The medaka draft genome and insights into vertebrate genome evolution

Teleosts comprise more than half of all vertebrate species and have adapted to a variety of marine and freshwater habitats. Their genome evolution and diversification are important subjects for the understanding of vertebrate evolution. Although draft genome sequences of two pufferfishes have been published, analysis of more fish genomes is desirable. Here we report a high-quality draft genome sequence of a small egg-laying freshwater teleost, medaka (Oryzias latipes). Medaka is native to East Asia and an excellent model system for a wide range of biology, including ecotoxicology, carcinogenesis, sex determination and developmental genetics. In the assembled medaka genome (700 megabases), which is less than half of the zebrafish genome, we predicted 20,141 genes, including approximately 2,900 new genes, using 5'-end serial analysis of gene expression tag information. We found single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at an average rate of 3.42% between the two inbred strains derived from two regional populations; this is the highest SNP rate seen in any vertebrate species. Analyses based on the dense SNP information show a strict genetic separation of 4 million years (Myr) between the two populations, and suggest that differential selective pressures acted on specific gene categories. Four-way comparisons with the human, pufferfish (Tetraodon), zebrafish and medaka genomes revealed that eight major interchromosomal rearrangements took place in a remarkably short period of approximately 50 Myr after the whole-genome duplication event in the teleost ancestor and afterwards, intriguingly, the medaka genome preserved its ancestral karyotype for more than 300 Myr.     

Cloning of adiponectin receptors that mediate antidiabetic metabolic effects

Adiponectin (also known as 30-kDa adipocyte complement-related protein; Acrp30) is a hormone secreted by adipocytes that acts as an antidiabetic and anti-atherogenic adipokine. Levels of adiponectin in the blood are decreased under conditions of obesity, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Administration of adiponectin causes glucose-lowering effects and ameliorates insulin resistance in mice. Conversely, adiponectin-deficient mice exhibit insulin resistance and diabetes. This insulin-sensitizing effect of adiponectin seems to be mediated by an increase in fatty-acid oxidation through activation of AMP kinase and PPAR-alpha. Here we report the cloning of complementary DNAs encoding adiponectin receptors 1 and 2 (AdipoR1 and AdipoR2) by expression cloning. AdipoR1 is abundantly expressed in skeletal muscle, whereas AdipoR2 is predominantly expressed in the liver. These two adiponectin receptors are predicted to contain seven transmembrane domains, but to be structurally and functionally distinct from G-protein-coupled receptors. Expression of AdipoR1/R2 or suppression of AdipoR1/R2 expression by small-interfering RNA supports our conclusion that they serve as receptors for globular and full-length adiponectin, and that they mediate increased AMP kinase and PPAR-alpha ligand activities, as well as fatty-acid oxidation and glucose uptake by adiponectin.     

GIBBERELLIN INSENSITIVE DWARF1 encodes a soluble receptor for gibberellin

Gibberellins (GAs) are phytohormones that are essential for many developmental processes in plants. It has been postulated that plants have both membrane-bound and soluble GA receptors; however, no GA receptors have yet been identified. Here we report the isolation and characterization of a new GA-insensitive dwarf mutant of rice, gid1. The GID1 gene encodes an unknown protein with similarity to the hormone-sensitive lipases, and we observed preferential localization of a GID1-green fluorescent protein (GFP) signal in nuclei. Recombinant glutathione S-transferase (GST)-GID1 had a high affinity only for biologically active GAs, whereas mutated GST-GID1 corresponding to three gid1 alleles had no GA-binding affinity. The dissociation constant for GA4 was estimated to be around 10(-7) M, enough to account for the GA dependency of shoot elongation. Moreover, GID1 bound to SLR1, a rice DELLA protein, in a GA-dependent manner in yeast cells. GID1 overexpression resulted in a GA-hypersensitive phenotype. Together, our results indicate that GID1 is a soluble receptor mediating GA signalling in rice.     

Autoradiographic studies on the experimental pulmonary fibrosis of rats after H3-proline injection

Zusammenfassung Mit einer 2-, 4-, 8- und 16-Wochenbehandlung wurde bei Ratten experimentell eine Lungenfibrose durch SiO₂ verursacht. Später wurde i.p. H³-Prolin injiziert und durch Autoradiographie die pulmonale Fibrose bewertet. In den Pneumokoniose-Herden wurde die Radioaktivität mit der Zeit am intensivsten, wobei die höchste Aktivität in den Kollagenfasern gemessen wurde.     

混流式水轮机进动过程中转轮上冠转动流体力矩研究

通过模型实验和基于整体流动模型的数值模拟研究了混流式水轮机进动过程中作用在转轮上冠的转动流体力矩的基本特性.模型实验中的转轮用一个圆盘来模拟,其上冠与后顶盖之间形成一个很小的轴向间隙.内向流由外部水泵供给.检验分析了间隙内泄漏流速、径向间隙进口处的预旋速度和轴向间隙宽度对流体力矩的影响.研究结果表明,进动流体力矩在很小的正向进动角速率比区间内对转轮的进动具有自激效应,并且进口处预旋速度对自激区间的影响显著.通过对转轮进动过程中流体所产生的转动力矩在转轮旋转和不旋转两种情况下的比较,得出了法向流体力矩在转轮只有进动没有旋转的情况下对转轮的进动没有自激效应.法向流体力矩对进动所产生的自激效应是由转轮转动所形成的漩涡流引起的.