Bone morphogenetic protein 2 may be a good predictor of success in oocyte fertilization during assisted reproductive technology

The aim of this study was to determine whether the bone-morphogenetic proreins-2 (BMP-2) or -7 (BMP-7) levels in follicular fluid (FF) are associated with success in oocyte fertilization during assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatment. Twenty-four cycles in 24 patients who underwent oocyte retrieval in Sugiyama clinic were included in this retrospective study. The patients were divided into two groups according to the success or failure of fertilization. FF samples were obtained from a single follicle in each patient, and the levels of BMP-2, BMP-7, Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH), estradiol and progesterone from FF were measured, and evaluated in relation to the ART outcomes. The BMP-2 levels correlated positively with the AMH levels in FF (r(2) = 0.4928), but there was no statistically significant difference between BMP-7 and AMH levels. The BMP-2 and BMP-7 levels had no relation with either progesterone or estradiol levels, but BMP-2 levels in the fertilized group were significantly higher than those in the unfertilized group (P < 0.05). The BMP-2 levels in FF positively correlated with the AMH levels in FF, and those in the fertilized group were significantly higher than in the unfertilized group. Therefore, the BMP-2 levels in FF could be a predictive marker for fertilization.     

Fluorescent analysis of excess electron transfer through DNA

The DNA base stack provides unique features for the efficient long-range charge transfer. For the purpose of investigating excess electron transfer process through DNA, we developed a new method for fluorescence analysis of excess electron transfer based on reductive cleavage of a disulfide bond and a thiol-specific fluorescent probe. Excess electron transfer was detected by monitoring the fluorescence of emissive pyrene monomer generated by the reaction of pyrene maleimides with the cleaved disulfide bond (thiols). Mechanism of reductive cleavage of disulfides through excess electron transfer and subsequent reaction with the fluorescent probes were discussed. This facile and sensitive detection by fluorescence method can be applied for mechanistic study of excess electron transfer.     

Abnormal motor activity during anaesthesia in a dog: a case report

Seizures or convulsions that occur during anaesthesia in veterinary patients are infrequently reported in the literature. Consequently, the incidence of such events is unknown. Several drugs commonly used in clinical veterinary anaesthesia have been shown to induce epileptiform activity in both human clinical patients and experimental candidates. The present case report describes convulsions in a four-year old male Bernese mountain dog during maintenance of anaesthesia with isoflurane after premedication with acepromazine and methadone followed by co-induction with propofol and ketamine. The dog had no history of previous convulsions. The use of several sedative and anaesthetic drugs makes it difficult to find one single causative pharmaceutical.     

Autoantibodies to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 in patients with connective tissue diseases

Introduction  

Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) 2, a homolog of ACE, converts angiotensin (Ang) II into Ang(1-7), and the vasoprotective effects of Ang(1-7) have been documented. We explored the hypothesis that serum autoantibodies to ACE2 predispose patients with connective tissue diseases to constrictive vasculopathy, pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), or persistent digital ischemia.     

Blue-light-dependent osmoregulation in protoplasts of Phaseolus vulgaris Pulvini.

Blue light was found to induce shrinkage of the protoplasts isolated from first-leaf lamina pulvini of 18-day-old Phaseolus vulgaris. The response was transient following pulse stimulation, while it was sustainable during continuous stimulation. No apparent difference was found between flexor and extensor protoplasts. Protoplasts of the petiolar segment located close to the pulvinus showed no detectable response. In the plants used, the pulvinus was fully matured and the petiole was ceasing its elongation growth. When younger, 12-day-old, plants were used, however, the petiolar protoplasts did respond to blue light. The pulse-induced response was similar to that in pulvinar protoplasts, although the response to continuous stimulation was transient and differed from that in pulvinar protoplasts. No shrinkage was induced in pulvinar protoplasts when the far-red-light-absorbing form of phytochrome was absent for a period before blue-light stimulation, indicating that the blue-light responsiveness is strictly controlled by phytochrome. Inhibitors of anion channels and H(+)-ATPase abolished the shrinking response, supporting the view that protoplasts shrink by extruding ions. The response of pulvinar protoplasts is probably involved in the blue-light-induced, turgor-based movement of pulvini. The blue-light responding system in pulvini is suggested to have evolved from that functioning in other growing organs.     

Starch phosphorus content in potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) cultivars and its effect on other starch properties

The research presented herein provides valuable data with respect to the phosphorus content of starches from many potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) cultivars using an energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence technique. In all starches examined, the phosphorus content ranged from 308 to 1244 ppm. Furthermore, the estimation of the starch characteristics of representative samples differing manifestly in their phosphorus content indicated that enhancing the starch phosphate resulted in significant increases in the swelling power, peak viscosity, and breakdown and significant but small increases in the onset and peak temperatures of gelatinization. Other starch quality parameters, such as the amylose content, median granule size, and the gelatinization enthalpy, did not change significantly due to the degree of phosphate substitution of starch.     

An Asian Origin for Subtype IV BK Virus Based on Phylogenetic Analysis

Similarly to other members of the Polyomaviridae family, BK virus (BKV) is thought to have co-evolved with its human host. BKV has four subtypes that are distinguishable by immunological reactivity, with two (subtypes I and IV) being most prevalent in human populations. Subtype I is the major subtype worldwide, whereas subtype IV is prevalent in East Asia and Europe but rare in Africa. The geographic distribution pattern of subtype IV BKV is in apparent disagreement with the hypothesis that BKV co-evolved with humans, since subtype IV rarely occurs in Africa. To elucidate the origin of subtype IV, 53 complete subtype IV sequences derived from East Asians and Europeans were subjected to a detailed phylogenetic analysis using the maximum-likelihood and neighbor-joining methods. We identified six subgroups (a1, a2, b1, b2, c1, and c2) that formed a tree represented by the formula: “(a1, a2), ((b1, b2), (c1, c2)).” Interestingly, we found a close correlation between subtype IV subgroups and population geography; thus, all subgroups except c2 were prevalent in particular East Asian populations, with c2 occurring in both Europe and Northeast Asia. From these findings, we conclude that subtype IV of BKV now prevalent in modern humans is derived from a virus that infected ancestral Asians. We introduce two hypotheses to explain how ancestral Asians became infected with subtype IV BKV. [Reviewing Editor: Dr. Joshua Plotkin] Yuriko Nishimoto and Huai-Ying Zheng are two authors contributed equally to this article.     

Ligand screening system using fusion proteins of G protein-coupled receptors with G protein alpha subunits

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) constitute one of the largest families of genes in the human genome, and are the largest targets for drug development. Although a large number of GPCR genes have recently been identified, ligands have not yet been identified for many of them. Various assay systems have been employed to identify ligands for orphan GPCRs, but there is still no simple and general method to screen for ligands of such GPCRs, particularly of G(i)-coupled receptors. We have examined whether fusion proteins of GPCRs with G protein alpha subunit (Galpha) could be utilized for ligand screening and showed that the fusion proteins provide an effective method for the purpose. This article focuses on the followings: (1) characterization of GPCR genes and GPCRs, (2) identification of ligands for orphan GPCRs, (3) characterization of GPCR-Galpha fusion proteins, and (4) identification of ligands for orphan GPCRs using GPCR-Galpha fusion proteins.