University of Tsukuba

About: University of Tsukuba is a education organization based out in Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Gene. The organization has 36352 authors who have published 79483 publications receiving 1934752 citations. The organization is also known as: Tsukuba daigaku & Tsukuba University.

Insect reactions to light and its applications to pest management

Abstract: Insects are able to see ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Nocturnal insects are often attracted to light sources that emit large amounts of UV radiation, and devices that exploit this behavior, such as light traps for forecasting pest outbreaks, and electric insect killers, have been developed. Some diurnal species are attracted to yellow; yellow pan traps are used for conducting surveys for pest outbreaks and yellow sticky plates are used for pest control. Lamps that give off yellow illumination have been used effectively to control the activity of nocturnal moths and thus reduce damage to fruit, vegetables, and flowers. Covering cultivation facilities with film that filters out near-UV radiation reduces the invasion of pests such as whiteflies and thrips into the facilities, thus reducing damage. Reflective material placed on cultivated land can control the approach of flying insects such as aphids. Future development and use of new light sources such as light-emitting diodes is anticipated for promoting integrated pest management.

The transcriptional programme of antibody class switching involves the repressor Bach2

Abstract: Activated B cells differentiate to plasma cells to secrete IgM or, after undergoing class switch recombination (CSR), to secrete other classes of immunoglobulins1,2,3,4. Diversification of antibody function by CSR is important for humoral immunity. However, it remains unclear how the decision for the bifurcation is made. Bach2 is a B-cell-specific transcription repressor interacting with the small Maf proteins whose expression is high only before the plasma cell stage5,6,7. Here we show that Bach2 is critical for CSR and somatic hypermutation (SHM)2,4,8 of immunoglobulin genes. Genetic ablation of Bach2 in mice revealed that Bach2 was required for both T-cell-independent and T-cell-dependent IgG responses and SHM. When stimulated in vitro, Bach2-deficient B cells produced IgM, as did wild-type cells, and abundantly expressed Blimp-1 (refs 9, 10) and XBP-1 (ref. 11), critical regulators of the plasmacytic differentiation12, indicating that Bach2 was not required for the plasmacytic differentiation itself. However, they failed to undergo efficient CSR. These findings define Bach2 as a key regulator of antibody response and provide an insight into the orchestration of CSR and SHM during plasma cell differentiation.

Sensing single remote nuclear spins

Abstract: A single nuclear spin is detected at a distance of ∼3 nm from a nitrogen-vacancy centre in diamond.

A pectin glucuronyltransferase gene is essential for intercellular attachment in the plant meristem

Abstract: Intercellular attachment is an essential process in the morphogenesis of multicellular organisms. A unique mutant, nolac-H18 (nonorganogenic callus with loosely attached cells), generated by T-DNA transformation using leaf-disk cultures of haploid Nicotiana plumbaginifolia, lost the ability to form tight intercellular attachments and adventitious shoots. The gene tagged with T-DNA, named NpGUT1 (glucuronyltransferase 1), was similar to the gene for the catalytic domains of animal glucuronyltransferases and was expressed predominantly in shoot and root apical meristems. The transformation of NpGUT1 complemented the nolac-H18 mutation, and the expression of antisense NpGUT1 RNA produced crumbled shoots. The mutation caused defects in the glucuronic acid of rhamnogalacturonan II of pectin, which drastically reduced the formation of borate cross-linking of rhamnogalacturonan II. NpGUT1, which encodes a unique glucuronyltransferase, is a glycosyltransferase gene identified in pectin biosynthesis and is essential for intercellular attachment in plant meristems and tissues.