Partial cDNAs of myb-related regulatory genes were isolated from the tetraploid Kyoho grape ( Vitis labruscana: V. labrusca x V. vinifera) and the expression patterns of the corresponding genes were studied. Since MybA gene expression is closely related to coloring and/or ripening of the berry (expression increases strongly with the commencement of coloring and berry softening, and is detected only in berry skin and flesh), full-length cDNAs for the gene were isolated from a mature-berry cDNA library. Three different species of MybA were identified from the cDNA sequences. Delivery of these cDNAs to somatic embryos of grape led to the induction of reddish-purple spots and UDP-glucose:flavonoid 3- O-glucosyltransferase (UFGT) gene expression in non-colored embryos. The UFGT transcript was not detected in control embryos, while other structural genes for anthocyanin biosynthesis were expressed in both control and pigmented embryos. In addition, introduction of the UFGT gene induced the same reddish-purple spots in embryos. In contrast, treatment with the leucoanthocyanidin dioxygenase (LDOX) gene failed to induce these spots. Our results strongly suggest that MybA genes are involved in the regulation of anthocyanin biosynthesis in the grape via expression of the UFGT gene.

Cyanidin 3-galactoside was the primary anthocyanin in red `Tsugaru' apples [Malus sylvestris (L.) Mill. var. domestica (Borkh.) Mansf.]. The concentration of cyanidin 3-galactoside in the skin decreased from 20 to 62 days after full bloom (DAFB), then increased rapidly after 104 DAFB. Small amounts of cyanidin 3-arabinoside and cyanidin 3-glucoside were detected at 122 and 133 DAFB (harvest). The expression of five anthocyanin biosynthetic genes of chalcone synthase (MdCHS), flavanone 3-hydroxylase (MdF3H), dihydroflavonol 4-reductase (pDFR), anthocyanidin synthase (MdANS), and UDP glucose-flavonoid 3-O-glucosyltransferase (pUFGluT) was examined in the skin of red and nonred apples. In general, the expression of anthocyanin biosynthetic genes in red apples was strong in juvenile and ripening stages. The expression of MdCHS, MdF3H, pDFR, and MdANS was observed before ripening stage when anthocyanin was not detected. In contrast, the expression of pUFGluT was detected in the development stage only when anthocyanin was detected. However, the expression of all five genes was observed at 20 DAFB in fruit bagged after fertilization, and anthocyanin was not detected. The expression of MdCHS, MdF3H, pDFR, and MdANS, excluding pUFGluT, was detected at 98 DAFB in fruit bagged after 30 DAFB, and anthocyanin was not detected. These results suggest that pUFGluT may be closely related to the anthocyanin expression in apple skin at the ripening stage.

The forced swim test (FST) has been widely used for the preclinical evaluation of antidepressant drugs. Despite considerable differences in the protocol, equivalence of the FST for rats and mice has been rarely questioned. Previous research on the FST for rats revealed that repeated administration of antidepressant drugs attenuates the c-Fos response to swim stress in the hypothalamus and limbic regions. However, few studies have made similar investigations using the FST for mice. In the present study, we explored the mouse brain through immunohistochemistry staining for c-Fos after acute administration of imipramine or saline with or without a subsequent swim session. Imipramine enhanced the c-Fos density in regions of the central extended amygdala, while forced swim stress increased c-Fos expression in some hypothalamic (the ventrolateral preoptic nucleus and dorsomedial nucleus) and brain stem regions, which is consistent with previous reports. In contrast to previous literature with rats, swim stress brought a significant increase in c-Fos expression in the lateral septal nucleus and some other regions in the hypothalamus (the intermediate hypothalamic area, the paraventricular and arcuate nucleus) only in the imipramine-pretreated group, which has not been observed previously. In the arcuate nucleus, double immunostaining revealed that c-Fos was rarely co-expressed with proopiomelanocortin or tyrosine hydroxylase regardless of imipramine treatment. The present results suggest that the activation of several regions in the lateral septum and the hypothalamus underlies antidepressant-like effect in the mouse FST.

The tail suspension test (TST) has been widely used as a screening assay for antidepressant drugs. However, the neural substrates underlying the stress response and antidepressant-like effect during the TST remain largely unknown despite the prevalence of this test. In the present study, we used immunohistochemistry to examine alterations in c-Fos expression as a measure of neuronal activity in the mouse brain after acute administration of the antidepressant drugs nortriptyline or escitalopram (or saline as a control) with or without a subsequent TST session. We found that without the TST session, nortriptyline administration enhanced the density of c-Fos-immunoreactive cells in regions of the central extended amygdala, paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus, and relevant regions of the brain stem, whereas escitalopram did not change c-Fos expression in any region. Following the TST in the absence of antidepressant drugs, we observed a significant increase in c-Fos-positive cell density in a number of brain regions within the limbic telencephalon, hypothalamus, and brain stem. We detected a statistically significant interaction using an analysis of variance between the main effects of the drug and stress response in four regions: the infralimbic cortex, lateral septal nucleus (intermediate part), ventrolateral preoptic nucleus, and solitary nucleus. Following the TST, escitalopram but not nortriptyline increased c-Fos-positive cell density in the infralimbic cortex and ventrolateral preoptic nucleus, whereas nortriptyline but not escitalopram increased c-Fos expression in the solitary nucleus. Both antidepressants significantly increased c-Fos expression in the lateral septal nucleus (intermediate part). The present results indicate that neuronal activity increases in septo-hypothalamic regions and related structures, especially the lateral septal nucleus, following administration of drugs producing an antidepressant-like effect in mice subjected to the TST.

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