ウシ ト ソノ キンエンシュ ノ キョウツウ セッケッキュウ コウゲン

ウシとその近縁家畜に共通する赤血球抗原を特定するために,アジア在来牛,バリウシ,ガヤール,ヤク,スイギュウ,ベゾアー,ヤギおよびヒツジの計1,000頭以上について,32種類のウシ血液型判定用モノクローナル抗体を用いた試験を行なった。これらの家畜はウシと34.4～87.5%の赤血球抗原を共有していた。共通抗原の数から推定すると,ウシ亜属(Bos)とガウア亜属(Bibos)間は,ウシ亜属(Bos)とヤク亜属(Poehagus)間より近縁であった。A2抗原は調べた8種全てに分布する抗原だった。Fc抗原の存在はウシ亜科とヤギ亜科の動物を区別した。すなわちウシ,バリウシ,ガヤール,ヤク,スイギュウのすべての個体がFc抗原を持つのに対し,ヤギやヒツジでFcをもつ個体は認められなかった。To detect common erythrocyte antigens among cattle and their close relatives, extensive tests on red blood cells from more than 1,000 animals including several indigenous cattle from various Asian countries, Bali cattle, Gayal, Yaks, Water buffaloes, Bezoar and some breeds of goats and sheep were screened with thirty-two bovine red blood group monoclonal antibodies. The five species except cattle, Bezoar and Gayal shared 34.4-87.5% of erythrocyte antigens with cattle. Based on the number of common erythrocyte antigens in each species, the relationships between subgenera Bos and Bibos was closer than that between subgenera Bos and Poephagus. The A2 antigen was distributed among all the eight species screened. The presence of the Fc antigen could be used to distinguish subfamily Bovinae from subfamily Caprinae ; that is all individuals of cattle, Bali cattle, Gayal, Yaks and Water buffaloes had the Fc antigen but not goats nor sheep

Comprehensive synthesis of spatial variability in carbon flux across monsoon Asian forests

AbstractForest ecosystems sequester large amounts of atmospheric CO2, and the contribution from forests in Asia is not negligible. Previous syntheses of carbon fluxes in Asian ecosystems mainly employed estimates of eddy covariance measurements, net ecosystem production (NEP), gross primary production (GPP), and ecosystem respiration (RE); however, to understand the variability within carbon cycles, fluxes such as autotropic respiration (AR), net primary production (NPP), litterfall, heterotrophic respiration (HR), and soil respiration (SR) need to be analyzed comprehensively in conjunction with NEP, GPP, and RE. Here we investigated the spatial variability of component fluxes of carbon balance (GPP, AR, NPP, litterfall, HR, SR, and RE) in relation to climate factors, between carbon fluxes, and to NEP using observations compiled from the literature for 22 forest sites in monsoon Asia. We found that mean annual temperature (MAT) largely relates to the spatial variability of component fluxes in monsoon Asian forests, with stronger positive effect in the mid–high latitude forests than in the low latitude forests, but even stronger relationships were identified between component fluxes regardless of regions. This finding suggests that the spatial variability of carbon fluxes in monsoon Asia is certainly influenced by climatic factors such as MAT, but that the overall spatial variability of AR, NPP, litterfall, HR, SR, and RE is rather controlled by that of productivity (i.e., GPP). Furthermore, component fluxes of the mid–high and low latitude forests showed positive and negative relationships, respectively, with NEP. Further investigation identified a common spatial variability in NEP and annual aboveground biomass changes with respect to GPP. The relationship between GPP and NEP in the mid–high latitudes implies that productivity and net carbon sequestration increase simultaneously in boreal and temperate forests. Meanwhile, the relationship between GPP and NEP in the low latitudes indicates that net carbon sequestration decreases with productivity, potentially due to the regional contrast in nitrogen depositions and stand age within sub-tropical and tropical forests; however, it requires further data syntheses or modelling investigations for confirmation of its general validity. These unique features of monsoon Asian forest carbon fluxes provide useful information for improving ecosystem model simulations, which still differ in their predictability of carbon flux variability

Molecular mechanism by which pioglitazone preserves pancreatic β-cells in obese diabetic mice: evidence for acute and chronic actions as a PPARγ agonist

Pioglitazone preserves pancreatic β-cell morphology and function in diabetic animal models. In this study, we investigated the molecular mechanisms by which pioglitazone protects β-cells in diabetic db/db mice. In addition to the morphological analysis of the islets, gene expression profiles of the pancreatic islet were analyzed using laser capture microdissection and were compared with real-time RT-PCR of db/db and nondiabetic m/m mice treated with or without pioglitazone for 2 wk or 2 days. Pioglitazone treatment (2 wk) ameliorated dysmetabolism, increased islet insulin content, restored glucose-stimulated insulin secretion, and preserved β-cell mass in db/db mice but had no significant effects in m/m mice. Pioglitazone upregulated genes that promote cell differentiation/proliferation in diabetic and nondiabetic mice. In db/db mice, pioglitazone downregulated the apoptosis-promoting caspase-activated DNase gene and upregulated anti-apoptosis-related genes. The above-mentioned effects of pioglitazone treatment were also observed after 2 days of treatment. By contrast, the oxidative stress-promoting NADPH oxidase gene was downregulated, and antioxidative stress-related genes were upregulated, in db/db mice treated with pioglitazone for 2 wk, rather than 2 days. Morphometric results for proliferative cell number antigen and 4-hydroxy-2-noneal modified protein were consistent with the results of gene expression analysis. The present results strongly suggest that pioglitazone preserves β-cell mass in diabetic mice mostly by two ways; directly, by acceleration of cell differentiation/proliferation and suppression of apoptosis (acute effect); and indirectly, by deceleration of oxidative stress because of amelioration of the underlying metabolic disorder (chronic effect)