Myosin II mediates Shh signals to shape dental epithelia via control of cell adhesion and movement.

The development of ectodermal organs begins with the formation of a stratified epithelial placode that progressively invaginates into the underlying mesenchyme as the organ takes its shape. Signaling by secreted molecules is critical for epithelial morphogenesis, but how that information leads to cell rearrangement and tissue shape changes remains an open question. Using the mouse dentition as a model, we first establish that non-muscle myosin II is essential for dental epithelial invagination and show that it functions by promoting cell-cell adhesion and persistent convergent cell movements in the suprabasal layer.

Three-dimensional topography of rat trigeminal ganglion neurons using a combination of retrograde labeling and tissue-clearing techniques.

The trigeminal nerve is the sensory afferent of the orofacial regions and divided into three major branches. Cell bodies of the trigeminal nerve lie in the trigeminal ganglion and are surrounded by satellite cells. There is a close interaction between ganglion cells via satellite cells, but the function is not fully understood.

Identification of the Tembusu Virus in Mosquitoes in Northern Thailand.

Among emerging zoonotic pathogens, mosquito-borne viruses (MBVs) circulate between vertebrate animals and mosquitoes and represent a serious threat to humans via spillover from enzootic cycles to the human community. Active surveillance of MBVs in their vectors is therefore essential to better understand and prevent spillover and emergence, especially at the human-animal interface. In this study, we assessed the presence of MBVs using molecular and phylogenetic methods in mosquitoes collected along an ecological gradient ranging from rural urbanized areas to highland forest areas in northern Thailand.

Potential Protective Effect of Dengue NS1 Human Monoclonal Antibodies against Dengue and Zika Virus Infections.

Due to the lack of an effective therapeutic treatment to flavivirus, dengue virus (DENV) nonstructural protein 1 (NS1) has been considered to develop a vaccine owing to its lack of a role in antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE). However, both NS1 and its antibody have shown cross-reactivity to host molecules and have stimulated anti-DENV NS1 antibody-mediated endothelial damage and platelet dysfunction. To overcome the pathogenic events and reactogenicity, human monoclonal antibodies (HuMAbs) against DENV NS1 were generated from DENV-infected patients.

Development of a rapid assay system for detecting antibody-dependent enhancement of dengue virus infection.

Antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) is one of the pathogenic mechanisms related to disease severity in dengue virus infection. Conventional assays for detecting ADE activity usually require several days. In this study, we established a rapid assay system to evaluate ADE activity in dengue-seropositive samples using single round infectious particles (SRIPs).

Japanese Encephalitis DNA Vaccines with Epitope Modification Reduce the Induction of Cross-Reactive Antibodies against Dengue Virus and Antibody-Dependent Enhancement of Dengue Virus Infection.

Infection with viruses belonging to the genus , such as Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) and dengue virus (DENV), is a worldwide health problem. Vaccines against JEV and DENV are currently available. However, the dengue vaccine possibly increases the risk of severe dengue due to antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE).

Engineered flavivirus vaccines control induction of crossreactive infection-enhancing and -neutralizing antibodies.

Flaviviruses are important human pathogens because of their global distribution and disease severity. The high structural similarity among flaviviruses induces cross-immunity, with individual flaviviruses exhibiting crossreactive infection-enhancing and/or -neutralizing activities against other flaviviruses. Unlike neutralizing antibodies, enhancing antibodies may increase the risk of disease severity.

Development of a system to analyze oral frailty associated with Alzheimer's disease using a mouse model.

The rapid aging of the population makes the detection and prevention of frailty increasingly important. Oral frailty has been proposed as a novel frailty phenotype and is defined as a decrease in oral function coexisting with a decline in cognitive and physical functions. Oral frailty has received particular attention in relation to Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Evolution and development of the mammalian multicuspid teeth.

Background: Mammalian premolars and molars (cheek teeth) are teeth with multiple cusps, which are important characteristics of mammals. Endothermic mammals have high basal metabolic rates and must take in much energy by efficient mastication of food using their multicuspid cheek teeth. From the phylogenetic (evolutionary) perspective, the mammalian multicuspid teeth are derived from the reptilian unicuspid teeth with a single cone by adding new cusps around the original cone.

Retrospective study on the possibility of an SFTS outbreak associated with undiagnosed febrile illness in veterinary professionals and a family with sick dogs in 2003.

Introduction: Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an emerging tick-born disease and its animal-to-human transmission has come to attention recently. During our sero-survey of SFTS virus (SFTSV) among veterinary professionals in 2018, a veterinarian and his assistant working in an animal hospital were tested positive by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). An additional survey implied a cluster of SFTS cases in which four more people, a family who brought two sick dogs to the animal hospital in 2003, were involved.

The potential of COVID-19 patients' sera to cause antibody-dependent enhancement of infection and IL-6 production.

Since the emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), many vaccine trials have been initiated. An important goal of vaccination is the development of neutralizing antibody (Ab) against SARS-CoV-2. However, the possible induction of antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) of infection, which is known for other coronaviruses and dengue virus infections, is a particular concern in vaccine development.

Development of a Dengue Virus Serotype-Specific Non-Structural Protein 1 Capture Immunochromatography Method.

Four serotypes of dengue virus (DENV), type 1 to 4 (DENV-1 to DENV-4), exhibit approximately 25-40% of the difference in the encoded amino acid residues of viral proteins. Reverse transcription of RNA extracted from specimens followed by PCR amplification is the current standard method of DENV serotype determination. However, since this method is time-consuming, rapid detection systems are desirable.

Thoracic Empyema Caused by Campylobacter rectus.

Campylobacter rectus is a campylobacterium considered to be a primary periodontal pathogen. Thus, C. rectus has rarely been isolated from extraoral specimens, especially in the thoracic region.

Tissue-resident M2 macrophages directly contact primary sensory neurons in the sensory ganglia after nerve injury.

Background: Macrophages in the peripheral nervous system are key players in the repair of nerve tissue and the development of neuropathic pain due to peripheral nerve injury. However, there is a lack of information on the origin and morphological features of macrophages in sensory ganglia after peripheral nerve injury, unlike those in the brain and spinal cord. We analyzed the origin and morphological features of sensory ganglionic macrophages after nerve ligation or transection using wild-type mice and mice with bone-marrow cell transplants.

Glycan engineering of the SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain elicits cross-neutralizing antibodies for SARS-related viruses.

Broadly protective vaccines against SARS-related coronaviruses that may cause future outbreaks are urgently needed. The SARS-CoV-2 spike receptor-binding domain (RBD) comprises two regions, the core-RBD and the receptor-binding motif (RBM); the former is structurally conserved between SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV. Here, in order to elicit humoral responses to the more conserved core-RBD, we introduced N-linked glycans onto RBM surfaces of the SARS-CoV-2 RBD and used them as immunogens in a mouse model.

Seroprevalence of Flavivirus Neutralizing Antibodies in Thailand by High-Throughput Neutralization Assay: Endemic Circulation of Zika Virus before 2012.

Thailand is a hyperendemic country for flavivirus infections in Southeast Asia. Although the reporting system for flavivirus surveillance in Thailand is well established, syndromic surveillance tends to underestimate the true epidemiological status of flaviviruses due to the majority of infections being asymptomatic. To accurately understand the prevalence of flaviviruses in endemic regions, we performed neutralization tests against multiple flaviviruses using 147 serum samples from healthy donors collected from four distinct regions in Thailand.

Antibody-dependent enhancement representing in vitro infective progeny virus titer correlates with the viremia level in dengue patients.

Dengue virus (DENV) causes dengue fever (DF) and dengue hemorrhagic fever in humans. Some DF patients suddenly develop severe symptoms around the defervescent period. Although the pathogenic mechanism of the severe symptoms has not been fully elucidated, the viremia level in the early phase has been shown to correlate with the disease severity.

The Periodontium Damage Induces Neuronal Cell Death in the Trigeminal Mesencephalic Nucleus and Neurodegeneration in the Trigeminal Motor Nucleus in C57BL/6J Mice.

Proprioception from masticatory apparatus and periodontal ligaments comes through the trigeminal mesencephalic nucleus (Vmes). We evaluated the effects of tooth loss on neurodegeneration of the Vmes and trigeminal motor nucleus (Vmo). Bilateral maxillary molars of 2-month-old C57BL/6J mice were extracted under anesthesia.

Seroprevalence of Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome Virus in Small-Animal Veterinarians and Nurses in the Japanese Prefecture with the Highest Case Load.

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV) is the causative agent of SFTS, an emerging tick-borne disease in East Asia, and is maintained in enzootic cycles involving ticks and a range of wild animal hosts. Direct transmission of SFTSV from cats and dogs to humans has been identified in Japan, suggesting that veterinarians and veterinary nurses involved in small-animal practice are at occupational risk of SFTSV infection. To characterize this risk, we performed a sero-epidemiological survey in small-animal-practice workers and healthy blood donors in Miyazaki prefecture, which is the prefecture with the highest per capita number of recorded cases of SFTS in Japan.