In the Kikai caldera, a major caldera-forming eruption, the Akahoya eruption (Ah eruption), occurred at 7.3 cal ka BP. It started with a plinian eruption (K-KyP), accompanied by a small intra-plinian ...Funakura pyroclastic flow (K-Fn). In the second eruptive stage, large Koya pyroclastic flow eruption (K-Ky) occurred, which covered the southern part of Kyushu with widespread co-ignimbrite ash (K-Ah (c)). These series of pyroclastic materials are collectively called Kikai-Akahoya tephra (K-Ah (T)). It has been thought that the Akahoya tsunami (Ah tsunami), occurred in connection with the Ah eruption. However, in outcrops below 50 m elevation in the proximal area of the caldera (~60 km), the K-Ah (T) was either replaced by Ah tsunami deposits of various sedimentary facies or completely eroded away by the same tsunami. The largest tsunami was therefore estimated to be due to the collapse of the caldera rim, which occurred some time after the end of the Ah eruption. On the other hand, in the Yokoo midden at Oita city, approximately 300 km from the caldera, it was considered that the K-Ah (c) was deposited immediately above the sandy tsunami deposit. However, the parent material of these distal Ah tsunami deposit is presumed to be K-Ah (r), which was transported and deposited from hinterland to the estuary, and was then incorporated and redeposited by the subsequent striking Ah tsunami. That is, the particles in the tsunami can be interpreted as separating and settling into two different layers, i.e. the basal sand layer and the upper K-Ah (r) set as the same tsunami deposit, due to differences in density. This interpretation is also supported by the chemical analyses of volcanic glass. Thus, the erosion and deposition either proximal or distal area of the caldera indicate that the largest Ah tsunami occurred some time after the Ah eruption. The caldera rim shows a double depression structure which was formed during the Ah eruption, and there are many channel structures on the caldera rim that suggest intense seawater movement. It is therefore highly probable that the sudden collapse of caldera wall after the Ah eruption is the cause of the tsunami, together with the run-up height near the caldera. However, it is not possible to estimate the time until the collapse that caused the Ah tsunami.
Optically pumped magnetometer (OPM) is a sensor based on electron-spin polarization of alkali-metal atoms. We have been developing super-sensitive compact OPMs as well as innovative biomagnetic ...neuroimaging systems. OPMs using alkali metal vapors contained in glass cells enable to measure extremely small magnetic fields. In recent years, OPMs have reached sensitivities comparable to and even surpassing those of superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs). In addition, OPM has the intrinsic advantage of not requiring cryogenic cooling. After describing the principle of OPM, we introduce our recent results of MEG and NMR/MRI measurements to demonstrate its feasibility as a magnetic sensor towards innovative optical biomagnetic neuroimaging systems. Finally, we describe some future research directions of the OPM-based biomagnetic neuroimaging systems.
The role of centrioles changes as a function of the cell cycle. Centrioles promote formation of spindle poles in mitosis and act as basal bodies to assemble primary cilia in interphase. Stringent ...regulations govern conversion between these two states. Although the molecular mechanisms have not been fully elucidated, recent findings have begun to shed light on pathways that regulate the conversion of centrioles to basal bodies and vice versa. Emerging studies also provide insights into how defects in the balance between centrosome and cilia function could promote ciliopathies and cancer.
In the past decade, various transcriptional activators of cellulolytic enzyme genes have been identified in Ascomycete fungi. The regulatory system of cellulolytic enzymes is not only partially ...conserved, but also significantly diverse. For example,
Trichoderma reesei
has a system distinct from those of
Aspergillus
and
Neurospora crassa
—the former utilizes Xyr1 (the
Aspergillus
XlnR ortholog) as the major regulator of cellulolytic enzyme genes, while the latter uses CLR-2/ClrB/ManR orthologs. XlnR/Xyr1 and CLR-2/ClrB/ManR are evolutionarily distant from each other. Regulatory mechanisms that are controlled by CLR-2, ClrB, and ManR are also significantly different, although they are orthologous factors. Expression of
clr
-
2
requires the activation of another transcription factor, CLR-1, by cellobiose, while CLR-2 is constitutively active for transactivation. By contrast, ClrB activation requires cellobiose. While ClrB mainly regulates cellulolytic genes, ManR is essential for the activation of not only cellulolytic but also mannanolytic enzyme genes. In this review, we summarize XlnR/Xyr1- and CLR-2/ClrB/ManR-dependent regulation in
N. crassa
,
A. nidulans
,
A. oryzae,
and
T. reesei
and emphasize the conservation and diversity of the regulatory systems for cellulolytic enzyme genes in these Ascomycete fungi. In addition, we discuss the role of McmA, another transcription factor that plays an important role in recruiting ClrB to the promoters in
A. nidulans
.
An optically pumped K-Rb hybrid atomic magnetometer can be a useful tool for biomagnetic measurements due to the high spatial homogeneity of its sensor property inside a cell. However, because the ...property varies depending on the densities of potassium and rubidium atoms, optimization of the densities is essential. In this study, by using the Bloch equations of K and Rb and considering the spatial distribution of the spin polarization, we confirmed that the calculation results of spin polarization behavior are in good agreement with the experimental data. Using our model, we calculated the spatial distribution of the spin polarization and found that the optimal density of K atoms is 3 × 10
m
and the optimal density ratio is n
/n
~ 400 to maximize the output signal and enhance spatial homogeneity of the sensor property.
Filamentous fungi produce cellulolytic and hemicellulolytic enzymes in response to small inducer molecules liberated from cellulosic biomass. Enzyme production is mainly regulated at the level of ...transcription. The first transcription factor identified as being involved in cellulosic biomass degradation was XlnR, which mediates
d
-xylose-triggered induction of xylanolytic and cellulolytic genes in
Aspergillus
. XlnR has played the leading role for over a decade in studies aimed at clarification of gene regulation related to cellulosic biomass degradation. Very recently, several new transcription factors were identified, namely Clr-1/2 in
Neurospora
; ManR, McmA, and ClbR in
Aspergillus
; and BglR in
Trichoderma
, all of which participate in the regulation of cellulolytic and/or hemicellulolytic enzyme production. Furthermore, as well as the carbon sources available, other factors such as light signaling and anti-sense RNA accumulation have been shown to contribute to this regulation. Here, we review the recent advancements demonstrating that multiple factors coordinately regulate the expression of cellulosic biomass degrading enzyme genes.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is characterized by chronic inflammatory destruction of joint tissue and is caused by an abnormal autoimmune response triggered by interactions between genetics, ...environmental factors, and epigenetic and posttranslational modifications. RA has been suggested to be interrelated with periodontitis, a serious form or stage of chronic inflammatory periodontal disease associated with periodontopathic bacterial infections, genetic predisposition, environmental factors, and epigenetic influences. Over the last decade, a number of animal and clinical studies have been conducted to assess whether or not periodontitis and associated periodontopathic bacteria constitute risk factors for RA. The present review introduces recent accumulating evidence to support the associations of periodontitis and periodontopathic bacteria with the risk of RA or the outcome of RA pharmacological treatment with disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs. In addition, the results from intervention studies have suggested an improvement in RA clinical parameters after nonsurgical periodontal treatment. Furthermore, the potential causal mechanisms underlying the link between periodontitis and periodontopathic bacteria and RA are summarized.
Alterations in gamma-band auditory steady-state response (ASSR) are the most robust finding of abnormal neural oscillations in patients with first-episode (FES) and chronic schizophrenia. Gamma-band ...ASSRs may indicate GABAergic interneuron dysfunction. Nevertheless, it is unknown whether abnormal gamma-band ASSRs are present before the onset of psychosis. Subjects were 15 ultra-high-risk (UHR) individuals, 13 FES patients, and 21 healthy control (HC) subjects. We performed electroencephalogram recordings and measured ASSRs in each group as they were presented with click trains at 20, 30, and 40 Hz. We then conducted time-frequency analyses and calculated intertrial phase coherence and event-related spectral perturbation. The time course of gamma-band ASSRs showed significantly different features among groups. Compared with the HC group, the UHR group was characterized by intact early-latency (0-100 ms) and reduced late-latency (300-500 ms) ASSRs. In contrast, both early- and late-latency ASSRs were significantly reduced in the FES group. Gamma-band ASSRs were correlated with clinical symptoms and attentional functioning in FES (|rs| > 0.70). These results suggest differential alterations of gamma-band ASSRs between UHR and FES groups. The late-latency ASSR alteration may represent a biomarker for early detection of psychosis, while the early-latency ASSR abnormality may develop through the onset of psychosis.
Loss of primary cilia is frequently observed in tumor cells, including pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) cells, suggesting that the absence of this organelle may promote tumorigenesis through ...aberrant signal transduction and the inability to exit the cell cycle. However, the molecular mechanisms that explain how PDAC cells lose primary cilia are still ambiguous. In this study, we found that inhibition or silencing of histone deacetylase 2 (HDAC2) restores primary cilia formation in PDAC cells. Inactivation of HDAC2 results in decreased Aurora A expression, which promotes disassembly of primary cilia. We further showed that HDAC2 controls ciliogenesis independently of Kras, which facilitates Aurora A expression. These studies suggest that HDAC2 is a novel regulator of primary cilium formation in PDAC cells.
Synopsis
Loss of primary cilia is frequently observed in tumor cells. This study shows that histone deacetylase 2 (HDAC2) contributes to the suppression of primary cilia formation in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) cells by controlling Aurora A levels in a Kras‐independent manner.
Inhibition or depletion of HDAC2 induces primary ciliogenesis in PDAC cells.
HDAC2 positively regulates expression of Aurora A kinase.
HDAC2 and Kras independently control loss of primary cilia in PDAC cells.
Loss of primary cilia is frequently observed in tumor cells. This study shows that histone deacetylase 2 (HDAC2) contributes to the suppression of primary cilia formation in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) cells by controlling Aurora A levels in a Kras‐independent manner.
An interrelationship between rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and periodontitis has been suggested due to their common pathogenic mechanisms. Protein carbamylation and neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) ...formation have been shown to be related to autoimmune conditions, including RA, but their association with periodontitis has not been elucidated. Therefore, we assessed whether or not circulating levels of carbamylated protein (CarP) and NETs are associated with periodontitis severity and influenced by periodontal treatment.
We conducted a retrospective case-control study that included 40 patients with RA and periodontitis, 30 patients with periodontitis, and 43 systemically and periodontally healthy controls to assess the circulating levels of CarP and NETs and rheumatologic and periodontal conditions. The same assessments were also performed in 22 patients with RA and periodontitis after 2 months of periodontal treatment, including oral hygiene instruction and full-mouth supragingival scaling.
Patients with RA and periodontitis showed significantly higher serum levels of CarP and NETs than the control group (P = 0.04 and P < 0.001, respectively). The serum levels of CarP and NETs were significantly correlated positively with the mean values of probing depth (P = 0.01 and P = 0.007, respectively) and clinical attachment level (P = 0.007 and P = 0.001, respectively) in the 40 patients with RA and periodontitis. Multiple logistic regression analyses also revealed significantly positive associations between the serum levels of CarP and NETs and moderate to severe periodontitis (P = 0.03 and P = 0.001, respectively). Furthermore, periodontal treatment significantly decreased the serum levels of CarP and NETs in patients with RA and periodontitis (P = 0.03 and P = 0.02).
The circulating levels of CarP and NETs are associated with periodontitis severity and influenced by periodontal treatment in patients with RA.
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