Development of voltage-dependent currents in solitary spiking cells during retinal regeneration in the adult newt, Cynops pyrrhogaster

Thesis (Ph.D. in Science)--University of Tsukuba, (A), no. 1332, 1995.3.2

Social Service Contracting-Out in Korea and Japan: Municipal Governments, Nonprofit Contractors, and Local Residents

Focusing on the role of local residents participation in nonprofit social service contracting-out, this research has three aims. The first is to reveal the commonalities and differences in the relationships among municipal governments, contractors, and local residents in Korea and Japan through the use of survey data. We observed several common elements between the two countries regarding the relationship between municipal governments and nonprofit contractors. However, the relationships between nonprofit contractors and local residents were quite different in each country because of their different local selfgoverning environments. The second is to identify the current types of local residents participation in contracting-out, and to categorize them into inclusion of local residents as members of contractors, participation of local residents in governance mechanisms, open meetings, and involvement of local residents as volunteers. The final aim is to ascertain whether there are statistical differences between the respondents perceptions in the two countries regarding the effects of local residents participation on service responsiveness. Using an independent sample t-test analysis, we verified that Japanese municipal managers had more positive and statistically significant perceptions regarding the effects of open meetings, and Korean nonprofit managers had more positive and statistically significant perceptions regarding the effects of involvement as volunteers.This work was supported by grants from the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) (2008-2010 Korea-Japan Joint Research Project)

Removal of nitrogen by Antarctic yeast cells at low temperature

Nitrate removal in a medium (at 5°C ) and the effect of culture temperature on the fatty acid composition were investigated using Candida sp. which was isolated from the upper layer of Lake Vanda in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica. The strain was cultured at 5°C aerobically, on a synthetic medium containing potassium nitrate (NO_3-N, 100 mgl^) as a nitrogen source, and examined the effects of pH and chlorine on growth and NO_3-N removal in the medium. Within the pH of 3 to 7 the yeast cells exhibited a similar removal of nitrate level. The strain grew well and also removed nitrate at chlorine concentrations of 5 and 10 mgl^ but did not grow at chlorine concentration of 20 mgl^. Decreasing the growth temperature induced an increase in the content of linolenic acid (18:3) in the yeast cells

Comparative Secretome and Functional Analyses Reveal Glycoside Hydrolase Family 30 and Cysteine Peptidase as Virulence Determinants in the Pinewood Nematode Bursaphelenchus xylophilus

Pine wilt disease, caused by the pinewood nematode, Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, is one of the world’s most serious tree diseases. Although the B. xylophilus whole-genome sequence and comprehensive secretome profile have been determined over the past decade, it remains unclear what molecules are critical in pine wilt disease and govern B. xylophilus virulence in host pine trees. Here, a comparative secretome analysis among four isolates of B. xylophilus with distinct virulence levels was performed to identify virulence determinants. The four candidate virulence determinants of B. xylophilus highly secreted in virulent isolates included lipase (Bx-lip1), glycoside hydrolase family 30 (Bx-GH30), and two C1A family cysteine peptidases (Bx-CAT1 and Bx-CAT2). To validate the quantitative differences in the four potential virulence determinants among virulence groups at the protein level, we used real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis to investigate these determinants at the transcript level at three time points: pre-inoculation, 3 days after inoculation (dai), and 7 dai into pine seedlings. The transcript levels of Bx-CAT1, Bx-CAT2, and Bx-GH30 were significantly higher in virulent isolates than in avirulent isolates at pre-inoculation and 3 dai. A subsequent leaf-disk assay based on transient overexpression in Nicotiana benthamiana revealed that the GH30 candidate virulent factor caused cell death in the plant. Furthermore, we demonstrated that Bx-CAT2 was involved in nutrient uptake for fungal feeding via soaking-mediated RNA interference. These findings indicate that the secreted proteins Bx-GH30 and Bx-CAT2 contribute to B. xylophilus virulence in host pine trees and may be involved in pine wilt disease

IgG4-Related Disease without Overexpression of IgG4: Pathogenesis Implications

IgG4-related disease is a new disease group that affects multiple organs. It is characterized by high serum IgG4 and abundant infiltration of IgG4-bearing plasma cells in the affected organ. Here, we describe an intriguing case that suggested that IgG4-related disease might present without IgG4 overexpression or infiltration, at least during a relapse. A 47-year-old man had been diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus 15 years. He was admitted due to a pituitary mass, systemic lymphadenopathy, and multiple nodules in the lungs and kidneys. The serum IgG4 level was normal and histopathological examination of the pituitary mass showed abundant lymphocyte and plasma cell infiltration with very few IgG4-positive cells. When we examined specimens preserved from 15 years ago, we found high serum IgG4 levels and IgG4-bearing plasma cell infiltration. This resulted in a diagnosis of IgG4-related disease, and we considered the current episode to be a relapse without IgG4 overexpression. This case indicated that, to clarify the pathogenesis of IgG4-related disease, current cases should repeat specimen evaluations over the course of IgG4-related disease to define diagnostic markers

Mass spectrometry imaging of the capsaicin localization in the capsicum fruits

We succeeded in performing mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) of the localization of capsaicin in cross-sections of the capsicum fruits at a resolution of 250 µm using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry. Post source decay of protonated capsaicin ion revealed structural information of the corresponding acid amide of vanillylamide and C9 chain fatty acid. MALDI-TOF-MSI confirmed that localization of capsaicin in the placenta is higher than that in the pericarp. In addition, it revealed no localization of capsaicin in seed and the higher localization of capsaicin at placenta surface compared with that in the internal region. A quantitative difference was detected between localizations of capsaicin at placenta, pericarp and seed in the capsicum fruits. This imaging approach is a promising technique for rapid quality evaluation general food as well as health food and identification of medicinal capsaicin in plant tissues