Cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) may not become infected with equine herpesvirus 9

Background It was suggested that Equine herpesvirus 9 (EHV‐9) could be transmitted to higher non‐human primates. Methods Four cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) were inoculated with EHV‐9 by the nasal route. Results No abnormalities were observed pathologically, immunohistochemically, and genetically. Conclusions These findings indicate that cynomolgus monkeys are not susceptible to EHV‐9.     

Copulatory courtship behavior and sine song as a mate recognition cue in Drosophila lini and its sibling species

Most Drosophila species sing species-specific pulse songs during their "precopulatory courtship." Three sibling species of the Drosophila montium species subgroup performed "copulatory courtship": males generated courtship songs by vibrating either wing only after mounting and during copulation. In these three species, strong sexual isolation was detected between D. ohnishii and D. lini and between D. ohnishii and D. ogumai, but not between D. lini and D. ogumai. Female showed strong repelling behavior when they were mounted by a heterospecific male in the species combinations including D. ohnishii, resulting in failure of the copulation attempt of the male. Acoustic analyses of courtship songs revealed that the pulse song was irregular, without any species-specific parameters, but that the frequency of the sine song was different among the three species in accordance with the modes of sexual isolation between them; it was significantly lower in D. ohnishii (mean ± SE = 193.0 ± 1.7 Hz) but higher in D. lini (253.4 ± 2.7 Hz) and D. ogumai (246.7 ± 5.3 Hz). We suggest that this difference in the sine song frequency is a sexual signal in the Specific Mate Recognition System (SMRS) among these three Drosophila species.     

Mitochondrial dysfunction and increased reactive oxygen species impair insulin secretion in sphingomyelin synthase 1-null mice

Sphingomyelin synthase 1 (SMS1) catalyzes the conversion of ceramide to sphingomyelin. Here, we generated and analyzed SMS1-null mice. SMS1-null mice exhibited moderate neonatal lethality, reduced body weight, and loss of fat tissues mass, suggesting that they might have metabolic abnormality. Indeed, analysis on glucose metabolism revealed that they showed severe deficiencies in insulin secretion. Isolated mutant islets exhibited severely impaired ability to release insulin, dependent on glucose stimuli. Further analysis indicated that mitochondria in mutant islet cells cannot up-regulate ATP production in response to glucose. We also observed additional mitochondrial abnormalities, such as hyperpolarized membrane potential and increased levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in mutant islets. Finally, when SMS1-null mice were treated with the anti-oxidant N-acetyl cysteine, we observed partial recovery of insulin secretion, indicating that ROS overproduction underlies pancreatic β-cell dysfunction in SMS1-null mice. Altogether, our data suggest that SMS1 is important for controlling ROS generation, and that SMS1 is required for normal mitochondrial function and insulin secretion in pancreatic β-cells.     

Altered redox status in Escherichia coli cells enhances pyruvate production in pH-adjusting culture with a fermenter

Improvements in pyruvate production process were examined using Escherichia coli BW25113?pta/pHfdh strain carrying the formate dehydrogenase gene of Mycobacterium vaccae to change the redox status of the cells. Glucose and formate concentrations, and oxygenation levels determined previously in a shake-flask culture were applied for pyruvate production in a 1 l fermenter. However, pyruvate was not produced under the examined conditions. Detailed pH measurements during the fermenter culture using CaCO₃ revealed that maintaining the pH value around 6.0 plays an important role in stabilizing the pyruvate accumulation. In the pH-adjusting culture around 6.0 with NaOH solution, the concentration and yield of pyruvate were 8.96 g l^?1 and 0.48 g pyruvate g glucose^?1, respectively, which were significantly higher than the values reported in the shake-flask culture (6.79 g l^?1 and 0.32 g pyruvate g glucose^?1).     

A DPP-4 Inhibitor Suppresses Fibrosis and Inflammation on Experimental Autoimmune Myocarditis in Mice

Myocarditis is a critical inflammatory disorder which causes life-threatening conditions. No specific or effective treatment has been established. DPP-4 inhibitors have salutary effects not only on type 2 diabetes but also on certain cardiovascular diseases. However, the role of a DPP-4 inhibitor on myocarditis has not been investigated. To clarify the effects of a DPP-4 inhibitor on myocarditis, we used an experimental autoimmune myocarditis (EAM) model in Balb/c mice. EAM mice were assigned to the following groups: EAM mice group treated with a DPP-4 inhibitor (linagliptin) (n = 19) and those untreated (n = 22). Pathological analysis revealed that the myocardial fibrosis area ratio in the treated group was significantly lower than in the untreated group. RT-PCR analysis demonstrated that the levels of mRNA expression of IL-2, TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 were significantly lower in the treated group than in the untreated group. Lymphocyte proliferation assay showed that treatment with the DPP-4 inhibitor had no effect on antigen-induced spleen cell proliferation. Administration of the DPP-4 inhibitor remarkably suppressed cardiac fibrosis and reduced inflammatory cytokine gene expression in EAM mice. Thus, the agents present in DPP-4 inhibitors may be useful to treat and/or prevent clinical myocarditis.     

盐酸环丙沙星在中华绒螯蟹体内药物代谢动力学研究

应用反向高效液相色谱法对盐酸环丙沙星在中华绒螯蟹雄、雌蟹血淋巴与肌肉内的代谢规律进行了研究。肌肉注射给药后血淋巴中盐酸环丙沙星的浓度立即达到峰值 ,药物开始向肌肉等组织中运转 ,血药浓度在 1h内迅速下降 ,而肌肉中的浓度达到峰值 ;此后无论是血淋巴还是肌肉中的盐酸环丙沙星浓度均缓慢下降 ,到第 12 0h雌、雄蟹中盐酸环丙沙星的浓度均在 1μg·mL-1(g-1)以下 ,到 2 16h均不能检出。研究表明 :中华绒螯蟹血淋巴中盐酸环丙沙星的药物浓度可用一级吸收二室开放模型描述 ,雄、雌蟹的消除半衰期 (T1/ 2 β)分别为 40 .34± 1.48h和 2 2 .0 7±0 31h ;中华绒螯蟹的性别对盐酸环丙沙星在其体内的代谢有较大的影响。     

The role of carbon flux and biometric observations in constraining a terrestrial ecosystem model: a case study in disturbed forests in East Asia

The process of confining unnecessary freedom is a step toward advanced ecosystem modeling. This study demonstrates the importance of carbon flux and biometric observation in constraining a terrestrial ecosystem model with a simple optimization scheme. At the selected sites from AsiaFlux network, a simultaneous optimization scheme for both carbon flux and biomass was compared with carbon flux-oriented and biomass-oriented optimization schemes using the Biome-BGC model. The optimization scheme oriented to either carbon flux or biomass provided simulation results that were consistent with observations, but with reduced performance in unconstrained variables. The simultaneous optimization scheme yielded results that were consistent with observations for both carbon flux and biomass. By comparing long-term projections simulated by three schemes, it was found that the optimization oriented only to carbon flux has limited performance because misrepresented biomass significantly affected a projection of carbon exchange through heterotrophic respiration. From these experiments, we found that (1) a process model like Biome-BGC is capable of reproducing both carbon flux and biomass within acceptable proximity, (2) constraining biomass is importance not just because it is one of carbon cycle components, but also it significantly affects simulations of carbon flux. Thus, it is important to invest more effort to improve simulation of biomass as well as carbon flux.     

Purification, gene cloning, and gene disruption of the transcription elongation factor S-II in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae S-II was purified to near homogeneity as a protein stimulating RNA polymerase II. Four of seven lysyl endopeptidase-digested fragments of S-II were located in the PPR2 sequence reported previously. Analysis of a genomic clone of S-II revealed that S-II and PPR2 are the same protein consisting of 309 amino acid residues, and frame shifts were found in the sequence of PPR2 gene reported previously. Yeast S-II and mouse S-II showed high similarity in their amino acid sequences, especially in their amino-terminal and carboxyl-terminal regions. A gene disruption experiment showed that an S-II null mutant was not lethal under usual growth conditions, indicating that S-II is not essential for the growth of yeast.     

Insect glycobiology: a lectin multigene family in Drosophila melanogaster.

Glycodeterminants play an important role in mediating cellular and cell-substrate interactions during development and immune-related reactions enabling an organism to distinguish self determinants from non-self or modified-self determinants. One of the hallmarks of sugar recognition molecules (lectins) is their wide range of binding activities and their organisation in multigene families. Here we describe a group of Drosophila genes that are possible members of the C-type lectin family.