Structural and functional insights into IZUMO1 recognition by JUNO in mammalian fertilization

Kato, K., Satouh, Y., Nishimasu, H. et al. Structural and functional insights into IZUMO1 recognition by JUNO in mammalian fertilization. Nat Commun 7, 12198 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms1219

北海道における「学校職員評価制度」の運用実態と課題 : 家庭科教員へのアンケート調査から

In this paper I report the results of a questionnaire survey on the reception by teachers of the new teacher evaluation system in Hokkaido and the situation regarding learning instruction of goal-setting in response to the specific nature of home economics. The survey was conducted on all junior high school teachers in Hokkaido between June and July, 2009 (the response rate: 15.2%). The survey identified the following four points 1) Many teachers thought the new teacher evaluation system to be not very effective, 2) A majority of teachers set learning goals exactly as described in course of study (Gakushu-Shido-Yo-Ryo), 3) Little concrete guidance or advice was received from the evaluators, and the evaluation interview was seen as just a formality, 4) A majority of teachers expressed some doubt regarding the quality of the evaluators. In general, it appears that teachers regard the evaluation system in a business-like procedure

Antibiotic-dependent instability of homeostatic plasticity for growth and environmental load

Reducing antibiotic usage in livestock animals has become an urgent issue worldwide to prevent antimicrobial resistance. Here, abuse of chlortetracycline (CTC), a versatile antibacterial agent, on the performance, blood components, fecal microbiota, and organic acid concentration in calves was investigated. Japanese Black calves were fed milk replacer containing CTC at 10 g/kg (CON) or 0 g/kg (EXP). Growth performance was not affected by CTC administration. However, CTC administration altered the correlation between fecal organic acids and bacterial genera. Machine learning methods such as association analysis, linear discriminant analysis, and energy landscape analysis revealed that CTC administration affected according to certain rules the population of various types of fecal bacteria. It is particularly interesting that the population of several methane-producing bacteria was high in the CON, and that of Lachnospiraceae, a butyrate-producing bacteria, was high in the EXP at 60 d of age. Furthermore, statistical causal inference based on machine learning data estimated that CTC treatment affects the entire intestinal environment, inhibiting butyrate production for growth and biological defense, which may be attributed to methanogens in feces. Thus, these observations highlight the multiple harmful impacts of antibiotics on intestinal health and the potential production of greenhouse gas in the calves

北海道における新しい教員評価制度の導入と概要

In response to problems associated with the conventional work performance evaluation system, a new teacher evaluation system was implemented in Hokkaido. Here I provide a summary of the implementation process of this system. The new teacher evaluation system aims to understand precisely and evaluate the ability, achievements and motivation of each individual teacher, with the aim of improving teacher quality, activating school systems and ensuring planning for the proper use and placement of personnel. In November 2004,the Hokkaido Board of Education had the examination committee for the evaluation of teachers undertake a classification of issues regarding the practical techniques, provisions and practical use of evaluation results of the new teacher evaluation system, and the system has been implemented since 2008. The important points raised regarding the new teacher evaluation system included 1) the way in which school goals and policies were set, 2) the establishment of communication between teachers and evaluators, and 3) effective action for teacher goal setting and achievement

11β-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase-1 Is a Novel Regulator of Skin Homeostasis and a Candidate Target for Promoting Tissue Repair

11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 1 (11β-HSD1) catalyzes the interconversion of cortisone and cortisol within the endoplasmic reticulum. 11β-HSD1 is expressed widely, most notably in the liver, adipose tissue, and central nervous system. It has been studied intensely over the last 10 years because its activity is reported to be increased in visceral adipose tissue of obese people. Epidermal keratinocytes and dermal fibroblasts also express 11β-HSD1. However, the function of the enzymatic activity 11β-HSD1 in skin is not known. We found that 11β-HSD1 was expressed in human and murine epidermis, and this expression increased as keratinocytes differentiate. The expression of 11β-HSD1 by normal human epidermal keratinocytes (NHEKs) was increased by starvation or calcium-induced differentiation in vitro. A selective inhibitor of 11β-HSD1 promoted proliferation of NHEKs and normal human dermal fibroblasts, but did not alter the differentiation of NHEKs. Topical application of selective 11β-HSD1 inhibitor to the dorsal skin of hairless mice caused proliferation of keratinocytes. Taken together, these data suggest that 11β-HSD1 is involved in tissue remodeling of the skin. This hypothesis was further supported by the observation that topical application of the selective 11β-HSD1 inhibitor enhanced cutaneous wound healing in C57BL/6 mice and ob/ob mice. Collectively, we conclude that 11β-HSD1 is negatively regulating the proliferation of keratinocytes and fibroblasts, and cutaneous wound healing. Hence, 11β-HSD1 might maintain skin homeostasis by regulating the proliferation of keratinocytes and dermal fibroblasts. Thus 11β-HSD1 is a novel candidate target for the design of skin disease treatments

Streptococcus cricetus antigen I/II (paaA) 遺伝子周辺配列の解析

Antigen I/II protein is a cell surface protein antigen of Streptococcus mutans and is implicated in the adhesion mechanism to tooth surfaces. We have identified the antigen I/II homologous gene (paaA) from Streptococcus cricetus, a member of mutans streptococci. To clarify the mechanism of paaA expression, we sequenced the flanking regions of the paaA gene utilizing the gene-walking method in this study. In the upstream region of paaA, three homologous genes found in the corresponding region of Streptococcus sobrinus were identified. One of the corresponding genes in S. sobrinus was par, which has been characterized as a transcription represser of the antigen I/II (spaA) gene. Therefore, the homologous gene in S. cricetus could have a role in transcription of paaA. In the downstream region of paaA, the paaA homologous gene was found and designated as paaB. The paaB gene was interrupted by a novel insertion sequence element (ISScr1), a member of the IS982 family. Southern hybridization analysis of S. cricetus par indicated that no gene homologous to S. cricetus par was found in the oral streptococci used in this study. Furthermore, the downstream region of antigen I/II (spaA) in S. sobrinus was sequenced using the gene-walking method. No similar gene to antigen I/II gene was found in the region. It was suggested that the paaA might be regulated by the par in S. cricetus

Indocyanine green angiography findings with Collie eye anomaly in Hokkaido dogs

Collie eye anomaly (CEA) is an inherited, congenital ocular disorder caused by a defective mesodermal differentiation in the posterior segment of the eye. Major ocular finding of CEA is abnormalities of choroidal vessels, that is choroidal hypoplasia. Indocyanine green angiography (IA) is one of the useful ocular examination to observe choroidal vessels in both human and dogs. The purpose of this study was to evaluate IA with CEA in Hokkaido dogs, which is one of the traditional Japanese breed and natural monument in Japan. Ten Hokkaido dogs that had been carried out genetic tests in advance were included in this study. Dogs included in this study had ophthalmic examination, such as menace response, dazzle reflex, direct and indirect pupillary light reflex, slit-lamp biomicroscopy, simple funduscopy, and IA. According to the result of genetic tests, they were classified as 8 affected and 2 carrier dogs. Simple funduscopy revealed choroidal hypoplasia bilaterally and temporal or dorsotemporal area to the optic disc in all affected dogs. With IA, we could observe the abnormalities of choroidal vessels not only at the area coincided with choroidal hypoplasia with simple funduscopy but also at the area detected normal with simple funduscopy in affected dogs. No abnormalities on fundus were observed with both simple funduscopy and IA in all carrier dogs. In conclusion, it was revealed that choroidal hypoplasia in CEA Hokkaido dogs was existed also in the area that could not be observed with simple funduscopy