Genetic diversification of the Kanehira bitterling Acheilognathus rhombeus inferred from mitochondrial DNA, with comments on the phylogenetic relationship with its sister species Acheilognathus barbatulus.

The Kanehira bitterling, Acheilognathus rhombeus, is a freshwater fish, discontinuously distributed in western Japan and the Korean Peninsula. Unusually among bitterling it is an autumn-spawning species and shows developmental diapause. Consequently, the characterization of its evolutionary history is significant not only in the context of the fish assemblage of East Asia, but also for understanding life-history evolution.

Genetic Characteristics of the Japanese Serow in the Kii Mountain Range, Central Japan.

The Japanese serow, , is an indigenous bovid species exclusively inhabiting mountain regions in the main Japanese islands, excepting Hokkaido. It had decreased in abundance to its lowest level due to overhunting and deforestation, with its distribution severely fragmented from the middle of the 20th century, many populations of currently facing the risk of extinction. The Kii Mountain Range (KM) on Honshu is one such location that has seen a drastic population decline of .

Mogamulizumab for relapsed adult T-cell leukemia-lymphoma: Updated follow-up analysis of phase I and II studies.

The present study sought to elucidate the prognosis of adult T-cell leukemia-lymphoma (ATL) patients receiving mogamulizumab, a defucosylated anti-CCR4 monoclonal antibody. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) of ATL patients enrolled in two studies are herein updated, namely NCT00355472 (phase I study of mogamulizumab in relapsed patients with ATL and peripheral T-cell lymphoma) and NCT00920790 (phase II study for relapsed ATL). Of 13 patients with relapsed aggressive ATL in the phase I study, four (31%) survived >3 years.

Safety and efficacy of mogamulizumab in patients with adult T-cell leukemia-lymphoma in Japan: interim results of postmarketing all-case surveillance.

We present the interim results of a postmarketing all-case surveillance study in patients with C-C chemokine receptor 4 (CCR4)-positive, relapsed or refractory adult T-cell leukemia-lymphoma (ATL) treated with the anti-CCR4 monoclonal antibody mogamulizumab since its 2012 launch in Japan. The safety and efficacy analysis populations comprised 484 and 442 patients, respectively. The ATL subtype was acute in 58.

A Genetic Map for the Only Self-Fertilizing Vertebrate.

The mangrove killifish Kryptolebias marmoratus, and its close relative Kryptolebias hermaphroditus, are the only vertebrate species known to reproduce by self-fertilization due to functional ovotestis development. To improve our understanding of their genomes, we constructed a genetic map. First, a single F1 fish was made by artificial fertilization between K.

Phylogenetic relationships of bitterling fishes (Teleostei: Cypriniformes: Acheilognathinae), inferred from mitochondrial cytochrome B sequences.

Bitterling (Teleostei: Acheilognathinae) are small cyprinid fishes with a discrete distribution in East Asia and Europe. We used a complete mitochondrial cytochrome b sequence (1141 bp) from 49 species or subspecies in three genera (Tanakia, Rhodeus, and Acheilognathus), sampled across the major part of their distribution, to elucidate their phylogeny and biogeography, focusing particularly on their origin and dispersal. Based on high support value, the monophyletic Acheilognathinae separated into two major clades, Acheilognathus and Tanakia-Rhodeus.

Phylogeography of the brackish water clam Corbicula japonica around the Japanese archipelago inferred from mitochondrial COII gene sequences.

We investigated the phylogeography of the Asian brackish water clam, Corbicula japonica, to clarify its demographic history using partial mitochondrial COII gene sequences (990 bp) from 283 individuals collected from around the Japanese archipelago and adjacent areas. Phylogenetic analyses revealed the presence of two major groups within our samples: monophyletic Group I comprising Lineages A-E of C. japonica and paraphyletic Group II consisting of Corbicula sp.

28S rDNA haplotypes of males are distinct from those of androgenetic hermaphrodites in the clam Corbicula leana.

The clam Corbicula leana exists in two forms, hermaphrodites and males. Our previous study on mitochondrial DNA suggested that the male nuclear DNA might have derived from hermaphrodite C. leana relatively recently.

The role of propagule pressure in the invasion success of bluegill sunfish, Lepomis macrochirus, in Japan.

The bluegill sunfish, Lepomis macrochirus, is a widespread exotic species in Japan that is considered to have originated from 15 fish introduced from Guttenberg, Iowa, in 1960. Here, the genetic and phenotypic traits of Japanese populations were examined, together with 11 native populations of the USA using 10 microsatellite markers and six meristic traits. Phylogenetic analysis reconfirmed a single origin of Japanese populations, among which populations established in the 1960s were genetically close to Guttenberg population, keeping high genetic diversity comparable to the ancestral population.

Phylogeography of the bluegill sunfish, Lepomis macrochirus, in the Mississippi River Basin.

The Mississippi River Basin supports the richest fish fauna in eastern North America and has played a key role in the maintenance of fish biodiversity, especially as a refuge for freshwater fishes during glaciations. In this study, we investigated the phylogeography of the bluegill sunfish, Lepomis macrochirus, in eastern North America, using complete sequence of the mitochondrial ND1 gene from 369 samples collected at 15 sites. Phylogenetic analysis revealed two major lineages (northern and southern clades) in a parsimony network.

Inheritance of two M type mitochondrial DNA from sperm and unfertilized eggs to offspring in Mytilus galloprovincialis.

In Mytilus mussels, paternal mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from sperm is known to be transmitted to offspring. This phenomenon is called doubly uniparental inheritance (DUI). Under DUI, sperm mtDNA (M type) is inherited only by males.

Sperm mitochondrial DNA transmission to both male and female offspring in the blue mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis.

In Mytilus mussels, paternal mitochondrial DNA (M type) from sperm is known to be transmitted to offspring. This phenomenon is called doubly uniparental inheritance (DUI). Under DUI, it has been reported that female mussels generally have only maternal mtDNA (F type).

Origin and dispersal of bluegill sunfish, Lepomis macrochirus, in Japan and Korea.

The bluegill sunfish, Lepomis macrochirus, is a notorious exotic species in many freshwater ecosystems, currently expanding its distribution worldwide. In 1960, a small group of bluegills captured in the Mississippi River at Guttenberg in Iowa were imported to Japan as a gift from the mayor of Chicago to the Japanese government. The offspring of these fish were released into the wild in Japan and also in Korea.

Low genetic variation and inbreeding depression in small isolated populations of the Japanese rosy bitterling, Rhodeus ocellatus kurumeus.

The Japanese rosy bitterling, Rhodeus ocellatus kurumeus, has been affected not only by the invasion of another subspecies, R. o. ocellatus, from China, but also by habitat fragmentation.

Normalization of high-flow or removal of flow cannot stop high-flow induced endothelial proliferation.

Endothelial cells (ECs) are activated in response to high-flow. Our previous studies using arteriovenous fistula (AVF) model have demonstrated that high-flow in blood vessels induces an early and rapid proliferation of ECs before arterial dilatation. Here, we investigated the proliferation of ECs, which had once been stimulated by high-flow loading, in a situation without the influence of high-flow.

Androgenetic reproduction in a freshwater diploid clam Corbicula fluminea (Bivalvia: Corbiculidae).

Two shell color types of the exotic bivalve Corbicula fluminea were collected in Kyoto city, Japan. DNA microfluorometry revealed that both types were diploids with non-reductional spermatozoa. Maternal chromosomes were found to be extruded as two polar bodies at the first meiosis, and the second meiosis could not be observed.