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Kunihiro Akimaru

Publications and source records attributed to Kunihiro Akimaru.

4 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Genotypes and haplotypes of CCR2 and CCR3 genes in Japanese cedar pollinosis.

Whole genome scan analyses have revealed that the chromosomal region 3p21.3, which contains a gene cluster of the CC chemokine receptor, is possibly critical for the pathogenesis of allergic inflammation. Japanese cedar pollinosis is mediated by a type I allergy and induces seasonal rhinitis and conjunctivitis in humans as the most common form of hay fever in spring in Japan, although the candidate genes for cedar pollinosis remain to be elucidated. We sequenced CCR1, CCR2, CCR3, CCR5, and CCXCR1 using the PCR restriction fragment length polymorphism method in subjects with cedar pollinosis and controls. We found 8 polymorphisms of A111G, Arg127Cys and Arg252Gln in CCXCR1, T885C in CCR1, Val64Ile and T780C in CCR2, T51C in CCR3 and Arg223Gln in CCR5. The transmission disequilibrium test using 60 children with pollinosis and their parents and an association study using unrelated adult subjects (151 patients and 157 controls) showed a significant association of 64Ile in CCR2 and 51C in CCR3 with cedar pollinosis. The frequency of haplotype 64Ile/780C/51C in pollinosis was significantly higher than in controls. Our results suggest that CCR2 and CCR3 genes are candidate genes for Japanese cedar pollinosis.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

A probe generated by chromosome microdissection, useful for analyzing Y chromosome evolution in Old World monkeys.

We isolated a DNA probe, designated MMDYZ1, using a chromosome microdissection technique from the Y chromosome of the Rhesus monkey. The probe obtained from eight whole Y chromosomes shows higher specificity for the Y short arm of the Rhesus monkey, which consists totally of constitutive heterochromatin. Two microclones (MMY#3 and MMY#4) were constructed from the Y-specific primary PCR products. Sequence analysis of these two microclones revealed that both were essentially identical to each other and the sizes were 870 and 686 bp, respectively. From alignment analysis using the Genbank database of primates, the alphoid DNA has the highest affinity with the probe. However, the total composition of this probe has extremely high homology with the Y short arm of the Rhesus monkey, as demonstrated by fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH). Comparative FISH-mapping disclosed that this DNA-sequence cluster was located at extremely different sites on the Y chromosome in several species of the Old World monkey. Accordingly, this probe seems to be a high-quality tool, now established for the first time, for investigating Y chromosome evolution of the Old World monkey.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Asynchronous expression and colocalization of Bsep and Mrp2 during development of rat liver.

In the liver, function of the bile salt export pump (Bsep), a major canalicular exporter of bile salts, is complemented by activity of the multidrug resistance protein 2 (Mrp2), a canalicular organic anions transporter. Mrp2 was found capable of transporting various anticancer drugs out of cells, eventually undermining their therapeutic potential and contributing to multidrug resistance. We employed a RT-PCR, immunoblotting, and immunofluorescence to examine their gene, protein expression, and distribution of antigenic sites in the rat liver during development from 16-day-old fetus to adult animal. Bsep mRNA was almost undetectable before birth. It was first clearly expressed in the liver of newborn rats. On the contrary, Mrp2 mRNA was seen before birth, although at low levels. In concert with mRNA expression, Bsep protein was undetectable before birth, while Mrp2 protein was already expressed. Both proteins were clearly detectable in the postnatal period. Confocal immunofluorescent microscopy showed asynchronous appearance of Bsep and Mrp2 proteins during development but their colocalization in the bile canaliculi once each one is expressed. During the gestational period, a weak immunofluorescence for Mrp2 was observed only in livers of 16-day-old embryos. No fluorescence for Bsep was seen. Both proteins were clearly visualizable after birth, although the pattern of immunostaining varied. These findings provide molecular evidence that expression of both Bsep and Mrp2 during development is transcriptionally regulated. They also point out the differences in relevance to the liver function of the systems responsible for canalicular transport of bile salts versus organic anions.

ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily B, Mem↗