Establishment of hepatitis E virus infection‐permissive and ‐non‐permissive human hepatoma PLC/PRF/5 subclones

PLC/PRF/5 cells show limited permissiveness, meaning that almost all subclones are permissive; however, some subclones do not exhibit permissiveness for hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection. In this study, the single‐cell cloning of PLC/PRF/5 was performed and heterogeneous subclones characterized. Notably, the efficiency of intracellular virus replication did not correlate with the permissiveness for HEV infection. However, as well as binding permissive subclones, virus‐like particles bound non‐permissive subclones on various levels, suggesting that these subclones have some deficiencies in the attachment and entry steps of infection. Our data would be useful for investigating the HEV life cycle.     

Important marine habitat off east Antarctica revealed by two decades of multi‐species predator tracking

Satellite telemetry data are a key source of animal distribution information for marine ecosystem management and conservation activities. We used two decades of telemetry data from the East Antarctic sector of the Southern Ocean. Habitat utilization models for the spring/summer period were developed for six highly abundant, wide‐ranging meso‐ and top‐predator species: Adélie Pygoscelis adeliae and emperor Aptenodytes forsteri penguins, light‐mantled albatross Phoebetria palpebrata, Antarctic fur seals Arctocephalus gazella, southern elephant seals Mirounga leonina, and Weddell seals Leptonychotes weddellii. The regional predictions from these models were combined to identify areas utilized by multiple species, and therefore likely to be of particular ecological significance. These areas were distributed across the longitudinal breadth of the East Antarctic sector, and were characterized by proximity to breeding colonies, both on the Antarctic continent and on subantarctic islands to the north, and by sea‐ice dynamics, particularly locations of winter polynyas. These areas of important habitat were also congruent with many of the areas reported to be showing the strongest regional trends in sea ice seasonality. The results emphasize the importance of on‐shore and sea‐ice processes to Antarctic marine ecosystems. Our study provides ocean‐basin‐scale predictions of predator habitat utilization, an assessment of contemporary habitat use against which future changes can be assessed, and is of direct relevance to current conservation planning and spatial management efforts.     

Expression and Localization of Type II Diacylglycerol Kinase Isozymes δ and η in the Developing Mouse Brain

The functions of type II diacylglycerol kinase (DGK) δ and -η in the brain are still unclear. As a first step, we investigated the spatial and temporal expression of DGKδ and -η in the brains of mice. DGKδ2, but not DGKδ1, was highly expressed in layers II–VI of the cerebral cortex; CA–CA3 regions and dentate gyrus of hippocampus; mitral cell, glomerular and granule cell layers of the olfactory bulb; and the granule cell layer in the cerebellum in 1- to 32-week-old mice. DGKδ2 was expressed just after birth, and its expression levels dramatically increased from weeks 1 to 4. A substantial amount of DGKη (η1/η2) was detected in layers II–VI of the cerebral cortex, CA1 and CA2 regions and dentate gyrus of the hippocampus, mitral cell and glomerular layers of the olfactory bulb, and Purkinje cells in the cerebellum of 1- to 32-week-old mice. DGKη2 expression reached maximum levels at P5 and decreased by 4 weeks, whereas DGKη1 increased over the same time frame. These results indicate that the expression patterns of DGK isozymes differ from each other and also from other isozymes, and this suggests that DGKδ and -η play distinct and specific roles in the brain.