Tubulointerstitial Nephritis and Uveitis Syndrome Associated with Renal Tryptaseand Chymase-positive Mast Cell Infiltration

We report the clinical course and immunohistochemical analysis of a patient who presented with tubulointerstitial nephritis and uveitis syndrome (TINU syndrome). The patient, a 40-year-old woman, was referred to our hospital with general fatigue and a slight fever from another hospital. Mast cells are closely related to the development of renal interstitial fibrosis in patients with glomerulonephritis. To determine the role of mast cells in renal interstitial injury in TINU patients, we performed immunohistochemical studies on renal biopsy specimens using anti-human tryptase and anti-human chymase antibodies specific for mast cells. Double immunostaining of tryptase and chymase was also performed in renal tissues. In double immunofluorescence, cells with both chymase and tryptase (MCtc) were marked in the regions of interstitial fibrosis in this patient. It appears that mast cells are one of the constitutive cells of interstitial fibrosis in patients with TINU syndrome

A nucleoside kinase as a dual selector for genetic switches and circuits

The development of genetic switches and their integrated forms (genetic circuits) with desired specifications/functions is key for success in synthetic biology. Due to the difficulty in rational design, genetic switches and circuits with desirable specifications are mostly obtained by directed evolution. Based on a virus-derived nucleotide kinase as a single-gene dual selector, we constructed a robust, efficient and stringent selection system for genetic switches. This method exhibited unprecedented enrichment efficacy (>30 000-fold) of functional switches from non-functional ones in a single selection cycle. In addition, negative (OFF) selection was exceptionally stringent, allowing the rapid and efficient selection of non-leaky from leaky circuits

Negligible Response of Transpiration to Late-Summer Nitrogen Fertilization in Japanese Oak (Quercus crispula)

Increased atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition, caused by anthropogenic activities, has various effects on forest ecosystems. Some reports have investigated the responses in tree transpiration to N addition, but few studies have measured the short-term response of mature tree transpiration to N fertilization. This study aimed to clarify the short-term transpiration response in 27-year-old deciduous hardwood trees to an increase in N availability. We established two plot types (control and N-fertilized plots) in Quercus crispula plantation stands in Hokkaido, Northern Japan. We measured sap flow density (SFD; cm3 m−2 s−1) using a thermal dissipation method for three months during the growing season. In the N-fertilized plot, we added 50 kg N ha−1 yr−1 of ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3) to the forest floor in the middle of the measurement periods. For daily mean SFD, we did not find a significant difference between the control and the N-fertilized plots. Leaf N contents did not differ between treatments, implying a negligible difference in physiological responses and transpiration rates. The slight difference between treatments could be because the trees had already foliated before applying the N fertilizer to our deciduous hardwood trees. The present results indicate that the potential increase in N deposition during the growing season does not immediately alter tree transpiration

Negligible Response of Transpiration to Late-Summer Nitrogen Fertilization in Japanese Oak (<i>Quercus crispula</i>)

Increased atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition, caused by anthropogenic activities, has various effects on forest ecosystems. Some reports have investigated the responses in tree transpiration to N addition, but few studies have measured the short-term response of mature tree transpiration to N fertilization. This study aimed to clarify the short-term transpiration response in 27-year-old deciduous hardwood trees to an increase in N availability. We established two plot types (control and N-fertilized plots) in Quercus crispula plantation stands in Hokkaido, Northern Japan. We measured sap flow density (SFD; cm3 m−2 s−1) using a thermal dissipation method for three months during the growing season. In the N-fertilized plot, we added 50 kg N ha−1 yr−1 of ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3) to the forest floor in the middle of the measurement periods. For daily mean SFD, we did not find a significant difference between the control and the N-fertilized plots. Leaf N contents did not differ between treatments, implying a negligible difference in physiological responses and transpiration rates. The slight difference between treatments could be because the trees had already foliated before applying the N fertilizer to our deciduous hardwood trees. The present results indicate that the potential increase in N deposition during the growing season does not immediately alter tree transpiration

Tweezing the cofactor preference of gymnosperm pinene synthase

<p>The cellular activities of gymnosperms monoterpene synthases are largely compromised due to their requirement for manganese, which is deficient in microbial cells. Through site-saturation mutagenesis of the residue adjacent to metal-binding glutamate, we found that pinene synthase is highly mutable at this position yet drastically alter their metal binding preference, thereby quickly improving the cellular performance in heterologous hosts.</p