Increased ethanol production from glycerol by Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains with enhanced stress tolerance from the overexpression of SAGA complex components

Yu, K.O.,Jung, J.,Ramzi, A.B.,Choe, S.H.,Kim, S.W.,Park, C.,Han, S.O. IPC Science and Technology Press ; Elsevier Scienc 2012 Enzyme and microbial technology Vol.51 No.4

During the industrial production of ethanol using yeast, the cells are exposed to stresses that affect their growth and productivity; therefore, stress-tolerant yeast strains are highly desirable. To increase ethanol production from glycerol, a greater tolerance to osmotic and ethanol stress was engineered in yeast strains that were impaired in endogenous glycerol production by the overexpression of both SPT3 and SPT15, components of the SAGA (Spt-Ada-Gcn5-acetyltransferase) complex. The engineered strain YPH499fps1Δgpd2Δ (pGcyaDak, pGupSpt3.15Cas) formed significantly more biomass compared to the strain YPH499fps1Δgpd2Δ (pGcyaDak, pGupCas), and both engineered strains displayed increased biomass when compared to the control YPH499 fps1Δgpd2Δ (pESC-TRP) strain. The trehalose accumulation and ergosterol content of these strains were 2.3-fold and 1.6-fold higher, respectively, than the parent strains, suggesting that levels of cellular membrane components were correlated with the enhanced stress tolerance of the engineered strains. Consequently, the ethanol production of the engineered strain YPH499fps1Δgpd2Δ (pGcyaDak, pGupSpt3.15Cas) was 1.8-fold more than that of strain YPH499fps1Δgpd2Δ (pGcyaDak, pGupCas), with about 8.1g/L ethanol produced. In conclusion, we successfully established that the co-expression of SPT3 and SPT15 that improved the fermentation performance of the engineered yeast strains which produced higher ethanol yields than stress-sensitive yeast strains.

Reduction of glycerol production to improve ethanol yield in an engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae using glycerol as a substrate

Yu, K.O.,Kim, S.W.,Han, S.O. Elsevier Science Publishers 2010 Journal of biotechnology Vol.150 No.2

Ethanol plays an important role in substituting the increasingly limited oil as the high-value, renewable fuel. In our previous studies, we successfully established the conversion of glycerol to ethanol by overexpression of pGcyaDak with pGup1Cas in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In addition to increasing ethanol production using glycerol as substrate, we minimized the synthesis of glycerol, which is the main by-product in ethanol fermentation processing. The glycerol production pathway was impaired by deletion of the genes FPS1 and GPD2. Strains deleted for both FPS1 and GPD2 reduce glycerol production and become highly sensitive to osmotic stress. We provide osmotic protection in YPH499fps1Δgpd2Δ by overexpression of Gup1. In this study, S. cerevisiae using glycerol as substrate was modified through one-step gene disruption for redirection of glycerol carbon flux into ethanol by the deletion of two glycerol production genes, FPS1 and GPD2. The overall ethanol production in the modified strain YPH499fps1Δgpd2Δ (pGcyaDak, pGupCas) was about 4.4gl<SUP>-1</SUP>. These results demonstrate the possibility of providing protection against osmotic stress while simultaneously increasing ethanol and reducing glycerol production in S. cerevisiae strains using glycerol as a carbon source.

Effects of Quetiapine on Dizocilpine-induced Prepulse Inhibition Deficits in Mice: Possible Role of the aα1 Adrenergic Receptor

Yuko Tanibuchi,Yuko Fujita,Mao Horio,Masaomi Iyo,갠지하시모토 대한정신약물학회 2010 CLINICAL PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY AND NEUROSCIENCE Vol.8 No.3

Objective: Accumulating evidence suggests that α1-adrenoceptors are involved in the mechanisms of action of some antipsychotic drugs. The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of quetiapine, an atypical antipsychotic drug with antagonist activity at α1-adrenoceptors, on prepulse inhibition (PPI) deficits in mice after a single administration of the NMDA receptor antagonist dizocilpine. Methods: Effects of quetiapine on dizocilpine-induced PPI deficits in mice were examined. Furthermore, we examined the role of α1-adrenoceptors in the mechanisms of action of quetiapine. Results: Pretreatment with quetiapine (3, 10, or 30 mg/kg, p.o.) significantly attenuated dizocilpine (0.1 mg/kg, s.c.)-induced PPI deficits in mice in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, dizocilpine-induced PPI deficits were also significantly ameliorated by pretreatment with the selective α1-adrenoceptor antagonist prazosin (1.0 mg/kg, p.o.). Conclusion: These findings suggest that quetiapine ameliorates dizocilpine-induced PPI deficits in mice viaα1-adrenoceptor antagonism, and hence, α1-adrenoceptor antagonism may play a prominent role in quetiapine’s psychopharmacological effects.

Processing of Anomalous Sentences in Japanese: An fMRI Study

Yuko Sassa,Motoaki Sugiura,Jobu Watanabe,Yuko Akitsuki,Yasuhiro Maeda,Yoshihiko Matsue,Ryuta Kawashima 서울대학교 인지과학연구소 2007 Journal of Cognitive Science Vol.8 No.2

Most previous neuroimaging studies of anomalous sentence processing have used Indo-European languages to separately identify syntactic and semantic processing mechanisms. However, typologically distant languages such as Japanese use different sources of information in grammatical role assignments. Thus, we expected that the activation pattern during processing of anomalous sentences in Japanese would be at least partially different from that in other languages reported in previous studies. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure activation during judgments of the correctness of normal and anomalous sentences in native Japanese speakers. We presented simple Japanese sentences as auditory stimuli. Significant activation was found in the left middle and inferior frontal regions (pars orbitaris and pars triangularis) and the superior parietal lobule during processing of sentences with semantic violations. On the other hand, no preferential activation was found, except for the left anterior part of the superior temporal gyrus, during the processing of sentences with syntactic violations. Additionally, activation in the left inferior frontal gyrus, which has been reported in previous studies using Indo-European languages, was not found in our study. The results support our assumption that the left inferior frontal gyrus plays a minor role in syntactic processing of simple Japanese sentences.

The Grammar of Japanese Racialized Discourse in Hate-Korea Books

Yuko Kawai 서울대학교 아시아연구소 2018 아시아리뷰 Vol.8 No.1

In the early 2010s, throughout Japan, far-right groups held numerous racist demonstrations against Asian peoples, especially people of Korean descent. Also during this period, non-fiction books and magazine articles that denigrated South Korea coalesced into a literary genre known as ken-kan or hate-Korea, and two hate- Korea books reached the bestseller lists in 2014. The authors of hate-Korea books also wrote nihon raisan (praise-Japan) books that excessively glorified Japan and its culture. Published by mainstream publishers and shelved along with other books in ordinary bookstores, hate-Korea books, alternately called heito bon (hate books), are a form of hate speech that requires a specific examination. Using Goldberg’s (1993) grammar of racialized discourse, this paper analyzes the two hate-Korea bestsellers and a praise-Japan book written by the author of one of the bestsellers to examine their grammar and the intersection of Japanese racism and nationalism embedded there.

Cathodoluminescence spectroscopic study of the boron-nitrogen co-doping diamond films

Yuko Hatanaka,Sadao Takeuchi,Koji Iwasaki,Hidenori Gamo,Kiyoharu Nakagawa,Toshihiro Ando,Mikka Nishitani-Gamo 제어로봇시스템학회 2008 제어로봇시스템학회 국제학술대회 논문집 Vol.2008 No.10

Co-doping diamond is of scientific and technologically interest because a new electrical and/or optical property is expected to obtain. In this study, we have carried out a simultaneous addition of diborane and nitrogen in the gas phase for the growth of co-doping diamonds by microwave plasma-assisted chemical vapor deposition (MPCVD) method. We measured the cathodoluminescence (CL) spectra of the co-doping diamond films. To investigate the effect of boron-nitrogen co-doping addition on the CL spectra, we compared the CL spectra of boron-nitrogen co-doping diamonds with those of nitrogen-doped diamonds. The results revealed that the addition of boron suppressed the nitrogen incorporation into the CVD diamonds.

Anti-inflammatory effect of progesterone suppresses the enhancement of inflammatoryy cytokines via TLR2 in fetal membrane in a preterm birth mouse model with chronic dental infection

( Yuko Teraoka ) 대한산부인과학회 2019 대한산부인과학회 학술대회 Vol.105 No.-

Objective: Progesterone (P4) plays an important role in maintaining pregnancy via its anti-inflammatory effect in the myometrium: however, this effect is less understood in the fetal membrane. We previously reported that mice with dental Porphyromonas gingivalis (P.g ) infection could be useful as a model of preterm birth. In this model, inflammation in the fetal membrane via toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) is thought to result in preterm birth. We investigated whether P4 prevented preterm birth and the effects of P4 in the fetal membrane in this preterm birth model. Methods: P.g mice were injected subcutaneously with (P.g +P4 mice) or without (P.g mice) 1 mg of P4 daily at days 15.5 to 17.5 of gestation. We observed the mice in these gestational periods. Western blot analysis was performed for detection of TLR2, NF-κB and MAPK in the fetal membrane at day 18 of gestation. We also evaluated inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-8, TNF-α) and the expression level of TLR2 at the same tissues using RT-PCR. Results: The average gestational period was 20.4 days in P.g +P4 mice and 18.3 days in P.g mice. The enhancement of NF-κB and MAPK expression levels was significantly decreased in P.g +P4 mice, compared with in P.g mice. Treatment with P4 reduced the enhancement of the expression of IL-1β, IL-8, and TNF-α; by 88%, 76% and 59%, respectively. And the enhancement of TLR2 expression was also decreased in P.g +P4 mice. Conclusion: P4 suppressed the activation of inflammatory signaling pathways via TLR2 in the fetal membrane of a chronic inflammation-induced preterm birth mouse model. The anti-inflammatory effect of P4 in the fetal membrane prevented preterm birth.

Japan’s Economic Woes : It’s About Politics

Yuko Kawamoto 동아시아재단 2008 Global Asia Vol.3 No.4

An Analysis of English Pronunciation of Japanese Learners: From the Viewpoint of EIL

( Yuko Tominaga ) 범태평양응용언어학회 2011 범태평양응용언어학회지 Vol.15 No.2

The objective of this research is to detect effective factors in English pronunciation teaching from the viewpoint of EIL (English as an International Language). This research is based on the data of the Successful Pronunciation Learners (SPL) selected by the raters, Japanese and native speakers of English (NSE), in Tominaga (2005). On the grounds that the aim of teaching English to Japanese students should not be confined within the intelligibility to NSE, in order to examine whether the pronunciation of each SPL in this research is really not only intelligible but also sounds good to both NSE and non-NSE from the viewpoint of World Englishes (WE) or EIL, their pronunciations were evaluated by non-NSE from 12 countries studying English in an English school in the United Kingdom. This evaluation was analyzed and compared with the evaluation by the NSE. In respect of the correlation between the evaluations by NSE and those by non-NSE, significant correlation was found between rhythm and fluency. In regard to the total score, the evaluation by non-NSE was generally stricter than that by NSE

魯山人にみる総合芸術プロデューサーとしての役割

Yuko OKI 한국문화예술경영학회 2018 문화예술경영학연구 Vol.11 No.1

食に徹底したこだわりをもった魯山人は、料理に合う陶磁器を自ら制作し、食器としての高級手作り陶磁器の新市場を創造したが、これは同時に、日本の陶磁器生産にもイノベーションをもたらすことにつながった。本稿では魯山人の軌跡からプロデューサーに必要な資質を抽出することで、オープン・イノベーションが進むものづくりへの示唆とすることを目的とする。研究は広範な文献調査と関係者へのヒアリング調査による。魯山人の陶磁器は、特定の産地・製法に拘らず、製品に応じて多様なリソースを活用し創造されたという側面からも、オープン・イノベーションの先駆的事例と捉えられる。本研究の意義は、魯山人のプロデューサーとしての資質を抽出することで、ストーリー性を持たせた製品を創り、既存の市場で抜け落ちているボリューム・ゾーンの新市場を確立しながら、文化としてイノベーションを起こすことの重要性を指摘した点にある。