Comparative genomics highlights the virulence and evolutionary trajectory of white spot syndrome virus.

White spot syndrome virus (WSSV) poses a significant threat to shrimp aquaculture, leading to substantial economic losses. This study aims to evaluate the virulence and evolution of recent WSSV outbreaks in Japan. Shrimp infected with WSSV were collected from Okinawa, Miyakojima and Miyazaki prefectures, yielding a total of seven isolates.

Intracellular abundance, localization, and enzymatic activity of a saxitoxin biosynthesis enzyme, SxtG, in two sister subclones of the dinoflagellate Alexandrium catenella with extremely different levels of paralytic shellfish toxins.

Paralytic shellfish poisoning is caused by saxitoxin (STX), and its analogues (paralytic shellfish toxins (PSTs)) produced by marine dinoflagellates. SxtA and SxtG are the most essential enzymes in STX biosynthesis. Previous studies investigated the abundance and subcellular localization (i.

Radioisotopic chronology of Ocean Anoxic Event 1a: Framework for analysis of driving mechanisms.

The timing, tempo, and causative mechanisms of Ocean Anoxic Event 1a (OAE1a), one of several such abrupt perturbations of the Mesozoic global carbon cycle, remain uncertain. Mudstones interbedded with tuffs in Hokkaido, Japan preserve carbon and osmium isotope shifts recording OAE1a. U-Pb zircon ages of tuffs constrain the OAE1a onset to 119.

Evaluation of the ionization efficiency in phosphatidylcholine positional isomers with docosahexaenoic acid bound to the sn-1 or sn-2 position.

Phosphatidylcholine (PC), a key phospholipid, contains 2 fatty acids that can be bound at the sn-1 and sn-2 positions, resulting in positional isomers when different fatty acids are attached. Currently, there is no established method for identifying phospholipid molecular species and quantifying individual isomers using authentic standards of each PC isomer. In this study, we prepare authentic analytical standards for PC positional isomers through chemical synthesis and preparative purification.

Isolation and cDNA cloning of four peptide toxins from the sea anemone .

Background: Sea anemones are well known to contain multiple peptide toxins. However, of more than 1100 species of sea anemones distributed worldwide, only a little over 50 have been studied for peptide toxins. Therefore, innumerable unique and novel peptide toxins remain to be discovered in unstudied sea anemones.

Effects of luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone analog and pimozide on the release of luteinizing hormone and ovulation in artificially matured Japanese eel Anguilla japonica.

Pituitary gonadotropins, follicle-stimulating hormone (Fsh) and luteinizing hormone (Lh), control oogenesis in all vertebrates. In particular, Lh plays a key role in stimulating the final oocyte maturation and subsequent ovulation. The biosynthesis and secretion of Lh are regulated by several neurohormones, including gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and dopamine.

Cell-mediated and humoral immune responses of cyprinids induced by a live attenuated vaccine against cyprinid herpesvirus 2 infection in comparison to the virus non-permissive high temperature water treatment.

The live attenuated vaccine (P7-P8 strain) against cyprinid herpesvirus 2 (CyHV-2) infection of goldfish shows high protective efficacy. However, the underlying immune mechanism induced by P7-P8 vaccination remains unknown. It is known that the fish survived in the primary infection with CyHV-2 by the virus non-permissive high temperature (HT) water treatment elicit immunity against secondary virus challenge.

Indirect and direct effects of nighttime light on COVID-19 mortality using satellite image mapping approach.

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of understanding environmental factors in disease transmission. This study aims to explore the spatial association between nighttime light (NTL) from satellite imagery and COVID-19 mortality. It particularly examines how NTL serves as a pragmatic proxy to estimate human interaction in illuminated nocturnal area, thereby impacting viral transmission dynamics to neighboring areas, which is defined as spillover effect.

Roll-to-Roll SiOx Synthesis on Polyethylene Terephthalate Film by Atmospheric-Pressure Plasma-Assisted Chemical Vapor Deposition.

Silicon oxide (SiOx) coatings are attracting significant attention and are widely used in industrial applications. They can be prepared by plasma-assisted chemical vapor deposition (PACVD). PACVD at atmospheric pressure (AP-PACVD) is often employed to synthesize SiOx coatings, but it has generally not been scaled up to an industrially viable level.

Plastiskin: A new form of plastic pollution affecting rocky shore organisms.

Plastic pollution has become a significant environmental concern, with profound consequences for ecosystems worldwide, particularly for marine systems. Our study introduces 'plastiskin', a newly identified plastic pollution type encrusting intertidal organisms. Found on mussels and macroalgae, 'plastiskin' was composed of polypropylene and polyethylene.

An ulvophycean marine green alga produces large parthenogenetic isogametes as predicted by the gamete dynamics model for the evolution of anisogamy.

In eukaryotes, gamete size difference between the two sexes (anisogamy) evolved from gametes of equal size in both mating types (isogamy). The gamete dynamics (GD) model for anisogamy evolution combines gamete limitation and competition and predicts that if gametes of both mating types can develop parthenogenetically (i.e.

Bluefin tuna sperm production is hastened by surrogacy in small Euthynnus.

Pacific bluefin tuna (Thunnus orientalis) remains heavily depleted due to overexploitation. Aquaculture and stock enhancement based on artificial seedlings could be effective solutions to this problem. However, widespread adoption of seedling production is limited because spawning in captivity of bluefin tuna, a large pelagic top predator, requires much space, time, cost, and labour.

Potential biocontrol for bacterial and viral disease treatment in aquaculture: a minireview.

Aquaculture is part of the crucial industry that supplies food, especially for the global human population that is gradually increasing annually. Innovations of culture techniques have been improved throughout the years but aquaculture is regularly susceptible to bacterial and viral diseases. Numerous factors could contribute to occurrence of disease and usually they are from environmental or human stressors on the cultured animals.

Concentrations and carbonyl index of microplastic in surface seawater in southeastern coastal region off Japan, Northwestern Pacific.

In this study, microplastic concentrations in the southeastern coastal regions of Japan were measured along the northward ocean current at seven stations from Okinawa to Tokai region. Concentrations ranged from 0.014 to 0.

Gelation of gellan induced by trivalent cations and coexisting trivalent with monovalent cations studied by rheological and DSC measurements.

The effect of trivalent cation Fe on the gelation process of a sodium salt form of gellan (DG, deacylated gellan gum) was investigated by rheology and DSC studies. On addition of a fairly low concentration of Fe (1 mM), both the complex modulus (G*) of a 1.0 % DG solution in gel state and the sol-gel transition temperature (T) slightly decreased.