Evaluation of dry matter production and yield in early-sown wheat using near-isogenic lines for the vernalization locus Vrn-D1

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) grain yield is predicted to decrease in the future because of an increase in air temperature globally. To clarify the effects of the vernalization response gene in wheat to warmer winters, we compared dry matter production and grain yield between spring wheat ‘Asakazekomugi’ and its winter-type near-isogenic line (NIL) carrying different alleles of the vernalization response gene Vrn-D1 under early-, standard-, and late-sowing conditions. Under early-sowing conditions, dry matter production of the NIL carrying the winter allele of Vrn-D1, named Asa (Vrn-D1b), exceeded that of ‘Asakazekomugi’ from mid-March (after stem elongation in Asa (Vrn-D1b)) when the temperatures rose. Tiller number and leaf area index under early-sowing conditions were consistently higher in Asa (Vrn-D1b) than in ‘Asakazekomugi’ from mid-March onward. It was suggested that the early-sown ‘Asakazekomugi’ could not effectively absorb solar radiation to produce dry matter because of the acceleration of stem elongation caused by the Vrn-D1 gene during the cold season. The grain yield of Asa (Vrn-D1b) with early sowing was higher than with standard sowing. In contrast, the grain yield of ‘Asakazekomugi’ was lower in the early-sown crop than in the crop sown at the standard date. These results suggested that the higher grain yield of Asa (Vrn-D1b) than that of ‘Asakazekomugi’ under early-sown conditions could be due to Asa (Vrn-D1b) maintaining high dry matter production after the jointing stage by suppressing acceleration of growth caused by warm conditions after sowing. Abbreviations CGR: crop growth rate; HI: harvest index; LAI: leaf area index; NIL: near-isogenic line; SNP: single-nucleotide polymorphis

An Application of Outer Membrane Protein P6-Specific Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay for Detection of <i>Haemophilus influenzae</i> in Middle Ear Fluids and Nasopharyngeal Secretions

<div><p>An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay specific to outer membrane protein P6 (P6-ELISA) was applied for detecting <i>Haemophilus influenzae</i> in middle ear fluids (MEFs) from acute otitis media (AOM) patients and in nasopharyngeal secretions (NPSs) from acute rhinosinusitis patients. P6-ELISA had a sensitivity of 83.3% for MEFs and 71.5% for NPSs and a specificity of 85.6% for MEFs and 92.5% for NPSs, respectively. Real-time PCR exhibited significant differences in the number of <i>ompP1</i> gene copies among samples determined by P6-ELISA to be positive and negative for <i>H. influenzae</i>. However, because the P6-ELISA test has the reactivity in <i>Haemophilus</i> species include two commensals <i>H. haemolyticus</i> and <i>H. parainfluenzae</i>, it is thus a weak method in order to detect only NTHi correctly. Consequently, diagnosis using the P6-ELISA should be based on an overall evaluation, including the results of other related examinations and clinical symptoms to prevent misleading conclusions in clinical setting.</p></div

Positive and negative predicting values resulting from evaluating NPSs to determine the presence of <i>H. influenzae</i> in MEFs.

<p>Positive and negative predicting values resulting from evaluating NPSs to determine the presence of <i>H. influenzae</i> in MEFs.</p

Sensitivity, specificity, positive predicting value, and negative predicting values of P6-ELISA to determine the presence of <i>H. influenzae</i> in MEFs and NPS.

<p>The numbers in a parentheses show the number of samples.</p

Distribution of the number of copies of the <i>H.</i><i>influenzae ompP1</i> gene in MEFs and NPSs based on the results of P6-ELISA and conventional culture.

<p>Vertical axis: the number of copies of the <i>ompP1</i> gene calculated from real-time PCR. Open circle: <i>H. influenzae</i> culture negative, closed circle: <i>H. influenzae</i> culture positive. The number of copies of the <i>H. influenzae ompP1</i> gene in ODK-0902-positive arid culture-positive populations differed significantly between ODK-0902-positive and -negative populations (<i>p</i><0.001).</p

Down-regulation of CD24 antigen expression on Hela cells treated with phorbol myristate acetate (PMA)

We found that CD24 antigen, a B cell differentiation antigen, was strongly expressed on the non-hematopoietic Hela cell line (cervical carcinoma cell line). The mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) of CD24 antigen expressed on Hela cells was markedly down-regulated by treatment with phorbol myristate acetate (PMA), which also induced morphological changes. In addition, CD24 antigen expression on Hela cells was completely down-regulated by treatment with phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC), Down-regulation of CD24 antigen expressed on the Hela cells treated with PMA was sufficiently but not completely recovered by protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitors H-7 and H-8. These findings strongly indicate that regulation of CD24 antigen expressed on Hela cells is mainly mediated by PKC, and is present as a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) membrane anchor protein