The cause of mollusk decline on the Ogasawara Islands

Decline of land snails on the Ogasawara Islands was studied. In Hahajima, major alien predators such as Euglandina rosea and Platydemus manokwari are not present, but some small endemic snails, for example, Hirasea spp. and Ogasawarana spp., are already rare and more common endemic snails, for example, Mandarina spp., are also declining in the northern mountains. The decline cannot be directly explained by forest deforestation and by its subsequent regeneration. Three species of flatworms were found to eat small snails under captive conditions. The distribution of these flatworms is restricted to the northern mountains of Hahajima where Mandarina is declining and its survival is low. These predators are plausible candidates as a cause of the decline of the endemic snails.     

Indels within promoter and intron 1 of bovine prion protein gene modulate the gene expression levels in the medulla oblongata of two Japanese cattle breeds

Genetic differences which exist in the prion protein gene (PRNP) have been reported to influence susceptibility of humans, sheep and goats to prion diseases. In cattle, however, none of the known coding polymorphisms has a direct effect on bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). It has been reported that 23‐bp insertion/deletion (indel) polymorphisms within the promoter region have a tentative association to BSE susceptibility in German cattle, and a lower number of 24‐bp repeat units in the open reading frame (ORF) was reported to reduce BSE susceptibility in transgenic mice. In this study, because of the hypothesis that bovine PRNP promoter polymorphisms cause changes in PRNP expression, we genotyped PRNP polymorphisms in the promoter and intron 1 using 218 genomic DNA samples from two Japanese cattle breeds. We also analysed the expression levels of prion in 40 animals by quantification of real‐time PCR using mRNAs extracted from the medulla oblongata to study the relationship between PRNP genotypes and PRNP expression. We found a significant correlation between promoter indel polymorphisms and PRNP‐mRNA expression (P_0.0413) and therefore hypothesize that differences in polymorphisms could be one of the causes of differences in PRNP expression levels. We also report a novel difference in PRNP expression (P < 0.0001) between Japanese Black and Japanese Brown cattle breeds. There was no significant difference based on age and sex of the animals.     

Biogeography of Aegagropila linnaei (Cladophorophyceae,Chlorophyta): a widespread freshwater alga with low effective dispersal potential shows a glacial imprint in its distribution

Aim Aegagropila linnaei is a freshwater macroalga that is generally regarded as a rare species. It is apparently absent from large but seemingly suitable areas of the Northern Hemisphere, implying a limited dispersal potential and an imprint of Pleistocene glaciations in its biogeography. However, despite the popularity of its enigmatic lake ball‐form, detailed biogeographical studies of A. linnaei have never been conducted. The main means of reproduction of A. linnaei is fragmentation and akinetes are not formed, supporting the assumption of limited dispersal capacity. The aim of this study was to reconstruct the biogeography of A. linnaei, and to identify possible refugia during glaciations, as well as to evaluate dispersal potential by quantitative desiccation experiments. Location Palaearctic. Methods The current distribution of A. linnaei was inferred from herbarium specimens, literature data and recent field observations. All herbarium specimens were morphologically re‐examined. Desiccation experiments were performed with vegetative filaments of three isolates of A. linnaei, as no specialized resistant stages are known. For comparison, the widespread freshwater algae Cladophora glomerata and Rhizoclonium sp. were included. Internal transcribed spacer (ITS) ribosomal DNA sequences were generated and a ribotype network was constructed. Results Aegagropila linnaei was recorded from 283 locations in freshwater and brackish environments. The majority of locations were in central and northern Europe in previously glaciated areas. Desiccation experiments showed that A. linnaei is very susceptible to desiccation. Based on ITS sequences of 34 samples, five different ribotypes were identified. Four of these ribotypes had a restricted distribution. Aegagropila linnaei represents a single species with little genetic variation (0.1–0.5%). Main conclusions This is the most comprehensive study of this species so far, reporting many new locations and tackling several taxonomic problems. Few additional finds were made from North America, and the origin of A. linnaei is inferred to be in Asia. The highest density of its present‐day locations is in previously glaciated areas in Europe, where glacial ice‐dammed lakes might have functioned as refugia. Low effective long‐distance dispersal capacity is inferred, based on high susceptibility to desiccation and its modes of dispersal.     

Unique arm-flapping behavior of the pharaoh cuttlefish, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sepia pharaonis</Emphasis>: putative mimicry of a hermit crab

Cephalopods are able to control their arms sophisticatedly and use them for various behaviors, such as camouflage, startling predators and hunting prey. Here, we report a previously undescribed arm-flapping behavior of the pharaoh cuttlefish, Sepia pharaonis, observed in captivity. S. pharaonis raised the first pair of arms and wrinkled the parts near the distal end, where the skin color was darkened. Additionally, S. pharaonis spread the second and third pairs of arms and bent them as if they were jointed, and flapped the distal ends. S. pharaonis showed this behavior in two different situations: after being introduced into a large space, and during hunting. We discuss the putative functions of this behavior, including possible mimicry of a hermit crab, considering the situations in which the behavior was observed.     

Analysis of microbiota involved in the aged natural fermentation of indigo

Although the indigo reduction process is performed via natural fermentation and maintained under open-air condition, the indigo-reducing reactions continue for 6 months (on average) or longer. Identifying the mechanism underlying the maintenance of this process could lead to the development of a novel, long-lasting, unsterilized bioprocesses. To determine the mechanisms underlying the maintenance of the indigo fermentation system microbiota for more than 6 months in a reduced state in an anaerobic alkaline environment, we examined changes in the microbiota in one early-phase batch and two aged batches of indigo fermentation fluid. The microbiota in the aged fermentation fluid consisted mainly of the genera Alkalibacterium, Amphibacillus, Anaerobacillus and Polygonibacillus and the family Proteinivoraceae. The genera Alkalibacterium, Amphibacillus and Polygonibacillus are known to include indigo-reducing bacteria. Although the transition speed was slower in the aged fermentation fluid than in the early-stage fluid, the microbiota in the aged fermentation fluid maintained for more than 6 months was drastically changed within a period of 3 months. The results of this study indicate that the bacterial consortia consisted of various indigo-reducing species that replace the previous group of indigo-reducing bacteria. The notable transitional changes may be concomitant with changes in the environmental conditions, such as the nutritional conditions, observed over 3 months. This flexibility may lead to important changes in the microbiota that allow for the maintenance of a fermentation-reducing state over a long period.     

Congenital basal meningoceles with different outcomes: a case series

Background

Basal meningoceles are rare congenital defects and often clinically occult until they result in life-threatening complications. Therefore, it is important to know the diagnostic clues to early diagnosis.

Case presentation

We describe three cases of congenital basal meningocele in a 3-year-old Japanese boy, a 1-month-old Japanese baby boy, and a 10-month-old Japanese baby girl. One of our patients died of sepsis due to traumatic rupture of the meningocele during nasal suction. His meningocele remained undiagnosed until it resulted in the fatal complication. The other patients underwent surgical repair without any complications. Their meningoceles were complicated by midfacial anomalies including cleft palate and hypertelorism, or a sign of nasal obstruction such as snoring.

Conclusions

These clinical features may be a clue to the early diagnosis of congenital basal meningocele, which enables its safe preoperative management and provides an opportunity for surgical repair before the condition results in serious complications.

     

Adenovirus vector-mediated macrophage erythroblast attacher (MAEA) overexpression in primary mouse hepatocytes attenuates hepatic gluconeogenesis

Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus present a different responsiveness in terms of insulin secretion to glucose and body mass index (BMI) from other populations. The genetic background that predisposes Japanese individuals to type 2 diabetes mellitus is under study. Recent genetic studies demonstrated that the locus mapped in macrophage erythroblast attacher (MAEA) increases the susceptibility to type 2 diabetes mellitus in East Asians, including Japanese individuals. MAEA encodes a protein that plays a role in erythroblast enucleation and in the normal differentiation of erythroid cells and macrophages. However, the contribution of MAEA to type 2 diabetes mellitus remains unknown. In this study, to overexpress MAEA in the mouse liver and primary mouse hepatocytes, we generated a MAEA-expressing adenovirus (Ad) vector using a novel Ad vector exhibiting significantly lower hepatotoxicity (Ad-MAEA). Blood glucose and insulin levels in Ad-MAEA-treated mice were comparable to those in control Ad-treated mice. Primary mouse hepatocytes transduced with Ad-MAEA showed lower levels of expression of gluconeogenesis genes than those transduced with the control Ad vector. Hepatocyte nuclear factor-4α (HNF-4α) mRNA expression in primary mouse hepatocytes was also suppressed by MAEA overexpression. These results suggest that MAEA overexpression attenuates hepatic gluconeogenesis, which could potentially lead to improvement of type 2 diabetes mellitus.     

Rab35 GTPase recruits NDP52 to autophagy targets

Autophagy targets intracellular molecules, damaged organelles, and invading pathogens for degradation in lysosomes. Recent studies have identified autophagy receptors that facilitate this process by binding to ubiquitinated targets, including NDP52. Here, we demonstrate that the small guanosine triphosphatase Rab35 directs NDP52 to the corresponding targets of multiple forms of autophagy. The active GTP‐bound form of Rab35 accumulates on bacteria‐containing endosomes, and Rab35 directly binds and recruits NDP52 to internalized bacteria. Additionally, Rab35 promotes interaction of NDP52 with ubiquitin. This process is inhibited by TBC1D10A, a GAP that inactivates Rab35, but stimulated by autophagic activation via TBK1 kinase, which associates with NDP52. Rab35, TBC1D10A, and TBK1 regulate NDP52 recruitment to damaged mitochondria and to autophagosomes to promote mitophagy and maturation of autophagosomes, respectively. We propose that Rab35‐GTP is a critical regulator of autophagy through recruiting autophagy receptor NDP52.