Bioaerosol observations at S17 and Syowa station, Antarctica, with the 60th Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition (JARE)

The Tenth Symposium on Polar Science/Ordinary sessions: [OM] Polar Meteorology and Glaciology, Wed. 4 Dec. / Entrance Hall (1st floor) , National Institute of Polar Researc

糖化と発酵の機能を持つ遺伝子組換え菌の育種とバイオプロセスの研究

取得学位：博士(工学), 学位授与番号：博乙第277号, 学位授与年月日：平成16年3月25日, 学位授与大学：金沢大

Characteristics of cloud fraction from whole-sky camera and ceilometer observations onboard R/V Shirase during JARE 60

The Tenth Symposium on Polar Science/Ordinary sessions: [OM] Polar Meteorology and Glaciology, Wed. 4 Dec. / Entrance Hall (1st floor) , National Institute of Polar Researc

Determination of Cu, Pb, Fe, and Zn in plant component polymers of a hyperaccumulating plant

金沢大学自然計測応用研究センターエコテクノロジー研究部門金沢大学工学部Phytoremediation is an innovative technology that utilizes the natural properties of plants to remediate hazardous waste sites. For more cost-effective phytoremediation, it is important to utilize a hyperaccumulating plant after phytoremediation, i.e. the recovery of valuable metals and the production of useful materials. In this work, the determination of metals in plant component polymers in a fern, Athyrium yokoscense, as a hyper-accumulating plant was established using steam explosion, Wayman\u27s extraction method, and ICP emission spectrometry. After A. yokoscense plants were treated by steam explosion, the steam-exploded A. yokoscense were separated into four plant component polymers, i.e. water-soluble material fraction, holocellulose fraction, methanol-soluble lignin fraction, and residual lignin fraction. The concentrations of Cu, Pb, Fe, and Zn in these plant component polymers and the dry weights of plant component polymers were measured. These analytical process determining metals in the plants will contribute to not only the evaluation and the efforts of phytoremediation using a hyperaccumulating plant, but also to the development of more effective phytoremediation. 2005 © The Japan Society for Analytical Chemistry

The Utilization of Triton X-100 for Enhanced Two-Dimensional Liquid-Phase Proteomics

One of the main challenges in proteomics lies in obtaining a high level of reproducible fractionation of the protein samples. Automated two-dimensional liquid phase fractionation (PF2D) system manufactured by Beckman Coulter provides a process well suited for proteome studies. However, the protein recovery efficiency of such system is low when a protocol recommended by the manufacturer is used for metaproteome profiling of environmental sample. In search of an alternative method that can overcome existing limitations, this study replaced manufacturer's buffers with Triton X-100 during the PF2D evaluation of Escherichia coli K12. Three different Triton X-100 concentrations—0.1%, 0.15%, and 0.2%—were used for the first-dimension protein profiling. As the first-dimension result was at its best in the presence of 0.15% Triton X-100, second-dimension protein fractionation was performed using 0.15% Triton X-100 and the standard buffers. When 0.15% Triton X-100 was used, protein recovery increased as much as tenfold. The elution reliability of 0.15% Triton X-100 determined with ribonuclease A, insulin, α-lactalbumin, trypsin inhibitor, and cholecystokinin (CCK) affirmed Triton X-100 at 15% can outperform the standard buffers without having adverse effects on samples. This novel use of 0.15% Triton X-100 for PF2D can lead to greater research possibilities in the field of proteomics

Lung inflammation by fungus, Bjerkandera adusta isolated from Asian sand dust (ASD) aerosol and enhancement of ovalbumin-induced lung eosinophilia by ASD and the fungus in mice.

BackgroundBjerkandera adusta (B. adusta) is one of the most important etiological fungi associated with chronic cough. However, precise details of the inflammatory response to exposure are not well understood yet. B. adusta was recently identified in Asian sand dust (ASD) aerosol. Therefore, in the present study the exacerbating effects of ASD on B. adusta-induced lung inflammation and B. adusta + ASD on ovalbumin (OVA)-induced murine lung eosinophilia were investigated using experimental mice.MethodsIn order to prepare testing samples, B. adusta obtained from ASD aerosol was inactivated by formalin and ASD collected from the atmosphere was heated to remove toxic organic substances (H-ASD). CD-1 mice were instilled intratracheally with 12 different samples prepared with various combinations of B. adusta, H-ASD, and OVA in a normal saline solution. The lung pathology, cytological profiles in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), and the levels of inflammatory cytokines/chemokines in BALF were investigated.ResultsH-ASD aggravated the lung eosinophilia induced by B. adusta alone, which also aggravated the lung eosinophilia induced by OVA. The mixture of OVA, H-ASD, and B. adusta caused serious fibrous thickening of the subepithelial layer, eosinophil infiltration, and proliferation of goblet cells in the airways along with remarkable increases of IL-13, eotaxin, IL-5, and MCP-3 in BALF.ConclusionsThe results of the present study demonstrated that B. adusta isolated from ASD aerosol induces allergic lung diseases. H-ASD enhanced allergic reactions caused by OVA or B. adusta. A mixture of B. adusta, H-ASD, and OVA caused the most remarkable exacerbation to the allergic airway inflammation via remarkable increases of pro-inflammatory mediators

Characteristics of cosmopolitan microbial communities transported by Asian desert dust (KOSA)

第2回極域科学シンポジウム/第33回極域生物シンポジウム 11月18日（金） 統計数理研究所 3階リフレッシュフロ

NaCl-amendment assay targeting airborne bacteria in tropospheric bioaerosols transported by westerly wind over Noto Peninsula

Bioaerosol particles including bacteria, fungi, and virus are originated from marine and terrestrial environments. The airborne microorganisms are transported for long distance through the free troposphere and are thought to influence the downwind ecosystems and human life. However, microbial communities in the free troposphere have not been understood in detail because the direct sampling of microbial cells at high altitude requires sophisticated sampling techniques. In this study, for the investigation of microbial species compositions in the free troposphere, air sampling using an aircraft was performed over the Noto Peninsula in Japan, where the tropospheric winds carry aerosol particles from continental areas. Two air samples were collected at 3,000 m on March 27, 2010, when air mass was carried from the Gobi Desert to Japan area. Microorganisms from one air sample grew in culture media containing up to 15 % NaCl, suggesting that halotolerant bacteria maintain their viabilities in the free troposphere. DGGE analysis revealed that the amended cultures were dominated by Bacillus subtilis, and the isolates obtained from the amended cultures were identical to B. subtilis. Furthermore, the 16S rDNA clone library (culture-independent survey) of the other air sample grew was composed of three phylotypes belonging to Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, and Proteobacteria with the sequences of Firmicutes phylotype corresponding to that of the cultured B. subtilis sequence. Microscopic observation using FISH method indicated that B. subtilis particles occupied 80 % of total eubacterial particles on the mineral particles. The halotolerant bacteria identical to B. subtilis would dominate at high altitudes over Noto Peninsula where the prevailing westerly wind was blowing. © 2012 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

Variations in the structure of airborne bacterial communities in a downwind area during an Asian dust (Kosa) event

Asian dust (Kosa) events transport airborne microorganisms that significantly impact biological ecosystems, human health, and ice-cloud formation in downwind areas. However, the composition and population dynamics of airborne bacteria have rarely been investigated in downwind areas during Kosa events. In this study, air samplings were sequentially performed at the top of a 10-m high building within the Kosa event arrival area (Kanazawa City, Japan) from May 1 to May 7, 2011, during a Kosa event. The particle concentrations of bacterial cells and mineral particles were ten-fold higher during the Kosa event than on non-Kosa event days. A 16S ribosomal DNA clone library prepared from the air samples primarily contained sequences from three phyla: Cyanobacteria, Firmicutes, and Alphaproteobacteria. The clones from Cyanobacteria were mainly from a marine type of Synechococcus species that was dominant during the first phase of the Kosa event and was continuously detected throughout the Kosa event. The clones from Alphaproteobacteria were mainly detected at the initial and final periods of the Kosa event, and phylogenetic analysis showed that their sequences clustered with those from a marine bacterial clade (the SAR clade) and Sphingomonas spp. During the middle of the Kosa event, the Firmicutes species Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus pumilus were predominant; these species are known to be predominant in the atmosphere above the Chinese desert, which is the source of the dust during Kosa events. The clones obtained after the Kosa event had finished were mainly from Bacillus megaterium, which is thought to originate from local terrestrial areas. Our results suggest that airborne bacterial communities at the ground level in areas affected by Kosa events change their species compositions during a Kosa event toward those containing terrestrial and pelagic bacteria transported from the Sea of Japan and the continental area of China by the Kosa event. © 2014 Elsevier B.V