Expression levels of novel cytokine IL-32 in periodontitis and its role in the suppression of IL-8 production by human gingival fibroblasts stimulated with Porphyromonas gingivalis

Background:IL-32 was recently found to be elevated in the tissue of rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease. Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease caused by polymicrobial infections that result in soft tissue destruction and alveolar bone loss. Although IL-32 is also thought to be associated with periodontal disease, its expression and possible role in periodontal tissue remain unclear. Therefore, this study investigated the expression patterns of IL-32 in healthy and periodontally diseased gingival tissue. The expression of IL-32 in cultured human gingival fibroblasts (HGF) as well as effects of autocrine IL-32 on IL-8 production from HGF were also examined.Methods:Periodontal tissue was collected from both healthy volunteers and periodontitis patients, and immunofluorescent staining was performed in order to determine the production of IL-32. Using real-time PCR and ELISA, mRNA expression and protein production of IL-32 in HGF, stimulated by Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg), were also investigated.Results:Contrary to our expectation, the production of IL-32 in the periodontitis patients was significantly lower than in the healthy volunteers. According to immunofluorescent microscopy, positive staining for IL-32 was detected in prickle and basal cell layers in the epithelium as well as fibroblastic cells in connective tissue. Addition of fixed Pg in vitro was found to suppress the otherwise constitutive expression of IL-32 mRNA and protein in HGF. However, recombinant IL-32 in vitro inhibited the expression of IL-8 mRNA by HGF stimulated with Pg. Interestingly, anti-IL-32 neutralizing antibody upregulated the IL-8 mRNA expression in non-stimulated HGF, indicating that constitutive expression of IL-32 in HGF suppressed IL-8 mRNA expression in the absence of bacterial stimulation.Conclusion:These results indicate that IL-32 is constitutively produced by HGF which can be suppressed by Pg and may play a role in the downregulation of inflammatory responses, such as IL-8 production, in periodontal tissue

Magnetization process for a quasi-one-dimensional S=1 antiferromagnet

We investigate the magnetization process for a quasi-one-dimensional S=1 antiferromagnet with bond alternation. By combining the density matrix renormalization group method with the interchain mean-field theory, we discuss how the interchain coupling affects the magnetization curve. It is found that the width of the magnetization plateau is considerably reduced upon introducing the interchain coupling. We obtain the phase diagram in a magnetic field. The effect of single-ion anisotropy is also addressed.Comment: 6 pages, 7 eps figure

各地の深海底に存在する褐色変色域での微生物調査

BE11-P72ポスター要旨 / ブルーアース2011（2011年3月7日～8日, 東京海洋大学品川キャンパス）http://www.godac.jamstec.go.jp/darwin/cruise/natsushima/nt05-18/ehttp://www.godac.jamstec.go.jp/darwin/cruise/natsushima/nt10-06_leg2/ehttp://www.godac.jamstec.go.jp/darwin/cruise/natsushima/nt10-13_leg2/ehttp://www.godac.jamstec.go.jp/darwin/cruise/yokosuka/yk10-10/

Southern Ocean expedition

航海番号: KH-94-4 ; 航海日程: November 22, 1994 - February 14, 199

Snow algal blooms and their habitat conditions observed at Syowa Station, Antarctica

Correlations between snow algal blooms and their habitat conditions were studied at Syowa Station, Antarctica, in the austral summer of 1984. The study site was under artificial eutrophication by the nutrients derived from the carcasses of the Weddell seal. Snow algal blooms occurred abundantly in the places where the meltwater was staying and permeating, and in the upper and under layers of the surface of unconformity where the meltwater was flowing down, but they were not always abundant around the carcasses of the Weddell seal. The concentrations of chlorophyll-a showed the significant correlations with those of phosphate-P and ammonium-N

Subarctic North Pacific and Bering Sea ecosystem expedition

航海番号: KH-97-2 ; 航海日程: July 9 - September 8, 199