Recognition of a Novel Stage of Betaherpesvirus Latency in Human Herpesvirus 6

Latency-associated transcripts of human herpesvirus 6 (H6LTs) (K. Kondo et al. J. Virol. 76:4145-4151, 2002) were maximally expressed at a fairly stable intermediate stage between latency and reactivation both in vivo and in vitro. H6LTs functioned as sources of immediate-early protein 1 at this stage, which up-regulated the viral reactivation

A carlactonoic acid methyltransferase that contributes to the inhibition of shoot branching in Arabidopsis

植物の枝分かれ調節ホルモンの合成メカニズムを解明 --植物ホルモンを活性化する酵素タンパク質を発見--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2022-03-30.Strigolactones (SLs) are plant hormones that regulate shoot branching and diverse developmental processes. They are biosynthesized from carotenoid molecules via a key biosynthetic precursor called carlactone (CL) and its carboxylated analog, carlactonoic acid (CLA). We have previously identified the methyl esterified derivative of CLA, methyl carlactonoate (MeCLA), as an endogenous SL-like molecule in Arabidopsis. Neither CL nor CLA could interact with the receptor protein, Arabidopsis DWARF14 (AtD14), in vitro, while MeCLA could, suggesting that the methylation step of CLA is critical to convert a biologically inactive precursor to a bioactive compound in the shoot branching inhibition pathway. Here, we show that a member of the SABATH protein family (At4g36470) efficiently catalyzes methyl esterification of CLA using S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM) as a methyl donor. We named this enzyme CLAMT for CLA methyltransferase. The Arabidopsis loss-of-function clamt mutant accumulated CLA and had substantially reduced MeCLA content compared with wild type (WT), showing that CLAMT is the main enzyme that catalyzes CLA methylation in Arabidopsis. The clamt mutant displayed an increased branching phenotype, yet the branch number was less than that of severe SL biosynthetic mutants. Exogenously applied MeCLA, but not CLA, restored the branching phenotype of the clamt mutant. In addition, grafting experiments using the clamt and other SL biosynthetic mutants suggest that CL and CLA are transmissible from root to shoot. Taken together, our results demonstrate a significant role of CLAMT in the shoot branching inhibition pathway in Arabidopsis

Factors underlying regression of coronary atheroma with potent statin therapy

AIMS: Statins can inhibit the progression of coronary atherosclerosis. We aimed to characterize clinical factors that associate with differing measures of coronary atheroma volume following potent statin therapy. METHODS AND RESULTS: SATURN employed serial intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) to monitor changes in measures of coronary atheroma burden [total atheroma volume (TAV) and per cent atheroma volume (PAV)] in 1039 patients with coronary artery disease, treated with rosuvastatin (40 mg) or atorvastatin (80 mg) daily for 24 months. Rosuvastatin-treated patients demonstrated greater reductions in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C, 47 vs. 40%, P < 0.001) and greater increases in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C, 13 vs. 10%, P = 0.02). These alterations in the lipid profile associated with greater TAV (−6.4 vs. −4.4 mm3, P = 0.01), but not PAV (−1.22 vs. −0.99%, P = 0.17) regression. Greater TAV reductions with rosuvastatin vs. atorvastatin occurred in patients with diabetes (P = 0.01, treatment by diabetic status interaction P-value 0.05). Greater PAV reductions with rosuvastatin were evident in females (P = 0.01, treatment by sex interaction P-value 0.03) and in those with greater than or equal to median baseline LDL-C (P = 0.02, treatment by LDL-C group interaction P-value 0.03) or HDL-C levels (P = 0.02, treatment by HDL-C group interaction P-value 0.04). On multivariable analysis assessing change in TAV and PAV, both higher baseline TAV and PAV independently associated with TAV and PAV regression, respectively (standardized estimates: TAV −0.25, P < 0.001; PAV −0.23, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Higher-risk patients, particularly those with greater baseline coronary atheroma volume, are more likely to experience less disease progression with potent statin therapy.Rishi Puri, Steven E. Nissen, Christie M. Ballantyne, Phillip J. Barter, M. John Chapman, Raimund Erbel, Peter Libby, Joel S. Raichlen, Julie St. John, Kathy Wolski, Kiyoko Uno, Yu Kataoka and Stephen J. Nicholl

長崎国際大学健康管理学部健康栄養学科 健康栄養調査プロジェクト

健康栄養学科では平成14年4月第1期生を迎え、健康栄養学科生個人の健康管理、また管理栄養士を目指す学生として健康管理の重要性を認識し、さらに実践活動における管理栄養士としての技術習得とその向上を目的に、長崎国際大学の理解と協力を得て「健康栄養調査プロジェクト」を立ちあげた。測定および調査項目として食生活状況調査、24時間思い出し法による食事調査、アンケートによる健康意識調査、皮脂厚等の身体測定、血液・生化学検査を、平成14年6月26日から7月10日に実施し、滞りなく終了した。データは平成15年3月を目途に現在解析中である