Temporal variation in the diet and chick growth of rhinoceros auklets (Cerorhinca monocerata), on Teuri Island, Sea of Japan, was studied to understand how local marine environmental changes affect ...the reproduction of this piscivorous seabird. The food delivered by parents to chicks was sampled every 1-2 weeks from late May to July, 1994-1998.
Aims Small GTPases RhoA and Rac1 play crucial roles in endothelial dysfunction and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. We reported evidence that in thrombin-stimulated endothelial cells, rapid ...geranylgeranylation is an essential process for full activation of unprocessed RhoA, which is blocked by statin. In this study, we examined the effects of intravenous administration of pravastatin on thrombin-triggered vascular responses in vivo, as well as on the lipid modification of unprocessed forms of RhoA and Rac1 and their activation induced by thrombin. Methods and results Thrombin (50 U/kg) was intravenously injected with or without 0.3 mg/kg pravastatin into Wistar and spontaneously hypertensive rats. Coadministration of pravastatin prevented thrombin-induced impaired endothelium-dependent coronary vasodilation and down-regulated Akt/endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) phosphorylation within 1 h, as well as the down-regulation of eNOS protein expression within 4 h. In addition, thrombin increased Rac1/p47phox-dependent NAD(P)H oxidase activities of rat aortas within 1 h, resulting in ROS generation, which was prevented by the coadministration of pravastatin. Furthermore, the coadministration of pravastatin prevented thrombin-induced conversion of unprocessed RhoA and Rac1 into the geranylgeranylated forms as well as GTP-loading and membrane translocation within 1 h. Conclusion Intravenous injection of pravastatin prevents impaired NO-dependent vasodilation and Rac1/NAD(P)H oxidase-mediated-ROS generation by blocking the down-regulation of Akt/eNOS pathways and the full activation of unprocessed RhoA and Rac1 in vivo.
We describe a complex imprinted locus in chromosome 15q11–q13 that encodes two genes, ZNF127 and ZNF127AS. The ZNF127 gene encodes a protein with a RING (C3HC4) zinc-finger and multiple C3H ...zinc-finger motifs, the former being closely related to a protein from variola major virus, the smallpox etiological agent. These motifs allow prediction of ZNF127 function as a ribonucleoprotein. The intronless ZNF127 gene is expressed ubiquitously, but the entire coding sequence and 5′ CpG island overlaps a second gene, ZNF127AS, that is transcribed from the antisense strand with a different transcript size and pattern of expression. Allele-specific analysis shows that ZNF127is expressed only from the paternal allele. Consistent with this expression pattern, in the brain the ZNF127 5′ CpG island is completely unmethylated on the paternal allele but methylated on the maternal allele. Analyses of adult testis, sperm and fetal oocytes demonstrates a gametic methylation imprint with unmethylated paternal germ cells. Recent findings indicate that ZNF127 is part of the coordinately regulated imprinted domain affected in Prader-Willi syndrome patients with imprinting mutations. Therefore, ZNF127 and ZNF127AS are novel imprinted genes that may be associated with some of the clinical features of the polygenic Prader-Willi syndrome.
Between November 2000 and October 2001, the seasonal variation in absorption by particles (phytoplankton and detritus) and colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) was measured in Funka Bay (a ...subarctic coastal region of Japan). In autumn–winter, chlorophyll
a concentration (Chl
a) near the euphotic zone remained very low (<1.0
mg
m
−3) but markedly increased in spring (16.8
mg
m
−3). Chlorophyll-specific absorption coefficient for phytoplankton (
a
∗
ph(
λ)) was high during summer and low during the spring bloom. This is because the package effect was greater during the spring bloom due to the presence of large diatoms, while small phytoplankton dominated during summer. Absorption at 440
nm by CDOM was higher than that of phytoplankton and detritus, except during the spring bloom, and the relative contribution of CDOM absorption to the total absorption coefficient was >50%. CDOM and detritus absorption did not increase with increasing Chl
a, but it showed a time lag between the spring bloom. It is suggested that phytoplankton degradation started after the spring bloom; detritus absorption increased and, then, CDOM absorption increased. River runoff was not a significant influence in Funka Bay, therefore, CDOM production may be mainly related to microbial activity.
Microdeletions of a region termed the “imprinting center” (IC) in chromosome 15q11-q13 have been identified in several families with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) or Angelman syndrome who show ...epigenetic inheritance for this region that is consistent with a mutation in the imprinting process. The IC controls resetting of parental imprints in 15q11-q13 during gametogenesis. We have identified a larger series of cases of familial PWS, including one case with a deletion of only 7.5 kb, that narrows the PWS critical region to <4.3 kb spanning the
SNRPN gene CpG island and exon 1. Identification of a strong DNase I hypersensitive site, specific for the paternal allele, and six evolutionarily conserved (human-mouse) sequences that are potential transcription-factor binding sites is consistent with this region defining the
SNRPN gene promoter. These findings suggest that promoter elements at
SNRPN play a key role in the initiation of imprint switching during spermatogenesis. We also identified three patients with sporadic PWS who have an imprinting mutation (IM) and no detectable mutation in the IC. An inherited 15q11-q13 mutation or a
trans-factor gene mutation are unlikely; thus, the disease in these patients may arise from a developmental or stochastic failure to switch the maternal-to-paternal imprint during parental spermatogenesis. These studies allow a better understanding of a novel mechanism of human disease, since the epigenetic effect of an IM in the parental germ line determines the phenotypic effect in the patient.
The movable bench system is one method of increasing area productivity and minimizing the input energy needed for heating and lighting in a greenhouse. In the movable bench cultivation system, all ...plants pass through a single location, termed the access point, for watering every day. The access point should thus be the ideal place to measure precise growth information. Machine vision is a promising technique for efficiently monitoring all plants at the access point, since it is non-destructive. This study examines some basic techniques for developing a non-destructive growth measurement system for strawberry plants cultivated on the movable bench system using machine vision. First, an experimental system was developed for 3D measurement of strawberry plants cultivated on a 1-m long bench. It consisted of a depth sensor, a source of illumination and a wheeled platform that ran on rails and carried the bench. To obtain 3D growth information, the experimental system tiled line image output from the depth sensor while the bench passed below. A noise reduction method for the tiled images was also developed. Ten benches were tested and their 3D information was reconstructed; the width and height profiles were then calculated. 3D data were evaluated for accuracy of maximum height and width measurements. The average estimation error was 3.7 cm for width and 1.6 cm for height. Second, the characteristics of spectral reflectance of strawberry leaves were investigated, and an algorithm was developed for new leaf detection using an ordinary color camera and green illumination. After four potted plants were monitored for a month, new leaf detection accuracy proved to be 74.2%.
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