Kampo, a Traditional Japanese Medicine, for the Body, Mind, and Soul

Traditional Japanese (Kampo) medicine is widely used to treat numerous conditions. Kampo medicine includes herbal formulas, acupuncture, moxibustion, and massage. After the Great East Japan Earthquake (GEJE), Kampo medicine was used to treat the imbalances in the body, mind, and soul in severely affected areas. The effects of the Kampo medicine saikokeishikankyoto (SKK) for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have been proven in our clinical study. In this chapter, we have summarized both our reports from the Kampo medical clinics that were set up after the GEJE disaster and our findings of the clinical study on PTSD treatment in disaster survivors

A receptor-like kinase mutant with absent endodermal diffusion barrier displays selective nutrient homeostasis defects

We thank the Genomic Technologies Facility (GTF) and the Central Imaging Facility (CIF) of the University of Lausanne for expert technical support. We thank Valérie Dénervaud Tendon, Guillaume Germion, Deborah Mühlemann, and Kayo Konishi for technical assistance and John Danku and Véronique Vacchina for ICP-MS analysis. This work was funded by grants from the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), the European Research Council (ERC) to NG and a Human Frontiers Science Program (HFSP) grant to JT and NG. GL and CM were supported by the Agropolis foundation (Rhizopolis) and the Agence Nationale de la Recherche (HydroRoot; ANR-11-BSV6-018). MB was supported by a EMBO long-term postdoctoral fellowship, JEMV by a Marie Curie IEF fellowship and TK by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Sciences (JSPS).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Report on Disaster Medical Operations with Acupuncture/Massage Therapy After the Great East Japan Earthquake

The Great East Japan Earthquake inflicted immense damage over a wide area of eastern Japan with the consequent tsunami. Department of Traditional Asian Medicine, Tohoku University, started providing medical assistance to the disaster-stricken regions mainly employing traditional Asian therapies

Role of LOTR1 in nutrient transport through organization of spatial distribution of root endodermal barriers

The formation of Casparian strips and suberin lamellae at the endodermis limits the free diffusion of nutrients and harmful substances via the apoplastic space between the soil solution and the stele in roots [1–3]. Casparian strips are ring-like lignin polymers deposited in the middle of anticlinal cellwalls between endodermal cells and fill the gap between them [4–6]. Suberin lamellae are glycerolipid polymers covering the endodermal cells and likely function as a barrier to limit transmembrane movement of apoplastic solutes into the endodermal cells [7, 8].However, the current knowledge on the formation of these two distinct endodermal barriers and their regulatory role in nutrient transport is still limited. Here, we identify an uncharacterized gene,LOTR1, essential for Casparian strip formation in Arabidopsis thaliana. The lotr1 mutants display altered localization of CASP1, an essential protein for Casparian strip formation [9], disrupted Casparian strips, ectopic suberization of endodermal cells, and low accumulation of shoot calcium (Ca). Degradation by expression of a suberin-degrading enzyme in the mutants revealed that the ectopic suberization at the endodermal cells limits Ca transport through the transmembrane pathway, thereby causing reduced Ca delivery to the shoot. Moreover, analysis of the mutants showed that suberin lamellae function as an apoplastic diffusion barrier to the stele at sites of lateral root emergence where Casparian strips are disrupted. Our findings suggest that the transmembrane pathway through unsuberized endodermal cells, rather than the sites of lateral root emergence,mediates the transport of apoplastic substances such as Ca into the xylem

The MYB36 transcription factor orchestrates Casparian strip formation

The endodermis in roots acts as a selectivity filter for nutrient and water transport essential for growth and development. This selectivity is enabled by the formation of lignin-based Casparian strips. Casparian strip formation is initiated by the localization of the Casparian strip domain proteins (CASPs) in the plasma membrane, at the site where the Casparian strip will form. Localized CASPs recruit Peroxidase 64 (PER64), a Respiratory Burst Oxidase Homolog F, and Enhanced Suberin 1 (ESB1), a dirigent-like protein, to assemble the lignin polymerization machinery. However, the factors that control both expression of the genes encoding this biosynthetic machinery and its localization to the Casparian strip formation site remain unknown. Here, we identify the transcription factor, MYB36, essential for Casparian strip formation. MYB36 directly and positively regulates the expression of the Casparian strip genes CASP1, PER64, and ESB1. Casparian strips are absent in plants lacking a functional MYB36 and are replaced by ectopic lignin-like material in the corners of endodermal cells. The barrier function of Casparian strips in these plants is also disrupted. Significantly, ectopic expression of MYB36 in the cortex is sufficient to reprogram these cells to start expressing CASP1–GFP, correctly localize the CASP1–GFP protein to form a Casparian strip domain, and deposit a Casparian strip-like structure in the cell wall at this location. These results demonstrate that MYB36 is controlling expression of the machinery required to locally polymerize lignin in a fine band in the cell wall for the formation of the Casparian strip

An Arabidopsis thaliana copper-sensitive mutant suggests a role of phytosulfokine in ethylene production

To increase our understanding of the adaptation for copper (Cu) deficiency, Arabidopsis mutants with apparent alterations under Cu deficiency were identified. In this report, a novel mutant, tpst-2, was found to be more sensitive than wild-type (Col-0) plants to Cu deficiency during root elongation. The positional cloning of tpst-2 revealed that this gene encodes a tyrosylprotein sulfotransferase (TPST). Moreover, the ethylene production of tpst-2 mutant was higher than that of Col-0 under Cu deficiency, and adding the ethylene response inhibitor AgNO3 partially rescued defects in root elongation. Interestingly, peptide hormone phytosulfokine (PSK) treatment also repressed the ethylene production of tpst-2 mutant plants. Our results revealed that TPST suppressed ethylene production through the action of PSK

Establishment of an in planta magnesium monitoring system using CAX3 promoter-luciferase in Arabidopsis

The direct determination of elemental concentrations in plants is laborious. To overcome this, a novel monitoring system for magnesium (Mg) in plants was established. Mg deficiency-induced genes were identified by microarray analysis and transgenic lines that expressed luciferase (LUC) under the control of the Mg deficiency-inducible CAX3 promoter were established. The transgenic lines showed a clear response under low Mg conditions, and the degree of luminescence reflected the accumulation of endogenous CAX3 mRNA. The CAX3 expression pattern was also examined in a previously characterized low Mg-sensitive mutant, mrs2-7. In mrs2-7 mutant plants, CAX3 expression was more than three times higher than in the wild-type. In addition, CAX3 expression was negatively correlated with the shoot Mg concentration. Together, these results indicate that CAX3 transcription is a quantitative marker of the Mg status in Arabidopsis

Hot fluids, burial metamorphism and thermal histories in the underthrust sediments at IODP 370 site C0023, Nankai Accretionary Complex

This research used samples and data provided by the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP). The authors are grateful to the IODP and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan (MEXT). We thank crew, drilling team, geologists and lab technicians on D/V Chikyu and the staff of the Kochi Institute for Core Sample Research for supporting operations. This work was supported by the ECORD research grant [2017 to MYT]; and the NERC grant [NE/P015182/1 2017 to SAB]. ZW acknowledges technical support provided by Colin Taylor at the University of Aberdeen. Petromod 2017 was provided by Schlumberger. VBH and KUH acknowledge funding from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft through the Cluster of Excellence, The Ocean Floor – Earth’s Uncharted Interface“ and Project Grant HE8034/1-1 2019. This is a contribution to the Deep Carbon Observatory.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

A new method for quality control of geological cores by X-Ray computed tomography

X-ray computed tomography (XCT) can be used to identify lithologies and deformation structures within geological core, with the potential for the identification processes to be applied automatically. However, because of drilling disturbance and other artifacts, the use of large XCT-datasets in automated processes requires methods of quality control that can be applied systematically. We propose a new systematic method for quality control of XCT data that applies numerical measures to CT slices, and from this obtains data reflective of core quality. Because the measures are numerical they can be applied quickly and consistently between different sections and cores. This quality control processing protocol produces downhole radiodensity profiles from mean CT-values that can be used for geological interpretation. The application of this quality control protocols was applied to XCT data from International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expedition 370 Site C0023 located at the toe of the Nankai accretionary complex. The evaluation of core quality based on this protocol was found to be a good fit to standard-evaluations based on the visual description of core, and could be used to select samples free from drilling disturbance or contamination. The quality-controlled downhole mean CT-value profile has features that can be used to identify lithologies within a formation, the presence and type of deformation structures and to distinguish formations

A novel signaling pathway required for Arabidopsis endodermal root organization shapes the Rhizosphere microbiome

The Casparian strip (CS) constitutes a physical diffusion barrier to water and nutrients in plant roots, which is formed by the polar deposition of lignin polymer in the endodermis tissue. The precise pattern of lignin deposition is determined by the scaffolding activity of membrane-bound Casparian Strip domain proteins (CASPs), but little is known of the mechanism(s) directing this process. Here, we demonstrate that Endodermis-specific Receptor-like Kinase 1 (ERK1) and, to a lesser extent, ROP Binding Kinase1 (RBK1) are also involved in regulating CS formation, with the former playing an essential role in lignin deposition as well as in the localization of CASP1. We show that ERK1 is localized to the cytoplasm and nucleus of the endodermis and that together with the circadian clock regulator, Time for Coffee (TIC), forms part of a novel signaling pathway necessary for correct CS organization and suberization of the endodermis, with their single or combined loss of function resulting in altered root microbiome composition. In addition, we found that other mutants displaying defects in suberin deposition at the CS also display altered root exudates and microbiome composition. Thus, our work reveals a complex network of signaling factors operating within the root endodermis that establish both the CS diffusion barrier and influence the microbial composition of the rhizosphere