USP15 regulates dynamic protein-protein interactions of the spliceosome through deubiquitination of PRP31.

Post-translational modifications contribute to the spliceosome dynamics by facilitating the physical rearrangements of the spliceosome. Here, we report USP15, a deubiquitinating enzyme, as a regulator of protein-protein interactions for the spliceosome dynamics. We show that PRP31, a component of U4 snRNP, is modified with K63-linked ubiquitin chains by the PRP19 complex and deubiquitinated by USP15 and its substrate targeting factor SART3. USP15SART3 makes a complex with USP4 and this ternary complex serves as a platform to deubiquitinate PRP31 and PRP3. The ubiquitination and deubiquitination status of PRP31 regulates its interaction with the U5 snRNP component PRP8, which is required for the efficient splicing of chromosome segregation related genes, probably by stabilizing the U4/U6.U5 tri-snRNP complex. Collectively, our data suggest that USP15 plays a key role in the regulation of dynamic protein-protein interactions of the spliceosome

Eutrophication and succession of phytoplankton in reservoir of Korea - monthly variations of plankton community in Lake Soyang

The community of plankton and the environmental factors were investigated in Lake Soyang from January to July 1994. The relationship between transparency and biovolume of phytoplankton was negatively correlated. Phytoplankton dominants in Lake Soyang were Anabaena spp., Microcystis aeruginosa, Asterionella formosa, Asterionella gracillima Melosira distans, Synedra acus, and Asterococcus limneticus, Zooplankton dominants were Polyarthra spp., Keratella spp., Asplanchna placentula, Bosmina coregoni, and Daphnia longispona. Phytoplankton and zooplankton were clearly related each other with respect to biovolume, not to numbers. Microcystis aeruginosa rapidly increased and Daphnia longirostris disappeared in July, because Microcystis aeruginosa secret toxic substances to Daphnia longirostris. Transparency decreased from January to June, but increased in July. The highest number of phytoplankton was obserbed in April, and one month later, the zooplankton reached a maximal level in population density, implicating that spring bloom of phytoplankton was good feeding condition for zooplankton.Article信州大学理学部附属諏訪臨湖実験所報告 9: 175-186(1995)departmental bulletin pape

Evaluation of stability and safety of equine mesenchymal stem cells derived from amniotic fluid for clinical application

Amniotic fluid mesenchymal stem cells (AF-MSCs), which can be obtained from fetal tissue, reportedly have self-renewal capacity and multi-lineage differentiation potential. The aim of this study was to identify the biological characteristics of AF-MSCs and evaluate their stability and safety in long-term culture. To confirm the biological characteristics of AF-MSCs, morphology, proliferation capacity, karyotype, differentiation capacity, gene expression level, and immunophenotype were analyzed after isolating AF-MSCs from equine amniotic fluid. AF-MSCs were differentiated into adipocytes, chondrocytes, and osteocytes. Immunophenotype analyses revealed expression levels of ≥95% and ≤ 2% of cells for a positive and negative marker, respectively. Analysis of the MSCs relative gene expression levels of AF-MSCs was approximately at least twice that of the control. The endotoxin level was measured to verify the safety of AF-MSCs and was found to be less than the standard value of 0.5 EU/ml. AF-MSCs were cultured for a long time without any evidence of abnormalities in morphology, proliferation ability, and karyotype. These results suggest that amniotic fluid is a competent source for acquiring equine MSCs and that it is valuable as a cell therapy due to its high stability

The use of Facebook in a multi-course collaborative project within a cross-cultural context

Facebook is the most popular social network site worldwide with over one billion active users every month (Facebook, 2012) and most university students are already using it. Therefore, implementing it into the classroom provides a familiar environment for students. The benefits of Facebook use, such as interaction, communication, social relationship, and participation, have been found to affect student motivation in learning (Lam, 2012). However, the role of Facebook use in student attitude and intention toward the project has not been examined in a multi-course, multi-cultural context

Precipitating Cloud Characteristics during Changma as Seen in TRMM PR Observations

The climatological characteristics of precipitating clouds during Changma, the summer rainy period in the Korean Peninsula, were investigated using the Precipitation Radar (PR) on the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite. This investigation was further augmented with reanalysis data. Specifically, Changma clouds are compared with post-Changma clouds. Similarities and differences in cloud properties between the two periods are discussed based on seasonal changes in thermodynamic environments. For convective clouds migrating along the Changma (stationary) front, rain intensity is much stronger and cloud height is relatively higher than during any other summer period, including post-Changma period. Convective rain clouds have a large seasonal variability, even during summer. The seasonal variability in rain parameters related to convective rain type appears to be due to the thermodynamic and dynamic environments

Complete response to FOLFOX4 therapy in a patient with advanced urothelial cancer: a case report

No standard has been established for salvage therapy in gemcitabine refractory advanced urothelial cancer. We report the complete response to FOLFOX4 therapy of a metastatic urothelial cancer patient, for whom adjuvant gemcitabine plus cisplatin combination chemotherapy had failed. A 54-year-old male patient with urothelial cancer (transitional cell carcinoma) in the right kidney underwent three rounds of adjuvant gemcitabine-cisplatin chemotherapy after extensive radical nephrectomy. However, he had new liver, lung metastases and synchronous two separate primary colon cancer. The lung metastasis lesion was confirmed as a metastatic urothelial cancer via percutaneous transthoracic needle biopsy (PTNB). Liver and lung metastasis lesions disappeared after the 4th cycle of FOLFOX4 chemotherapy. In addition, colon cancer also disappeared after the 8th cycle of FOLFOX4 chemotherapy. The patient was still showing a complete response after 4 months. Clinical trials using the FOLFOX regimen as salvage therapy for gemcitabine-refractory advanced urothelial cancer are warranted

Orthogonality properties of transverse eigenmodes of phase conjugate optical resonators

The orthogonality properties of the transverse eigenmodes of optical resonators which have phase conjugate mirrors at both ends are derived. As in conventional resonators and also resonators with only one phase conjugate mirror, it is shown that the transverse eigenmodes are essentially biorthogonal, a relation which is satisfied between the set of modes propagating in one direction around the resonator and the adjoint set of modes propagating in the reverse direction