ALBERT

Notes: The present study, undertaken as a continuation of an earlier study on quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis of grain protein content (GPC) in bread wheat (Prasad et al. 1999), includes the following: (1) identification of an additional molecular marker associated with GPC; (2) development of near-isogenic lines (NILs) for high GPC; and (3) the use of three sets of NILs (a total of 10 NILs) to validate the two available markers linked with QTL for GPC. A total of 114 sequence-tagged microsatellite site (STMS) primer pairs (that were not used in the previous study) were used for detection of polymorphism between the two parents (PH132, with high GPC; WL711, with low GPC) of a mapping population of 100 recombinant inbred lines (RILs). A total of 95 primer pairs gave amplification products, of which only 30 detected reproducible polymorphism between the parental genotypes. Bulked segregant analysis was conducted using these 30 primers on two bulks (each comprising eight RILs) representing the two extremes of the normal distribution. A solitary primer pair (WMC415) showed association with GPC, which was further confirmed through selective genotyping. Subsequently, 100 RILs were genotyped. A single-marker linear regression analysis showed significant association between the marker WMC415 and GPC, thus identifying a quantitative trait locus (designated as QGpcccsu-5A1), which explained 6.21% of the variation for GPC among the RILs. The above STMS marker, together with the STMS marker (WMC41) identified earlier, explains approximately 25% of the variation for GPC. In order to conduct validation of the above two available markers, 10 NILs were developed for high GPC using two genotypes (WL711 and HD2329) with low GPC as recipient parents and another two genotypes (PH132 and PH133) with high GPC as donor parents. NIL 2233 (with 11.7% GPC), derived from HD2329, when tried with WMC41 gave a characteristic amplification profile similar to that of its donor parent PH132, and NIL 2215 (with 11.9% GPC) derived from WL711, when tried with WMC415 gave an amplification profile that resembled its donor parent PH133. The remaining eight NILs with high GPC gave patterns similar to those of their corresponding recipient parents with both the markers, suggesting that either the QTL, other than those associated with the above markers, were actually transferred from the donor parents and contributed to high GPC in these NILs or that recombination had occurred between the markers identified and the corresponding QTL. Thus, the marker validation conducted using NILs, while demonstrating the utility of these two microsatellite markers for use in marker-assisted selection in plant breeding, also suggested that many more QTL exist that would need to be identified using closely linked molecular markers.

Notes: : The factors affecting myosin degradation that occurred during aging following high-pressure treatment over a pressure range from 200 to 600 MPa were investigated by using SDS-PAGE and immunoblotting analysis. The immunoblot pattern of myosin in muscle stored at 37°C for 48 h after pressure treatment at 0. 1 MPa (atmospheric pressure) or 200 MPa for 5 min was similar to that of native myosin incubated with cathepsin D, whereas at 400 or 600 MPa the pattern was close to that of native myosin incubated with cathepsin B. This phenomenon was reflected in the pressure-susceptibilities of cathepsins B and D as reported in the literature (Homma and others 1994). However, these catheptic enzymes released by pressure treatment are unlikely to play a role in pressure-induced tenderization of meat.

Notes: : Hemocyanin (Hc) from plasma of kuruma prawn was characterized as a potent inducer of black spots during storage. An oxygen transporter, hemocyanin was converted into phenoloxidase (PO)-like enzyme (HdPO) with SDS treatment as well as prophenoloxidase isolated from hemocytes. Both enzymes showed similar biochemical properties. The isolated PO, however, was so unstable that its activity was drastically reduced when frozen and thawed at -25°C for less than a week, while HdPO completely retained its activity for more than a month, suggesting that HdPO is a key factor in black spot development in freeze-thawed prawn.

Notes: Most oilseed rape, Brassica napus, cultivars are black-seeded. The progenitor species, Brassica rapa, has either yellow or black seeds, while known cultivars of the other progenitor species Brassica oleracea/alboglabra have black seeds. To determine which chromosomes of B. alboglabra are carriers of seed colour genes, B. rapaalboglabra monosomic addition lines were produced from a B. napus resynthesized from yellow-seeded B. rapa and brown/black-seeded B. alboglabra. Eight out of nine possible lines have been developed and transmission frequencies of the alien chromosomes were estimated. Three B. alboglabra chromosomes in three of these lines influenced seed colour. B. rapa plants carrying alien chromosome 1 exhibited a maternal control of seed colour and produced only brown seeds, which gave rise to plants with either yellow or brown seeds. However, B. rapa plants carrying alien chromosome 4 or another as yet unidentified alien chromosome exhibited an embryonal control of seed colour and produced a mixture of yellow and brown seeds. The yellow seeds gave rise to yellow-seeded plants, while the brown seeds gave rise to plants that yielded a mixture of yellow and brown seeds, depending on the absence or presence, respectively, of the B. alboglabra chromosome. Consequently, both maternal and embryonal control of seed colour are expected to contribute to the black-seeded phenotype of oilseed rape.

Notes: Geographical variation of growth habit was studied for 749 landraces from various parts of the world, with special reference to their adaptation and ecogeographical differentiation. The total frequency of spring-type landraces was 49.9%, and varied between localities. Spring-type landraces were frequent in two distinct areas where the average January temperature was either below -7°C or above 4°C, with winter-type landraces in areas from -7°C to 4°C. These results indicated that geographical variation of growth habit is closely related to the degree of winter coldness. An analysis of the Vrn genotype for 216 spring-type landraces demonstrated the uneven distribution of four Vrn genes, with Vrn4 being the least frequent. The adaptive Vrn genotype was different between localities. Genotypes carrying Vrn-A1 and additional Vrn gene(s) were frequent in two distinct areas where the average January temperature was either below -7°C or over 10°C, while genotypes with any of three Vrn genes, except Vrn-A1, adapted to areas with temperatures from 4°C to 10°C. Therefore, it was concluded that the adaptability of wheat landraces differed depending on their growth habit and Vrn genotype, and that ecotypes with different Vrn genotypes were allopatrically distributed as a result of adaptation to different winter temperature. However, the differential distribution of Vrn-B1, Vrn-D1 and Vrn4 could not be explained by their adaptability, and might reflect the polyphyletic origin of common wheat.

Notes: Rooted cuttings of Dendranthema grandiflorum cv. ‘Puja’ were treated with different doses of gamma rays. Sectorial somatic mutations both in flower colour and shape were detected in all the doses. The original floret colour of ‘Puja’ is red-purple and florets are flat spoon shaped. One of the mutant floret colour was yellow-orange with original flat florets and another mutant floret colour was yellow-orange with tubular florets. Original and mutated ray florets were cultured on agar-solidified Murashige and Skoog basal medium supplemented with sucrose and different combinations of 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) and 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP). Direct shoot organogenesis was seen within 2 weeks of culture initiation. The best regeneration was obtained on medium supplemented with 1 mg/l BAP + 0.5 mg/l NAA. Shoots regenerated from all explant types were rooted in vitro and transferred to the field. Regenerated plants flowered true-to-explant floret colour and shape. The isolated yellow floret colour mutants and yellow floret colour mutants with tubular florets were maintained vegetatively and have proved to be true to type in two successive generations.

Notes: A key challenge for managers of water utilities in developing countries is to provide services to the rising urban population in a financially sustainable manner. The paper examines the management of water services in an African city which piloted service differentiation and pricing. Among the key findings was that substantial improvement in the provision of water services to the urban poor was attained. Cost recovery was achieved through innovative structuring of public/private partnerships, an appropriate pricing policy, and flexible payment systems. The project demonstrates that (a) by structuring service delivery with appropriate pricing, utilities could serve more customers (including people living in informal settlements) at affordable cost and achieve financial sustainability, and (b) service differentiation and appropriate pricing has the potential to improve urban water services in low-income countries.

Notes: Cannibalism in walleye pollock off the eastern coast of the Hokkaido Island, Japan was important only during spring (April to June), and its importance increased from 0% in dry mass for 〈200 mm LS fish to 48·9% for 〉400 mm LS fish. Most of the prey was represented by age 1 year fish, showing a unimodal body size distribution with a mode at 121–130 mm. Although cannibal body size was larger in deeper (〉150 m) water, there was no difference in prey size by depth, suggesting impingement of the predators inhabiting deeper water into the shallow areas to cannibalize 1 year fish. The minimum ratio cannibal: prey size was 1·74. There was a positive but non-significant correlation between the contribution of cannibalism to a potential predator's (〉300 mm) diet and an estimate of the previous year's recruitment. This was due to an extremely high contribution of cannibalism during 1992, when a distinctly larger size of predators seemed to bias the contribution. When the 1992 data were removed from the analysis, a significant correlation was obtained (r2=0·77, P〈0·01), showing that Pollock cannibalism is rather density dependent. Based on the results, it is hypothesized that the‘overflow’ of 1 year fish from the shelf waters due to their high abundance and the weak stratification in the spring water column results in increased co-occurrence with adult fish and consequent cannibalism.

Notes: Aqueous extracts from the skin mucus of two species of rabbitfishes Siganus fuscescens and S. guttatus showed antibacterial activity against gram-negative bacteria. Stability tests and chromatographic analyses suggested that the S. fuscescens antibacterial factor is an acidic glycoprotein with a molecular mass of 400 kDa.

Notes: Air emersion stress caused an elevation in blood plasma cortisol of rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss but this acute stressor did not elicit chloride cell proliferation in the gill tissue within 2 weeks following the disturbance.