Coordinates: 42°52′33.57″N 143°10′23.46″E / 42.8759917°N 143.1731833°E / 42.8759917; 143.1731833Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine (帯広畜産大学, Obihiro Chikusan Daigaku) is a university in Obihiro, Hokkaido, Japan, commonly referred to as Obihiro University. It was founded in 1941, as the Obihiro Technical School of Veterinary Medicine.As of 2009, the university employs 136 faculty members and a full-time staff of over 100. It offers instruction to 1,300 students in bachelors, masters, and doctoral programs. The university accepts an average of 14 foreign students and sends out an average of seven study abroad students each year.
Clade 2.2 H5N1 influenza viruses have caused an unusually high number of human infections, providing a unique opportunity to investigate early molecular steps associated with host adaptation. Although most work has focused on hemagglutinin (HA), the contribution of neuraminidase (NA) to these early adaptive events has remained unclear. By analyzing publicly available sequences from clade 2.2-infected patients, we identified 20 NA mutations and compared their phenotypes to 20 mutations acquired during diversification in primary human airway cells under drug-free conditions. Most patient-derived NA mutations resulted in modest reductions in sialidase activity, keeping activity within a functional range that supported improved replication in α2,6 sialylglycan (α2,6 Sia)-dominant environments, whereas excessive reduction impaired fitness. Notably, the phenotypes of culture-selected and patient-derived mutations were highly concordant, suggesting that these NA changes arose through natural selection rather than antiviral pressure. Re-analysis of patient sequences further revealed that many adaptive NA mutations co-occur with HA mutations that confer only weak, partial α2,6 Sia binding. Using reverse genetics, we found that such naturally occurring HA/NA mutation pairs acted cooperatively in a receptor-context-dependent manner to support α2,6-associated replication relative to HA-only mutants, placing these variants within a constrained "early-adaptation space" characterized by limited α2,6 engagement and moderately reduced NA activity. Together, these findings indicate that early human adaptation of clade 2.2 H5N1 involves not only HA and PB2, but also incremental, cooperative tuning of NA function. Monitoring coordinated HA-NA evolution may therefore improve risk assessment frameworks for zoonotic influenza viruses poised at early stages of human host adaptation.
A Japanese Black cow presented with anorexia. Exophthalmos, a subcutaneous mass, and astasia were noted on physical examination. Hematological examination revealed lymphocytosis (5544/μL). Serum biochemical findings included elevated activities of lactate dehydrogenase and thymidine kinase. Antibodies against bovine leukemia virus (BLV) were detected. The animal was euthanized and necroscopic evaluation was performed, and masses were found in both orbit and left pectoral region; white solid tissue growth in fatty tissue was observed throughout the body. Yellowish-white solid tissue was also observed around the right nerve roots from the 9th thoracic spinal nerves to the 4th lumbar spinal nerves. Immunohistochemical examination showed neoplastic B-cells (positive for BLA-36, CD79α, and PAX5, and negative for CD3) proliferation in the mass lesions and yellowish-white solid tissues. Two integration sites of BLV provirus in peripheral blood and tumor tissues were detected by inverse PCR. Based on these findings, the present case was diagnosed with enzootic bovine leukosis (EBL). The BLV provirus was found to have integrated into the introns of itchy E3 ubiquitin protein ligase (ITCH) and Selenoprotein I (SELENOI). ITCH is a key player of TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL)-mediated apoptosis, and SELENOI adjusts oxidative stress in tissues. Integration of BLV provirus into these genes might have contributed to the onset of EBL and influenced the distribution of neoplastic lesions.
Welfare-friendly housing systems for laying hens, such as cage-free, have become prevalent. However, the physiological effects of housing systems on the laying hens remain poorly understood. Here, we compared behavioral characteristics and transcriptomic profiles from 90 multi-tissue samples among three housing systems: battery cage (BC), barn (BR), and free-range (FR). BR and FR housing promoted behavioral diversity compared to cages. Transcriptome analysis of central tissues (diencephalon and cerebral hemisphere) and peripheral tissues involved in egg production (liver, ovary, oviductal segments of magnum, and uterine) revealed significant enrichment of insulin resistance-related pathways in both diencephalon and liver of BC hens, and enhanced norepinephrine signaling in the cerebrum of BR and FR hens. To validate these findings, we performed a glucose tolerance test to assess insulin sensitivity and quantified the cerebral norepinephrine concentrations by ECD-HPLC. The results showed that BR and FR hens tended to exhibit higher insulin sensitivity and enhanced norepinephrine signaling compared with BC hens. Taken together, our findings suggest that housing conditions markedly shape the internal physiological landscape of laying hens, and also that environment-enriched cage-free contributes to improving metabolic and neurophysiological signaling.
The molecular structural analysis of lignin and lignin-derived fractions is required for the efficient conversion of lignin to commercially valuable chemicals, including phenolic compounds. Here, the average molecular structure models of lignin-derived fractions prepared via organosolv treatments using water/1-butanol and water/ethanol co-solvents were estimated using elemental analysis, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), gel permeation chromatography, and infrared spectroscopic analyses. The proportions of aromatic tertiary and quaternary C atoms and their bonds with adjacent elements were analyzed via 13C NMR spectroscopy using the distortionless enhancement by polarization transfer and quaternary C-only observation sequences. Monocyclic models were estimated using the NMR data and average molecular weights, and the average molecular structure models were constructed by connecting the monocyclic models. The model of the fraction prepared via water/1-butanol treatment displayed terminal methyl groups and almost no (3-O-4 structures, suggesting that lignin decomposition was more efficient in water/1-butanol compared to that in water/ethanol. Hence, lignin decomposition in water/1-butanol may facilitate the subsequent catalytic conversion of the lignin-derived fractions into phenolic compounds.
Although the hearts of large animals are known to exhibit regional heterogeneity in structure, function, and metabolism, their spatial patterns of gene expression remain poorly understood. Therefore, we investigated regional differences in gene expression across six anatomical regions of the bovine heart, including the atria, ventricles, interventricular septum, and apex (n = 3). The expression levels of genes related to cardiac development, structure, and branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) metabolism were analyzed using quantitative real-time PCR, and multivariate patterns were evaluated using principal component analysis (PCA). Histological analysis suggested no apparent structural differences among the examined regions. NKX2.5 expression showed no significant regional variation, suggesting conserved cardiomyocyte identity. Conversely, contractile genes (MYH7, MYL2, TNNI3, and TNNT2) and the BCAA metabolism-related gene BCKDHA were significantly more highly expressed in the ventricular myocardium than in the atrial regions. PCA clearly distinguished between the atrial and ventricular myocardium and indicated coordinated variations in contractile and metabolic gene expression. These findings of region-specific molecular heterogeneity in the bovine heart, characterized by regional differences in gene expression across the myocardium rather than morphological differences, provide new insights into the spatial regulation of cardiac function and highlight the value of the bovine heart as a model for studying myocardial specialization.
