Effect of Intestinal Microflora on the Production of Interleukin 10 and Prostaglandin E2 in Serum and Kupffer Cells from Germfree and Conventional Mice

To determine why germfree (GF) mice are less productivity of proinflammatory cytokines than conventional (CV) mice, we studied serum levels of interleukin 10 (IL-10) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) in mice after treatment with lipopolyssacharide (LPS). A single injection of LPS caused an elevation of IL-10 in serum from GF, LPS-GF (germfree mice given drinking water containing LPS) and CV mice. The response was highest in serum from GF mice, and was lower in serum from LPS-GF mice compared with GF mice. Before LPS injection, serum PGE2 was significantly higher in CV and LPS-GF mice than in GF ones. After LPS injection, a higher level of PGE2 was maintained over 12 h in CV mice after LPS injection, while the LPS treatment reduced the level in LPS-GF mice and increased the level in GF mice. The levels of IL-10 in culture medium from Kupffer cells treated with LPS showed similar results to serum in GF and CV mice. These results suggest that high levels of IL-10 in serum from germfree mice may be partly responsible for the lower in vivo responsiveness of these proinflammatory cytokines to LPS in these mice, although PGE2 was not responsible for the lower responsiveness of these inflammatory cytokines to LPS

Global Landscape of a Co-Expressed Gene Network in Barley and its Application to Gene Discovery in Triticeae Crops

Accumulated transcriptome data can be used to investigate regulatory networks of genes involved in various biological systems. Co-expression analysis data sets generated from comprehensively collected transcriptome data sets now represent efficient resources that are capable of facilitating the discovery of genes with closely correlated expression patterns. In order to construct a co-expression network for barley, we analyzed 45 publicly available experimental series, which are composed of 1,347 sets of GeneChip data for barley. On the basis of a gene-to-gene weighted correlation coefficient, we constructed a global barley co-expression network and classified it into clusters of subnetwork modules. The resulting clusters are candidates for functional regulatory modules in the barley transcriptome. To annotate each of the modules, we performed comparative annotation using genes in Arabidopsis and Brachypodium distachyon. On the basis of a comparative analysis between barley and two model species, we investigated functional properties from the representative distributions of the gene ontology (GO) terms. Modules putatively involved in drought stress response and cellulose biogenesis have been identified. These modules are discussed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the co-expression analysis. Furthermore, we applied the data set of co-expressed genes coupled with comparative analysis in attempts to discover potentially Triticeae-specific network modules. These results demonstrate that analysis of the co-expression network of the barley transcriptome together with comparative analysis should promote the process of gene discovery in barley. Furthermore, the insights obtained should be transferable to investigations of Triticeae plants. The associated data set generated in this analysis is publicly accessible at http://coexpression.psc.riken.jp/barley/

長崎国際大学生における食生活の現状と骨密度の関係

日本人はカルシウムの摂取量が慢性的に不足していることから、骨粗鬆症、骨軟化症、さらにくる病などの骨関連疾患が大きな問題となっている。一方で、その予防には食生活が重要性な要因であると認識されている。そこで今回、大学生の生活状況を調査するため、骨形成に関与する栄養素に注目し、長崎国際大学健康管理学部健康栄養学科で実施されている「健康栄養調査プロジェクト」の結果を解析した。男子学生のカルシウム（Ca）摂取量は、目標量（６５０mg/日）をほぼ満たす量（６４７±７９mg/日）であったが、女子学生の Ca 摂取量（４８０±１１mg/日）は目標量（６００mg/日）の８０％と不足していた。食品群別にみると、女子学生においてミネラル分が豊富な海藻類、小魚の摂取頻度が少なく、このことが女子学生でみられた Ca 摂取不足の主たる原因と考えられた。また、牛乳の摂取頻度が週７回以上の群は、７回未満の群に比べ骨密度の高い傾向がみられ、このことから若年期においても牛乳の摂取頻度が骨密度に影響している可能性が示唆された。Japanese people is chronically low level of calcium ingestion, therefore it is increased disorders related bone, osteoporosis, osteomalacia, rickets and other. On the other hand their prevention is closely related to dietary habit. In this study, to see about dietary habit on young people, we analyzed the result of "The Health and Nutritional Survey Project" conducted in Department of Health and Nutrition, Faculty of Health Management, Nagasaki International University about nutrient factor relative to bone formation. The calcium ingestion on male students (647±79mg/day) was close on tentative dietary goal for preventing life-style related diseases (DG) (650mg/day) by dietary reference intakes for Japanese [2005]. But calcium ingestion on female students (480±11mg/day) was lower, about 80% compared with DG (600mg). From the results of food group frequency, this low level of calcium ingestion on female students is likely to be caused by that frequency of sea vegetable and fingerling was few. And bone density evaluation was significantly high in group over 7 times/week compared with group below 7 times/week about frequency of milk. This result suggests that frequency of milk has an affect on bone density in early life

学生の健康及び食生活意識と血液検査値の関係に対する一考察 - 健康栄養調査ﾌﾟﾛｼﾞｪｸﾄ報告 第２報 -

長崎国際大学健康管理学部健康栄養学科に所属する学生を対象に平成１７年度に実施した「健康栄養プロジェクト」の結果のうち、学生（男子４３名、女子２８５名）の食生活意識、身体状況および血液生化学検査（総コレステロール、トリアシルグリセロール、ヘモグロビン A１c、血清鉄）の関係について検討を加えた。その結果、欠食頻度が高い者ほど疲労愁訴を有する割合が高くなる傾向があった。また、欠食回数及び食生活意識と血液生化学検査値との関係に男女差が見られた。男子学生では欠食がある場合は検査値が低くなる傾向がみられたが、女子学生では欠食が無いにもかかわらず低値を示す者が多かった。このことから、今後食生活指導を行う際には、食事内容を具体的に把握し、適正な食事量を認識させる重要性が示唆された。This study, "The Health and Nutrition Survey Project" for the undergraduates (43 males and 285 females) who belong to the department of health and nutrition in Nagasaki International University, was examined to grasp their life style, physical condition, eating-habits consciousness and blood biochemical levels. We focused on their physical condition, eating-habits, especially skipping-a-meal and some blood biochemical levels (total cholesterol, triacylglycerol, hemoglobin A1c and serum iron). First of all, the complaint of physical fatigue is more on much skipping-a-meal undergraduates. Moreover, the relation the times of skipping a meal and some blood biochemical levels was different between male and female. In male undergraduates, triacylglycerol and hemoglobin A1c levels were lower on skipping a meal. In female undergraduates, although no skipping a meal, much low total cholesterol, triacylglycerol, hemoglobin A1c and serum iron levels had shown on. It was suggested we have to instruct the proper amount of meals in them, grasping not only the habit of skipping-a-meal, but also concretely their meal contents

DOCK2 is involved in the host genetics and biology of severe COVID-19

「コロナ制圧タスクフォース」COVID-19疾患感受性遺伝子DOCK2の重症化機序を解明 --アジア最大のバイオレポジトリーでCOVID-19の治療標的を発見--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2022-08-10.Identifying the host genetic factors underlying severe COVID-19 is an emerging challenge. Here we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) involving 2, 393 cases of COVID-19 in a cohort of Japanese individuals collected during the initial waves of the pandemic, with 3, 289 unaffected controls. We identified a variant on chromosome 5 at 5q35 (rs60200309-A), close to the dedicator of cytokinesis 2 gene (DOCK2), which was associated with severe COVID-19 in patients less than 65 years of age. This risk allele was prevalent in East Asian individuals but rare in Europeans, highlighting the value of genome-wide association studies in non-European populations. RNA-sequencing analysis of 473 bulk peripheral blood samples identified decreased expression of DOCK2 associated with the risk allele in these younger patients. DOCK2 expression was suppressed in patients with severe cases of COVID-19. Single-cell RNA-sequencing analysis (n = 61 individuals) identified cell-type-specific downregulation of DOCK2 and a COVID-19-specific decreasing effect of the risk allele on DOCK2 expression in non-classical monocytes. Immunohistochemistry of lung specimens from patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia showed suppressed DOCK2 expression. Moreover, inhibition of DOCK2 function with CPYPP increased the severity of pneumonia in a Syrian hamster model of SARS-CoV-2 infection, characterized by weight loss, lung oedema, enhanced viral loads, impaired macrophage recruitment and dysregulated type I interferon responses. We conclude that DOCK2 has an important role in the host immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection and the development of severe COVID-19, and could be further explored as a potential biomarker and/or therapeutic target

Intrauterine infection with Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis in pregnant cattle diagnosed with Johne's disease

Johne's disease (JD) is caused by infection with Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberulosis (MAP). We confirmed the intrauterine infection of MAP in 22 pregnant cattle diagnosed with JD in Hokkaido, Japan. MAP was isolated from the umbilical cord (3/22: 13.6%) or caruncle (6/22: 27.3%) derived from the pregnant dams. Furthermore, dams with MAP from which MAP was isolated were also found to have a high mount of MAP or detected bacterial load in their feces. Fetuses of the tested dams indicated positive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) results for the MAP gene (17/22:77.3%) in several tissues. MAP was isolated from the PCR-positive sites of dams detected with high levels of bacteria (6/22: 27.3%). These results indicate that MAP infection in pregnant cattle must be prevented as it is important for JD control