Epigenetic Regulation of Adipocyte Differentiation by a Rho Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factor, WGEF

Epigenetic regulation, including DNA methylation, plays an important role in several differentiation processes and possibly in adipocyte differentiation. To search for genes that show methylation change during adipogenesis, genome-wide DNA methylation analysis in insulin-induced adipogenesis of 3T3-L1 preadipocyte cells was performed using a method called microarray-based integrated analysis of methylation by isoschizomers (MIAMI). The MIAMI revealed that Hpa II sites of exon 1 in a Rho guanine nucleotide exchange factor 19 (ARHGEF19; WGEF) gene were demethylated during adipocyte differentiation of 3T3-L1 cells. Deletion of the region containing cytosine-guanine (CpG) sites that showed methylation change suppressed transcriptional activity in the reporter assay, indicating that this region regulates WGEF transcription. WGEF expression in 3T3-L1 cells was reduced during adipocyte differentiation, and high-fat diet-induced obese mice also showed lower expression of WGEF gene than control mice in white adipose tissue. Additionally, forced expression of WGEF in 3T3-L1 cells down-regulated the expression of adipogenic marker genes and inhibited the adipogenic program. This study clarified that adipogenesis was regulated by WGEF expression through DNA methylation change

Operator-sum representation of time-dependent density operators and its applications

We show that any arbitrary time-dependent density operator of an open system can always be described in terms of an operator-sum representation regardless of its initial condition and the path of its evolution in the state space, and we provide a general expression of Kraus operators for arbitrary time-dependent density operator of an $N$-dimensional system. Moreover, applications of our result are illustrated through several examples.Comment: 4 pages, no figure, brief repor

卵巣子宮内膜症性嚢胞の嚢胞液鉄濃度が不妊に及ぼす影響について

The causes of infertility in women with endometriosis may range from anatomical distortions to various pathophysiological disturbances. The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of the cyst fluid (CF) concentration of iron on infertility in patients with ovarian endometrioma (OMA). Patients with histologically confirmed OMA were enrolled at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Nara Medical University Hospital between 2013 and 2019. The patients were divided into 2 groups, namely women experiencing current infertility (infertile group) and those without complaints of infertility (non‑infertile group). There were 2 types of patients in the infertile group: Patients who failed to achieve a clinical pregnancy following ≥12 months of regular unprotected sexual intercourse and those who had already been treated at fertility clinics. The CF concentration of iron was measured by the inductively coupled plasma‑optical emission spectrometry (ICP‑OES) method. The clinical data were analyzed retrospectively. A total of 77 patients were enrolled in the present study. Among these, 32 (41.6%) patients had infertility. When compared with the non‑infertile women, the infertile women were significantly younger (median age, 35 years; range, 24‑47 years; vs. median age, 40 years; range, 21‑53 years; respectively; P=0.003). The CF concentrations of iron (median, 324.8 mg/l; range, 71.3‑1046.3 mg/l; vs. median, 226.5 mg/l; range, 65.3‑737.5 mg/l; respectively; P=0.019) were significantly higher in the infertile group compared with the non‑infertile group. Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that age at diagnosis (≤38 years), the CF concentrations of iron (>326.6 mg/l) and the infertility index (iron/age ratio, >8.37) were independent risk factors for endometriosis‑related infertility. Multivariate analysis revealed that age (HR, 6.44; 95% CI, 2.06‑20.12) and iron (HR, 4.90; 95% CI, 1.48‑16.22) were independent factors for the identification of patients with OMA who presented with a complaint of infertility. In addition, the infertility index (iron/age ratio, >8.37; HR, 4.85; 95% CI, 1.01‑23.27) was an important predictor of infertility. ROC curve analysis also revealed that the areas under the ROC (AUC) for age, iron and infertility index were 0.699, 0.666 and 0.731, respectively. On the whole, the findings of the present study demonstrate that age at diagnosis and the CF concentration of iron may be potentially effective markers for predicting infertility in women with OMA.博士（医学）・乙第1500号・令和3年3月15日Copyright © Nagayasuet al. This is an open access article distributed under theterms of CreativeCommons Attribution License(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

One Argonaute family member, Eif2c2 (Ago2), is essential for development and appears not to be involved in DNA methylation

AbstractTo elucidate the epigenetic role of RNAi in mammals, we disrupted the gene for Eif2c2 (Ago2), which works as the sole slicer of RNAi in the Argonaute family. In mice, disruption of Eif2c2 leads to embryonic lethality early in development after the implantation stage. This phenotype is completely different from that in a previous report, but somewhat similar to the disruption of Dicer1, another important component of RNAi. We also show that Eif2c2 is not required for the maintenance of DNA methylation in imprinted genes, centromeric repeats, and Xist. This suggests that developmental defects in the Eif2c2-deficient mouse are caused not at the transcriptional level, but rather at the posttranscriptional level through the miRNA–protein complex

抗リン脂質抗体症候群におけるLA検査標準化を目指した検体処理法の検討

金沢大学附属病院LA検査は、検体中の残存血小板が偽陰性を呈する原因となることが従来指摘されてきた。そこで、本研究ではフィルター濾過を行った被検血漿を用いてLA検査を行い、検査に適切な検体処理の条件を評価し標準化することを目的としている。(1)採血に同意を得た健常ボランティア11名(男性4名、女性7名)から得た血漿を2種類のフィルター(フィルターA : 材質ポリスルフォン、水系、フィルターB : 材質ポリエーテルスルフォン、イオンクロマトグラフィー・水系、いずれもHLC-DISK、孔径0.2μm、関東化学)でろ過処理を行い、3種類のサンプルを作製した。血小板数、APTT-SLA、dRVVTの試薬1(R1)および2(R2)、PTT-LA、凝固因子活性(II、V、VII、VIII、IX、X、XI、XII)の測定を行い比較検討した。フィルターA、Bともにフィルターなし群に比べ、血小板数、凝固第VIII因子活性において有意に低下した(t-検定、いずれもp1.3を陽性とした場合、Fなしは13例、Fありは15例となり、陽性が2例増加した。PTT-LAの正常血漿との混合試験では混合曲線が上に凸となる場合を陽性とした。フィルターの有無によらず陽性5例であったが、患者血漿対正常血漿の混合比が4:1、1:1の場合、Fありの場合有意に秒数が延長した。したがって、混合曲線において、LA陽性の上に凸パターンがより増強する可能性が示唆された。以上の結果から、フィルター処理を行うことによりLAの検出感度が向上する可能性が示唆された。研究課題/領域番号:15H00614, 研究期間(年度):201

Microscopic photometry and its parameterization for objective evaluation of aesthetics of woven fabrics

One of the most important end-use performance parameters for fabrics and other textile products are the fabric hands and fabric aesthetics. Our previous research attempted to elucidate the factors that affect the fabric aesthetics using factor analysis and identified two principal factors tentatively labelled as 'lustre and depth sensation' and 'surface roughness sensation'. The focus of the second step in the study of fabric aesthetics is on the investigation of the objective trends in the performance evaluation of textiles. In this study, we developed our own experimental equipment based on microscopic goniophotometric principles and its parameterization method. Subsequently, we attempted to define an index based on the distribution of the reflection intensity of woven fabrics and its characterization in order to evaluate the principal factors governing fabric aesthetics. On the basis of the results, we infer that microscopic goniophotometry and its parameterization is a more viable approach than conventional macroscopic goniophotometry for the quantitative evaluation of the principal factors governing fabric aesthetics.ArticleTEXTILE RESEARCH JOURNAL. 82(19):1982-1995 (2012)journal articl

UMA ANÁLISE DA INSTRUÇÃO NORMATIVA N. 95 DO INPI À LUZ DA TEORIA DA IGUALDADE DE RECURSOS DE RONALD DWORKIN: as indicações geográficas e as comunidades tradicionais

Esta pesquisa pretende analisar se as comunidades tradicionais têm igualdade de acesso aos selos de Indicação Geográfica (IG), que consistem em sinais distintivos que vinculam um produto ou serviço ao seu território de origem, agregando-lhes valores como reputação, notoriedade, cultura e tradição. Os objetivos específicos são apresentar a teoria da igualdade de recursos de Dworkin, o papel da liberdade e ponderar se a Instrução Normativa n. 95 do INPI, que estabelece o procedimento para a obtenção do selo, garante igualdade de acesso às comunidades tradicionais, utilizando, para tanto, a pesquisa bibliográfica e a consulta de dados e da legislação

Cardiac and skeletal muscle abnormality in taurine transporter-knockout mice

Taurine, a sulfur-containing β-amino acid, is highly contained in heart and skeletal muscle. Taurine has a variety of biological actions, such as ion movement, calcium handling and cytoprotection in the cardiac and skeletal muscles. Meanwhile, taurine deficiency leads various pathologies, including dilated cardiomyopathy, in cat and fox. However, the essential role of taurine depletion on pathogenesis has not been fully clarified. To address the physiological role of taurine in mammalian tissues, taurine transporter-(TauT-) knockout models were recently generated. TauTKO mice exhibited loss of body weight, abnormal cardiac function and the reduced exercise capacity with tissue taurine depletion. In this chapter, we summarize pathological profile and histological feature of heart and skeletal muscle in TauTKO mice

POEMS Syndrome in a 20-year-old Patient Diagnosed Following a Complaint of Reduced Visual Acuity

We report a case of POEMS syndrome in a 20-year-old patient diagnosed after visiting an eye clinic with a chief complaint of reduced visual acuity. A male university student aged 20 years was referred to our department complaining of blurred vision in both eyes that had persisted for 1 month. He also noted headache, nausea, and paresthesia in the lower extremities around the same time. The visual acuity of his right and left eye was 20/40 and 20/20, respectively. Optic disc edema and serous retinal detachment were present. Brain magnetic resonance imaging showed no intracranial abnormalities, while elevated cerebrospinal fluid pressure, reduced nerve conduction velocity in both lower extremities, hepatosplenomegaly, M proteinemia, high blood VEGF levels, osteoblastic and osteolytic changes in the spine, and atypical plasma cells in bone lesions were noted. From the above findings, the patient was diagnosed with POEMS syndrome. He received high-dose dexamethasone, thalidomide, and radiotherapy on the sacral mass, followed by high-dose melphalan with autologous stem-cell support, and showed subsequent systemic and ophthalmologic improvement. Here, we report the youngest case ever of POEMS syndrome with ocular manifestation. If patients have optic disc edema in both eyes with no intracranial space-occupying lesion, POEMS syndrome should be considered in differential diagnosis, regardless of age