Effects of Intra-corporate Policies on the Work of Female Employees

On the basis of a survey performed at Japanese pharmaceutical companies, we analyze the processes and the influence that family-friendly policies exert on the promotion of women employees and corporate performance through womenfs activities. In particular, Structural Equation Modeling is used to clarify complex causality between the promotion of women employees and personnel policies. The results of our analysis indicate that even if complex relations between the variables are taken into account, productive improvements due to family-friendly policies are not observed. Although family-friendly policies do not have a direct effect on the promotions or wages of women, they have an indirect effect on womenfs promotions and wage increases through the length of their tenure.Structural Equation Modeling, Family-friendly Policy, Career Advancement of Women, Corporate Performance, Pharmaceutical Company

New Research from an Old Capital

Nanotechnology has been utilized for a long time in Kyoto, an old capital of Japan. Kyoto is well known not only as a traditional and cultural town but also as one of the most innovative towns in Japan. It has produced many worldwide technology-based start-up (venture) companies such as Kyocera, Nintendo, Omron, Murata MFG, Rohm, Horiba MFG, and Nichicon, among others. In these two features of tradition and innovation, there exists potentially a close correlation. Lords or emperor in the capital had gathered the highest level of technologies during their times and created various kinds of artistic works and buildings. They felt that the concentration of high technology and the creation of new technologies are essential to build new industry as well as to spur the activity of the principal towns

Investigation of the Subcellular Localization-Dependent Anti- or Pro-Tumor Functions of Maspin in Human Lung Adenocarcinoma Cell Line

Background: Mammary serine protease inhibitor (maspin) is well known as a tumor suppressor gene in several types of cancers and its nuclear localization is essential for its tumor-suppressive function. We previously reported that the cytoplasmic-only localization of maspin is significantly correlated with unfavorable prognosis in patients with lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). To clarify whether maspin in LUAD acts as a tumor promoter or suppressor, we examined the subcellular localization-dependent biological functions of maspin in human LUAD cell lines. Methods: The expression levels and subcellular localization of maspin were investigated by performing immunoblotting and immunofluorescence in human LUAD cell lines (PC-9, A549, NCI-H23, RERF-LCKJ) and human bronchial epithelial cell line (BEAS-2B). We then established stable cell lines overexpressing maspin (A549-maspin and RERF-LC-KJ-maspin) and investigated their subcellular localization. Cell invasion assays of these cell lines were performed to examine their invasiveness. Moreover, the mRNA expression levels between epithelial cell markers (E-cadherin) and mesenchymal cell markers (N-cadherin and vimentin) were compared. Results: The expression of maspin in PC-9 cells was comparable to that in BEAS-2B cells, whereas its expression in A549, NCI-H23, and RERF-LC-KJ cells was decreased. The cell invasion capability of A549-maspin cells showing pancellular expression was significantly decreased compared with that of A549-control cells. By contrast, the cell invasion capability of RERF-LC-KJmaspin cells showing cytoplasmic-only expression was significantly increased compared with that of RERFLC-KJ-control cells. The mRNA expression levels of N-cadherin, but not E-cadherin and vimentin, in A549-maspin cells was significantly downregulated compared with that in A549-control cells. No significant differences in these markers were observed between RERFLC-KJ-maspin and RERF-LC-KJ-control cells. Conclusion: The invasive capability of LUAD cells is regulated by the intracellular localization of maspin. Clarification of the molecular mechanism underlying the subcellular localization-dependent function of maspin will promote a deeper understanding of LUAD development and progression