Kyushu University

About: Kyushu University is a education organization based out in Fukuoka, Japan. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Catalysis. The organization has 68284 authors who have published 135190 publications receiving 3055928 citations. The organization is also known as: Kyūshū Daigaku.

An Expanded Palette of Genetically Encoded Ca2+ Indicators

Abstract: Engineered fluorescent protein (FP) chimeras that modulate their fluorescence in response to changes in calcium ion (Ca2+) concentration are powerful tools for visualizing intracellular signaling activity. However, despite a decade of availability, the palette of single FP-based Ca2+ indicators has remained limited to a single green hue. We have expanded this palette by developing blue, improved green, and red intensiometric indicators, as well as an emission ratiometric indicator with an 11,000% ratio change. This series enables improved single-color Ca2+ imaging in neurons and transgenic Caenorhabditis elegans. In HeLa cells, Ca2+ was imaged in three subcellular compartments, and, in conjunction with a cyan FP–yellow FP–based indicator, Ca2+ and adenosine 5′-triphosphate were simultaneously imaged. This palette of indicators paints the way to a colorful new era of Ca2+ imaging.

Long Noncoding RNA HOTAIR Regulates Polycomb-Dependent Chromatin Modification and Is Associated with Poor Prognosis in Colorectal Cancers

Abstract: The functional impact of recently discovered long noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) in human cancer remains to be clarified. One long ncRNA which has attracted attention is the Hox transcript antisense intergenic RNA termed HOTAIR, a long ncRNA expressed from the developmental HOXC locus located on chromosome 12q13.13. In cooperation with Polycomb complex PRC2, the HOTAIR long ncRNA is reported to reprogram chromatin organization and promote breast cancer metastasis. In this study, we examined the status and function of HOTAIR in patients with stage IV colorectal cancer (CRC) who have liver metastases and a poor prognosis. HOTAIR expression levels were higher in cancerous tissues than in corresponding noncancerous tissues and high HOTAIR expression correlated tightly with the presence of liver metastasis. Moreover, patients with high HOTAIR expression had a relatively poorer prognosis. In a subset of 32 CRC specimens, gene set enrichment analysis using cDNA array data revealed a close correlation between expression of HOTAIR and members of the PRC2 complex (SUZ12, EZH2, and H3K27me3). Our findings suggest that HOTAIR expression is associated with a genome-wide reprogramming of PRC2 function not only in breast cancer but also in CRC, where upregulation of this long ncRNA may be a critical element in metastatic progression.

Genome sequencing and analysis of Aspergillus oryzae

Abstract: The genome of Aspergillus oryzae, a fungus important for the production of traditional fermented foods and beverages in Japan, has been sequenced. The ability to secrete large amounts of proteins and the development of a transformation system have facilitated the use of A. oryzae in modern biotechnology. Although both A. oryzae and Aspergillus flavus belong to the section Flavi of the subgenus Circumdati of Aspergillus, A. oryzae, unlike A. flavus, does not produce aflatoxin, and its long history of use in the food industry has proved its safety. Here we show that the 37-megabase (Mb) genome of A. oryzae contains 12,074 genes and is expanded by 7-9 Mb in comparison with the genomes of Aspergillus nidulans and Aspergillus fumigatus. Comparison of the three aspergilli species revealed the presence of syntenic blocks and A. oryzae-specific blocks (lacking synteny with A. nidulans and A. fumigatus) in a mosaic manner throughout the genome of A. oryzae. The blocks of A. oryzae-specific sequence are enriched for genes involved in metabolism, particularly those for the synthesis of secondary metabolites. Specific expansion of genes for secretory hydrolytic enzymes, amino acid metabolism and amino acid/sugar uptake transporters supports the idea that A. oryzae is an ideal microorganism for fermentation.

Improved Climate Simulation by MIROC5: Mean States, Variability, and Climate Sensitivity

Abstract: A new version of the atmosphere–ocean general circulation model cooperatively produced by the Japanese research community, known as the Model for Interdisciplinary Research on Climate (MIROC), has recently been developed. A century-long control experiment was performed using the new version (MIROC5) with the standard resolution of the T85 atmosphere and 1° ocean models. The climatological mean state and variability are then compared with observations and those in a previous version (MIROC3.2) with two different resolutions (medres, hires), coarser and finer than the resolution of MIROC5. A few aspects of the mean fields in MIROC5 are similar to or slightly worse than MIROC3.2, but otherwise the climatological features are considerably better. In particular, improvements are found in precipitation, zonal mean atmospheric fields, equatorial ocean subsurface fields, and the simulation of El Nino–Southern Oscillation. The difference between MIROC5 and the previous model is larger than that between th...