Editorial: "crossing boundaries: stem cells, materials, and mesoscopic sciences"

"Crossing Boundaries: Stem Cells, Materials, and Mesoscopic Sciences". This Special Issue, edited by Prof. Anthony Ho and Prof. Norio Nakatsuji, comprises review articles on the interdisciplinary study of stem cells and material science and is a celebration of the friendship and collaboration between Heidelberg University and Kyoto University in Germany and Japan, respectively.     

从文献计量学角度评价干细胞技术治疗糖尿病发展历程

目的通过分析干细胞技术治疗糖尿病科技论文被国际权威检索工具PubMed收录情况,以评价干细胞技术治疗糖尿病的发展历程及应用前景。方法应用文献计量学和数理统计方法对PubMed收录干细胞技术治疗糖尿病领域科技论文进行统计分析。结果PubMed一共收录干细胞技术治疗糖尿病领域科技论文1413篇;美国、中国、日本3个地区发文量领先于其他地区;排名前三的发文机构为哈佛大学、加利福尼亚大学、东京大学和佛罗里达大学;国际期刊分布中Diabetes、Diabetologia、Stem Cells位列前三甲;高频被引文献集中在美国;主题分布中高频主题词有间充质干细胞、胚胎干细胞、造血干细胞、骨髓细胞等。结论干细胞技术治疗糖尿病起步于1971年,于2000年后快速发展,随着医学技术的发展和研究的深人,随着干细胞技术的日益成熟,彻底治疗糖尿病指日可待。     

Heidelberg-Kyoto partnership bridges life and materials sciences, strengthens bilateral ties

Coinciding with the 150(th) anniversary of German-Japanese friendship, Kyoto University and Heidelberg University, two universities replete with history and tradition strengthened their close ties at a joint meeting in Heidelberg, Germany, forming the core of a broad collaborative effort between the two countries. This forum article provides a background and overview of the collaborations.     

Toward a more International and Reputable Journal

Editors in 2004 In 2004 I, Hiroo Fukuda (University of Tokyo), was appointedto be the Editor-in-Chief of Plant and Cell Physiology (PCP).As my first task I have added four overseas and four domesticEditors: John Harada (University of California, Davis), FumihikoKatagiri (University of Minnesota, from July), Jiayang Li (ChineseAcademy of Science), Eberhard Schäfer (Freiburg University,from July), Ikuko Hara-Nishimura (Kyoto University), FumihikoSato (Kyoto University), Ichiro Terashima (Osaka University)and Hideyuki Takahashi (Tohoku University, from July). I would like to take     

Separation of hormone-sensitive yeast cells by density gradient centrifugation

Cells in cultures of haploid strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiaein stationary phase were separated into interface fraction andpellet fraction by density gradient centrifugation. Cells inpellet fraction expanded in response to yeast sexual hormoneand animal sex hormones, whereas cells in interface fractiondid not. ¹Present address: Department of Biology, Faculty of Science,Osaka City University, Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka, Japan (Received July 16, 1970; )     

Basic unit of population observed in the distribution of the rice-stem borer,Chilo simplex,in a paddy field. Pattern of the spatial distribution of insect. 4th report

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Contributions from the Entomological Laboratory, Kyoto University, No. 231.     

The effect of population density on the growth of an animal population

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Contribution from the Department of Fisheries, Kyoto University.

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Contribution from the Entomological Laboratory, Kyoto University, No. 201.     

Pattern of spatial distribution of the common cabbage butterfly,Pieris rapae in a cabbage farm

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Contributions from the Entomological Laboratory, Kyoto University, No. 203.     

The way of the germline, its developmental cycle and epigenetic network

The long-awaited second edition of the International Symposium on "Epigenome Network, Development and Reprogramming of Germ Cells" hosted by Hiroyuki Sasaki took place at the Kyushu University School of Medicine, in Fukuoka, Japan from 22 to 24 November 2010. This meeting brought together again the crème de la crème of the Japanese research community investigating germline development, reprogramming and genetic networks as well as eminent international scientists. Novel trend concepts including the "reprogramming expressway", "canalization", "licensing", "epigenetic barrier", "flex points" and "hydroxymethylation" were introduced and discussed in the context of development, reprogramming and pluripotency.     

On the action of population density in the population fluctuation of the flour moth,Ephestia cautella

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Contributions from the Entomological Laboratory, Kyoto University, No. 228.     

The life and work of Hiroya Kawanabe: the priest ecologist

Hiroya Kawanabe was born the son of a Buddhist priest and teacher of Japanese literature, who died when Kawanabe was very young. Kawanabe also studied Buddhism by himself, and passed the examination to be a priest of his sect while still in high school. He studied zoology and ecology at Kyoto University and earned his doctorate under the guidance of Denzaburo Miyadi, a well-known Japanese ecologist, in 1960. During his academic career at Kyoto University, Kawanabe advanced to hold the chair of Animal Ecology as Professor in the Department of Zoology. Kawanabe's doctoral research concerned the social behavior and population ecology of the ayu, Plecoglossus altivelis, an amphidromous fish that lives in streams as adults and grazes algae. His research lead to the discovery that social structure changed from territoriality to schooling as population density increased, and also varied with changes in food and habitat. During this work, he pioneered the use of underwater observation to study ecolo gy of freshwater fishes in streams. Kawanabe also observed ayu social structure from the northern to southern limits of their range, and advanced the theory that the more stable territoriality in the Lake Biwa population was a relic social structure to guarantee food supply during earlier glacial periods when productivity was lower. Additional work on stream fishes in central Japan and Okinawa Island led Kawanabe to propose that interactions among individuals affect interspecific relationships, and thereby, community structure. Discussions with Charles Elton, the famous British ecologist of Oxford University, strengthened Kawanabe's view that communities could be best understood as the whole of interrelationships among organisms. Kawanabe advanced these ideas during a joint study he led with a host of Japanese and Zairean scientists on the fishes of Lake Tanganyika, beginning in 1979. This work, as well as additional research on Lake Biwa in Japan, led to a deeper understanding of the complexity of biotic interactions (including competition, predation, mutualism, commensalism, and indirect effects) that promote the high species diversity in these ecosystems. In addition to basic research, Kawanabe was part of research teams organized during the 1960s by D. Miyadi to study the effects of public works projects on natural environments and biota in Lake Naka-umi and Lake Biwa. During the late 1980s he expanded his network to an international venue, both by organizing and hosting important international ecological meetings in Japan, such as the Fifth International Ecological Congress, and by increasing his international activities to promote global biodiversity. In 1991, Kawanabe founded the Center for Ecological Research at Kyoto University to study the interrelationships among organisms and their environments. Recently retired from the University, he became Director General of the new Lake Biwa Museum in 1996, and continues to promote conservation of biodiversity worldwide through an international network of scientists and organizations.     

Glutamate synthase in developing pea cotyledons: Occurrence of NADH-dependent and ferredoxin-dependent enzymes

NADH-dependent and ferredoxin-dependent glutamate synthasesfrom developing pea cotyledons were separated by gel filtrationon a Sephadex G-200 column. The substrate requirements, molecularweights and effect of some inhibitors on both glutamate synthaseenzymes were investigated. ¹ Department of Agricultural Chemistry, Kyoto University, Kyoto606, Japan. ² To whom inquiries should be addressed. (Received August 9, 1979; )     

Erratum: Ochnaflavone inhibits TNF‐α‐induced human VSMC proliferation via regulation of cell cycle,ERK1/2, and MMP‐9. S.‐J. Suh,U.‐H. Jin,S.‐H. Kim,H.‐W. Chang,J.‐K. Son,S.H. Lee,K.‐H. Son,C.‐H. Kim

During the corresponding author's transfer from Dongguk University to Sungkyunkwan University in March 2006, data from the previous University was transferred to the corresponding author's new computer. During this data transfer there was a mixing of EMSA data from experiments involving Quercetin (QC), Ochnaflavone (OC), Tanshinone (TS), Crytotanshinone (CT), BMK, and natural extracts. The mixed EMSA data was inadvertently incorporated in more than one publication. Figure 6 has been corrected to new data with re‐confirmation. J. Cell. Biochem. 108: 337, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

6. Effect of OC on the TNF‐α‐induced DNA binding activities of MMP‐9, NF‐κB, and AP‐1 motif in HASMC. Cells were pretreated with indicated OC for 40 min in serum‐free medium, were incubated with TNF‐α (100 ng/ml) for 24 h. Nuclear extracts were analyzed by EMSA for the activated NF‐κB (A) and AP‐1 (B) using radiolabeled oligonucleotide probes, respectively. Indicated values are means of three triplicate experiments.     

Circus movement in dissociated embryonic cells of a teleost, Oryzias latipes.

The dissociated early embryonic cells of the fresh water fish, Oryzias latipes, protrude hyaline lobopodia, which tend to rotate around the cell circumference in a propagating wave. Cells from late blastula or gastrula continuously show this "circus movement", while most cells up to early blastula are rounded. The linear velocity of the lobopodium was estimated by means of time-lapse cinemicrography. The velocity increases slightly as cell diameter increases. The effects of pH, temperature and osmotic pressure of the immersion media on the movement were also quantitatively investigated. Cells become rounded and do not form lobopodial blebs when immersed in media below pH 5. The velocity is reduced by decreasing temperature, but the movement continues even at 5 degrees C. Cells placed in hypertonic salt solutions become crenated and do not continuously demonstrate the circus movement.     

NITRATE REDUCTASE IN PHOTOSYNTHETIC BACTERIUM, RHODOSPIRILLUM RUBRUM. ADAPTIVE FORMATION OF NITRATE REDUCTASE

1. A method was discovered for adapting the cells of Rhodospirillumrubrum to grow on a nitrate medium, a capacity initially lackingin the organism. The adapted cells were able to grow with nitrateas the sole source of nitrogen. The growth responses of theadapted cells towards various nitrogenous sources were investigatedunder various conditions of incubation (aero- and anaerobiosis,light and dark).
2. The adapted cells were found to have simultaneouslyacquiredthe capacity for reducing nitrite and hydroxylamineas wellas nitrate. The path of nitrogen in the adapted cellswas assumedto be as follows: NO₃^– NO₂^– NH₂OH CellularNitrogen.
3. Nitrate metabolism of the adapted cells was investigatedundervarious conditions. In the light, nitrate was reducedand furtherassimilated, leaving insignificant amounts of nitritein themedium. In this case, consumption of nitrate was markedlyinhibitedby other forms of nitrogen (e.g., nitrite, hydroxylamine,aminoacids and ammonium salts). In the dark, nitrate was reducedas the terminal hydrogen acceptor in the oxidative breakdownof organic substances (e.g., malate) in the medium (i.e., nitraterespiration). More nitrite was accumulated in this case thanin the light. Molecular oxygen inhibited the reduction of, aswell as the growth on, nitrate in any of the above cases.
4. Theeffects on the rate of nitrate reduction (and respiratoryoxygenuptake) caused by various experimental factors (pH, nitrateconcentration, electron donors, and addition of hydroxylamine)were investigated, using the resting cells of the adapted organism.

¹ This paper was submitted to the University of Tokyo to fulfillthe requirement for the author's doctorate. ² Present Address: Botanical Institute, Kyoto University, Sakyo-ku,Kyoto. (Received February 14, 1963; )     

Issue Information

Cover Image Flowers of Daphne miyabeana. Photographed by Yuzu Sakata, Ashiu Forest Research Station of Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.

     

Introduction: Plant–herbivore interactions

This special feature resulted from a symposium entitled "Interactions Between Plants and Their Herbivores," held during the Meeting of the Society of Population Ecology in Ohmi-Shirahama, Shiga, Japan, in October 1999 (Chairperson of Symposium: Professor Emeritus E. Kuno of Kyoto University). This theme emerged from discussions by the organizing committee for this symposium: N. Yamamura, J. Takabayashi, T. Nishida, and N. Ohsaki. Professor Mark D. Rausher of Duke University was invited as a special lecturer. In this series of reports, five of the seven participants illustrate the variation found in plant–herbivore interactions and address some problems inherent in current theory.     

Brain insulin binding is decreased in Wistar Kyoto rats carrying the 'fa' gene

We have previously reported that insulin binding is decreased in the olfactory bulb of both heterozygous (Fa/fa) and obese (fa/fa) Zucker rats. In the present study, we measured insulin binding in membranes prepared from the olfactory bulb, cerebral cortex, and hypothalamus of control (Fa/Fa) Wistar Kyoto rats; "fatty" (fa/fa) Wistar Kyoto rats; and phenotypically lean (Fa/?) Wistar Kyoto rats. Insulin binding was decreased in all brain regions, as well as the liver of the obese Wistar Kyoto fa/fa rats. Additionally, insulin binding was decreased in the liver and brain membranes from the Fa/? Wistar Kyoto rats. As most of the Fa/? rats were probably carriers of one 'fa' gene, but the population was only slightly hyperinsulinemic, we conclude that--as in the Zucker rat--it is the presence and expression of the 'fa' gene rather than downregulation which results in the decreased insulin binding. Thus, regulation of the brain insulin receptor appears to be independent of plasma or cerebrospinal fluid insulin levels.     

Increase in the sensitivity of leukemia cells, incubated in interferon, to the effect of immune serum]

L-1210 AND P-388 leukemic cells were incubated in three types of interferon, i.e. L-cell interferon and two types of lymphocyte interferon (induced in the lymph node lymphocytes of intact mice and the lymphocytes obtained on the 10th day after intraperitoneal injections of 5-10(7) L-1210 cells). "False" interferon obtained by the method analogous to that of obtaining L-cell interferon, excluding the viral induction, was used for control. Cells incubated in interferon proved to be more sensitive to the action of the cytotoxic antibodies than those treated with "false" interferon. Treatment of the cells with lymphocytic interferon induced on the lymphocytes of immune mice increased their sensitivity even more in comparison with the cells treated with interferon obtained from intact mice.