Adipose Tissue Remodeling as Homeostatic Inflammation

Evidence has accumulated indicating that obesity is associated with a state of chronic, low-grade inflammation. Obese adipose tissue is characterized by dynamic changes in cellular composition and function, which may be referred to as “adipose tissue remodeling”. Among stromal cells in the adipose tissue, infiltrated macrophages play an important role in adipose tissue inflammation and systemic insulin resistance. We have demonstrated that a paracrine loop involving saturated fatty acids and tumor necrosis factor-α derived from adipocytes and macrophages, respectively, aggravates obesity-induced adipose tissue inflammation. Notably, saturated fatty acids, which are released from hypertrophied adipocytes via the macrophage-induced lipolysis, serve as a naturally occurring ligand for Toll-like receptor 4 complex, thereby activating macrophages. Such a sustained interaction between endogenous ligands derived from parenchymal cells and pathogen sensors expressed in stromal immune cells should lead to chronic inflammatory responses ranging from the basal homeostatic state to diseased tissue remodeling, which may be referred to as “homeostatic inflammation”. We, therefore, postulate that adipose tissue remodeling may represent a prototypic example of homeostatic inflammation. Understanding the molecular mechanism underlying homeostatic inflammation may lead to the identification of novel therapeutic strategies to prevent or treat obesity-related complications

Warm Absorbers in the Radiation-driven Fountain Model of Low-mass Active Galactic Nuclei

To investigate the origins of the warm absorbers in active galactic nuclei (AGNs), we study the ionization-state structure of the radiation-driven fountain model in a low-mass AGN and calculate the predicted X-ray spectra utilizing the spectral synthesis code Cloudy. The spectra show many absorption and emission line features originating in the outflowing ionized gas. The O viii 0.654 keV lines are produced mainly in the polar region much closer to the supermassive black hole than the optical narrow-line regions. The absorption measure distribution of the ionization parameter (ξ) at a low inclination spreads over 4 orders of magnitude in ξ, indicating the multiphase ionization structure of the outflow, as actually observed in many type 1 AGNs. We compare our simulated spectra with the high energy resolution spectrum of the narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 4051. The model reproduces slowly outflowing (a few hundred kilometers per second) warm absorbers. However, the faster components with a few thousand kilometers per second observed in NGC 4051 are not reproduced. The simulation also underproduces the intensity and width of the O viii 0.654 keV line. These results suggest that the ionized gas launched from subparsec or smaller regions inside the torus, which is not included in the current fountain model, must be an important ingredient of the warm absorbers with a few thousand kilometers per second. The model also consistently explains the Chandra/HETG spectrum of the Seyfert 2 galaxy Circinus

Increase in Plasma Concentrations of Geranylgeranoic Acid after Turmeric Tablet Intake by Healthy Volunteers

Geranylgeranoic acid (GGA) is one of the most potent cancer-preventive acyclic retinoids. GGA has been shown to induce cell death in human hepatoma-derived HuH-7 cells. We have recently reported the natural occurrence of GGA and its related compounds in several medicinal herbs such as turmeric, basil, rosehip, cinnamon and others [Shidoji and Ogawa, J. Lipid Res., 45: 1092–1103, 2004]. In the present study, we performed oral administration of turmeric tablets to healthy volunteers in order to investigate bioavailability of natural GGA. By using liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry, authentic GGA was eluted at a retention time of around 18 min as a negative ion of m/z 303.4. With healthy volunteers, plasma GGA was detected prior to the tablet intake and its concentrations were increased at 2 h after its intake and maintained at higher level until 4 h, suggesting an efficient bioavailability of preformed GGA in the turmeric tablets through oral administration. These results indicated that GGA in the turmeric tablet was absorbed as an intact form from intestinal mucosa. The present study provides a clue to conduct a research for cancer preventive roles of GGA in a number of spices

Selective deployment of virulence effectors correlates with host specificity in a fungal plant pathogen

なぜ病原菌は特定の作物にのみ感染するのか --植物病原菌の宿主特異性の鍵因子--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2023-03-23.Fungus has a host of issues: KyotoU discovers how toxic fungi target specific host plants. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2023-06-07.The hemibiotrophic fungal plant pathogen Colletotrichum orbiculare is predicted to secrete hundreds of effector proteins when the pathogen infects cucurbit crops, such as cucumber and melon, and tobacco (Nicotiana benthamiana), a distantly related Solanaceae species. Here, we report the identification of sets of C. orbiculare effector genes that are differentially required for fungal virulence to two phylogenetically distant host species. Through targeted gene knockout screening of C. orbiculare ‘core’ effector candidates defined based on in planta gene expression, we identified: four host-specific virulence effectors (named effector proteins for cucurbit infection, or EPCs) that are required for full virulence of C. orbiculare to cucurbit hosts, but not to the Solanaceae host N. benthamiana; and five host-nonspecific virulence effectors, which collectively contribute to fungal virulence to both hosts. During host infection, only a small subset of genes, including the host-specific EPC effector genes, showed preferential expression on one of the hosts, while gene expression profiles of the majority of other genes, including the five host-nonspecific effector genes, were common to both hosts. This work suggests that C. orbiculare adopts a host-specific effector deployment strategy, in addition to general host-blind virulence mechanisms, for adaptation to cucurbit hosts

Multi-command Tactile Brain Computer Interface: A Feasibility Study

The study presented explores the extent to which tactile stimuli delivered to the ten digits of a BCI-naive subject can serve as a platform for a brain computer interface (BCI) that could be used in an interactive application such as robotic vehicle operation. The ten fingertips are used to evoke somatosensory brain responses, thus defining a tactile brain computer interface (tBCI). Experimental results on subjects performing online (real-time) tBCI, using stimuli with a moderately fast inter-stimulus-interval (ISI), provide a validation of the tBCI prototype, while the feasibility of the concept is illuminated through information-transfer rates obtained through the case study.Comment: Haptic and Audio Interaction Design 2013, Daejeon, Korea, April 18-19, 2013, 15 pages, 4 figures, The final publication will be available at link.springer.co

Polished rice as natural sources of cancer-preventing geranylgeranoic acid

Geranylgeranoic acid, a 20-carbon polyprenoic acid (all-trans 3,7,11,15-tetramethyl-2,4,6,10,14-hexadecatetraenoic acid) and its derivatives were previously developed as synthetic “acyclic retinoids” for cancer chemoprevention. Recently, we demonstrated the natural occurrence of geranylgeranoic acid in various medicinal herbs (Shidoji and Ogawa, 2004). In this present study, we present several lines of evidence to demonstrate that geranylgeranyl diphosphate taken in foods could be metabolized to GGA through geranylgeraniol and geranylgeranyl aldehyde via the following steps: 1) The conversion from geranylgeranyl diphosphate to geranylgeraniol was demonstrated to occur by the action of bovine intestinal alkaline phosphatase, with a Km of 46.1 µM. 2) Geranylgeraniol oxidase-mediated conversion of geranylgeraniol to geranylgeranyl aldehyde was revealed in rat liver homogenates, which activity was mainly localized in the mitochondrial fraction. The mitochondrial enzyme showed a Km of 92.9 µM. 3) The conversion of geranylgeranyl aldehyde to geranylgeranoic acid by geranylgeranyl aldehyde dehydrogenase in rat liver homogenates was absolutely dependent on exogenously added NAD+ or NADP+. The Km of the mitochondrial geranylgeranyl aldehyde dehydrogenase was 27.5 µM for geranylgeranyl aldehyde. Taken together, our data suggest that cancer preventive geranylgeranoic acid could be a physiological metabolite from commonly consumed foods

Ion temperature and velocity variations in the D- and E-region polar ionosphere during stratospheric sudden warming

The Tenth Symposium on Polar Science/Ordinary sessions: [OS] Space and upper atmospheric sciences, Wed. 4 Dec. /Entrance Hall (1st floor) at National Institute of Polar Research (NIPR