Snailfishes of the genus Careproctus (Perciformes: Liparidae) with a reduced pelvic disk: three new species and new records from the western North Pacific with comments on their phenotypic diversity.

A taxonomic review of the snailfish genus Careproctus (Liparidae) with a reduced pelvic disk-the Careproctus gilberti species group-from the western North Pacific recognized three new species from the southern Sea of Okhotsk, and confirmed the validity of Careproctus gilberti, Careproctus mederi, Careproctus ostentum, and Careproctus parvidiscus. One of the newly described species, Careproctus longibarbatus sp. nov.

Zfp296 knockout enhances chromatin accessibility and induces a unique state of pluripotency in embryonic stem cells.

The Zfp296 gene encodes a zinc finger-type protein. Its expression is high in mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs) but rapidly decreases following differentiation. Zfp296-knockout (KO) ESCs grew as flat colonies, which were reverted to rounded colonies by exogenous expression of Zfp296.

A multi-tasking stomach: functional coexistence of acid-peptic digestion and defensive body inflation in three distantly related vertebrate lineages.

Puffer and porcupine fishes (families Diodontidae and Tetraodontidae, order Tetradontiformes) are known for their extraordinary ability to triple their body size by swallowing and retaining large amounts of seawater in their accommodating stomachs. This inflation mechanism provides a defence to predation; however, it is associated with the secondary loss of the stomach's digestive function. Ingestion of alkaline seawater during inflation would make acidification inefficient (a potential driver for the loss of gastric digestion), paralleled by the loss of acid-peptic genes.

Two new species of snailfishes of the genus emCareproctus/em (Cottoidei: Liparidae) from the western North Pacific Ocean with a range extension of emCareproctus brevipectoralis/em.

Three snailfish species of Careproctus (Cottoidei: Liparidae), including two new species, are described from the deep Pacific Ocean off northern Honshu Island, Japan. Careproctus cyanogladius sp. nov.

Glucotoxicity-induced suppression of Cox6a2 expression provokes β-cell dysfunction via augmented ROS production.

Oxidative stress is a deteriorating factor for pancreatic β-cells under chronic hyperglycemia in diabetes. However, the molecular mechanism underlying the increase in oxidative stress in β-cells under diabetic conditions remains unclear. We demonstrated previously that the selective alleviation of glucotoxicity ameliorated the downregulation of several β-cell factors, including Cox6a2.

Establishment of a long-term stable β-cell line and its application to analyze the effect of Gcg expression on insulin secretion.

A pancreatic β-cell line MIN6 was previously established in our lab from an insulinoma developed in an IT6 transgenic mouse expressing the SV40 T antigen in β-cells. This cell line has been widely used for in vitro analysis of β-cell function, but tends to lose the mature β-cell features, including glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS), in long-term culture. The aim of this study was to develop a stable β-cell line that retains the characteristics of mature β-cells.

Redescription of the serranid perchlet Chelidoperca pleurospilus (Günther, 1880).

Chelidoperca pleurospilus (Günther, 1880) (Perciformes: Serranidae) is redescribed on the basis of the lectotype (designated herein) and 69 non-type specimens from the eastern Indian and western Pacific oceans, ranging from the Andaman Sea east to New Caledonia, and northwestern Australia north to Japan. Literature records of the species from the Red Sea and Madagascar are considered applicable to Chelidoperca occipitalis Kotthaus 1973. Chelidoperca pleurospilus is characterized by the following combination of characters: pectoral-fin rays 14-16 (modally 15); pored lateral-line scales 40-43 (43); scale rows in longitudinal series 42-47 (44); scale rows between lateral line and base of 6th dorsal-fin spine 4 (3 full-sized scales plus 1 half-sized); interorbital scales reaching mid-orbit level, not extending beyond anterior margin of orbit; scales on lower jaw ventral surface restricted to angular, not extending anteriorly onto dentary; posterior tip of upper caudal-fin lobe slightly elongate with rounded or pointed contour, that of lower lobe not elongate, with rounded or truncate contour; longitudinal row of ca.

FOXO1 regulates developmental lymphangiogenesis by upregulating CXCR4 in the mouse-tail dermis.

Lymphangiogenesis plays important roles in normal fetal development and postnatal growth. However, its molecular regulation remains unclear. Here, we have examined the function of forkhead box protein O1 (FOXO1) transcription factor, a known angiogenic factor, in developmental dermal lymphangiogenesis using endothelial cell-specific FOXO1-deficient mice.

Eels of the genus Bathyuroconger in the northwestern Pacific, with descriptions of four new species (Anguilliformes: Congridae).

Examination of the congrid genus Bathyuroconger in the northwestern Pacific reveals six species are present. Bathyuroconger albus sp. nov.

IRE1-XBP1 pathway regulates oxidative proinsulin folding in pancreatic β cells.

In mammalian pancreatic β cells, the IRE1α-XBP1 pathway is constitutively and highly activated under physiological conditions. To elucidate the precise role of this pathway, we constructed β cell-specific conditional knockout (CKO) mice and established insulinoma cell lines in which was deleted using the Cre-loxP system. CKO mice showed the typical diabetic phenotype including impaired glycemic control and defects in insulin biosynthesis postnatally at 4-20 weeks.

Mouse GTSF1 is an essential factor for secondary piRNA biogenesis.

The piRNA pathway is a piRNA-guided retrotransposon silencing system which includes processing of retrotransposon transcripts by PIWI-piRNAs in secondary piRNA biogenesis. Although several proteins participate in the piRNA pathway, the ones crucial for the cleavage of target RNAs by PIWI-piRNAs have not been identified. Here, we show that GTSF1, an essential factor for retrotransposon silencing in male germ cells in mice, associates with both MILI and MIWI2, mouse PIWI proteins that function in prospermatogonia.

Tip-cell behavior is regulated by transcription factor FoxO1 under hypoxic conditions in developing mouse retinas.

Forkhead box protein O1 (FoxO1) is a transcription factor and a critical regulator of angiogenesis. Various environmental stimuli, including growth factors, nutrients, shear stress, oxidative stress and hypoxia, affect FoxO1 subcellular localization and strongly influence its transcriptional activity; however, FoxO1-localization patterns in endothelial cells (ECs) during development have not been clarified in vivo. Here, we reported that FoxO1 expression was observed in three layers of angiogenic vessels in developing mouse retinas and that among these layers, the front layer showed high levels of FoxO1 expression in the nuclei of most tip ECs.

Zfp296 negatively regulates H3K9 methylation in embryonic development as a component of heterochromatin.

The Cys2/His2-type zinc finger protein Zfp296 has been implicated in stem cell pluripotency and tumor pathogenesis. However, its mechanisms remain elusive. Here, we demonstrated that a Zfp296 deficiency in mice impairs germ-cell development and embryonic growth.

Transgenic Expression of a Single Transcription Factor Pdx1 Induces Transdifferentiation of Pancreatic Acinar Cells to Endocrine Cells in Adult Mice.

A promising approach to new diabetes therapies is to generate β cells from other differentiated pancreatic cells in vivo. Because the acinar cells represent the most abundant cell type in the pancreas, an attractive possibility is to reprogram acinar cells into β cells. The transcription factor Pdx1 (Pancreas/duodenum homeobox protein 1) is essential for pancreatic development and cell lineage determination.

Novel p53 target gene FUCA1 encodes a fucosidase and regulates growth and survival of cancer cells.

The tumor suppressor p53 functions by inducing the transcription of a collection of target genes. We previously attempted to identify p53 target genes by microarray expression and ChIP-sequencing analyses. In this study, we describe a novel p53 target gene, FUCA1, which encodes a fucosidase.

Functional Analysis of Novel Candidate Regulators of Insulin Secretion in the MIN6 Mouse Pancreatic β Cell Line.

Elucidating the regulation of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) in pancreatic β cells is important for understanding and treating diabetes. The pancreatic β cell line, MIN6, retains GSIS but gradually loses it in long-term culture. The MIN6 subclone, MIN6c4, exhibits well-regulated GSIS even after prolonged culture.

Gtsf1l and Gtsf2 Are Specifically Expressed in Gonocytes and Spermatids but Are Not Essential for Spermatogenesis.

The unknown protein family 0224 (UPF0224) includes three members that are expressed in germ-line cells in mice: Gtsf1, Gtsf1l, and BC048502 (Gtsf2). These genes produce proteins with two repeats of the CHHC Zn-finger domain, a predicted RNA-binding motif, in the N terminus. We previously reported that Gtsf1 is essential for spermatogenesis and retrotransposon suppression.

IER5 generates a novel hypo-phosphorylated active form of HSF1 and contributes to tumorigenesis.

The transcription factors HSF1 and p53 both modulate the stress response, thereby protecting and facilitating the recovery of stressed cells, but both have the potential to promote tumor development. Here we show that a p53 target gene, IER5, encodes an activator of HSF1. IER5 forms a ternary complex with HSF1 and the phosphatase PP2A, and promotes the dephosphorylation of HSF1 at numbers of serine and threonine residues, generating a novel, hypo-phosphorylated active form of HSF1.

SGF29 and Sry pathway in hepatocarcinogenesis.

Deregulated c-Myc expression is a hallmark of many human cancers. We have recently identified a role of mammalian homolog of yeast SPT-ADA-GCN5-acetyltransferas (SAGA) complex component, SAGA-associated factor 29 (SGF29), in regulating the c-Myc overexpression. Here, we discuss the molecular nature of SFG29 in SPT3-TAF9-GCN5-acetyltransferase complex, a counterpart of yeast SAGA complex, and the mechanism through which the elevated SGF29 expression contribute to oncogenic potential of c-Myc in hepatocellularcarcinoma (HCC).

SRY and OCT4 Are Required for the Acquisition of Cancer Stem Cell-Like Properties and Are Potential Differentiation Therapy Targets.

The acquisition of stemness is a hallmark of aggressive human hepatocellular carcinoma (hHCC). The stem cell marker OCT4 is frequently expressed in HCCs, and its expression correlates with those of putative cancer stem cell (CSC) markers and CSC properties. Here, we describe a novel mechanism of CSC maintenance by SRY through OCT4.

TSPAN12 is a critical factor for cancer-fibroblast cell contact-mediated cancer invasion.

Communication between cancer cells and their microenvironment controls cancer progression. Although the tumor suppressor p53 functions in a cell-autonomous manner, it has also recently been shown to function in a non-cell-autonomous fashion. Although functional defects have been reported in p53 in stromal cells surrounding cancer, including mutations in the p53 gene and decreased p53 expression, the role of p53 in stromal cells during cancer progression remains unclear.

Aralin, a type II ribosome-inactivating protein from Aralia elata, exhibits selective anticancer activity through the processed form of a 110-kDa high-density lipoprotein-binding protein: a promising anticancer drug.

Aralin from Aralia elata is a newly identified type II ribosome- inactivating protein, which preferentially induces apoptosis in cancer cells. In this study, we identified that the aralin receptor is a 110-kDa high-density lipoprotein-binding protein (HDLBP), which functions as a HDL receptor. The sensitivities of tumor cell lines to aralin were dependent on the expression levels of the 110-kDa HDLBP and its forced expression in aralin-resistant Huh7 cells conferred aralin sensitivity.

TSPAN2 is involved in cell invasion and motility during lung cancer progression.

In lung cancer progression, p53 mutations are more often observed in invasive tumors than in noninvasive tumors, suggesting that p53 is involved in tumor invasion and metastasis. To understand the nature of p53 function as a tumor suppressor, it is crucial to elucidate the detailed mechanism of the alteration in epithelial cells that follow oncogenic KRAS activation and p53 inactivation. Here, we report that KRAS activation induces epithelial-mesenchymal transition and that p53 inactivation is required for cell motility and invasiveness.

FBI1/Akirin2 promotes tumorigenicity and metastasis of Lewis lung carcinoma cells.

The 14-3-3 family of proteins regulates various signaling pathways involved in cell cycle, apoptosis, stress response, and malignant transformation. We previously demonstrated that the β isoform of the 14-3-3 protein promotes cell growth and tumorigenicity of rat K2 hepatocellular carcinoma cells. We identified fourteen-three-three beta interactant 1 (FBI1)/Akirin2 as a binding partner of 14-3-3β and showed that the complex of these proteins promotes tumorigenicity and metastasis of K2 cells.