Blood Pressure-Independent Factors Determine the Susceptibility to Delayed Neuronal Death in the Stroke-Prone Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats.

The stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHRSP) is vulnerable to delayed neuronal death (DND) in the CA1 subfield of the hippocampus after the transient forebrain ischemia by the occlusion of the bilateral carotid arteries. The present study was designed to show that the genetic factors independent of high blood pressure contributed to the high incidence of DND in SHRSP. Male rats of the four strains, SHRSP/Izm, SHRSP/Ngsk, SHR/Izm and a congenic strain for the blood pressure quantitative trait locus on chromosome 1 [SHRSP.WKY-(D1Wox29-D1Arb21)/Izm]were used in the experiments. At 13 weeks of age, the bilateral carotid arteries of rats were occluded for 10 min under anesthesia with their body temperature kept at 37 degrees C. Seven days after the transient ischemia, the loss of the pyramidal cells in the CA1 was evaluated histologically. In some experiments, the blood flow was monitored with a laser Doppler flowmeter during the transient ischemia. The blood pressure in SHRSP/Izm was significantly greater than that in the other three strains. The incidence of DND, however, was not significantly different among SHRSP/Izm, SHRSP/Ngsk and the congenic strain (82, 74 and 65%, respectively), while SHR/Izm showed a significantly lower incidence (20%). Neither a significant correlation between the incidence of DND and the blood flow reduction during the occlusion, nor a significant inter-strain difference in the blood flow reduction was observed. The genetic factors independent of high blood pressure may contribute to the greater susceptibility to DND in SHRSP

Precocious Metamorphosis in the Juvenile Hormone–Deficient Mutant of the Silkworm, Bombyx mori

Insect molting and metamorphosis are intricately governed by two hormones, ecdysteroids and juvenile hormones (JHs). JHs prevent precocious metamorphosis and allow the larva to undergo multiple rounds of molting until it attains the proper size for metamorphosis. In the silkworm, Bombyx mori, several “moltinism” mutations have been identified that exhibit variations in the number of larval molts; however, none of them have been characterized molecularly. Here we report the identification and characterization of the gene responsible for the dimolting (mod) mutant that undergoes precocious metamorphosis with fewer larval–larval molts. We show that the mod mutation results in complete loss of JHs in the larval hemolymph and that the mutant phenotype can be rescued by topical application of a JH analog. We performed positional cloning of mod and found a null mutation in the cytochrome P450 gene CYP15C1 in the mod allele. We also demonstrated that CYP15C1 is specifically expressed in the corpus allatum, an endocrine organ that synthesizes and secretes JHs. Furthermore, a biochemical experiment showed that CYP15C1 epoxidizes farnesoic acid to JH acid in a highly stereospecific manner. Precocious metamorphosis of mod larvae was rescued when the wild-type allele of CYP15C1 was expressed in transgenic mod larvae using the GAL4/UAS system. Our data therefore reveal that CYP15C1 is the gene responsible for the mod mutation and is essential for JH biosynthesis. Remarkably, precocious larval–pupal transition in mod larvae does not occur in the first or second instar, suggesting that authentic epoxidized JHs are not essential in very young larvae of B. mori. Our identification of a JH–deficient mutant in this model insect will lead to a greater understanding of the molecular basis of the hormonal control of development and metamorphosis

デザイン・アートを活用した障害者の雇用と生きがいを創生するモノ・コト（仕組み）づくり支援

　障害者自立支援法の策定により、障害者施設は、事業収益の拡大や販路開拓が求められ、その対策として、下請け作業やサービス事業、自主製品の製造販売等の活動を行っている。中でも自主製品の製造販売は、障害者の生きがいにはなるが、市場で販売されている商品に比べ、デザインや質、生産・販売体制など、劣っていると言わざるを得ない。　本報告では、デザイン・アートを専門分野とする教員がコーディネーターとなり、障害者施設に対して、今後の社会に求められる価値あるモノ・コト（仕組み）づくりを支援し、障害者の生きがいと雇用を創生する新たな産業構造のモデルとなる事例を示す。The Services and Supports for Persons with Disabilities Act calls for increased business revenue and market development at facilities to support people with disabilities, the scope for which includes subcontracted work and services, and the manufacture and sale of original products. The manufacture and sale of such products serves as a powerful motivator for people with disabilities, but we cannot deny that the design and quality of these products,as well as the structures in place to market and sell them, fall short when compared to products for sale on the [commercial] markets. This report outlines how teachers specializing in art and design will act as coordinators to support such facilities in developing products and processes to be valued by society going forward, while citing examples of new models to improve the structure of manufacturing processes, which are to be instrumental in driving the motivation of and creating employment for people with disabilities

交通事故軽減のための汎用性と経済的頒布性に優れた蛍光反射材用品の開発

　現在、交通事故死者数に占める高齢者の数は、依然として高い水準で推移している。これに対して官公庁関係は、交通事故軽減のため市民に対して蛍光反射材を使用した安全啓発用品を配布している。しかし、市民の間では必要性の意識が低い、効果が周知されずデザインが服装に合わない等の理由から着用率が低く、啓発活動に至っていない現状がある。　本研究では、大学がコーディネーター役となり、産官学民がそれぞれの役割のもと着用率向上を目指すことを目的とし、本学は日常生活に密着した反射材を活用したデザイン提案を行い、16 点のサンプル制作を行った。そしてそれらの視認性を照射実験にて検証し、交通安全フェアや様々な展示会で市民を対象にアンケート調査を行った。結果、色は白色、アイテムは帽子やバック類、反射球などの立体形で反射材の面積が広いものほど、視認性が高いことが明らかになった。Currently, the number of the elderly citizens in traffic fatalities has moved at a high level. To reduce the number of traffic accident, the Civil Service distributes the reflective material goods to the citizens and advises to wear them to enlighten their conscious of traffic safety. However, due to their low consciousness of necessity, the effect has been unknown, or because the goods are not fashionable enough, the wearing rate of the reflective material goods is still so low that more educational activity is required. In this research, KOBE Design University has coordinated so called “industry-academia-government collaboration” with some business companies and Hyogo Prefectural Police. We worked together from each point of view to increase the wearing rate. KOBE Design University has proposed some designs of the reflective material goods which are close to and easy to wear for daily use and made16 kinds of sample goods. The visibility of the goods was tested under an irradiation experiment. Also we promoted the goods to the citizens at some traffic safety fairs and exhibitions and held a questionnaire survey. As a result, we found out that stereoscopic items with color of white with wide area such as hats and bags are the most visible goods

日本・中国のファッションデザイン学術交流にみるユニバーサルファッションの意義と役割に関する調査研究

　現在、世界で高齢化が進む中、中華人民共和国（以下、中国と称す。）は、2010 年に65 歳以上の高齢人口が1 億人を超える世界で唯一の国となった。さらに、短期間で高齢社会に突入する中、その対応策が急務となる。本研究の目的は、中国のファッションデザイン教育において、高齢社会に対応するデザイン手法が確立されていない現状に対し、「ユニバーサルファッション－国籍や年齢、障害の有無に関わらず、誰もが快適な衣生活を送るデザイン手法」を、教育カリキュラムとして普及し確立することにある。2016 年から本学ファッションデザイン学科と中国上海視覚芸術学院ファッションデザイン学部間で学術交流が始まった。そして2017 年、本学は、第12 回アート＆デザイン教育国際サミットフォーラム、第3 回上海中高齢時尚服飾国際会議、高齢社会に向けてのファッションショーへ参画した。高齢社会は国境を超えての世界的な課題であり、ファッションデザイン分野で解決し推進していくことが重要であると共有認識された。2017 年11 月、両大学の学長面談が行われ、今後の教育・研究・活動に関しての協力体制が約束された。両大学間の取り組みは、始まったばかりではあるが、ファッションデザイン学術交流を深めながら、ユニバーサルファッションの意義と役割を見い出していきたい。The People\u27s Republic of China (hereinafter referred to as China) has become the only country in the world with a 65 and older population in excess of 100 million in 2010. As we enter into a aged/aging society within a relatively short period of time, it is important that efforts be made to deal with the effects. Against China\u27s fashion design education, The objective of this study is to spread and establish a curriculum based on the concept of “Universal Fashion: a design method focused on designing comfortable clothing for everyone, regardless of nationality, age, or ability". Academic exchanges began between the Fashion Design Department of our university and the Shanghai Institute of Visual Arts, School of Fashion Design in 2016. Aging Societies are a global issue which extends beyond national borders; the importance of resolving/ promoting efforts to accommodate these social changes within the fashion design field was collectively acknowledged. Joint university efforts have just begun, but we would like to research the significance and role of universal fashion, while continuing to deepen fashion design academic exchange

The whole blood transcriptional regulation landscape in 465 COVID-19 infected samples from Japan COVID-19 Task Force

「コロナ制圧タスクフォース」COVID-19患者由来の血液細胞における遺伝子発現の網羅的解析 --重症度に応じた遺伝子発現の変化には、ヒトゲノム配列の個人差が影響する--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2022-08-23.Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a recently-emerged infectious disease that has caused millions of deaths, where comprehensive understanding of disease mechanisms is still unestablished. In particular, studies of gene expression dynamics and regulation landscape in COVID-19 infected individuals are limited. Here, we report on a thorough analysis of whole blood RNA-seq data from 465 genotyped samples from the Japan COVID-19 Task Force, including 359 severe and 106 non-severe COVID-19 cases. We discover 1169 putative causal expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) including 34 possible colocalizations with biobank fine-mapping results of hematopoietic traits in a Japanese population, 1549 putative causal splice QTLs (sQTLs; e.g. two independent sQTLs at TOR1AIP1), as well as biologically interpretable trans-eQTL examples (e.g., REST and STING1), all fine-mapped at single variant resolution. We perform differential gene expression analysis to elucidate 198 genes with increased expression in severe COVID-19 cases and enriched for innate immune-related functions. Finally, we evaluate the limited but non-zero effect of COVID-19 phenotype on eQTL discovery, and highlight the presence of COVID-19 severity-interaction eQTLs (ieQTLs; e.g., CLEC4C and MYBL2). Our study provides a comprehensive catalog of whole blood regulatory variants in Japanese, as well as a reference for transcriptional landscapes in response to COVID-19 infection

DOCK2 is involved in the host genetics and biology of severe COVID-19

「コロナ制圧タスクフォース」COVID-19疾患感受性遺伝子DOCK2の重症化機序を解明 --アジア最大のバイオレポジトリーでCOVID-19の治療標的を発見--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2022-08-10.Identifying the host genetic factors underlying severe COVID-19 is an emerging challenge. Here we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) involving 2, 393 cases of COVID-19 in a cohort of Japanese individuals collected during the initial waves of the pandemic, with 3, 289 unaffected controls. We identified a variant on chromosome 5 at 5q35 (rs60200309-A), close to the dedicator of cytokinesis 2 gene (DOCK2), which was associated with severe COVID-19 in patients less than 65 years of age. This risk allele was prevalent in East Asian individuals but rare in Europeans, highlighting the value of genome-wide association studies in non-European populations. RNA-sequencing analysis of 473 bulk peripheral blood samples identified decreased expression of DOCK2 associated with the risk allele in these younger patients. DOCK2 expression was suppressed in patients with severe cases of COVID-19. Single-cell RNA-sequencing analysis (n = 61 individuals) identified cell-type-specific downregulation of DOCK2 and a COVID-19-specific decreasing effect of the risk allele on DOCK2 expression in non-classical monocytes. Immunohistochemistry of lung specimens from patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia showed suppressed DOCK2 expression. Moreover, inhibition of DOCK2 function with CPYPP increased the severity of pneumonia in a Syrian hamster model of SARS-CoV-2 infection, characterized by weight loss, lung oedema, enhanced viral loads, impaired macrophage recruitment and dysregulated type I interferon responses. We conclude that DOCK2 has an important role in the host immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection and the development of severe COVID-19, and could be further explored as a potential biomarker and/or therapeutic target