The distribution of binding sites for centromere protein B (CENP-B) is partly conserved among diverged higher order repeating units of human chromosome 6-specific alphoid DNA

We previously reported the isolation of alphoid satellite clones from a human genomic library using a DNA immunoprecipitation with centromere protein B (CENP-B). Here, we have characterized the distribution of CENP-B-binding sites on the 3-kb BamHI repeats of the cos2 clone. Using in situ hybridization, this alphoid satellite was located primarily at the centromeric region of chromosome 6. The functional binding sites were mapped by precipitating the restriction fragments with recombinant CENP-B in vitro. One repeat (2B3-11) consisted of 19 copies of alphoid monomer, eight of which possessed the binding sites, while another (2B3-9) consisted of 18 copies of the monomer, seven of which possessed the binding sites. The distribution of the sites was well conserved between them, except for the terminus. A similar analysis with the remaining 6-kb region suggested the presence of a continuous 1-kb region with regular spacing of EcoRI sites and the CENP-B-binding sites. When the nucleotide sequence of 2B3-11 was compared with that of another chromosome 6-specific alphoid repeat (p308) that had been described previously, this 1-kb region was highly conserved between them. The distribution of the CENP-B binding sites and the order of alphoid monomers might define the folding of alphoid repeats in the centromeric region.This revised version was published online in November 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Molecular characterization of a human rotavirus reveals porcine characteristics in most of the genes including VP6 and NSP4

Summary. Long electropherotype with Subgroup I specificity is a common feature of animal rotaviruses. In an epidemic of infantile gastroenteritis in Manipur, India, long but SG I strains predominated in the outbreak in the year 1987–88. One such strain isolated from that region, following the outbreak had G9P [19] specificity. As this is a rare combination, the gene sequences encoding VP4, VP6, VP7, NSP1, NSP2, NSP3, NSP4 and NSP5 of this strain were analyzed. All these genes except VP7 were closely related to porcine rotaviruses (95–99% identity at amino acid level) and clustered with the porcine strains in phylogenetic analysis. In addition, it had subgroup I nature and belonged to NSP4 genotype B which is characteristic of animal rotaviruses. This is the first report of a rotavirus with VP6 and NSP4, two crucial proteins thought to be involved in host range restriction and pathogenicity, were of porcine origin and caused diarrhoea in a human host. Among the genes of this strain sequenced so far, only VP7 had highest identity to human strains at amino acid level. This study suggests reassortment may be occurring between human and other animal strains and some of the reassortant viruses may be virulent to humans.     

A new pseudo-peptide of Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) with inhibitory effect on tumor metastasis and enzymatic degradation of extracellular matrix

A series of pseudo-peptide analogs of the Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) sequence of fibronectin have been synthe-sized, and their anti-metastatic effects in mice and inhibitory effects on tumor cell invasion in vitro have been examined. The partially modified retro pseudo-peptide of RGD, R_rev-COCH₂CO-D (FC-63), was more effective in inhibiting tumor metastasis than the original RGDS peptide. Replacement of the malonyl moiety of FC-63 with a carboxyethylene linkage (R_rev-COCH₂CH₂-D, FC-303 ) achieved more potent inhibition of lung metastasis of melanoma cells than FC-63. Among the analogs, FC-336, a p-xylylendiamine derivative having two FC-303 moieties, showed the most potent inhibitory effect on experimental lung metastasis produced by i.v. co-injection with B16-BL6 melanoma or colon 26 M3.1 cells in a dose-dependent manner. Multiple administrations of FC-336 after tumor inoculation also showed efficient therapeutic potency against spontaneous lung metastasis of B16-BL6 melanoma in mice. Furthermore, FC-336 effectively inhibited the invasion, migration and adhesion of tumor cells in vitro, but its inhibitory effects were not more than those of RGDS peptide. Zymography analysis revealed that FC-336 inhibited the degradation of gelatin substrate by matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) produced by tumor cells, while the RGDS peptide did not affect the enzymatic degradation. These findings indicate that the pseudo-peptides of the RGD sequence, possessing the inhibitory property of the degradation by MMPs differently from original RGD-containing peptides, may be advantageous and useful in preventing tumor metastasis. © Rapid Science 1998     

Short-term memory in the macaque monkey: cue-reproducing response during delay interval

The effects of cue-reproducing responses of macaque monkeys during the delay interval of a delayed response task were examined in several situations. The monkeys showed better performance in the cue-reproducing than the nonreproducing condition. When the monkeys were exposed to choices between two keys, responses to either key reproduced the cue, the monkeys selected the cue-reproducing key only when a "mnemonic device" was available. Cue-reproducing responses of the monkeys were suggested to correspond with human rehearsal behaviors. Codes and coding responses in delayed response performance were also discussed.     

The effect of frailty on the quality of life and lower urinary symptoms following robot-assisted radical prostatectomy: A longitudinal analysis (FRARP-QL Study)

ObjectivesWe aimed to evaluate the effect of frailty on health-related quality-of-life (HRQOL) and lower urinary symptoms (LUTS) following robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) in patients with prostate cancer (CaP).Materials and MethodsWe longitudinally evaluated geriatric 8 (G8), HRQOL, and LUTS for 12 months in 118 patients with RARP from January 2017 to April 2020. Patients were divided into frail (G8 ≤14) and nonfrail (G8 >14) groups. We compared the effect of frailty on HRQOL and LUTS between the frail and nonfrail groups before and 12 months after RARP.ResultsThe median age of patients was 68 years. The number of patients in the frail and nonfrail groups were 41 and 77, respectively. No significant difference in patients’ background was observed between the groups, except for the presence of cardiovascular disease (22% vs. 7.8%, P = 0.041). There was no significant difference in HRQOLs and LUTS between the groups at baseline. Similarly, HRQOLs, LUTS, and pad-free continence rates were not significantly different between the groups at 12 months after RARP. In the nonfrail group, LUTS at 12 months following RARP significantly improved compared to those at the baseline, but it did not significantly improve in the frail group. Multivariable logistic regression analysis demonstrated that frailty was not significantly associated with LUTS worsening.ConclusionsFrailty was not significantly associated with the worsening of HRQOL, LUTS, and pad-free continence rates in patients treated with RARP.     

Bacillus thuringiensis associated with faeces of the Kerama-jika,Cervus nippon keramae,a wild deer indigenous to the Ryukyus,Japan

Faeces of the Kerama-jika (Cervus nippon keramae), a wild shika deer indigenous to the Ryukyus, Japan, were examined for the natural occurrence of Bacillus thuringiensis. Of the ten faecal samples tested, seven contained this organism. The frequency of B. thuringiensis was 8.5% among 387 colonies of spore-forming bacteria belonging to the Bacillus cereus/B. thuringiensis group. Of 33 B. thuringiensis isolates recovered, only one isolate, assigned to the serotype H3abc (serovar kurstaki), exhibited dual toxicity against larvae of the silkworm, Bombyx mori, and the mosquito, Aedes aegypti. All of 32 other isolates were serologically untypable or untestable, and were non-toxic to larvae of the two insect species.     

Extraskeletal myxoid chondrosarcoma characterized by microtubular aggregates in the rough endoplasmic reticulum and tubulin immunoreactivity

A case is reported of a 66-year-old female with an extraskeletal myxoid chondrosarcoma which had originated in the lateral region of the right knee. The tumour tissue of the primary, recurrent, and metastatic deposits in the lungs was examined by electron microscopy and immunohistochemistry. Almost all the sarcoma cells in every tumour specimen harboured immunoreactivity to both alpha- and beta-subunits of S-100 protein. A large population of cells in the subcutaneous tumour at autopsy had numerous parallel arrays of microtubules within the rough endoplasmic reticulum in addition to the well-described ultrastructural features indicative of chondroblastic origin. These structures were present in round to polygonal, but not in fibroblastic, tumour cells. Tubulin immunoreactivity in the tumour cells showed the same tendency, being frequently positive in the large cells of the subcutaneous tumour but weakly positive in the fibroblastic and medium-sized cells of the recurrent and metastatic tumours. The parallel arrays of intracisternal microtubules therefore may be composed of tubulin protein, as in ordinary cytoplasmic microtubules.     

Fibrinogen osaka IV: A congenital dysfibrinogenemia found in a patient originally reported in relation to surgery,now defined to have an Aα arginine-16 to histidine substitution

We discovered a congenital heterozygous dysfibrinogen in a patient and reported this case in relation to surgery some time ago (Jpn J Surg (1988) 18:43–46).³ Further studies on the isolated abnormal population of fibrinogen derived from this patient have revealed that fibrinopeptide A was not cleaved by ancrod, a snake venom-derived thrombin-like enzyme, but by thrombin, slowly but completely. The released fibrinopeptide A components, being the A, AY, and AP peptides, were all found to be abnormal, as evidenced by slightly earlier elution positions on high-performance liquid chromatography, compared with the normal counterparts. By analyzing their amino acid sequence, we have identified an arginine to histidine substitution at position 16 of the A chain, the thrombin cleavage site. Utilizing insolubilized abnormal fibrinogen, we confirmed that the polymerization site assigned to the central E domain, the A site, was exposed by thrombin, but not by ancrod. This dysfibrinogen, designated as fibrinogen Osaka IV, is the second abnormal molecule with an A arginine-16 to histidine substitution identified among Japanese families.