Biomedical subjects

Akiko Ito

Publications and source records attributed to Akiko Ito.

23 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed2003

Linear dominance relationship among four class-II S haplotypes in pollen is determined by the expression of SP11 in Brassica self-incompatibility.

Self-incompatibility (SI) prevents self-fertilization by rejecting pollen from plants with the same S phenotype. The Brassica SI system is controlled sporophytically by multiple alleles at the single locus, S, and dominance relationships among S haplotypes are observed in both stigma and pollen. We have identified previously five different class-II S haplotypes in Brassica campestris. Here, we performed test-crosses between S heterozygotes and their respective parental S homozygotes for four of these class-II S haplotypes, and observed a linear dominance relationship on the pollen side. To determine how this relationship is controlled, we performed RNA gel blot analyses for six S heterozygotes and their respective parental S homozygotes using the corresponding SP11 clone as a probe. In all six S heterozygotes, SP11 derived from a dominant haplotype was predominantly expressed, and SP11 derived from a recessive haplotype was repressed. Thus, the linear dominance relationship of the SI phenotype on the pollen side is regulated by the expression of SP11.

Brassica↗

PubMed2003

Purpura with cold urticaria in a patient with hepatitis C virus infection-associated mixed cryoglobulinemia type III: successful treatment with interferon-beta.

We describe a 54-year-old man with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection-associated cryoglobulinemia type III. The patient had suffered from cold-induced urticaria that left purpuric eruptions up to 1 cm in diameter, intermittent migratory joint pain for seven years and mild liver dysfunction for nine years. Hemophilia A was diagnosed when the patient was 26 years old, and he was then given infusions of factor VIII for a short time. In both skin biopsy samples from urticarial and purpuric eruptions, mild inflammatory infiltration by polymorphonuclear leukocytes with nuclear dust, extravasation of erythrocytes and deposition of IgM and C3 in the superficial blood vessels were observed. After antiviral treatment with interferon-beta, the clinical symptoms and the cryoglobulin and HCV-RNA in the serum disappeared. There has been no recurrence in the subsequent nine years.

Biopsy, Needle↗

PubMed2002

Enforced expression of Bcl-2 restores the number of NK cells, but does not rescue the impaired development of NKT cells or intraepithelial lymphocytes, in IL-2/IL-15 receptor beta-chain-deficient mice.

IL-2/IL-15Rbeta-deficient mice display impaired development of NK cells, NKT cells, and intraepithelial lymphocytes of the intestine and skin. To determine the role of survival signals mediated by IL-2/IL-15R in the development of these innate lymphocytes, we introduced a bcl-2 transgene into IL-2/IL-15Rbeta-deficient mice. Enforced expression of Bcl-2 restored the number of NK cells in IL-2/IL-15Rbeta-deficient mice, but the rescued NK cells showed no cytotoxic activity. The numbers of NKT cells and intestinal intraepithelial lymphocytes did not increase significantly, and skin intraepithelial lymphocytes remained undetectable in the bcl-2 transgenic IL-2/IL-15Rbeta-deficient mice. These results indicate an essential role of IL-2/IL-15R-mediated survival signals in the development of NK cells, but they also show that additional nonsurvival signals from IL-2/IL-15R are necessary for innate lymphocyte development.

Animals↗

PubMed2002

Expression of functional Toll-like receptor 2 on human epidermal keratinocytes.

Epidermal keratinocytes secrete cytokines, chemokines, and anti-microbial peptides in response to various microbial pathogens and their components including lipopolysaccharide (LPS). To identify the receptor(s) involved in the anti-microbial responses of epidermal keratinocytes, we analyzed expression of CD14, Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2), and TLR4 on cultured normal human epidermal keratinocytes (NHEK). Although CD14 and TLR2 mRNA were expressed in cultured NHEK, only TLR2 was detected on the cell surface. Cultured NHEK did not express TLR4 mRNA or protein. Commercial LPS preparations could stimulate epidermal keratinocytes to produce beta-defensin-2 and IL-8, and the LPS response was inhibited with mAb specific for TLR2, but not for CD14 or TLR4. Repurified LPS and lipid A did not stimulate epidermal keratinocytes, whereas peptidoglycan (PGN) from Gram-positive bacteria and yeast cell wall particle induced beta-defensin-2 and IL-8 production. Thus, cultured NHEK express functional TLR2, but not CD14 or TLR4, and the "LPS" response of epidermal keratinocytes shown in the previous studies might be mediated by TLR2-dependent recognition of non-LPS bacterial components contaminating in commercial LPS preparations. In the normal human skin, however, epidermal keratinocytes expressed both TLR2 and TLR4. Because TLR4 was induced in epidermal keratinocytes by in vitro stimulation with PGN from Gram-positive bacteria, constitutive expression of TLR4 on epidermal keratinocytes in vivo might also be induced by continuous recognition of the resident skin flora containing Gram-positive bacteria through TLR2.

Cells, Cultured↗

PubMed2002

The dominance of alleles controlling self-incompatibility in Brassica pollen is regulated at the RNA level.

Self-incompatibility (SI) in Brassica is controlled sporophytically by the multiallelic S-locus. The SI phenotype of pollen in an S-heterozygote is determined by the relationship between the two S-haplotypes it carries, and dominant/recessive relationships often are observed between the two S-haplotypes. The S-locus protein 11 (SP11, also known as the S-locus cysteine-rich protein) gene has been cloned from many pollen-dominant S-haplotypes (class I) and shown to encode the pollen S-determinant. However, SP11 from pollen-recessive S-haplotypes (class II) has never been identified by homology-based cloning strategies, and how the dominant/recessive interactions between the two classes occur was not known. We report here the identification and molecular characterization of SP11s from six class II S-haplotypes of B. rapa and B. oleracea. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the class II SP11s form a distinct group separated from class I SP11s. The promoter sequences and expression patterns of SP11s also were different between the two classes. The mRNA of class II SP11, which was detected predominantly in the anther tapetum in homozygotes, was not detected in the heterozygotes of class I and class II S-haplotypes, suggesting that the dominant/recessive relationships of pollen are regulated at the mRNA level of SP11s.

Alleles↗