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The aim of this study was to assess the factors that account for the geographical variation in soil organic carbon stocks at the 0-30-cm depth ( SOC30) of forests in Japan. Boosted regression tree analysis was applied to 2157 points throughout Japan and to four regional geographical subdivisions with 16 environmental variables. The rank of predictor variables was different for Japan as a whole and among the regions. For Japan as a whole, soil group, air temperature, slope inclination, altitude and organic carbon stocks of litter were the most important factors that affected SOC30 stocks. Overall, SOC30 stocks decreased with air temperature, which was attributed to the decomposability of organic carbon. In addition, SOC30 stocks decreased with slope inclination because of instability of the topsoil on slopes, which, in turn, is related to the increase in rock fragment content and decrease in soil bulk density. The distribution of volcanic soil resulted in larger SOC30 stocks than was expected from climatic conditions. Precipitation was not important because of conflicting effects between the increase in soil organic carbon content with increasing net primary production and the decrease in mineral soil mass by the loss in topsoil. The regional analyses provide insight into the factors that cause variation in SOC30 stocks, which were obscured by the macroscale analysis of Japan as a whole, thereby illustrating the power of regional geographical analyses. Our results provide an improved basis for soil, forestry and biogeochemical models that require accurate estimates of SOC30 stocks. Highlights We assessed factors that account for geographic variation in soil organic carbon ( SOC) stocks., Effect and dependence of factors were estimated by a machine learning approach., SOC stocks were affected by soil type, climate, site-specific location and organic matter input., Volcanic soil distribution, climate, slope steepness and historical overuse of forest affected SOC stocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forest management and climate change may have a substantial impact on future soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks at the country scale. Potential SOC in Japanese forest soils was regionally estimated under nine forest managements and a climate change scenario using the CENTURY ecosystem model. Three rotations (30, 50, 100 yr) and three thinning regimes were tested: no-thinning; 30% of the trees cut in the middle of the rotation (e.g. 15 year in a 30-yr rotation) and thinned trees all left as litter or slash (ThinLef) and the trees from thinning removed from the forest (ThinRem). A climate change scenario was tested (ca. 3 °C increase in air temperature and 9% increase in precipitation). The model was run at 1 km resolution using climate, vegetation and soil databases. The estimated SOC stock ranged from 1600 to 1830 TgC (from 6800 to 7800 gC/m2), and the SOC stock was largest with the longest rotation and was largest under ThinLef with all three rotations. Despite an increase in net primary production, the SOC stock decreased by 5% under the climate change scenario. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 (TRPV4), a thermo-sensitive stretch-activated cation channel, is expressed in the skin stratified squamous epithelium, contributing to the acquisition of barrier function. Similarly, functional TRPV4 may be located in the stratified squamous epithelial lining of the esophagus, being involved in the pathogenesis of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Here we investigated the expression of TRPV4 in the mouse esophageal epithelium. Methods TRPV4 expression at the mRNA and protein levels was examined by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), in situ hybridization, and immunohistochemistry. A calcium imaging technique and ATP assay were used to evaluate the functionality of TRPV4 in freshly isolated esophageal epithelial cells. Key Results Transcripts and proteins encoding TRPV4 were colocalized in the basal and intermediate layers of the esophageal epithelium. Both 4α-phorbol 12,13- didecanoate (4α-PDD), a selective agonist for TRPV4, and hypo-osmolar solution (160 mOsm) elevated the intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) in a subset of the isolated cells (70%). These [Ca2+]i increases were potently inhibited by ruthenium red (RuR), a TRPV4 channel antagonist, and were suppressed by extracellular protons (pH 5.0). Finally, application of 4α-PDD evoked ATP release in primary esophageal epithelial cells. Conclusions & Inferences Acid-sensitive TRPV4 channels were mainly expressed in the esophageal epithelial cells of the basal and intermediate layers. Direct exposure of TRPV4-expressing cells to gastric acid, as would occur in cases of GERD, could influence their cellular functions, possibly aggravating the disease state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The esophageal epithelium has sensory properties that enable it to sustain normal barrier function. Transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 (TRPV4) is a Ca2+-permeable channel that is activated by extracellular hypotonicity, polyunsaturated fatty acids, phorbol esters, and elevated temperature. We found that TRPV4 is expressed in both human esophageal tissue and in HET-1A cells, a human esophageal epithelial cell line. Specific activation of TRPV4 by the phorbol ester 4α-phorbol 12,13-didecanoate (4α-PDD) increased intracellular Ca2+ in a subset of HET-1A cells. Elevated temperature strongly potentiated this effect at low concentrations of 4α-PDD, and all of the responses were inhibited by the TRPV antagonist ruthenium red. TRPV4 activation differentially affected cell proliferation and cell viability; HET-1A cell proliferation was increased by 1 μM 4α-PDD, whereas higher concentrations (10 μM and 30 μM) significantly decreased cell viability. Transient TRPV4 activation triggered ATP release in a concentration-dependent manner via gap-junction hemichannels, including pannexin 1 and connexin 43. Furthermore, TRPV4 activation for 24 h did not increase the production of interleukin 8 (IL-8) but reduced IL-1β-induced IL-8 production. Small-interference RNA targeted to TRPV4 significantly attenuated all of the 4α-PDD-induced responses in HET-1A cells. Collectively, these findings suggest that TRPV4 is a novel regulator of Ca2+-dependent signaling pathways linked to cell proliferation, cell survival, ATP release, and IL-8 production in human esophageal epithelial cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conclusion: Immunohistochemical detection of Reelin in granular cells and disabled-1 in cochlear nucleus suggests a possible Reelin signaling pathway in mature rat cochlear nucleus. Materials and Methods: Six-week-old Wister rats were used throughout this study. The expression of reelin and disabled-1 were studied by using in situ hybridization technique and immunohistochemistry. Results: Reelin mRNA expression was observed in granular cell layer of dorsal cochlear nucleus. Immunohistochemistry using anti-reelin monoclonal antibodies confirmed reelin expression in granule cells at protein level. We also examined disabled-1 expression in cochlear nucleus and observed positive immunoreactivity in both ventricular and dorsal cochlear nucleus. In the dorsal cochlear nucleus, fusiform and cartwheel cells were labeled. In the ventricular cochlear nucleus, relatively large cells were labeled with anti-disabled-1 polyclonal antibody but the subtypes of disabled-1 positive cells could not be identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To clarify the effect of aerial insecticide spraying on pine wilt disease, pine wilt disease impacts was surveyed in pine stands and the damage evaluated using a logistic model. Eleven quadrats were established randomly in stands with or without aerial spraying. Aerial spraying alone did not entirely prevent the disease. Average annual mortality was lower in stands with aerial spraying than in stands without aerial spraying. Aerial spraying slowed the progress of pine wilt disease, as measured by the disease progress index. The biomass of live pine trees decreased with increased damage in stands without aerial spraying, whereas biomass was maintained in stands with aerial spraying. However, the relative basal area showed that succession of pine forests to forests dominated by other species was accelerated even in stands with aerial insecticide spraying. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acid-sensing ion channel 4 (ASIC4) belongs to the ASIC gene family of neuronal proton-gated cation channels, and is the least understood subtype among the members. Previous studies of ASIC4 expression in the mammalian central nervous system have shown that ASIC4 is abundantly expressed in the spinal cord and in various brain regions, such as the cerebral cortex, the hippocampus, and the cerebellum. However, the detailed distribution of ASIC4 transcripts in mammalian brains still remains to be elucidated. In the present study, radioactive in situ hybridization histochemistry with an ASIC4-specific cRNA probe was performed on wild-type mouse brains, followed by X-gal staining experiments with Asic4-lacZ reporter mice Asic4 tm1a(KOMP)Mbp . It was found that ASIC4 mRNAs were widely expressed throughout the wild-type brain, but preferentially concentrated in the olfactory bulb, the piriform cortex, the caudate putamen, the preoptic area, the paraventricular nucleus, the medial habenular nucleus, the pretectal area, the lateral geniculate nucleus, the amygdaloid complex, the superior colliculus, the interpeduncular nucleus, and the granule cell layer of the ventral hippocampus, and these results were in agreement with the X-gal-positive reactions observed in the mutant brain. In addition, X-gal staining combined with immunohistochemistry identified intense signals for ASIC4 transcriptional activity in most of the choline acetyltransferase (ChAT)-positive principal neurons located in the basal forebrain cholinergic nuclei. Our data provide useful information to speculate possible roles of ASIC4 in diverse brain functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]