size. The purpose of this hospital-based longitudinal study was to clarify the causal relationship between changes in the LCAT activity and changes in the LDL-particle size.

Methods

The subjects were a total of 335 patients, derived from our previous study cohort, with one or more risk factors for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). For this study, we measured the LDL-particle size (relative LDL migration [LDL-Rm value]) by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the subjects, along with the changes in the LCAT activity, at the end of a follow-up period of at least 1 year.

Results

The results revealed that the absolute change (Δ) in the LDL-particle size increased significantly as the quartile of Δ LCAT activity increased (p =?0.01). A multi-logistic regression adjusted-analysis revealed that Δ LCAT activity in the fourth quartile as compared to that in the first quartile was independently predictive of an increased LDL-particle size (odds ratio [95% confidence interval]: 2.03 [1.02/4.04], p =?0.04). Moreover, the ? LCAT activity was also positively correlated with ? TRL-related markers (i.e., TG, remnant particle-like cholesterol [RLP-C], apolipoprotein B, apolipoprotein C-2, and apolipoprotein C-3).

Conclusions

The results lend support to the hypothesis that increased LCAT activity may be associated with increased formation of TRLs, leading to a reduction in the LDL-particle size in patients at a high risk for ASCVD. To reduce the risk of ASCVD, it may be important to focus not only on the quantitative changes in the serum LDL-cholesterol levels, but also on the LCAT activity.

Trial registration

UMIN (https://upload.umin.ac.jp/cgi-bin/ctr/ctr_reg_list.cgi) Study ID: UMIN000033228 retrospectively registered 2 July 2018.

     

Efficient Solar‐Driven Water Oxidation over Perovskite‐Type BaNbO2N Photoanodes Absorbing Visible Light up to 740 nm

Photoelectrochemical water splitting using semiconductors absorbing a wide range of visible light is a potentially attractive means of harvesting large portions of the solar spectrum. However, this is also very challenging because narrowing the semiconductor band gap lowers the driving force for photoreactions. Herein, a highly active perovskite BaNbO₂N exhibiting photoexcitation up to 740 nm for water oxidation is reported. The synthesis route, consisting of moderate nitridation and subsequent annealing in inert Ar flow, enhances the crystallinity of the BaNbO₂N surface without inducing the reduction of the Nb species. As a result, a particulate BaNbO₂N photoanode exhibits a photocurrent of 5.2 mA cm^?2 at 1.23 V_RHE under simulated solar irradiation, which is the highest yet reported for an oxynitride responsive at wavelengths above 600 nm. Suppressing the reduction of B‐site cations during the synthesis of perovskite AB(O,N)₃, which otherwise results in surface defects or impurities, is critical for achieving high water oxidation activity.     

Preliminary study on bioethanol from fresh water algae, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cladophora glomerata</Emphasis> (Sarai Kai) by the fungus, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Monascus</Emphasis> sp. NP1

This work focused on the characteristics of ethanol regulation from Monascus sp. NP1. in glucose liquid medium, a saccharification method using algae and bioethanol production from Cladophora glomerata by the fungus. The results showed that when the fungus was grown in glucose (2, 20, 40 and 50%) medium under 110 rpm rotary culture at 30 °C, the ethanol concentration at 120 h increased from 2 to 20% glucose, where it peaked. It then decreased gradually to 40%, with production stopping at 50% glucose. This result indicated the glucose regulation of ethanol production by the fungus. Ethanol present in 20% glucose medium was identified by retention time and co-injection with a standard to demonstrate that the product was ethanol. Its yield was 285 mM [13 g L^?1 or 65 mg (g of glucose substrate)^?1] with a low interference of by-products. Three-millimetre-long pieces of dried algae were cut and exposed to concentrations of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 g in 65 mL of 0.3 N hydrochloric acid or sulfuric acid before autoclaving (121 °C, 15 psi, 15 min). The amount of reducing sugar was greater than that of the control (without acid treatment) and varied with the increasing quantity of algae. The best condition was sulfuric acid and 6 g dried algae. The type of acid appeared to affect saccharification. During 12 days of fermentation in algal extraction (2 g reducing sugar per millilitre algal extraction), the mould could produce twofold more ethanol yield [34–55 mg (100 g dried weight algae)^?1] than the yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae TISTR 5049.     

Dinucleotide repeat in the 3′ flanking region provides a clue to the molecular evolution of the Duffy gene

The Duffy blood group system consists of three alleles, FYA, FYB, and FY. To study the molecular evolution of the three alleles, we established the polymorphism of a dinucleotide (GT) repeat sequence (designated FyGT/ C) in the 3′ flanking region of the Duffy gene, and studied the relationship between FyGT/C and Duffy polymorphism in Japanese, people of African origin, and chimpanzee. By single-strand conformation polymorphism and sequence analysis, five and two alleles were identified in Japanese and Africans, respectively. In 110 random Japanese, the FyGT/C genotypes observed were in agreement with Hardy-Weinberg law. From the sequence of the chimpanzee Duffy gene, including both flanking regions, FYB was identified as the ancestral gene of the human alleles. The FyGT/C sequences associated with the FY allele of Africans were distinct from those of Duffy positives, whereas the FYB and FYA alleles shared common FyGT/C sequences. Thus, it is suggested that the first split took place between the FYB and FY alleles, and the second between the FYB and FYA alleles. Received: 25 July 1996 / Revised: 10 October 1996     

New host record for three scuttle flies, Megaselia flava, M. kanekoi and M. gotoi (Diptera: Phoridae), on the poisonous fungus Amanita ibotengutake (Agaricales: Amanitaceae)

We identified three species of fungivorous scuttle fly –Megaselia flava, M. kanekoi and M. gotoi– from eight fruit bodies of a fungus, Amanita ibotengutake, which has not previously been recorded as the host of these flies.