Establishment and characterization of two cell lines derived from primary cultures of Gekko japonicus cerebral cortex

Adult Gekko japonicus is one of those vertebrates that are able to regenerate their missing or amputated tail. The most interesting feature of this animal lies in the ability of its spinal cord to regrow a functional tail. A fundamental question is whether the neuroglial cells play a different role compared with high vertebrates. Since in vitro studies using primary neuroglial cells are hampered by the limited lifespan and miscellaneous genetic background of these cells, we generated neuroglial cell lines from primary cell cultures of cerebral cortex of G. japonicus. The SV40 (simian‐virus‐40) T antigen gene was introduced into primary cell cultures. Cell cycle analysis, cell growth and proliferation, cell colony formation and contact inhibition, as well as karyotype assays were investigated. Two cell colonies, Gsn‐1 and Gsn‐3, were immunochemically characterized as glial fibrillary acidic protein and galactocerebroside‐positive respectively. Compared with parental primary cells, the Gsn cells displayed shorter population doubling time, decreased percentage of cells in the G0/G1 phase, higher cell proliferation index, and increased cell activity. In assays of colony characteristics, Gsn cells showed increased cell activity at the lower cell densities or FBS (fetal bovine serum) supplement. The karyotype of immortalized Gsn cells exhibited transformational characteristics with hyperdiploid and polyploid chromosomes. The cell lines will provide a useful in vitro model for gecko neuroglial cells and facilitate systematic studies investigating the biological functions of specific gene products related to regeneration of the central nervous system.     

Microbial diversity in the tick Argas japonicus (Acari: Argasidae) with a focus on Rickettsia pathogens

The soft tick Argas japonicus mainly infests birds and can cause human dermatitis; however, no pathogen has been identified from this tick species in China. In the present study, the microbiota in A. japonicus collected from an epidemic community was explored, and some putative Rickettsia pathogens were further characterized. The results obtained indicated that bacteria in A. japonicus were mainly ascribed to the phyla Proteobacteria, Firmicutes and Actinobacteria. At the genus level, the male A. japonicus harboured more diverse bacteria than the females and nymphs. The bacteria Alcaligenes, Pseudomonas, Rickettsia and Staphylococcus were common in nymphs and adults. The abundance of bacteria belonging to the Rickettsia genus in females and males was 7.27% and 10.42%, respectively. Furthermore, the 16S rRNA gene of Rickettsia was amplified and sequenced, and phylogenetic analysis revealed that 13 sequences were clustered with the spotted fever group rickettsiae (Rickettsia heilongjiangensis and Rickettsia japonica) and three were clustered with Rickettsia limoniae, which suggested that the characterized Rickettsia in A. japonicus were novel putative pathogens and also that the residents were at considerable risk for infection by tick‐borne pathogens.     

Effects of interspecific competition on development and reproduction in two giant water bugs,Diplonychus japonicus vuillefroy andDiplonychus major esaki (Hemiptera: Belostomatidae)

We studied the interpecific competition between 2 species of predatory aquatic bugs, Diplonychus japonicus and D. major by conducting a field experiment. We set up 3 types of experimental plots in the paddy fields where D. major predominated. The two plots contained single species of either D. japonicus or D. major, respectively, and one plot had both species in equal number. We compared the development and the reproductive performance between plots in each species. In D. japonicus, the number of eggs and early instar nymphs were significantly smaller in the plots containing both species than in the monospecific plots. However, the numbers of late instar nymphs and newly emerged adults were not significantly different between plots. The proportions of starved nymphs in both plots were larger than those in the D. japonicus's natural habitats. The final densities of adults in both plots were lower than those in the natural habitats. These results suggest that lower density of D. japonicus in these paddy fields is due to the lack of available food for nymphs rather than the effects of interspecific competition with D. major. In D. major, significant differences were not found in the number of eggs, each instar nymphs and adults. These results suggest that the effects of interspecific competition did not affect the reproductive performance of D. major.     

Establishment of a Lotus japonicus gene tagging population using the exon-targeting endogenous retrotransposon LORE1

We established a gene tagging population of the model legume Lotus japonicus using an endogenous long terminal repeat (LTR) retrotransposon Lotus Retrotransposon 1 (LORE1). The population was composed of 2450 plant lines, from which a total of 4532 flanking sequence tags of LORE1 were recovered by pyrosequencing. The two-dimensional arrangement of the plant population, together with the use of multiple identifier sequences in the primers used to amplify the flanking regions, made it possible to trace insertions back to the original plant lines. The large-scale detection of new LORE1 insertion sites revealed a preference for genic regions, especially in exons of protein-coding genes, which is an interesting feature to consider in the interaction between host genomes and chromoviruses, to which LORE1 belongs, a class of retrotransposon widely distributed among plants. Forward screening of the symbiotic mutants from the population succeeded to identify five symbiotic mutants of known genes. These data suggest that LORE1 is robust as a genetic tool.     

Onset of cryptic vicariance in the Japanese dormouse Glirulus japonicus (Mammalia, Rodentia) in the Late Tertiary, inferred from mitochondrial and nuclear DNA analysis

The sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene and restriction site variation in the spacer region of the nuclear ribosomal RNA gene [rDNA-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP)] were analysed to determine the phylogeographic structure of the Japanese dormouse ( Glirulus japonicus ), which is threatened by deforestation and has been designated an endangered species in Japan. The phylogenetic tree of cytochrome b grouped G. japonicus into six geographical populations: north-eastern Honshu (I), central Honshu (II), west-central Honshu/Kii Peninsula (III), western Honshu (IV), Shikoku (V), and westernmost Honshu/Kyushu (VI); the genetic distances among these groups suggest divergence in the Late Tertiary. The lineage of group VI was located at the basal position in the phylogenetic tree, followed by the radiation of the other lineages. An rDNA-RFLP analysis of 15 restriction sites roughly supported such genetic isolation; groups I, II, III, IV, V and VI have five, two, one, one, one and four unique restriction sites, respectively, revealing four geographic groups as cryptic species: I, II, III + IV + V and VI. Our results reveal the ancient divergences of the local population, which has a complicated evolutionary history, and should be useful in developing a framework for the conservation of this species.     

Nomenclature of the horned turbans previously known as Turbo cornutus [Lightfoot], 1786 and Turbo chinensis Ozawa & Tomida, 1995 (Vetigastropoda: Trochoidea: Turbinidae) from China,Japan and Korea

Based on the examination of old literature, the names of two species of Batillus Schumacher, 1817, a subgenus of Turbo Linnaeus, 1758, are revised. Turbo cornutus [Lightfoot], 1786 should be restricted to the species endemic to southern China and Taiwan. Turbo chinensis Ozawa & Tomida, 1995 is the junior synonym of T. cornutus. The species of Japan and Korea has long been misidentified with T. cornutus. Turbo japonicus Reeve, 1848 has been used for two very different species: one from Mauritius and another from Japan, with the species from Mauritius being valid, and a member of the subgenus Marmarostoma Swainson, 1840, while the Japanese/Korean species, lacking an available name, is provided with a new replacement name, T. sazae nom. nov.

http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:7E99BA4B-CEB5-4510-BC5E-7852232926B8     

福建、浙江、江苏、上海疫霉种的研究

1985—1986年,从福建漳州,浙江杭州,上海,江苏南京,苏州,扬州,常州等地采集100多种植物进行分离,在雪松(Cedrus deodara),倒挂仙人鞭(Cereus flagelliformis),冬青卫茅(Euonymus japonieus),构树(Broussonetia papyrifera),蓖麻(Ricinus communis),柑桔(Citrus reticulata),带叶兜兰(Paphiopedilum hirsutissimum),芋(Colocasia esculenta),鳄梨(Persea americana),山茶(Camellia sp.),珊瑚樱(Solanum pseudo-capsicum),百合(Lilium brownii var.viridulum),蔓常春花(Vinca major),西瓜(Citrullus lanatus)等14种寄主植物上分离到51个疫霉菌株,鉴定为9个种:烟草疫霉(=寄生疫霉)Phytophthora nicotianae B.de Haan(=P.parasitica Dast.),掘氏疫霉P.drechsleri Tucker,樟疫霉 P.ciunamomi Rands,棕榈疫霉P.palmivora(Butl.)Butl.,柑桔褐腐疫霉P.citrophthora(R.et E.Smith) Leon.,苎麻疫霉P.bochmeriae Saw.,蜜色疫霉P.meadii McRae,簇囊疫霉P.botryosa Chee,隐地疫霉P.cryptogea Pethyb.et Laff.。其中,烟草疫霉,掘氏疫霉,樟疫霉出现频率较高,分布较广,初步认为是上述地区植物疫病的主要病原菌。簇囊疫霉、蜜色疫霉是国内新记录。     

百脉根类LATERAL ORGAN BOUNDARIES基因的分离及表达方式

植物顶端分生组织可分为中央区,周缘区和肋区。在植物胚后发育中,侧生器官产生于顶端分生组织的周缘区。顶端分生组织和侧生器官之间的边界的建立和维持是一个非常重要的发育过程,许多调节子参与控制这个过程。拟南芥的LATERAL ORGAN BOUNDARIES（LOB）基因具有独特的表达模式,其表达的范围与上述的边界区域重合。LOB基因隶属于一个大的基因家族一,OB结构域基因家族。该家族编码的蛋白在N端具有一个保守的LOB结构域,该家族LOB基因以外的成员也参与拟南芥不同的发育过程。为了探讨在与拟南芥亲缘关系较远的豆科中LOB同源基因的功能,我们在豆科模式植物百脉根中分离了3个LOB同源基因,命名为LjLOB基因,并用RNA原位杂交方法研究了这3个基因的表达模式。研究结果显示,LjLOB1和LjLOB3都强烈地在小叶原基的基部表达,这种表达模式可能与小叶原基和复叶原基之间的边界相关。而LjLOB4则在发育中的花芽不同轮之间的边界上表达。百脉根中这3个基因具有不同的表达模式,强烈地提示它们的功能发生了分歧：LjLOB1和LjLDB3可能在复叶发育中具有重要功能;而LjLOB4则可能参与了花的发育。