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In mammalian skeletal muscle, ryanodine receptor (Ryr) expresses in the membrane of sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR), and is known as Ca2+-releasing channel. Ryr in mammalian skeletal muscle consists of 2 isoforms, Ryr1 and Ryr3. Ryr1 is coupled with dihydropyridine receptors (DHPRs) in transverse tubules, and Ca2+ release is a key step for the excitation-contraction coupling (E-C coupling). However, a physiological role of ryr3 is still unclear. Recently, we confirmed that Ryr3 knockdown induces abnormal myotube formation of C2C12 cells. Further, it is reported that the abnormal shape of C2C12 myotubes were observed by the knockdown of puromycin-sensitive aminopeptidase, a selective hydrolyze of amino acid residue from the N-terminus of peptide and proteins. In the present study, we investigated that the molecular mechanisms for the abnormal myotube formation of C2C12 cells following the knockdown of Ryr3. Aggregation of phalloidin-stained actin fibers were observed in Ryr3-knockdown myotubes. On the other hand, a significantly decrease in the mRNA expression level of puromycin-sensitive aminopeptidase and endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidase 1 was observed in Ryr3-knockdown C2C12 cells (p This study was partially supported by JSPS KAKENHI (18H03160, K.G.; 19K22825, K.G.; 19KK0254, K.G., S.Y., T.E.; 22H03474, K.G., T.E.; 22K19722, K.G., T.E.; 22H03319, K.G., T.E.; 22K18413, K.G., T.E.), a grant from Graduate School of Health Science, Toyohashi SOZO University (K.G.), and a research grant from Toyohashi SOZO university (K.G.). All authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest. This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2023 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.

Global Change Observation Mission-Climate (GCOM-C) was developed as a satellite following Global Change Observation Mission-Water (GCOM-W), and successfully launched on December 23, 2017. We learned from GCOM series satellites that our rigorous analysis of the components on both the satellites allowed us to develop them efficiently and to operate stably. GCOM-C has been operating stably even now, over three years after its launch. The Second-Generation Global Imager (SGLI) initial calibration and validation activities were completed and GCOM-C/SGLI products were publicly released in December 2018, currently we are preparing to release Ver.3. We ware plan twice updates (Ver.2 was updated on June 29, 2020. Ver.3 is preparing) to improve our products accuracy during 5-years mission period. In this report, we present about the status of GCOM-C operation after the launch including sensor calibration, SGLI products and data processing and providing.

The cement–clay interaction (CI) experiment was carried out at the Mont Terri rock laboratory to complement the current knowledge on the influence that cementitious materials have on Opalinus Clay (OPA) and bentonite (MX). Drill cores including the interface of OPA, concrete (LAC = low-alkali binder, and OPC = ordinary Portland cement), and MX, which interacted for 4.9 and 10 years, were successfully retrieved after drilling, and detailed analyses were performed to evaluate potential mineralogical changes. The saturated compacted bentonites in core samples were divided into ten slices, profiling bentonite in the direction towards the interface, to evaluate the extent and spatial variation of the mineralogical alteration of bentonite. Regarding the mineral compositions of bentonite, cristobalite was dissolved within a range of 10 mm from the interface in both LAC-MX and OPC-MX, while calcite precipitated near the interface for OPC-MX. In LAC-MX and OPC-MX, secondary products containing Mg (e.g., M-S-H) also precipitated within 20 mm of the interface. These alterations of bentonite developed during the first 4.9 years, with very limited progress observed for the subsequent 5 years. Detectable changes in the mineralogical nature of montmorillonite (i.e., the formation of illite or beidellite, increase in layer charge) did not occur during the 10 years of interaction.

Mechanical stimuli such as stretch and resistance training are essential to regulate growth and function of skeletal muscle. However, the molecular mechanisms involved in sensing mechanical stress during muscle formation remain unclear. Here, we investigate the role of the mechano-sensitive ion channel Piezo1 during myogenic progression. Direct manipulation of Piezo1 in muscle stem cells alters their myogenic progression. Indeed, Piezo1 knockdown suppresses myoblast fusion leading to smaller myotubes. Such event is accompanied by significant downregulation of the fusogenic protein Myomaker. In parallel, while Piezo1 knockdown also lowers Ca2+ influx in response to stretch, Piezo1 activation increases Ca2+ influx in response to stretch and enhances myoblasts fusion. We believe these findings may help understand molecular defects present in some muscle diseases. Altogether our study shows that Piezo1 is essential for terminal muscle differentiation acting on myoblast fusion, suggesting that Piezo1 deregulation may have implications in muscle aging and degenerative diseases including muscular dystrophies.

In radioactive waste disposal facilities, low-permeability engineered barrier materials are important for inhibiting radionuclide migration. However, dissolution&ndash, precipitation reactions under alkaline conditions change the permeability of engineered barriers. To understand long-term dissolution&ndash, precipitation reactions under alkaline conditions in chemically complex systems, trenches and drill holes were excavated at Narra in Palawan, where alkaline fluids (pH &gt, 11) have been naturally produced, seeping into clastic sediments derived from serpentinized ultramafic rocks and gabbro of Palawan ophiolite. Interaction between the alkaline seepage and clastic sediments, which have been deposited since 15,000 radiocarbon years before present (14C yr BP), led to dissolution of minerals and the precipitation of Si-bearing phases which were divided into two main categories: Fe-Mg-Si infillings and Ca-Si infillings. The former category was composed of iron-magnesium-silicate-hydrate (F-M-S-H) and a nontronite-like mineral and was widely recognized in the clastic sediments. The nontronite-like mineral likely formed by interaction between silicates and alkaline seepage mixed with infiltrated seawater, whereas F-M-S-H formed by the reaction of silicates with alkaline seepage in the absence of seawater infiltration. Ca-Si infillings included 14 &Aring, tobermorite and were precipitated from alkaline seepage combined with the Ca and Si supplied by the dissolution of calcite and silicates in the clastic sediments.

We explored the interrelationship between a tissue-specific alternative splicing factor muscleblind-like 1 (MBNL1) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-&gamma, coactivator 1-&alpha, (PGC-1&alpha, ), B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) or Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax) in C2C12 myotubes and mouse skeletal muscle to investigate a possible physiological role of MBNL1 in mitochondrial-associated apoptosis of skeletal muscle. Expression level of PGC-1&alpha, and mitochondrial membrane potential evaluated by the fluorescence ratio of JC-1 aggregate to monomer in C2C12 myotubes were suppressed by knockdown of MBNL1. Conversely, the ratio of Bax to Bcl-2 as well as the apoptotic index in C2C12 myotubes was increased by MBNL1 knockdown. In plantaris muscle, on the other hand, not only the minimum muscle fiber diameter but also the expression level of MBNL1 and PGC-1&alpha, in of 100-week-old mice were significantly lower than that of 10-week-old mice. Furthermore, the ratio of Bax to Bcl-2 in mouse plantaris muscle was increased by aging. These results suggest that MBNL1 may play a key role in aging-associated muscle atrophy accompanied with mitochondrial dysfunction and apoptosis via mediating PGC-1&alpha, expression in skeletal muscle.

The dissolution kinetics of K-montmorillonite was studied at 25 °C, acidic pH (2–4) and 0.01 M ionic strength by means of well-mixed flow-through experiments. The variations of Si, Al and Mg over time resulted in high releases of Si and Mg and Al deficit, which yielded long periods of incongruent dissolution before reaching stoichiometric steady state. This behavior was caused by simultaneous dissolution of nanoparticles and cation exchange between the interlayer K and released Ca, Mg and Al and H. Since Si was only involved in the dissolution reaction, it was used to calculate steady-state dissolution rates, RSi, over a wide solution saturation state (ΔGr ranged from −5 to −40 kcal mol−1). The effects of pH and the degree of undersaturation (ΔGr) on the K-montmorillonite dissolution rate were determined using RSi. Employing dissolution rates farthest from equilibrium, the catalytic pH effect on the K-montmorillonite dissolution rate was expressed as Rdiss = k·aH0.56±0.05 whereas using all dissolution rates, the ΔGr effect was expressed as a non-linear f(ΔGr) function R diss = k · 1 - exp - 3.8 × 10 - 4 · | Δ G r | RT 2.13 The functionality of this expression is similar to the equations reported for dissolution of Na-montmorillonite at pH 3 and 50 °C (Metz, 2001) and Na-K-Ca-montmorillonite at pH 9 and 80 °C (Cama et al., 2000; Marty et al., 2011), which lends support to the use of a single f(ΔGr) term to calculate the rate over the pH range 0–14. Thus, we propose a rate law that also accounts for the effect of pOH and temperature by using the pOH-rate dependence and the apparent activation energy proposed by Rozalen et al. (2008) and Amram and Ganor (2005), respectively, and normalizing the dissolution rate constant with the edge surface area of the K-montmorillonite. 1D reactive transport simulations of the experimental data were performed using the Crunchflow code (Steefel et al., 2015) to quantitatively interpret the evolution of the released cations and to elucidate the stoichiometry of the reaction. After the implementation of (i) the obtained f(ΔGr) term in the K-montmorillonte dissolution rate law, (ii) a fraction of highly reactive particles and surfaces and (iii) the cation exchange reactions between the interlayer K+ and the released Al3+, Mg2+, Ca2+ and H+, the simulations agreed with the experimental concentrations at the outlet. This match indicates that fast dissolution of fine particles and highly reactive sites and exchange between the interlayer K and dissolved structural cations (Al and Mg) and protons are responsible for the temporary incongruency of the K-montmorillonite dissolution reaction. As long as dissolution of the bulk sample predominates, the reaction is stoichiometric.

We investigated the protective effect of Brazilian propolis, a natural resinous substance produced by honeybees, against glycation stress in mouse skeletal muscles. Mice were divided into four groups: (1) Normal diet + drinking water, (2) Brazilian propolis (0.1%)-containing diet + drinking water, (3) normal diet + methylglyoxal (MGO) (0.1%)-containing drinking water, and (4) Brazilian propolis (0.1%)-containing diet + MGO (0.1%)-containing drinking water. MGO treatment for 20 weeks reduced the weight of the extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscle and tended to be in the soleus muscle. Ingestion of Brazilian propolis showed no effect on this change in EDL muscles but tended to increase the weight of the soleus muscles regardless of MGO treatment. In EDL muscles, Brazilian propolis ingestion suppressed the accumulation of MGO-derived advanced glycation end products (AGEs) in MGO-treated mice. The activity of glyoxalase 1 was not affected by MGO, but was enhanced by Brazilian propolis in EDL muscles. MGO treatment increased mRNA expression of inflammation-related molecules, interleukin (IL)-1&beta, IL-6, and toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4). Brazilian propolis ingestion suppressed these increases. MGO and/or propolis exerted no effect on the accumulation of AGEs, glyoxalase 1 activity, and inflammatory responses in soleus muscles. These results suggest that Brazilian propolis exerts a protective effect against glycation stress by inhibiting the accumulation of AGEs, promoting MGO detoxification, and reducing proinflammatory responses in the skeletal muscle. However, these anti-glycation effects does not lead to prevent glycation-induced muscle mass reduction.

Diets enriched with advanced glycation end products (AGE) have recently been related to muscle dysfunction processes. However, it remains unclear whether long-term exposure to an AGE-enriched diet impacts physiological characteristics of skeletal muscles. Therefore, we explored the differences in skeletal muscle mass, contractile function and molecular responses between mice receiving a diet high in AGE (H-AGE) and low in AGE (L-AGE) for 16 weeks. There were no significant differences between L-AGE and H-AGE mice with regard to body weight, food intake or epididymal fat pad weight. However, extensor digitorum longus (EDL) and plantaris (PLA) muscle weights in H-AGE mice were lower compared with L-AGE mice. Higher levels of Nε-(carboxymethyl)-l-lysine, a marker for AGE, in EDL muscles of H-AGE mice were observed compared with L-AGE mice. H-AGE mice showed lower muscle strength and endurance in vivo and lower muscle force production of PLA muscle in vitro. mRNA expression levels of myogenic factors including myogenic factor 5 and myogenic differentiation in EDL muscle were lower in H-AGE mice compared with L-AGE mice. The phosphorylation status of 70-kDa ribosomal protein S6 kinase Thr389, an indicator of protein synthesis signalling, was lower in EDL muscle of H-AGE mice than that of L-AGE mice. These findings suggest that long-term exposure to an AGE-enriched diet impairs skeletal muscle growth and muscle contractile function, and that these muscle dysfunctions may be attributed to the inhibition of myogenic potential and protein synthesis.

The self-sealing behaviors of compacted Na- and Ca-bentonite–sand mixtures were investigated by conducting swelling–permeability tests with specimens containing three types of technological voids. The technological voids, including an upper gap, a surrounding gap, and a center hole of the specimens at 0.03–17.65% of the total cell volume, were sealed by the swelling of the specimen. The vertical and lateral pressures became steady during the experiments, resulting in equal equilibrium pressure in the surrounding gap. The unequal equilibrium pressure in the vertical and lateral directions was measured when the upper gap and center hole were set. The lateral pressure tended to be higher than the vertical pressure. The residual compaction pressure likely explains the higher equilibrium lateral pressure. The coefficient of permeability depended on the average effective montmorillonite dry density in both Na- and Ca-bentonite–sand mixtures. This study proposed an effective Na-montmorillonite dry density, focusing on the high swelling potential of montmorillonite with exchangeable Na ions. The effective Na-montmorillonite dry density of the specimen, including the swollen part, exhibited a unique relation with the permeability after self-sealing, despite the different ionic types of bentonite. Under fully saturated condition, the distribution of water content throughout the specimen after self-sealing suggested that the dry density of the swollen part was lower than the initial specimen part, despite the presence of steady state pressures. It is most likely that the density distribution remained after self-sealing if external factors, including changeable boundary conditions and pore water chemistry, are not considered. Although the specimen after self-sealing exhibited the potential for heterogeneous density, its permeability was approximately evaluated by using the average effective Na-montmorillonite dry density.

The effects of lactate on muscle mass and regeneration were investigated using mouse skeletal muscle tissue and cultured C2C12 cells. Male C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into (1) control, (2) lactate (1 mol/L in distilled water, 8.9 mL/g body weight)-administered, (3) cardio toxin (CTX)-injected (CX), and (4) lactate-administered after CTX-injection (LX) groups. CTX was injected into right tibialis anterior (TA) muscle before the oral administration of sodium lactate (five days/week for two weeks) to the mice. Oral lactate administration increased the muscle weight and fiber cross-sectional area, and the population of Pax7-positive nuclei in mouse TA skeletal muscle. Oral administration of lactate also facilitated the recovery process of CTX-associated injured mouse TA muscle mass accompanied with a transient increase in the population of Pax7-positive nuclei. Mouse myoblast-derived C2C12 cells were differentiated for five days to form myotubes with or without lactate administration. C2C12 myotube formation with an increase in protein content, fiber diameter, length, and myo-nuclei was stimulated by lactate. These observations suggest that lactate may be a potential molecule to stimulate muscle hypertrophy and regeneration of mouse skeletal muscle via the activation of muscle satellite cells.

In Japan which is heading straight to an ageing society with a declining birth rate, population decline is a serious issue. Many rural districts are advancing efforts which are different from tourism for attracting urban dwellers to rural areas. The focus of this paper is the examples of rural revitalisation through “exchange with a particular purpose”.

Permeability tests of the compacted bentonite-sand mixture using salt solutions were carried out. Exposure of the Ca type-bentonite to NaCl or KCl solutions after fully saturation with deionized water caused ion exchange of the montmorillonite. After Ca ion exchanged to Na ion, the swelling pressure of the sample increased and the permeability decreased when the low ionic strength condition, comparing with the initial value before Na ion exchange. While, after Ca ion exchanged to K ion, increase in the swelling pressure and reduction of the permeability were insignificant. K and Na ions showed the different effect of ion exchange on the engineering properties of the bentonite.

5&prime, AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) plays an important role in the regulation of skeletal muscle mass and fiber-type distribution. However, it is unclear whether AMPK is involved in muscle mass change or transition of myosin heavy chain (MyHC) isoforms in response to unloading or increased loading. Here, we checked whether AMPK controls muscle mass change and transition of MyHC isoforms during unloading and reloading using mice expressing a skeletal-muscle-specific dominant-negative AMPK&alpha, 1 (AMPK-DN). Fourteen days of hindlimb unloading reduced the soleus muscle weight in wild-type and AMPK-DN mice, but reduction in the muscle mass was partly attenuated in AMPK-DN mice. There was no difference in the regrown muscle weight between the mice after 7 days of reloading, and there was concomitantly reduced AMPK&alpha, 2 activity, however it was higher in AMPK-DN mice after 14 days reloading. No difference was observed between the mice in relation to the levels of slow-type MyHC I, fast-type MyHC IIa/x, and MyHC IIb isoforms following unloading and reloading. The levels of 72-kDa heat-shock protein, which preserves muscle mass, increased in AMPK-DN-mice. Our results indicate that AMPK mediates the progress of atrophy during unloading and regrowth of atrophied muscles following reloading, but it does not influence the transition of MyHC isoforms.

The effect of cesium (Cs) adsorption on the mesoscopic structure of the clay minerals vermiculite and weathered biotite (WB) in suspensions was elucidated by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). The clay minerals form multilayered structures, and the Cs cations (Cs(+)) are strongly adsorbed in the interlayer space of the soil clays, in particular vermiculite and WB. SAXS was used to monitor the relationship between Cs(+) adsorption at the clay interlayers and the structural changes at length scales from 1 to 1000 Å. The variation in the distance between the neighboring clay sheets and the spatial arrangement of the clay sheets with and without Cs(+) were clarified. Our quantitative analyses revealed that the number of stacked layers of pure vermiculite was decreased by Cs(+) addition, whereas that of WB increased. Moreover, the average distance between the neighboring layers of vermiculite in suspension was larger than that of WB, which reflects the different conditions of Cs(+) intercalation. These findings provide fundamental insights that are important for predicting the environmental fate of radioactive Cs in contaminated regions and for developing methods for extracting Cs from soil.

5′-AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) plays an important role as a negative regulator of skeletal muscle mass. However, the precise mechanism of AMPK-mediated regulation of muscle mass is not fully clarified. Heat shock proteins (HSPs), stress-induced molecular chaperones, are related with skeletal muscle adaptation, but the association between AMPK and HSPs in skeletal muscle hypertrophy is unknown. Thus, we investigated whether AMPK regulates hypertrophy by mediating HSPs in C2C12 cells. The treatment with AICAR, a potent stimulator of AMPK, decreased 72-kDa HSP (HSP72) expression, whereas there were no changes in the expressions of 25-kDa HSP, 70-kDa heat shock cognate, and heat shock transcription factor 1 in myotubes. Protein content and diameter were less in the AICAR-treated myotubes in those without treatment. AICAR-induced suppression of myotube hypertrophy and HSP72 expression was attenuated in the siRNA-mediated AMPKα knockdown myotubes. AICAR increased microRNA (miR)-1, a modulator of HSP72, and the increase of miR-1 was not induced in AMPKα knockdown condition. Furthermore, siRNA-mediated HSP72 knockdown blocked AICAR-induced inhibition of myotube hypertrophy. AICAR upregulated the gene expression of muscle Ring-finger 1, and this alteration was suppressed in either AMPKα or HSP72 knockdown myotubes. The phosphorylation of p70 S6 kinase Thr389 was downregulated by AICAR, whereas this was attenuated in AMPKα, but not in HSP72, knockdown myotubes. These results suggest that AMPK inhibits hypertrophy through, in part, an HSP72-associated mechanism via miR-1 and protein degradation pathways in skeletal muscle cells.

[Purpose] We examined the effects of prolonged stretching and thermotherapy on muscle contracture of immobilized rat soleus muscles by determining ankle joint range of motion (ROM), collagen fibril arrangement in the endomysium and insoluble collagen content. [Methods] In the experimental group, bilateral ankle joints of each rat were fixed in full plantar flexion with plaster casts for four weeks. Then, the experimental group animals were randomly partitioned into five groups: 1) immobilization alone; and 2) spontaneous recovery, 3) prolonged stretching, 4) thermotherapy, and 5) prolonged stretching immediately following thermotherapy for 2 weeks after cast removal. Prolonged stretching of the soleus muscle (30 min/day) was conducted by maintaining the dorsiflexion position of the ankle joint. Thermotherapy consisted of immersion of bilateral hindlimbs (20 min/day) in hot water (42 °C). Under anesthesia, both treatments were performed six days per week during the two-week remobilization. [Results] Immobilization led to decreased ROM, collagen fibril movement in the endomysium and increased insoluble collagen. Prolonged stretching and the combination of stretching and thermotherapy accelerated amelioration of the ROM limitation and diminished collagen fibril movement. [Conclusion] Our findings suggest that while thermotherapy does not exert a specific effect on muscle contracture, prolonged stretching can promote recovery., Journal of Physical Therapy Science, 24(6), pp.541-547; 2012

Lath-shaped and highly crystalline trioctahedral smectites were synthesized under hydrothermal conditions. The quenched glasses with stoichiometrically dehydrated Na-smectite compositions were treated at (a) 500°C and 100 MPa for 1 and 11 days; and (b) 300°C and 100 MPa for 7 days. The crystallinity and particle size of products were dependent on the chemical composition of the starting glass, synthetic temperature and duration of hydrothermal treatment. The high structural ordering and large dimensions of the products were confirmed from the sharpness of XRD peaks; and hydration behavior under controlled relative humidity. Transmission electron microscopy was also performed for the characterization of the particle size of product. Particle sizes vary from ca. 10 nm to a few μm by changing the chemical compositions of the starting materials. The product with the highest structural ordering and largest dimension was obtained from Na0.33(Mg1.83Al0.67)Si4O11 glass treated at 500°C and 100 MPa for 1 day. The obtained results also confirmed the metastability and compositional dependency in the formation of highly crystalline trioctahedral smectite at hydrothermal conditions.