Light-Enhanced Resistance to Magnaporthe grisea Infection in the Rice Sekiguchi Lesion Mutants

The rice sl mutant showed two types of responses to Magnaporthe grisea infection by light treatments. One was an sl -mutant-type response characterized by Sekiguchi lesion expression under light waves of 400–700 nm, and the other was a wild-type response characterized by blast and/or necrotic spot lesion expression in the dark or at wavelength between 290 and 330 nm. There was a large difference in the resistance to M. grisea infection between the mutant- and wild-type responses in the rice sl mutant. When the mutant-type response was induced in the rice sl mutant, the disease resistance was enhanced relative to that in the wild-type response. Enhanced resistance was demonstrated by two components: (a) the number of Sekiguchi lesions was reduced relative to that of blast or necrotic lesions; (b) sporulation of M. grisea was not induced in Sekiguchi lesions. The enhanced resistance was dependent on light of 400–700 nm.     

Ile-Ser-bradykinin (T-kinin) and Met-Ile-Ser-bradykinin (Met-T-kinin) are released from T-kininogen by an acid proteinase of granulomatous tissues in rats

An acid proteinase of granulomatous tissues in rats with carrageenin-induced inflammation released kinin from T-kininogen. The kinin isolated by n-butanol extraction was separated by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography into T-kinin and a T-kinin derivative. From determination of its amino acid composition and its immunoreactivity toward anti-bradykinin antiserum, the T-kinin derivative was identified as Met-Ile-Ser-bradykinin (Met-T-kinin).     

Climate change impacts on migration of Pinus koraiensis during the Quaternary using species distribution models

Plant Ecology - Clarifying the influences of paleoclimate changes on the disjunct distribution formation of plants allows a historical and mechanical understanding of current vegetation and...     

Structure-based virtual screening for insect ecdysone receptor ligands using MM/PBSA

The ecdysone receptor (EcR) is an insect nuclear receptor that is activated by the molting hormone, 20-hydroxyecdysone. Because synthetic EcR ligands disrupt the normal growth of insects, they are attractive candidates for new insecticides. In this study, the Molecular Mechanics/Poisson–Boltzmann Surface Area (MM/PBSA) method was used to predict the binding activity of EcR ligands. Validity analyses using 40 known EcR ligands showed that the binding activity was satisfactorily predicted when the ligand conformational free energy term was introduced. Subsequently, this MM/PBSA method was applied to structure-based hierarchical virtual screening, and 12 candidate compounds were selected from a database of 3.8 million compounds. Five of these compounds were active in a cell-based competitive binding assay. The most potent compound is a simple proline derivative with low micromolar binding activity, representing a valuable lead compound for further structural optimization.     

Life-history traits of a widely distributed coral reef fish,Mulloidichthys flavolineatus (Mullidae), Okinawa Island,southern Japan

Environmental Biology of Fishes - Yellowstripe goatfish, Mulloidichthys flavolineatus, is a widely distributed commercial fish in the Indo-Pacific. However, there have been few comprehensive...     

Ionomycin-induced calcium influx induces neurite degeneration in mouse neuroblastoma cells: analysis of a time-lapse live cell imaging system

Reactive oxygen species induce neuronal cell death. However, the detailed mechanisms of cell death have not yet been elucidated. Previously, we reported neurite degeneration before the induction of cell death. Here, we attempted to elucidate the mechanisms of neurite degeneration before the induction of cell death using the neuroblastoma N1E-115 cell line and a time-lapse live cell imaging system. Treatment with the calcium ionophore ionomycin induced cell death and neurite degeneration in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. Treatment with a low concentration of ionomycin immediately produced a significant calcium influx into the intracellular region in N1E-115 cells. After 1-h incubation with ionomycin, the fluorescence emission of MitoSOX^TM increased significantly compared to the control. Finally, analysis using a new mitochondrial specific fluorescence dye, MitoPeDPP, indicated that treatment with ionomycin significantly increased the mitochondrial lipid hydroperoxide production in N1E-115 cells. The fluorescence emissions of Fluo-4 AM and MitoPeDPP were detected in the cell soma and neurite regions in ionomycin-treated N1E-115 cells. However, the emissions of neurites were much lower than those of the cell soma. TBARS values of ionomycin-treated cells significantly increased compared to the control. These results indicate that ionomycin induces calcium influx into the intracellular region and reactive oxygen species production in N1E-115 cells. Lipid hydroperoxide production was induced in ionomycin-treated N1E-115 cells. Calcium influx into the intracellular region is a possible activator of neurite degeneration.     

A new,interstitial species of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Terrestricythere</Emphasis> (Crustacea: Ostracoda) and its microdistribution at Orito Beach,northeastern Sea of Japan

We describe Terrestricythere proboscidis sp. nov. from a littoral interstitial habitat at Orito Beach, Matsumae, southern Hokkaido, Japan, a site characterized by coarse sand with many pebbles. This is the fifth known species of the ostracod superfamily Terrestricytheroidea, the first interstitial species of the superfamily, and the first record of the superfamily from Japan. The new species is clearly distinguished from its four known congeners by its small carapace with a transversely flat ventral margin, and the seventh limb consisting of four podomeres; its hemipenis has a long, S-curved process. We also report here the habitat, microdistribution, and locomotory behavior of the new species. Quantitative sampling revealed that the species lives in an interstitial environment. T. proboscidis is euryhaline. Behavioral observations showed that T. proboscidis cannot swim, but uses its appendages to push itself among sediment grains. An analysis of variance showed temperature and grain size, as well as temperature-depth and temperature-grain size interactions, to be significant influences on variation in population density. Sediment moisture content is correlated with these variables and likely is a primary factor in this species’ microdistribution.     

Diversity of Mating-Type Chromosome Structures in the Yeast Zygosaccharomyces rouxii Caused by Ectopic Exchanges between MAT-Like Loci

We investigated sex chromosome diversity in Zygosaccharomyces rouxii (Z. rouxii). In the current study, we show that the organization of the mating-type (MAT) locus is highly variable in the Z. rouxii population, indicating the MAT, HML, and HMR loci are translocation hotspots. Although NBRC1130 and CBS732 were originally two stocks of the type strain of the species, only NBRC1130 retains the original karyotype. A reciprocal translocation between the MAT and HMR loci appears to have occurred during the early passage culture of CBS732, which was used for genome sequencing. In NBRC1733, NBRC0686, NBRC0740 and NBRC1053, the terminal region of the chromosome containing the HMR locus was replaced with the chromosomal region to the left of the MAT or HML loci. The translocation events found in NBRC1733, NBRC0686, NBRC0740, and NBRC1053 were reconstructed under our experimental conditions using the DA2 background, and the reconstruction suggests that the frequency of this type of translocation is approximately 10⁻⁷. These results suggest that the MAT and MAT-like loci were the susceptible regions in the genome, and the diversity of mating-type chromosome structures in Z. rouxii was caused by ectopic exchanges between MAT-like loci.