Zinc in Cardiovascular Functions and Diseases: Epidemiology and Molecular Mechanisms for Therapeutic Development

Zinc is an essential trace element that plays an important physiological role in numerous cellular processes. Zinc deficiency can result in diverse symptoms, such as impairment of the immune response, skin disorders, and impairments in cardiovascular functions. Recent reports have demonstrated that zinc acts as a signaling molecule, and its signaling pathways, referred to as zinc signals, are related to the molecular mechanisms of cardiovascular functions. Therefore, comprehensive understanding of the significance of zinc-mediated signaling pathways is vital as a function of zinc as a nutritional component and of its molecular mechanisms and targets. Several basic and clinical studies have reported the relationship between zinc level and the onset and pathology of cardiovascular diseases, which has attracted much attention in recent years. In this review, we summarize the recent findings regarding the effects of zinc on cardiovascular function. We also discuss the importance of maintaining zinc homeostasis in the cardiovascular system and its therapeutic potential as a novel drug target

標識放流した雄タイマイの日本からインドネシアへの長距離移動

An immature male hawksbill turtle, rescued and retained in Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium for at least 14 years, was tagged with plastic tags and released near Okinawa Island (26°12′N, 127°40′E) on July 13, 2016, at which time its straight carapace length was 74.9 cm. On December 2, 2016, the turtle was recaptured at Yapen Island, Papua Province, Indonesia (approximately 1°50′S, 136°10′E), over 3,200 km in a straight-line distance from the release position. This is the first report on the long-distance movement of hawksbill turtles in East Asia.沖縄島で未成熟時に緊急保護し14 年以上飼育したタイマイを, 2016 年7 月13 日に沖縄島から標識放流した ( 標準直甲長749mm, 体重47.9kg, 雄). 放流から142 日後にあたる2016 年12 月2 日にインドネシアパプア州ヤペン島で再発見され, 直線の移動距離は約3200km であった. このタイマイの長距離移動は東アジアにおいて初めての確認である

Implication of the zinc-epigenetic axis in epidermal homeostasis

[No abstract available]FALS

Possible involvement of zinc transporter ZIP13 in myogenic differentiation

Abstract Ehlers–Danlos syndrome spondylodysplastic type 3 (EDSSPD3, OMIM 612350) is an inherited recessive connective tissue disorder that is caused by loss of function of SLC39A13/ZIP13, a zinc transporter belonging to the Slc39a/ZIP family. We previously reported that patients with EDSSPD3 harboring a homozygous loss of function mutation (c.221G > A, p.G64D) in ZIP13 exon 2 (ZIP13 G64D ) suffer from impaired development of bone and connective tissues, and muscular hypotonia. However, whether ZIP13 participates in the early differentiation of these cell types remains unclear. In the present study, we investigated the role of ZIP13 in myogenic differentiation using a murine myoblast cell line (C2C12) as well as patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). We found that ZIP13 gene expression was upregulated by myogenic stimulation in C2C12 cells, and its knockdown disrupted myotubular differentiation. Myocytes differentiated from iPSCs derived from patients with EDSSPD3 (EDSSPD3-iPSCs) also exhibited incomplete myogenic differentiation. Such phenotypic abnormalities of EDSSPD3-iPSC-derived myocytes were corrected by genomic editing of the pathogenic ZIP13 G64D mutation. Collectively, our findings suggest the possible involvement of ZIP13 in myogenic differentiation, and that EDSSPD3-iPSCs established herein may be a promising tool to study the molecular basis underlying the clinical features caused by loss of ZIP13 function

Baseline data of Shizuoka area in the Japan Multi-Institutional Collaborative Cohort Study (J-MICC Study)

The Japan Multi-Institutional Collaborative Cohort (J-MICC) Study launched in 2005 by ten research groups throughout Japan aimed to examine gene-environment interactions in lifestyle-related diseases, especially cancers. This paper describes one component of the J-MICC Study, named Shizuoka Study, in which visitors aged 35 to 69 years to the Seirei Preventive Health Care Center in Hamamatsu were enrolled. Among 13,740 visitors matching eligibility criteria, 5,040 persons (36.7%) were enrolled from January 2006 to December 2007. Their lifestyle, disease history, and family history were surveyed using a self-administrated questionnaire. Blood and urine were collected from the participants. By the end of December 2008, 8 withdrawers and 1 ineligible participant had been removed, leaving 5,031 participants (3,419 males and 1,612 females) as the baseline dataset. Current smokers were 23.3% among males, and 4.4% among females, and those who drank once or more per month were 76.9% and 38.6%, respectively. Those with a cancer history were 3.0% for males and 3.8% for females. Measurements out of a normal range in males and females were 11.3% and 4.0% for diastolic blood pressure > 90 mmHg, 11.0% and 7.6% for systolic blood pressure > 140 mmHg, 5.9% and 1.7% for fasting blood glucose > 126 mg/dl, respectively. Collected information and specimens will be cooperatively used to examine the associations of biomarkers with lifestyle, genotypes, and their combinations, as well as for a part of the J-MICC Study