Biology subjects

Nakao, H.

Publications and source records attributed to Nakao, H..

4 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

Continuous and widespread population interactions in the Jomon society via geometric morphometrics on 3D data of human crania

This study examines the morphological variations within and between regional populations via geometric morphometrics of larger samples of three-dimensional data of J[o]mon human crania (N = 363, including 146 females, 215 males and two unknown-sex individuals) from 97 sites to investigate the population interactions in the period, which Japanese anthropologists and archaeologists have extensively discussed. The results show that morphological variations are more pronounced within individual populations especially in the principal component one, relating to the facial width, degree of prognathism, and location of occipital areas, in contrast to the relatively smaller variations observed between different phases and geographical regions. This observation is consistent with the possibility that the population interactions of the J[o]mon people had been widespread and continuous, and which has an important implication for their resilience against severe climate changes at that time: The relative stability of the J[o]mon society might be sustained by their frequent interactions with various populations, as suggested by insights from relevant archaeological, ethnographic, and genetic research.

evolutionary biology↗

bioRxiv2023

Wide scope analysis of bioactive lipids, including steroids, bile acids, and polyunsaturated fatty acid metabolites, in human plasma by LC/MS/MS

Quantitative information on blood metabolites has the potential to be utilized in medical strategies such as early disease detection and prevention. Monitoring of bioactive lipids, such as steroids, bile acids, and polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) metabolites, could be a valuable indicator for health status. However, a method for simultaneous measurement of these bioactive lipids has not been reported at present. Here, we report a liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) method that can simultaneously measure more than 140 bioactive lipids, including steroids, bile acids, and PUFA metabolites, from human plasma, and a sample preparation method for these targets. Protein removal in methanol precipitation and purification operations of bioactive lipids by solid-phase extraction improved the recovery of targeted compounds in human plasma samples, demonstrating the importance of sample preparation methods in a wide range of bioactive lipid analyses. Using the developed method, we measured plasma from healthy human volunteers and confirmed the presence of bioactive lipid molecules associated with sex differences and circadian rhythms. The practical bioactive lipid analysis method developed is expected to be applied to health monitoring and disease biomarker discovery for precision medicine.

systems biology↗

bioRxiv2022

Differential requirement of nanos homologs in the germline suggests the evolutionary path toward an inheritance mechanism of primordial germ cell formation in the silkmoth Bombyx

The lepidopteran insect Bombyx mori possesses unique embryogenesis characteristics among insects. nanos (nos) has conserved functions in metazoan primordial germ cell formation. Bombyx possesses four nos genes (M, N, O, P), a unique feature found in lepidopterans examined so far. Of these, maternal nosO mRNA exhibits a localization pattern: it may act as a primordial germ cell (PGC) determinant. A previous knock-out experiment of nosO showed that this localized mRNA is dispensable for PGC formation in laboratory environment and has limited involvement in PGC specification. This study examined whether other nos genes act redundantly with nosO in germline using RNAi and gene editing. Although individual embryonic RNAi exhibited no detectable phenotypic alterations, simultaneous RNAi of nosO/ nosP markedly reduced oocyte number and male fecundity. Additionally, nosP KO almost completely sterilized both sexes. Because nosP is broadly expressed in the posterior of embryos in non-germline specific manner, these results could reflect an evolutionary step taken by Bombyx toward its unique inheritance mechanisms. This study also suggests that nos genes in Bombyx do not affect anterior-posterior axis specification. This could reflect its characteristic embryogenesis.

developmental biology↗

bioRxiv2018

Genome-wide association meta-analysis identifies novel GP2 gene risk variants for pancreatic cancer in the Japanese population

The etiology of pancreatic cancer remains largely unknown. Here, we report the results of a meta-analysis of three genome-wide association studies (GWASs) comprising 2,039 pancreatic cancer cases and 32,592 controls, the largest sample size in the Japanese population. We identified 3 (13q12.2, 13q22.1, and 16p12.3) genome-wide significant loci (P<5.0x10-8) and 4 suggestive loci (P<1.0x10-6) for pancreatic cancer. Of these risk loci, 16p12.3 is novel; the lead SNP maps to rs78193826 (odds ratio (OR)=1.46, 95% CI=1.29-1.66, P=4.28x10-9), an Asian-specific, nonsynonymous glycoprotein 2 (GP2) gene variant predicted to be highly deleterious. Additionally, the gene-based GWAS identified a novel gene, KRT8, which is linked to exocrine pancreatic and liver diseases. The identified GP2 gene variants were pleiotropic for multiple traits, including type 2 diabetes, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels, and pancreatic cancer. Mendelian randomization analyses corroborated causality between HbA1c and pancreatic cancer. These findings suggest that GP2 gene variants are associated with pancreatic cancer susceptibility in the Japanese population, prompting further functional characterization of this locus.

genetics↗