Isolation and structure of the Streptococcus faecalis sex pheromone, cAM373

The Streptococcus faecalis sex pheromone, cAM373, which induces a mating response of donor cells harboring plasmid pAM373 and is also produced by Staphylococcus aureus, was isolated and its structure determined. Supernatant from an overnight culture of a recipient strain was subjected to successive purification procedures, and 4.4 [mu]g cAM373 was obtained. The isolated pheromone showed activity at a concentration as low as 5 x 10-11 M. Sequence analysis indicated that cAM373 was a heptapeptide, H-Ala-Ile-Phe-Ile-Leu-Ala-Ser-OH, and that its Mr was 733. A synthetic replicate of the peptide showed the same biological activity and chromatographic behavior as the native cAM373.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/26041/1/0000114.pd

Isolation and structure of the bacterial sex pheromone, cAD1, that induces plasmid transfer in Streptococcus faecalis

The Streptococcus faecalis sex pheromone cAD1, which is involved in the conjugative transfer of the hemolysin plasmid pAD1, has been isolated and its structure determined. Its Mr is 818 and its amino acid sequence is H-Leu-Phe-Ser-Leu-Val-Leu-Ala-Gly-OH. A replicate of the pheromone synthesized by the liquid phase method showed the same biological activity and Chromatographie behavior as the isolated cAD1. Pheromone activity was detectable at a concentration of ~ 5 x 10-11 M.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/24605/1/0000013.pd

The whole blood transcriptional regulation landscape in 465 COVID-19 infected samples from Japan COVID-19 Task Force

「コロナ制圧タスクフォース」COVID-19患者由来の血液細胞における遺伝子発現の網羅的解析 --重症度に応じた遺伝子発現の変化には、ヒトゲノム配列の個人差が影響する--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2022-08-23.Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a recently-emerged infectious disease that has caused millions of deaths, where comprehensive understanding of disease mechanisms is still unestablished. In particular, studies of gene expression dynamics and regulation landscape in COVID-19 infected individuals are limited. Here, we report on a thorough analysis of whole blood RNA-seq data from 465 genotyped samples from the Japan COVID-19 Task Force, including 359 severe and 106 non-severe COVID-19 cases. We discover 1169 putative causal expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) including 34 possible colocalizations with biobank fine-mapping results of hematopoietic traits in a Japanese population, 1549 putative causal splice QTLs (sQTLs; e.g. two independent sQTLs at TOR1AIP1), as well as biologically interpretable trans-eQTL examples (e.g., REST and STING1), all fine-mapped at single variant resolution. We perform differential gene expression analysis to elucidate 198 genes with increased expression in severe COVID-19 cases and enriched for innate immune-related functions. Finally, we evaluate the limited but non-zero effect of COVID-19 phenotype on eQTL discovery, and highlight the presence of COVID-19 severity-interaction eQTLs (ieQTLs; e.g., CLEC4C and MYBL2). Our study provides a comprehensive catalog of whole blood regulatory variants in Japanese, as well as a reference for transcriptional landscapes in response to COVID-19 infection

DOCK2 is involved in the host genetics and biology of severe COVID-19

「コロナ制圧タスクフォース」COVID-19疾患感受性遺伝子DOCK2の重症化機序を解明 --アジア最大のバイオレポジトリーでCOVID-19の治療標的を発見--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2022-08-10.Identifying the host genetic factors underlying severe COVID-19 is an emerging challenge. Here we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) involving 2, 393 cases of COVID-19 in a cohort of Japanese individuals collected during the initial waves of the pandemic, with 3, 289 unaffected controls. We identified a variant on chromosome 5 at 5q35 (rs60200309-A), close to the dedicator of cytokinesis 2 gene (DOCK2), which was associated with severe COVID-19 in patients less than 65 years of age. This risk allele was prevalent in East Asian individuals but rare in Europeans, highlighting the value of genome-wide association studies in non-European populations. RNA-sequencing analysis of 473 bulk peripheral blood samples identified decreased expression of DOCK2 associated with the risk allele in these younger patients. DOCK2 expression was suppressed in patients with severe cases of COVID-19. Single-cell RNA-sequencing analysis (n = 61 individuals) identified cell-type-specific downregulation of DOCK2 and a COVID-19-specific decreasing effect of the risk allele on DOCK2 expression in non-classical monocytes. Immunohistochemistry of lung specimens from patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia showed suppressed DOCK2 expression. Moreover, inhibition of DOCK2 function with CPYPP increased the severity of pneumonia in a Syrian hamster model of SARS-CoV-2 infection, characterized by weight loss, lung oedema, enhanced viral loads, impaired macrophage recruitment and dysregulated type I interferon responses. We conclude that DOCK2 has an important role in the host immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection and the development of severe COVID-19, and could be further explored as a potential biomarker and/or therapeutic target

La transformation du système d’entreprise japonais et les relations institutionnelles hiérarchisées

Introduction Durant la « Décennie perdue », qui a suivi l’éclatement de la bulle spéculative au Japon, les principaux éléments constitutifs du système d’entreprise japonais, c’est-à-dire le système de banque principale, le modèle de gouvernance d’entreprise privilégiant les parties prenantes, le système d’emploi à vie et le réseau de fournisseurs, ont été soumis à de fortes pressions et ont connu de profonds changements. Même si les systèmes existants ont changé, il convient de se poser les q..

7.3 The Economics of Institutions in Japan: a critique to the comparative institutional analysis

“Restoration” of Institutionalism in Japan “Institutionalism” has become magnetism which attracts many economists, and a lot of researchers have recognized that “institutions matter” in understanding socioeconomic phenomena in economics as well as other areas of the social sciences. First of all, we will explain how institutionalism has been restored in Japan. Even in Japan situated in the Far East, we have a tradition in studying American institutionalism which is usually represented by Thor..

N-terminal amino acid sequence of an insect neurohormone, melanization and reddish coloration hormone (MRCH): heterogeneity and sequence homology with human insulin-like growth factor II

AbstractAn insect neurohormone, melanization and reddish coloration hormone (MRCH), is responsible for cuticular melanization and epidermal red pigmentation in the armyworm. The three molecular forms of MRCH were isolated from adult heads of the silkworm, Bombyx mori, and their N-terminal amino acid sequences revealed a sequence homolgy with the C-terminal region of human insulin-like growth factor-II as well as N-terminal heterogeneity of MRCHs.Amino acid sequenceInsect neurohormoneInsulin-like growth factor-IISequence homologyAmino terminal heterogeneityCuticular melanizatio

Conclusion. L’évolution de la diversité des capitalismes asiatiques : de la crise asiatique à la crise des subprimes

Ce livre poursuit trois objectifs. Il est tout d’abord destiné à montrer pourquoi et comment l’économie politique doit aller au-delà des analyses classiques et statiques de l’économie de marché, et étudier plutôt les questions contemporaines à partir du concept de capitalisme. Cet ouvrage explore ce système sociéconomique spécifique, qui, par son dynamisme interne, est en constante évolution. Les deux premières sections de cette conclusion résument les grandes lignes de ce problème théorique,..

Introduction. L’Asie, laboratoire social des capitalismes contemporains ?

La réactivité et la détermination remarquables dont ont fait preuve la Chine, l’Inde et le Brésil face à la crise mondiale, engendrée par l’explosion de la bulle des subprimes aux États-Unis, semblent avoir convaincu la majeure partie des analystes économiques que les sociétés contemporaines sont en train d’entrer dans une nouvelle ère de l’histoire du capitalisme, une ère inexplorée. Le courant économique dominant s’est révélé incapable d’expliquer un événement d’une telle gravité, puisqu’il..