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Takashi Takeuchi

Publications and source records attributed to Takashi Takeuchi.

51 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed2003

Impaired differentiation of fetal hepatocytes in homozygous jumonji mice.

Homozygous jumonji (jmj(-)/jmj(-)) mice were previously shown to exhibit hepatic hypoplasia and defective hematopoiesis in the liver and die at around embryonic day 15.5 (E15.5), suggesting that jmj is essential for liver development. In order to gain insight into the mechanism of liver development, we analyzed the expression and function of jmj in fetal hepatocytes. The number of hepatocytes in jmj(-)/jmj(-) mice was markedly reduced in comparison with control mice and the expression of jmj in hepatocytes increased along with development. As jmj(-)/jmj(-) embryos die by E15.5, we employed an in vitro culture system in which fetal hepatocytes differentiate in response to oncostatin M. The proliferation potential of jmj(-)/jmj(-) hepatocytes was comparable to that of wild type cells in vitro, however maturation of hepatocytes as evidenced by the expression of liver enzymes such as tyrosine amino transferase was severely impaired by the jmj gene inactivation. These results suggested that jmj plays a pivotal role in the development of mid-fetal hepatocytes to the neonatal stage.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

jumonji downregulates cardiac cell proliferation by repressing cyclin D1 expression.

Spatiotemporal regulation of cell proliferation is necessary for normal tissue development. The molecular mechanisms, especially the signaling pathways controlling the cell cycle machinery, remain largely unknown. Here, we demonstrate a negative relationship between the spatiotemporal patterns of jumonji (jmj) expression and cardiac myocyte proliferation. cyclin D1 expression and cell proliferation are enhanced in the cardiac myocytes of jmj-deficient mutant embryos. In contrast, jmj overexpression represses cyclin D1 expression in cardiac cells, and Jmj protein binds to cyclin D1 promoter in vivo and represses its transcriptional activity. cyclin D1 overexpression causes hyperproliferation in the cardiac myocytes, but the absence of cyclin D1 in jmj mutant embryos rescues the hyperproliferation. Therefore, Jmj might control cardiac myocyte proliferation and consequently cardiac morphogenesis by repressing cyclin D1 expression.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

The cellular differentiation of M cells from crypt undifferentiated epithelial cells into microvillous epithelial cells in follicle-associated epithelia of chicken cecal tonsils.

To clarify the cellular origin and the fate of M cells, detailed distributions of the epithelial cells were investigated scanning electron microscopically on the follicle-associated epithelia (FAE) of chicken cecal tonsils. The distribution of M cells was closely related with the situation of the crypt orifices in chicken cecal tonsils. In undeveloped cecal tonsils, the intestinal crypts were localized at the periphery of the FAE. In these tonsils, M cells without microvilli (M(0)) were predominantly populated in the basal region of the FAE, whereas goblet cells and microvillous epithelial cells (MV) were more distributed in the middle to the apical region of the FAE. A few M cells with short microvilli were dispersed throughout the FAE. Significantly shrunk MV (MVs) clustered together in transitional portions from the lateral face to the roof of the FAE. In well-developed cecal tonsils, the crypts also opened at the lateral surface in addition to the periphery of the FAE. In these tonsils, the M(0) accumulated densely in the small areas around the crypt orifices exclusively. No sign of exfoliation of apoptotic epithelial cells was found in the M(0)-accumulated areas and at their peripheral boundaries. The MVs were often clustered in the central regions among the crypt orifices in addition to the roof of the FAE. These findings suggest that M cells are directly derived from the undifferentiated crypt epithelial cells, not fall into apoptotic cell death and further differentiate into MV in the FAE of chicken cecal tonsils.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Persorption of bovine lactoferrin from the intestinal lumen into the systemic circulation via the portal vein and the mesenteric lymphatics in growing pigs.

The absorption and the transportation of intestinally administrated bovine lactoferrin (LF) were immunohistochemically and physiochemically investigated in the small intestine of growing pigs. At the apical halves of the small intestinal villi, bovine LF was absorbed by transcytosis as small vesicles through villous columnar epithelial cells. The presence of bovine LF-positive membranes of transcytotic vesicles suggests that the absorption was mediated by LF-binding factors on the epithelial cell membranes. Almost all of the absorbed bovine LF was demonstrated to be transported via the lymphatics and the portal vein into the systemic circulation. The LF-concentration in systemic circulation was significantly higher at 1 hr following intestinal administration of bovine LF. Bovine LF-positive lymphocytes also were transferred into the systemic circulation from intestine via the lymphatics and the portal vein.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Receptor-mediated transport of lactoferrin into the cerebrospinal fluid via plasma in young calves.

Milk, especially colostrum, contains different kinds of macromolecules abundantly, such as immunoglobulin G (IgG), lactoferrin (Lf), transferrin (Tf), and growth factors. These are essential for the development and maintenance of health, which greatly depends on the absorption and transportation of macromolecules to the target organs. To evaluate the macromolecular transport, and concentrations in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), colostrum was fed to newborn calves followed by milk and milk replacer, and maintained up to the 4th week under farm conditions. Plasma and CSF were collected at different times, and were analyzed for Lf, Tf, IgG and iron concentrations. Lf, Tf and IgG concentrations were steeply increased in plasma and CSF after colostrum feeding, and fluctuating patterns were observed during the experiments. Furthermore, intraduodenal administration of bovine Lf alone in young calf experiments revealed that the Lf concentration reached a peak at 4 hr, and was 7 and 4 times higher than preadministration in plasma and CSF, respectively. To explore the transport mechanism of Lf into CSF in young calves, epithelial membranes of the choroid plexus were prepared and a binding assay for Lf receptors (Lf-R) was carried out with 125I-Lf. The saturation kinetics revealed that the Bmax of epithelial membranes was 26.15 nmol/mg protein with a Kd of 0.11 microM, which also showed that Lf-R is saturable and specific. Scatchard plot transformation showed the presence of a single type of Lf-R in the choroid plexus. These results suggest that Lf is transported into the CSF through receptor mediated transcytosis in young calves, and that Lf may play an important role(s) in brain function.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Preference of guinea pigs for bedding materials: wood shavings versus paper cutting sheet.

The preference of guinea pigs for bedding materials, wood shavings (WS) or paper cutting sheets (PS), was studied. Animals aged 8 weeks and 20 weeks showed a similar behaviour pattern during 30 min in the light, preferring WS to PS regardless of ages. Over both light and dark periods for 24 h, guinea pigs apparently preferred WS in the light, spending much more time resting in them than in PS. In the dark, the border-crossing was significantly more frequent than in the light, and the staying time was rather longer in PS than WS. The results suggest that guinea pigs prefer different bedding materials under light and dark conditions.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Age-related changes in sleep-wake rhythm in dog.

To investigate a sleep-wake rhythm in aged dogs, a radio-telemetry monitoring was carried out for 24 h. Electrodes and telemetry device were surgically implanted in four aged dogs (16-18 years old) and four young dogs (3-4 years old). Electroencephalogram (EEG), electromyogram (EMG) and electrocardiogram (ECG) were recorded simultaneously as parameters to determine vigilance states and an autonomic nervous function. Wakefulness, slow wave sleep (SWS) and paradoxical sleep (PS) were identified according to the EEG and EMG pattern. We also examined whether absolute powers and the low frequency-to-high frequency ratio (LF/HF) derived from the heart rate variability power spectrum could detect shifts in autonomic balance correlated with aging. The aged dogs showed a marked reduction of PS and a fragmentation of wakefulness in the daytime and a sleep disruption in the night. The pattern of 24 h sleep and waking was dramatically altered in the aged dog. It was characterized by an increase in the total amount of time spent in SWS during the daytime followed by an increasing of time spent in wakefulness during the night. Furthermore, LF/HF ratio showed a very low amplitude of variance throughout the day in the aged dog. These results suggest that the aged dog is a useful model to investigate sleep disorders in human such as daytime drowsiness, difficulties in sleep maintenance. The abnormality in sleep-wake cycle might be reflected by the altered autonomic balance in the aged dogs.

Aging↗
PubMed2002

Detection of auto-antibodies against a 70 kDa protein derived from vascular smooth muscle cells in patients with Kawasaki disease.

UNLABELLED: The aetiology and pathogenesis of Kawasaki disease (KD) remain unknown. To investigate the pathogenesis of vasculitis in KD, we tested for the presence of auto-antibodies against a component of vascular smooth muscle cells in the sera of patients with KD. Sera from 48 patients with KD, as well as sera from 14 sick children and from 22 healthy children, were examined for reactivity to both coronary arterial wall tissues and cultured smooth muscle cells (CSMC) derived from human coronary artery, using immunofluorescence and Western immunoblot assay techniques. Sera from 16 of 48 patients with KD gave positive immunoreactions to the vascular walls of coronary artery with fluorescein isothiocyanate-labelled rabbit anti-human IgA antibodies. In Western immunoblot assays, the sera from 15 of 34 and 10 of 31 patients with KD showed positive reactions against a 70 kDa protein from CSMC with IgA and IgM antibodies, respectively. Positive immunoreactivity of sera from patients with KD, determined either by immunofluorescence studies or by Western immunoblotting, was detected more frequently ( P<0.05) and more intensely ( P<0.005) in patients with coronary arterial lesions (CAL) than in those without CAL. Positive immunoreactivity of sera was prominent before intravenous immunoglobulin therapy and decreased dramatically thereafter. CONCLUSION: these data suggest that auto-antibodies against a 70 kDa protein from vascular smooth muscle cells may cause coronary arteritis and systemic vasculitis in KD.

Autoantibodies↗
PubMed2002

Influence of a dietary n-3 fatty acid deficiency on the cerebral catecholamine contents, EEG and learning ability in rat.

Female rats were fed on a diet deficient in (n-3) fatty acid or enriched in docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) diet from mating and throughout pregnancy and lactation. Pups fed on the same diet as their dams were used for experiments. The effects of dietary (n-3) fatty acid deficiency on cerebral catecholamine contents and electroencephalogram (EEG) in rat pups during the postnatal development were investigated. The (n-3) deficient rat pups showed significantly lower levels of noradrenaline (NA) in cerebral cortex, hippocampus and striatum, compared with those in the DHA adequate rats. Dopamine (DA) contents were significantly lower in the (n-3) deficient rats until the 7th day of age. These results were consistent with observations in the EEG analysis, relative powers of fast activities in the EEG recorded from the (n-3) deficient rats were significantly lower than those in the DHA adequate rats. The effect of supplementation with DHA in (n-3) deficient rats on learning ability was also studied in a model of learning, active avoidance test and three-panel run way test, after weaning. Although the percentages of avoidance in the (n-3) deficient rats (saline group) were constantly 20% or less until the 3rd session, the percentage of avoidance in the DHA supplemented rats rapidly increased to 53% following the first administration. While in the three-panel runway test, there were no significant differences between two groups. These results suggest that chronic consumption of a (n-3) fatty acid deficient diet could modify the biosynthesis of catecholamine in the brain, and might induce the behavioral disturbances. Furthermore, the decreased learning ability induced by (n-3) deficiency in the active avoidance test is a reversible following a supplementing DHA after the weaning.

Aging↗
PubMed2002

Sweet spot size of virtual acoustic imaging systems at asymmetric listener locations.

Virtual acoustic imaging systems are effective when the listener's head location is close to the head location assumed when the system was designed. The "sweet spot" refers to the spatial bubble of head location in which the system is still effective. Some of the previous work investigating the "stereo dipole" acoustic imaging system shows that for the traditional on-axis listener location the "sweet spot" is about +/-5 cm for lateral head translations. Larger head movements than this require an update of the virtual acoustic imaging filters. The interest here is the "sweet spot" size at off-axis asymmetric listener locations or an understanding of how often one needs to update the filters to ensure the listener perceives a stable virtual image as they move. The examination of the off-axis "sweet spot" size comprises a theoretical acoustic analysis, computer simulations, and a subjective study. The simulations and subjective evaluation both demonstrate that the width of tolerable lateral head translations is comparable for the symmetric on-axis listener location and asymmetric listener locations that are as far as 25 cm off-axis.

Acoustics↗
PubMed2002

Optimal source distribution for binaural synthesis over loudspeakers.

When binaural sound signals are presented with loudspeakers, the system inversion involved gives rise to a number of problems such as a loss of dynamic range and a lack of robustness to small errors and room reflections. The amplification required by the system inversion results in loss of dynamic range. The control performance of such a system deteriorates severely due to small errors resulting from, e.g., misalignment of the system and individual differences in the head related transfer functions at certain frequencies. The required large sound radiation results in severe reflection which also reduces the control performance. A method of overcoming these fundamental problems is proposed in this paper. A conceptual monopole transducer is introduced whose position varies continuously as frequency varies. This gives a minimum processing requirement of the binaural signals for the control to be achieved and all the above problems either disappear or are minimized. The inverse filters have flat amplitude response and the reproduced sound is not colored even outside the relatively large "sweet area." A number of practical solutions are suggested for the realization of such optimally distributed transducers. One of them is a discretization that enables the use of conventional transducer units.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2002

No apoptotic cell death of erythroid cells of erythroblastic islands in bone marrow of healthy rats.

A possibility of apoptotic cell death in erythropoietic regulation was examined by means of detailed light microscopical histoplanimetry, electron microscopy, the in situ nick-end labeling method, and an immunohistological method in the rat bone marrow. Serum erythropoietin concentrations were shown at normal levels. The erythroid series on a mature process presented several morphological features of apoptosis, i.e. the shrinkage of both nuclei and cytoplasm and the chromatin condensation. In the light microscopical histoplanimetry, however, morphological signs of final apoptotic cell death were never found in any erythroid cell within the erythroblastic islands. This finding was also supported by detailed ultrastructural observation: No erythroid cell bodies were trapped and degraded by the central macrophages of the erythroblastic islands, while the denucleated nuclei with small amount of cytoplasm of late erythroblasts were often trapped and degraded in the macrophages. Nuclear DNA fragmentation was not detected in any erythroblasts, but was detected in the lysosomes of the central macrophages. These findings suggest that erythropoiesis is regulated by other regulatory mechanisms than apoptotic cell death. An additional ultrastructural finding shows that the reticulocytes anchored to the central macrophages are transported into the peripheral blood circulation.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Preferences for paper bedding material of the laboratory mice.

In order to identify indicators of the preferences for bedding materials, the paper bedding material preferences of laboratory mice were investigated in the present study. Four cages, each containing a different structure of paper bedding material were connected to allow free access to each cage. The preferences for paper bedding materials of laboratory mice were judged by the differences in the length of stay and sleep in each cage. The mice preferred the bedding material that allowed them to easily hide and build nests and was soft. We conclude that the comfort and well-being of laboratory mice can be increased through the appropriate selection of bedding material.

Animal Husbandry↗