Multiplex panels of SNP markers based on single-base primer extension in the west Pacific pen shell Atrina lischkeana (Clessin, 1891).

Background: As part of stock enhancement programs for marine fishery species, the stocking of hatchery-produced seedlings into sea areas has been implemented worldwide. DNA markers are vital for responsible stock enhancement practices that aim to conserve the genetic diversity of recipient wild populations. We report novel single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers and multiplex SNP panels developed for the west Pacific pen shell Atrina lischkeana (Clessin, 1891), a large bivalve that is expected to be a subject of stock enhancement activity as the natural resource has dwindled, especially in Japan.

Impaired Hippocampal Long-Term Potentiation and Memory Deficits upon Haploinsufficiency of MDGA1 Can Be Rescued by Acute Administration of D-Cycloserine.

The maintenance of proper brain function relies heavily on the balance of excitatory and inhibitory neural circuits, governed in part by synaptic adhesion molecules. Among these, MDGA1 (MAM domain-containing glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor 1) acts as a suppressor of synapse formation by interfering with Neuroligin-mediated interactions, crucial for maintaining the excitatory-inhibitory (E/I) balance. mice exhibit selectively enhanced inhibitory synapse formation in their hippocampal pyramidal neurons, leading to impaired hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP) and hippocampus-dependent learning and memory function; however, it has not been fully investigated yet if the reduction in MDGA1 protein levels would alter brain function.

Molecular characterization of Vasa homolog in the pen shell Atrina pectinata: cDNA cloning and expression analysis during gonadal development.

Vasa is an ATP-dependent RNA helicase of the DEAD (Asp-Glu-Ala-Asp) box family and a representative component of the germ plasm. In this study, we cloned the full-length vasa homolog in the bivalve Atrina pectinata (psvasa), and performed phylogenetic analysis, mRNA expression analysis for tissue-specific distributions, and immunostaining analysis to reveal its histological localization. The sequence of psvasa was 3587 bp in length and contained a 5' untranslated region of 150 bp, an open reading frame of 2214 bp, and a 3' untranslated region of 1223 bp.

Changes in gonadotropin-releasing hormone in the cerebral ganglion of the Manila clam Ruditapes philippinarum during gonadal development.

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) plays an important role in reproduction in both vertebrates and invertebrates; however, little is known about GnRH during gonadal development in bivalves. We developed a time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay (TR-FIA) for Manila clam Ruditapes philippinarum GnRH (rpGnRH) and measured the amount of rpGnRH in the cerebral ganglion (CG) and sex steroid hormones in the hemolymph during gonadal development. The cross-reactivity of the anti-rpGnRH antibody against other forms of GnRH was <0.

Visually cued fear conditioning test for memory impairment related to cortical function.

Aim: Fear conditioning tests are intended to elucidate a subject's ability to associate a conditioned stimulus with an aversive, unconditioned stimulus, such as footshock. Among these tests, a paradigm related to precise cortical functions would be increasingly important in drug screening for disorders such as schizophrenia and dementia. Therefore, we established a new fear conditioning paradigm using a visual cue in mice.

Retinal ganglion cell loss in kinesin-1 cargo Alcadein α deficient mice.

Maintenance of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) activity is relied on axonal transport conveying materials required for their survival such as neurotrophic factors. Kinesin-1 undergoes anterograde transport in axons, and Alcadein α (Alcα; also called calsyntenin-1) is a major cargo adaptor protein that can drive kinesin-1 to transport vesicles containing Alcα. The long-term effects of Alcα-deficiency on retinal morphology and survival of RGCs during postnatal development were examined in Alcα knockout mice.

MDGA1-deficiency attenuates prepulse inhibition with alterations of dopamine and serotonin metabolism: An ex vivo HPLC-ECD analysis.

MDGA1 (MAM domain-containing glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor) has recently been linked to schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Dysregulation of dopamine (DA) and serotonin (5-HT) systems has long been associated with schizophrenia and other neuropsychiatric disorders. Here, we measured prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the startle response and ex vivo tissue content of monoamines and their metabolites in the frontal cortex, striatum and hippocampus of Mdga1 homozygous (Mdga1-KO), Mdga1 heterozygous (Mdga1-HT) and wild-type (WT) male mice.

Reducing Wet Ammonium Deposition in Rocky Mountain National Park: the Development and Evaluation of A Pilot Early Warning System for Agricultural Operations in Eastern Colorado.

Agricultural emissions are the primary source of ammonia (NH) deposition in Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP), a Class I area, that is granted special air quality protections under the Clean Air Act. Between 2014 and 2016, the pilot phase of the Colorado agricultural nitrogen early warning system (CANEWS) was developed for agricultural producers to voluntarily and temporarily minimize emissions of NH during periods of upslope winds. The CANEWS was created using trajectory analyses driven by outputs from an ensemble of numerical weather forecasts together with the climatological expertize of human forecasters.

Smallholder Farmer Adoption of Climate-Related Adaptation Strategies: The Importance of Vulnerability Context, Livelihood Assets, and Climate Perceptions.

Despite increased research characterizing the adaptive capacity of households and communities, there are few empirical studies that test why farmers adopt costly climate-related adaptive strategies, which strategies are implemented, and farmers' perceptions of climate changes. In this study, we analyzed determinants for smallholder farmer adoption of adaptation strategies in Chiapas, Mexico. We conducted 291 surveys with landowners in eight coffee farming communities.

Loss of Synapse Repressor MDGA1 Enhances Perisomatic Inhibition, Confers Resistance to Network Excitation, and Impairs Cognitive Function.

Synaptopathies contributing to neurodevelopmental disorders are linked to mutations in synaptic organizing molecules, including postsynaptic neuroligins, presynaptic neurexins, and MDGAs, which regulate their interaction. The role of MDGA1 in suppressing inhibitory versus excitatory synapses is controversial based on in vitro studies. We show that genetic deletion of MDGA1 in vivo elevates hippocampal CA1 inhibitory, but not excitatory, synapse density and transmission.

Total Synthesis of Kanamienamide and Clarification of Biological Activity.

The total synthesis of kanamienamide, an enamide with an enol ether and an 11-membered macrolactone of marine origin, was achieved. The synthesis features the construction of an enamide adjacent to an enol ether by Buchwald amidation and an 11-membered ring by Mitsunobu lactonization. In addition, on the basis of the biological assay of synthetic 1, we clarified that kanamienamide (1) was not an apoptosis-like cell death inducer, as reported in the isolation paper, and revealed its real biological activity as a necrosis-like cell death inducer.

Photo-induced toxicity and oxidative stress responses in Tigriopus japonicus exposed to nitro-polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and artificial light.

Photo-induced toxicity is an important phenomenon in ecotoxicology because sunlight reaches many organisms in their natural habitats. To elucidate whether sunlight enhances the toxicity of nitro-polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (nitro-PAHs), the acute toxicities of 10 nitro-PAHs and the related compound 1-nitropyrene (1-NP) to Tigriopus japonicus were assessed in darkness or under light conditions. In addition, the relationships among the toxicity of 1-NP to T.

Total Synthesis of Miuraenamides A and D.

Miuraenamides A and D, cyclodepsipeptides with antimicrobial and antitumor activity, were synthesized. The synthesis of an unsaturated hydroxycarboxylic acid moiety, starting from a chiral epoxide, was achieved by Suzuki-Miyaura coupling as a key step. As a result, the overall yield for miuraenamide A over the longest linear sequence is 3.

Reproductive toxicity of 1-nitronaphthalene and 1-nitropyrene exposure in the mummichog, Fundulus heteroclitus.

After pregnant mummichog were implanted with 1-nitronaphthalene or 1-nitropyrene via cholesterol pellet, we investigated the effects of the chemicals on embryo normality, hatchability and days to hatch of normal embryos, and growth and survival of hatched larvae from normal embryos of the implanted mummichog. Hatchability was the parameter most sensitive to the effects of both 1-nitronaphthalene and 1-nitropyrene. The 4-week lowest-observed-effect concentration (LOEC) of 1-nitronaphthalene, based on the actual concentrations in the eggs in the test, was 447 ng g(-1) wet wt.

Toxicity of degradation products of the antifouling biocide pyridine triphenylborane to marine organisms.

We evaluated the acute toxicities of the main degradation products of pyridine triphenylborane (PTPB), namely, diphenylborane hydroxide (DPB), phenylborane dihydroxide (MPB), phenol, and biphenyl, to the alga Skeletonema costatum, the crustacean Tigriopus japonicus, and two teleosts, the red sea bream Pagrus major and the mummichog Fundulus heteroclitus. DPB was the most toxic of the degradation products to all four organisms. The acute toxicity values of DPB for S.

Solid-state source of atomic oxygen for low-temperature oxidation processes: application to pulsed laser deposition of TiO2:N films.

An atomic oxygen (AO) source has been redesigned to coordinate with a pulsed laser deposition system and used to grow nitrogen-doped TiO(2) films by deposition of TiN and simultaneous irradiation of the substrate with AO. The AO source uses an incandescently heated thin tube of zirconia as an oxygen permeation media to generate pure AO of low kinetic energy. The emission flux is calibrated using a silver-coated quartz crystal microbalance.

Corticosteroids stimulate the amphibious behavior in mudskipper: potential role of mineralocorticoid receptors in teleost fish.

It has long been held that cortisol, a glucocorticoid in many vertebrates, carries out both glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid actions in teleost fish. However, 11-deoxycorticosterone (DOC) has been identified as a specific endogenous ligand for the teleostean mineralocorticoid receptor (MR). Furthermore, the expressions of MR mRNA are modest in the osmoregulatory organs, but considerably higher in the brain of most teleosts.

Central administration of growth hormone-releasing hormone and corticotropin-releasing hormone stimulate downstream movement and thyroxine secretion in fall-smolting coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch).

The ultimate signal triggering downstream migration in anadromous salmonids is unknown. A plasma surge of T(4) (T(4) surge) occurs during downstream migration in salmonids; however, the causal relationship between migratory behavior and the T(4) surge is not well known. We first examined the progression of smolt indicators (skin silvering, condition factor (CF), gill Na(+), K(+)-ATPase (NKA) activity and plasma T(4) levels) in underyearling, fall-smolting coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) from August to December.

A review of climate-change adaptation strategies for wildlife management and biodiversity conservation.

The scientific literature contains numerous descriptions of observed and potential effects of global climate change on species and ecosystems. In response to anticipated effects of climate change, conservation organizations and government agencies are developing "adaptation strategies" to facilitate the adjustment of human society and ecological systems to altered climate regimes. We reviewed the literature and climate-change adaptation plans that have been developed in United States, Canada, England, México, and South Africa and found 16 general adaptation strategies that relate directly to the conservation of biological diversity.

Growth hormone and cortisol treatment stimulate seawater tolerance in both anadromous and landlocked Arctic charr.

In a comparative experiment the effect of cortisol and growth hormone (GH) on the hypo-osmoregulatory ability of a landlocked and an anadromous strain of Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus) was investigated. Cortisol and GH were implanted either alone or in combination, and the fish were exposed to a 24 h seawater challenge test (SWT) on days 14 and 28 after implantation. Hypo-osmoregulatory ability, measured as plasma osmolality and chloride concentration after the SWTs, was better in the anadromous than in the landlocked strain, irrespective of treatment.

Wetting and drying cycles drive variations in the stable carbon isotope ratio of respired carbon dioxide in semi-arid grassland.

In semi-arid regions, where plants using both C(3) and C(4) photosynthetic pathways are common, the stable C isotope ratio (delta(13)C) of ecosystem respiration (delta(13)C(R)) is strongly variable seasonally and inter-annually. Improved understanding of physiological and environmental controls over these variations will improve C cycle models that rely on the isotopic composition of atmospheric CO(2). We hypothesized that timing of precipitation events and antecedent moisture interact with activity of C(3) and C(4) grasses to determine net ecosystem CO(2) exchange (NEE) and delta(13)C(R).

Central administration of growth hormone-releasing hormone triggers downstream movement and schooling behavior of chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) fry in an artificial stream.

Anadromous salmonids migrate downstream to the ocean (downstream migration). The neuroendocrine mechanism of triggering the onset of downstream migration is not well known. We investigated the effects of 14 chemicals, including neuropeptides, pineal hormones, neurotransmitters, and neuromodulators (growth hormone-releasing hormone: GHRH, thyrotropin-releasing hormone, corticotropin-releasing hormone: CRH, gonadotropin-releasing hormone, melatonin, N-acetyl serotonin, serotonin, beta-endorphin, enkephalin, dopamine, norepinephrine, epinephrine, acetylcholine, and histamine) on the onset of downstream migration in chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) fry.