Ether stress-induced Alzheimer-like tau phosphorylation in the normal mouse brain

AbstractTau is reversibly hyperphosphorylated in the mouse brain by starvation or cold water swimming. Here, we report tau phosphorylation in the hippocampus of normal mouse after ether anesthesia, known to trigger typical stress reactions. Robust phosphorylation of tau was observed immediately and 10min after ether vapor exposure at Ser202/Thr205 and Thr231/Ser235, sites typically phosphorylated in Alzheimer brains. The phosphorylation levels returned to baseline by 1h. The most conspicuous and consistent change in the protein kinases studied was the inactivating phosphorylation of Ser9 of TPKI/GSK3β in close correspondence with tau phosphorylation. These findings show that tau phosphorylation is a rapid physiological process integral to stress response system, and suggest involvement therein of TPKI/GSK3β

Electron Microscopic Studies of the Differentiation of Fat Cells in Human Fetal Skin**From the Department of Dermatology, Yamaguchi University, School of Medicine, Ube, Japan.

ABSTRACT1)Electron microscopic studies of primitive fat organs showing various degrees of fat storage from human fetuses 20 to 26 weeks of age were undertaken, with special reference to the origin of fat cells and the lipid formations in them. Based on this study, three types of cells, namely an undifferentiated-type cell, a young-type fat cell and a mature-type fat cell were discerned ultrastructurally, but they are considered to be identical concerning the morphology of mitochondria, smooth endoplasmic reticula and glycogen granules.2)Concerning the origin of white fat cells, it was revealed that young-type and mature-type fat cells are not derived from reticuloendothelial cells or fibroblasts but from a certain definite type of mesenchymal cell which we have referred to as the undifferentiated-type cell.3)The finding that cytoplasmic microvesicles are more prominent in young-type fat cells than in mature-type ones might be interpreted that the young-type cells may be actively releasing lipids or free fatty acids according to Williamson's concept of these organelles. But, contrary to Williamson's postulation, the young-type fat cells seem to be accumulating lipids or free fatty acids

in situ Calcite Precipitation for Contaminant Immobilization

in situ Calcite Precipitation for Contaminant Immobilization Yoshiko Fujita ([email protected]) (Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls, Idaho, USA) Robert W. Smith (University of Idaho-Idaho Falls, Idaho Falls, Idaho, USA) Subsurface radionuclide and trace metal contaminants throughout the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) complex pose one of DOE’s greatest challenges for long-term stewardship. One promising stabilization mechanism for divalent trace ions, such as the short-lived radionuclide strontium-90, is co-precipitation in calcite. Calcite, a common mineral in the arid western U.S., can form solid solutions with trace metals. The rate of trace metal incorporation is susceptible to manipulation using either abiotic or biotic means. We have previously demonstrated that increasing the calcite precipitation rate by stimulating the activity of urea hydrolyzing microorganisms can result in significantly enhanced Sr uptake. Urea hydrolysis causes the acceleration of calcium carbonate precipitation (and trace metal co-precipitation) by increasing pH and alkalinity, and also by liberating the reactive cations from the aquifer matrix via exchange reactions involving the ammonium ion derived from urea: H2NCONH2 + 3H2O ? 2NH4+ + HCO3- + OH- urea hydrolysis >X:2Ca + 2NH4+ ? 2>X:NH4 + Ca2+ ion exchange Ca2+ + HCO3- + OH- ? CaCO3(s) + H2O calcite precipitation where >X: is a cation exchange site on the aquifer matrix. This contaminant immobilization approach has several attractive features. Urea hydrolysis is catalyzed by the urease enzyme, which is produced by many indigenous subsurface microorganisms. Addition of foreign microbes is unnecessary. In turn the involvement of the native microbes and the consequent in situ generation of reactive components in the aqueous phase (e.g., carbonate and Ca or Sr) can allow dissemination of the reaction over a larger volume and/or farther away from an amendment injection point, as compared to direct addition of the reactants at a well (which can lead to clogging). A final particularly attractive characteristic of this approach is its long-term sustainability; the remediation scheme is geared toward environments that are already saturated with respect to calcite, and in such systems the bulk of any newly precipitated calcite will remain stable once engineered manipulations cease. This means that the co-precipitated contaminants will be effectively sequestered over the long term. We are currently conducting integrated field, laboratory, and computational research to evaluate a) the relationships between urea hydrolysis rate, calcite precipitation rate, and trace metal partitioning under environmentally relevant conditions; and b) the coupling between flow/flux manipulations and calcite precipitate distribution and metal uptake. We are also assessing the application of geophysical and molecular biological tools to monitor the relevant chemical and physical processes. The primary emphasis is on field-scale processes, with the laboratory and modeling activities designed specifically to support the field studies. Field experiments are being conducted in perched water (vadose zone) at the Vadose Zone Research Park (VZRP) at the Idaho National Laboratory; the VZRP provides an uncontaminated setting that is an analog of the 90Sr-contaminated vadose zone at the Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center. A summary of results to date will be presented

Trace Metals in Groundwater and Vadose Zone Calcite: In Situ Containment and Stabilization of Stronthium-90 and Other Divalent Metals and Radionuclides at Arid Western DOE Sites: Final Report for Award Number DE-FG07-02ER63486 to the University of Idaho (RW Smith) Environmental Management Science Program Project Number 87016

Radionuclide and metal contaminants are present in the vadose zone and groundwater throughout the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) energy research and weapons complex. In situ containment and stabilization of these contaminants represents a cost-effective treatment strategy that minimizes workers’ exposure to hazardous substances, does not require removal or transport of contaminants, and generally does not generate a secondary waste stream. We have investigated an in situ bioremediation approach that immobilizes radionuclides or contaminant metals (e.g., strontium-90) by their microbially facilitated co-precipitation with calcium carbonate in groundwater and vadose zone systems. Calcite, a common mineral in many aquifers and vadose zones in the arid west, can incorporate divalent metals such as strontium, cadmium, lead, and cobalt into its crystal structure by the formation of a solid solution. Collaborative research undertaken by the Idaho National Laboratory (INL), University of Idaho, and University of Toronto as part of this Environmental Management Science Program project has focused on in situ microbially-catalyzed urea hydrolysis, which results in an increase in pH, carbonate alkalinity, ammonium, calcite precipitation, and co-precipitation of divalent cations. In calcite-saturated aquifers, microbially facilitated co-precipitation with calcium carbonate represents a potential long-term contaminant sequestration mechanism. Key results of the project include: **Demonstrating the linkage between urea hydrolysis and calcite precipitation in field and laboratory experiments **Observing strontium incorporation into calcite precipitate by urea hydrolyzers with higher distribution coefficient than in abiotic **Developing and applying molecular methods for characterizing microbial urease activity in groundwater including a quantitative PCR method for enumerating ureolytic bacteria **Applying the suite of developed molecular methods to assess the feasibility of the proposed bioremediation technique at a contaminated site located within the 100-N area of the Hanford, Washington site **Assessing the role of nitrification on the persistence of precipitated calcite by modifying primers for identification of the amoA gene region of various ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) for characterizing AOB in the fiel

Final report for DOE Grant No. DE-FG02-07ER64404 - Field Investigations of Microbially Facilitated Calcite Precipitation for Immobilization of Strontium-90 and Other Trace Metals in the Subsurface

Subsurface radionuclide and metal contaminants throughout the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) complex pose one of DOEâÃÂÃÂs greatest challenges for long-term stewardship. One promising stabilization mechanism for divalent ions, such as the short-lived radionuclide 90Sr, is co-precipitation in calcite. We have previously found that that nutrient addition can stimulate microbial ureolytic activity that this activity accelerates calcite precipitation and co-precipitation of Sr, and that higher calcite precipitation rates can result in increased Sr partitioning. We have conducted integrated field, laboratory, and computational research to evaluate the relationships between ureolysis and calcite precipitation rates and trace metal partitioning under environmentally relevant conditions, and investigated the coupling between flow/flux manipulations and precipitate distribution. A field experimental campaign conducted at the Integrated Field Research Challenge (IFRC) site located at Rifle, CO was based on a continuous recirculation design; water extracted from a down-gradient well was amended with urea and molasses (a carbon and electron donor) and re-injected into an up-gradient well. The goal of the recirculation design and simultaneous injection of urea and molasses was to uniformly accelerate the hydrolysis of urea and calcite precipitation over the entire inter-wellbore zone. The urea-molasses recirculation phase lasted, with brief interruptions for geophysical surveys, for 12 days followed by long-term monitoring which continued for 13 months. Following the recirculation phase we found persistent increases in urease activity (as determined from 14C labeled laboratory urea hydrolysis rates) in the upper portion of the inter-wellbore zone. We also observed an initial increase (approximately 2 weeks) in urea concentration associated with injection activities followed by decreasing urea concentration and associated increases in ammonium and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) following the termination of injection. Based on the loss of urea and the appearance of ammonium, a first order rate constant for urea hydrolysis of 0.18 day-1 rate with an associate Rf for ammonium of 11 were estimated. This rate constant is approximately 6 times higher than estimated for previous field experiments conducted in eastern Idaho. Additionally, DIC carbon isotope ratios were measured for the groundwater. Injected urea had a ÃÂô13C of 40.7ÃÂñ0.4 âÃÂð compared to background groundwater DIC of ÃÂô13C of -16.6ÃÂñ0.2âÃÂð. Observed decreases in groundwater DIC ÃÂô13C of up to -19.8âÃÂð followed temporal trends similar to those observed for ammonium and suggest that both the increase in ammonium and the sift in ÃÂô13C are the result of urea hydrolysis. Although direct observation of calcite precipitation was not possible because of the high pre-existing calcite content in the site sediments, an observed ÃÂô13C decrease for solid carbonates from sediment samples collect following urea injection (compared to pre-injection values) is likely the result of the incorporation of inorganic carbon derived from urea hydrolysis into newly formed solid carbonates

Quadrature conductivity: A quantitative indicator of bacterial abundance in porous media

The abundance and growth stages of bacteria in subsurface porous media affect the concentrations and distributions of charged species within the solid-solution interfaces. Therefore, spectral induced polarization (SIP) measurements can be used to monitor changes in bacterial biomass and growth stage. Our goal was to gain a better understanding of the SIP response of bacteria present in a porous material. Bacterial cell surfaces possess an electric double layer and therefore become polarized in an electric field. We performed SIP measurements over the frequency range of 0.1–1 kHz on cell suspensions alone and cell suspensions mixed with sand at four pore water conductivities. We used Zymomonas mobilis at four different cell densities (including the background). The quadrature conductivity spectra exhibited two peaks, one around 0.05–0.10 Hz and the other around 1–10 Hz. Because SIP measurements on bacterial suspensions are typically made at frequencies greater than 1 Hz, these peaks have not been previously reported. In the bacterial suspensions in growth medium, the quadrature conductivity at peak I was linearly proportional to the density of the bacteria. For the case of the suspensions mixed with sands, we observed that peak II presented a smaller increase in the quadrature conductivity with the cell density. A comparison of the experiments with and without sand grains illustrated the effect of the porous medium on the overall quadrature conductivity response (decrease in the amplitude and shift of the peaks to the lower frequencies). Our results indicate that for a given porous medium, time-lapse SIP has potential for monitoring changes in bacterial abundance within porous media

パネルシアターの歴史(1) : 創始者古宇田亮順とパネルシアター

パネルシアターは1973年に古宇田亮順が創始して40年が経ち、現場では多方面で活用されてきているが、研究の場ではまだまだ絵本や紙芝居と比べて論文や著作が少ない。ここでは、パネルシアターが誕生するまでを古宇田亮順の半生を振り返ることによりまとめた。第二次世界大戦の少し前に上野の寺で生まれ、物がない時代に育った古宇田は幼少期、工夫をして遊ぶことや紙芝居の面白さに触れる。大正大学に入学してからは、児童研究部に所属し、子どもたちの幸福のために熱心な部員とともに活動した子ども会活動の中で、人形劇等の上演を通して喜んでもらえること、その喜びを共有することを学んだ。そのためにはたゆまぬ努力と研究があった。現状だけでは満足しない古宇田は、失敗を重ねながら遂にパネルシアターを生み出した。そこには、作画の松田治仁との出会いも大きく関わっている。松田の絵を活かすために、そしてお話の構成を膨らますためにと探した結果、1972年パネルシアターに適した素材、不織布(三菱製紙MBSテック130番、180番)を見つける。その不織布をのちに「Pペーパー」と名付ける。その後、30以上の作品を製作した後、1973年に「パネルシアター」と命名して、発表する。このパネルシアターの発見には、古宇田の「人に喜んでもらいたい」「必要なものは必ず見つかるという信念」をもった生き方・考え方があったからこそ生まれたのだと確認した

Investigation of the Potential for 90Sr Immobilization in INTEC Perched Water via Microbially Facilitated Calcite Precipitation

The goal of this work is to evaluate the applicability of a biogeochemical sequestration approach for remediation of 90Sr contamination in perched water zones underlying the Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center (INTEC). The approach is based on the accelerated co-precipitation of the contaminant in calcite, where the acceleration is catalyzed by the microbial urea hydrolysis. We have previously demonstrated the potential for this remediation mechanism to immobilize strontium. Urea hydrolysis promotes calcite precipitation (and trace metal co-precipitation) by increasing groundwater pH and alkalinity. Ureolysis is catalyzed by the urease enzyme, which is produced by many environmental microorganisms. In the Snake River Plain Aquifer, which is saturated with respect to calcite, any co-precipitated 90Sr should be effectively sequestered over the long-term, even after return to pre-manipulation conditions. Another advantage of the ureolysis approach is that the NH4+ ions produced by the reaction can exchange with cations sorbed to subsurface minerals, thereby enhancing the availability of the radionuclides for re-capture via a more stable mechanism (co-precipitation rather than adsorption)

Thrombin Stimulates Synthesis of Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor, Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor and Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor by Human Proximal Tubular Epithelial Cells in Culture

Background/Aims: Colony-stimulating factors (CSFs) are well-known hematopoietic growth factors. Although recent studies revealed that CSFs are involved in many inflammatory conditions, the local production of CSFs and its regulation in the kidney is not well elucidated. Therefore, using cultured human proximal tubular epithelial cells (PTEC), we examined the effect of thrombin on CSFs production, since thrombin has been suggested to play an important role in tubulointerstitial injury. Methods: PTEC were incubated with thrombin (0.5–5.0 U/ml) and the effects on the production of macrophage CSF (M-CSF), granulocyte-macrophage CSF (GM-CSF) and granulocyte CSF (G-CSF) were measured in the cell supernatant by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and the expressions of mRNA were analyzed by quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Using argatroban, a direct thrombin inhibitor, we also examined the specific effect of thrombin. Results: Thrombin 5.0 U/ml significantly stimulated the production of M-CSF (p Conclusion: We demonstrated that thrombin significantly increased the production of CSFs by PTEC. These data suggest that the local production of CSFs in the tubulointerstitium may affect tubulointerstitial lesions in kidney injury

PGAP6, a GPI-specific phospholipase A2, has narrow substrate specificity against GPI-anchored proteins

Gun-Hee Lee, Morihisa Fujita, Hideki Nakanishi, Haruhiko Miyata, Masahito Ikawa, Yusuke Maeda, Yoshiko Murakami, Taroh Kinoshita, PGAP6, a GPI-specific phospholipase A2, has narrow substrate specificity against GPI-anchored proteins, Journal of Biological Chemistry, Volume 295, Issue 42, 2020, Pages 14501-14509, ISSN 0021-9258, https://doi.org/10.1074/jbc.RA120.014643