siRNA-dependent and -independent post-transcriptional cosuppression of the LTR-retrotransposon MAGGY in the phytopathogenic fungus Magnaporthe oryzae

The LTR-retrotransposon MAGGY was introduced into naive genomes of Magnaporthe oryzae with different genetic backgrounds (wild-type, and MoDcl1 [mdl1] and MoDcl2 [mdl2] dicer mutants). The MoDcl2 mutants deficient in MAGGY siRNA biogenesis generally showed greater MAGGY mRNA accumulation and more rapid increase in MAGGY copy number than did the wild-type and MoDcl1 mutants exhibiting normal MAGGY siRNA accumulation, indicating that RNA silencing functioned as an effective defense against the invading element. Interestingly, however, regardless of genetic background, the rate of MAGGY transposition drastically decreased as its copy number in the genome increased. Notably, in the MoDcl2 mutant, copy-number-dependent MAGGY suppression occurred without a reduction in its mRNA accumulation, and therefore by a silencing mechanism distinct from both transcriptional gene silencing and siRNA-mediated RNA silencing. This might imply that some mechanism possibly similar to post-transcriptional cosuppression of Ty1 retrotransposition in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which operates regardless of the abundance of target transcript and independent of RNA silencing, would also function in M. oryzae that possesses the RNA silencing machinery

The complete genome sequence of Pantoea ananatis AJ13355, an organism with great biotechnological potential

Pantoea ananatis AJ13355 is a newly identified member of the Enterobacteriaceae family with promising biotechnological applications. This bacterium is able to grow at an acidic pH and is resistant to saturating concentrations of L-glutamic acid, making this organism a suitable host for the production of L-glutamate. In the current study, the complete genomic sequence of P. ananatis AJ13355 was determined. The genome was found to consist of a single circular chromosome consisting of 4,555,536 bp [DDBJ: AP012032] and a circular plasmid, pEA320, of 321,744 bp [DDBJ: AP012033]. After automated annotation, 4,071 protein-coding sequences were identified in the P. ananatis AJ13355 genome. For 4,025 of these genes, functions were assigned based on homologies to known proteins. A high level of nucleotide sequence identity (99%) was revealed between the genome of P. ananatis AJ13355 and the previously published genome of P. ananatis LMG 20103. Short colinear regions, which are identical to DNA sequences in the Escherichia coli MG1655 chromosome, were found to be widely dispersed along the P. ananatis AJ13355 genome. Conjugal gene transfer from E. coli to P. ananatis, mediated by homologous recombination between short identical sequences, was also experimentally demonstrated. The determination of the genome sequence has paved the way for the directed metabolic engineering of P. ananatis to produce biotechnologically relevant compounds

日本睡眠歯科学会口腔内装置診療ガイドライン作成委員会の活動報告

Oral appliance therapy was approved by national health insurance in Japan in 2004 and oral appliances（OAs）have since been widely used in the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea（OSA）. We herein described the process of making clinical practice guidelines by the task force of the Japanese Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine as a work report. In Japan, OAs are covered by national health insurance. In consideration of the balance between medical treatment fees and the price of technical materials, we used a single-piece（monoblock）OA that advanced the mandible forward and limited mouth opening in OSA patients in Japan. The Japanese Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine（JADSM）focused on OAs frequently used for the treatment of OSA in Japan, and considered an evaluation of their effects to benecessary. Clinical practice guidelines were developed using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation（GRADE）system. We recommend OAs that advanced the mandible forward and limited mouth opening for patients with OSA.However, CPAP should be used by patients for whom it has been indicated. OAs are desirable for those who cannot use CPAP（GRADE 1B, strong recommendation/quality of evidence, “Moderate quality”）. The long-term effects and side effects, OSA severity, and comorbidities of OA therapy were not examined, which represented a limitation to the present study. In future studies, the Japanese Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine plan to update clinical practice guidelines for oral appliances used in OSA

Transcriptional Control and Protein Specialization Have Roles in the Functional Diversification of Two Dicer-Like Proteins in Magnaporthe oryzae

Quantitative RT–PCR and overexpression studies of two Dicer-like proteins, MoDcl1 and MoDcl2, in Magnaporthe oryzae indicated that the functional diversification of the MoDcl1 and MoDcl2 proteins in RNA-mediated gene silencing pathways was likely to have arisen from both transcriptional control and protein specialization

Additional file 2: of Exogenous proteinogenic amino acids induce systemic resistance in rice

Concentrations of amino acids in rice leaves. (PDF 187 kb