Biology subjects

Furuichi, Y.

Publications and source records attributed to Furuichi, Y..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2021

The impact of PNPLA3 and TM6SF2 in cirrhosis related complications

Patatin-like phospholipase domain-containing 3 (PNPLA3) and transmembrane 6-superfamily member 2 (TM6SF2) polymorphisms have major impact for fibrosis due to steatohepatitis. However, there are scant data about correlations between cirrhosis-related complications and the polymorphisms of these genes. Therefore, we aimed to determine the role of the PNPLA3 and TM6SF2 polymorphisms in fibrosis progression for patients with liver cirrhosis. A multicenter study was performed at six hospitals in Japan enrolling 400 patients with liver cirrhosis caused by virus (n = 157), alcohol (n = 104), nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) (n = 106), or autoimmune disease (n = 33). These cirrhotic patients included those with complications of variceal bleeding, hepatic ascites, and/or hepatic encephalopathy and those without. To assess the role of the PNPLA3 and TM6SF2 polymorphisms in patients with cirrhosis related complications, we calculated the odds ratio and relative risk for the rs738409 and rs58542926 polymorphisms. We also accessed whether or not the interaction between these two polymorphisms contributed to cirrhosis related complications. As a result, the odds ratio for complications in the NAFLD group significantly increased in the presence of the rs738409 GG genotype when the CC genotype was used as the reference. There were no significant risks between complications and the presence of the rs738409 G allele in the virus or alcohol groups. There were no significant risks of complications in the frequency of the rs58542926 T polymorphism regardless of the etiology of liver cirrhosis. The interaction between the rs738409 and rs58542926 polymorphisms had the highest odds ratio of 2.415 for complications in the rs738409 GG + rs58542926 (CT+TT) group when rs738409 (CC+CG) + TM6SF2 CC was used as the reference in the NAFLD group although there was no statistically interaction between these gene polymorphisms (P=0.085).

genetics↗

bioRxiv2019

Single-cell information analysis reveals small intra- and large intercellular variations increase cellular information capacity

Cells transmit information about extracellular stimulation through signaling pathways to control cellular function. A signaling pathway can be regarded as a communication channel. In the analysis of channels of cell populations, intercellular variation is considered noise. However, intercellular variation enables individual cells to encode different information. Therefore, at the single-cell level, each cell can be regarded as an independent channel. Thus, we propose that responses of cells of the same type in tissues, such as the fibers in a skeletal muscle, should be regarded as a multiple-cell channel composed of single-cell channels, in which intercellular variation contains information. Here, we applied electrical pulses to individual myotubes from cultured C2C12 cells or dissociated skeletal muscle fibers and measured Ca2+ responses or contraction, respectively, to estimate information capacity in a biological system. For each muscle cell system, we found that a single-cell channel transmitted more information than did a cell-population channel, indicating that the cellular response is consistent with each cell (low intracellular variation) but different among individual cells (high intercellular variation). As cell number and thus the number of single-cell channels increased, a multiple-cell channel transmitted more information by incorporating the differences among individual cells. Thus, a tissue with small intracellular and large intercellular variations has the capacity to distinguish differences in stimulation intensity to precisely control physiological function.\n\nOne Sentence SummarySmall intracellular and large intercellular variations increase information transmission for precise control of tissue function.

systems biology↗

bioRxiv2019

The effect of sword bean extract on the relationship between rheumatoid arthritis and periodontitis in mice

ObjectivesSeveral studies in humans and experimental animals have reported an interaction between rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and periodontitis (PD). We previously showed that extracts of Canavalia gladiata (sword bean extract, SBE) can treat PD in rats. Here, we investigated the relationship between RA and PD and the effects of SBE in an experimental mouse model. MethodsFemale SKG mice were assigned to eight groups (n=6/group): (1) Untreated controls, (2) RA (induced at 6 weeks of age), (3) PD (induced at 10 weeks of age), (4) RA + PD, (5) SBE (2 mg/ml in drinking water starting at 5 weeks of age), (6) PD + SBE, (7) RA + SBE, and (8) RA + PD + SBE. Mice were sacrificed at 13 weeks of age, and alveolar bone resorption, periodontal tissue inflammation, and paw joint inflammation were assessed by histology and immunohistochemistry. ResultsMice in the RA + PD group exhibited significantly higher inflammation scores in the joint tissues as well as more abundant IL-17-positive cells and cathepsin K-positive osteoclasts in the radial bone compared with the RA mice. Alveolar bone resorption was also significantly more severe in the RA + PD mice than in the PD mice. SBE treatment significantly improved all bone resorption and tissue inflammation scores in mice with RA + PD. ConclusionConcomitant RA and PD exacerbates the tissue destruction symptomatic of each condition. SBE suppresses all parameters evaluated, suggesting that it is has anti-inflammatory activities in both RA and PD.

immunology↗