Probability of paternity in paternity testing using the DNA fingerprint procedure

For the purpose of applying DNA fingerprinting to paternity testing, we established a general formula to calculate the probability of paternity and evaluated the ability of DNA fingerprinting to determine paternity.     

Additional genes essential for replication of the mini-F plasmid from origin I

Summary We isolated a series of Tn5-insertional mutants from the mini-F plasmid, which has a deletion in the origin II region and replicates exclusively from origin I, and found that the mutants that had Tn5 in either the F4 or the F5 gene were defective in their replication. It is concluded that, in addition to the F3 gene on which we have reported previously, both the F4 and the F5 genes are essential for the replication from origin I.     

Increased frequency of specific alleles of the c-Ha-ras gene in Japanese cancer patients

Summary We have examined the c-Ha-ras locus in 145 cancer patients of a mixed group and 164 normal individuals in Japan for restriction fragment length polymorphisms and compared the allele distributions in normal and cancer populations. The c-Ha-ras gene is highly polymorphic in Japanese as previously reported in Caucasians. Two rare alleles were found to be present with increased frequencies in Japanese cancer patients. These results suggest that genotype analysis of the c-Ha-ras gene could be used to detect cancer-prone individuals.     

Development of surface‐engineered yeast cells displaying phytochelatin synthase and their application to cadmium biosensors by the combined use of pyrene‐excimer fluorescence

The development of simple, portable, inexpensive, and rapid analytical methods for detecting and monitoring toxic heavy metals are important for the safety and security of humans and their environment. Herein, we describe the application of phytochelatin (PC) synthase, which plays a critical role in heavy metal responses in higher plants and green algae, in a novel fluorescent sensing platform for cadmium (Cd). We first created surface‐engineered yeast cells on which the PC synthase from Arabidopsis (AtPCS1) was displayed with retention of enzymatic activity. The general concept for the sensor is based on the Cd level‐dependent synthesis of PC₂ from glutathiones by AtPCS1‐displaying yeast cells, followed by simple discriminative detection of PC₂ via sensing of excimer fluorescence of thiol‐labeling pyrene probes. The intensity of excimer fluorescence increased in the presence of Cd up to 1.0 μM in an approximately dose‐dependent manner. This novel biosensor achieved a detection limit of as low as 0.2 μM (22.5 μg/L) for Cd. Although its use may be limited by the fact that Cu and Pb can induce cross‐reaction, the proposed simple biosensor holds promise as a method useful for cost‐effective screening of Cd contamination in environmental and food samples. The AtPCS1‐displaying yeast cells also might be attractive tools for dissection of the catalytic mechanisms of PCS. © 2013 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 29:1197–1202, 2013     

A case of chronic necrotizing pulmonary aspergillosis due toAspergillus nidulans

A 55-year old man without immunosuppression clinically showed a coin lesion in the right lower lung on the chest radiographs.Aspergillus nidulans was isolated and identified in both trans-bronchial lung biopsy specimen and resected tissue. The specimens revealed characteristics of chronic necrotizing pulmonary aspergillosis pathologically. Very few reports on cases of pulmonary aspergillosis due toA. nidulans exist, and we were not able to find any reports of similar cases. This case may be the first reported case of chronic necrotizing pulmonary aspergillosis due toA. nidulans.     

Consumption of barley ameliorates the diabetic steatohepatitis and reduces the high transforming growth factor β expression in mice grown in α-minimum essential medium in vitro as embryos

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which includes the subtype non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), is a major complication of type 2 diabetic mellitus (T2DM), even among non-obese patients. However, the exact cause of NAFLD/NASH in non-obese patients with T2DM is unclear. We studied a non-obese mouse model of T2DM created through the malnourishment of embryos by culture in vitro for 48 h in α-minimum essential medium (MEM) at the two-cell stage. We compared the development of steatohepatitis in these MEM mice with control mice that were similarly cultured in standard potassium simplex-optimized medium (KSOM). We also studied the effects of 10 weeks of consumption of barley, which contains large amounts of the soluble fiber β-glucan, on the steatohepatitis of the adult MEM mice. The size of lipid droplets, the area of fibrosis, and the mRNA expression of the transforming growth factor beta (Tgfb) gene in the liver were higher in adult MEM mice fed a rice-based diet than in KSOM mice fed the same diet. However, barley consumption reduced the area of fibrosis and TGFB expression in MEM mice. In conclusion, adult mice that are cultured in MEM at the two-cell embryo stage develop steatohepatitis and T2DM, accompanied by higher hepatic TGFB expression, than KSOM controls. Furthermore, the consumption of barley during adulthood ameliorates the steatohepatitis and reduces the TGFB expression.