Non-Retroviral Fossils in Vertebrate Genomes

Although no physical fossils of viruses have been found, retroviruses are known to leave their molecular fossils in the genomes of their hosts, the so-called endogenous retroviral elements. These have provided us with important information about retroviruses in the past and their co-evolution with their hosts. On the other hand, because non-retroviral viruses were considered not to leave such fossils, even the existence of prehistoric non-retroviral viruses has been enigmatic. Recently, we discovered that elements derived from ancient bornaviruses, non-segmented, negative strand RNA viruses, are found in the genomes of several mammalian species, including humans. In addition, at approximately the same time, several endogenous elements of RNA viruses, DNA viruses and reverse-transcribing DNA viruses have been independently reported, which revealed that non-retroviral viruses have played significant roles in the evolution of their hosts and provided novel insights into virology and cell biology. Here we review non-retroviral virus-like elements in vertebrate genomes, non-retroviral integration and the knowledge obtained from these endogenous non-retroviral virus-like elements

Large‐scale investigation of zoonotic viruses in the era of high‐throughput sequencing

Zoonotic diseases considerably impact public health and socioeconomics. RNA viruses reportedly caused approximately 94% of zoonotic diseases documented from 1990 to 2010, emphasizing the importance of investigating RNA viruses in animals. Furthermore, it has been estimated that hundreds of thousands of animal viruses capable of infecting humans are yet to be discovered, warning against the inadequacy of our understanding of viral diversity. High-throughput sequencing (HTS) has enabled the identification of viral infections with relatively little bias. Viral searches using both symptomatic and asymptomatic animal samples by HTS have revealed hidden viral infections. This review introduces the history of viral searches using HTS, current analytical limitations, and future potentials. We primarily summarize recent research on large-scale investigations on viral infections reusing HTS data from public databases. Furthermore, considering the accumulation of uncultivated viruses, we discuss current studies and challenges for connecting viral sequences to their phenotypes using various approaches: performing data analysis, developing predictive modeling, or implementing high-throughput platforms of virological experiments. We believe that this article provides a future direction in large-scale investigations of potential zoonotic viruses using the HTS technology

HOW THE PELVIS MOVES DURING RUNNING IN EXPERIENCED HURDLERS

It was said that dash is a symmetric movement. While, it can be said that hurdling is an asymmetric movement. It is thought that the interval running has some different aspects of a usual dash. However, there are few reports about the features of interval running. By the way, there are a lot of reports about pelvic movement during walking and running, and these reports were evidence that the movement of lower limbs greatly influence the pelvic movement. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to clarify the feature of hurdlers running based on the movement of the pelvis

THE TIME ANALYSIS OF 110 M HURDLE EVENTS

The purpose of this study was to clarify the pattern of speed changes during the 110m hurdle events. One hundred and five subjects were divided ,into A group, B group and C group according to record. The speed ofeach section, the speed ratio compared with a maximum speed and the time ratio were calculated. The results showed that the speed changes of A group has similarity to the previous reports for top hurdlers, though the speed of each section decreased gradually in B group and C group. The correlation coefficient of the latter half, especially in the section from the 7th hurdle to the 9th hurdle, were higher than that of the first half and also the speed in these sections were related to the record particularly. It was found that the speed change of B, and C group were different from that of top-level, and that these results could be app'lied to the training programs for the Middle-level hurdlers

THE CHARACTERISTICS OF BACKWARD WALKING AND BACKWARD RUNNING IN PRIMARY SCHOOL CHILDREN

The purpose of this study is to identify the characteristics of both backward walking (BW) and backward running (BR) and show the differences between two kinds of movements according to age. One 'hundred and four primary school children and varsity 20 students participated in this study. The SUbjects were divided into four groups. 15-meters-long lane was used in this experiment. All video pictures were manually digitized on Sony Motion Analyzer (SMC-70G). Cycles of motion in BW &BR were analyzed. The walking velocity didn't increase so with age in BW-test, but the results of BR-test revealed that running velocity increased with age. Step length was increased with age in each test. Step frequency of BR didn't increase with age. Step frequency in BW didn't increase with age. We categorized the form using examples from Miyamaru's procedure. BW was categorized to 5 patterns, and BR divided to 6 patterns

Evolutionary Selection of the Nuclear Localization Signal in the Viral Nucleoprotein Leads to Host Adaptation of the Genus Orthobornavirus.

Adaptation of the viral life cycle to host cells is necessary for efficient viral infection and replication. This evolutionary process has contributed to the mechanism for determining the host range of viruses. Orthobornaviruses, members of the family Bornaviridae, are non-segmented, negative-strand RNA viruses, and several genotypes have been isolated from different vertebrate species. Previous studies revealed that some genotypes isolated from avian species can replicate in mammalian cell lines, suggesting the zoonotic potential of avian orthobornaviruses. However, the mechanism by which the host specificity of orthobornaviruses is determined has not yet been identified. In this study, we found that the infectivity of orthobornaviruses is not determined at the viral entry step, mediated by the viral glycoprotein and matrix protein. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the nuclear localization signal (NLS) sequence in the viral nucleoprotein (N) has evolved under natural selection and determines the host-specific viral polymerase activity. A chimeric mammalian orthobornavirus, which has the NLS sequence of avian orthobornavirus N, exhibited a reduced propagation efficiency in mammalian cells. Our findings indicated that nuclear transport of the viral N is a determinant of the host range of orthobornaviruses, providing insights into the evolution and host adaptation of orthobornaviruses

Clinical Characteristics and Predictors of Mortality in Patients with Combined Pulmonary Fibrosis and Emphysema Syndrome and Lung Cancer

Rationale: We performed this retrospective study to clarify the clinical characteristics, survival and mortality predictors in patients with combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema (CPFE) and lung cancer. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of a total of 123 patients with lung cancer, as confirmed according to histological or cytological examinations. Based on the findings of chest CT, the patients were categorized into four groups: LC+normal (n=70); LC+emphysema (n=26); LC+fibrosis (n=10); LC+CPFE (n=17). The clinical characteristics and survival of the LC+CPFE group were compared with those of the other groups. In addition, mortality predictors were evaluated in the LC+CPFE group. Results: The proportion of females was significantly higher in the LC+normal group than in the LC+CPFE and LC+emphysema groups. Significantly more patients were diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma in the LC+CPFE group than in the LC+normal group. The proportion of patients whose primary mass was located in “nonsubpleural” areas was significantly higher in patients with CPFE who also had lung cancer in the upper lobe than in those with CPFE who also had lung cancer in the other sites. There were significant differences in survival between the LC+normal group and the other groups, whereas there were no significant differences in survival among the LC+emphysema, LC+fibrosis and LC+CPFE groups. In the LC+CPFE group, the patients with a high level of serum KL-6 at diagnosis and upper lobe lung cancer demonstrated a high risk of death. A high level of serum KL-6 at diagnosis was also independently associated with a high risk of death. Conclusions: Patients with CPFE and lung cancer may have distinct clinical characteristics. Strict follow-up is required in patients with CPFE and lung cancer whose serum KL-6 level at diagnosis is higher than the normal range and/or the primary mass of lung cancer is located in the upper lobe.ArticleJournal of Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine.5(3):263(2015)journal articl

Evolutionarily Conserved Interaction between the Phosphoproteins and X Proteins of Bornaviruses from Different Vertebrate Species.

Bornavirus, a non-segmented, negative-strand RNA viruses, is currently classified into several genetically distinct genotypes, such as Borna disease virus (BDV) and avian bornaviruses (ABVs). Recent studies revealed that bornavirus genotypes show unique sequence variability in the putative 5' untranslated region (5' UTR) of X/P mRNA, a bicistronic mRNA for the X protein and phosphoprotein (P). In this study, to understand the evolutionary relationship among the bornavirus genotypes, we investigated the functional interaction between the X and P proteins of four bornavirus genotypes, BDV, ABV genotype 4 and 5 and reptile bornavirus (RBV), the putative 5' UTRs of which exhibit variation in the length. Immunofluorescence and immunoprecipitation analyses using mammalian and avian cell lines revealed that the X proteins of bornaviruses conserve the ability to facilitate the export of P from the nucleus to the cytoplasm via interaction with P. Furthermore, we showed that inter-genotypic interactions may occur between X and P among the genotypes, except for X of RBV. In addition, a BDV minireplicon assay demonstrated that the X and P proteins of ABVs, but not RBV, can affect the polymerase activity of BDV. This study demonstrates that bornaviruses may have conserved the fundamental function of a regulatory protein during their evolution, whereas RBV has evolved distinctly from the other bornavirus genotypes

Acute Exacerbation of Pulmonary Fibrosis in Syndrome of Combined Pulmonary Fibrosis and Emphysema Following Lung Surgery : A Report of Two Cases

We herein report two cases of an acute exacerbation of pulmonary fibrosis in the syndrome of combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema (CPFE) following lung surgery, and also review the relevant literature. One is a 76-year-old man, who had been diagnosed with CPFE and lung cancer and undergone lobectomy. He was admitted to our hospital because of aggravation of dyspnea 50 days after lung surgery. The other is a 69-yearold man who had been diagnosed with pulmonary bulla, pulmonary emphysema and idiopathic interstitial pneumonia at 53 years old and was complicated by lung cancer. He underwent right lower lobectomy and presented with slight fever and desaturation 18 days after lung surgery. In both cases, chest computed tomography showed diffuse bilateral ground-glass opacities superimposed on preceding reticular opacities in the lower lung field. They were diagnosed as acute exacerbation of pulmonary fibrosis in CPFE.A strict followup is required, because the prevalence of lung cancer may be higher, and acute exacerbation may occur following lung surgery in CPFE patients. HRCT plays an important role in evaluating the occurrence of lung cancer at an early stage and for determining whether there is an acute exacerbation of pulmonary fibrosis in CPFE patients.Article信州医学雑誌 60(3): 149-156(2012)journal articl

Bornavirus closely associates and segregates with host chromosomes to ensure persistent intranuclear infection.

Bornaviruses are nonsegmented negative-strand RNA viruses that establish a persistent infection in the nucleus and occasionally integrate a DNA genome copy into the host chromosomal DNA. However, how these viruses achieve intranuclear infection remains unclear. We show that Borna disease virus (BDV), a mammalian bornavirus, closely associates with the cellular chromosome to ensure intranuclear infection. BDV generates viral factories within the nucleus using host chromatin as a scaffold. In addition, the viral ribonucleoprotein (RNP) interacts directly with the host chromosome throughout the cell cycle, using core histones as a docking platform. HMGB1, a host chromatin-remodeling DNA architectural protein, is required to stabilize RNP on chromosomes and for efficient BDV RNA transcription in the nucleus. During metaphase, the association of RNP with mitotic chromosomes allows the viral RNA to segregate into daughter cells and ensure persistent infection. Thus, bornaviruses likely evolved a chromosome-dependent life cycle to achieve stable intranuclear infection