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   

Functional MRI of macaque monkeys performing a cognitive set-shifting task     

Nakahara K  Hayashi T  Konishi S  Miyashita Y 《Science (New York, N.Y.)》2002,295(5559):1532-1536

Functional brain organization of macaque monkeys and humans was directly compared by functional magnetic resonance imaging. Subjects of both species performed a modified Wisconsin Card Sorting Test that required behavioral flexibility in the form of cognitive set shifting. Equivalent visual stimuli and task sequence were used for the two species. We found transient activation related to cognitive set shifting in focal regions of prefrontal cortex in both monkeys and humans. These functional homologs were located in cytoarchitectonically equivalent regions in the posterior part of ventrolateral prefrontal cortex. This comparative imaging provides insights into the evolution of cognition in primates.  相似文献   

Strength properties of glued laminated timber made from edge-glued laminae II: bending,tensile, and compressive strength of glued laminated timber     

Yasushi?HiramatsuEmail author  Kiyohiko?Fujimoto  Atsushi?Miyatake  Kenta?Shindo  Hirofumi?Nagao  Hideo?Kato  Hirofumi?Ido 《Journal of Wood Science》2011,57(1):66-70

The purpose of this study was to investigate the strength properties of glued laminated timber composed of edge-glued laminae and to investigate the influence of edge gluing on the strength properties. Glued laminated timber composed of multiple-grade laminae (symmetrical composition, strength grade E95-F270, 10 laminations) was produced from karamatsu (Larix kaempferi) edge-glued laminae according to the Japanese Agricultural Standard. The bending, tensile, and compressive strengths of the glued laminated timber were measured. The average bending, tensile, and compressive strengths were 33.4, 24.5, and 35.9 MPa, respectively, and these values are almost equal to those of glued laminated timber composed of karamatsu single-piece laminae. It was determined that finger-joints and knots in the edge-glued laminae played a significant role in the failure of specimens. However, the use of glued edge-joints did not appear to affect the failure of specimens.  相似文献   

DNA methylation analysis on satellite I region in blastocysts obtained from somatic cell cloned cattle     

Ken‐ichi YAMANAKA  Masahiro KANEDA  Yasushi INABA  Koji SAITO  Kaiyu KUBOTA  Miki SAKATANI  Satoshi SUGIMURA  Kei IMAI  Shinya WATANABE  Masashi TAKAHASHI 《Animal Science Journal》2011,82(4):523-530

Many observations have been made on cloned embryos and on adult clones by somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), but it is still unclear whether the progeny of cloned animals is presenting normal epigenetic status. Here, in order to accumulate the information for evaluating the normality of cloned cattle, we analyzed the DNA methylation status on satellite I region in blastocysts obtained from cloned cattle. Embryos were produced by artificial insemination (AI) to non‐cloned or cloned dams using semen from non‐cloned or cloned sires. After 7 days of AI, embryos at blastocyst stage were collected by uterine flushing. The DNA methylation levels in embryos obtained by using semen and/or oocytes from cloned cattle were similar to those in in vivo embryos from non‐cloned cattle. In contrast, the DNA methylation levels in SCNT embryos were significantly higher (P < 0.01) than those in in vivo embryos from non‐cloned and cloned cattle, approximately similar to those in somatic cells used as donor cells. Thus, this study provides useful information that epigenetic status may be normal in the progeny of cloned cattle, suggesting the normality of germline cells in cloned cattle.  相似文献   

Bacteriological and genetic assessment of game meat from Japanese wild boars     

Naya Y  Horiuchi M  Ishiguro N  Shinagawa M 《Journal of agricultural and food chemistry》2003,51(2):345-349

Bacterial tests were used to assess bacterial contamination of game meat from Japanese wild boars. The bacterial contamination of wild boar meat was less than that of domestic pork, as determined by aerobic plate counts (APC) and coliform counts. None of the meat examined in this study was contaminated by Salmonella or E. coli O-157. To detect adulteration by domestic pig meat or European wild boar meat, 46 samples of game meat sold as Japanese wild boar were examined genetically. A total of 17 samples showed genetic haplotypes of European and Asian domestic pigs in the D-loop of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), and 16 samples showed nuclear glucosephosphate isomerase-processed pseudogene (GPIP) genotypes of European domestic pigs. The European GPIP genotypes of these samples were confirmed by PCR-RFLP analysis. These results indicate that some game meat sold as Japanese wild boar is adulterated by cross-breeding between pigs and wild boars or by contamination with meat from domestic pigs or European wild boars.  相似文献   

Measurement of Fertilizer Leaching from the Root Zone Using an Automated Infiltration Soil Water Sampler in an Unsaturated Sandy Field     

Naoko Higashi  Yasushi Mori  Mitsuhiro Inoue 《Soil Science and Plant Nutrition》2005,51(7):1023-1033

In sandy fields with vegetable cultivation, fertilizer leaching may occur and it should be well-controlled. The development of a direct soil water sampler is necessary to examine solute transport and fertilizer leaching in the vadose zone, since soil water reflects timely monitoring of data more accurately than groundwater. We developed a Suction-Controlled Flux Sampler to collect infiltration soil water in a sandy soil. In the present study, we monitored fertilizer leaching in an unsaturated sandy field during the rainy season, while evaluating the sampling performance of SCFS for the sampling of infiltration water. SCFS directly collected the infiltration water effectively over a period of several months in the sandy field and recorded the Water-Collecting Efficiency from 92 to 115% under various infiltration conditions during a period of 50 d. WCE was affected by the rainfall intensity as well as by previous rainfall, which enhanced WCE. The results obtained from the use of SCFS and several sensors demonstrated that the amount of leached water remained low as long as irrigation was applied according to the cultivation manual. However, an unexpected heavy rainfall event led to fertilizer leaching. The fertilizer leaching trend was effectively monitored by several sensors inserted into the soils, while detailed analysis of the components was performed after collection by using SCFS. Direct access to infiltration water enabled to examine the infiltration process and detailed variations in the amounts of discharged anions. The sensor-equipped monitoring system together with SCFS is suitable for precise management of fertilizer and irrigation application.  相似文献   

Extracellular virulence factors of fish Vibrio: relationships between toxic material, hemolysin, and proteolytic enzyme   总被引：2，自引：0，他引：2  

H Kodama  M Moustafa  S Ishiguro  T Mikami  H Izawa 《American journal of veterinary research》1984,45(10):2203-2207

Biological activities of cell-free culture filtrate of 3 virulent strains of fish Vibrio were examined to determine the relationship to the pathogenesis of fish vibriosis. Among the 3 strains examined, V anguillarum strains NCMB6 and NCMB571 produced hemolysin and protease, whereas V ordalii strain N7802 did not. Culture filtrate of strain NCMB571 were lethal to rainbow trout and produced a cytotoxic effect on fish cell line. Results revealed that the extracellular products may be involved in the pathogenesis of fish vibriosis.  相似文献   

Endothelin receptor mediating contraction of isolated bovine coronary artery   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

S. Ishiguro  J. Kawase  A. Miyamoto  & A. Nishio 《Journal of veterinary pharmacology and therapeutics》2001,24(3):203-208

We studied endothelin (ET) receptors and their subtypes on isolated bovine coronary arteries. Endothelin receptors that mediated contraction of isolated bovine coronary artery were characterized by the use of antagonists and agonists. Contractions induced by the nonselective agonist ET-1 (10-10-10-7 M) were not affected by the removal of the endothelium (pEC50: 8.52, maximal contraction: 105% of that induced by 60 mM KCl). BQ-123 (3 x 10-7 M) antagonized contractions of endothelium-denuded coronary rings induced by low concentrations of ET-1 (10-10 or 10-9 M), but potentiated the contractions induced by higher concentrations of ET-1 (3 x 10-8 and 10-7 M). BQ-788 (10-6 M) potentiated contractions induced by ET-1 (3 x 10-10 and 10-7 M). In the presence of BQ-788 (10-6 M), BQ-123 (3 x 10-8-3 x 10-6 M) concentration - dependently inhibited contractions induced by ET-1 (3 x 10-10 and 10-7 M) (pA2: 6.61). Sarafotoxin S6b (10-9-3 x 10-7 M) evoked contractions in the denuded coronary artery (pEC50: 8.49, maximal contraction: 139% of 60 mM KCl). The BQ-123 caused a concentration-dependent rightward shift of contractions induced by sarafotoxin S6b (pA2: 7.89). The present study indicates that ET-1 and sarafotoxin S6b contract the isolated bovine coronary artery by stimulating ETA receptors on smooth muscle cells, and that ETB receptors might suppress the ET-1-induced contractions.  相似文献   

Incorporation of heavy metals by the mud snail,Cipangopaludina chinensis malleata Reeve,in submerged paddy soil treated with composted sewage sludge     

Yasushi Kurihara  Takao Suzuki  Kiyoshi Moriyama 《Biology and Fertility of Soils》1987,5(2):93-97

Summary The biomass of newborn snails was higher in paddy soil without rice plants than in the soil with rice plants. There was an inverse correlation between shell width and concentratins of Zn and Cu in snail flesh. The Zn and Cu concentrations in snail flesh were extremely high compared with those in the paddy soil surrounding the snails, possibly because snails ingest sludge, one of the main components of the composts. These results suggest that this type of snail may be used to eliminate Zn and Cu from paddy soil when composted sewage sludge has been applied.  相似文献