Soybean (Glycine max L.) triacylglycerol lipase GmSDP1 regulates the quality and quantity of seed oil.

Seeds of soybean (Glycine max L.) are a major source of plant-derived oils. In the past, improvements have been made in the quantity and quality of seed oil.

Serum S100A8/A9 as a Potentially Sensitive Biomarker for Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Background: The clinical significance of human S100A8/A9 (h-S100A8/A9) in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is poorly understood.

Objective: To clarify whether serum S100A8/A9 is a sensitive biomarker for IBD.

Methods: Serum specimens from outpatients with IBD (n = 101) and healthy volunteers (HVs) (n = 101) were used in this study.

Seasonal regulation of the lncRNA LDAIR modulates self-protective behaviours during the breeding season.

To cope with seasonal environmental changes, animals adapt their physiology and behaviour in response to photoperiod. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying these adaptive changes are not completely understood. Here, using genome-wide expression analysis, we show that an uncharacterized long noncoding RNA (lncRNA), LDAIR, is strongly regulated by photoperiod in Japanese medaka fish (Oryzias latipes).

Human alcohol dehydrogenase 1 is an acceptor protein for polyADP-ribosylation.

Alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) is important for preventing alcohol toxicity and developmental disorders, and may be involved in other diseases including neurodegenerative diseases. We found that the major acceptor protein of polyADP-ribosylation in a model organism of neurodegeneration using a Drosophila melanogaster mutant lacking poly(ADP-ribose) glycohydrolase, was ADH. Thus we postulated that human ADH activity might be regulated by polyADP-ribosylation, a post-translational modification.

Proton-pumping F-ATPase plays an important role in Streptococcus mutans under acidic conditions.

Streptococcus mutans, a bacterium mainly inhabiting the tooth surface, is a major pathogen of dental caries. The bacterium metabolizes sugars to produce acids, resulting in an acidic microenvironment in the dental plaque. Hence, S.

Re-evaluation of physical interaction between plant peroxisomes and other organelles using live-cell imaging techniques.

The dynamic behavior of organelles is essential for plant survival under various environmental conditions. Plant organelles, with various functions, migrate along actin filaments and contact other types of organelles, leading to physical interactions at a specific site called the membrane contact site. Recent studies have revealed the importance of physical interactions in maintaining efficient metabolite flow between organelles.

Identification of Residues Critical for FPR2 Activation by the Cryptic Peptide Mitocryptide-2 Originating from the Mitochondrial DNA-Encoded Cytochrome .

Similar to bacteria, synthesis of mitochondrial DNA-encoded proteins requires an -formylated methionine to initiate translation. Thus, the -formylated methionine peptides originating from mitochondria should be recognized as danger signals. To date, only one such peptide, denoted as mitocryptide-2 (MCT-2), originating from the N-terminal of the mitochondrial cytochrome , has been isolated from mammalian tissues.

The carboxyl-terminal helical domain of the ATP synthase γ subunit is involved in ε subunit conformation and energy coupling.

The γ subunit located at the center of ATP synthase (FF) plays critical roles in catalysis. Escherichia coli mutant with Pro substitution of the γ subunit residue γLeu218, which are located the rotor shaft near the c subunit ring, decreased NADH-driven ATP synthesis activity and ATP hydrolysis-dependent H transport of membranes to ~60% and ~40% of the wild type, respectively, without affecting FF assembly. Consistently, the mutant was defective in growth by oxidative phosphorylation, indicating that energy coupling is impaired by the mutation.

Community richness of amphibian skin bacteria correlates with bioclimate at the global scale.

Animal-associated microbiomes are integral to host health, yet key biotic and abiotic factors that shape host-associated microbial communities at the global scale remain poorly understood. We investigated global patterns in amphibian skin bacterial communities, incorporating samples from 2,349 individuals representing 205 amphibian species across a broad biogeographic range. We analysed how biotic and abiotic factors correlate with skin microbial communities using multiple statistical approaches.

Amplification of Sensor Signals from Metal Mesh Device with Fine Periodic Structure.

Two types of metal mesh devices with hole diameters of 1.7 and 0.3 μm were prepared by an electroforming method.

Functional properties of axolotl transient receptor potential ankyrin 1 revealed by the heterologous expression system.

Transient receptor potential ankyrin 1 (TRPA1) from tetrapod vertebrates except rodents are activated by high temperature with a relatively clear threshold. Our recent investigation suggested that a gradual heat activation without clear threshold might be a common feature for TRPA1 of fish. To approach which animal first acquires TRPA1 as a threshold detector instead of a gradual heat sensor, here, we focused on TRPA1 from axolotls (Ambystoma mexicanum).

Rotational direction of flagellar motor from the conformation of FliG middle domain in marine Vibrio.

FliG, which is composed of three distinctive domains, N-terminal (N), middle (M), and C-terminal (C), is an essential rotor component that generates torque and determines rotational direction. To determine the role of FliG in determining flagellar rotational direction, we prepared rotational biased mutants of fliG in Vibrio alginolyticus. The E144D mutant, whose residue is belonging to the EHPQR-motif in FliG, exhibited an increased number of switching events.

Molecular mechanism of the ichthyosis pathology of Chanarin-Dorfman syndrome: Stimulation of PNPLA1-catalyzed ω-O-acylceramide production by ABHD5.

Background: ABHD5 mutations cause Chanarin-Dorfman syndrome accompanied by ichthyosis. ω-O-Acylceramide (acylceramide) is essential for skin permeability barrier formation. Acylceramide production is impaired in Abhd5 knockout mice.

Tracing whale myoglobin evolution by resurrecting ancient proteins.

Extant cetaceans, such as sperm whale, acquired the great ability to dive into the ocean depths during the evolution from their terrestrial ancestor that lived about 50 million years ago. Myoglobin (Mb) is highly concentrated in the myocytes of diving animals, in comparison with those of land animals, and is thought to play a crucial role in their adaptation as the molecular aqualung. Here, we resurrected ancestral whale Mbs, which are from the common ancestor between toothed and baleen whales (Basilosaurus), and from a further common quadrupedal ancestor between whale and hippopotamus (Pakicetus).

Evaluating the ontogenetic external morphology of an ectoparasitic Torix tukubana (Hirudinida: Glossiphoniidae), with records of its new host amphibian species.

Torix is a leech genus containing freshwater proboscidate species, and several members of this taxon are ectoparasites specific to amphibians. Torix tukubana inhabits mountain streams in Japan, and only two frog species are known to be hosts. We collected this leech from two other amphibians, Onychodactylus japonicus (Japanese clawed salamander) and Rana ornativentris (montane brown frog), for the first time.

Direct visualization of DNA baton pass between replication factors bound to PCNA.

In Eukarya and Archaea, the lagging strand synthesis is accomplished mainly by three key factors, DNA polymerase (Pol), flap endonuclease (FEN), and DNA ligase (Lig), in the DNA replication process. These three factors form important complexes with proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), thereby constructing a platform that enable each protein factor to act successively and smoothly on DNA. The structures of the Pol-PCNA-DNA and Lig-PCNA-DNA complexes alone have been visualized by single particle analysis.

Toxic Amyloid Tape: A Novel Mixed Antiparallel/Parallel β-Sheet Structure Formed by Amyloid β-Protein on GM1 Clusters.

The abnormal aggregation of amyloid β-protein (Aβ) is considered central in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease. We focused on membrane-mediated amyloidogenesis and found that amyloid fibrils formed on monosialoganglioside GM1 clusters were more toxic than those formed in aqueous solution. In this study, we investigated the structure of the toxic fibrils by Aβ-(1-40) in detail in comparison with less-toxic fibrils formed in aqueous solution.

Genetic Diversity among Clouded Salamanders (Hynobius nebulosus) in Shiga Prefecture.

The Japanese clouded salamander (Hynobius nebulosus) is a lentic-breeding species distributed throughout western Japan. Threats, such as habitat loss, have led to it being categorized as a vulnerable species. To explore the phylogeographic features and population differentiation among clouded salamanders in Shiga prefecture, we analyzed sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene.

De novo assembly of middle-sized genome using MinION and Illumina sequencers.

Background: The plastid acquisition by secondary endosymbiosis is a driving force for the algal evolution, and the comparative genomics was required to examine the genomic change of symbiont. Therefore, we established a pipeline of a de novo assembly of middle-sized genomes at a low cost and with high quality using long and short reads.

Results: We sequenced symbiotic algae Chlorella variabilis using Oxfofrd Nanopore MinION as the long-read sequencer and Illumina HiSeq 4000 as the short-read sequencer and then assembled the genomes under various conditions.

Draft genome of provides insights into conserved regulatory elements of the brain restriction gene in planarians.

Background: Planarians are non-parasitic Platyhelminthes (flatworms) famous for their regeneration ability and for having a well-organized brain. is a typical planarian species that is widely distributed in the East Asia. Extensive cellular and molecular experimental methods have been developed to identify the functions of thousands of genes in this species, making this planarian a good experimental model for regeneration biology and neurobiology.

Transcriptional activation of a chimeric retrogene PIPSL in a hominoid ancestor.

Retrogenes are a class of functional genes derived from the mRNA of various intron-containing genes. PIPSL was created through a unique mechanism, whereby distinct genes were assembled at the RNA level, and the resulting chimera was then reverse transcribed and integrated into the genome by the L1 retrotransposon. Expression of PIPSL RNA via its transcription start sites (TSSs) has been confirmed in the testes of humans and chimpanzee.

Analysis of Candidate Idarubicin Drug Resistance Genes in MOLT-3 Cells Using Exome Nuclear DNA.

Various gene alterations related to acute leukemia are reported to be involved in drug resistance. We investigated idarubicin (IDR) resistance using exome nuclear DNA analyses of the human acute leukemia cell line MOLT-3 and the derived IDR-resistant cell line MOLT-3/IDR. We detected mutations in MOLT-3/IDR and MOLT-3 using both Genome Analysis Toolkit (GATK) and SnpEff program.