GALNTL5, which is restricted to mouse spermatids, impairs endoplasmic reticulum (ER) function through direct interaction with ER chaperone proteins.

Polypeptide N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase-like protein 5 (GALNTL5) was identified as a pp-GalNAc-T family gene. Nevertheless, GALNTL5 has no glycosyltransferase activity. In mice, Galntl5 expression is restricted to differentiating spermatids, and haploinsufficiency leads to immotile spermatozoa with an aberrant protein composition.

Primate-specific POTE-actin gene could play a role in human folliculogenesis by controlling the proliferation of granulosa cells.

Patients with primary ovarian insufficiency (POI) often have a high prevalence of autoimmune disorders. To identify antigenic molecules associated with ovarian autoimmunity, we performed immunoprecipitation (IP) screening using serum from patients with POI and the established human granulosa cell line (HGrC1). POTE ankyrin domain family member E (POTEE) and POTE ankyrin domain family member F (POTEF), proteins specific to primates, were identified as candidate antigens.

Involvement of Transcription Factor 21 in the Pathogenesis of Fibrosis in Endometriosis.

Repeated tissue injury and repair and fibrosis play a pivotal role in endometriosis. Fibrotic tissue consists of extracellular matrix proteins, regulated by transcriptional factors promoting cell proliferation and survival. Periostin is one of the putative key extracellular matrix proteins.

Mutation of gene identified in patients diagnosed with asthenozoospermia.

Asthenozoospermia is commonly observed in infertile men. However, very few causative gene mutations have been identified because an efficient detection method has not been established. We previously identified a patient with asthenozoospermia carrying a heterozygous point deletion in by detecting an abnormal reduction in the abundance of GALNTL5 and other marker proteins.

A heterozygous mutation of GALNTL5 affects male infertility with impairment of sperm motility.

For normal fertilization in mammals, it is important that functionally mature sperm are motile and have a fully formed acrosome. The glycosyltransferase-like gene, human polypeptide N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase-like protein 5 (GALNTL5), belongs to the polypeptide N-acetylgalactosamine-transferase (pp-GalNAc-T) gene family because of its conserved glycosyltransferase domains, but it uniquely truncates the C-terminal domain and is expressed exclusively in human testis. However, glycosyltransferase activity of the human GALNTL5 protein has not been identified by in vitro assay thus far.

Prostaglandin E1 -containing nanoparticles improve walking activity in an experimental rat model of intermittent claudication.

Objectives: Due to the low stability of lipid emulsions, a lipid emulsion of prostaglandin E1 (Lipo-PGE1 ) necessitates daily intravenous drip infusions. To overcome this issue, we developed nanoparticles containing PGE1 (Nano-PGE1 ). Nano-PGE1 showed a good sustained-release profile of PGE1 from the nanoparticles in vitro, which may permit a longer-lasting therapeutic effect to be achieved.

Evasion of the accelerated blood clearance phenomenon by coating of nanoparticles with various hydrophilic polymers.

The accelerated blood clearance (ABC) phenomenon is induced upon repeated injections of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-coated colloidal carriers. It is essential to suppress this phenomenon in a clinical setting because the pharmacokinetics must be reproducible. In this study, we evaluated the induction of the ABC phenomenon using nanoparticles coated with various hydrophilic polymers instead of PEG.

Accelerated blood clearance phenomenon upon repeated injection of PEG-modified PLA-nanoparticles.

Purpose: We recently developed prostaglandin E(1) (PGE(1))-encapsulated nanoparticles, prepared with a poly(lactide) homopolymer (PLA, Mw = 17,500) and monomethoxy poly(ethyleneglycol)-PLA block copolymer (PEG-PLA) (NP-L20). In this study, we tested whether the accelerated blood clearance (ABC) phenomenon is observed with NP-L20 and other PEG-modified PLA-nanoparticles in rats.

Methods: The plasma levels of PGE(1) and anti-PEG IgM antibody were determined by EIA and ELISA, respectively.

Synthesis of prostaglandin E(1) phosphate derivatives and their encapsulation in biodegradable nanoparticles.

Purpose: Prostaglandin E(1) (PGE(1)) is an effective treatment for peripheral vascular diseases. The encapsulation of PGE(1) in nanoparticles for its sustained-release would improve its therapeutic effect and quality of life (QOL) of patients.

Methods: In order to encapsulate PGE(1) in nanoparticles prepared with a poly(lactide) homopolymer (PLA) and monomethoxy poly(ethyleneglycol)-PLA block copolymer (PEG-PLA), we synthesized a series of PGE(1) phosphate derivatives and tested their efficacy.

Acetylated YY1 regulates Otx2 expression in anterior neuroectoderm at two cis-sites 90 kb apart.

The mouse homeobox gene Otx2 plays essential roles at each step and in every tissue during head development. We have previously identified a series of enhancers that are responsible for driving the Otx2 expression in these contexts. Among them the AN enhancer, existing 92 kb 5' upstream, directs Otx2 expression in anterior neuroectoderm (AN) at the headfold stage.

Evolutionary constraint on Otx2 neuroectoderm enhancers-deep conservation from skate to mouse and unique divergence in teleost.

Otx2 is a paired type homeobox gene that plays essential roles in each step and site of head development in vertebrates. In the mouse, Otx2 expression in the anterior neuroectoderm is regulated primarily by two distinct enhancers: anterior neuroectoderm (AN) and forebrain/midbrain (FM) enhancers at 92 kb and 75 kb 5'of the Otx2 locus, respectively. The AN enhancer has activity in the entire anterior neuroectoderm at headfold and early somite stages, whereas the FM enhancer is subsequently active in the future caudal forebrain and midbrain ectoderm.

Giant hydronephrosis with increased carbohydrate antigen 19-9 both in serum and fluid.

We report a case of right giant hydronephrosis. A 68-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with chief complaints of general fatigue, loss of appetite and a one-year history of progressive fullness on whole abdomen. Abdominal computed tomography scan exhibited a huge, homogeneous, low density mass originating from the right kidney.

Regulation of Otx2 expression and its functions in mouse epiblast and anterior neuroectoderm.

We have identified cis-regulatory sequences acting on Otx2 expression in epiblast (EP) and anterior neuroectoderm (AN) at about 90 kb 5' upstream. The activity of the EP enhancer is found in the inner cell mass at E3.5 and the entire epiblast at E5.

Surgical correction of buried penis after traffic accident - a case report.

Background: Buried penis, most commonly seen in children, is particularly debilitating in adults, resulting in inability to void while standing and it also affects vaginal penetration. We report a case of buried penis due to a traffic accident, which caused dislocation of the fractured pubic bone that shifted inside and pulled the penis by its suspensory ligament.

Case Presentation: A 55-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with a chief complaint of hidden penis while in the sitting position.

Normal gonadal development in mice lacking GPBOX, a homeobox protein expressed in germ cells at the onset of sexual dimorphism.

Gpbox is a paired-like homeobox gene that colocalizes with two other members of the family, PsxI and Pem, on the proximal portion of the mouse X chromosome. Gpbox is expressed in the extraembryonic placenta and within the germ cells of the embryonic gonad. Beginning with the onset of sexual dimorphism (embryonic day [E]11.

Gpbox (Psx2), a homeobox gene preferentially expressed in female germ cells at the onset of sexual dimorphism in mice.

XX gonads differentiate into ovaries, a morphologic event evident by embryonic day 13.5 (E13.5) in mice.

Detection of the ongoing sorting of ancestrally polymorphic SINEs toward fixation or loss in populations of two species of charr during speciation.

The FokI family of short interspersed repetitive elements (SINEs) has been found only in the genomes of charr fishes (genus Salvelinus). In an analysis of the insertion of FokI SINEs using PCR, we characterized six loci at which FokI SINEs have been inserted into the genomes of Salvelinus alpinus (Arctic charr) and/or S. malma (Dolly Varden).

[Retroperitoneal Castleman's disease occurred around the bilateral upper ureters. A case report].

A 45-year-old woman with a history of right regional dull pain was referred to our hospital for evaluation of right hydronephrosis. CT and MRI showed a solitary mass (1 x 1 cm, L1-L2 level) at the right upper ureter. Laboratory data were within the normal range.

[Priapism treated by caverno-glandular shunt, caverno-saphenous shunt and caverno-spongiosum shunt: report of a case].

A 44-year-old man visited a local urologist complaining of continuous pain and tumescence at penis persisting for 3 days. He was diagnosed with priapism. A caverno-glandular and caverno-saphenous shunt was performed.

[Primary cardiac non-Hodgkin's lymphoma].

A 69-year-old man who initially presented with lumbago developed heart failure during an MRI scan on the day of admission. A chest X-ray showed cardiomegaly and bilateral pleural effusion. Echocardiogram and computed tomography (CT) scan of the chest revealed a large tumor mass encompassing the heart with much pericardial effusion was demonstrated.

The salmon SmaI family of short interspersed repetitive elements (SINEs): interspecific and intraspecific variation of the insertion of SINEs in the genomes of chum and pink salmon.

The genomes of chum salmon and pink salmon contain a family of short interspersed repetitive elements (SINEs), designated the salmon SmaI family. It is restricted to these two species, a distribution that suggests that this SINE family might have been generated in their common ancestor. When insertions of the SmaI SINEs at 10 orthologous loci of these species were analyzed, however, it was found that there were no shared insertion sites between chum and pink salmon.

Management conditions during dialysis therapy influence the occurrence of complications after renal transplantation?

We investigated whether the management condition of patients during dialysis therapy has an influence on the occurrence of complications after renal transplantation. Thirty-one patients who underwent renal transplantation were investigated: thirteen received kidneys from living related donors and 18 received cadaveric transplants. The relations between weight gain ratio, cardiothoracic ratio (CTR) and blood pressure during dialysis and the rate of episodes of acute rejection or infection after renal transplantation were analyzed.

Details of retropositional genome dynamics that provide a rationale for a generic division: the distinct branching of all the pacific salmon and trout (Oncorhynchus) from the Atlantic salmon and trout (Salmo).

Salmonid species contain numerous short interspersed repetitive elements (SINEs), known collectively as the HpaI family, in their genomes. Amplification and successive integration of individual SINEs into the genomes have occurred during the evolution of salmonids. We reported previously a strategy for determining the phylogenetic relationships among the Pacific salmonids in which these SINEs were used as temporal landmarks of evolution.

Characterization of species-specifically amplified SINEs in three salmonid species--chum salmon, pink salmon, and kokanee: the local environment of the genome may be important for the generation of a dominant source gene at a newly retroposed locus.

Short interspersed repetitive elements (SINEs), known as the HpaI family, are present in the genomes of all salmonid species (Kido et al., Proc. Natl.