The relation in MreB and intrabacterial nanotransportation system for VacA in Helicobacter pylori.

Helicobacter pylori possesses an intrabacterial nanotransportation system (ibNoTS) for transporting VacA, CagA, and urease within the bacterial cytoplasm. This system is controlled by the extrabacterial environment. The transport routes of the system for VacA have not yet been studied in detail.

Morphological analysis for two types of viral particles in vacuoles of SARS-CoV-2-infected cells.

In this study, we analyzed the morphological structure of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in human cells. We identified the two types of viral particles present within the vacuoles of infected cells. Using transmission electron microscopy, we observed that SARS-CoV-2 particles exhibited both low- and high-electron-density structures, which was further confirmed through three-dimensional reconstruction using electron tomography.

Distinct motifs in the E protein are required for SARS-CoV-2 virus particle formation and lysosomal deacidification in host cells.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus responsible for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has caused a global public health crisis. The E protein, a structural protein found in this virus particle, is also known to be a viroporin. As such, it forms oligomeric ion channels or pores in the host cell membrane.

First isolation and genomic characterization of bovine parechovirus from faecal samples of cattle in Japan.

A novel picornavirus was isolated from the faeces of a diarrhoeic cow using MA-104 cells at the third blind passage. This virus, named Den1/2021/JPN, was completely sequenced using total RNA from the cell culture supernatant by deep sequencing. The genome of Den1/2021/JPN had a standard picornavirus genome organisation with conserved picornaviral motifs.

Three-dimensional reconstruction by electron tomography for the application to ultrastructural analysis of SARS-CoV-2 particles.

SARS-CoV-2 is the cause of COVID-19. The three-dimensional morphology of viral particles existing and multiplying in infected cells has not been established by electron tomography, which is different from cryo-electron tomography using frozen samples. In this study, we establish the morphological structure of SARS-CoV-2 particles by three-dimensional reconstruction of images obtained by electron tomography and transmission electron microscopy of biological samples embedded in epoxy resin.

Construction and characterization of an infectious clone generated from Chikungunya virus SL11131 strain.

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a mosquito-borne RNA virus that causes Chikungunya fever in humans. In this study, we generated two DNA-based CHIKV infectious clones derived from an Indian Ocean Lineage SL11131 strain and a prototype Ross strain. When the replication capabilities of the infectious CHIKV in various cell lines were evaluated, the SL11131 strain was found to replicate more efficiently than the Ross strain in Aedes albopictus C6/36 cells, whereas SL11131 underwent limited replication in a BHK-21-derivative cell line named BHK-DRV.

Fine visualization of filamentous structures in the bacterial cytoplasm.

A new method was established for fine visualization of bacterial subcelluar filamentous structures by freezing the bacterial cells to displace cytoplasmic matrix granules to the periphery. This method was successfully applied in immunoelectron microscopy and electron microscopic tomography, and should be applicable for further studies of bacterial architecture and nanotransportation.

Verification of 525 coding SNPs in 179 hypertension candidate genes in the Japanese population: identification of 159 SNPs in 93 genes.

Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) located in coding regions (coding SNPs; cSNPs) with amino acid substitution can potentially alter protein function. Therefore, identification of the nonsynonymous cSNPs of the genes of common diseases is valuable in tests of association with phenotypes. In this study, we validated 525 candidate cSNPs from 179 hypertension candidate genes deposited in the publicly available database dbSNP by DNA sequencing of samples from 32 Japanese individuals.