Immature Pacific bluefin tuna, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Thunnus orientalis</Emphasis>, utilizes cold waters in the Subarctic Frontal Zone for trans-Pacific migration

The habitat and movements of a Pacific bluefin tuna were investigated by reanalyzing archival tag data with sea surface temperature data. During its trans-Pacific migration to the eastern Pacific, the fish took a direct path and primarily utilized waters, in the Subarctic Frontal Zone (SFZ). Mean ambient temperature during the trans-Pacific migration was 14.5 ± 2.9 (°C ± SD), which is significantly colder than the waters typically inhabited by bluefin tuna in their primary feeding grounds in the western and eastern Pacific (17.6 ± 2.1). The fish moved rapidly through the colder water, and the heat produced during swimming and the thermoconservation ability of bluefin tuna likely enabled it to migrate through the cold waters of the SFZ.     

Fission yeast MO25 protein is localized at SPB and septum and is essential for cell morphogenesis

Cell morphogenesis is of fundamental significance in all eukaryotes for development, differentiation, and cell proliferation. In fission yeast, Drosophila Furry-like Mor2 plays an essential role in cell morphogenesis in concert with the NDR/Tricornered kinase Orb6. Mutations of these genes result in the loss of cell polarity. Here we show that the conserved proteins, MO25-like Pmo25, GC kinase Nak1, Mor2, and Orb6, constitute a morphogenesis network that is important for polarity control and cell separation. Intriguingly, Pmo25 was localized at the mitotic spindle pole bodies (SPBs) and then underwent translocation to the dividing medial region upon cytokinesis. Pmo25 formed a complex with Nak1 and was required for both the localization and kinase activity of Nak1. Pmo25 and Nak1 in turn were essential for Orb6 kinase activity. Further, the Pmo25 localization at the SPBs and the Nak1-Orb6 kinase activities during interphase were under the control of the Cdc7 and Sid1 kinases in the septation initiation network (SIN), suggesting a functional linkage between SIN and the network for cell morphogenesis/separation following cytokinesis.     

Cardiovascular actions of central neuromedin U in conscious rats

Neuromedin U (NMU) is a brain-gut peptide, which peripherally stimulates smooth muscle, increases of blood pressure, alters ion transport in the gut, controls local blood flow, and regulates adrenocortical function. Although intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) administration of NMU is known to decrease food intake and body weight, little is known about its effect on other physiological functions. We examined the effects of i.c.v. administration of NMU on mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR), and plasma norepinephrine in conscious rats. Neuromedin U (0.05 and 0.5 nmol) provoked an increase in MAP (93.8 +/- 0.5 to 123.5 +/- 1.7 and 94.7 +/- 0.8 to 132.7 +/- 3.0 mm Hg, respectively) and HR (334.9 +/- 6.0 to 494.1 +/- 6.9 and 346.3 +/- 3.3 to 475.1 +/- 8.9 beats/min, respectively). In contrast, plasma norepinephrine increased only with a high dose of neuromedin U. Intravenously administered NMU (0.5 nmol) elicited a small and short lasting increase in MAP, compared to that by i.c.v. NMU. These results indicate that central neuromedin U regulates sympathetic nervous system activity and affects cardiovascular function.     

Ex vivo intraoperative angiography for rectus abdominis musculocutaneous free flaps

In this study, the vascular architecture of rectus abdominis free flaps nourished by deep inferior epigastric vessels was investigated using an ex vivo intraoperative angiogram. Oblique rectus abdominis free flaps were elevated and isolated from the donor site. In 11 patients, the vascular architecture of these flaps was analyzed before the flap was thinned. Radiographic study identified an average of 2.1 large deep inferior epigastric arterial perforators in each flap. In nine of the 11 flaps, the axial artery was visible. In four flaps, the axial artery originated from the perforator of the lateral branch of the deep inferior epigastric artery; in five others, it originated from the medial branch. In each flap, the angle of the axial perforator from its anterior rectus sheath in the vertical plane was measured; its mean was 50.6 degrees. All flaps survived, although three showed partial necrosis in the distal portions. In two of these three flaps, the axial artery was not visible in the angiograms, and the third revealed a one-sided distribution of axial flap arteries. Using ex vivo intraoperative angiography, the architecture of the individual flap, its axial perforator, and its connecting axial flap vessel could be investigated. This information can help the surgeon safely thin and separate the flap.     

CD44 stimulation by fragmented hyaluronic acid induces upregulation and tyrosine phosphorylation of c-Met receptor protein in human chondrosarcoma cells

Hepatocyte growth factor/scatter factor (HGF/SF) can induce proliferation and motility and promote invasion of tumor cells. Since HGF/SF receptor, c-Met, is expressed by tumor cells, and since stimulation of CD44, a transmembrane glycoprotein known to bind hyaluronic acid (HA) in its extracellular domain, is involved in activation of c-Met, we have studied the effects of CD44 stimulation by ligation with HA upon the expression and tyrosine phosphorylation of c-Met on human chondrosarcoma cell line HCS-2/8. The current study indicates that (a) CD44 stimulation by fragmented HA upregulates expression of c-Met proteins; (b) fragmented HA also induces tyrosine phosphorylation of c-Met protein within 30 min, an early event in this pathway as shown by the early time course of stimulation; (c) the effects of HA fragments are critically HA size-dependent. High molecular weight HA is inactive, but lower molecular weight fragments (M(r) 3.5 kDa) are active with maximal effect in the microg/ml range; (d) the standard form of CD44 (CD44s) is critical for the response because the effect on c-Met, both in terms of upregulation and phosphorylation, is inhibited by preincubation with an anti-CD44 monoclonal antibody; and (e) phosphorylation of c-Met induced by CD44 stimulation is inhibited by protein tyrosine kinase inhibitor, tyrphostin. Therefore, our study represents the first report that CD44 stimulation induced by fragmented HA enhances c-Met expression and tyrosine phosphorylation in human chondrosarcoma cells. Taken together, these studies establish a signal transduction cascade or cross-talk emanating from CD44 to c-Met.     

Induction of Light Dependent Pyruvate Transport into Chloroplasts of Mesembryanthemum crystallinum by Salt Stress

Mode of photosynthesis in Mesembryanthemum crystallinum changesfrom C₃ to Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) when the plantswere stressed with high salinity. [¹⁴C]Pyruvate uptake for 30s into intact chloroplasts isolated from leaves of the CAM modeof M. crystallinum was enhanced more than 5-fold in the lightcompared with that in the dark. The stromal concentration ofpyruvate in the light reached to more than 2.5 times of themedium. In contrast, little or no pyruvate uptake occurred inchloroplasts from C₃ leaves in either light or dark condition.The initial uptake rate (10 s incubation at 4°C) into theCAM chloroplasts in the light was about 3-fold higher than therate in the dark. K_m and V_max of the initial uptake in the lightwere 0.54 mM and 8.5 µmol (mg Chl)^–1 h^–1 respectively.These suggest that pyruvate was actively incorporated into theCAM chloroplasts against its concentration gradient across theenvelope in the light. When hydroponically grown M. crystallinumwere stressed by 350 mM NaCl, the capacity of chloroplasts forpyruvate uptake was induced in 6 d corresponding to the inductionof the activities of PEP-carboxylase and NAD(P)⁺-malic enzymesin response to salt stress. (Received October 12, 1995; Accepted January 19, 1996)     

Plant growth-promoting activities of alkoxycarbonylisoureas in relation to their chemical structures

A number of alkoxycarbonylisourea derivatives were synthesized and their plant growth-promoting activities examined by the rice (Oryza sativa) seedling test. Isourea compounds with an appropriate substituent such as a halogen atom or a methyl, ethyl or methoxy group at the para-position on a benzene ring in 1-alkoxycarbonyl-2-alkyl-3-phenylcarbamoylisoureas promoted the growth of rice seedlings and acted as a highly active gibberellic acid-synergist when used in combination with gibberellic acid. The common structural requirements of isourea derivatives applied well for a growth promoter and a gibberellic acid-synergist.     

Aerobic exercise training reduces plasma endothelin-1 concentration in older women.

Endothelial function deteriorates with aging. On the other hand, exercise training improves the function of vascular endothelial cells. Endothelin-1 (ET-1), which is produced by vascular endothelial cells, has potent constrictor and proliferative activity in vascular smooth muscle cells and, therefore, has been implicated in regulation of vascular tonus and progression of atherosclerosis. We previously reported significantly higher plasma ET-1 concentration in middle-aged than in young humans, and recently we showed that plasma ET-1 concentration was significantly decreased by aerobic exercise training in healthy young humans. We hypothesized that plasma ET-1 concentration increases with age, even in healthy adults, and that lifestyle modification (i.e., exercise) can reduce plasma ET-1 concentration in previously sedentary older adults. We measured plasma ET-1 concentration in healthy young women (21-28 yr old), healthy middle-aged women (31-47 yr old), and healthy older women (61-69 yr old). The plasma level of ET-1 significantly increased with aging (1.02 +/- 0.08, 1.33 +/- 0.11, and 2.90 +/- 0.20 pg/ml in young, middle-aged, and older women, respectively). Thus plasma ET-1 concentration was markedly higher in healthy older women than in healthy young or middle-aged women (by approximately 3- and 2-fold, respectively). In healthy older women, we also measured plasma ET-1 concentration after 3 mo of aerobic exercise (cycling on a leg ergometer at 80% of ventilatory threshold for 30 min, 5 days/wk). Regular exercise significantly decreased plasma ET-1 concentration in the healthy older women (2.22 +/- 0.16 pg/ml, P < 0.01) and also significantly reduced their blood pressure. The present study suggests that regular aerobic-endurance exercise reduces plasma ET-1 concentration in older humans, and this reduction in plasma ET-1 concentration may have beneficial effects on the cardiovascular system (i.e., prevention of progression of hypertension and/or atherosclerosis by endogenous ET-1).     

A role of CXC chemokine ligand 12/stromal cell-derived factor-1/pre-B cell growth stimulating factor and its receptor CXCR4 in fetal and adult T cell development in vivo

The functions of a chemokine CXC chemokine ligand (CXCL) 12/stromal cell-derived factor-1/pre-B cell growth stimulating factor and its physiologic receptor CXCR4 in T cell development are controversial. In this study, we have genetically further characterized their roles in fetal and adult T cell development using mutant and chimeric mice. In CXCL12(-/-) or CXCR4(-/-) embryos on a C57BL/6 background, accumulation of T cell progenitors in the outer mesenchymal layer of the thymus anlage during initial colonization of the fetal thymus was comparable with that seen in wild-type embryos. However, the expansion of CD3(-)CD4(-)CD8(-) triple-negative T cell precursors at the CD44(-)CD25(+) and CD44(-)CD25(-) stages, and CD4(+)CD8(+) double-positive thymocytes was affected during embryogenesis in these mutants. In radiation chimeras competitively repopulated with CXCR4(-/-) fetal liver cells, the reduction in donor-derived thymocytes compared with wild-type chimeras was much more severe than the reduction in donor-derived myeloid lineage cells in bone marrow. Triple negative CD44(+)CD25(+) T cell precursors exhibited survival response to CXCL12 in the presence of stem cell factor as well as migratory response to CXCL12. Thus, it may be that CXCL12 and CXCR4 are involved in the expansion of T cell precursors in both fetal and adult thymus in vivo. Finally, enforced expression of bcl-2 did not rescue impaired T cell development in CXCR4(-/-) embryos or impaired reconstitution of CXCR4(-/-) thymocytes in competitively repopulated mice, suggesting that defects in T cell development caused by CXCR4 mutation are not caused by reduced expression of bcl-2.     

Detection of protein-protein interactions and a group of immunoglobulin G-associated minor proteins in human plasma by nondenaturing and denaturing two-dimensional gel electrophoresis

The dissociation of noncovalently associated protein-protein complexes in human plasma was examined by comparing two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) patterns obtained in two different electrophoretic conditions. A type I 2-DE pattern was obtained running nondenaturing isoelectric focusing (IEF) followed by nondenaturing gel electrophoresis and a type II 2-DE pattern was nondenaturing IEF followed by sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis. Micro-sized gels (internal diameter(id) 1.3 x 35 mm polyacrylamide IEF gels and 38 x 38 x 1 mm polyacryamide slab gels) were used to follow the dissociation processes of major plasma proteins. Larger gel sizes (id 3.4 x 160 mm agarose IEF gels and 160 x 120 x 2.8 mm polyacrylamide slab gels) were used to detect minor plasma proteins dissociated from major proteins. About 110 spots, which have not been detected on type I (nondenaturing) 2-D gels, newly appeared on type II large-sized 2-D gels at molecular masses smaller than 67 kDa. Some of these spots had been analyzed and identified, but about 70 minor spots (isoelectric point 5.5-7.5 and relative molecular mass 8-45 kDa) were detected for the first time by applying large volumes of human plasma samples to the large type II 2-D gels. These minor spots could be concentrated on type II 2-D gels by enriching the immunoglobulin G (IgG) fraction under nondenaturing conditions, and they disappeared when IgG was removed from the fraction. These results strongly suggest that many of the minor spots newly detected were bound to IgG in physiological conditions.