Functional conversion of fatty acyl-CoA synthetase to firefly luciferase by site-directed mutagenesis: A key substitution responsible for luminescence activity

AbstractWe demonstrated that firefly luciferase has a catalytic function of fatty acyl-CoA synthesis [Oba, Y., Ojika, M. and Inouye, S. (2003) Firefly luciferase is a bifunctional enzyme: ATP-dependent monooxygenase and a long chain fatty acyl-CoA synthetase. FEBS Lett. 540, 251–254] and proposed that the evolutionary origin of beetle luciferase is a fatty acyl-CoA synthetase (FACS) in insect. In this study, we performed the functional conversion of FACS to luciferase by replacing a single amino acid to serine. This serine residue is conserved in luciferases and possibly interacts with luciferin. The mutants of FACSs in non-luminous click beetle Agrypnus binodulus (AbLL) and Drosophila melanogaster (CG6178) gave luminescence enhancement, suggesting that the serine residue is a key substitution responsible for luminescence activity

Control design for a pneumatic isolation table including different time delays dependent on control input polarity

ArticleIFAC-PapersOnLine. 50(1): 6029-6034. (2017)journal articl

Study on the Teaching Strategy of an Elementary School and Improving the Program for Training Students to be Teachers of University (2) :In the Case of Social Studies, Music, Physical Education and Information Ethics Education

　本研究は，教科内容構成の考え方に基づいて小学校の授業づくりのあり方を検討するとともに，それをふまえることで大学の教員養成プログラムの授業が具体的にどのように改善されるかを明らかにしようとしたものである。教科内容構成とは，教員養成において従来から課題とされてきた教科の内容に関わる知識・技能と教科の指導法に関わる知識・技能の分離という問題を克服するために提案されたものである。教科内容構成は，教科の内容と指導法に関わる知識・技能を統合し，それらを応用して，教師が自ら「どのような内容をどのように教えるべきか」を考え，授業づくりに取り組むことができるようになるための考え方を示すものであり，本研究では教員養成プログラムにおける具体的な授業プランを提示してそれを明らかにしていく。本稿では，特に，小学校の社会科，音楽科，体育科，情報モラル教育を事例として論じていくことにしたい

Human artificial chromosome with a conditional centromere for gene delivery and gene expression.

Human artificial chromosomes (HACs), which carry a fully functional centromere and are maintained as a single-copy episome, are not associated with random mutagenesis and offer greater control over expression of ectopic genes on the HAC. Recently, we generated a HAC with a conditional centromere, which includes the tetracycline operator (tet-O) sequence embedded in the alphoid DNA array. This conditional centromere can be inactivated, loss of the alphoid(tet-O) (tet-O HAC) by expression of tet-repressor fusion proteins. In this report, we describe adaptation of the tet-O HAC vector for gene delivery and gene expression in human cells. A loxP cassette was inserted into the tet-O HAC by homologous recombination in chicken DT40 cells following a microcell-mediated chromosome transfer (MMCT). The tet-O HAC with the loxP cassette was then transferred into Chinese hamster ovary cells, and EGFP transgene was efficiently and accurately incorporated into the tet-O HAC vector. The EGFP transgene was stably expressed in human cells after transfer via MMCT. Because the transgenes inserted on the tet-O HAC can be eliminated from cells by HAC loss due to centromere inactivation, this HAC vector system provides important novel features and has potential applications for gene expression studies and gene therapy

Early effects of oral administration of lafutidine with mosapride compared with lafutidine alone on intragastric pH values

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The ideal medication for treatment of acid related diseases should have a rapid onset of action to promote hemostasis and resolution of symptoms. The aim of our study was to investigate the inhibitory effects on gastric acid secretion after a single oral administrations of lafutidine, is a newly synthesized H2-receptor antagonist, with mosapride 5 mg or lafutidine alone.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Ten <it>Helicobacter pylori </it>negative male subjects participated in this randomized, two-way crossover study. Intragastric pH was monitored continuously for 4 hours after a single oral administration of lafutidine 10 mg or lafutidine 10 mg with mosapride 5 mg (the lafutidine being administrated one hour after the mosapride). Each administration was separated by a 7-day washout period.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The average pH during the 4-hour period after administration of lafutidine 10 mg with mosapride 5 mg was higher than after lafutidine 10 mg alone (median: 5.25 versus 4.58, respectively; <it>p </it>= 0.0318). During the 3–4 hour study period, lafutidine 10 mg with mosapride 5 mg provided a higher pH, compared to lafutidine 10 mg alone (median: 7.28 versus 6.42; <it>p </it>= 0.0208).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In <it>H. pylori </it>negative healthy male subjects, an oral dose of lafutidine 10 mg with mosapride 5 mg more rapidly increased intragastric pH than lafutidine 10 mg alone.</p

A community intervention trial of multimodal suicide prevention program in Japan: A Novel multimodal Community Intervention program to prevent suicide and suicide attempt in Japan, NOCOMIT-J

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>To respond to the rapid surge in the incidence of suicide in Japan, which appears to be an ongoing trend, the Japanese Multimodal Intervention Trials for Suicide Prevention (J-MISP) have launched a multimodal community-based suicide prevention program, NOCOMIT-J. The primary aim of this study is to examine whether NOCOMIT-J is effective in reducing suicidal behavior in the community.</p> <p>Methods/DesignThis study is a community intervention trial involving seven intervention regions with accompanying control regions, all with populations of statistically sufficient size. The program focuses on building social support networks in the public health system for suicide prevention and mental health promotion, intending to reinforce human relationships in the community. The intervention program components includes a primary prevention measures of awareness campaign for the public and key personnel, secondary prevention measures for screening of, and assisting, high-risk individuals, after-care for individuals bereaved by suicide, and other measures. The intervention started in July 2006, and will continue for 3.5 years. Participants are Japanese and foreign residents living in the intervention and control regions (a total of population of 2,120,000 individuals).</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>The present study is designed to evaluate the effectiveness of the community-based suicide prevention program in the seven participating areas.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>UMIN Clinical Trials Registry (UMIN-CTR) UMIN000000460.</p