Altruism toward in-group members as a reputation mechanism

To test the hypothesis that sensitivity to monitoring drives people to act altruistically toward members of their own community, two experiments investigated whether an eye-like painting promotes altruism toward in-group members, but not toward out-group members. Participants played the role of dictator in a dictator game with another participant (a recipient) who was from the minimal in-group or out-group. Participants knew whether their recipient was an in-group member or an out-group member, but were informed that their recipient did not know the group membership of the dictator. In-group favoritism occurred only when participants were facing a computer desktop which displayed a painting of eyes, but did not occur in the absence of eyes. These findings demonstrate that the eye painting displayed on the participant's computer screen worked as a cue for monitoring and thus enhanced the participant's altruistic behavior.     

Sensitive determination of carnosine in urine by high-performance liquid chromatography using 4-(5,6-dimethoxy-2-phthalimidinyl)-2-methoxyphenylsulfonyl chloride as a fluorescent labeling reagent

A simple and highly sensitive high-performance liquid chromatography procedure was developed for the determination of carnosine in urine. Carnosine was derivatized with 4-(5,6-dimethoxy-2-phthalimidinyl)-2-methoxyphenylsulfonyl chloride at 70 °C for 15 min in borate buffer (20 mmol l^?1, pH 9.0) to produce fluorescent sulfonamides. After hydrolysis of the reaction mixture with formic acid at 100 °C for 15 min, the fluorescent derivative of carnosine was separated on a reversed-phase column with a linear gradient elution using solvents of (A) acetate buffer (0.1 mmol l^?1, pH 7.0) and (B) acetonitrile at a flow-rate of 1.0 ml/min and was detected at excitation and emission wavelengths of 318 and 400 nm, respectively. The detection limit of carnosine was 4 fmol at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3. The within-day and day-to-day relative standard deviations were 2.7–4.6% and 0.4–5.2%, respectively. The concentration of carnosine in normal human urine was found to be 4.6–125 nmol (mg creatinine)^?1 (mean ± SD: 21.6 ± 26.6 nmol (mg creatinine)^?1, n = 20).     

Sofalcone, a gastric mucosa protective agent, increases vascular endothelial growth factor via the Nrf2-heme-oxygenase-1 dependent pathway in gastric epithelial cells

Sofalcone, 2′-carboxymethoxy-4,4-bis(3-methyl-2-butenyloxy)chalcone, is an anti-ulcer agent that is classified as a gastric mucosa protective agent. Recent studies indicate heat shock proteins such as HSP32, also known as heme-oxygenase-1(HO-1), play important roles in protecting gastrointestinal tissues from several stresses. We have previously reported that sofalcone increases the expression of HO-1 in adipocytes and pre-adipocytes, although the effect of sofalcone on HO-1 induction in gastrointestinal tissues is not clear. In the current study, we investigated the effects of sofalcone on the expression of HO-1 and its functional role in rat gastric epithelial (RGM-1) cells. We found that sofalcone increased HO-1 expression in RGM-1 cells in both time- and concentration-dependent manners. The HO-1 induction was associated with the nuclear translocation of nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (Nrf2) in RGM-1 cells. We also observed that sofalcone increased vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) production in the culture medium. Treatment of RGM-1 cells with an HO-1 inhibitor (tin-protoporphyrin), or HO-1 siRNA inhibited sofalcone-induced VEGF production, suggesting that the effect of sofalcone on VEGF expression is mediated by the HO-1 pathway. These results suggest that the gastroprotective effects of sofalcone are partly exerted via Nrf2-HO-1 activation followed by VEGF production.     

Multidigestion in continuous flow tandem protease-immobilized microreactors for proteomic analysis

Proteolysis by sequence-specific proteases is the key step for positive sequencing in proteomic studies integrated with mass spectrometry (MS). The conventional method of in-solution digestion of protein is a time-consuming procedure and has limited sensitivity. In this study, we report a simple and rapid system for the analysis of protein sequence and protein posttranslational modification by multienzymatic reaction in a continuous flow using the enzyme (trypsin, chymotrypsin, or alkaline phosphatase)-immobilized microreactor. The feasibility and performance of the single microreactor and tandem microreactors that were connected by the different microreactors were determined by the digestion of nonphosphoprotein (cytochrome c) and phosphoproteins (β-casein and pepsin A). The single microreactor showed rapid digestion compared with that of in-solution digestions. Multiple digestion by the tandem microreactors showed higher sequence coverage compared with that by in-solution or the single microreactor. Moreover, the tandem microreactor that was made by using the combination of protease-immobilized microreactor and phosphatase-immobilized microreactor showed the capability for phosphorylation site analysis in phosphoproteins without the use of any enrichment strategies or radioisotope labeling techniques. This approach provides a strategy that can be applied to various types of linking microreactor-based multienzymatic reaction systems for proteomic analysis.     

Assessment of phytoavailability of Sr in an Andosol by addition of stable isotope

Time-dependent changes of phytoavailability of Sr after adding it to the soil were studied for better prediction of radioactive Sr behavior in soil–plant systems. Strontium-86 enriched stable isotope was added to a soil sample collected from a field of humus-rich Andosol. Plant uptake and extractability of Sr in the soil were assessed at given times after the addition during a 12-month period including repeated drying-rewetting. Proportion of the added Sr extracted by 1 M ammonium acetate solution from the soil was 45–58% throughout the period, which corresponded to that of long-time aged ⁹⁰Sr in the soil. Pot cultivations of orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata) and red clover (Trifolium pratense) were carried out starting with uncropped soil for four weeks five times during the experiment. Clear time-dependent changes were not observed in uptake of the added Sr by the plants. Aging is unlikely to decrease Sr availability over time. The labile form of Sr determined with the isotopic dilution method was approximately 15% of total soil Sr, and more than the percentage of the extractable Sr in the soil. The results suggest that a part of the non-extractable forms of Sr in the soil would be available to the plant.     

Paleoceanographic evolution of North Pacific surface water off Japan during the past 150,000 years

Hydrographic variability in the Mixed Water Region of the Northwest Pacific Ocean at latitudes 35°–40°N, between the Kuroshio Extension and Oyashio Front, causes complex upwelling, leading to large primary productivity and thus great fishery resources. We reconstructed the periodicity of the variability in North Pacific Intermediate Water upwelling and surface ocean hydrography based on the high-resolution analysis of diatom assemblages in seven cores, representing the last 150,000 years. We derived annual sea surface temperatures (SSTs) through a diatom-based proxy (Td′). The Td′-derived annual SSTs (°C) are controlled by orbital forcing, and show a reversed saw-tooth in southern cores, in contrast to a normal saw-tooth pattern in the northern cores. Oceanic diatom abundances along the northern margin of the Mixed Water Region are twice times as high as beneath the axis of the Kuroshio Extension, and fluctuated in a revised saw-tooth pattern with higher overall abundances interglacials. After the last deglaciation, annual SSTs declined markedly during Heinrich and Bond events in the northern North Atlantic, when ice-rafted detritus transported by icebergs was abundant. Wavelet analyses of the record of oceanic diatom abundances show significant variability at 2.0-kyr, 2 to 5.6-kyr and 3.2 to 9.6-kyr periods. Wavelet analyses of the annual SST records show significant periodicity at 1.4 to 2.6-kyr, 3.3 to 4.0-kyr, 7.2 to 12.8-kyr cycles.     

Genetic characterization of mutants resistant to the antiauxin p-chlorophenoxyisobutyric acid reveals that AAR3, a gene encoding a DCN1-like protein, regulates responses to the synthetic auxin 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid in Arabidopsis roots

To isolate novel auxin-responsive mutants in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), we screened mutants for root growth resistance to a putative antiauxin, p-chlorophenoxyisobutyric acid (PCIB), which inhibits auxin action by interfering the upstream auxin-signaling events. Eleven PCIB-resistant mutants were obtained. Genetic mapping indicates that the mutations are located in at least five independent loci, including two known auxin-related loci, TRANSPORT INHIBITOR RESPONSE1 and Arabidopsis CULLIN1. antiauxin-resistant mutants (aars) aar3-1, aar4, and aar5 were also resistant to 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid as shown by a root growth assay. Positional cloning of aar3-1 revealed that the AAR3 gene encodes a protein with a domain of unknown function (DUF298), which has not previously been implicated in auxin signaling. The protein has a putative nuclear localization signal and shares homology with the DEFECTIVE IN CULLIN NEDDYLATION-1 protein through the DUF298 domain. The results also indicate that PCIB can facilitate the identification of factors involved in auxin or auxin-related signaling.