The crystal structure of the plant small GTPase OsRac1 reveals its mode of binding to NADPH oxidase

This research was originally published in Journal of Biological Chemistry. Ken-ichi Kosami, Izuru Ohki, Minoru Nagano, Kyoko Furuita, Toshihiko Sugiki, Yoji Kawano, Tsutomu Kawasaki, Toshimichi Fujiwara, Atsushi Nakagawa, Ko Shimamoto and Chojiro Kojima. The crystal structure of the plant small GTPase OsRac1 reveals its mode of binding to NADPH oxidase. Journal of Biological Chemistry. 2014; 289, 28569-28578. © the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Ras signaling directs endothelial specification of VEGFR2+ vascular progenitor cells

Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2) transmits signals of crucial importance to vasculogenesis, including proliferation, migration, and differentiation of vascular progenitor cells. Embryonic stem cell–derived VEGFR2+ mesodermal cells differentiate into mural lineage in the presence of platelet derived growth factor (PDGF)–BB or serum but into endothelial lineage in response to VEGF-A. We found that inhibition of H-Ras function by a farnesyltransferase inhibitor or a knockdown technique results in selective suppression of VEGF-A–induced endothelial specification. Experiments with ex vivo whole-embryo culture as well as analysis of H-ras−/− mice also supported this conclusion. Furthermore, expression of a constitutively active H-Ras[G12V] in VEGFR2+ progenitor cells resulted in endothelial differentiation through the extracellular signal-related kinase (Erk) pathway. Both VEGF-A and PDGF-BB activated Ras in VEGFR2+ progenitor cells 5 min after treatment. However, VEGF-A, but not PDGF-BB, activated Ras 6–9 h after treatment, preceding the induction of endothelial markers. VEGF-A thus activates temporally distinct Ras–Erk signaling to direct endothelial specification of VEGFR2+ vascular progenitor cells

Alternative Starting Position for CT Coronary Angiography

We examined whether the superior margin of the left main bronchus is the best landmark for the starting position of computed tomography coronary angiography（CTCA）. We retrospectively evaluated 693 consecutive CTCAs. From the scout scanogram, the superior margin of the left main bronchus was noted. The relationships among and distance between the superior margin of the left main bronchus and the left coronary system were analyzed. The superior margin of the left main bronchus extended caudally to the superior margin of the left coronary system in 13 patients（1.9％）. The addition of 1cm to the superior margin of the left main bronchus kept it caudal to the superior margin of the left coronary system in only one patient（0.1％）. On the scout scanogram, 1cm above the superior margin of the left main bronchus is the most appropriate starting position for CTCA

Adenomatous polyposis coli protein nucleates actin assembly and synergizes with the formin mDia1

The microtubule regulator APC is now shown to also regulate actin filament dynamics through its C-terminal “Basic” domain

キョウカショ ノ ナカ ノ ハナシ コトバ セイサ オ シサスル シュウジョシ ノ シヨウ オ メグッテ

男女の言葉遣いの差を表すものの最も顕著なものとして終助詞があげられる。最近では、これまで女性専用とされてきた「のよ」「わよ」等の表現が使われなくなってきており、特に若い女性の間では従来「男ことば」とされてきた表現の使用も見られることを指摘する研究も多いが、教科書の会話では登場人物の年齢に関わりなく女性の発話にはいわゆる「女ことば」が多用されている。本論文は話し手の性を示唆する終助詞の使い方に焦点をあて、中級の教科書の会話と実際の会話データを比べて、教科書中の会話がどの程度実際の言語使用を反映しているか論じる。教科書中の女性話者は実際のデータのどの年齢層よりも女性的終助詞の使用が多く、伝統的な女性のステレオタイプを映し出しているように思える。実際の会話のデータでは年齢が低いほど終助詞の使用も低く、一番若い年齢層の終助詞使用は、教科書中の男性話者のそれとほぼ一致する。また、教科書中の男性話者の終助詞使用は、人物によって、また教科書によって差が見られるのに対して、女性話者はどの教科書でも使える環境では必ず「女ことば」を使うという傾向が見られる。この教科書の会話と実際の言語使用の差は、学習者の学習意欲、文化理解、または母語話者とのコミュニケーションに何らかの影響を与えるものと思われる。One of the key features by which Japanese speakers traditionally denote separate men’s and women’s languages is sentence final particles (SFPs). In recent years it appears that female speakers are shifting from using the traditional feminine forms to neutral and even masculine forms, whilst in Japanese language textbooks a more traditional, gender-specific portrayal of language is maintained. This study compares the distribution of gender-associated SFPs in Japanese language textbook dialogues with that in natural conversation across several age groups, to investigate the extent to which Japanese teaching materials reflect actual spoken language. Female characters in the textbooks examined used feminine SFPs more often than real female speakers from all age groups, indicating that textbooks are promoting a more traditional and stereotypical view of women’s language. In the natural conversation data, the younger the age group, the smaller was the number of feminine SFPs used, with the youngest group’s usage of SFPs actually resembling that of male characters in the textbooks. It is argued that the discrepancy found between Japanese language as presented in foreign language textbooks and as spoken in Japanese society has significant implications for Japanese language teaching

The ASTRO-H X-ray Observatory

The joint JAXA/NASA ASTRO-H mission is the sixth in a series of highly successful X-ray missions initiated by the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS). ASTRO-H will investigate the physics of the high-energy universe via a suite of four instruments, covering a very wide energy range, from 0.3 keV to 600 keV. These instruments include a high-resolution, high-throughput spectrometer sensitive over 0.3-2 keV with high spectral resolution of Delta E < 7 eV, enabled by a micro-calorimeter array located in the focal plane of thin-foil X-ray optics; hard X-ray imaging spectrometers covering 5-80 keV, located in the focal plane of multilayer-coated, focusing hard X-ray mirrors; a wide-field imaging spectrometer sensitive over 0.4-12 keV, with an X-ray CCD camera in the focal plane of a soft X-ray telescope; and a non-focusing Compton-camera type soft gamma-ray detector, sensitive in the 40-600 keV band. The simultaneous broad bandpass, coupled with high spectral resolution, will enable the pursuit of a wide variety of important science themes.Comment: 22 pages, 17 figures, Proceedings of the SPIE Astronomical Instrumentation "Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2012: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray

Hitomi (ASTRO-H) X-ray Astronomy Satellite

The Hitomi (ASTRO-H) mission is the sixth Japanese x-ray astronomy satellite developed by a large international collaboration, including Japan, USA, Canada, and Europe. The mission aimed to provide the highest energy resolution ever achieved at E  >  2  keV, using a microcalorimeter instrument, and to cover a wide energy range spanning four decades in energy from soft x-rays to gamma rays. After a successful launch on February 17, 2016, the spacecraft lost its function on March 26, 2016, but the commissioning phase for about a month provided valuable information on the onboard instruments and the spacecraft system, including astrophysical results obtained from first light observations. The paper describes the Hitomi (ASTRO-H) mission, its capabilities, the initial operation, and the instruments/spacecraft performances confirmed during the commissioning operations for about a month

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead