Publications by authors named "Ai Kawahara"

Plants have evolved diverse strategies for foraging, e.g., mycorrhizae, modification of root system architecture, and secretion of phosphatase.

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The multiple bacteriocins produced by Lactiplantibacillus plantarum PUK6 isolated from misozuke-tofu (tofu pickled in miso) were identified as plantaricins A, EF, and NC8. The pln locus (21,847 bp) containing the three plantaricin structural genes and another newly found putative bacteriocin structural genes (orf1 and orf2) were determined, and a biosynthesis mechanism was proposed. Reverse transcription-PCR analysis revealed that orf1 and orf2, the putative two-peptide bacteriocin structural genes, were expressed after 8 h (logarithmic growth phase) and 20 h (stationary growth phase) of cultivation of the PUK6 strain.

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Transplant acquired food allergy (TAFA) is a well-known complication following pediatric liver transplantation, but post-cord blood transplantation (post-CBT) TAFA has rarely been reported. Here, we describe a case of new-onset food anaphylaxis after CBT in an adult patient that demonstrates that post-CBT allergen-challenge is not a risk for long-term allergic sensitization even in adult recipients. The patient was a 39-year-old Japanese man with aggressive NK cell leukemia.

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In vertebrates, gap junctions and hemichannels consisting of connexins are important cell surface structures for communication with neighboring cells and for the regulation of various cell functions. To date, various gap-junction-related proteins have been found, including innexins in invertebrates and pannexins in vertebrates. Significant contributions of gap junctions by innexins and (hemi-)channels by pannexins to numerous functions have been reported.

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Soil acidity is a major constraint on plant productivity. Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi support plant colonization in acidic soil, but soil acidity also constrains fungal growth and diversity. Fungi in extreme environments generally evolve towards specialists, suggesting that AM fungi in acidic soil are acidic-soil specialists.

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Primary hepatic lymphoma (PHL) is an extremely rare disease, frequently associated with viruses such as hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and human immune deficiency virus (HIV). On the other hand, an increased risk of lymphoproliferative disorders (LPD) has been demonstrated in patients treated with immunosuppressive drugs such as methotrexate (MTX) for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The role of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) has been discussed in the pathogenesis of the immunodeficiency-associated LPDs.

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Coastal dune vegetation distributes zonally along the environmental gradients of, e.g., soil disturbance.

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Plasmodiophora brassicae is a soil-borne obligate intracellular parasite in the phylum Cercozoa of the Rhizaria that causes clubroot disease of crucifer crops. To control the disease, understanding the distribution and infection routes of the pathogen is essential, and thus development of reliable molecular markers to discriminate geographic populations is required. In this study, the nuclear ribosomal RNA gene (rDNA) repeat unit of P.

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