{"title":"Possibilities and challenges of small molecule organic compounds for the treatment of repeat diseases.","authors":"Kazuhiko Nakatani","doi":"10.2183/pjab.98.003","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2183/pjab.98.003","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The instability of repeat sequences in the human genome results in the onset of many neurological diseases if the repeats expand above a certain threshold. The transcripts containing long repeats sequester RNA binding proteins. The mechanism of repeat instability involves metastable slip-out hairpin DNA structures. Synthetic organic chemists have focused on the development of small organic molecules targeting repeat DNA and RNA sequences to treat neurological diseases with repeat-binding molecules. Our laboratory has studied a series of small molecules binding to mismatched base pairs and found molecules capable of binding CAG repeat DNA, which causes Huntington's disease upon expansion, CUG repeat RNA, a typical toxic RNA causing myotonic dystrophy type 1, and UGGAA repeat RNA causing spinocerebellar ataxia type 31. These molecules exhibited significant beneficial effects on disease models in vivo, suggesting the possibilities for small molecules as drugs for treating these neurological diseases.</p>","PeriodicalId":20707,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the Japan Academy. Series B, Physical and Biological Sciences","volume":"98 1","pages":"30-48"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/cb/34/pjab-98-030.PMC8795530.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"39922116","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Functional genomics in plant abiotic stress responses and tolerance: From gene discovery to complex regulatory networks and their application in breeding.","authors":"Kazuo Shinozaki, Kazuko Yamaguchi-Shinozaki","doi":"10.2183/pjab.98.024","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2183/pjab.98.024","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Land plants have developed sophisticated systems to cope with severe stressful environmental conditions during evolution. Plants have complex molecular systems to respond and adapt to abiotic stress, including drought, cold, and heat stress. Since 1989, we have been working to understand the complex molecular mechanisms of plant responses to severe environmental stress conditions based on functional genomics approaches with Arabidopsis thaliana as a model plant. We focused on the function of drought-inducible genes and the regulation of their stress-inducible transcription, perception and cellular signal transduction of stress signals to describe plant stress responses and adaptation at the molecular and cellular levels. We have identified key genes and factors in the regulation of complex responses and tolerance of plants in response to dehydration and temperature stresses. In this review article, we describe our 30-year experience in research and development based on functional genomics to understand sophisticated systems in plant response and adaptation to environmental stress conditions.</p>","PeriodicalId":20707,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the Japan Academy. Series B, Physical and Biological Sciences","volume":"98 8","pages":"470-492"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/69/0e/pjab-98-470.PMC9614206.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"33519997","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Chao Gu, Yuan Gao, Ruilan Han, Min Guo, Hong Liu, Jie Gao, Yang Liu, Bing Li, Lijun Sun, Ren Bu, Yang Liu, Jian Hao, Yan Meng, Ming An, Xiaodong Cao, Changhai Su, Gang Li
{"title":"Metabolomics of clinical samples reveal the treatment mechanism of lanthanum hydroxide on vascular calcification in chronic kidney disease.","authors":"Chao Gu, Yuan Gao, Ruilan Han, Min Guo, Hong Liu, Jie Gao, Yang Liu, Bing Li, Lijun Sun, Ren Bu, Yang Liu, Jian Hao, Yan Meng, Ming An, Xiaodong Cao, Changhai Su, Gang Li","doi":"10.2183/pjab.98.019","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2183/pjab.98.019","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Previous studies showed that lanthanum hydroxide (LH) has a therapeutic effect on chronic kidney disease (CKD) and vascular calcification, which suggests that it might have clinical value. However, the target and mechanism of action of LH are unclear. Metabolomics of clinical samples can be used to predict the mechanism of drug action. In this study, metabolomic profiles in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) were used to screen related signaling pathways, and we verified the influence of LH on the ROS-PI3K-AKT-mTOR-HIF-1α signaling pathway by western blotting and quantitative real-time RT-qPCR in vivo and in vitro. We found that ROS and SLC16A10 genes were activated in patients with ESRD. The SLC16A10 gene is associated with six significant metabolites (L-cysteine, L-cystine, L-isoleucine, L-arginine, L-aspartic acid, and L-phenylalanine) and the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway. The results showed that LH inhibits the ESRD process and its cardiovascular complications by inhibiting the ROS-PI3K-AKT-mTOR-HIF-1α signaling pathway. Collectively, LH may be a candidate phosphorus binder for the treatment of vascular calcification in ESRD.</p>","PeriodicalId":20707,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the Japan Academy. Series B, Physical and Biological Sciences","volume":"98 7","pages":"361-377"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/a5/b3/pjab-98-361.PMC9363596.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40657597","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Design and synthesis of biologically active carbaglycosylamines: From glycosidase inhibitors to pharmacological chaperones.","authors":"Seiichiro Ogawa, Shinichi Kuno, Tatsushi Toyokuni","doi":"10.2183/pjab.98.018","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2183/pjab.98.018","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>For over 50 years, our group has been involved in synthetic studies on biologically active cyclitols including carbasugars. Among a variety of compounds synthesized, this review focuses on carbaglycosylamine glycosidase inhibitors, highlighting the following: (1) the naturally occurring N-linked carbaoligosaccharide α-amylase inhibitor acarbose and related compounds; (2) the novel synthetic β-glycosidase inhibitors, 1'-epi-acarviosin and its 6-hydroxy analogue as well as β-valienaminylceramide and its 4'-epimer; (3) the discovery of the β-glycosidase inhibitors with chaperone activity, N-octyl-β-valienamine (NOV) and its 4-epimer (NOEV); and (4) the recent development of the potential pharmacological chaperone N-alkyl-conduramine F-4 derivatives.</p>","PeriodicalId":20707,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the Japan Academy. Series B, Physical and Biological Sciences","volume":"98 7","pages":"336-360"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/32/e5/pjab-98-336.PMC9363598.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40657595","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The UHRF protein family in epigenetics, development, and carcinogenesis.","authors":"Motoko Unoki, Hiroyuki Sasaki","doi":"10.2183/pjab.98.021","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2183/pjab.98.021","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The UHRF protein family consists of multidomain regulatory proteins that sense modification status of DNA and/or proteins and catalyze the ubiquitylation of target proteins. Through their functional domains, they interact with other molecules and serve as a hub for regulatory networks of several important biological processes, including maintenance of DNA methylation and DNA damage repair. The UHRF family is conserved in vertebrates and plants but is missing from fungi and many nonvertebrate animals. Mammals commonly have UHRF1 and UHRF2, but, despite their high structural similarity, the two paralogues appear to have distinct functions. Furthermore, UHRF1 and UHRF2 show different expression patterns and different outcomes in gene knockout experiments. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge on the molecular function of the UHRF family in various biological pathways and discuss their roles in epigenetics, development, gametogenesis, and carcinogenesis, with a focus on the mammalian UHRF proteins.</p>","PeriodicalId":20707,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the Japan Academy. Series B, Physical and Biological Sciences","volume":"98 8","pages":"401-415"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/39/94/pjab-98-401.PMC9614205.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"33519993","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Recent volcanic activity at the Asama volcano and long-period seismic signals.","authors":"Minoru Takeo, Yosuke Aoki, Takao Koyama","doi":"10.2183/pjab.98.022","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2183/pjab.98.022","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Modern observation systems composed of seismic, geodetic, other geophysical, and geochemical networks developed in and around volcanic areas provide a mass of knowledge about volcanic activities. This paper summarizes the magma pathway and recent volcanic activity of the Asama volcano. The seismic velocity structure beneath the Asama volcano was investigated via seismic ambient noise tomography and active source seismic tomography. The magma pathway in the upper crust beneath the Asama volcano was synthesized by combining the velocity structure with a hypocenter distribution of volcanic earthquakes and ground deformations before and after eruptions. Temporal evolutions of multidiscipline data regarding the volcanic activity from October 2003 to January 2018 revealed that the supplied amount of magma from the magma chamber and the internal condition in the shallow regions of the conduit controlled the recent eruptions.</p>","PeriodicalId":20707,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the Japan Academy. Series B, Physical and Biological Sciences","volume":"98 8","pages":"416-438"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/f6/75/pjab-98-416.PMC9614207.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"33498511","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Multiple roles of endocytosis and autophagy in intracellular remodeling during oocyte-to-embryo transition.","authors":"Ken Sato","doi":"10.2183/pjab.98.013","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2183/pjab.98.013","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Fertilization is the starting point for creating new progeny. At this time, the highly differentiated oocyte and sperm fuse to form one zygote, which is then converted into a pluripotent early embryo. Recent studies have shown that the lysosomal degradation system via autophagy and endocytosis plays important roles in the remodeling of intracellular components during oocyte-to-embryo transition. For example, in Caenorhabditis elegans, zygotes show high endocytic activity, and some populations of maternal membrane proteins are selectively internalized and delivered to lysosomes for degradation. Furthermore, fertilization triggers selective autophagy of sperm-derived paternal mitochondria, which establishes maternal inheritance of mitochondrial DNA. In addition, it has been shown that autophagy via liquid-liquid phase separation results in the selective degradation of some germ granule components, which are distributed to somatic cells of early embryos. This review outlines the physiological functions of the lysosomal degradation system and its molecular mechanisms in C. elegans and mouse embryos.</p>","PeriodicalId":20707,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the Japan Academy. Series B, Physical and Biological Sciences","volume":"98 5","pages":"207-221"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/8e/02/pjab-98-207.PMC9130481.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10251416","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"From Nobeyama Radio Observatory to the international project ALMA -Evolution of millimeter and submillimeter wave astronomy in Japan.","authors":"Masato Ishiguro, Kurazo Chiba, Seiichi Sakamoto","doi":"10.2183/pjab.98.023","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2183/pjab.98.023","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The establishment of the Nobeyama Radio Observatory (NRO) in 1982 was an important event that greatly influenced the subsequent development of Japanese astronomy. The 45 m radio telescope and the Nobeyama Millimeter Array (NMA) pushed Japanese radio astronomy to the forefront of the world. As a plan beyond the Nobeyama telescopes, the Japanese radio astronomy community considered a large array to achieve unprecedented resolution at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths under the project name of the Large Millimeter and Submillimeter Array (LMSA). After long and patient discussions and negotiations with the United States and Europe, the LMSA plan eventually led to the ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array) as an international joint project, and the ALMA was inaugurated in 2013. This paper reviews the process from the establishment of the NRO to the realization of the ALMA, including planning of the LMSA, international negotiations, site survey, instrumental developments, and initial science results.</p>","PeriodicalId":20707,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the Japan Academy. Series B, Physical and Biological Sciences","volume":"98 8","pages":"439-469"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/f7/f6/pjab-98-439.PMC9614208.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"33519994","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Bacteria with a mouth: Discovery and new insights into cell surface structure and macromolecule transport.","authors":"Kousaku Murata, Shigeyuki Kawai, Wataru Hashimoto","doi":"10.2183/pjab.98.027","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2183/pjab.98.027","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A bacterium with a \"mouth\"-like pit structure isolated for the first time in the history of microbiology was a Gram-negative rod, containing glycosphingolipids in the cell envelope, and named Sphingomonas sp. strain A1. The pit was dynamic, with repetitive opening and closing during growth on alginate, and directly included alginate concentrated around the pit, particularly by flagellins, an alginate-binding protein localized on the cell surface. Alginate incorporated into the periplasm was subsequently transferred to the cytoplasm by cooperative interactions of periplasmic solute-binding proteins and an ATP-binding cassette transporter in the cytoplasmic membrane. The mechanisms of assembly, functions, and interactions between the above-mentioned molecules were clarified using structural biology. The pit was transplanted into other strains of sphingomonads, and the pitted recombinant cells were effectively applied to the production of bioethanol, bioremediation for dioxin removal, and other tasks. Studies of the function of the pit shed light on the biological significance of cell surface structures and macromolecule transport in bacteria.</p>","PeriodicalId":20707,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the Japan Academy. Series B, Physical and Biological Sciences","volume":"98 10","pages":"529-552"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/e9/d7/pjab-98-529.PMC9751261.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10723739","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Structural studies of functional nucleosome complexes with transacting factors.","authors":"Hitoshi Kurumizaka","doi":"10.2183/pjab.98.001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2183/pjab.98.001","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In eukaryotic cells, the genomic DNA is hierarchically organized into chromatin. Chromatin structures and dynamics influence all nuclear functions that are guided by DNA, and thus regulate gene expression. Chromatin structure aberrations cause various health issues, such as cancer, lifestyle-related diseases, mental disorders, infertility, congenital diseases, and infectious diseases. Many studies have unveiled the fundamental features and the heterogeneity of the nucleosome, which is the basic repeating unit of chromatin. The nucleosome is the highly conserved primary chromatin architecture in eukaryotes, but it also has structural versatility. Therefore, analyses of these primary chromatin structures will clarify the higher-order chromatin architecture. This review focuses on structural and functional studies of nucleosomes, based on our research accomplishments.</p>","PeriodicalId":20707,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the Japan Academy. Series B, Physical and Biological Sciences","volume":"98 1","pages":"1-14"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/d7/c5/pjab-98-001.PMC8795532.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"39685141","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}