A roundtable on responsible innovation with autologous stem cells in Australia,Japan and Singapore

We report on a roundtable event hosted in Singapore that sought to identify some of the ethical and regulatory challenges in translating autologous cell-based interventions, particularly those claiming to involve stem cells, into safe and effective therapies and to propose some solutions to encourage responsible innovation with these products. Challenges are identified in the three areas of cell manufacturing and processing, innovative uses of autologous cells in clinical practice and standards of evidence. Proposed solutions are discussed within a co-operative model of statutory laws and regulations that can enable product development with autologous cells and professional codes and standards that can encourage ethical conduct in clinical practice. Future research should be directed toward establishing regional networks for the development of internationally consistent standards in manufacturing and ethical codes of conduct for innovating with stem cells, and other autologous cells, and fostering ongoing exchange between jurisdictions.     

Portulal: a rooting promoting substance in Portulaca leaves

A new bioassay which employs disbudded epicotyl cuttings takenfrom light grown Azukia seedlings (A. angularis) was devisedfor testing rooting promotion activity. By use of this method,the rooting promoting principle in leaves of Portulaca grandiflorawas isolated and identified with portulal which had been previouslyobtained. Portulal was reported as an inhibitor of rooting inetiolated Raphanus cuttings and has recently been determinedto be a bicyclic diterpene containing a perhydroazulene nucleus.Portulal promoted the adventitious root formation in severalkinds of plants, i.e. Azukia angularis, Vigna Catiang var. sinensis,Phaseolus Mungo and Raphanus sativus var. acanthiformis ‘Risodaikon’. The rooting process in Azukia and Raphanus cuttings seems toinclude at least two phases; a "preparatory phase" or a portulal-and gibberellin-sensitive phase and a "main phase" or an auxin-sensitiveand portulal-insensitive phase. ¹Contribution No. 16 from the Botanical Gardens, Faculty ofScience, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan. (Received April 3, 1969; )     

INTERACTION BETWEEN HELIANGINE AND PYRIMIDINES IN ADVENTITIOUS ROOT FORMATION OF PHASEOLUS CUTTINGS

1. Heliangine at 110^–4 M promoted the adventitious rootformation in hypocotyls of cuttings taken from light-grown (1,900lux) Phaseolus mungo seedlings. The promotion was almost completelyreversed by 310^–4 M uracil, uridine, cytidine, oroticacid or 610^–4 M carbamoyl DL-aspartic acid, and partlyby 310^–4 M thymine or thymidine. Neither 310^–4M cytosine, adenine, adenosine, guanine, guanosine nor a combinationof 310^–4 M carbamoyl phosphate and 310^–4 M L-asparticacid reduced the promotion by heliangine.
2. Uracil did not reducethe inhibiting effect of heliangine onthe indoleacetic acidinduced elongation of etiolated Avenacoleoptile sections.
3. Helianginein an aqueous uracil solution was recovered unchangedafter24-hr incubation at room temperature.
4. The root formation ofPhaseolus cuttings was promoted also by2-thiouracil and 5-fluorouracil.The effect was reversed byorotic acid or carbamoyl asparticacid, but not by carbamoylphosphate plus aspartic acid.
5. Ribonucleaseat 100 µg/ml increased the number of rootsprotruded fromhypocotyls of cuttings by about 260%.
6. A possible interpretationfor the promotion of root formationby heliangine is offered.

¹ Contribution No. 15 from the Botanical Gardens, Faculty ofScience, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan. ² Dedicated to Prof. Dr. H. SODING in commemoration of the 70thbirthday.     

CHLOROPHYLL AMOUNT AS AN INDICATOR OF MATTER PRODUCTIVITY IN BIO-COMMUNITIES

The data of chlorophyll amounts in diverse bio-communities arecompiled and discussed with reference to matter production. The chlorophyll amount in euphotic zone of lakes and oceanswas less than 1 g/m², mostly less than 0.1 g/m². In phytoplanktonblooms it was ca. 0.1–1 g/m². Large values of 5–20g/m² were obtained in the outdoor mass cultures of Chlorella,in which the high population density and chlorophyll contentof the alga were observed. In terrestrial higher plant communitiesthe chlorophyll amount (ca. 1–10 g/m²) was usually higherthan in aquatic phytoplankton communities. The largest (13.3g/m²) was obtained with an evergreen gallery forest in Thailand.The chlorophyll amount of desert bio-community could be expectedto be as high as that in water blooms. The maximum chlorophyll amount in bio-communities seems to attainup to 20 g/m² when the conditions are favorable. ¹ Dedicated to Prof. H. TAMIYA on the occasion of his 60th birthday. (Received December 25, 1962; )     

A stress‐inducible sulphotransferase sulphonates salicylic acid and confers pathogen resistance in Arabidopsis

Sulphonation of small molecules by cytosolic sulphotransferases in mammals is an important process in which endogenous molecules are modified for inactivation/activation of their biological effects. Plants possess large numbers of sulphotransferase genes, but their biological functions are largely unknown. Here, we present a functional analysis of the Arabidopsis sulphotransferase AtSOT12 (At2g03760). AtSOT12 gene expression is strongly induced by salt, and osmotic stress and hormone treatments. The T‐DNA knock‐out mutant sot12 exhibited hypersensitivity to NaCl and ABA in seed germination, and to salicylic acid (SA) in seedling growth. In vitro enzyme activity assay revealed that AtSOT12 sulphonates SA, and endogenous SA levels suggested that sulphonation of SA positively regulates SA production. Upon challenging with the pathogen Pseudomonas syringae, sot12 mutant and AtSOT12 over‐expressing lines accumulate less and more SA, respectively, when compared with wild type. Consistent with the changes in SA levels, the sot12 mutant was more susceptible, while AtSOT12 over‐expressing plants are more resistant to pathogen infection. Moreover, pathogen‐induced PR gene expression in systemic leaves was significantly enhanced in AtSOT12 over‐expressing plants. The role of sulphonation of SA in SA production, mobile signalling and acquired systemic resistance is discussed.     

Ovarian development and vitellogenesis in the sawfly,Athalia rosae ruficornis Jakovlev (Hymenoptera,Tenthredinidae)

Summary

Ovarian development in Athalia rosae ruficornis Jakovlev (Hymenoptera: Tenthredinidae) is described. Number of nurse cells per egg chamber is most often around 60 (close to 63 according to the 2ⁿ–1 rule), but in many cases it deviates from this number significantly. Two major yolk proteins [vitellins: large (apparent molecular weight 160–170 kD) and small (48–50 kD] were identified by SDS-PAGE. Western blotting and immunochemical detection using polyclonal antibodies prepared against each of the vitellins revealed that adult female but not male (both haploid and diploid) hemolymph contains vitellogenins corresponding to these vitellins. Vitellogenins become detectable in the hemolymph of late pupae, and vitellins one day later in the oocytes of adults. Transplantation of immature ovaries into the adult male abdomen caused not only significant accumulation of vitellins in the oocyte but also appearance of small amounts of hemolymph vitellogenins in host males. Injection of homogenate of immature ovaries also caused appearance of small amounts of hemolymph vitellogenins in host males.     

Isolation of Zn2+ as an Endogenous Agonist of GPR39 from Fetal Bovine Serum

We attempted to determine natural agonists of GPR39 in fetal bovine serum (FBS). FBS was conditioned to extract peptides and fractionated by two types of HPLC. The activity of each fraction was monitored by intracellular calcium mobilization. Then the purified active ingredient was analyzed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. In this fashion, Zn^{2 +} ion was identified as an agonist of GPR39, though no peptidergic molecules were found. The calcium-mobilizing activity of Zn^{2 +} was not abolished by pertussis toxin but was by a phospholipase C (PLC) inhibitor, U73122, indicating that the activity of GPR39 is mediated through the G_qα -PLC pathway. In addition, Zn^{2 +} also activated mouse and rat GPR39, showing that the function of GPR39 as a Zn^{2 +} receptor is conserved across species. This study is the first exploration of GPR39 agonists in FBS and indicates that GPR39 functions as a Gq-coupled Zn^{2 +}-sensing receptor.     

Geographical shift of zooplankton communities and decadal dynamics of the Kuroshio–Oyashio currents in the western North Pacific

We investigated temporal and spatial variations in the zooplankton community structure in the Oyashio and Transition region of the subarctic western North Pacific from 1960 to 1999 using principal component analysis (PCA) and zooplankton samples from the historical Odate Collection. In particular, we examined the influence of Kuroshio and Oyashio decadal dynamics on geographical variations in the zooplankton community. The first principal component (PC1) closely represented the interannual variation in cold-water, large copepod species, while the second PC (PC2) represented the variation in warm-water, small copepod species. Using Rodionov's regime-shift method, we detected a significant increase in the PC score after 1976 and 1981 for PC1 and PC2, respectively. After the shift years, (1) warm-water species increased in the Transition zone, (2) the distribution center of the cold-water species shifted southward, and (3) copepod abundance and species diversity increased in the Transition zone as a result of (1) and (2). The timing of these shifts in the zooplankton community roughly coincided with the North Pacific climatic regime shift in 1976/1977. From the mid-1970s to the early 1980s, the southern boundary of the Oyashio shifted southward and increased geostrophic transport was observed in the Kuroshio, indicating spin up of the Kuroshio–Oyashio system. Change in atmospheric circulation during the 1976/1977 regime shift is thought to have caused the spin up of these currents, which subsequently affected the regional zooplankton community through advective processes.     

Vacuolation in Nitella flexilis (Characeae)

In Nitella flexilis, a species belonging to the section Anarthrodactylaeof the genus Nitella (Characeae), some mature cells, with theexception of those of the nodal complex and the rhizoid, shownumerous spherical vacuoles occupying the entire central regionof the cell. These vacuoles are fairly uniform in size measuring30–40 µm in diameter. Evidence is presented frominvestigations with the light and electron microscopes suggestingthat some mature cells of a certain group of Nitella speciesmay not have a huge central vacuole. Vacuolation in young cellsof the apex apparently begins by progressive dilation of theendoplasmic reticulum. The Golgi complex may also be involvedin vacuolation. The necessity for re-examination of certainbiological activities in the giant internode cell is explored.