Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its receptors play a key role in angiogenesis. VEGF receptor-2 (VEGFR-2) has a tyrosine kinase domain, and, once activated, induces the phosphorylation of cytoplasmic signaling proteins. The phosphorylated VEGFR-2 may be a substrate for intracellular protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) which prevent VEGF signaling. We synthesized a series of K K,K K-di£uoro(phenyl)methylphosphonic acids (DFPMPAs) which inhibit the action of PTP. In this study, we test their e¡ects on VEGF-induced angiogenesis. DFPMPA-3, the most e¡ective inhibitor of human PTP-1B, promoted tube formation by human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) on Matrigel more e¡ectively than any other DFPMPAs. The inhibitor promoted the VEGF-induced proliferation and migration of HUVEC by inhibiting the dephosphorylation of VEGFR-2. Its e¡ectiveness was proven through neo-vascularization in mice. The present ¢ndings suggest that targeting PTP to promote therapeutic neo-vascularization may be a potential strategy. ß

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Pilophorus typicus (Distant) (Heteroptera: Miridae) is a predatory bug occurring in East, Southeast, and South Asia. Because the active stages of P. typicus prey on various agricultural pest insects and mites, this species is a candidate insect as an indigenous natural enemy for use in biological control programs. However, the mass releasing of introduced natural enemies into agricultural fields may incur the risk of affecting the genetic integrity of species through hybridization with a local population. To clarify the genetic characteristics of the Japanese populations of P. typicus two portions of the mitochondrial DNA, the cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) (534 bp) and the cytochrome B (cytB) (217 bp) genes, were sequenced for 64 individuals collected from 55 localities in a wide range of Japan. Totals of 18 and 10 haplotypes were identified for the COI and cytB sequences, respectively (25 haplotypes over regions). Phylogenetic analysis using the maximum likelihood method revealed the existence of two genetically distinct groups in P. typicus in Japan. These groups were distributed in different geographic ranges: one occurred mainly from the Pacific coastal areas of the Kii Peninsula, the Shikoku Island, and the Ryukyu Islands; whereas the other occurred from the northern Kyushu district to the Kanto and Hokuriku districts of mainland Japan. However, both haplotypes were found in a single locality of the southern coast of the Shikoku Island. COI phylogeny incorporating other Pilophorus species revealed that these groups were only recently differentiated. Therefore, use of a certain population of P. typicus across its distribution range should be done with caution because genetic hybridization may occur.

Abstract. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether changes in body temperature are related to the ovarian cycle in elephants. Rectal, tongue or fecal temperature was measured for 2 Asian and 5 African elephants using an electric thermometer. Evaluation of ovarian cycles was based on the changes in serum or fecal progestin. The mean ± SD values of the rectal, tongue, and fecal temperatures were 36.3 ± 0.3 (2 Asian), 36.2 ± 0.5 (1 African) and 36.5 ± 0.3 C (4 African), respectively; the fecal temperature was the highest of the 3 temperatures (P<0.01). The longitudinal changes in body temperatures correlated with the ovarian cycle, with higher temperatures occurring during the luteal phase. The fecal temperatures of one acyclic African elephant did not change cyclically. These results suggest that measurement of body temperature can be used to easily evaluate the ovarian cyclicity of an individual animal, although it might not be able to determine the ovarian cycle length. Key words: Fecal temperature, Ovarian cycle, Progesterone, Rectal temperature, Tongue temperature (J. Reprod. Dev. 53: [1099][1100][1101][1102][1103][1104][1105] 2007) he body temperature and thermoregulatory behavior of the elephant have been studied for many years [1,2]. The methods used to measure the body temperatures of elephants include insertion of a clinical thermometer into the rectum (rectum temperature), insertion of a clinical thermometer into feces immediately after defecation (fecal temperature) and direct measurement of the temperature of urine midstream during urination (urinary temperature) [1,3]. It has been believed that measurement of the urine temperature is suitable for body temperature measurement because a large amount of urine is stored deep within the elephant's body [1]. However, measurement of the fecal temperature is a simple and safe method for large mammals such as the elephant [3]. It has been reported that the fecal temperature well reflects an elephant's rectal temperature and that the values are very similar [1]. The normal range of the rectal temperature of Asian (Elephas maximus) and African elephants (Loxodonta africana) is 36 to 37 C [4,5], and a fever of 38 C is considered significant [5].In female humans and chimpanzees (Pan troglo-

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