Intravenous dendritic cell-administration enhances suppression of lung metastasis induced by carbon-ion irradiation

学位記番号：医博甲160

Genome-wide screening of the genes required for tolerance to vanillin, which is a potential inhibitor of bioethanol fermentation, in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Lignocellulosic materials are abundant and among the most important potential sources for bioethanol production. Although the pretreatment of lignocellulose is necessary for efficient saccharification and fermentation, numerous by-products, including furan derivatives, weak acids, and phenolic compounds, are generated in the pretreatment step. Many of these components inhibit the growth and fermentation of yeast. In particular, vanillin is one of the most effective inhibitors in lignocellulose hydrolysates because it inhibits fermentation at very low concentrations. To identify the genes required for tolerance to vanillin, we screened a set of diploid yeast deletion mutants, which are powerful tools for clarifying the function of particular genes.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Seventy-six deletion mutants were identified as vanillin-sensitive mutants. The numerous deleted genes in the vanillin-sensitive mutants were classified under the functional categories for 'chromatin remodeling' and 'vesicle transport', suggesting that these functions are important for vanillin tolerance. The cross-sensitivity of the vanillin-sensitive mutants to furan derivatives, weak acids, and phenolic compounds was also examined. Genes for ergosterol biosynthesis were required for tolerance to all inhibitory compounds tested, suggesting that ergosterol is a key component of tolerance to various inhibitors.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our analysis predicts that vanillin tolerance in <it>Saccharomyces cerevisiae </it>is affected by various complicated processes that take place on both the molecular and the cellular level. In addition, the ergosterol biosynthetic process is important for achieving a tolerance to various inhibitors. Our findings provide a biotechnological basis for the molecular engineering as well as for screening of more robust yeast strains that may potentially be useful in bioethanol fermentation.</p

Path factors in claw-free graphs

AbstractA graph G is called claw-free if G has no induced subgraph isomorphic to K1,3. We prove that if G is a claw-free graph with minimum degree at least d, then G has a path factor such that the order of each path is at least d+1

JASTRO IC/IS Guideline for Gynecologic Cancers

It has been postulated that the combination of intracavitary and interstitial brachytherapy (IC/IS) is effective and safe for large and irregularly shaped uterine cervical cancer patients. However, due to its invasiveness compared to conventional intracavitary brachytherapy (ICBT), it has to be said that the implementation speed of IC/IS is slow. Until now, there have been no guidelines for required equipment, human resources, and procedural guide focusing solely on IC/IS. The purpose of this guideline is to provide radiation oncologists and medical physicists who wish to start IC/IS with practical and comprehensive guidance for a safe IC/IS introduction and to help accelerate the spread of the utilization of IC/IS nationwide. This is the English translation of the Japanese IC/IS Guidelines, and it was created in an effort to share the Japanese approach to the management of locally advanced uterine cervical cancer worldwide

Laparoscopic resection of two peritoneal loose bodies on the rectosigmoid colon

Laparoscopic examination of a 77-year-old woman revealed two peritoneal loose bodies connected to fatty appendices on the rectosigmoid colon and resected at the stalks. The peritoneal loose bodies were found to be fat-containing masses on preoperative magnetic resonance imaging, and postoperative pathological examination revealed fat degeneration tissue with or without fibrous outer layers

Kohn Anomaly in Raman Spectroscopy of Single Wall Carbon Nanotubes

Phonon softening phenomena of the $\Gamma$ point optical modes including the longitudinal optical mode, transverse optical mode and radial breathing mode in "metallic" single wall carbon nanotubes are reviewed from a theoretical point of view. The effect of the curvature-induced mini-energy gap on the phonon softening which depends on the Fermi energy and chirality of the nanotube is the main subject of this article. We adopt an effective-mass model with a deformation-induced gauge field which provides us with a unified way to discuss the curvature effect and the electron-phonon interaction.Comment: 36 pages, 9 figure

Observation of nonvolatile magneto-thermal switching in superconductors

Applying a magnetic field to a solid changes its thermal-transport properties. Although such magneto-thermal-transport phenomena are usually small effects, giant magneto-thermal resistance has recently been observed in spintronic materials1,2 and superconductors3,4, opening up new possibilities in thermal management technologies. However, the thermal conductivity conventionally changes only when a magnetic field is applied due to the absence of nonvolatility, which limits potential applications of thermal switching devices5,6. Here, we report the observation of nonvolatile thermal switching that changes the thermal conductivity when a magnetic field is applied and retains the value even when the field is turned off. This unconventional magneto-thermal switching, surprisingly, arises in commercial Sn-Pb solders and is realized by phase-separated superconducting states and resultant nonuniform magnetic flux distributions. This result confirms the versatility of the observed phenomenon and aids the development of active solid-state thermal management devices.Comment: 33 pages, 5 figures & 9 extended data figure

Acoustic stiffness and change in plug cartilage over time after autologous osteochondral grafting: correlation between ultrasound signal intensity and histological score in a rabbit model

We investigated quantitative changes over time in ultrasound signal intensity (an index of stiffness), signal duration (an index of surface irregularity), and interval between signals (an index of thickness) of plug cartilage in an animal model of autologous osteochondral grafting. A full-thickness osteochondral plug was surgically removed and replaced in male Japanese white rabbits (n = 22). Specimens obtained at day 0 and weeks 2, 4, 8, 12 and 24 postoperatively were assessed using an ultrasound system and by macroscopic and histological evaluation (modified Mankin's score). Histology revealed that the plug sank until 2 weeks postoperatively, and that newly formed cartilage-like tissue covered the plug, but at 24 weeks the tissue detached. The plug itself survived well throughout the period of observation. Although the signal intensity at the plug site was same as that in the sham operated contralateral knee at day 0, from 2 to 24 weeks postoperatively it was less than that in the sham knee. At 8 weeks, this difference was significant (P < 0.05). Modified Mankin's score revealed early degenerative changes at the site, but macroscopic examination did not. Signal intensity correlated significantly with score (both at day 0 and at the five postoperative time points [P < 0.05, r = -0.91] and as a whole [P < 0.05, r = -0.36]). Signal intensity also significantly correlated with the individual subscores for 'cartilage structure' (P < 0.05, r = -0.32) and 'cartilage cells' (P < 0.05, r = -0.30) from the modified Mankin's score, but not significantly with subscores for 'staining' and 'tidemark'. Signal duration correlated significantly with total score (as a whole [P < 0.05, r = 0.34]), but not significantly with the score for cartilage structure (P = 0.0557, r = 0.29). The interval between signals reflected well the actual thickness of the plug site. The significant relationships between ultrasound signal intensity and scores suggest that early degenerative changes in plug cartilage and cartilage-like tissue, especially in the superficial layer, are detectable by high-frequency ultrasound assessment

A novel superior factor widely controlling the rice grain quality

Synthesis of storage starch and protein accumulation is the main action of endosperm organogenesis in term of the economic importance of rice. This event is strongly disturbed by abiotic stresses such as high temperature; thus, the upcoming global warming will cause a crisis with a great impact on food production^1,2^. The enzymes for the protein storage and starch synthesis pathway should work in concert to carry out the organogenesis of rice endosperm^3-5^, but the regulatory mechanism is largely unknown. Here we show that a novel regulatory factor, named OsCEO1, acts as the conductor of endosperm organogenesis during the rice grain filling stage. The physiological properties of _floury-endosperm-2_ (_flo2_) mutants showed many similarities to symptoms of grains developed under high-temperature conditions, suggesting important roles of the responsible gene in sensitivity to high-temperature stress. Our map-based cloning identified the responsible gene for the _flo2_ mutant, _OsCEO1_, which has no homology to any genes of known function. The _OsCEO1_ belongs to a novel conserved gene family and encodes a protein composed of 1,720 amino acid residues containing a TPR (tetratricopeptide repeat) motif, which is considered to mediate a protein-protein interaction. The yeast two-hybrid analysis raised an unknown protein showing homology to a late embryogenesis abundant protein and a putative basic helix-loop-helix protein as candidates for the direct interactor for _OsCEO1_, whereas no enzyme genes for the synthesis of storage substances were detected. The _flo2_ mutant exhibited reduced expression of several genes for putative regulatory proteins as well as many enzymes involved in storage starch and proteins. These results suggest that _OsCEO1_ is a superior conductor of the novel regulatory cascade of endosperm organogenesis and may have important roles in the response to high-temperature stress