Expression and functional analysis of the barley Nud gene using transgenic rice

Most cereal crops have hulless grains (naked caryopses) with a free-threshing trait, whereas the majority of barley cultivars show hulled (covered) caryopses. The naked caryopsis in barley is genetically controlled by a single locus, nod. The Nud gene (the covered caryopsis allele) encodes an ethylene response factor (ERF) family transcription factor that regulates a lipid biosynthetic pathway. For functional analysis of the barley Nud gene, we produced transgenic rice expressing Nod in the developing caryopses. All transgenic lines had caryopses that were easily dehulled at maturity, indicating that the naked caryopsis phenotype remained in spite of expression of the Nod transgene. Histochemical and lipid analyses of the transgenic rice caryopses did not show increased lipid accumulation on the surface of developing caryopses, suggesting that the Nud-mediated lipid pathway may not function in rice caryopses. The predicted rice ortholog of Nod, Os06ERF was expressed specifically in the developing caryopses. However, expression of Os06ERF ceased at an earlier developmental stage than that of the native Nod gene in barley caryopses, which was also the case for expression of the Nod transgene. This raises the alternative hypothesis that the timing of Nod expression may be critical for activating the pathway for hull-caryopsis adhesion

3-D structure of extracellular matrix regulates gene expression in cultured hepatic stellate cells to induce process elongation

HSCs showed myofibroblast-like shapes when cultured on polystyrene surface or on type I collagen-coated surface, whereas HSCs cultured on type I collagen gel were induced to elongate cellular processes, suggesting that HSCs recognize 3-D structure of extracellular type I collagen fibrils and change their morphology and function. In this study we examined the differentially regulated gene expression by extracellular matrix (ECM) components by PCR-differential display (PCR-DD) analysis followed by cloning and FASTA homology search, and identified the mRNA species as a transcription factor SP1, breast cancer resistant protein (BCRP), dystonin, and KAP3B. Regulation of dystonin and KAP3B expression was confirmed by RT-PCR analysis. Thus, cell surface-binding to extracellular interstitial collagen may trigger intracellular signaling and alteration in gene expression, and HSCs not only produce various ECM components but also change their morphology and gene expression in response to ECM components adhering to the cells

Chromosomal Location of HCA1 and HCA2, Hybrid Chlorosis Genes in Rice

Many postzygotic reproductive barrier forms have been reported in plants: hybrid weakness, hybrid necrosis, and hybrid chlorosis. In this study, linkage analysis of the genes causing hybrid chlorosis in F2 generation in rice, HCA1 and HCA2, was performed. HCA1 and HCA2 are located respectively on the distal regions of the short arms of chromosomes 12 and 11. These regions are known to be highly conserved as a duplicated chromosomal segment. The molecular mechanism causing F2 chlorosis deduced from the location of the two genes was discussed. The possibility of the introgression of the chromosomal segments encompassing HCA1 and/or HCA2 was also discussed from the viewpoint of Indica-Japonica differentiation

キョウカ ナイヨウガク カラ ミタ キョウショク ダイガクイン ノ キョウカ ニ カンスル カリキュラム コウチク ニ タイスル イチコウサツ

Various approaches are done about the subject contents in the teacher training pointed out by the conference of the expert for the national teacher training system university faculty in the future(2001). However, as a lot of parts were performed by trial and error at advanced universities, we must inspect the results again. In addition, a so−called teaching job graduate school making is promoted, and moreover, we just face question how there should be the subject contents for teacher trainings. It may be said that the way of thinking for this problem has a big influence on the way of the future teacher training. Only the study of subject education contents studies can answer this question while we cannot show a clear answer in the　question “where the specialty for teacher trainings is different from the specialty of the departments of literature and science” in. Moreover, it seems that it give us answers for the location of the subject contents in the teaching job graduate school curriculum. Therefore, while speaking a personal opinion about the purpose of school subject content education studies and the prospective results of the research, I consider subject contents found in the teaching job graduate school curriculum in the future

生物学の立場から提案する「遺伝」をテーマとする授業内容の一例と教員養成の課題

Before biological teachers have the science lesson of biological field, they should have understood biology well. In this report, class lesson for the field of heredity was considered. In junior high school science, Mendelian inheritance is taken up as a heredity style. Most of the class lessons are carried out as follows. There are dominant genes and recessive genes on the homologous chromosomes, and, by separation and the combination of chromosomes, a character is inherited. By this explanation, it is sure that students can understand the inheritance style well. However, a gene has not discovered yet when Mendel investigated. Mendel assumed hereditary factors and has been able to discover Mendelian law. Therefore, the class lesson to learn Mendelian inheritance with reliving an experiment of Mendel, was considered. Introduction of such a background in class lesson, seems to let students have big interest. Also, they can understand the approach of the study of the genetics and scientific fun. They can understand not only the content of the textbook but also scientific thinking and biological base in this lesson. Also, other subjects seem to be able to review similarly. In the teacher training university and college, it is important to reconstruct subject contents in the curriculum from study of the base

談話の展開の2つの型

Observing the course of text from the viewpoint of text-as-process, I found the general repeated pattern that the following clause accumulates and condenses the information presented in the preceding clause. Specifically, when one nominal in the preceding clause is referred to by another nominal of the identical form in the following clause , the second nominal not merely repeats the same content of the first nominal, but presupposes and includes the whole of the information in the first clause. To this general developing pattern of text I assigned a formula, which then I further divided into two formulae that correspond to two major types of text, that is, predicative text and directive text. Each of these formulae was explained in detail with sample texts

Intercellular Adhesive Structures Between Stellate Cells – An Analysis in Cultured Human Hepatic Stellate Cells

To investigate whether or not hepatic stellate cells can form intercellular junctions with each other, we cultured human stellate cells (LI90) on different kinds of substrata. Intercellular junctions were detected between these cultured stellate cells by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The molecular components of the intercellular adhesive structures were identified by immunofluorescence microscopy. Immunofluorescence for cadherin and catenins was detected at the adhesion sites between the cultured stellate cells. Thus, the intercellular junctions were indicated to be adherens junctions at the molecular level. The junctions developed in the cultured stellate cells irrespective of the type of substratum. These data suggest that the junctional formation between the stellate cells occurs in vivo as well as in vitro