Patriarchal Traces in Japanese Girls’ Fiction: Beyond the Loss of the Father to Patriarchal Mothers and Resistant Daughters

As World War II ended and a new democratic society was beginning in Japan, significant changes were made to the patriarchal system, changes such as the recognition of women’s rights and the dismantling of the Japanese family system which in turn affected youth culture. Against this backdrop, particularly within the genre of shōjo shōsetsu (girls’ fiction), new representations of the father, mother and shōjo (girl) emerged. Portrayals reflected not only the loss of power experienced by patriarchal figures after the defeat, but also the rise of new patriarchal mothers and resistant daughters. This article traces how changes in depictions of patriarchal authority in the genre reflect not only masculine humiliation around the war defeat, but also a contemporaneous rise in mothers whose intervention in their daughters’ life decisions saw an increase in less compliant daughters. It demonstrates how, although post-war shōjo fiction was founded on the loss of the autocratic patriarch and has since struggled to depict a more co-operative family man, as reflected through the genre, the loss of the father figure also helped sow the seeds of new forms of womanhood, and of girlish resistance and independence. These elements reveal a continued fight for democratic freedoms in post-war Japan

Integrin-associated protein promotes neuronal differentiation of neural stem/progenitor cells.

Neural stem/progenitor cells (NSPCs) proliferate and differentiate depending on their intrinsic properties and local environment. During the development of the mammalian nervous system, NSPCs generate neurons and glia sequentially. However, little is known about the mechanism that determines the timing of switch from neurogenesis to gliogenesis. In this study, we established a culture system in which the neurogenic potential of NSPCs is decreased in a time-dependent manner, so that short-term-cultured NSPCs differentiate into more neurons compared with long-term-cultured NSPCs. We found that short-term-cultured NSPCs express high levels of integrin-associated protein form 2 (IAP2; so-called CD47) mRNA using differential display analysis. Moreover, IAP2 overexpression in NSPCs induced neuronal differentiation of NSPCs. These findings reveal a novel mechanism by which IAP2 induces neuronal differentiation of NSPCs

Expression of IAP2 mRNA in NSPCs.

<p>(A) Differential display analysis of 13 DIV neurosphere (left lane) and 20 DIV neurosphere (right lane) RNA using No. 22 upstream primer and 5′-T_nAC-3′ downstream primer sets. Arrowhead indicates the differentially expressed IAP2 cDNA fragment between 13 DIV neurospheres and 20 DIV neurospheres. (B) Schematic representation of the alternative splicing possibilities for generation of IAP forms. Alternative splice forms of IAP were identified by RT-PCR analysis using primer pairs designed in common exon sequences (arrows). Right arrow indicates the position of the forward primer and the left arrow indicates the position of the reverse primer for RT-PCR as shown in (C). (C) Identification of splicing forms of IAP expressed in NSPCs using RT-PCR analysis. Total RNA was isolated from 13 DIV neurospheres and 20 DIV neurospheres. Alternative splice forms were distinguished by the size of PCR products using primer sets shown in (B). (D) Quantification of IAP2 mRNA expression levels in 13 DIV neurospheres and 20 DIV neurospheres. Total RNA was isolated from 13 and 20 DIV neurospheres. The expression levels of IAP2 and Ppia (internal standard) mRNA were determined by real-time quantitative PCR analysis. (E) Western blot analysis of IAP protein expression at 13 DIV (left lane) and 20 DIV (right lane). Each value represents the mean ± SEM from three independent experiments and is expressed in reference to 13 DIV neurospheres. **<i>p</i> < 0.01 compared with 13 DIV neurospheres.</p

<i>In vitro</i> time-dependent decline in neurogenic competency of NSPCs.

<p><b>(A)</b> Strategy for the functional screening of candidate genes involved in the temporal specification of NSPCs using the neurosphere method. (B) Representative immunofluorescent images of NSPCs differentiated from 13 DIV neurospheres (left) and 20 DIV neurospheres (right). Secondary neurospheres were dissociated in NSPC proliferation medium and plated on poly l-lysine-coated cover glass. After 24 hours, NSPCs were exposed to NSPC differentiation medium, fixed at 10 days after differentiation, stained for a neuron marker (Tuj1; green) and an astrocyte marker (GFAP; red), and counterstained with DAPI (blue). Scale bar: 50 μm. Quantification of Tuj1-positive cells (C) or GFAP-positive cells (D) 10 days after differentiation. Data are shown as the mean ± SEM of four independent experiments. *<i>p</i> < 0.05.</p