Phylogenetic Analysis and Fluorescence <Emphasis Type="Italic">In Situ</Emphasis> Hybridization Detection of Archaeal and Bacterial Endosymbionts in the Anaerobic Ciliate <Emphasis Type="Italic">Trimyema Compressum</Emphasis>

The anaerobic free-living ciliate, Trimyema compressum, is known to harbor both methanogenic archaeal and bacterial symbionts in the cytoplasm. To clarify their phylogenetic belongings, a full-cycle rRNA approach was applied to this symbiosis. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the methanogenic symbiont was related to Methanobrevibacter arboriphilicus, which was distantly related to symbionts found in other Trimyema species. This result suggested that Trimyema species do not require very specific methanogenic symbionts, and symbiont replacement could have occurred in the history of Trimyema species. On the other hand, the bacterial symbiont was located near the lineage of the family Syntrophomonadaceae in the phylum Firmicutes. The sequence similarity between the bacterial symbiont and the nearest species was 85%, indicating that bacterial symbionts may be specific to the Trimyema species. The elimination of bacterial symbionts from the ciliate cell by antibiotic treatment resulted in considerably decreased host growth. However, it was not restored by stigmasterol addition (<2 μg ml⁻¹), which was different from the previous report that showed that the symbiont-free strain required exogenous sterols for growth. In addition, the decline of host growth was not accompanied by host metabolism shift toward the formation of more reduced products, which suggested that the contribution of bacterial symbionts to the host ciliate was not a dispose of excessive reducing equivalent arising from the host’s fermentative metabolism as methanogenic symbionts do. This study showed that bacterial symbionts make a significant contribution to the host ciliate by an unknown function and suggested that interactions between bacterial symbionts and T. compressum are more complicated than hitherto proposed.     

Mechanism involved in enhancement of osteoblast differentiation by hyaluronic acid

Objectives

Bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) is expected to be utilized to fill bone defects and promote healing of fractures. However, it is unable to generate an adequate clinical response for use in bone regeneration. Recently, it was reported that glycosaminoglycans, including heparin, heparan sulfate, keratan sulfate, dermatan sulfate, chondroitin-4-sulfate, chondroitin-6-sulfate, and hyaluronic acid (HA), regulate BMP-2 activity, though the mechanism by which HA regulates osteogenic activities has not been fully elucidated. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of HA on osteoblast differentiation induced by BMP-2.

Materials and methods

Monolayer cultures of osteoblastic lineage MG63 cells were incubated with BMP-2 and HA for various time periods. To determine osteoblastic differentiation, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity in the cell lysates was quantified. Phosphorylation of Smad 1/5/8, p38, and ERK proteins was determined by Western blot analysis. To elucidate the nuclear translocation of phosphorylated Smad 1/5/8, stimulated cells were subjected to immunofluorescence microscopy. To further elucidate the role of HA in enhancement of BMP-2-induced Smad signaling, mRNA expressions of the BMP-2 receptor antagonists noggin and follistatin were detected using real-time RT-PCR.

Results

BMP-2-induced ALP activation, Smad 1/5/8 phosphorylation, and nuclear translocation were up-regulated when MG63 cells were cultured with both BMP-2 and HA. Western blot analysis revealed that phosphorylation of ERK protein was diminished by HA. Furthermore, the mRNA expressions of noggin and follistatin induced by BMP-2 were preferentially blocked by HA.

Conclusions

These results indicate that HA enhanced BMP-2 induces osteoblastic differentiation in MG63 cells via down-regulation of BMP-2 antagonists and ERK phosphorylation.     

Where Do Neurologists Look When Viewing Brain CT Images? An Eye-Tracking Study Involving Stroke Cases

The aim of this study was to investigate where neurologists look when they view brain computed tomography (CT) images and to evaluate how they deploy their visual attention by comparing their gaze distribution with saliency maps. Brain CT images showing cerebrovascular accidents were presented to 12 neurologists and 12 control subjects. The subjects' ocular fixation positions were recorded using an eye-tracking device (Eyelink 1000). Heat maps were created based on the eye-fixation patterns of each group and compared between the two groups. The heat maps revealed that the areas on which control subjects frequently fixated often coincided with areas identified as outstanding in saliency maps, while the areas on which neurologists frequently fixated often did not. Dwell time in regions of interest (ROI) was likewise compared between the two groups, revealing that, although dwell time on large lesions was not different between the two groups, dwell time in clinically important areas with low salience was longer in neurologists than in controls. Therefore it appears that neurologists intentionally scan clinically important areas when reading brain CT images showing cerebrovascular accidents. Both neurologists and control subjects used the "bottom-up salience" form of visual attention, although the neurologists more effectively used the "top-down instruction" form.     

Gravity-regulated formation of the peg in developing cucumber seedlings

It has been proposed that peg formation in the vascular transition region (TR zone) between the hypocotyl and the root in Cucurbitaceae seedlings is a gravimorphogenetic phenomenon. Initiation of the peg became visible 36 h after imbibition when cucumber (Cucumis sativus L. cv. Burpee Hybrid II) seeds were germinated in a horizontal position at 24°C in the dark. Simultaneously, sedimented amyloplasts (putative statoliths) were apparent in the sheath cells surrounding the vascular strands, and in the cortical cells immediately adjacent to them, in the TR zone. In contrast, the other cortical cells, some of which were destined to develop into the peg, contained amyloplasts which were not sedimented. These results suggest that the graviperception mechanism for peg formation may be like that of statoliths in shoot gravitropism. By 48 h following imbibition, the cells of the TR zone still had sedimented amyloplasts but had lost their sensitivity to gravity, possibly because of their maturation.     

Haemophilia A: database of nucleotide substitutions, deletions, insertions and rearrangements of the factor VIII gene, second edition.

A large number of different mutations in the factor VIII (F8) gene have been identified as a cause of haemophilia A. This compilation lists known single base-pair substitutions, deletions and insertions in the F8 gene and reviews the status of the inversional events which account for a substantial proportion of mutations causing severe haemophilia A.     

Gnawing damage by rodents to the seedlings ofFagus crenata andQuercus mongolica var.grosseserrata in a temperateSasa grassland-deciduous forest series in southwestern Japan

The effects of dwarf bamboo,Sasa, cover on the initial morrality of hardwood seedlings were investigated by transplanting 1-year-old beech (Fagus crenata) and current-year oak (Quercus mongolica var.grosseserrata) seedling to three different stands; old-growth beech and secondary oak forests withSasa undergrowth, and aSasa grassland in a grassland-forest series near the top of Mt Jippo, southwestern Japan. The most frequent cause of seedling morrality was gnawing of the stems by rodents. In the beech forest, the gnawing was more likely to occur underSasa cover, suggesting that it provides a good habitat for rodents on the beech forest floor. TheSasa under growth may thus play an imporrant role in regeneration of beech forest. In the oak floor, mortality of both species was low and only a little gnawing occurred during a year. However, no natural oak seedling were found in the forest even after a mast year. This may be because most of the acorns disappeated before establishment. The early-stage demography of hardwood seedling as oak may thus play an imporrant role in regeneration of oak forest. In theSasa grassland where the seed supply is small, almost all of the seedlings died fromo gnawing regardless of the presence ofSasa cover. These factors prevent the recruitment of a sizable seedling bank. Rodents may thus play an imporrant role in maintenance of theSasa grassland.     

Molecular Species Identification of Spiny Lobster Phyllosoma Larvae of the Genus Panulirus from the Northwestern Pacific

To identify lobster phyllosoma larvae of the genus Panulirus occurring in waters adjacent to Japan, genetic variation within and between 10 Indo-Pacific lobster species was investigated using restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis for the 1300-base pair mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene. RFLP analysis using two endonucleases (AluI and TaqI) enabled discrimination of all species, including the P. longipes complex. The diagnostic DNA markers, supplemented with nucleotide sequence analysis, were applied to 44 mid- to late-stage phyllosoma larvae (7.4 to 27.7 mm in body length) collected in the northwestern Pacific. These samples were unexpectedly variable in species composition, comprising P. japonicus (n = 16), P. longipes bispinosus (21), P. longipes longipes (1), P. “aka” (1), and P. penicillatus (5). Comparison of larval size at similar stages revealed that P. l. bispinosus larvae were significantly larger than P. japonicus.     

EpCAM expression in the prostate cancer makes the difference in the response to growth factors

Introduction

Epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) is expressed in tumors with an epithelial cell of origin, in a heterogeneous manner. Prostate cancer stem-like cells highly express EpCAM. However, little is known about how EpCAM is involved in the ability of cells to adapt to micro-environmental changes in available growth factors, which is one of the essential biological phenotypes of cancer stem-like cells (CSCs).

Methods

EpCAM-high and EpCAM-low subpopulations of cells were established from the prostate cancer cell line PC-3. Signal transductions in response to serum starvation, and on the exposure to EGF ligand or the specific inhibitor were analyzed in terms. Furthermore, we analyzed the expression level of amino acid transporters which contribute to the activation of mTOR signal between the two subgroups.

Results

EpCAM-high and EpCAM-low PC-3 subpopulations showed markedly different responses to serum starvation. EpCAM expression was positively correlated with activation of the mTOR and epithelial growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling pathways. Furthermore, AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) was gradually de-activated in EpCAM-low PC-3 cells in the absence of serum.

Conclusions

EpCAM regulates the AMPK signaling pathway, essential for the response to growth factors characterized by EGF. LAT1, the amino acid transporter stabilized at the cellular membrane by EpCAM, is likely to be responsible for the difference in the susceptibility to EGF between EpCAM-high and EpCAM-low PC-3 cells.     

Nitric Oxide Reversibly Suppresses Xanthine Oxidase Activity

The effects of nitric oxide (NO) on xanthine oxidase (XOD) activity and the site(s) of the redox center(s) affected were investigated. XOD activity was determined by superoxide (O₂^-) generation and uric acid formation. NO reversibly and dose-dependently suppressed XOD activity in both determination methods. The suppression interval also disclosed a dose-dependent prolongation. The suppression occurred irrespective of the presence or absence of xanthine; indicating that the reaction product of NO and O₂^-, peroxynitrite, is not responsible for the suppression. Application of synthesized peroxynitrite did not affect XOD activity up to 2 μM. Methylene blue, which is an electron acceptor from Fe/S center, prevented the NO-induced inactivation. The results indicate that NO suppresses XOD activity through reversible alteration of the flavin prosthetic site.