Reassessing the genetic lineage tracing of lingual and cells .

Taste buds, the neuroepithelial organs responsible for the detection of gustatory stimuli in the oral cavity, arise from stem/progenitor cells among nearby basal keratinocytes. Using genetic lineage tracing, and were suggested as the specific markers for the stem/progenitor cells of taste buds, but recent evidence implied that taste buds may arise even in the absence of these markers. Thus, we wanted to verify the genetic lineage tracing of lingual - and -expressing cells.

Epithelial plasticity enhances regeneration of committed taste receptor cells following nerve injury.

Taste receptor cells are taste bud epithelial cells that are dependent upon the innervating nerve for continuous renewal and are maintained by resident tissue stem/progenitor cells. Transection of the innervating nerve causes degeneration of taste buds and taste receptor cells. However, a subset of the taste receptor cells is maintained without nerve contact after glossopharyngeal nerve transection in the circumvallate papilla in adult mice.

Microtubule-associated protein 1 A and tubby act independently in regulating the localization of stereocilin to the tips of inner ear hair cell stereocilia.

Tubby mice exhibit hearing impairment due to the loss of stereocilin from the tip regions that connect the tallest stereocilia of the outer hair cells (OHCs) to the tectorial membrane. Stereocilin is an essential stereociliary protein in the OHCs, the mutation of which in humans causes autosomal recessive non-syndromic deafness. Map1a is a modifier of tubby hearing (moth1), and its wild-type allele, rather than the moth1 allele from the C57BL/6 J strain, restores stereocilin localization to the stereocilia and rescues the hearing impairment of tubby mice.

Fine-tuning of epithelial taste bud organoid to promote functional recapitulation of taste reactivity.

Taste stem/progenitor cells from posterior mouse tongues have been used to generate taste bud organoids. However, the inaccessible location of taste receptor cells is observed in conventional organoids. In this study, we established a suspension-culture method to fine-tune taste bud organoids by apicobasal polarity alteration to form the accessible localization of taste receptor cells.

Single-Cell RNA Sequencing Analysis of Human Dental Pulp Stem Cell and Human Periodontal Ligament Stem Cell.

Introduction: Many studies have investigated the transcriptome profiles of dental stem cells for regenerative medicine. However, such studies use bulk RNA and do not consider cell-level heterogeneity. Here, we investigated the characteristics and heterogeneity of human dental pulp stem cells (hDPSCs) and human periodontal ligament stem cells (hPDLSCs) at the single-cell level and examined the differences between them.

Whole-Brain Mapping of the Expression Pattern of , a Subunit Specific to the Sweet Taste Receptor.

Chemosensory receptors are expressed primarily in sensory organs, but their expression elsewhere can permit ligand detection in other contexts that contribute to survival. The ability of sweet taste receptors to detect natural sugars, sugar alcohols, and artificial sweeteners suggests sweet taste receptors are involved in metabolic regulation in both peripheral organs and in the central nervous system. Our limited knowledge of sweet taste receptor expression in the brain, however, has made it difficult to assess their contribution to metabolic regulation.

Differential Roles of Tubby Family Proteins in Ciliary Formation and Trafficking.

Cilia are highly specialized organelles that extend from the cell membrane and function as cellular signaling hubs. Thus, cilia formation and the trafficking of signaling molecules into cilia are essential cellular processes. TULP3 and Tubby (TUB) are members of the tubby-like protein (TULP) family that regulate the ciliary trafficking of G-protein coupled receptors, but the functions of the remaining TULPs (i.

Recent Advances in Understanding Peripheral Taste Decoding I: 2010 to 2020.

Taste sensation is the gatekeeper for direct decisions on feeding behavior and evaluating the quality of food. Nutritious and beneficial substances such as sugars and amino acids are represented by sweet and umami tastes, respectively, whereas noxious substances and toxins by bitter or sour tastes. Essential electrolytes including Na+ and other ions are recognized by the salty taste.

COVID-19 Perception, Knowledge, and Preventive Practice: Comparison between South Korea, Ethiopia, and Democratic Republic of Congo.

In Africa, the first confirmed case of COVID-19 was reported in Egypt on February 14, 2020. Since then, the number of cases has continued to increase with Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Nigeria, Sudan, Angola, Tanzania, Ghana, and Kenya identified as vulnerable countries. The present study aimed to: 1) identify differences in trust level of COVID-19 diagnosis, recent healthcare utilization experiences, and COVID-19-related knowledge, information, and prevention practices in South Korea, Ethiopia, and DRC; and 2) identify factors influencing trust level in healthcare facilities regarding COVID-19 diagnosis.

Identification of a novel NPR1 homolog gene, OsNH5N16, which contributes to broad-spectrum resistance in rice.

Over half of the earth's population consumes rice as the primary food crop for dietary calories. However, severe loss of rice yield occurs due to bacterial blight caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) and bakanae disease caused by Fusarium fujikuroi (F.

Multisensory interactions regulate feeding behavior in .

The integration of two or more distinct sensory cues can help animals make more informed decisions about potential food sources, but little is known about how feeding-related multimodal sensory integration happens at the cellular and molecular levels. Here, we show that multimodal sensory integration contributes to a stereotyped feeding behavior in the model organism Simultaneous olfactory and mechanosensory inputs significantly influence a taste-evoked feeding behavior called the proboscis extension reflex (PER). Olfactory and mechanical information are mediated by antennal neurons and leg hair plate mechanosensory neurons, respectively.

Analysis of personal and national factors that influence depression in individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic: a web-based cross-sectional survey.

Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) declared coronavirus disease (COVID-19) a pandemic on March 11, 2020. Previous studies of infectious diseases showed that infectious diseases not only cause physical damage to infected individuals but also damage to the mental health of the public. Therefore this study aims to analyze the factors that affected depression in the public during the COVID-19 pandemic to provide evidence for COVID-19-related mental health policies and to emphasize the need to prepare for mental health issues related to potential infectious disease outbreaks in the future.

COVID-19 screening center models in South Korea.

In a recent report, the British Broadcasting Company (BBC) introduced South Korea's measures to manage COVID-19 as role model for the world. Screening centers serve as frontiers for preventing community transmission of infectious diseases. COVID-19 screening centers in Korea operate 24 h a day, always open for individuals with suspected COVID-19 symptoms.

Ventromedial hypothalamic primary cilia control energy and skeletal homeostasis.

Dysfunction of primary cilia is related to dyshomeostasis, leading to a wide range of disorders. The ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH) is known to regulate several homeostatic processes, but those modulated specifically by VMH primary cilia are not yet known. In this study, we identify VMH primary cilia as an important organelle that maintains energy and skeletal homeostasis by modulating the autonomic nervous system.

Single-cell transcriptome maps of myeloid blood cell lineages in Drosophila.

The Drosophila lymph gland, the larval hematopoietic organ comprised of prohemocytes and mature hemocytes, has been a valuable model for understanding mechanisms underlying hematopoiesis and immunity. Three types of mature hemocytes have been characterized in the lymph gland: plasmatocytes, lamellocytes, and crystal cells, which are analogous to vertebrate myeloid cells, yet molecular underpinnings of the lymph gland hemocytes have been less investigated. Here, we use single-cell RNA sequencing to comprehensively analyze heterogeneity of developing hemocytes in the lymph gland, and discover previously undescribed hemocyte types including adipohemocytes, stem-like prohemocytes, and intermediate prohemocytes.

Chemical Controllable Gene Drive in .

Gene drive systems that propagate transgenes via super-Mendelian inheritance can potentially control insect-borne diseases and agricultural pests. However, concerns have been raised regarding unforeseen ecological consequences, and methods that prevent undesirable gene drive effects have been proposed. Here, we report a chemical-induced control of gene drive.

Loss of Sirtuin 6 in osteoblast lineage cells activates osteoclasts, resulting in osteopenia.

Adult bone homeostasis requires a fine-tuned balance between the activity of osteoblasts and osteoclasts. This osteoblast-osteoclast coupling is therapeutically important because it limits the efficacy of most anabolic or anti-resorptive treatments for osteoporosis. Sirtuin6 (SIRT6), a histone deacetylase, was implicated recently as an important regulator in bone homeostasis, but its in vivo function in osteoblast lineage cells remains unclear, mainly due to a lack of in vivo experiments with osteoblast lineage-specific Sirt6 knockout mice.

Neural regulation of energy and bone homeostasis by the synaptic adhesion molecule Calsyntenin-3.

Neuronal regulation of energy and bone metabolism is important for body homeostasis. Many studies have emphasized the importance of synaptic adhesion molecules in the formation of synapses, but their roles in physiology still await further characterization. Here, we found that the synaptic adhesion molecule Calsyntenin-3 (CLSTN3) regulates energy and bone homeostasis.

Distinct roles of stereociliary links in the nonlinear sound processing and noise resistance of cochlear outer hair cells.

Outer hair cells (OHCs) play an essential role in hearing by acting as a nonlinear amplifier which helps the cochlea detect sounds with high sensitivity and accuracy. This nonlinear sound processing generates distortion products, which can be measured as distortion-product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs). The OHC stereocilia that respond to sound vibrations are connected by three kinds of extracellular links: tip links that connect the taller stereocilia to shorter ones and convey force to the mechanoelectrical transduction channels, tectorial membrane-attachment crowns (TM-ACs) that connect the tallest stereocilia to one another and to the overlying TM, and horizontal top connectors (HTCs) that link adjacent stereocilia.

Vibration Control of Scanning Electron Microscopes with Experimental Approaches for Performance Enhancement.

A vibration isolator embedded in precision equipment, such as a scanning electron microscope (SEM), wafer inspection equipment, and nanoimprint lithography equipment, play a critical role in achieving the maximum performance of the equipment during the fabrication of nano/micro-electro-mechanical systems. In this study, the factors that degrade the performance of SEM equipment with isolation devices are classified and discussed, and improvement measures are proposed from the viewpoints of the measured image patterns and vibrations in comparison with the relevant vibration criteria. In particular, this study quantifies the image patterns measured using SEMs, and the results are discussed along with the measured vibration.

Selection and functional identification of a synthetic partial ABA agonist, S7.

The stress hormone abscisic acid (ABA) helps plants to survive under abiotic stresses; however, its use as an agrochemical is limited by its chemical instability and expense. Here, we report the development of an in vivo screening system to isolate chemicals able to induce ABA signalling responses in rice (Oryza sativa) protoplasts. This system consists of an ABA-hypersensitive synthetic promoter containing ABRE and DRE motifs driving a luciferase reporter gene.

Ectopic Expression of , a Member of the OsDREB1 Subfamily, Confers Cold Stress Tolerance in Rice.

Plants adapt to adverse environmental conditions through physiological responses, such as induction of the abscisic acid signaling pathway, stomatal regulation, and root elongation. Altered gene expression is a major molecular response to adverse environmental conditions in plants. Several transcription factors function as master switches to induce the expression of stress-tolerance genes.