Self-sustained circadian rhythm in cultured human mononuclear cells isolated from peripheral blood.

Disturbed circadian rhythmicity is associated with human diseases such as sleep and mood disorders. However, study of human endogenous circadian rhythm is laborious and time-consuming, which hampers the elucidation of diseases. It has been reported that peripheral tissues exhibit circadian rhythmicity as the suprachiasmatic nucleus-the center of the biological clock.

Introduction of tau mutation into cultured Rat1-R12 cells by gene targeting, using recombinant adeno-associated virus vector.

We aim to develop a cultured cell model, to serve as a system with which the altered circadian phenotypes produced by the clock gene variations could be studied in vitro. Tau mutation, which shortens the circadian period of hamsters and mice, was introduced into the CK1epsilon locus of cultured Rat1-R12 cells by gene targeting mediated by a recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) vector. After transduction of Rat1-R12 cells with rAAV, about 0.

Establishment of human cell lines showing circadian rhythms of bioluminescence.

We have established human retinal pigment epithelial cell lines stably expressing the luciferase gene, driven by the human Bmal1 promoter, to obtain human-derived cells that show circadian rhythms of bioluminescence after dexamethasone treatment. The average circadian period of bioluminescence for the obtained clones was 24.07+/-0.

Sperm flagella protein components: Human meichroacidin constructed by the membrane occupation and recognition nexus motif.

In a previous study, the authors of the present study cloned mouse meichroacidin (), which is expressed in stages of spermatogenesis from pachytene spermatocytes through round spermatid germ cells. MCA protein contains the membrane occupation and recognition nexus (MORN) motif and localizes to a male meiotic metaphase chromosome. Recently, a homolog of carp (), MORN motif-containing sperm-specific axonemal protein (MSAP), was reportedly identified and localized in sperm flagella.