THOUSAND-GRAIN WEIGHT 6, which is an IAA-glucose hydrolase, preferentially recognizes the structure of the indole ring.

An indole-3-acetic acid (IAA)-glucose hydrolase, THOUSAND-GRAIN WEIGHT 6 (TGW6), negatively regulates the grain weight in rice. TGW6 has been used as a target for breeding increased rice yield. Moreover, the activity of TGW6 has been thought to involve auxin homeostasis, yet the details of this putative TGW6 activity remain unclear.

Generation of major glutelin-deficient (GluA, GluB, and GluC) semi-dwarf Koshihikari rice line.

We generated a new Koshihikari rice line with a drastically reduced content of glutelin proteins and higher lodging resistance by using new and conventional plant breeding techniques. Using CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing, we generated mutant rice with drastically decreased contents of major glutelins. A Koshihikari rice mutant line, a123, lacking four glutelins (GluA1, GluA2, GluB4, and GluB5) was used as a host, and another five major glutelin genes (GluA3, GluB1a, GluB1b, GluB2, and GluC) were knocked out through two iterations of Agrobacterium-mediated transformation.

A Rice Ancestral Genetic Resource Conferring Ideal Plant Shapes for Vegetative Growth and Weed Suppression.

To maximize crop growth, crops need to capture sunlight efficiently. This property is primarily influenced by the shape of the crops such as the angle, area, and arrangement of leaves. We constructed a rice ( L.

Nucleotide Sequence of HIV-1-Positive Specimen Reference Panel for Evaluation of HIV Diagnostics in Japan.

HIV-1 subtype/circulating recombinant form (CRF) distribution of HIV-1-positive specimens for evaluating HIV diagnostics (IVDs) was examined and compared with the HIV-1 epidemic in Japan. The nucleotide sequences of the gag-pol region of 173 plasma specimens (84, provided in 2007, and 89 in 2013-2015) were determined. HIV-1 subtype/CRF classification was performed based on the phylogenetic analyses of the sequences.

Evaluation of Geenius HIV-1/2 Confirmatory Assay for the confirmatory and differential diagnosis of HIV-1/HIV-2 in Japan and reliability of the Geenius Reader in the diagnosis of HIV-2.

Background: NEW LAV BLOT I and II (LAV I and LAV II), they were only option for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) confirmatory test, following HIV screening test using HIV Ag/Ab combination test in Japan. We evaluated the performance of Geenius HIV-1/2 Confirmatory Assay (Geenius), both as a confirmatory test and for differentiation between HIV-1 and HIV-2, in comparison with LAV I and LAV II.

Methods: Eighty-nine HIV-1-positive plasma specimens, one anti-HIV-1 low-titer performance panel, 10 seroconversion panels, and two anti-HIV-1/2 combo performance panels were tested.

Erythrocyte Alloimmunity and Genetic Variance: Results from the Collaborative Study of Alloimmunity to Antigen Diversity in Asian Populations (All ADP).

As an East-Asian international study, we evaluated erythrocyte alloimmunity by gender and history of transfusion or pregnancy. In total, data from more than 1,826,000 patients were analyzed, from whom 26,170 irregular erythrocyte antibodies were detected in 22,653 cases. Antibody frequencies in these cases were as follows: anti-E, 26.

A Japanese multi-institutional collaborative study of antigen-positive red blood cell (RBC) transfusions in patients with corresponding RBC antibodies.

Background And Objectives: It is sometimes difficult to obtain antigen-negative red blood cells (RBCs) for patients with antibodies against RBCs. However, the frequency and severity of the adverse reactions have not been well elucidated. Here, we conducted a multi-institutional collaborative study to clarify the background, frequency and clinical significance of antigen-positive RBC transfusions to patients with the respective antibodies.

Evaluation of in vitro screening and diagnostic kits for hepatitis B virus infection.

Background: For the diagnosis of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, the detection and quantification of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and HBV DNA are used. Several kits are available for this purpose, and there is a growing need for the evaluation of these kits because their performance may be affected by HBV genotype- or strain-specific polymorphisms.

Objectives And Study Design: In this study, we used International Standards and the established regional reference panel to evaluate the performance of two HBV DNA quantitative kits, five HBsAg qualitative kits, seven HBsAg quantitative kits and three rapid immune-chromatographic tests for HBsAg.

How elevated CO2 affects our nutrition in rice, and how we can deal with it.

Increased concentrations of atmospheric CO2 are predicted to reduce the content of essential elements such as protein, zinc, and iron in C3 grains and legumes, threatening the nutrition of billions of people in the next 50 years. However, this prediction has mostly been limited to grain crops, and moreover, we have little information about either the underlying mechanism or an effective intervention to mitigate these reductions. Here, we present a broader picture of the reductions in elemental content among crops grown under elevated CO2 concentration.

Partial loss-of-function of NAL1 alters canopy photosynthesis by changing the contribution of upper and lower canopy leaves in rice.

Little is known about the genetic basis of leaf and canopy photosynthesis. Here we aimed to detect novel quantitative trait loci (QTL) controlling photosynthesis by increasing leaf nitrogen content (LNC) per leaf area and analysed its effect on leaf and canopy photosynthesis. To identify QTL that increase photosynthetic rate in leaves, we screened chromosome segment substitution lines (CSSLs) of Oryza sativa ssp.

Elevated atmospheric CO2 levels affect community structure of rice root-associated bacteria.

A number of studies have shown that elevated atmospheric CO2 ([CO2]) affects rice yields and grain quality. However, the responses of root-associated bacteria to [CO2] elevation have not been characterized in a large-scale field study. We conducted a free-air CO2 enrichment (FACE) experiment (ambient + 200 μmol.

Loss of function of the IAA-glucose hydrolase gene TGW6 enhances rice grain weight and increases yield.

Increases in the yield of rice, a staple crop for more than half of the global population, are imperative to support rapid population growth. Grain weight is a major determining factor of yield. Here, we report the cloning and functional analysis of THOUSAND-GRAIN WEIGHT 6 (TGW6), a gene from the Indian landrace rice Kasalath.

Protocol: a simple gel-free method for SNP genotyping using allele-specific primers in rice and other plant species.

Background: Genotype analysis using multiple single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) is a useful but labor-intensive or high-cost procedure in plant research. Here we describe an alternative genotyping method that is suited to multi-sample or multi-locus SNP genotyping and does not require electrophoresis or specialized equipment.

Results: We have developed a simple method for multi-sample or multi-locus SNP genotyping using allele-specific primers (ASP).

Evidence for separate translocation pathways in determining cadmium accumulation in grain and aerial plant parts in rice.

Background: Cadmium (Cd) translocation and accumulation in the grain and aerial plant parts of rice (Oryza sativa L.) is an important aspect of food safety and phytoextraction in areas with contaminated soil. Because control of Cd translocation and accumulation is likely to be determined by the plants genetics, the Cd contents of grain and the aerial parts of rice may be manipulated to improve food safety and for phytoextraction ability.

Improvement of lodging resistance with QTLs for stem diameter in rice (Oryza sativa L.).

Varietal differences among ten rice cultivars showed that stem diameter is a key factor in lodging resistance (measured in terms of pushing resistance). Two near-isogenic lines (NILs) were selected from a series of chromosome segment substitution lines developed between cultivars Nipponbar and Kasalath, one containing a single stem diameter QTL (sdm8; NIL114), and another with four stem diameter QTLs (sdm1, sdm7, sdm8, sdm12; NIL28). Compared with the Nipponbare control, stem diameters were larger in NIL114 and NIL28 by about 7 and 39%, respectively.

Time-related identification of chromosome regions affecting plant elongation in rice (Oryza sativa L.).

We investigated the time-related changes of Chromosome Regions that Affect Traits (CRATs) for elongation rate in rice (Oryza sativa L.) using chromosome segment substitution lines (CSSLs) carrying a single chromosome segment of the cultivar Kasalath (indica) in a Koshihikari (japonica) genetic background. The growth period of rice was partitioned into eight stages (each lasting 5-7days) from 18days after transplanting, and the elongation rate was determined as the increase of total plant height per time at each growth stage.

New target for rice lodging resistance and its effect in a typhoon.

We demonstrated the new target for lodging resistance in rice (Oryza sativa L.) by the analysis of physiological function of a locus for lodging resistance in a typhoon (lrt5) with the near isogenic line under rice "Koshihikari" genetic background (tentatively named S1). The higher lodging resistance of S1 was observed during a typhoon in September 2004 (28 days after heading), when most other plants in "Koshihikari" became lodged.

Quantitative trait loci for sucrose, starch, and hexose accumulation before heading in rice.

We studied the storage of sucrose, starch, and hexose before heading in rice (Oryza sativa L.) plants by quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis with a population of backcross inbred lines (BILs) of japonica cv. Nipponbare x indica cv.

Locus prl5 improves lodging resistance of rice by delaying senescence and increasing carbohydrate reaccumulation.

We investigated the reason for carbohydrate retention in the stem of rice (Oryza sativa L.) at full-ripe stage in a near-isogenic line (NIL63) carrying prl5, which confers lodging resistance without yield loss. NIL63 showed higher lodging resistance than Nipponbare (control) without reduced yield.

Effects of an inhibitor of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase on photosynthesis of the terrestrial forms of amphibious Eleocharis species.

The leafless amphibious sedge Eleocharis vivipara develops culms with C(4) traits and Kranz anatomy under terrestrial conditions, but develops culms with C(3) traits and non-Kranz anatomy under submerged conditions. The culms of the terrestrial form have high C(4) enzyme activities, while those of the submerged form have decreased C(4) enzyme activities. The culms accumulate ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) in the mesophyll cells (MC) and the bundle sheath cells.

Identification and physiological analyses of a locus for rice yield potential across the genetic background.

A new locus responsible for increased yield potential across the genetic background in rice (Oryza sativa L.) was identified and evaluated. Quantitative trait loci (QTLs) were analysed for the ratio of filled grains, a yield component, in backcrossed inbred lines of a japonica 'Nipponbare'xindica 'Kasalath' cross for 3 years.