Redox control in arsenic accumulation with organic matter derived from a varved lacustrine deposit in the Jurassic accretionary complexes.

Oxidation states and distribution of arsenic (As) in annually laminated (varved) lacustrine deposits were analyzed with a seasonal resolution. This deposit was formed in the mid-Holocene landslide-dammed paleolake in the upper reaches of the Ane River, central Japan and the paleolake watershed consists of the Jurassic accretionary complexes (Mino-Tamba belt) including sedimentary and igneous rocks. In the outcrop, centimeter-to-decimeter-scale silty clay layers alternating with laminated layers are well developed.

Identification of osteoblast stimulating factor 5 as a negative regulator in the B-lymphopoietic niche.

Recent studies have revealed the crucial role of the niche which supports B-lymphocyte differentiation from hematopoietic stem cells. In this study, we aimed to identify a novel regulator of B lymphopoiesis secreted in the specific niche using the signal sequence trap method. Among the identified proteins from MS5 stromal cells, expression of pleiotrophin, placental proliferin 2, and osteoblast stimulating factor 5 (OSF-5) was dominantly high in several stromal cell lines.

The anti-apoptotic gene Anamorsin is essential for both autonomous and extrinsic regulation of murine fetal liver hematopoiesis.

Anamorsin (AM) is an antiapoptotic molecule that confers factor-independent survival on hematopoietic cells. AM-deficient (AM(-/-)) mice are embryonic lethal because of a defect in definitive hematopoiesis; however, the significance of AM in embryonic hematopoiesis remains unknown. This study characterized the hematopoietic defects in AM(-/-) fetal livers.

The endothelial antigen ESAM monitors hematopoietic stem cell status between quiescence and self-renewal.

Whereas most hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) are quiescent in homeostasis, they actively proliferate in response to bone marrow (BM) injury. Signals from the BM microenvironment are thought to promote entry of HSC into the cell cycle. However, it has been cumbersome to assess cycle status of viable HSC and thus explore unique features associated with division.

Signal-transducing adaptor protein-2 modulates Fas-mediated T cell apoptosis by interacting with caspase-8.

We found that an adaptor protein, signal-transducing adaptor protein (STAP)-2, is a new member of the Fas-death-inducing signaling complex and participates in activation-induced cell death in T cells. STAP-2 enhanced Fas-mediated apoptosis and caspase-8 aggregation and activation in Jurkat T cells. Importantly, STAP-2 directly interacted with caspase-8 and Fas, resulting in enhanced interactions between caspase-8 and FADD in the Fas-death-inducing signaling complex.

NAD-dependent histone deacetylase, SIRT1, plays essential roles in the maintenance of hematopoietic stem cells.

Sir2 has been shown to be essential for transcriptional silencing and longevity provided by calorie restriction in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Caenorhabditis elegans. In this study, we investigated the role for its mammalian homologue, SIRT1, in hematopoietic cells. SIRT1 inhibitor, nicotinamide (NA), promoted and its activator, resveratrol, inhibited the differentiation of murine bone marrow c-Kit(high)Sca-1(+)Lineage(-) (KSL) cells during the culture system ex vivo.

Predictability of the response to tyrosine kinase inhibitors via in vitro analysis of Bcr-Abl phosphorylation.

It would be of great value to predict the efficacy of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) in the treatment of individual CML patients. We propose an immunoblot system for detecting the phosphorylation of Crkl, a major target of Bcr-Abl, in blood samples after in vitro incubation with TKIs. When the remaining phosphorylated Crkl after treatment with imatinib was evaluated as the "residual index (RI)", high values were found in accordance with imatinib resistance.

Identification of functional domains and novel binding partners of STIM proteins.

With a signal trap method, we previously identified stromal interaction molecule (STIM: originally named as SIM) as a protein, which has a signal peptide in 1996. However, recent works have accumulated evidences that STIM1 and STIM2 reside in endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and that both mainly sense ER Ca(2+) depletion, which plays an essential role in store operated calcium entry. In the present study, we extensively analyzed the domain functions and associated molecules of STIMs.

Regulation of soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) in mice with diabetes: high glucose suppresses sEH expression.

Soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) is a xenobiotic-metabolizing enzyme that metabolizes epoxides to produce vicinal diols. Diabetes is a common pathological condition which effects drug metabolism. This study, investigates changes in the levels of sEH in mice with diabetes induced by streptozotocin (STZ).