Role for piRNAs and noncoding RNA in de novo DNA methylation of the imprinted mouse Rasgrf1 locus     

Watanabe T  Tomizawa S  Mitsuya K  Totoki Y  Yamamoto Y  Kuramochi-Miyagawa S  Iida N  Hoki Y  Murphy PJ  Toyoda A  Gotoh K  Hiura H  Arima T  Fujiyama A  Sado T  Shibata T  Nakano T  Lin H  Ichiyanagi K  Soloway PD  Sasaki H 《Science (New York, N.Y.)》2011,332(6031):848-852

Genomic imprinting causes parental origin-specific monoallelic gene expression through differential DNA methylation established in the parental germ line. However, the mechanisms underlying how specific sequences are selectively methylated are not fully understood. We have found that the components of the PIWI-interacting RNA (piRNA) pathway are required for de novo methylation of the differentially methylated region (DMR) of the imprinted mouse Rasgrf1 locus, but not other paternally imprinted loci. A retrotransposon sequence within a noncoding RNA spanning the DMR was targeted by piRNAs generated from a different locus. A direct repeat in the DMR, which is required for the methylation and imprinting of Rasgrf1, served as a promoter for this RNA. We propose a model in which piRNAs and a target RNA direct the sequence-specific methylation of Rasgrf1.  相似文献   

Mutations in dynein link motor neuron degeneration to defects in retrograde transport     

Hafezparast M  Klocke R  Ruhrberg C  Marquardt A  Ahmad-Annuar A  Bowen S  Lalli G  Witherden AS  Hummerich H  Nicholson S  Morgan PJ  Oozageer R  Priestley JV  Averill S  King VR  Ball S  Peters J  Toda T  Yamamoto A  Hiraoka Y  Augustin M  Korthaus D  Wattler S  Wabnitz P  Dickneite C  Lampel S  Boehme F  Peraus G  Popp A  Rudelius M  Schlegel J  Fuchs H  Hrabe de Angelis M  Schiavo G  Shima DT  Russ AP  Stumm G  Martin JE  Fisher EM 《Science (New York, N.Y.)》2003,300(5620):808-812

Degenerative disorders of motor neurons include a range of progressive fatal diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), spinal-bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA), and spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). Although the causative genetic alterations are known for some cases, the molecular basis of many SMA and SBMA-like syndromes and most ALS cases is unknown. Here we show that missense point mutations in the cytoplasmic dynein heavy chain result in progressive motor neuron degeneration in heterozygous mice, and in homozygotes this is accompanied by the formation of Lewy-like inclusion bodies, thus resembling key features of human pathology. These mutations exclusively perturb neuron-specific functions of dynein.  相似文献   

CTLA-4 control over Foxp3+ regulatory T cell function   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

Wing K  Onishi Y  Prieto-Martin P  Yamaguchi T  Miyara M  Fehervari Z  Nomura T  Sakaguchi S 《Science (New York, N.Y.)》2008,322(5899):271-275

Naturally occurring Foxp3+CD4+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) are essential for maintaining immunological self-tolerance and immune homeostasis. Here, we show that a specific deficiency of cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA-4) in Tregs results in spontaneous development of systemic lymphoproliferation, fatal T cell-mediated autoimmune disease, and hyperproduction of immunoglobulin E in mice, and it also produces potent tumor immunity. Treg-specific CTLA-4 deficiency impairs in vivo and in vitro suppressive function of Tregs-in particular, Treg-mediated down-regulation of CD80 and CD86 expression on dendritic cells. Thus, natural Tregs may critically require CTLA-4 to suppress immune responses by affecting the potency of antigen-presenting cells to activate other T cells.  相似文献   

Chemistry. Heat and light switch a chiral catalyst and its products     

Ooi T 《Science (New York, N.Y.)》2011,331(6023):1395-1396

  相似文献   

Cytokinin oxidase regulates rice grain production   总被引：25，自引：0，他引：25  

Ashikari M  Sakakibara H  Lin S  Yamamoto T  Takashi T  Nishimura A  Angeles ER  Qian Q  Kitano H  Matsuoka M 《Science (New York, N.Y.)》2005,309(5735):741-745

Most agriculturally important traits are regulated by genes known as quantitative trait loci (QTLs) derived from natural allelic variations. We here show that a QTL that increases grain productivity in rice, Gn1a, is a gene for cytokinin oxidase/dehydrogenase (OsCKX2), an enzyme that degrades the phytohormone cytokinin. Reduced expression of OsCKX2 causes cytokinin accumulation in inflorescence meristems and increases the number of reproductive organs, resulting in enhanced grain yield. QTL pyramiding to combine loci for grain number and plant height in the same genetic background generated lines exhibiting both beneficial traits. These results provide a strategy for tailormade crop improvement.  相似文献   

Protostellar feedback halts the growth of the first stars in the universe     

Hosokawa T  Omukai K  Yoshida N  Yorke HW 《Science (New York, N.Y.)》2011,334(6060):1250-1253

The first stars fundamentally transformed the early universe by emitting the first light and by producing the first heavy elements. These effects were predetermined by the mass distribution of the first stars, which is thought to have been fixed by a complex interplay of gas accretion and protostellar radiation. We performed radiation-hydrodynamics simulations that followed the growth of a primordial protostar through to the early stages as a star with thermonuclear burning. The circumstellar accretion disk was evaporated by ultraviolet radiation from the star when its mass was 43 times that of the Sun. Such massive primordial stars, in contrast to the often-postulated extremely massive stars, may help explain the fact that there are no signatures of the pair-instability supernovae in abundance patterns of metal-poor stars in our galaxy.  相似文献   

The Air noncoding RNA epigenetically silences transcription by targeting G9a to chromatin   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

Nagano T  Mitchell JA  Sanz LA  Pauler FM  Ferguson-Smith AC  Feil R  Fraser P 《Science (New York, N.Y.)》2008,322(5908):1717-1720

  相似文献   

Differential detection of shrimp and crab for food labeling using polymerase chain reaction     

Taguchi H  Watanabe S  Temmei Y  Hirao T  Akiyama H  Sakai S  Adachi R  Sakata K  Urisu A  Teshima R 《Journal of agricultural and food chemistry》2011,59(8):3510-3519

Shrimp and crab are well-known as allergenic ingredients. According to Japanese food allergy labeling regulations, shrimp species (including prawns, crayfishes, and lobsters) and crab species must be differentially declared when ≥10 ppm (total protein) of an allergenic ingredient is present. However, the commercial ELISA tests for the detection of crustacean proteins cannot differentiate between shrimp and crab. Therefore, two methods were developed to discriminate shrimp and crab: a shrimp-PCR method with postamplification digestion and a crab-PCR method that specifically amplifies a fragment of the 16S rRNA gene. The sensitivity and specificity of both PCR methods were verified by experiments using DNA extracted from 15 shrimp species, 13 crab species, krill, mysid, mantis shrimp, other food samples (cephalopod, shellfish, and fish), incurred foods, and commercial food products. Both PCR methods could detect 5 pg of DNA extracted from target species and 50 ng of genomic DNA extracted from incurred foods containing 10 ppm (μg/g) total protein of shrimp or crab. The two PCR methods were considered to be specific enough to separately detect species belonging to shrimp and crab. Although false-positive and false-negative results were obtained from some nontarget crustacean species, the proposed PCR methods, when used in conjunction with ELISA tests, would be a useful tool for confirmation of the validity of food allergy labeling and management of processed food safety for allergic patients.  相似文献   

Nitrogen balance in a paddy field planted with whole crop rice (Oryza sativa cv. Kusahonami) during two rice-growing seasons     

Khin Moe Kyaw  Koki Toyota  Masanori Okazaki  Takashi Motobayashi  Haruo Tanaka 《Biology and Fertility of Soils》2005,42(1):72-82

This paper focuses on N balance in a paddy field planted with whole crop rice (Oryza sativa cv. Kusahonami). The experiment was conducted with two treatments during two rice-growing seasons: one was fertilized with N (160 kg N ha^–1; 16N plot) and the other unfertilized (0N plot); both plots were fertilized with P and K. The N input from precipitation was 15 and 12 kg N ha^–1 in 2002 and 2003, respectively. The N input from irrigation water reached as much as 123 and 69 kg N ha^–1 in 2002 and 2003, respectively. This was because irrigation water contained higher NO₃^– concentrations ranging from 4 to 8 mg N l^–1. The N uptake by rice plants was the major output: 118 and 240 kg N ha^–1 in the 0N and 16N plots in 2002 and 103 and 238 kg N ha^–1 in 2003, respectively. N losses by leaching were 4.8–5.3 and 6.5–7.3 kg N ha^–1 in 2002 and in 2003, respectively. Laboratory experiments were carried out to estimate the amounts of N₂ fixation and denitrification. Amount of N₂ fixation was 43 and 0 kg N ha^–1 in the 0N and 16N plots, respectively. Denitrification potential was quite high in both the plots, and 90% of the N input through irrigation water was lost through denitrification. Collectively, the total N inputs were relatively large due to irrigation water contaminated with NO₃^–, but N outflow loading, expressed as leaching–(irrigation water + precipitation + fertilizer), showed large negative values, suggesting that the whole crop rice field might serve as a constructed wetland for decreasing N.  相似文献   

Inhibitory effects of oolong tea polyphenols on pancreatic lipase in vitro   总被引：10，自引：0，他引：10  

Nakai M  Fukui Y  Asami S  Toyoda-Ono Y  Iwashita T  Shibata H  Mitsunaga T  Hashimoto F  Kiso Y 《Journal of agricultural and food chemistry》2005,53(11):4593-4598

Fifty-four polyphenols isolated from tea leaves were evaluated for their inhibitory activities against pancreatic lipase, the key enzyme of lipid absorption in the gut. (-)-Epigallocatechin 3-O-gallate (EGCG), which is one of major polyphenols in green tea, showed lipase inhibition with an IC50 of 0.349 microM. Moreover, flavan-3-ol digallate esters, such as (-)-epigallocatechin-3,5-digallate, showed higher activities of inhibition on lipase with an IC50 of 0.098 microM. On the other hand, nonesterified flavan-3-ols, such as (+)-catechin, (-)-epicatechin, (+)-gallocatechin, and (-)-epigallocatechin, showed zero and/or the lowest activities against pancreatic lipase (IC50 > 20 microM). These data suggested that the presence of galloyl moieties within the structure was required for enhancement of pancreatic lipase inhibition. It is well-known that flavan-3-ols are polymerized by polyphenol oxidase and/or heating in a manufacturing process of oolong tea. Oolonghomobisflavans A and B and oolongtheanin 3'-O-gallate, which are typical in oolong tea leaves, showed strong inhibitory activities with IC50 values of 0.048, 0.108, and 0.068 microM, respectively, even higher than that of EGCG. The oolong tea polymerized polyphenols (OTPP) were prepared for the assay from oolong tea extract, from which the preparation effectively subtracted the zero and/or less-active monomeric flavan-3-ols by preparative high-performance liquid chromatography. The weight-average molecular weight (Mw) and number-average molecular-weight (Mn) values of OTPP were 2017 and 903, respectively, by using gel permeation choromatography. OTPP showed a 5-fold stronger inhibition against pancreatic lipase (IC50 = 0.28 microg/mL) by comparison with that of the tannase-treated OTPP (IC50 = 1.38 microg/mL). These data suggested that the presence of galloyl moieties within their chemical structures and/or the polymerization of flavan-3-ols were required for enhancement of pancreatic lipase inhibition.  相似文献