Site-directed mutagenesis by biolistic transformation efficiently generates inheritable mutations in a targeted locus in soybean somatic embryos and transgene-free descendants in the T1 generation

The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated endonuclease 9 (Cas9) system is being rapidly developed for mutagenesis in higher plants. Ideally, foreign DNA introduced by this system is removed in the breeding of edible crops and vegetables. Here, we report an efficient generation of Cas9-free mutants lacking an allergenic gene, Gly m Bd 30K, using biolistic transformation and the CRISPR/Cas9 system. Five transgenic embryo lines were selected on the basis of hygromycin resistance. Cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence analysis detected only two different mutations in e all of the lines. These results indicate that mutations were induced in the target gene immediately after the delivery of the exogenous gene into the embryo cells. Soybean plantlets (T₀ plants) were regenerated from two of the transgenic embryo lines. The segregation pattern of the Cas9 gene in the T₁ generation, which included Cas9-free plants, revealed that a single copy number of transgene was integrated in both lines. Immunoblot analysis demonstrated that no Gly m Bd 30K protein accumulated in the Cas9-free plants. Gene expression analysis indicated that nonsense mRNA decay might have occurred in mature mutant seeds. Due to the efficient induction of inheritable mutations and the low integrated transgene copy number in the T₀ plants, we could remove foreign DNA easily by genetic segregation in the T₁ generation. Our results demonstrate that biolistic transformation of soybean embryos is useful for CRISPR/Cas9-mediated site-directed mutagenesis of soybean for human consumption.

     

Spatial segregation of four coexisting processional termites (Termitidae: Nasutitermitinae) in tropical rainforest

In Lambir Hills National Park, Sarawak, Malaysia, there are four species of processional termites that coexist: Hospitalitermes hospitalis, H. lividiceps, H. rufus and Longipeditermes longipes. This paper presents the results of our investigation on the spatial distribution of nests and the foraging activities of the four species in coexistence. The results show that there are fairly marked differences in nesting sites, as well as in foraging activities, among the four species. It is noteworthy that H. rufus inhabits only the canopy area over 20 m above ground, apparently segregated from the other three species, and that their foraging activities are limited also to tree canopies over 10 m above ground. In contrast, L. longipes nests underground and forages exclusively on the forest floor. Hospitalitermes hospitalis and H. lividiceps inhabit and forage over wide areas, from the forest floor to tree canopies. The upper parts of the tree canopy (over 10 m) are also foraging territories of the secluded H. rufus, but there were no observations of simultaneous foraging of the three Hospitalitermes species in the same canopy areas.     

Development of Capsicum EST–SSR markers for species identification and in silico mapping onto the tomato genome sequence

Capsicum spp. are widely cultivated for use as vegetables and spices. The Kihara Institute for Biological Research, Yokohama City University, Japan, has stocks of approximately 800 lines of Capsicum spp. collected from various regions of Central and South America, the regions of origin for Capsicum spp. In this study, 5,751 primer pairs for simple sequence repeat markers, based on 118,060 publicly available sequences of expressed sequence tags of Capsicum annuum, were designed and subjected to a similarity search against the genomic sequence of tomato, a model Solanaceae species. Nucleotide sequences spanning 2,245 C. annuum markers were successfully mapped onto the tomato genome, and 96 of these, which spanned the entire tomato genome, were selected for further analysis. In genotyping analysis, 60 out of the 77 markers that produced specific DNA amplicons showed polymorphism among the Capsicum lines examined. On the basis of the resulting data, the 192 tested lines were grouped into five main clusters. The additional sequencing analysis of the plastid genes, matK and rbcL, divided the resources into three groups. As a result, 19 marker loci exhibited genotypes specific to species and cluster, suggesting that the DNA markers are useful for species identification. Information on the DNA markers will contribute to Capsicum genetics, genomics, and breeding.     

A Novel Cell-Sheet Technology That Achieves Durable Factor VIII Delivery in a Mouse Model of Hemophilia A

Gene- or cell-based therapies aimed at creating delivery systems for coagulation factor VIII (FVIII) protein have emerged as promising options for hemophilia A treatment. However, several issues remain to be addressed regarding the efficacies and adverse events of these new classes of therapies. To improve an existing cell-based therapy involving the subcutaneous transplantation of FVIII-transduced blood outgrowth endothelial cells (BOECs), we employed a novel cell-sheet technology that allows individual dispersed cells to form a thin and contiguous monolayer without traditional bioabsorbable scaffold matrices. Compared to the traditional methodology, our cell-sheet approach resulted in longer-term and 3–5-fold higher expression of FVIII (up to 11% of normal) in recipient hemophilia A mice that lacked a FVIII humoral immune response due to transient immunosuppression with cyclophosphamide. Histological studies revealed that the transplanted BOEC sheets were structured as flat clusters, supporting the long-term expression of therapeutic FVIII in plasma from an ectopic subcutaneous space. Our novel tissue-engineering approach using genetically modified BOEC sheets could aid in development of cell-based therapy that will allow safe and effective in vivo delivery of functional FVIII protein in patients with hemophilia A.     

Expression of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Detected by Cetuximab Indicates Its Efficacy to Inhibit In Vitro and In Vivo Proliferation of Colorectal Cancer Cells

Cetuximab is a chimeric mouse–human monoclonal antibody that targets the human epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). However, EGFR expression determined by immunohistochemistry does not predict clinical outcomes of colorectal cancer (CRC) patients treated with cetuximab. Therefore, we evaluated the correlation between EGFR levels detected by cetuximab and drug sensitivities of CRC cell lines (Caco-2, WiDR, SW480, and HCT116) and the A431 epidermoid carcinoma cell line. We used flow cytometry (FCM) to detect EGFR-binding of biotinylated cetuximab on the cell surface. Subcloned cell lines showing the highest and lowest EGFR expression levels were chosen for further study. Cytotoxic assays were used to determine differential responses to cetuximab. Xenograft models treated with cetuximab intraperitoneally to assess sensitivity to cetuximab. Strong responses to cetuximab were specifically exhibited by subcloned cells with high EGFR expression levels. Furthermore, cetuximab inhibited the growth of tumors in xenograft models with high or low EGFR expression levels by 35% and 10%–20%, respectively. We conclude that detection of EGFR expression by cetuximab promises to provide a novel, sensitive, and specific method for predicting the sensitivity of CRC to cetuximab.     

Functionally Cloned pdrM from Streptococcus pneumoniae Encodes a Na+ Coupled Multidrug Efflux Pump

Multidrug efflux pumps play an important role as a self-defense system in bacteria. Bacterial multidrug efflux pumps are classified into five families based on structure and coupling energy: resistance−nodulation−cell division (RND), small multidrug resistance (SMR), major facilitator (MF), ATP binding cassette (ABC), and multidrug and toxic compounds extrusion (MATE). We cloned a gene encoding a MATE-type multidrug efflux pump from Streptococcus pneumoniae R6, and designated it pdrM. PdrM showed sequence similarity with NorM from Vibrio parahaemolyticus, YdhE from Escherichia coli, and other bacterial MATE-type multidrug efflux pumps. Heterologous expression of PdrM let to elevated resistance to several antibacterial agents, norfloxacin, acriflavine, and 4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) in E. coli KAM32 cells. PdrM effluxes acriflavine and DAPI in a Na⁺- or Li⁺-dependent manner. Moreover, Na⁺ efflux via PdrM was observed when acriflavine was added to Na⁺-loaded cells expressing pdrM. Therefore, we conclude that PdrM is a Na⁺/drug antiporter in S. pneumoniae. In addition to pdrM, we found another two genes, spr1756 and spr1877,that met the criteria of MATE-type by searching the S. pneumoniae genome database. However, cloned spr1756 and spr1877 did not elevate the MIC of any of the investigated drugs. mRNA expression of spr1756, spr1877, and pdrM was detected in S. pneumoniae R6 under laboratory growth conditions. Therefore, spr1756 and spr1877 are supposed to play physiological roles in this growth condition, but they may be unrelated to drug resistance.     

Mutation of GDP-Mannose-4,6-Dehydratase in Colorectal Cancer Metastasis

Fucosylation is a crucial oligosaccharide modification in cancer. The known function of fucosylation in cancer is to mediate metastasis through selectin ligand-dependent processes. Previously, we found complete loss of fucosylation in the colon cancer cell line HCT116 due to a mutation in the GDP-fucose synthetic enzyme, GDP-mannose-4,6-dehydratase (GMDS). Loss of fucosylation led to escape of cancer cells from tumor immune surveillance followed by tumor progression and metastasis, suggesting a novel function of fucosylation in tumor progression pathway. In the present study, we investigated the frequency of GMDS mutation in a number of clinical colorectal cancer tissue samples: 81 samples of primary colorectal cancer tissue and 39 samples of metastatic lesion including liver and lymph node. Four types of deletion mutation in GMDS were identified in original cancer tissues as well as metastatic lesions. The frequency of GMDS mutation was slightly higher in metastatic lesions (12.8%, 5/39 samples) than in original cancer tissues (8.6%, 7/81 samples). No mutation of the GMDS gene was observed in normal colon tissues surrounding cancer tissues, suggesting that the mutation is somatic rather than in the germline. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed complete loss of fucosylation in three cases of cancer tissue. All three cases had GMDS mutation. In one of three cases, loss of fucosylation was observed in only metastatic lesion, but not its original colon cancer tissue. These data demonstrate involvement of GMDS mutation in the progression of colorectal cancer.     

Periostin Links Mechanical Strain to Inflammation in Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm

Aims

Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) are characterized by chronic inflammation, which contributes to the pathological remodeling of the extracellular matrix. Although mechanical stress has been suggested to promote inflammation in AAA, the molecular mechanism remains uncertain. Periostin is a matricellular protein known to respond to mechanical strain. The aim of this study was to elucidate the role of periostin in mechanotransduction in the pathogenesis of AAA.

Methods and Results

We found significant increases in periostin protein levels in the walls of human AAA specimens. Tissue localization of periostin was associated with inflammatory cell infiltration and destruction of elastic fibers. We examined whether mechanical strain could stimulate periostin expression in cultured rat vascular smooth muscle cells. Cells subjected to 20% uniaxial cyclic strains showed significant increases in periostin protein expression, focal adhesion kinase (FAK) activation, and secretions of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) and the active form of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2. These changes were largely abolished by a periostin-neutralizing antibody and by the FAK inhibitor, PF573228. Interestingly, inhibition of either periostin or FAK caused suppression of the other, indicating a positive feedback loop. In human AAA tissues in ex vivo culture, MCP-1 secretion was dramatically suppressed by PF573228. Moreover, in vivo, periaortic application of recombinant periostin in mice led to FAK activation and MCP-1 upregulation in the aortic walls, which resulted in marked cellular infiltration.

Conclusion

Our findings indicated that periostin plays an important role in mechanotransduction that maintains inflammation via FAK activation in AAA.     

Some nematodes from eels (Anguilliformes: Anguillidae) in Japan,with descriptions of two new species

Systematic Parasitology - Recent occasional examinations of two species of eels (Anguilliformes: Anguillidae) in Japan, the Japanese eel Anguilla japonica Temminck & Schlegel from central...