Microperforated leaf blotting on polyvinylidene difluoride and nylon membranes to analyze spatial distribution of endogenous and viral gene expression in plant leaves

Leaf blotting to detect proteins and investigate their spatial distribution in leaves has so far mainly been used to detect viral coat proteins that accumulate abundantly in infected leaves, but rarely to detect endogenous plant proteins. We improved the method for detecting endogenous proteins. We found that microperforating leaves with bundled pins before blotting, then pressing leaves with a rolling pin onto polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) membranes enabled even blotting of sap. This microperforated leaf blotting (mPLB) was also suitable for use with nylon membranes to detect leaf RNA. The mPLB revealed that accumulation of two endogenous proteins, calmodulin-like rgs-CaM and actin, was respectively positively and negatively associated with that of viral coat protein in tobacco leaves infected with cucumber mosaic virus (CMV). When a tobacco plant primed with benzothiadiazole was inoculated with CMV, mPLB showed that the infection was restricted to some areas of the leaf, and that in these areas the mRNA encoding tobacco pathogenesis-related protein 1, an indicator of salicylic acid-mediated immune responses, was induced. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of mPLB for investigating the spatial distribution of endogenous and viral gene expression in leaves

Screening and analysis of genes expressed upon infection of broad bean with Clover yellow vein virus causing lethal necrosis

Clover yellow vein virus (ClYVV) causes lethal systemic necrosis in legumes, including broad bean (Vicia faba) and pea (Pisum sativum). To identify host genes involved in necrotic symptom expression after ClYVV infection, we screened cDNA fragments in which expression was changed in advance of necrotic symptom expression in broad bean (V. faba cv. Wase) using the differential display technique and secondarily with Northern blot analysis. Expression changes were confirmed in 20 genes, and the six that exhibited the most change were analyzed further. These six genes included a gene that encodes a putative nitrate-induced NOI protein (VfNOI), and another was homologous to an Arabidopsis gene that encodes a glycine- and proline-rich protein GPRP (VfGPRP). We recently reported that necrotic symptom development in ClYVV-infected pea is associated with expression of salicylic acid (SA)-dependent pathogenesis-related (PR) proteins and requires SA-dependent host responses. Interestingly, VfNOI and VfGPRP expression was correlated with that of the putative SA-dependent PR proteins in ClYVV-infected broad bean. However, broad bean infected with a recombinant ClYVV expressing the VfGPRP protein showed weaker symptoms and less viral multiplication than that infected with ClYVV expressing the GFP protein. These results imply that VfGPRP plays a role in defense against ClYVV rather than in necrotic symptom expression

Perinatal Asphyxia Reduces Dentate Granule Cells and Exacerbates Methamphetamine-Induced Hyperlocomotion in Adulthood

Background: Obstetric complications have been regarded as a risk factor for schizophrenia later in life. One of the mechanisms underlying the association is postulated to be a hypoxic process in the brain in the offspring around the time of birth. Hippocampus is one of the brain regions implicated in the late-onset dopaminergic dysfunction associated with hypoxic obstetric complications. Methodology/Principal Findings: We used an animal model of perinatal asphyxia, in which rat pups were exposed to 15 min of intrauterine anoxia during Cesarean section birth. At 6 and 12 weeks after birth, the behavior of the pups was assessed using a methamphetamine-induced locomotion test. In addition, the histopathology of the hippocampus was examined by means of stereology. At 6 weeks, there was no change in the methamphetamine-induced locomotion. However, at 12 weeks of age, we found an elevation in methamphetamine-induced locomotor activity, which was associated with an increase of dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens. At the same age, we also found a reduction of the dentate granule cells of the hippocampus. Conclusions/Significance: These results suggest that the dopaminergic dysregulation after perinatal asphyxia is associated with a reduction in hippocampal dentate granule cells, and this may partly contribute to the pathogenesis of schizophrenia.浜松医科大学学位論文　医博第548号(平成２１年３月１８日

Dietary Deficiency of Essential Amino Acids Rapidly Induces Cessation of the Rat Estrous Cycle

Reproductive functions are regulated by the sophisticated coordination between the neuronal and endocrine systems and are sustained by a proper nutritional environment. Female reproductive function is vulnerable to effects from dietary restrictions, suggesting a transient adaptation that prioritizes individual survival over reproduction until a possible future opportunity for satiation. This adaptation could also partially explain the existence of amenorrhea in women with anorexia nervosa. Because amino acid nutritional conditions other than caloric restriction uniquely alters amino acid metabolism and affect the hormonal levels of organisms, we hypothesized that the supply of essential amino acids in the diet plays a pivotal role in the maintenance of the female reproductive system. To test this hypothesis, we examined ovulatory cyclicity in female rats under diets that were deficient in threonine, lysine, tryptophan, methionine or valine. Ovulatory cyclicity was monitored by daily cytological evaluations of vaginal smears. After continuous feeding of the deficient diet, a persistent diestrus or anovulatory state was induced most quickly by the valine-deficient diet and most slowly by the lysine-deficient diet. A decline in the systemic insulin-like growth factor 1 level was associated with a dietary amino acid deficiency. Furthermore, a paired group of rats that were fed an isocaloric diet with balanced amino acids maintained normal estrous cyclicity. These disturbances of the estrous cycle by amino acid deficiency were quickly reversed by the consumption of a normal diet. The continuous anovulatory state in this study is not attributable to a decrease in caloric intake but to an imbalance in the dietary amino acid composition. With a shortage of well-balanced amino acid sources, reproduction becomes risky for both the mother and the fetus. It could be viewed as an adaptation to the diet, diverting resources away from reproduction and reallocating them to survival until well-balanced amino acid sources are found

Advances in tenascin-C biology

Tenascin-C is an extracellular matrix glycoprotein that is specifically and transiently expressed upon tissue injury. Upon tissue damage, tenascin-C plays a multitude of different roles that mediate both inflammatory and fibrotic processes to enable effective tissue repair. In the last decade, emerging evidence has demonstrated a vital role for tenascin-C in cardiac and arterial injury, tumor angiogenesis and metastasis, as well as in modulating stem cell behavior. Here we highlight the molecular mechanisms by which tenascin-C mediates these effects and discuss the implications of mis-regulated tenascin-C expression in driving disease pathology

The role of tenascin-C in tissue injury and tumorigenesis

The extracellular matrix molecule tenascin-C is highly expressed during embryonic development, tissue repair and in pathological situations such as chronic inflammation and cancer. Tenascin-C interacts with several other extracellular matrix molecules and cell-surface receptors, thus affecting tissue architecture, tissue resilience and cell responses. Tenascin-C modulates cell migration, proliferation and cellular signaling through induction of pro-inflammatory cytokines and oncogenic signaling molecules amongst other mechanisms. Given the causal role of inflammation in cancer progression, common mechanisms might be controlled by tenascin-C during both events. Drugs targeting the expression or function of tenascin-C or the tenascin-C protein itself are currently being developed and some drugs have already reached advanced clinical trials. This generates hope that increased knowledge about tenascin-C will further improve management of diseases with high tenascin-C expression such as chronic inflammation, heart failure, artheriosclerosis and cancer

Interaction between viral RNA silencing suppressors and host factors in plant immunity

To elucidate events in the molecular arms race between the host and pathogen in evaluating plant immunity, a zigzag model is useful for uncovering aspects common to different host-pathogen interactions. By analogy of the steps in virus-host interactions with the steps in the standard zigzag model outlined in recent papers, we may regard RNA silencing as pattern-triggered immunity (PTI) against viruses, RNA silencing suppressors (RSSs) as effectors to overcome host RNA silencing and resistance gene (R-gene)-mediated defense as effector-triggered immunity (ETI) recognizing RSSs as avirulence proteins. However, because the standard zigzag model does not fully apply to some unique aspects in the interactions between a plant host and virus, we here defined a model especially designed for viruses. Although we simplified the phenomena involved in the virus-host interactions in the model, certain specific interactive steps can be explained by integrating additional host factors into the model. These host factors are thought to play an important role in maintaining the efficacy of the various steps in the main pathway of defense against viruses in this model for virus-plant interactions. For example, we propose candidates that may interact with viral RSSs to induce the resistance response

White clover mosaic virus-induced gene silencing in pea

Double-stranded RNAs formed in secondary structures and replicative intermediates of viral genomes are thought to strongly elicit RNA silencing. This phenomenon is known as virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS). VIGS is a powerful tool for modifying gene expression in host plants. We constructed a virus vector based on White clover mosaic virus (WClMV) and demonstrated VIGS of phytoene desaturase (PDS) in pea. Photobleaching of tissues, caused by VIGS of PDS, was observed in restricted areas of upper leaves and stems. We confirmed that the PDS mRNA and subgenomic RNAs of WClMV were reduced in the photobleached tissues