Prediction and association analyses of skin phenotypes in Japanese females using genetic, environmental, and physical features.

Background: Skin characteristics show great variation from person to person and are affected by multiple factors, including genetic, environmental, and physical factors, but details of the involvement and contributions of these factors remain unclear.

Objectives: We aimed to characterize genetic, environmental, and physical factors affecting 16 skin features by developing models to predict personal skin characteristics.

Methods: We analyzed the associations of skin phenotypes with genetic, environmental, and physical features in 1472 Japanese females aged 20-80 years.

A unique kinesin-like protein, Klp8, is involved in mitosis and cell morphology through microtubule stabilization.

Kinesins are microtubule (MT)-based motors involved in various cellular functions including intracellular transport of vesicles and organelles, and dynamics of chromosomes during cell division. The fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe expresses nine kinesin-like proteins (klps). Klp8 is one of them and has not been characterized yet though it has been reported to localize at the division site.

Fission yeast Adf1 is necessary for reassembly of actin filaments into the contractile ring during cytokinesis.

ADF/cofilin family proteins quickly disassemble actin in vitro, and are thought to be involved in various actin dynamics in the cell. Adf1 is a member of this family proteins expressed in fission yeast, and is thought to play roles in actin patch dynamics and also contractile ring formation during cytokinesis. We aimed to understand the function of this protein in cytokinesis in detail using the temperature-sensitive mutant adf1-1.