Biology

Potential of a novel therapeutic strategy for rheumatoid arthritis by UHRF1 stabilization We identified an epigenetic regulator UHRF1 that suppresses various pathogeneses in rheumatoid arthritis. The UHRF1 expression level in synovium showed a negative correlation with the severity of pathogenesis in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and mouse arthritis models. In addition, stabilization of the UHRF1 expression achieved improvement of the arthritis pathology. Our results indicate that the stabilization of the UHRF1 protein is a potential therapeutic strategy for rheumatoid arthritis patients.

Scientists have revealed two enzymes that regulate protein degradation of proteins in the cell membrane of plants, and established the roles they play in plant growth and development.

Scientists have described the youngest therizinosaur fossil from Japan and the first in Asia to have been found in marine sediments.

Researchers at Kanazawa University in collaboration with teams from Toyama Prefectural University and BioSeeds Corporation report in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces the identification of a molecule with enhanced antiproliferative activity in cancer cells. The underlying biomolecular mechanism is the inhibition of an enzyme that is overproduced in several types of cancer.

Researchers in Japan demonstrated the benefits of a new non-radioactive, neutral negative staining reagent by imaging viruses at nanometer-scale.

Giants in History: Thai physician and conservationist Boonsong Lekagul (15 December 1907 – 9 February 1992) made major contributions to the preservation of his country’s wildlife by founding organizations including the Association for the Conservation of Wildlife (ACW), writing about Thailand’s natural heritage, and supporting conservation initiatives.

Giants in History: Ground-breaking cancer researcher Kamal Jayasing Ranadive (8 November 1917 – 11 April 2001) advanced the understanding of the causes of leukaemia, breast cancer and oesophageal cancer through the use of animal models.

Giants in History: Little is known about Ali, a teenager from Sarawak, Malaysia, who was chief assistant to the famous naturalist Alfred Wallace.

Hokkaido University researchers have shown how chronic pain leads to maladaptive anxiety in mice, with implications for treatment of chronic pain-related psychiatric disorders in humans.

Researchers set out to find new ways to artificially induce mRNA to respond in ways that could eventually lead to therapeutic outcomes, expanding on the success of the mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines and opening up new possibilities across a host of possible genetic therapies.

Examination of endangered species’ stem cells unveils ancient genetic links between mammals.

Genome profiling of Staphylococcus argenteus strains unveiled cross-contamination among Japanese retail foods and slaughterhouses.

In a global first, scientists have demonstrated that molecular robots are able to accomplish cargo delivery by employing a strategy of swarming, achieving a transport efficiency five times greater than that of single robots.

Tile patterns in which the same shape is laid out without gaps are found in the compound eyes of insects. Hexagonal tile patterns are common while shrimp eyes have a square pattern. We investigated tile pattern formation using Drosophila and revealed that the compound eye tile pattern is controlled by a geometrical division mechanism, Voronoi tessellation, in addition to physical constraints determined by the combination of the regular distribution and growth of the individual eyes.

Bacteria hitchhike on red blood cells, New model simulates effects of exercise on muscles, Argon found in air of ancient atmosphere and Revealing emergent elastic fields of chiral crystals. Read all in the April Editor's Choice and this month's Asia Research News 2022 magazine pick - Asia's race to outsmart antimicrobial resistance.

• Effects of gestational bisphenol A exposure were compared between rat dams and their offspring. • Bisphenol A affected the dams' circadian rhythm, immune response, and insulin resistance. • Nevertheless, at the multi-omics levels (transcriptome and lipidome), the impact on the dams was less than on their offspring. • Multi-variates analysis successfully differentiated the multi-omics effects between dams and their offspring.

Researchers at Kanazawa University elucidate in Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences how small biocontainers enclosed by membranes are involved in a disease called ATTRv amyloidosis.

Milling rice to separate the grain from the husks, produces about 100 million tons of rice husk waste globally each year. Scientists searching for a scalable method to fabricate quantum dots have developed a way to recycle rice husks to create the first silicon quantum dot LED light. Their new method transforms agricultural waste into state-of-the-art light-emitting diodes in a low-cost, environmentally friendly way.

The molecule trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) can be used to reversibly modulate the rigidity of microtubules, a key component of molecular machines and molecular robots.

伝統的な日本の大学のカルチャーの殻を破り、フラットで国際的な研究所として注目を集める東京工業大学地球生命研究所（ELSI）。今年で10年目を迎えたELSIの魅力や運営のコツについて廣瀬敬前所長が語った。

東京工業大学地球生命研究所（ELSI）は、エビデンスに基づくアウトリーチを展開することで、科学コミュニケーション専門トレーニングの大切さを積極的に発信している。日本の高等教育機関と研究機関での研究アウトリーチ活性化の先駆けとなることを目指す。

地球生命研究所（ELSI）は、生命と惑星の起源と進化を探求する新しい総合大学院コースを開設した。

A collaborative research project has investigated the physiological changes in Japanese Black cattle during their unique feeding process, paving the way for evaluating their metabolic status and an even tastier cut of meat.

Mycobacteria are a group of pathogenic bacteria that cause diseases like leprosy and tuberculosis in humans. Now, a new study by scientists at Hiroshima University finds that mycobacteria are associated with red blood cells at lung infection sites, an interaction that has escaped scientific notice for 140 years since the discovery of the organism causing tuberculosis.

Electrical stimulation of nerve fibers could promote the growth of the myelin sheath, a protective layer around neurons that is crucial for transmitting nerve impulses. The finding, published in the journal Biofabrication, introduces a new paradigm in the treatment of diseases where the myelin sheath is progressively lost, leading to muscular atrophy, hand and foot deformities, gait abnormalities, and paralysis.

Tohoku University scientists in Japan have developed a virus-based approach for measuring variations in gene regulatory elements, called transcription factors, as conditions change in live organisms.

Giants in History: Woo Jang-choon (8 April 1898 – 10 August 1959) was a Korean-Japanese agricultural scientist and botanist. Woo performed horticultural research, first in Japan, then in Korea.

東京工業大学地球生命研究所（ELSI）は今年、転機を迎える。10年前の設立当初からのテーマであった「地球と生命の起源」から踏み出し、地球外生命の可能性まで研究対象を広げていく。次期所長の関根康人教授にこれからのELSIが目指すところを聞いた。

Microgravity worms help solve astronaut muscle problems, CO2 recycling and drug development, Remote control of robot hand, Enabling the study of diverse Hepatitis B. Read all in the March's Editor's Choice and even more in the Asia Research News 2022 magazine.

The Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI) based at Tokyo Institute of Technology will reach a turning point this year. For the first time in its 10-year history, it will extend the scope of its initial research theme, "The Origins and Evolution of the Earth and Life", to include searching for evidence of extra-terrestrial life. ELSI’s new director, Yasuhito Sekine, told Asia Research News what they hope to achieve in the next phase and how.