Antifeedants against Locusta migratoria from the Japanese Cedar, Cryptomeria japonica

(1S,6R)-2,7(14),10-bisabolatrien-1-ol-4-one and (+)-7(14),10-bisaboladien-1-ol-4-one were isolated and identified from Cryptomeria japonica as antifeedants against Locusta migratoria L. which is well known as a serious pest to cereals throughout the world. These compounds strongly inhibited the feeding of L. migratoria only when they were combined, but each compound alone did not show any activity.     

Mammalian Bcnt/Cfdp1, a potential epigenetic factor characterized by an acidic stretch in the disordered N-terminal and Ser250 phosphorylation in the conserved C-terminal regions

The BCNT (Bucentaur) superfamily is classified by an uncharacteristic conserved sequence of ∼80 amino acids (aa) at the C-terminus, BCNT-C (the conserved C-terminal region of Bcnt/Cfdp1). Whereas the yeast Swc5 and Drosophila Yeti homologues play crucial roles in chromatin remodelling organization, mammalian Bcnt/Cfdp1 (craniofacial developmental protein 1) remains poorly understood. The protein, which lacks cysteine, is largely disordered and comprises an acidic N-terminal region, a lysine/glutamic acid/proline-rich 40 aa sequence and BCNT-C. It shows complex mobility on SDS/PAGE at ∼50 kDa, whereas its calculated molecular mass is ∼33 kDa. To characterize this mobility discrepancy and the effects of post-translational modifications (PTMs), we expressed various deleted His–Bcnt in E. coli and HEK cells and found that an acidic stretch in the N-terminal region is a main cause of the gel shift. Exogenous BCNT/CFDP1 constitutively expressed in HEK clones appears as a doublet at 49 and 47 kDa, slower than the protein expressed in Escherichia coli but faster than the endogenous protein on SDS/PAGE. Among seven in vivo phosphorylation sites, Ser²⁵⁰, which resides in a region between disordered and ordered regions in BCNT-C, is heavily phosphorylated and detected predominantly in the 49 kDa band. Together with experiments involving treatment with phosphatases and Ser²⁵⁰ substitutions, the results indicate that the complex behaviour of Bcnt/Cfdp1 on SDS/PAGE is caused mainly by an acidic stretch in the N-terminal region and Ser²⁵⁰ phosphorylation in BCNT-C. Furthermore, Bcnt/Cfdp1 is acetylated in vitro by CREB-binding protein (CBP) and four lysine residues including Lys²⁶⁸ in BCNT-C are also acetylated in vivo, revealing a protein regulated at multiple levels.     

Amyloid β induces adhesion of erythrocytes to endothelial cells and affects endothelial viability and functionality

It has been suggested that amyloid β-peptide (Aβ) might mediate the adhesion of erythrocytes to the endothelium which could disrupt the properties of endothelial cells. We provide evidence here that Aβ actually induced the binding of erythrocytes to endothelial cells and decreased endothelial viability, perhaps by the generation of oxidative and inflammatory stress. These changes are likely to contribute to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease.     

Environmental dependence of population dynamics and height growth of a subalpine conifer across its vertical distribution: an approach using high‐resolution aerial photographs

Many studies have reported shifts in the altitudinal ranges of plant species in response to recent global warming. However, most studies of tree species have been conducted on a small scale and have focused on tree line ecotones by examining tree rings and age structure on account of the long life spans of the trees. To examine the impact of climate change on forest dynamics at a regional scale, we investigated differences in the population density and canopy height of a Japanese subalpine coniferous species, Abies mariesii, between 1967 and 2003 by analysis of high‐resolution aerial photographs of the Hakkoda Mountains, Honshu, Japan. In 712 plots within the photographs we analyzed which environmental variables (including elevation, aspect, wetness, and distance from moorlands) account for these changes. The population density of A. mariesii decreased below 1000 m a.s.l. and increased above 1300 m a.s.l. It also increased around moorlands, which may provide refugia at low elevations. The rate of increase in canopy height was lowest on the southeastern slopes and on the periphery of the moorlands. The distinct changes in the population density of A. mariesii at its distribution limits probably reflect the responses of the population to climatic changes during three decades. Areas surrounding the moorlands may offer refugia in spite of the poor growing conditions there.     

Ultrasensitive human prion detection in cerebrospinal fluid by real-time quaking-induced conversion

The development of technologies for the in vitro amplification of abnormal conformations of prion protein (PrP(Sc)) has generated the potential for sensitive detection of prions. Here we developed a new PrP(Sc) amplification assay, called real-time quaking-induced conversion (RT-QUIC), which allows the detection of ≥1 fg of PrP(Sc) in diluted Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) brain homogenate. Moreover, we assessed the technique first in a series of Japanese subjects and then in a blind study of 30 cerebrospinal fluid specimens from Australia, which achieved greater than 80% sensitivity and 100% specificity. These findings indicate the promising enhanced diagnostic capacity of RT-QUIC in the antemortem evaluation of suspected CJD.     

Anterior medial prefrontal cortex exhibits activation during task preparation but deactivation during task execution

Background

The anterior prefrontal cortex (PFC) exhibits activation during some cognitive tasks, including episodic memory, reasoning, attention, multitasking, task sets, decision making, mentalizing, and processing of self-referenced information. However, the medial part of anterior PFC is part of the default mode network (DMN), which shows deactivation during various goal-directed cognitive tasks compared to a resting baseline. One possible factor for this pattern is that activity in the anterior medial PFC (MPFC) is affected by dynamic allocation of attentional resources depending on task demands. We investigated this possibility using an event related fMRI with a face working memory task.

Methodology/Principal Findings

Sixteen students participated in a single fMRI session. They were asked to form a task set to remember the faces (Face memory condition) or to ignore them (No face memory condition), then they were given 6 seconds of preparation period before the onset of the face stimuli. During this 6-second period, four single digits were presented one at a time at the center of the display, and participants were asked to add them and to remember the final answer. When participants formed a task set to remember faces, the anterior MPFC exhibited activation during a task preparation period but deactivation during a task execution period within a single trial.

Conclusions/Significance

The results suggest that the anterior MPFC plays a role in task set formation but is not involved in execution of the face working memory task. Therefore, when attentional resources are allocated to other brain regions during task execution, the anterior MPFC shows deactivation. The results suggest that activation and deactivation in the anterior MPFC are affected by dynamic allocation of processing resources across different phases of processing.     

Resistance to Apo2 ligand (Apo2L)/tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL)-mediated apoptosis and constitutive expression of Apo2L/TRAIL in human T-cell leukemia virus type 1-infected T-cell lines

Adult T-cell leukemia (ATL), a CD4+-T-cell malignancy caused by human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1), is difficult to cure, and novel treatments are urgently needed. Apo2 ligand (Apo2L; also tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand [TRAIL]) has been implicated in antitumor therapy. We found that HTLV-1-infected T-cell lines and primary ATL cells were more resistant to Apo2L-induced apoptosis than uninfected cells. Interestingly, HTLV-1-infected T-cell lines and primary ATL cells constitutively expressed Apo2L mRNA. Inducible expression of the viral oncoprotein Tax in a T-cell line up-regulated Apo2L mRNA. Analysis of the Apo2L promoter revealed that this gene is activated by Tax via the activation of NF-kappaB. The sensitivity to Apo2L was not correlated with expression levels of Apo2L receptors, intracellular regulators of apoptosis (FLICE-inhibitory protein and active Akt). NF-kappaB plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis and survival of ATL cells. The resistance to Apo2L-induced apoptosis was reversed by N-acetyl-L-leucinyl-L-leucinyl-lLnorleucinal (LLnL), an NF-kappaB inhibitor. LLnL significantly induced the Apo2L receptors DR4 and DR5. Our results suggest that the constitutive activation of NF-kappaB is essential for Apo2L gene induction and protection against Apo2L-induced apoptosis and that suppression of NF-kappaB may be a useful adjunct in clinical use of Apo2L against ATL.