In vitro flowering of Fortunella hindsii (Champ.)

Branch internodes of mature plants and stem internodes of seedlings of Fortunella hindsii flowered in vitro on half-strength MT (Murashige and Tucker 1969) basal medium supplemented with benzyladenine, adenine, 6---dimethylallylaminopurine and kinetin. The highest percentage of flowering was achieved with explants originating from branch internodes of flowering plants close to the apex on half-strength MT basal medium containing 5% sucrose and 0.01 mg 1^–1 BA in light. Exposure to darkness for more than 3 weeks followed by re-exposure to light reduced flowering. Flowering required a 4-day exposure to BA, but shoot formation could be initiated even without exposure to BA. First branch internode segments on MT basal medium containing 5% sucrose were prolific in flower (85%) production. The sucrose treatment affected the flower bud size distribution. There were about 13 flower buds per culture in the largest size category (>5 mm).     

CHARMM-GUI HMMM Builder for Membrane Simulations with the Highly Mobile Membrane-Mimetic Model

Slow diffusion of the lipids in conventional all-atom simulations of membrane systems makes it difficult to sample large rearrangements of lipids and protein-lipid interactions. Recently, Tajkhorshid and co-workers developed the highly mobile membrane-mimetic (HMMM) model with accelerated lipid motion by replacing the lipid tails with small organic molecules. The HMMM model provides accelerated lipid diffusion by one to two orders of magnitude, and is particularly useful in studying membrane-protein associations. However, building an HMMM simulation system is not easy, as it requires sophisticated treatment of the lipid tails. In this study, we have developed CHARMM-GUI HMMM Builder (http://www.charmm-gui.org/input/hmmm) to provide users with ready-to-go input files for simulating HMMM membrane systems with/without proteins. Various lipid-only and protein-lipid systems are simulated to validate the qualities of the systems generated by HMMM Builder with focus on the basic properties and advantages of the HMMM model. HMMM Builder supports all lipid types available in CHARMM-GUI and also provides a module to convert back and forth between an HMMM membrane and a full-length membrane. We expect HMMM Builder to be a useful tool in studying membrane systems with enhanced lipid diffusion.     

Complete mitochondrial genome sequence of the Korean water deer Hydropotes inermis argyropus (Cervidae, Capreolinae)

The complete mitochondrial genome sequence of Hydropotes inermis argyropus consists of 13 protein-coding, 22 tRNA, and two rRNA genes, and 1 control region (CR). Three overlaps among the 13 protein-coding genes were found: ATP8/ATP6, ND4L/ND4, and ND5/ND6. The CR was located between the tRNA-Pro and tRNA-Phe genes and is 928 bp in length. The typical conserved domains, such as TAS and CSB, were identified in the CR.     

Wildlife forensics using mitochondrial DNA sequences: Species identification based on hairs collected in the field and confiscated tanned Felidae leathers

To identify species based on samples without recognizable morphological characteristics, DNA-based approaches are the best option. Here, we describe two cases of the determination of species and geographical origin of wildlife specimens under the regulation of international treaties and domestic laws related to wildlife management in South Korea. First, hairs of suspected wild or reared endangered Asiatic black bears were analyzed using cytochrome oxidase I and the control region. Confiscated Felidae leathers were also investigated using cytochrome b, but they were proven to be fabricated canine leathers. These results were used as scientific evidence for wildlife-related law enforcement. Our results suggest that unrecognizable wildlife specimens can be identified efficiently using DNA sequence-based analysis. Finally, this study shows that conservation genetics research and its applications can be incorporated into wildlife forensic studies.     

Induction of Ym1/2 in mouse bone marrow-derived mast cells by IL-4 and identification of Ym1/2 in connective tissue type-like mast cells derived from bone marrow cells cultured with IL-4 and stem cell factor

Mast cells play an important role in allergic inflammation by releasing various bioactive mediators. The function of mast cells is enhanced by various stimuli, partly due to the induction of specific genes and their products. Although many inducible genes have been identified, a significant number of genes remain to be identified. Therefore, this study used PCR-selected cDNA subtraction to establish the profile of induced genes in the connective tissue (CT) type-like mast cells derived from bone marrow cells cultured in the presence of IL-4 and stem cell factor. Two hundred and fifty cDNA clones were obtained from the CT type-like mast cells by PCR-selected cDNA subtraction. Among them, Ym1/2, a chitinase-like protein, is one of the most abundantly induced genes. Ym1 is produced by activated macrophages in a parasitic infection, whereas its isotype, Ym2, is highly upregulated in allergic lung disease. In order to differentiate which isotype is expressed in bone marrow cells, specific primers for bone marrow-derived mast cells (BMMC), and CT type-like mast cells were used for RT-PCR. The results showed that Ym1 was constitutively expressed in bone marrow cells and gradually decreased in the presence of IL-3, whereas Ym2 was induced only in the presence of IL-4. CT type-like mast cells from bone marrow cells expressed Ym1 throughout the culture period and Ym2 was induced only by the addition of IL-4 into BMMC, indicating that IL-4 is essential for the expression of Ym1/2 genes.     

Chromatin insulator and the promoter targeting sequence modulate the timing of long-range enhancer-promoter interactions in the Drosophila embryo

The homeotic genes are essential to the patterning of the anterior-posterior axis along the developing Drosophila embryo. The expression timing and levels of these genes are crucial for the correct specification of segmental identity. The Abdominal-B (Abd-B) gene is first detected in the most posterior abdominal segments at high levels and gradually appears in progressively anterior abdominal segments in lower amounts. Regulatory mutations affecting this expression pattern produce homeotic transformations in the abdomen. The promoter targeting sequences (PTS) from Abd-B locus overcome the enhancer blocking effect of insulators and facilitate long-range enhancer-promoter interactions in transgenic flies (1, 2). In this study, we found that transgene activation by the IAB5 enhancer can be delayed by inserting a 9.5 kb 3′ Abd-B regulatory region containing the Frontabdominal-8 (Fab-8) insulator and the PTS element. We found that the delay is caused by the PTS and an insulator, and it is not specific to the enhancer or the promoter tested. Based on these findings, we hypothesize that the delay of remote enhancers is responsible for the Abd-B expression pattern, which is at least in part due to the regulatory activities of the PTS elements and chromatin boundaries.     

Body Mass Index and Depressive Symptoms in Older Adults: A Cross-Lagged Panel Analysis

Background

There are conflicting results about the association between body mass index (BMI) and depressive symptoms in older adults. The present study examined the relationship between weight and depressive symptoms over time in older adults in South Korea.

Methods

We used data from three waves of the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging and ran a series of cross-lagged panel models to test the reciprocal relationship between depressive symptoms and obesity in older Korean adults. We assumed a temporally stable relationship between depressive symptoms and obesity and, thus imposed equality constraints over time.

Results

After controlling for the effect of depressive symptoms two years prior, underweight older adults had a higher depressive symptom score than those of normal weight. When controlling for obesity status from two years prior, older adults with higher levels of depressive symptoms were more likely to be underweight and less likely to be overweight than normal weight. The same patterns were observed in data from 2006 to 2008 and from 2008 to 2010.

Conclusions

These results show that there is a correlation between depressive symptoms and weight status. In middle-aged and elderly Asian populations, depression can lead to weight loss rather than obesity, and underweight may develop depressive symptoms.     

Embryogenic protoplast cultures of orange jessamine (Murraya paniculata) and their regeneration into plants flowering in vitro

Embryogenic callus was induced from the hypocotyl region of seedlings germinated from immature embryos of orange jessamine (Murraya paniculata (L.) Jack) on Murashige & Tucker (1969) medium containing 50 g l^-1 sucrose, 5.0 mg l^-1 benzyladenine, 2.5 mg l^-1 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid and 600 mg l^-1 malt extract. Isolated protoplasts divided to produce callus on Murashige & Tucker (1969) medium containing 50 g l^-1 sucrose, 0.01 mg l^-1 gibberellin A₄₊₇ and 600 mg l^-1 malt extract. Callus developed to plantlets via somatic embryogenesis on Murashige & Tucker (1969) medium with 50 g l^-1 lactose but no plant growth regulators. These plantlets flowered in vitro on half strength Murashige & Tucker (1969) medium containing 50 g l^-1 sucrose after 2 months culture.Abbreviations BA benzyladenine - 2,4-d 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid - FDA fluorescein diacetate - FM full strength MT medium - FMG full strength MT medium +1 mg l^-1 GA₃ - GA₃ gibberellin A₃ - GA₄₊₇ gibberellin A₄₊₇ - HM half strength MT medium - HMG half strength MT medium +1 mg l^-1 GA₃ - MT Murashige & Tucker (1969)     

High-frequency in vitro flowering of Murraya paniculata (L.) Jack

Shoots of orange jessamine (Murraya paniculata) a member of the Rutaceae family flowered in vitro on half-strength MT basal medium containing 5% sucrose. The highest percentage (95%) of flowering was obtained on medium supplemented with 0.1 mg l^–1 N⁶-benzyladenine and pH 5.7. A “floral gradient” was detected among the stem internodes and root segments derived from seedlings, with shoot and flower formation significantly influenced by position on the shoot internodes and root segments. Flower buds originating from shoots derived from seeds but not other tissues developed into normal flowers and produced zygotic embryos. Received: 10 December 1997 / Revision received: 5 November 1998 / Accepted: 2 December 1998     

Site-independently integrated transgenes in the elite restorer rice line Minghui 63 allow removal of a selectable marker from the gene of interest by self-segregation

In this study, we have demonstrated that two independent loci are involved in the integration of the insecticidal protein gene cryIAb/cryIAc and selectable marker gene hph in the recipient genome of the elite Chinese CMS restorer line Minghui 63. We have also documented the structural organization of these transgenes in each locus by restriction enzyme digestion and Southern blot analysis. The independent locus integration of different transgenes allowed us to remove the selectable marker gene hph from the gene of interest simply by self-segregation. Not having the selectable marker gene will enhance the commercial value of our transgenic line TT51-1, which showed a consistently high level of resistance against repeated infestations of yellow stem borers and natural outbreaks of leaf-folders, without a reduction in yield potential.