Apoptosis Ensures Spacing Pattern Formation of Drosophila Sensory Organs

SummaryBackgroundIn both vertebrates and invertebrates, developing organs and tissues must be precisely patterned. One patterning mechanism is Notch/Delta-mediated lateral inhibition. Through the process of lateral inhibition, Drosophila sensory organ precursors (SOPs) are selected and sensory bristles form into a regular pattern. SOP cell fate is determined by high Delta expression and following expression of neurogenic genes like neuralized. SOP selection is spatially and temporally regulated; however, the dynamic process of precise pattern formation is not clearly understood.ResultsIn this study, using live-imaging analysis, we show that the appearance of neuralized-positive cells is random in both timing and position. Excess neuralized-positive cells are produced by developmental errors at several steps preceding and accompanying lateral inhibition. About 20% of the neuralized-positive cells show aberrant cell characteristics and high Notch activation, which not only suppress neural differentiation but also induce caspase-dependent cell death. These cells never develop into sensory organs, nor do they disturb bristle patterning.ConclusionsOur study reveals the incidence of developmental errors that produce excess neuralized-positive cells during sensory organ development. Notch activation in neuralized-positive cells determines aberrant cell fate and typically induces caspase-dependent cell death. Apoptosis is utilized as a mechanism to remove cells that start neural differentiation at aberrant positions and timing and to ensure robust spacing pattern formation

Solid-phase total synthesis and structural confirmation of antimicrobial longicatenamide A

Longicatenamides A–D are cyclic hexapeptides isolated from the combined culture of Streptomyces sp. KUSC_F05 and Tsukamurella pulmonis TP-B0596. Because these peptides are not detected in the monoculture broth of the actinomycete, they are key tools for understanding chemical communication in the microbial world. Herein, we report the solid-phase total synthesis and structural confirmation of longicatenamide A. First, commercially unavailable building blocks were chemically synthesized with stereocontrol. Second, the peptide chain was elongated via Fmoc-based solid-phase peptide synthesis. Third, the peptide chain was cyclized in the solution phase, followed by simultaneous cleavage of all protecting groups to afford longicatenamide A. Chromatographic analysis corroborated the chemical structure of longicatenamide A. Furthermore, the antimicrobial activity of synthesized longicatenamide A was confirmed. The developed solid-phase synthesis is expected to facilitate the rapid synthesis of diverse synthetic analogues

Temporal regulation of Drosophila IAP1 determines caspase functions in sensory organ development

Caspase activation is regulated by the turnover of E3 ubiquitin ligase, DIAP1, and depends on cell type and maturity

Longitudinal study of the effect of anger regulation on undergraduates' intimacy with a best friend

The effects of anger regulation tactics (Yoshida & Takai, 2008) on the level of intimacy with a close friend were investigated. First- and second-year university students were asked to indicate the frequency of experiencing anger towards their closest friend in the university, the frequency of using five anger regulation tactics, and how intimate they felt with the friend. They responded to the same questionnaire 1 month later. Results of a hierarchical regression analysis indicated no significant effects of anger regulation tactics on the level of intimacy. These negative findings may indicate the need for a shorter-term longitudinal study to identify the effects of anger regulation tactics on short-term friendships in university students.本研究は，第一著者が平成25年度に広島大学教育学部に提出した卒業論文を加筆修正したものである。本研究の一部は， 2014年に開催された中国四国心理学会第70回大会で発表された。調査にあたってご助言・ご協力いただきました総合研究大学院大学横田晋大先生に深〈感謝いたします

O Programa de Segurança Alimentar “Direto no Campo” do Município de Araraquara-SP: um Instrumento de Desenvolvimento Local

O trabalho apresenta um caso concreto de formação de uma rede de capital social em torno da temática da segurança alimentar local. Toma como princípio que a segurança alimentar deve ser tratada de maneira ampla, de forma a abarcar não somente as condições de saúde das pessoas, de higiene dos alimentos e da autenticidade da produção, mas também a melhora das condições de renda e emprego de pequenos agricultores. Este trabalho mostra que num município paulista desenvolve-se um programa de segurança alimentar nessa amplitude, com a comercialização de produtos agrícolas em varejões populares distribuídos em pontos comerciais estratégicos. Este caso, ocorrido no centro da produção canavieira e do cinturão citrícola paulista mostra como mecanismos institucionais desenvolvidos através de políticas públicas participativas e organizações locais podem promover o desenvolvimento rural local com possibilidades de inclusão social. This paper shows a concrete case of social capital networking around of the local security food thematic. The aim of the security food should be treated in a wider mode, including not just the people health conditions, food hygiene and the authenticity of the familiar production, but the improvement of the salaries and work conditions of the small producers This work shows that a city in the São Paulo State develop a program of the security food this extent, with the commerce of agricultural products in popular fair distribute in strategic commercial points. This case, occurred in the sugar cane production region and citriculture in the São Paulo State, demonstrates that institutional mechanisms developed through publics political participates and local organizations may to promote the rural development with the possibilities of the social inclusion.Agricultura Familiar, Políticas Públicas, Segurança Alimentar, Varejões Populares, Capital Social, Agrarian Familiar Activities, Publics Political, Security Food, Popular Fair, Social Capital, Food Security and Poverty,

KLHDC10 Activates ASK1 by Suppressing PP5

Reactive oxygen species (ROS)-induced activation of Apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1 (ASK1) plays crucial roles in oxidative stress-mediated cell death through the activation of the JNK and p38 MAPK pathways. However, the regulatory mechanism of ASK1 in the oxidative stress response remains to be elucidated. Here, we identified the kelch repeat protein, Slim, as an activator of ASK1 through a Drosophila misexpression screen. We also performed a proteomics screen and revealed that Kelch domain containing 10 (KLHDC10), a mammalian ortholog of Slim, interacted with Protein phosphatase 5 (PP5), which has been shown to inactivate ASK1 in response to ROS. KLHDC10 bound to the phosphatase domain of PP5 and suppressed its phosphatase activity. Moreover, KLHDC10 was required for H2O2-induced sustained activation of ASK1 and cell death in Neuro2A cells. These findings suggest that Slim/KLHDC10 is an activator of ASK1, contributing to oxidative stress-induced cell death through the suppression of PP5

DIAP2 functions as a mechanism-based regulator of drICE that contributes to the caspase activity threshold in living cells.

In addition to their well-known function in apoptosis, caspases are also important in several nonapoptotic processes. How caspase activity is restrained and shut down under such nonapoptotic conditions remains unknown. Here, we show that Drosophila melanogaster inhibitor of apoptosis protein 2 (DIAP2) controls the level of caspase activity in living cells. Animals that lack DIAP2 have higher levels of drICE activity. Although diap2-deficient cells remain viable, they are sensitized to apoptosis following treatment with sublethal doses of x-ray irradiation. We find that DIAP2 regulates the effector caspase drICE through a mechanism that resembles the one of the caspase inhibitor p35. As for p35, cleavage of DIAP2 is required for caspase inhibition. Our data suggest that DIAP2 forms a covalent adduct with the catalytic machinery of drICE. In addition, DIAP2 also requires a functional RING finger domain to block cell death and target drICE for ubiquitylation. Because DIAP2 efficiently interacts with drICE, our data suggest that DIAP2 controls drICE in its apoptotic and nonapoptotic roles.P.S. Ribeiro is supported by a PhD fellowship (SFRH/BD/15219/2004) from the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia and F. Leulier is supported by a Human Frontier Science Program fellowship (LT-0177/2004). E. Kuranaga and M. Miura are supported in part by grants from the Japanese Ministry of Education, Science, Sports, Culture and Technology (19109003, 17025010, 19040006, 19041026, and 19044013) and the Takeda Science Foundation

Reforma Agrária e “Desenvolvimento como Liberdade”: Uma Nova Visão sobre os Assentamentos Rurais do Estado de São Paulo

Após vinte anos completos do lançamento do I Plano Nacional de Reforma Agrária (I PNRA), iniciativa que pode ser considerada marco em termos de políticas públicas voltadas para essa questão, a problemática do desenvolvimento dessa gama de assentamentos rurais implantados desde então é particularmente candente. Para alguns, os mais críticos da política de cessão de terras para os assentamentos, tais experiências não redundam em nada em termos de desenvolvimento econômico, não se furtando, inclusive, a reafirmarem a alcunha de “favela rural” para os Projetos de Assentamentos. Essa desqualificação, visivelmente ideológica, ressalta de maneira exagerada um único aspecto – o estritamente econômico-financeiro – ocultando outras dimensões que o complexo conceito de desenvolvimento carrega inevitavelmente. Tais avaliações, não isentas, ignoram, inclusive, um resultado positivo que se pode aferir em diferentes microrregiões do país, nas quais os assentamentos são, efetivamente, dinamizadores econômicos. Optamos, neste trabalho, por não restringir essa avaliação apenas à dimensão econômica. Aliás, ao afirmarmos que desenvolvimento não é só crescimento e modernização econômica, estamos procurando estabelecer uma perspectiva que assuma a complexidade, tanto do conceito, quanto da realidade dos assentamentos rurais

siRNA-mediated gene knockdown via electroporation in hydrozoan jellyfish embryos

As the sister group to bilaterians, cnidarians stand in a unique phylogenetic position that provides insight into evolutionary aspects of animal development, physiology, and behavior. While cnidarians are classified into two types, sessile polyps and free-swimming medusae, most studies at the cellular and molecular levels have been conducted on representative polyp-type cnidarians and have focused on establishing techniques of genetic manipulation. Recently, gene knockdown by delivery of short hairpin RNAs into eggs via electroporation has been introduced in two polyp-type cnidarians, Nematostella vectensis and Hydractinia symbiolongicarpus, enabling systematic loss-of-function experiments. By contrast, current methods of genetic manipulation for most medusa-type cnidarians, or jellyfish, are quite limited, except for Clytia hemisphaerica, and reliable techniques are required to interrogate function of specific genes in different jellyfish species. Here, we present a method to knock down target genes by delivering small interfering RNA (siRNA) into fertilized eggs via electroporation, using the hydrozoan jellyfish, Clytia hemisphaerica and Cladonema paciificum. We show that siRNAs targeting endogenous GFP1 and Wnt3 in Clytia efficiently knock down gene expression and result in known planula phenotypes: loss of green fluorescence and defects in axial patterning, respectively. We also successfully knock down endogenous Wnt3 in Cladonema by siRNA electroporation, which circumvents the technical difficulty of microinjecting small eggs. Wnt3 knockdown in Cladonema causes gene expression changes in axial markers, suggesting a conserved Wnt/β-catenin-mediated pathway that controls axial polarity during embryogenesis. Our gene-targeting siRNA electroporation method is applicable to other animals, including and beyond jellyfish species, and will facilitate the investigation and understanding of myriad aspects of animal development

Direto no Campo: Uma Parceria bem Sucedida entre Assentados e o Poder Local

O trabalho apresenta um caso concreto de formação de uma rede de capital social em torno da temática da segurança alimentar local. Toma como princípio que a segurança alimentar deve ser tratada de maneira ampla, de forma a abarcar não somente as condições de saúde das pessoas, de higiene dos alimentos e da autenticidade da produção, mas também a melhora das condições de renda e emprego de pequenos agricultores. Este trabalho mostra que num município paulista desenvolve-se um programa de segurança alimentar nessa amplitude, com a comercialização de produtos agrícolas em varejões populares distribuídos em pontos comerciais estratégicos. Este caso, ocorrido no centro da produção canavieira e do cinturão citrícola paulista mostra como mecanismos institucionais desenvolvidos através de políticas públicas participativas e organizações locais podem promover o desenvolvimento rural local com possibilidades de inclusão social.