Showing papers by "University of Tsukuba published in 1992"
TL;DR: The functions of the ETs, focusing especially on the molecular characteristics of their receptors, are discussed, involving at least two distinct subtypes of ET receptor.
577 citations
TL;DR: The deduced amino-acid sequence of the receptor yields a hydropathy profile characteristic of receptors with seven putative transmembrane regions, which indicates that the ADH receptor is a member of the superfamily of G-protein-coupled receptors.
Abstract: ANTIDIURESIS, the recovery of water from the lumen of the renal collecting tubule, is regulated by the hypothalamic release of antidiuretic hormone (ADH), which binds to specific receptors on renal collecting tubule cells, stimulates adenylyl cyclase and promotes the cyclic AMP-mediated incorporation of water pores into the luminal surface of these cells'1–3. We report here the isolation of the human ADH receptor gene using a genomic expression cloning approach4. The gene was used to clone the complementary DNA from a human renal library. The deduced amino-acid sequence of the receptor yields a hydropathy profile characteristic of receptors with seven putative transmembrane regions. This and the comparison with other cloned receptors indicates that the ADH receptor is a member of the superfamily of G-protein-coupled receptors.
509 citations
TL;DR: These data provide the first evidence that substantial quantities of free D‐serine are present in mammalian brain tissues, and a peak X, which exhibited the same retention time as the N,O‐pentafluoropropionyl isopropyl derivative of authentic D‐Serine, was detected in the brain extracts.
423 citations
TL;DR: Two regions of the HCV genome were characterized by a high degree of conservation of nucleotide sequence: 5'UTR and the 3' half of the NS4 region, which suggests a region for internal ribosomal entry within the NS1/E2 coding region.
390 citations
TL;DR: Many fungi in the centre of the group of Fusarium and its teleomorphs were shown to be capable of reducing nitrite anaerobically to form nitric oxide (NO), nitrous oxide (N 2O), and/or dinitrogen (N2).
Abstract: Many fungi in the centre of the group of Fusarium and its teleomorphs were shown to be capable of reducing nitrite anaerobically to form nitric oxide (NO), nitrous oxide (N2O), and/or dinitrogen (N2). Several strains could reduce nitrate as well. Nitrous oxide was the major product of the reduction of nitrate or nitrite. Several fungi could also form N2. When [15]nitrite was used as substrate for the N2-forming dinitrification, 15N2O, 15NO, and 14N15N were obtained as the products. These results demonstrated that, unexpectedly, many fungi have denitrifying abilities. It was also shown that the fungal system contains a unique reaction, formation of a hybrid dinitrogen.
389 citations
TL;DR: In this article, structure refinements were conducted on LiNbO3 crystals with four different compositions, ranging from near stoichiometric (Li (Li + Nb) = 0.498 ) to highly nonstoichiometric, by the X-ray single-crystal diffraction and the TOF neutron powder diffraction methods.
378 citations
TL;DR: A mouse testis cDNA encoded a 655-residue protein, designated PC4, containing a bacterial subtilisin-like catalytic domain closely related to those of the recently characterized precursor-processing endoproteases, furin, PC1/PC3, PC2, and Kex2.
238 citations
230 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a systematic reanalysis of the charge distributions of ions has been performed based on recent findings that the variation of charge fractions, mean charges, and charge distribution widths with ion energy E and projectile atomic number Z is strongly dependent on the shell structure of the ions.
200 citations
Journal Article•
TL;DR: Plasma ET-1 levels correlated inversely with carbon monoxide diffusing capacity (DLco) and may be useful as a predictor of prognosis of SSc.
Abstract: Endothelin-1 (ET-1) is a novel potent vasoconstrictor peptide discovered in the supernatant fraction of cultured endothelial cells. We measured plasma levels of ET-1 using a sensitive sandwich enzyme immunoassay. Plasma concentrations of ET-1 in 31 patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) (1.90 +/- 0.47 pg/ml) were higher than those (1.31 +/- 0.10 pg/ml) in 25 age and sex matched healthy subjects. Patients with SSc with diffuse scleroderma had higher levels of ET-1 compared with those with limited scleroderma. Plasma ET-1 levels correlated inversely with carbon monoxide diffusing capacity (DLco). Measurement of plasma ET-1 levels may be useful as a predictor of prognosis of SSc.
161 citations
TL;DR: The purified and characterized furin from the conditioned medium of cultured cells unequivocally demonstrate that furin is an endogenous cellular protease responsible for cleavage of precursor proteins mainly at RXK/RR sites.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors report the experimental observation of the crumpled conformation in an aqueous suspension of graphite oxide membranes, and they show that the conformations have a fractal dimension of 2.54 ± 0.05.
Abstract: MEMBRANES composed of bilayers of amphiphiles such as phospholipids generally exhibit two-dimensional liquid-like structure within the layers. When the constituent molecules of such a membrane are permanently cross-linked to each other, the membrane becomes less flexible, forming a two-dimensional solid. Solid membranes are expected to exhibit very different behaviour from their liquid counterparts1–3, including transitions between a two-dimensional flat phase, a crumpled phase of fractal dimension 2.5 and a compact, three-dimensional phase. Experimental evidence for the crumpled phase has, however, been lacking. As this phase was not observed in computer simulations4–6, it has been suggested that it may always be absent for self-avoiding (and therefore all real) membranes4–6. To the contrary, we report here the experimental observation of the crumpled conformation in an aqueous suspension of graphite oxide membranes. Static light scattering measurements indicate the presence of membrane conformations with a fractal dimension of 2.54 ±0.05. As the intra-membrane affinity is enhanced by changing the composition of the solvent, the membranes collapse to a compact configuration.
TL;DR: An attempt to use microgrooves as blood flow channels in single-crystal silicon is described, and the ratio of blood flow velocity to pressure gradient in the channels was comparable with estimates for capillary vessels in vivo.
TL;DR: The size dependence of the intrinsic width in a microcrystal shows an increment in the decay rate of the zone-center phonon, and it is in good agreement with predictions of the phonon confinement model.
Abstract: Raman-scattering spectra of LO-phonon modes in CdSe microcrystals of various sizes in a germanate glass matrix are measured. The frequency of the peak shifts towards the lower-frequency side and the bandwidth broadens with decreasing microcrystal size. The size dependences of the peak shift and the broadening of the bandwidth agree with those calculated on the basis of the phonon confinement model. These results show that these size dependences originate from the relaxation of the q-vector selection rule. From the temperature dependence of the Raman-scattering spectra, we find that the bandwidth consists of a temperature-dependent intrinsic width of a zone-center phonon and a temperature-independent additional width due to phonon dispersion. We find that the size dependence of the intrinsic width in a microcrystal shows an increment in the decay rate of the zone-center phonon, and it is in good agreement with predictions of the phonon confinement model.
TL;DR: Yasunari et al. as mentioned in this paper examined the statistical and dynamical links between the Asian summer monsoon, the atmosphere/ocean system in the tropics and the westerly flow regimes in the extratropics.
Abstract: The role of the Asian summer monsoon on the interannual variability of the global climate system particularly relevant to the ENSO time scales is discussed, by examining the statistical and dynamical links between the Asian summer monsoon, the atmosphere/ocean system in the tropics and the westerly flow regimes in the extratropics. The Asian monsoon, the ocean and the atmosphere in the tropical Pacific are tightly linked together as one climate system, named here as the MAOS (Monsoon and the Coupled Atmosphere/Ocean System). The MAOS prominently shows the biennial oscillatory nature which tends to have anomalous states starting in the northern summer monsoon season and persisting for about one year (Yasunari, 1990a: 1991). The anomalous state of the MAOS produces the anomalous atmospheric circulation over the subtropics and the extratropics of the north Pacific during summer through the early winter, through the modulation of the subtropical high and the stationary Rossby wave propagation mechanism. In the mid winter, this anomalous circulation over the north Pacific is evolved to the hemispheric winter anomalous circulation with wavenumber-one and/or-two structure. The anomalous circulation over Eurasia associated with this hemispheric anomalous flow regime seems to provide a favorable condition for the extensive (or diminished) snow cover area over central Asia, which in turn is responsible for the reversed anomalous state of the next Asian summer monsoon and the MAOS. That is, the biennial nature of the climate system in the northern hemisphere may be due, at least partly, to this two-way interactions between the tropics and the extratropics. In these processes, the Asian monsoon plays a key role as a transmitter of climate signals between the tropics and the extratropics through the land/atmosphere/ocean interaction in the seasonal cycle. In addition, it is strongly suggested that the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), in reality, plays a crucial role in the timing of the occurrence of the ENSO event, by stochastically amplifying or damping the biennial oscillation of this coupled climate system. That is, the more or less irregular ENSO cycle may result from this interaction between the MAOS and the NAO, where the former seems to have the nature of an almost-intransitive climate system, while the latter seems to represent the more chaotic nature of the westerly flow regime.
TL;DR: In endothelial cells, cystine transport activity seems to be involved in the cell defense against oxidative stress, and the extracellular glutathione levels were increased at that time, suggesting the efflux of glutATHione.
Abstract: The uptake of L-cystine into cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells was Na+ independent and inhibited competitively by glutamate. It is concluded that the uptake of cystine in endothelial cells is mediated by system x-c. The contents of glutathione in endothelial cells decreased when the cells were cultured in cystine-free medium or in glutamate-enriched medium, suggesting that the glutathione level in endothelial cells is regulated by the cystine uptake via system x-c. The uptake rate of cystine increased three times the normal rate when the cells were exposed to H2O2 generated by glucose and glucose oxidase. This increase required protein synthesis. The cystine transport activity was also enhanced when the cells were cocultured with activated polymorphonuclear leukocytes. Intracellular glutathione levels were decreased when the cells were exposed to H2O2 despite an increase in the cystine uptake. The extracellular glutathione levels were increased at that time, suggesting the efflux of glutathione. In endothelial cells, cystine transport activity seems to be involved in the cell defense against oxidative stress.
TL;DR: In this paper, an imaging plate (IP) has been applied to high pressure diffraction experiments with a diamond anvil cell using synchrotron radiation, and a histogram method was successfully developed to integrate the intensity data on the IP.
Abstract: In order to obtain reliable data on d values and integrated intensities, an imaging plate (IP) has been applied to high‐pressure diffraction experiments with a diamond anvil cell using synchrotron radiation. The IP was found to be more effective than a conventional x‐ray film by a factor of 30, and more effective than an energy dispersive method by several times. In order to integrate the intensity data on the IP, a histogram method was successfully developed. This combination proved to give a lattice constant with relative accuracy of 2×10−4, and observed integrated intensities which excellently agree with calculated ones.
TL;DR: The structures of ZnFe 2 O 4 fine particles prepared by a coprecipitation method have been studied by time-of-flight neutron powder diffraction at room temperature as mentioned in this paper.
TL;DR: In this paper, the microstructure and the M, temperature were systematically investigated for three types of Ti-Ni-Nb shape memory alloys, namely, Ti 50-x / 2 Ni 50-X / 2 Nb x, Ti 50 Ni 50x Nbx and Ti 50x Ni 50 Nb X covering a wide composition range, by utilizing optical microscopy, SEM, EPMA, X-ray diffraction and DSC.
Abstract: The microstructure and the M, temperature were systematically investigated for three types of Ti-Ni-Nb shape memory alloys, Ti 50-x / 2 Ni 50-x / 2 Nb x , Ti 50 Ni 50-x Nb x and Ti 50-x Ni 50 Nb x covering a wide composition range, by utilizing optical microscopy, SEM, EPMA, X-ray diffraction and DSC. Consequently, the following results were obtained. Addition of Nb promotes phase separation
TL;DR: Alkaline phosphatase-inducing assay using the recombinant BMP proteins has shown that at least BMP-2 and -4 have similar activity to mammalian counterparts.
TL;DR: The results suggest that, as in Drosophila, retrotransposons are the major transposon class in rice.
Abstract: Three families of retrotransposons of rice (Tos1,Tos2, andTos3) were isolated by using a method based on the sequence conservation of the primer binding site for reverse transcription. This method should be generally applicable for cloning retrotransposons of other plants. One retrotransposon,Tos3-1, was studied in detail.Tos3-1 is 5.2 kb long, has structures common to retrotransposons, such as long terminal repeats (LTR), a primer binding site complementary to the initiator tRNA, a polypurine tract, and generates target sequence duplications flanking the inserted element. Southern blotting analysis showed that sequences homologous toTosl, 2 and3 are found in wild rice species as well as in cultivated rice species, but not in maize and tobacco. The copy number and genomic location of the families vary in different strains of one species of wild rice, suggesting that these elements may still be active. Retrotransposons were also screened for by amplification of the reverse transcriptase coding region using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). At least two types of copia-like elements (Tos4] andTos5) were found. The total copy number of retrotransposons in the rice genome was estimated to be about 1000. These results suggest that, as inDrosophila, retrotransposons are the major transposon class in rice.
TL;DR: Results indicate that antibodies against antigenic determinants of the hepatitis C virus core would complement anti‐C100‐3 for the diagnosis of non‐A, non‐B liver disease and contribute toward further decreasing the incidence of posttransfusion non‐ A,non‐B hepatitis.
TL;DR: It is shown that LMP can be solved efficiently by the combination of the parametric simplex method and any standard convex minimization procedure, and can be extended to a convex multiplicative programming problem (CMP), which minimizes the product of two convex functions under convex constraints.
Abstract: An algorithm for solving a linear multiplicative programming problem (referred to as LMP) is proposed. LMP minimizes the product of two linear functions subject to general linear constraints. The product of two linear functions is a typical non-convex function, so that it can have multiple local minima. It is shown, however, that LMP can be solved efficiently by the combination of the parametric simplex method and any standard convex minimization procedure. The computational results indicate that the amount of computation is not much different from that of solving linear programs of the same size. In addition, the method proposed for LMP can be extended to a convex multiplicative programming problem (CMP), which minimizes the product of two convex functions under convex constraints.
TL;DR: In this article, the production and event topology of three-jet events produced in {ital p{bar p}} collisions at {radical}{ital s} = 1.8 TeV have been studied with the Collider Detector at Fermilab at the Tevatron Collider.
Abstract: The production and event topology of three-jet events produced in {ital p{bar p}} collisions at {radical}{ital s} =1.8 TeV have been studied with the Collider Detector at Fermilab at the Tevatron Collider. The distributions of the three-jet angular variables ({psi}{sup *} and cos{theta}{sup *}) and of the variables describing the energy sharing between jets ({ital x}{sub 3} and {ital x}{sub 4}) are found to agree well with tree-level QCD calculations. These distributions are predicted to have different shapes for different initial-state subprocesses (quark-antiquark, quark-gluon, and gluon-gluon). The data are consistent with the small expected contribution from quark-antiquark initial states, in agreement with theoretical expectations.
TL;DR: These rules are compatible with those proposed by comparison of precursor sequences around mono-arginyl cleavage sites and provide evidence that precursor cleavages at mono- arginyl and dibasic sites can be catalyzed by the same Kex2-like processing endoprotease, PC1/PC3.
TL;DR: Beams of a He-Ne laser and a laser diode were used for measuring the refractive indices of pure water and some organic liquids.
Abstract: A simple method for measuring the refractive index of liquid is presented. When a laser beam impinges obliquely on a rectangular cell filled with liquid and passes through the cell, the propagation axis of the transmitted beam is displaced from that of the incident beam. By measuring the displacement, we can determine the refractive index of the liquid. Beams of a He-Ne laser and a laser diode were used for measuring the refractive indices of pure water and some organic liquids.
TL;DR: The consensus sequences of the four regions that form the catalytic sites of amylolytic enzymes are conserved in the central region of the rice BE-I sequence, which indicates that riceBE-I as well as the maize protein belongs to a family of amylotic enzymes.
Abstract: Four forms of branching enzyme, termed RBE1, RBE2 (a mixture of RBE2A and RBE2B), RBE3, and RBE4, were apparently separated by DEAE-cellulose column chromatography of soluble extract from immature rice seeds, and each of these four forms was further purified by gel-filtration. RBE1, RBE2A, and RBE2B were the predominant forms of the enzyme. The molecular size, amino-terminal amino acid sequence, and immunoreactivity with anti-maize branching enzyme-I (BE-I) antibody were identical among these three forms, except that the molecular mass of RBE2A was almost 3 kDa higher than those of RBE1 and RBE2B. These results indicate that RBE1, RBE2A, and RBE2B are the same (termed rice BE-I). The cDNA clones coding for rice BE-I have been identified from a rice seed library in lambda gt11, using the maize BE-I cDNA as a probe. The nucleotide sequence indicates that rice BE-I is initially synthesized as an 820-residue precursor protein, including a putative 64- or 66-residue transit peptide at the amino terminus. The rice mature BE-I contains 756 (or 754) amino acids with a calculated molecular mass of 86,734 (or 86,502) Da, and shares a high degree of sequence identity (86%) with the maize protein. The consensus sequences of the four regions that form the catalytic sites of amylolytic enzymes are conserved in the central region of the rice BE-I sequence. Thus, rice BE-I as well as the maize protein belongs to a family of amylolytic enzymes.
TL;DR: In this paper, the global existence of smooth solutions to the equations of nonlinear hyperbolic system of 2nd order with third order viscosity is shown for small and smooth initial data in a bounded domain ofn-dimensional Euclidean space with smooth boundary.
Abstract: The global existence of smooth solutions to the equations of nonlinear hyperbolic system of 2nd order with third order viscosity is shown for small and smooth initial data in a bounded domain ofn-dimensional Euclidean space with smooth boundary. Dirichlet boundary condition is studied and the asymptotic behaviour of exponential decay type of solutions ast tending to ∞ is described. Time periodic solutions are also studied. As an application of our main theorem, nonlinear viscoelasticity, strongly damped nonlinear wave equation and acoustic wave equation in viscous conducting fluid are treated.