Chemical control of xylem differentiation by thermospermine, xylemin, and auxin.

The xylem conducts water and minerals from the root to the shoot and provides mechanical strength to the plant body. The vascular precursor cells of the procambium differentiate to form continuous vascular strands, from which xylem and phloem cells are generated in the proper spatiotemporal pattern. Procambium formation and xylem differentiation are directed by auxin.

Mutations in ribosomal proteins, RPL4 and RACK1, suppress the phenotype of a thermospermine-deficient mutant of Arabidopsis thaliana.

Thermospermine acts in negative regulation of xylem differentiation and its deficient mutant of Arabidopsis thaliana, acaulis5 (acl5), shows excessive xylem formation and severe dwarfism. Studies of two dominant suppressors of acl5, sac51-d and sac52-d, have revealed that SAC51 and SAC52 encode a transcription factor and a ribosomal protein L10 (RPL10), respectively, and these mutations enhance translation of the SAC51 mRNA, which contains conserved upstream open reading frames in the 5' leader. Here we report identification of SAC53 and SAC56 responsible for additional suppressors of acl5.

Thermospermine modulates expression of auxin-related genes in Arabidopsis.

Thermospermine, a structural isomer of spermine, is widely distributed in the plant kingdom and has been shown to play a role in repressing xylem differentiation by studies of its deficient mutant, acaulis5 (acl5), in Arabidopsis. Our results of microarray and real-time PCR analyses revealed that, in addition to a number of genes involved in xylem differentiation, genes related to auxin signaling were up-regulated in acl5 seedlings. These genes include MONOPTEROS, an auxin response factor gene, which acts as a master switch for auxin-dependent procambium formation, and its target genes.

[A case of adult-onset type II citrullinemia in an elderly patient].

A 72-year-old man presented with consciousness disturbance. The results of brain magnetic resonance imaging and cerebrospinal fluid examination were normal, but triphasic waves were noted on electroencephalography. His plasma ammonia level was elevated due to which encephalopathy secondary to hyperammonemia was suspected.

Thermospermine suppresses auxin-inducible xylem differentiation in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Thermospermine, a structural isomer of spermine, is synthesized by a thermospermine synthase designated ACAULIS5 (ACL5). Thermospermine-deficient acl5 mutant of Arabidopsis thaliana shows severe dwarfism and excessive xylem differentiation. By screening for compounds that affect xylem differentiation in the acl5 mutant, we identified auxin analogs that remarkably enhanced xylem vessel differentiation in the acl5 mutant but not in the wild type.

A chemical biology approach reveals an opposite action between thermospermine and auxin in xylem development in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Thermospermine, a structural isomer of spermine, is produced through the action of ACAULIS5 (ACL5) and suppresses xylem differentiation in Arabidopsis thaliana. To elucidate the molecular basis of the function of thermospermine, we screened chemical libraries for compounds that can modulate xylem differentiation in the acl5 mutant, which is deficient in thermospermine and shows a severe dwarf phenotype associated with excessive proliferation of xylem vessels. We found that the isooctyl ester of a synthetic auxin, 2,4-D, remarkably enhanced xylem vessel differentiation in acl5 seedlings.

NIMA-related kinases 6, 4, and 5 interact with each other to regulate microtubule organization during epidermal cell expansion in Arabidopsis thaliana.

NimA-related kinase 6 (NEK6) has been implicated in microtubule regulation to suppress the ectopic outgrowth of epidermal cells; however, its molecular functions remain to be elucidated. Here, we analyze the function of NEK6 and other members of the NEK family with regard to epidermal cell expansion and cortical microtubule organization. The functional NEK6-green fluorescent protein fusion localizes to cortical microtubules, predominantly in particles that exhibit dynamic movement along microtubules.

Application of the behavioral investigative support system for profiling perpetrators of serial sexual assaults.

The authors developed a data-based profiling system in order to support offender profiling. The system stored incident records of prior offenders. Inputting offence details of an unsolved incident, a probability score was assigned to each prior offender in the system; the score represented the behavioral similarity with the unsolved incident.