Nitrate Promotes Germination Under Inhibition by NaCl or High Concentration of Glucose.

Seed germination, one of the most important stages in a plant's life cycle, can be affected by abiotic stresses, such as salinity. The plant hormone abscisic acid (ABA) and high concentrations of glucose are also known to inhibit germination. In contrast, nitrate is known to stimulate germination in many plants.

Studying MHC Class II Peptide Loading and Editing In Vitro.

HLA-DM is now known to have a major contribution to the selection of immunodominant epitopes. A better understanding of the mechanisms controlling epitope selection can be achieved by examination of the biophysical behavior of MHC class II molecules upon binding of antigenic peptides and of the effect of DM on the interactions. Using purified soluble molecules, in this chapter we describe several in vitro methods for measuring peptide binding to HLA-DR molecules and the effects of HLA-DM on this interaction.

Publisher Correction: A shared Runx1-bound Zbtb16 enhancer directs innate and innate-like lymphoid lineage development.

In the original PDF version of this Article, which was published on 16 October 2017, the publication date was incorrectly given as 11 October 2017. This has now been corrected in the PDF; the HTML version of the paper was correct from the time of publication.

A shared Runx1-bound Zbtb16 enhancer directs innate and innate-like lymphoid lineage development.

Zbtb16-encoded PLZF is a signature transcription factor (TF) that directs the acquisition of T-helper effector programs during the development of multiple innate lymphocyte lineages, including natural killer T cell, innate lymphoid cell, mucosal-associated invariant T cell and γδ lineages. PLZF is also essential in osteoblast and spermatogonial development. How Zbtb16 itself is regulated in different lineages is incompletely understood.

The Innate Lymphoid Cell Precursor.

The discovery of tissue-resident innate lymphoid cell populations effecting different forms of type 1, 2, and 3 immunity; tissue repair; and immune regulation has transformed our understanding of mucosal immunity and allergy. The emerging complexity of these populations along with compounding issues of redundancy and plasticity raise intriguing questions about their precise lineage relationship. Here we review advances in mapping the emergence of these lineages from early lymphoid precursors.

Single-cell analysis defines the divergence between the innate lymphoid cell lineage and lymphoid tissue-inducer cell lineage.

The precise lineage relationship between innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) and lymphoid tissue-inducer (LTi) cells is poorly understood. Using single-cell multiplex transcriptional analysis of 100 lymphoid genes and single-cell cultures of fetal liver precursor cells, we identified the common proximal precursor to these lineages and found that its bifurcation was marked by differential induction of the transcription factors PLZF and TCF1. Acquisition of individual effector programs specific to the ILC subsets ILC1, ILC2 and ILC3 was initiated later, at the common ILC precursor stage, by transient expression of mixed ILC1, ILC2 and ILC3 transcriptional patterns, whereas, in contrast, the development of LTi cells did not go through multilineage priming.

Innate and Adaptive Humoral Responses Coat Distinct Commensal Bacteria with Immunoglobulin A.

Immunoglobulin A (IgA) is prominently secreted at mucosal surfaces and coats a fraction of the intestinal microbiota. However, the commensal bacteria bound by IgA are poorly characterized and the type of humoral immunity they elicit remains elusive. We used bacterial flow cytometry coupled with 16S rRNA gene sequencing (IgA-Seq) in murine models of immunodeficiency to identify IgA-bound bacteria and elucidate mechanisms of commensal IgA targeting.

PLZF expression maps the early stages of ILC1 lineage development.

Among the variety of tissue-resident NK-like populations recently distinguished from recirculating classical NK (cNK) cells, liver innate lymphoid cells (ILC) type 1 (ILC1s) have been shown to represent a distinct lineage that originates from a novel promyelocytic leukaemia zinc finger (PLZF)-expressing ILC precursor (ILCP) strictly committed to the ILC1, ILC2, and ILC3 lineages. Here, using PLZF-reporter mice and cell transfer assays, we studied the developmental progression of ILC1s and demonstrated substantial overlap with stages previously ascribed to the cNK lineage, including pre-pro-NK, pre-NK precursor (pre-NKP), refined NKP (rNKP), and immature NK (iNK). Although they originated from different precursors, the ILC1 and cNK lineages followed a parallel progression at early stages and diverged later at the iNK stage, with a striking predominance of ILC1s over cNKs early in ontogeny.

Elevated T cell receptor signaling identifies a thymic precursor to the TCRαβ(+)CD4(-)CD8β(-) intraepithelial lymphocyte lineage.

The origin and developmental pathway of intestinal T cell receptor αβ(+) CD4(-)CD8β(-) intraepithelial lymphocytes (unconventional iIELs), a major population of innate-like resident cytolytic T cells, have remained elusive. By cloning and expressing several TCRs isolated from unconventional iIELs, we identified immature CD4(lo)CD8(lo)(DP(lo))CD69(hi)PD-1(hi) thymocytes as the earliest postsignaling precursors for these cells. Although these precursors displayed multiple signs of elevated TCR signaling, a sizeable fraction of them escaped deletion to selectively engage in unconventional iIEL differentiation.

Total synthesis of a functional designer eukaryotic chromosome.

Rapid advances in DNA synthesis techniques have made it possible to engineer viruses, biochemical pathways and assemble bacterial genomes. Here, we report the synthesis of a functional 272,871-base pair designer eukaryotic chromosome, synIII, which is based on the 316,617-base pair native Saccharomyces cerevisiae chromosome III. Changes to synIII include TAG/TAA stop-codon replacements, deletion of subtelomeric regions, introns, transfer RNAs, transposons, and silent mating loci as well as insertion of loxPsym sites to enable genome scrambling.

Studying MHC class II peptide loading and editing in vitro.

HLA-DM is now known to have a major contribution to the selection of immunodominant epitopes. A better understanding of the mechanisms controlling epitope selection can be achieved by examination of the biophysical behavior of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II molecules upon binding of antigenic peptides and the effect of DM on the interactions. Using purified soluble molecules, in this chapter, we describe several in vitro methods for measuring peptide binding to HLA-DR molecules and the effects of HLA-DM on the interactions.

The Effects of Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy on Quality of Life in Patients With Dementia.

Background: To examine the effects of percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) on quality of life (QOL) in patients with dementia.

Methods: We retrospectively included 53 Japanese community and tertiary hospitals to investigate the relationship between the newly developed PEG and consecutive dementia patients with swallowing difficulty between Jan 1st 2006 and Dec 31st 2008. We set improvements in 1) the level of independent living, 2) pneumonia, 3) peroral intake as outcome measures of QOL and explored the factors associated with these improvements.

The sky blue method as a screening test to detect misplacement of percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tube at exchange.

Background: During tube exchange for percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG), a misplaced tube can cause peritonitis and death. Thus, endoscopic or radiologic observation is required at tube exchange to make sure the tube is placed correctly. However, these procedures cost extensive time and money to perform in all patients at the time of tube exchange.

Development and application of a system for seminolipid metabolism using mouse seminiferous tubules.

A convenient tool for studying metabolism of seminolipid in testis was developed by using mouse isolated seminiferous tubules prepared by collagenase treatment. Because more than 99% of [(35)S]sulfate-incorporation was distributed in seminolipid, its metabolism in seminiferous tubules can be analyzed without disturbance of the other sulfolipids in this assay system. Furthermore, the contents of seminolipid and its precursor, galactosylalkylacylglycerol, which were determined by liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, did not change within a few hours, indicating that the incorporations of [(35)S]sulfate into seminolipid solely reflects the turnover rate of this sulfolipid.

Effect of nutritional substrate on sulfolipids metabolic turnover in isolated renal tubules from rat.

Effects of a glycolytic (glucose) and a gluconeogenic renal nutritional substrate (glutamine) on metabolic turnover of sulfolipids, determined as [(35)S]sulfate incorporation, were compared in renal tubules prepared from well-fed rats. The results showed that the effects of glucose and glutamine, at nearly physiological serum concentration, are quite contrary to each other. Glucose increased the turnover rates of relatively long chain ganglio-series sulfoglycolipids (Gg(3)Cer II(3)-sulfate and Gg(4)Cer II(3),IV(3)-bis-sulfate) (1.

Higher expression of renal sulfoglycolipids in marine mammals.

Patterns and contents of major acidic glycosphingolipids in the kidney of three marine mammalian species, the Steller sea lion (Pinnipedia), the rough-toothed dolphin and the broad-beaked dolphin (Odontoceti), were examined, and compared with those of terrestrial mesic mammals. The profile of major acidic glycosphingolipids was not significantly different between the terrestrial and marine mammals: predominant gangliosides were GM3 and GD3, and major sulfoglycolipids were SM4s and SM3. On the other hand, the total concentration (nmol/g wet tissue) of sulfoglycolipids was considerably higher in the marine mammals (2.

[Immunohistochemical analysis of cell cycle-regulating protein (p21, p27 and Ki67) expression in endoscopic biopsy samples from patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease].

We performed an immunohistochemical analysis of cell cycle-regulating protein (p21, p27 and Ki67) expression in endoscopic biopsy samples from the patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) using angled -biopsy forceps. Inflammatory cell accumulation into the lamina propria was detected even in patients with modified Los Angeles (LA) system grades N or M. In grade N or M patients with no changes in the epithelium, the area of p21, p27 and Ki67 positive cells was expanded compared to normal mucosa.

Unique disialosyl gangliosides from salmon kidney: characterization of V3alphaFuc, IV3betaGalNAc, II3(alphaNeuAc)2-Gg4Cer and its analogue with 4-O-acetyl-N-acetylneuraminic acid.

Four unidentified acidic glycolipids (X3-X6) were isolated from the kidney of the Pacific salmon on an anion exchange column and by high performance liquid chromatography using a silica bead (Iatrobeads) column. Based on methylation analysis, chemical and enzymatic degradation, proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and mass spectrometry, the glycon structure of X5 and X6 was identified as a unique disialosyl fucosyl-N-acetylgalactosaminyl ganglio-N-tetraose:Fucalpha3GalNAcbeta3Galbeta3GalNAcbeta4[NeuAcalpha8NeuAcalpha3] Galbeta4Glcbeta1Cer. NMR showed that X3 and X4 were analogues of X5 and X6 and contained O-acetyl groups on C4 of the outer N-acetylneuraminic acid, first disialosyl gangliosides containing 4-O-acetyl-N-acetylneuraminic acid.

Isolation and identification of nine sulfated glycosphingolipids containing two unique sulfated gangliosides from the African green monkey kidney cells, Verots S3, and their possible metabolic pathways.

Verots S3 cells derived from the African green monkey kidney were revealed to contain nine types of sulfoglycolipids by incorporating [35S]sulfate. These sulfated glycolipids were separated by DEAE-Sephadex column chromatography and preparative thin-layer chromatography (TLC). The major sulfoglycolipids were characterized using TLC, gas-liquid chromatography (GLC), mass spectrometry, solvolysis, TLC immunostaining, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectra as follows: V1, SM4s (GalCer I3-sulfate); V2, SM3 (LacCer II3-sulfate); V3, SM2a (Gg3Cer II3-sulfate); V4, globopentaosyl ceramide sulfate (Gb5Cer V3-sulfate); V5, (Gg4Cer II3-sulfate, IV3-NeuAc); V6, SB1a (Gg4Cer II3, IV3-bis-sulfate); and V8, (Gg4Cer II3-NeuAc, IV3-sulfate).

Operative indications for patients with refractory or severe ulcerative colitis.

Background/aims: The failure of medical treatment for severe ulcerative colitis (UC) can result in an emergency colectomy. Since new treatments using cyclosporin A and leukocytapheresis have been developed, we analyzed historical changes in the operative indications for UC.

Methodology: We retrospectively reviewed the medical record of 40 patients who underwent surgery, and analyzed the medical treatments before surgery using two groups (urgent and elective) and two time periods (1986-1999, 2000-2003).

[Histochemical diagnosis of short segment Barrett's esophagus].

Recently, we have many chances of findings of Barrett's esophagus in routine endoscopic examination. It is also reported that we have few frequent findings of typical Barrett's esophagus, long segment Barrett's esophagus (LSBE) which is seen predominantly in Europe and United States, however the frequency of finding of short segment Barrett's esophagus (SSBE) and adenocarcinoma derived from SSBE is gradually increasing in Japan. So it is thought that precise diagnosis of SSBE and the evaluation of potential malignancy of SSBE are needed in the present medical management.

De-N-acetyllactotriaosylceramide as a novel cationic glycosphingolipid of bovine brain white matter: isolation and characterization.

A novel cationic lipid was separated from bovine brain white matter by a series of chromatographies on carboxymethyl-Sephadex and silica gel in chloroform and methanol. Its structure was identified unambiguously as de-N-acetyllactotriaosylceramide (deNAcLc(3)Cer) by mass spectrometry and (1)H NMR. The natural occurrence of this glycolipid in white matter extract was detected by immunostaining of thin-layer chromatography with monoclonal antibody 5F5, which is directed to deNAcLc(3)Cer and recognizes the terminal beta-glucosaminyl (GlcNH(2)) residue, having a free NH(2) group.

Budd-Chiari syndrome: a case with a combination of hepatic vein and superior vena cava occlusion.

We here report a recent, rare case of Budd-Chiari syndrome, associated with a combination of hepatic vein and superior vena cava occlusion. A young female, who had been in good health, was admitted to our hospital because of massive ascites. The patient had used no oral contraceptives.

Metabolism of sulfolipids in isolated renal tubules from rat.

Proximal-rich tubules were prepared from rat kidneys by using collagenase treatment. The isolated rat renal tubules were compared with the intact kidney on the following characteristics. (1) Composition of the sulfoglycolipid.