Seasonal Variations in Vegetation Indices derived from in situ Type Vegetation Monitoring System at typical landcovers in Japan : From the Observation Results in PGLIERC and Lake Biwa Project

研究概要:本研究では光学センサー搭載衛星データの検証及び地表面フラックスとの対応関係を調べるために簡易式の地上設置型植生モニタリングシステムを日本を代表する土地被覆上(草地,水田,アカマツ林,落葉広葉樹)に設置し,それぞれの土地被覆から得られる植生指標の季節変化について示した.その結果,以下の知見が得られた;1.草原系(草地・水田)では各植生の季節変化特性を良好にモニターすることが可能である,2.森林系(アカマツ林・落葉広葉樹)ではセンサーとキャノピーの距離が近すぎるため,思うような結果を得ることが出来なかった.3.ただし全般としては各土地被覆特性を示す連続したデータを取得することができ,システムの妥当性を示すことができた

Genetic Variants of Wnt Transcription Factor TCF-4 (TCF7L2) Putative Promoter Region Are Associated with Small Intestinal Crohn's Disease

Reduced expression of Paneth cell antimicrobial α-defensins, human defensin (HD)-5 and -6, characterizes Crohn's disease (CD) of the ileum. TCF-4 (also named TCF7L2), a Wnt signalling pathway transcription factor, orchestrates Paneth cell differentiation, directly regulates the expression of HD-5 and -6, and was previously associated with the decrease of these antimicrobial peptides in a subset of ileal CD. To investigate a potential genetic association of TCF-4 with ileal CD, we sequenced 2.1 kb of the 5′ flanking region of TCF-4 in a small group of ileal CD patients and controls (n = 10 each). We identified eight single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), of which three (rs3814570, rs10885394, rs10885395) were in linkage disequilibrium and found more frequently in patients; one (rs3814570) was thereby located in a predicted regulatory region. We carried out high-throughput analysis of this SNP in three cohorts of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients and controls. Overall 1399 healthy individuals, 785 ulcerative colitis (UC) patients, 225 CD patients with colonic disease only and 784 CD patients with ileal involvement were used to determine frequency distributions. We found an association of rs3814570 with ileal CD but neither with colonic CD or UC, in a combined analysis (allele positivity: OR 1.27, 95% CI 1.07 to 1.52, p = 0.00737), which was the strongest in ileal CD patients with stricturing behaviour (allele frequency: OR 1.32, 95% CI 1.08 to1.62, p = 0.00686) or an additional involvement of the upper GIT (allele frequency: OR 1.38, 95% CI 1.03 to1.84, p = 0.02882). The newly identified genetic association of TCF-4 with ileal CD provides evidence that the decrease in Paneth cell α-defensins is a primary factor in disease pathogenesis