The Acidic Amino-Terminal Region of Varicella-Zoster Virus Open Reading Frame 4 Protein Is Required for Transactivation and Can Functionally Replace the Corresponding Region of Herpes Simplex Virus ICP27

AbstractBoth varicella-zoster virus open reading frame 4 (ORF4) protein and its herpes simplex virus type 1 homolog ICP27 have highly acidic amino-terminal regions and cysteine-rich carboxy-terminal regions. To investigate the functional domains of these proteins, mutants were constructed and their transregulatory functions were tested in transient expression assays using two reporter plasmids, pTK-CAT-SV40A and pTK-CAT-synA, containing the same promoter sequences but different mRNA processing signals. ORF4 transactivates both pTK-CAT-SV40A and pTK-CAT-synA, while ICP27 transrepresses pTKCAT-SV40A and transactivates pTK-CAT-synA. Deletion of the ORF4 amino-terminal region abolished most of the transactivating activity for pTK-CAT-synA but retained most of the transactivating activity for pTK-CAT-SV40A. Construction of chimeric ORF4-ICP27 molecules indicated that the ORF4 amino-terminal region was able to replace the corresponding region of ICP27 which is required for both transrepression of pTK-CAT-SV40A and transactivation of pTK-CAT-synA. Similarly, the ICP27 amino-terminal region was able to partially replace the corresponding region of ORF4 which is required for transactivation of pTK-CAT-synA. Thus, while ORF4 and ICP27 have different properties in transient expression assays, the aminoterminal regions of ORF4 and ICP27 are functionally homologous to each other and are important in regulating gene expression

Photogenerated-Carrier Collection by Induced Junction and Application to Novel Type of High-Efficiency Si Solar Cell

A novel type of induced junction (IJ) solar cells to achieve a high efficiency without an n⁺ doped layer was proposed. A strong inversion induced by an external bias voltage across an insulating layer yields a very shallow n⁺p junction without impurity doping, and heavy doping effects can be taken away. Performances of the IJ cells were discussed in detail, and a conversion efficiency larger than 20% could be expected. A cell-fabrication process was outlined including formation of a charge-collection barrier by ion implantation and deposition of a gate insulator with a high dielectric constant. A very low sheet resistance could be realized at a low bias voltage, and the power of the photo-generated current source increased with bias voltage

A Neonatal Case of Glial Choristoma of the Tongue Causing Airway Obstruction

Glial choristoma is considered to be a type of brain heterotopia consisting of ectopic central nervous tissue. We herein report a neonate with glial choristoma of the tongue who developed respiratory distress due to airway obstruction. A male neonate presented with respiratory distress due to a soft mass on the midline region of the dorsal tongue base at birth. He was intubated using a flexible fiberoptic nasopharyngoscope. MRI showed a well-circumscribed mass measuring 25 × 23 × 27 mm in size in the same region. A histologic examination confirmed a pathological diagnosis of glial choristoma. He underwent tracheotomy at 22 days of age, and a subtotal resection of the tumor was performed at five months of age. The clinical behavior of oral glial choristoma varies depending on the age at onset as well as the location and size of the mass. The small size of the organ and the narrow operating field hamper the surgical approach in neonates. The optimal therapeutic strategy for neonatal cases of glial choristoma should thus be determined based on the condition of each individual patient

Modest Expansion of Vβ2+CD4+ T Cells and No Expansion of Vβ7+CD4+ T Cells in a Subgroup of Kawasaki Disease Patients with Erythematic BCG Inoculation Site Lesions

Background: The similarities between Kawasaki disease (KD) and superantigen (SA) diseases indicate that a microbial SA might cause KD. Viral diseases can trigger an endogenous SA.Methods: We evaluated expression of Vβ2 (responding to staphylococcal TSST-1) and Vβ7 (responding to the endogenous SA induced by type-1 interferon or Epstein-Barr virus infection) on T cells from 70 KD patients along with the following control subjects: 18 non-vasculitic patients (NVs), 7 patients with anaphylactoid purpura (AP), and two with neonatal TSS-like exanthematous disease (NTED), a typical SA disease. We examined the correlation of clinical features of KD with Vβ2+ or Vβ7+CD4+T cell populations.Results: The Vβ2+CD4+T cell rates were comparable between KD patients (9.9±2.9%) and NVs (9.0±1.8%), but were lower in AP patients (6.6±1.8%). However, the Vβ2+CD4+T cell rate was significantly higher in KD patients with erythematic BCG inoculation site lesions (10.8±3.2%) than in those without (8.8±2.1%) and NVs (9.0±1.8%), but much lower than in NTED patients (25.2%, 16.9%). Multivariate linear regression analysis with elevation of Vβ2 expression as a dependent variable revealed significant correlations with BCG. In contrast, Vβ7+CD4+T cell rates were not significantly different between KD patients and other study subjects.Conclusion: While we were unable to find evidence supporting the involvement of the endogenous SA in the pathogenesis of KD in this study, modest expansion of the Vβ2+CD4+T cell population in a subgroup of KD with erythematic BCG inoculation site lesions implies the involvement of a microbial agent(s) different from TSST-1 as well as immunopathological heterogeneity of KD. (249 words

Reliable long-term operation of superconducting bus lines for the LHD

The Large Helical Device (LHD) is an experimental device for helical type fusion plasma in National Institute for Fusion Science and plasma experiments over 150,000 shots have been successfully conducted during twenty long-term plasma experimental campaigns. The LHD has two kinds of superconducting magnets and nine flexible superconducting bus lines with an average length of 55 m, which are utilized as a part of the current feeder system between the coils and the power sources. The superconducting bus lines consist of a pair of aluminum stabilized NbTi/Cu compacted stranded cable insulated electrically and coaxial five corrugated stainless steel tubes with two layers of vacuum insulations. The nominal current is 32 kA and the withstand voltage is 5 kV in 77 K gas helium. From the first experimental campaign, the superconducting bus lines have been stably operated at steady state by using automatic control. It is also confirmed that the status of the superconducting bus lines are kept good thanks to appropriate maintenances. As the results, the reliable operation of the superconducting bus lines has been achieved during the plasma experimental campaigns without any serious failure and the total operational time of the steady state cooling is approximately 58,000 hours

KAT6B-related disorder in a patient with a novel frameshift variant (c.3925dup)

Heterozygous pathogenic variants in the KAT6B gene, which encodes lysine acetyltransferase 6B, have been identified in patients with congenital rare disorders, including genitopatellar syndrome and Say-Barber-Biesecker-Young-Simpson syndrome. Herein, we report another Japanese patient with a KAT6B-related disorder and a novel de novo heterozygous variant in exon 18 of KAT6B [c.3925dup, p.(Glu1309fs*33)], providing further evidence that truncating variants in exon 17 and in the proximal region of exon 18 are associated with genitopatellar syndrome-like phenotypes

Draft Genome Sequence of a Clinical Isolate of Streptococcus mutans Strain HM

We report the draft genome sequence of Streptococcus mutans strain HM isolated from a 4-year-old girl with infective endocarditis. The genomics information will provide information on the genetic diversity and virulence potential of S. mutans strain HM

Screening for congenital cytomegalovirus infection using newborn urine samples collected on filter paper: feasibility and outcomes from a multicentre study

PublisherBackground As congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection causes significant clinical consequences not only at birth but also later as neurological sequelae, it is critical to establish a strategy for screening congenitally infected newborns. Previous studies have identified an insufficient sensitivity in screening methods based on the use of dried blood spots (DBSs). Objectives To evaluate the feasibility of the authors' recently developed method for large-scale screening for congenital CMV infection and to identify risk factors for congenital infection. Methods More than 21 000 newborns were enrolled at 25 sites in six geographically separate areas of Japan. Urine was collected onto filter cards placed in the diapers, which were then analysed by quantitative PCR using the filter disc directly as a template. Clinical and physical findings of the newborns were extracted from their medical records. CMV strains from the cases and their siblings were genetically compared. Viral loads in DBSs obtained from some of the cases were compared with those in the urine filters. Results Congenital CMV infection was identified in 0.31% (95% CI 0.24% to 0.39%) of the newborns, and 30% of the cases (20/66) had typical clinical manifestations and/or showed abnormalities in brain images at birth. Although the positive predictive value of our screening was 94%, the lack of any comparison with a gold standard assay prevented calculation of the negative predictive value. Almost two-thirds of the cases had siblings, a significantly higher frequency than for uninfected newborns. Most of the cases (21/25) excreted CMV strains identical to those of their siblings. CMV DNA was undetectable in three out of 12 retrievable DBS specimens. Conclusions Implementation of an effective large-scale screening programme for congenital CMV infection is feasible. Siblings are the major risk factor for congenital CMV infection, which emphasises the need for education of mothers-to-be as well as vaccine development