Regulatory phosphorylation of plant phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase: role of a conserved basic residue upstream of the phosphorylation site

AbstractIn order to mimic regulatory phosphorylation of the Ser-15 of maize C4-form phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC), we replaced Ser-15 and Lys-12 with Asp (S15D) and Asn (K12N), respectively, by site-directed mutagenesis. Although both mutant enzymes were catalytically as active as the wild-type PEPC, they showed much less sensitivity to malate, an allosteric inhibitor, similarly to the phosphorylated wild-type PEPC. A maize protein kinase of 30 kDa which is known to be specific to PEPC (PEPC-PK), phosphorylated K12N as well as the wild-type PEPC but not S15D. The phosphorylation of K12N further diminished the sensitivity to malate. Thus, a positive charge of the conserved Lys-12 is not required for the recognition by PEPC-PK but contributes to the intrinsic sensitivity to malate inhibition

国立姫路病院にて原発巣に外科的治療を施行した腎細胞癌の予後因子に関する統計学的解析

1992年1月から1998年10月までに, 国立姫路病院にて原発巣に対し外科的治療を施行した62症例を対象に, その臨床的, 病理学的予後因子の統計学的解析を行った.平均観察期間は32カ月であった.全体の1, 3, 5年疾患特異的生存率はそれぞれ86.7, 81.3, 81.3%であった。観察期間中, 癌死した症例は11例(17.7%)で, 2例(3.2%)は他因死した.単変量解析の結果, 症状の有無, CRP, ESR, ALP, 腫瘍径, 組織学的細胞異型度, 組織学的浸潤増殖様式, 病理学的病期, N分類, M分類が有意な予後因子であったが, 多変量解析では, ALP, N分類, M分類のみで有意に予後に関与しており, M分類が最も危険な因子であった。A clinico-pathological study was performed retrospectively on 62 patients who underwent surgery for renal cell carcinoma between January 1992 and October 1998 at Himeji National Hospital to clarify the prognostic determinants for survival. The median follow-up period was 32 months and the cause-specific survival rates at 1, 3 and 5 years were 86.7, 81.3, 81.3%, respectively. Of the 62 patients, 11 (17.7%) patients died of renal cell carcinoma and 2 (3.2%) patients died of unrelated causes. Of the variables related to survival, presenting symptoms, C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), tumor size, pathological tumor grade, infiltration pattern, pathological tumor stage, N classification and M classification were significant risk factors for survival by univariate analysis. However, ALP, N classification and M classification were significant for survival as determined by the step-wise procedure and M classification was the most significant factor according to Cox's proportional hazard model analysis

A revision of the genus Euops Schoenherr (Coleoptera : Attelabidae) from Japan, Korea and Taiwan

This paper deals with the classification of the Japanese, Korean and Taiwanese species of the genus Euops Schoenherr. Eleven species and one subspecies are recognized, two new species, konoi sp. nov. and clarus sp. nov. are described, two previously recognized species are placed in synonymy, phmdonius Sharp with punctatostriatus Motschulsky and nzatsunzurana KBno with indigenus Voss, and championi Voss is newly recorded from Taiwan. The taxon koreanus, which has been established as a forma of E.Zespedezae. is regarded as a subspecies of the latter. The species are characterized by the morphological features of the male external genitalia, size of the eyes, sculpture of the pronotum and shapes of the tibiae and the male venter. Redescriptions, illustrations of the important characters, and key to species are given

A revision of the genus Euops Schoenherr (Coleoptera : Attelabidae) from Japan, Korea and Taiwan

This paper deals with the classification of the Japanese, Korean and Taiwanese species of the genus Euops Schoenherr. Eleven species and one subspecies are recognized, two new species, konoi sp. nov. and clarus sp. nov. are described, two previously recognized species are placed in synonymy, phmdonius Sharp with punctatostriatus Motschulsky and nzatsunzurana KBno with indigenus Voss, and championi Voss is newly recorded from Taiwan. The taxon koreanus, which has been established as a forma of E.Zespedezae. is regarded as a subspecies of the latter. The species are characterized by the morphological features of the male external genitalia, size of the eyes, sculpture of the pronotum and shapes of the tibiae and the male venter. Redescriptions, illustrations of the important characters, and key to species are given

The Mycetangia and the Mode of the Fungus Transmission in the Weevil Genus Euops (Coleoptera: Attelabidae)

The mycetangia and the ventral glands are newly discovered in the females of the weevil genus Eupos. The mycetangia containing fungal spores are observed in the metacoxal cavity in 3 places, a membraneous groove between the metasternal process and the metacoxa (Figs. 2, 4, SMa), a fold of the intersegmental membrane between the metasternal process and the venter (Fig. 2, SMb), and a shallow hollow on the hind wall of the metacoxal cavity (Figs. 7, 8, SMc). The last is porose and microsetose (Fig. 10). A few rows of characteristic bifurcate hairs are present along hind margin of the metacoxa (Figs. 5, 6). The females of this genus have special pubescences on the venter, which are arranged transversely in two rows on the first to third ventrites and one row on the fourth ventrite (Fig. 11). Their adjoining pubescences are overlapped at the flattened and undulated apical part (Fig. 15), and large exocrine glands (Fig. 12) open in, a row just behind the front row of the pubescences (Figs. 13, 14, 16). The secreting fluid from the glands may be sucked up into the space between the overlapped pubescences by a capillary action. Before rolling up a cradle, the female cuts the lateral portion of leaf to form a strip at first leaving the upper end uncut, and then “walks around and bites” the strip surface at regular intervals. A mass of spores are observed in these bites made on the strip (Fig. 18) probably due to direct transmission from her mycetangia. When the female rolls up a cradle, she throughly brushes it up with her pubescences for several minutes and cuts it off from the leaf. The fallen cradle gets moldy soon with special fungi, which are whitish in Euops splendidus and lespedezae, or yellowish in E. konoi. These fungi are not yet determined. The mycetangia, ventral glands, erect pubescences, “biting” and “brushing” behaviors are apparently connected with the transmission of the symbiotic fungi to the cradle. These symbiotic organs are absent in the other genera of the Attelabidae and the male of Euops studied.昆虫と菌類の相互関係については,様々な場合が今までに報告されており,菌糸または腐朽した材を幼虫の食物とする共生関係は多くの食材性昆虫から知られている.本論文は,オトシブミ科から初めて発見された胞子嚢mycetangiaと胞子の揺籃への接種の方法,その補完的な働きをすると思われる腹板腺と特殊な剛毛の形態及び揺籃巻き上げ後の雌のブラシがけ行動に関する新知見を報告するものである.ルリオトシブミ属Euopsはオトシブミ科,オトシブミ亜科(Attelabidae:Attelabinae)に含まれる一群である.オトシブミ亜科はオトシブミ族,アシナガオトシブミ族,およびルリオトシブミ族に大別されるが,本属は一属のみでルリオトシブミ族tribe Euopiniを構成している(Morimoto,1962).ルリオトシブミ属はインド洋をとりまく地域を中心に100以上が知られており(Voss,1930,1953),分布のほぼ北東限であるわが国には6種1亜種が知られている(Sawada and Morimoto,1985).ルリオトシブミ属の雌成虫は産卵に際してオトシブミ亜科の他の群と同様に所謂\u22揺籃\u22を作る.ルリオトシブミ属の揺籃製作行動は,Djukin(1915),河野(1926,1928,1977),Kono(1930),桝田(1932),野村(1950),平野(1959),および森本(1964)によって観察されており,オトシブミ亜科の他の群と比較されている.桝田はカシルリオトシブミの雌が裁断後葉片上をコースを変えながら周回し噛傷をつける事を報告しているが,この行動の意義についてはその後顧みられていない.また,ルリオトシブミ属の際立った形態的特徴の一つに雌の腹部剛毛列があり,Sharp(1889)はすでにこの構造をルリオトシブミ属の標徴の一つとしている.実際,筆者の知る限り,日本,韓国および台湾に産する10種1亜種をはじめ,フィリピン,マレー半島,ニューギニア産の種(一部未同定)において,この構造は全く安定的に保持されている.しかし,現在までのところ雌腹部剛毛列の詳しい形態や,その機能についての研究も皆無である.本文に入るに先立って,日頃から懇篤なる御指導をいただいている九州大学農学部昆虫学教室の平嶋義宏教授に厚く御礼申し上げる.また,本研究に対して御助言いただいた九州大学農学部植物病理学教室の松山宣明助教授,機材の使用を御許可いただいた九州大学農学部栽培学教室の武田友四郎教授に心から感謝する.さらに,同栽培学教室の上野修博士には組織学的手法に関して御指導いただいたので謝意を表す

Supplementary tables from Phylogeographical evidence for historical long-distance dispersal in the flightless stick insect <i>Ramulus mikado</i>

Supplementary tables of “Phylogeographical evidence for historical long-distance dispersal in the flightless stick insect Ramulus mikado