Hop-variety Identification Using First- and Second-generation Sequencing

Twenty-one hop varieties from Europe and the United States were successfully identified by DNA analysis, based on single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs; including insertion/deletion sequences) as identification markers. Several dozen megabases of transcriptome sequencing data were obtained by next-generation sequencing of samples from three hop varieties and compared to search for the regions containing SNPs. Consequently, four SNP-rich regions were selected as candidates for exploring identification markers in the hop varieties. Sequence data from these regions in all the tested varieties were obtained by the normal Sanger method and compared for the SNPs present. Combination of these SNPs could work well for identification of the 21 hop varieties. Moreover, the mixture of two varieties could be correctly evaluated by using this method. Hop pellet samples of two different varieties were mixed in various ratios and DNA sequencing was carried out. As a result, 5% contamination of a different variety could be detected by examining the electropherogram of the SNP positions. More quantitative methods for mixture evaluation could be expected using DNA techniques, such as quantitative real-time PCR. Because this SNP-based identification method utilizes the DNA sequence itself, it could be a reproducible tool for accurate identification of the hop varieties

Effects of Orally Administered Lactoferrin and Lactoperoxidase-Containing Tablets on Clinical and Bacteriological Profiles in Chronic Periodontitis Patients

This study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of oral administration of lactoferrin (LF) and lactoperoxidase-(LPO-)containing tablet on periodontal condition. Seventy-two individuals with chronic periodontitis were randomly assigned to take either bovine LF and LPO-containing tablets (test group, n = 37) or control tablets (control group, n = 35) every day for 12 weeks. Periodontal parameters and levels of subgingival plaque bacteria, human and bovine LF, and endotoxin in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) were evaluated at baseline, 1 week, 4 weeks, and 12 weeks. Significant differences were observed in GCF levels of bovine LF between the test and control groups throughout the study (P < .05). However, clinical and bacteriological parameter values proved comparable between the two groups at 1 week to 12 weeks. Therefore, the effect of oral administration of LF and LPO-containing tablets might be weak on periodontal and bacteriological profile in this study

Leuconostoc bacteremia in three patients with malignancies

金沢大学医薬保健研究域医学系 　　東京都立大塚病院　血液内科（輸血科）Leuconostoc is a Gram-positive coccus characterized by its resistance to glycopeptide antibiotics. Generally, this bacterium is susceptible to β-lactam antibiotics; however, here we present a leukemia patient who developed leuconostoc bacteremia during antimicrobial therapy with carbapenem. The appropriate choice of antibiotics at optimal doses enables leuconostoc infection to be overcome, even in compromised hosts. We report 3 cases of leuconostoc bacteremia: the leukemia case which was successfully treated, along with discussions of two other cases with malignancies. © 2010 Japanese Society of Chemotherapy and The Japanese Association for Infectious Diseases

Studies of Enlargement of Farm Management in the Steep Slope Region of Mountainous Area : I. Research of the Actual Conditions of Farming with Special Reference of Dairying

わが国では酪農の規模は一般に小さく,特に急傾斜地体では粗飼料生産が酪農の規模拡大の制限因子となっており,酪農経営の規模は小さい. この研究調査は急傾斜地体の農業経営の規模拡大による所得増加の方法を研究するための基礎調査として徳島県脇町暮畑地区の8戸の酪農経営につき行なったものである

Studies of Enlargement of Farm Management in the Steep Slope Region of Mountainous Area : II. A Plan for Farm Management in the Steep Slope by Linner Programming Method

急傾斜地の農業経営の安定をはかり,農家の所得を増すために,徳島県美馬郡脇町暮畑部落について,2ヵ年間の農業経営の実態調査に基き,線型計画法によって将来の営農設計を行なった. この地区に適し,現在の基幹作目となっている稲作,煙草,乳牛について単体表を作成し,電子計算機を用いて計算した. この結果,他の作目は土地,労働力,その他の制約が大きいので利益を増すには,酪農の規模を拡大することがもっとも有利であることが示された. 高度の飼養,管理技術を前提とするならば,酪農の規模は粗飼料の給与率を低くする程,その拡大が可能であり,利益の増加をもたらすことが示された

Critical role of the MCAM-ETV4 axis triggered by extracellular S100A8/A9 in breast cancer aggressiveness

Metastatic breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer-associated death in women. The progression of this fatal disease is associated with inflammatory responses that promote cancer cell growth and dissemination, eventually leading to a reduction of overall survival. However, the mechanism(s) of the inflammation-boosted cancer progression remains unclear. In this study, we found for the first time that an extracellular cytokine, S100A8/A9, accelerates breast cancer growth and metastasis upon binding to a cell surface receptor, melanoma cell adhesion molecule (MCAM). Our molecular analyses revealed an important role of ETS translocation variant 4 (ETV4), which is significantly activated in the region downstream of MCAM upon S100A8/A9 stimulation, in breast cancer progression in vitro as well as in vivo. The MCAM-mediated activation of ETV4 induced a mobile phenotype called epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in cells, since we found that ETV4 transcriptionally upregulates ZEB1, a strong EMT inducer, at a very high level. In contrast, downregulation of either MCAM or ETV4 repressed EMT, resulting in greatly weakened tumor growth and lung metastasis. Overall, our results revealed that ETV4 is a novel transcription factor regulated by the S100A8/A9-MCAM axis, which leads to EMT through ZEB1 and thereby to metastasis in breast cancer cells. Thus, therapeutic strategies based on our findings might improve patient outcomes

Large-Scale Gene Disruption in Magnaporthe oryzae Identifies MC69, a Secreted Protein Required for Infection by Monocot and Dicot Fungal Pathogens

To search for virulence effector genes of the rice blast fungus, Magnaporthe oryzae, we carried out a large-scale targeted disruption of genes for 78 putative secreted proteins that are expressed during the early stages of infection of M. oryzae. Disruption of the majority of genes did not affect growth, conidiation, or pathogenicity of M. oryzae. One exception was the gene MC69. The mc69 mutant showed a severe reduction in blast symptoms on rice and barley, indicating the importance of MC69 for pathogenicity of M. oryzae. The mc69 mutant did not exhibit changes in saprophytic growth and conidiation. Microscopic analysis of infection behavior in the mc69 mutant revealed that MC69 is dispensable for appressorium formation. However, mc69 mutant failed to develop invasive hyphae after appressorium formation in rice leaf sheath, indicating a critical role of MC69 in interaction with host plants. MC69 encodes a hypothetical 54 amino acids protein with a signal peptide. Live-cell imaging suggested that fluorescently labeled MC69 was not translocated into rice cytoplasm. Site-directed mutagenesis of two conserved cysteine residues (Cys36 and Cys46) in the mature MC69 impaired function of MC69 without affecting its secretion, suggesting the importance of the disulfide bond in MC69 pathogenicity function. Furthermore, deletion of the MC69 orthologous gene reduced pathogenicity of the cucumber anthracnose fungus Colletotrichum orbiculare on both cucumber and Nicotiana benthamiana leaves. We conclude that MC69 is a secreted pathogenicity protein commonly required for infection of two different plant pathogenic fungi, M. oryzae and C. orbiculare pathogenic on monocot and dicot plants, respectively