Variation and association of fibronectin‐binding protein genes fnbA and fnbB in Staphylococcus aureus Japanese isolates

Fibronectin‐binding proteins A and B (FnBPA and FnBPB) mediate adhesion of Staphylococcus aureus to fibrinogen, elastin and fibronectin. FnBPA and FnBPB are encoded by two closely linked genes, fnbA and fnbB, respectively. With the exception of the N‐terminal regions, the amino acid sequences of FnBPA and FnBPB are highly conserved. To investigate the genetics and evolution of fnbA and fnbB, the most variable regions, which code for the 67th amino acids of the A through B regions (A67–B) of fnbA and fnbB, were focused upon. Eighty isolates of S. aureus in Japan were sequenced and 19 and 18 types in fnbA and fnbB, respectively, identified. Although the phylogeny of fnbA and fnbB were found to be quite different, each fnbA type connected with a specific fnbB type, indicating that fnbA and fnbB mutate independently, whereas the combination of both genes after recombination is stable. Hence those fnbA–fnbB combinations were defined as FnBP sequence types (FnSTs). Representative isolates of each FnST were assigned distinct STs by multilocus sequence typing, suggesting correspondence of FnST with genome lineage. Linkage disequilibrium (LD) analysis of the A67–B region revealed that subdomains N2, N3 and FnBR1 form a LD block in fnbA, whereas N2 and N3 form two independent LD blocks in fnbB. N2–N3 three‐dimensional structural models indicated that not only the variable amino acid residues, but also well‐conserved amino acid residues between FnBPA and FnBPB, are located on the surface of the protein. These results highlight a molecular process of the FnBP that has evolved by mingled mutation and recombination with retention of functions.     

Cloning and Characterization of Two Novel Human cDNAs (NELL1 and NELL2) Encoding Proteins with Six EGF-like Repeats

From a human fetal-brain cDNA library we isolated two novel genes encoding peptides containing six EGF-like repeats. Both showed significant homologies with nel, a gene strongly expressed in neural tissues of chicken. The cDNAs, designated NELL1 (nel-like, type 1) and NELL2 (nel-like, type 2), contained open reading frames encoding 810 and 816 amino acids, respectively. NELL2 is strongly expressed in brain of adult and fetus but only weakly in fetal kidney. NELL1 and NELL2 were mapped by FISH to chromosomal bands 11p15.1–p15.2 and 12q13.11–q13.12, respectively.     

Asterostroma species (Basidiomycota) from mangrove forests in Japan

A new homobasidiomycete, Asterostroma macrosporum, was found in mangrove forests of Iriomote Island, Japan. This species is morphologically characterized by having resupinate basidiomata, a monomitic (asterodimitic) hyphal system, simple septate generative hyphae, dextrinoid asterosetae, four sterigmate basidia and globose, tuberculate and amyloid basidiospores measuring 8.5–11 × 7.5–9 μm. It is similar to A. muscicola, but basidiospores in the latter are smaller (7–8 × 5.5–7 μm). Furthermore, phylogenetic analysis using internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region revealed that A. macrosporum is distinctly separated from A. muscicola. In Japan, A. muscicola is widely distributed in warm-temperate to subtropical regions, growing on a variety of broadleaved trees including mangroves, while A. macrosporum has been found only on mangroves.     

Asymmetric Reduction of 4-Oxoisophorone Using Immobilized Thermophilic Bacteria Under Conditions of Controlled Cell Growth

Asymmetric reduction of 2,6,6,-trimethyl-2-cyclohexene-l,4-dione (4-oxoisophrone) to (6R)-2,2,6-trimethyl-1,4-cyclohexane-dione((3R)-dihydro-4-oxoisophorone) was catalysed by immobilized thermophilic bacteria, Thermomonospora curvata JTS 321. Because of leakage of entrapped cells from gel beads during reactions using culture medium, we optimized the medium to allow the microbial conversion under conditions of controlled cell growth. Of the media screened, liver infusion medium was found to be the most suitable and microbial conversion was achieved without cell leakage from the immobilized gels. Immobilized T. curvata cells were repeatedly used for the asymmetric reduction of 4-oxoisophorone, more than 15 times, with an extent of conversion of 50%.     

Chemopreventive effects of hydroxymatairesinol on uterine carcinogenesis in Donryu rats

Hydroxymatairesinol (HMR), obtained from the heartwood of spruce (Picea abies), has been demonstrated to exert chemo-preventive effects on the development of mammary tumors in rats. To examine the influence of HMR on uterine carcinogenesis, adult Donryu rats were initiated with a single intrauterine treatment of N-ethyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (ENNG) at 11 weeks of age and fed thereafter 0, 200, or 600 ppm HMR mixed in the soy-containing diet until 15 months of age. Incidences of uterine adenocarcinoma in both 200 and 600 ppm HMR-dosed groups were significantly reduced to 11% and 15%, respectively, less than 50% of 0 ppm, at the end of the experiment (P < 0.05). A delay in the start of persistent estrus by HMR was observed at 8 months of age compared with controls given carcinogen alone. From urinalysis, HMR was metabolized mainly to enterolactone and hydroxyenterolactone. These findings suggest that HMR or its metabolites exert chemo-preventive effects in the rat ENNG-uterine carcinogenesis model.     

A gene‐driven recovery mechanism: Drosophila larvae increase feeding activity for post‐stress weight recovery

Recovery from weight loss after stress is important for all organisms, although the recovery mechanisms are not fully understood. We are working to clarify these mechanisms. Here, we recorded enhanced feeding activity of Drosophila melanogaster larvae from 2 to 4 h after heat stress at 35°C for 1 h. During the post‐stress period, expression levels of sweet taste gustatory receptor genes (Grs), Gr5a, Gr43a, Gr64a, and Gr64f, were elevated, whereas bitter taste Grs, Gr66a, and Gr33a, were decreased in expression and expression of a non‐typical taste receptor Gr, Gr68a, was unchanged. Similar upregulation of Gr5a and downregulation of Gr66a was recorded after cold stress at 4°C. Expression levels of tropomyosin and ATP synthase ß subunit were significantly increased in larval mouth parts around 3 to 5 h after the heat stress. We infer that up‐regulation of post‐stress larval feeding activity, and weight recovery, is mediated by increasing capacity for mouth part muscular movements and changes in taste sensing physiology. We propose that Drosophila larvae, and likely insects generally, express an efficient mechanism to recover from weight loss during post‐stress periods.     

Yeast Cdk1 translocates to the plus end of cytoplasmic microtubules to regulate bud cortex interactions

The budding yeast spindle aligns along the mother- bud axis through interactions between cytoplasmic microtubules (CMs) and the cell cortex. Kar9, in complex with the EB1-related protein Bim1, mediates contacts of CMs with the cortex of the daughter cell, the bud. Here we established a novel series of events that target Kar9 to the bud cortex. First, Kar9 binds to spindle pole bodies (SPBs) in G(1) of the cell cycle. Secondly, in G(1)/S the yeast Cdk1, Cdc28, associates with SPBs and phosphorylates Kar9. Thirdly, Kar9 and Cdc28 then move from the SPB to the plus end of CMs directed towards the bud. This movement is dependent upon the microtubule motor protein Kip2. Cdc28 activity is required to concentrate Kar9 at the plus end of CMs and hence to establish contacts with the bud cortex. The Cdc28-regulated localization of Kar9 is therefore an integral part of the program that aligns spindles.     

Prosody Discrimination by Songbirds (Padda oryzivora)

In human verbal communication, not only lexical information, but also paralinguistic information plays an important role in transmitting the speakers’ mental state. Paralinguistic information is conveyed mainly through acoustic features like pitch, rhythm, tempo and so on. These acoustic features are generally known as prosody. It is known that some species of birds can discriminate certain aspects of human speech. However, there have not been any studies on the discrimination of prosody in human language which convey different paralinguistic meanings by birds. In the present study, we have shown that the Java sparrow (Padda oryzivora) can discriminate different prosodic patterns of Japanese sentences. These birds could generalize prosodic discrimination to novel sentences, but could not generalize sentence discrimination to those with novel prosody. Moreover, unlike Japanese speakers, Java sparrows used the first part of the utterance as the discrimination cue.