Development of DNA markers for identifying chrysanthemum cultivars generated by ion-beam irradiation

Four chrysanthemum cultivars were generated through (carbon) ion-beam irradiation of the original ‘Jimba’ (Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat.). The new cultivars had acquired a number of superior cultivation traits, while remaining identical to the commercially available ‘Jimba’ in appearance. In this study, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays were used to detect the mutated region of each strain, thereby allowing clear identification at the molecular level. PCR assays were performed with 446 primer sets, including random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) primer sets (10-mer RAPD), arbitrarily primed (AP)-PCR primers based on retrotransposon-like sequences and modified RAPD primers (15-mer RAPD). 15-mer RAPD primers generated a 1.49-fold increased band number at high annealing temperatures compared with the original 10-mer RAPD primers and could thus be effective for detection of polymorphic patterns. Our results provide information on the mutated regions of these ion-beam-irradiated chrysanthemum cultivars. Thus, specific DNA markers could be used to improve identification of new cultivars of chrysanthemum as well as other clonal cultivars of horticultural and agricultural crops.     

The Relationship between Media Consumption and Health-Related Anxieties after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Disaster

Background

The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster caused a global panic by a release of harmful radionuclides. In a disaster setting, misusage of contemporary media sources available today can lead to disseminated incorrect information and panic. The study aims to build a scale which examines associations between media and individual anxieties, and to propose effective media usages for future disaster management.

Methods

The University of Tokyo collaborated with the Fukushima local government to conduct a radiation-health-seminar for a total of 1560 residents, at 12 different locations in Fukushima. A 13 item questionnaire collected once before and after a radiation-seminar was used on factor analysis to develop sub-scales for multiple regression models, to determine relationships between the sub-scales and media type consumed. A paired t–test was used to examine any changes in sub-scale of pre- and post-seminar scores.

Results

Three sub-scales were revealed and were associated with different media types: was with rumors, while concern for the future was positively associated with regional-newspapers and negatively with national-newspapers. Anxiety about social-disruption was associated with radio. The seminar had a significant effect on anxiety reduction for all the three sub-scales.

Conclusion

Different media types were associated with various heightened concerns, and that a radiation seminar was helpful to reduce anxieties in the post-disaster setting. By tailoring post-disaster messages via specific media types, i.e., radio, it may be possible to effectively convey important information, as well as to calm fears about particular elements of post-disaster recovery and to combat rumors.     

Sall4 Is Transiently Expressed in the Caudal Wolffian Duct and the Ureteric Bud,but Dispensable for Kidney Development

The kidney, the metanephros, is formed by reciprocal interactions between the metanephric mesenchyme and the ureteric bud, the latter of which is derived from the Wolffian duct that elongates in the rostral-to-caudal direction. Sall1 expressed in the metanephric mesenchyme is essential for ureteric bud attraction in kidney development. Sall4, another member of the Sall gene family, is required for maintenance of embryonic stem cells and establishment of induced pluripotent stem cells, and is thus considered to be one of the stemness genes. Sall4 is also a causative gene for Okihiro syndrome and is essential for the formation of many organs in both humans and mice. However, its expression and role in kidney development remain unknown, despite the essential role of Sall1 in the metanephric mesenchyme. Here, we report that mouse Sall4 is expressed transiently in the Wolffian duct-derived lineage, and is nearly complementary to Sall1 expression. While Sall4 expression is excluded from the Wolffian duct at embryonic (E) day 9.5, Sall4 is expressed in the Wolffian duct weakly in the mesonephric region at E10.5 and more abundantly in the caudal metanephric region where ureteric budding occurs. Sall4 expression is highest at E11.5 in the Wolffian duct and ureteric bud, but disappears by E13.5. We further demonstrate that Sall4 deletion in the Wolffian duct and ureteric bud does not cause any apparent kidney phenotypes. Therefore, Sall4 is expressed transiently in the caudal Wolffian duct and the ureteric bud, but is dispensable for kidney development in mice.     

Loggerhead Turtles (Caretta caretta) Use Vision to Forage on Gelatinous Prey in Mid-Water

Identifying characteristics of foraging activity is fundamental to understanding an animals’ lifestyle and foraging ecology. Despite its importance, monitoring the foraging activities of marine animals is difficult because direct observation is rarely possible. In this study, we use an animal-borne imaging system and three-dimensional data logger simultaneously to observe the foraging behaviour of large juvenile and adult sized loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) in their natural environment. Video recordings showed that the turtles foraged on gelatinous prey while swimming in mid-water (i.e., defined as epipelagic water column deeper than 1 m in this study). By linking video and 3D data, we found that mid-water foraging events share the common feature of a marked deceleration phase associated with the capture and handling of the sluggish prey. Analysis of high-resolution 3D movements during mid-water foraging events, including presumptive events extracted from 3D data using deceleration in swim speed as a proxy for foraging (detection rate = 0.67), showed that turtles swam straight toward prey in 171 events (i.e., turning point absent) but made a single turn toward the prey an average of 5.7±6.0 m before reaching the prey in 229 events (i.e., turning point present). Foraging events with a turning point tended to occur during the daytime, suggesting that turtles primarily used visual cues to locate prey. In addition, an incident of a turtle encountering a plastic bag while swimming in mid-water was recorded. The fact that the turtle’s movements while approaching the plastic bag were analogous to those of a true foraging event, having a turning point and deceleration phase, also support the use of vision in mid-water foraging. Our study shows that integrated video and high-resolution 3D data analysis provides unique opportunities to understand foraging behaviours in the context of the sensory ecology involved in prey location.     

Platelets Promote Tumor Growth and Metastasis via Direct Interaction between Aggrus/Podoplanin and CLEC-2

The platelet aggregation-inducing factor Aggrus, also known as podoplanin, is frequently upregulated in several types of tumors and enhances hematogenous metastasis by interacting with and activating the platelet receptor CLEC-2. Thus, Aggrus–CLEC-2 binding could be a therapeutic molecular mechanism for cancer therapy. We generated a new anti-human Aggrus monoclonal antibody, MS-1, that suppressed Aggrus–CLEC-2 binding, Aggrus-induced platelet aggregation, and Aggrus-mediated tumor metastasis. Interestingly, the MS-1 monoclonal antibody attenuated the growth of Aggrus-positive tumors in vivo. Moreover, the humanized chimeric MS-1 antibody, ChMS-1, also exhibited strong antitumor activity against Aggrus-positive lung squamous cell carcinoma xenografted into NOD-SCID mice compromising antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxic and complement-dependent cytotoxic activities. Because Aggrus knockdown suppressed platelet-induced proliferation in vitro and tumor growth of the lung squamous cell carcinoma in vivo, Aggrus may be involved in not only tumor metastasis but also tumor growth by promoting platelet-tumor interaction, platelet activation, and secretion of platelet-derived factors in vivo. Our results indicate that molecular target drugs inhibiting specific platelet–tumor interactions can be developed as antitumor drugs that suppress both metastasis and proliferation of tumors such as lung squamous cell carcinoma.     

Floral fragrances in two closely related fruit fly orchids,Bulbophyllum hortorum and B. macranthoides (Orchidaceae): assortments of phenylbutanoids to attract tephritid fruit fly males

Floral chemical components are important cues used by plants to attract pollinators. One outstanding case is “fruit fly orchids” in the genus of Bulbophyllum to attract their pollinators by releasing characteristic fragrances. Dacini fruit flies are main or exclusive pollinators which are strongly attracted to certain natural chemicals, either methyl eugenol (ME: a phenylpropanoid) or raspberry ketone (RK: a phenylbutanoid). Furthermore, zingerone (ZN: a phenylbutanoid) has been characterized as the attractant for both ME- and RK-sensitive fruit fly species. In the present study, we examined chemical profiles of two closely related Bulbophyllum orchids—B. hortorum, and B. macranthoides subsp. tollenoniferum—distributed in Papua New Guinea and the Southeast Asian countries, respectively. We first observed that RK-sensitive flies were attracted to these orchids by ex situ cultivation in Penang, Malaysia. These Bulbophyllum orchids contained RK and/or ZN as their main floral components. Other than these attractants, multiple phenylbutanoids including potential attractants for RK-sensitive species were identified from these orchids. Therefore, we examined attractiveness of potential phenylbutanoid attractants to an RK-sensitive melon fly, Zeugodacus cucurbitae, using laboratory-reared flies. Furthermore, we analyzed molecular phylogenetic relationships among phenylpropanoid- or phenylbutanoid-producing orchids to see a relation between chemical profiles and phylogenetic classification in the related species.     

A Japanese child with geleophysic dysplasia caused by a novel mutation of FBN1

Geleophysic dysplasia (GD) is a rare disorder characterized by severe short stature, short hands and feet, limited joint mobility, skin thickening, characteristic facial features (e.g., a “happy” face), and cardiac valvular disorders that often result in an early death. The genes ADAMTSL2 (a disintegrin-like and metalloprotease with thrombospondin type 1 motif-like 2) and FBN1 (fibrillin 1) were recently identified as causative genes for GD. Here, we describe a 10-year-old Japanese female with GD who was born to non-consanguineous parents. At the age of 11 months, she was referred to our hospital because of very short stature for her age (− 4.4 standard deviations of the age-matched value) and a “happy” face with full cheeks, a shortened nose, hypertelorism, and a long and flat philtrum, characteristic of GD. Her hands and feet were small, her skin was thickened, and her joint mobility was generally limited. She had cardiac valvular disorders and history of recurrent respiratory failure. Mutation analysis revealed no abnormalities in ADAMTSL2. However, analysis of FBN1 revealed a novel heterozygous mutation (c.5161T > T/G) in exon 41, which encodes transforming growth factor-β-binding protein-like domain 5 (TB5). GD is an extremely rare disorder and, to our knowledge, only one case of GD with an FBN1 mutation has been reported in Japan. Similar to the previously reported cases of GD, the mutation in the current patient was located in the TB5 domain, which suggests that abnormalities in this domain of FBN1 are responsible for GD.