SR-PSOX/CXCL16 plays a critical role in the progression of colonic inflammation.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is initiated and perpetuated by a dysregulated immune response to unknown environmental antigens such as luminal bacteria in genetically susceptible hosts. SR-PSOX/CXCL16, a scavenger receptor that binds phosphatidylserine and oxidised lipoprotein, has both phagocytic activity and chemotactic properties. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of SR-PSOX/CXCL16 in patients with IBD and experimental murine colitis

Dynamic movement of the Golgi unit and its glycosylation enzyme zones

Harada A., Kunii M., Kurokawa K., et al. Dynamic movement of the Golgi unit and its glycosylation enzyme zones. Nature Communications 15, 4514 (2024); https://doi.org/10.1038/S41467-024-48901-1.Knowledge on the distribution and dynamics of glycosylation enzymes in the Golgi is essential for better understanding this modification. Here, using a combination of CRISPR/Cas9 knockin technology and super-resolution microscopy, we show that the Golgi complex is assembled by a number of small ‘Golgi units’ that have 1-3 μm in diameter. Each Golgi unit contains small domains of glycosylation enzymes which we call ‘zones’. The zones of N- and O-glycosylation enzymes are colocalised. However, they are less colocalised with the zones of a glycosaminoglycan synthesizing enzyme. Golgi units change shapes dynamically and the zones of glycosylation enzymes rapidly move near the rim of the unit. Photobleaching analysis indicates that a glycosaminoglycan synthesizing enzyme moves between units. Depletion of giantin dissociates units and prevents the movement of glycosaminoglycan synthesizing enzymes, which leads to insufficient glycosaminoglycan synthesis. Thus, we show the structure-function relationship of the Golgi and its implications in human pathogenesis

Search for gravitational-lensing signatures in the full third observing run of the LIGO-Virgo network

Gravitational lensing by massive objects along the line of sight to the source causes distortions of gravitational wave-signals; such distortions may reveal information about fundamental physics, cosmology and astrophysics. In this work, we have extended the search for lensing signatures to all binary black hole events from the third observing run of the LIGO--Virgo network. We search for repeated signals from strong lensing by 1) performing targeted searches for subthreshold signals, 2) calculating the degree of overlap amongst the intrinsic parameters and sky location of pairs of signals, 3) comparing the similarities of the spectrograms amongst pairs of signals, and 4) performing dual-signal Bayesian analysis that takes into account selection effects and astrophysical knowledge. We also search for distortions to the gravitational waveform caused by 1) frequency-independent phase shifts in strongly lensed images, and 2) frequency-dependent modulation of the amplitude and phase due to point masses. None of these searches yields significant evidence for lensing. Finally, we use the non-detection of gravitational-wave lensing to constrain the lensing rate based on the latest merger-rate estimates and the fraction of dark matter composed of compact objects

Search for eccentric black hole coalescences during the third observing run of LIGO and Virgo

Despite the growing number of confident binary black hole coalescences observed through gravitational waves so far, the astrophysical origin of these binaries remains uncertain. Orbital eccentricity is one of the clearest tracers of binary formation channels. Identifying binary eccentricity, however, remains challenging due to the limited availability of gravitational waveforms that include effects of eccentricity. Here, we present observational results for a waveform-independent search sensitive to eccentric black hole coalescences, covering the third observing run (O3) of the LIGO and Virgo detectors. We identified no new high-significance candidates beyond those that were already identified with searches focusing on quasi-circular binaries. We determine the sensitivity of our search to high-mass (total mass M>70 M⊙) binaries covering eccentricities up to 0.3 at 15 Hz orbital frequency, and use this to compare model predictions to search results. Assuming all detections are indeed quasi-circular, for our fiducial population model, we place an upper limit for the merger rate density of high-mass binaries with eccentricities 0<e≤0.3 at 0.33 Gpc−3 yr−1 at 90\% confidence level

Ultralight vector dark matter search using data from the KAGRA O3GK run

Among the various candidates for dark matter (DM), ultralight vector DM can be probed by laser interferometric gravitational wave detectors through the measurement of oscillating length changes in the arm cavities. In this context, KAGRA has a unique feature due to differing compositions of its mirrors, enhancing the signal of vector DM in the length change in the auxiliary channels. Here we present the result of a search for U(1)B−L gauge boson DM using the KAGRA data from auxiliary length channels during the first joint observation run together with GEO600. By applying our search pipeline, which takes into account the stochastic nature of ultralight DM, upper bounds on the coupling strength between the U(1)B−L gauge boson and ordinary matter are obtained for a range of DM masses. While our constraints are less stringent than those derived from previous experiments, this study demonstrates the applicability of our method to the lower-mass vector DM search, which is made difficult in this measurement by the short observation time compared to the auto-correlation time scale of DM

<S3-1> Carbon allocation of tropical rainforest in Lambir, Borneo

This proceeding is a compilation of findings and progress activities of research collaboration between the Forest Department Sarawak (FDS) and the Japan Research Consortium for Tropical Forests in Sarawak (JRCTS). To highlight the research findings, An International Symposium entitled "Frontier in Tropical Forest Research: Progress in Joint Projects between the Forest Department Sarawak and the Japan Research Consortium for Tropical Forests in Sarawak" was ii held in Kuching, Sarawak on 21-22 September 2015.It is important to understand the characteristics of carbon cycling in tropical rainforests in order to quantify global carbon cycling. Knowledge about carbon allocation, that is, how much of the carbon assimilated by photosynthesis is allocated to aboveground and belowground tissues, and how much is used for biomass production and respiration on an annual time scale and on an ecosystem scale, can improve our ability to predict the effects of global climate changes on carbon dynamics. Recently, studies on carbon allocation in the Neotropics have been increasing, while there are few such studies in Asian tropical rainforests. There are important biotic and abiotic differences between the tropical rainforests in Borneo and Neotropical rainforests, such as higher stand density of large trees, larger biomass, and absence of distinct dry seasons in the rainforests in Borneo. These factors may cause differences in the carbon allocation patterns between Borneo and the Neotropics. The goal of this study is to clarify characteristics of carbon allocation in Lambir Hills National Park, which is covered with typical Bornean mature tropical rainforests. We estimated above-ground net primary production (ANPP), woody tissue respiration (Rwood), foliage respiration (Rfoliage), total below-ground carbon flux (TBCF) and gross primary production (GPP) in the Lambir Hills tropical rainforest, and compared the values with those from Neotropical tropical rainforests. We found that the aboveground biomass (AGB) in the Lambir Hills tropical rainforest was approximately twice higher than that in Neotropical rainforests. ANPP, Rwood and Rfoliage were comparable despite the higher biomass. The comparable Rwood despite higher aboveground biomass was partly caused by higher stand density of large trees in the Lambir Hills tropical rainforest. TBCF in the Lambir Hills tropical rainforest was much higher than those of Neotropical forests. This was unexpected, since the higher water availability in the Bornean tropical rainforest would suggest less fine root competition for water, giving higher ANPP and lower TBCF. Low nutrient availability may explain the comparable ANPP and higher TBCF. Our results suggested that large trees and belowground resources considerably affected carbon cycling