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Let R d be the space of stable sheaves F which satisfy the Hilbert polynomial χ (F (m)) = d m + 1 and are supported on rational curves in the projective plane P 2. Then R 1 (resp. R 2) is isomorphic to P 2 (resp. P 5). In addition, R 3 is well-known to be a P 6 -bundle over P 2. In particular, R d is smooth for d ≤ 3. However, for d ≥ 4 , in general, the space R d is no longer smooth because of the complexity of boundary curves. In this paper, we obtained an SL (3 , C) -equivariant smooth resolution of R 4 for d = 4 , which is a P 5 -bundle over a blow-up of a Kronecker modules space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zigzag strip bundles are combinatorial models realizing the crystals B (∞) and the highest weight crystals B (λ) over quantum affine algebras U q (g) , and they are closely related with Nakajima monomials and Kashiwara embeddings of specific type. In this paper, we introduce new zigzag strip bundles for U q (g) , which we call reverse zigzag strip bundles in order to distinguish from the previous ones, and we give explicit 1-1 correspondences with the set of Nakajima monomials and the image of Kashiwara embedding which are different from those appeared in the study of the zigzag strip bundles. Another main result is to give different points of view about zigzag strip bundles and reverse zigzag strip bundles. Indeed, the previous 1-1 correspondences between the sets of zigzag strip bundles or reverse zigzag strip bundles, and the sets of Nakajima monomials or images of Kashiwara embeddings were determined based on the number of blocks in the columns of these strip bundles. In our work, we use the number of blocks in the rows of zigzag strip bundles and reverse zigzag strip bundles to provide characterizations of Nakajima monomials and images of Kashiwara embeddings that differ from the previous ones. That is, we give characterizations of Nakajima monomials and Kashiwara embeddings of 4 types. Further, we discuss the connection between zigzag strip bundles and reverse zigzag strip bundles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Primary cilia are essential cellular antennae that transmit external signals into intracellular responses. These sensory organelles perform crucial tasks in triggering intracellular signaling pathways, including those initiated by G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). Given the involvement of GPCRs in serum-induced signaling, we investigated the contribution of ciliary proteins in mitogen perception and cell proliferation. We found that depletion of cilia via IFT88 silencing impaired cell growth and repressed YAP activation against serum and its mitogenic constituents, namely lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) and sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P). To identify the key player of serum mitogen signaling, a mutant cell line library with 30 ablated individual ciliary proteins was established and screened based on YAP dephosphorylation and target gene induction. While 9 of them had altered signaling, ablation of IFT38 or IFT144 led to a particularly robust repression of YAP activation upon LPA and S1P. The deficiency of IFT38 and IFT144 attenuated cell proliferation, as corroborated in either 2-dimensional cultures or tumor spheroids. In subcutaneous skin melanoma patients, expression of IFT38 and IFT144 was associated with unfavorable outcomes in overall survival. In conclusion, our study demonstrates the involvement of ciliary proteins in mitogen signaling and identifies the regulatory roles of IFT38 and IFT144 in serum-mediated Hippo pathway signaling and cellular growth. • Cellular sensitivity to serum mitogens is controlled by primary cilia. • Functional comparison of ciliary proteins was done using CRISPRi cell line library. • IFT38 and IFT144 were identified as crucial components for serum mitogen perception. • Silencing IFT38 and IFT144 leads to reduced tumor spheroid growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As river ecosystems continue to face environmental pressures, it is crucial to develop and apply new biologically relevant statistical tools to support river health assessments. This study aimed to test the potential significance of nonmetric ordination scores and multidimensional functional indices of fish communities for analyzing river ecological health linked to variations in environmental factors. We conducted a nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) to derive ordination scores based on twenty fish ecological entities (FEs) that we newly defined, along with their relative abundance (RA). These FEs were determined through a unique combination of trophic, habitat, and tolerance guilds. Additionally, we calculated the functional diversity and identity (F-Ide) indices using the RA-weighted distances between FEs defined by the guild identities in a multidimensional space. The results showed that these novel analyses were helpful in assessing river ecological health and spatial changes in the environment. The dominant F-Ide in each community was largely responsible for the variation of river health scores, driven by the combined impact of chemical water quality, alterations in substrate composition, land use changes, and the gradient of elevation. These environmental factors significantly influenced the site scores in the first axis of NMDS, F-Ide indices, and river health scores. Therefore, our study highlights the practical value of utilizing nonmetric scaling ordination scores of FEs and F-Ide indices as tools for evaluating the health of river ecosystems. By elucidating fish community variance, these tools can aid in determining the extent of river health degradation attributable to environmental stressors, including chemical water pollution and changes in substrate resulting from changes in land use and at different elevations. • The extended novel approach for river health assessments was developed. • Functional community differences were identified by nonmetric scaling ordination. • Multidimensional indicators precisely predicted the ecosystem degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has led to the emergency of various lineages through mutations and recombination. In the Delta lineage, we identified recombination events in the ORF1a gene, which divided the Delta sublineages into three different genotypes (Delta R1-R3). The regional distributions of Delta R1 and Delta R2 were not correlated, indicating that recombination occurred early in the Delta outbreak. The impact of the ORF1a gene on SARS-CoV-2 transmission remains unclear; however, our findings suggest that recombination may have contributed to the evolution and global spread of the Delta lineage. • We found three recombinant groups in Delta VOC have distinct ORF1a gene. • The recombination occurred in the early stage of the Delta outbreak. • Two major recombinant were detected globally without regional correlation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spawning in marine bivalves is a great energy-demanding process, and it often results in lethal and sublethal stresses during the post-spawning period, including depressed immune capacity. The blood cockle Tegillarca granosa (Linnaeus, 1758) distributes widely in silty-mud tidal flats on the south coast of Korea, and they spawn in late summer. To understand the impacts of spawning on immune parameters, we analyzed the total hemocyte count (THC), hemocyte mortality, phagocytosis capacity, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production of T. granosa in pre-, and post-spawning condition using a flow cytometer. Histology indicated that the blood cockles occurring on the south coast of Korea ripe and ready to spawn in July, and they spawned in August and September. The THC in the blood cockle hemolymph declined from pre-spawning (1.2 × 108 cell mL−1) to post-spawning (0.9 × 108 cell mL−1), possibly due to the spawning stress and the massive infiltration of hemocytes in the gonad to phagocytose and resorb the residual gametes during the post-spawning period. The hemocyte mortality increased linearly from August (4.1%) to November (9.1%), as the histology revealed that the blood cockle completed spawning, and they resorbed the relict gametes. The granulocyte phagocytosis capacity declined dramatically from July (12.7%) to September (6.0%), when the cockles were engaged in active spawning. The flow cytometry revealed that the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) from the granulocytes and the erythrocytes type II increased linearly from August (0.8–0.9 × 105 A U.) to December (2.1–2.8 × 105 A U.), which may cause stresses at a cellular level during this period. As the data indicated, spawning is a stressful activity inducing depressed immunological capacities in the blood cockles. • Post-spawning Tegillarca granosa showed a weakening of cellular defense capacities. • Hemocyte density and phagocytosis capacity declined from pre-spawning to post-spawning cockles. • Hemocyte mortality and ROS production increased from pre-spawning to post-spawning cockles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A free-interface based dynamic condensation method is newly developed. • In the formulation, substructural FE models are fully decoupled. • Non-matching mesh and complicated substructural interfaces can be modeled. • Accuracy, computational efficiency and modeling ability are demonstrated. In this paper, a novel dynamic condensation method is proposed with free interface substructuring, in which the substructures are completely decoupled. The substructures are independently defined and the substructural finite element (FE) models are individually reduced by adopting the improved reduced system (IRS) method. The reduced mass and stiffness matrices of substructures are assembled using a Lagrange multiplier vector, leading to the final reduced model. Using the proposed method, each of the substructural FE models can be reduced in parallel without coupling among the neighboring substructures. Thus, the method can be applied with ease to substructures connected through non-matching meshes. Moreover, complicated substructural interfaces can be accommodated when employing this method. The formulation of the proposed method is presented in detail, and its accuracy, computational efficiency, and modeling ability are investigated using several demonstrative engineering problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flemingia philippinensis has been used throughout history to cure rheumatism associated with neutrophil elastase (NE). In this study, we isolated sixteen NE inhibitory flavonoids ( 1 – 16 ), including the most potent and abundant prenyl isoflavones ( 1 – 9 ), from the F. philippinensis plant. These prenyl isoflavones ( 2 , 3 , 5 , 7 , and 9 ) competitively inhibited NE, with IC 50 values of 1.3–12.0 μM. In addition, they were reversible, simple, slow-binding inhibitors according to their respective parameters. Representative compound 3 had an IC 50  = 1.3 μM, k 3  = 0.04172 μM −1  min −1 , k 4  = 0.0064 min −1 , and K i app  = 0.1534 μM. The K ik / K iv ratios (18.5 ∼ 24.6) for compound 3 were consistent with typical competitive inhibitors. The prenyl functionality of isoflavones significantly affected inhibitory potencies and mechanistic behavior by shifting the competitive mode to a noncompetitive one. The remaining flavonoids ( 10 – 16 ) were confirmed as mixed type I inhibitors that preferred to bind free enzyme rather than the enzyme-substrate complex. Fluorescence quenching analyses indicated that the inhibitory potency (IC 50 ) closely followed the binding affinity ( K SV ). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined dermal and inhalation exposure of agricultural operators to kresoxim-methyl during pesticide mixing/loading and speed sprayer application (10 replicates, each of 3000 L of spray suspension) in an apple orchard and performed risk assessment. For the whole body dosimetry (WBD) exposure protocol, outer clothing, inner clothing, gauze, and nitrile gloves were examined to measure dermal exposure. In contrast, an IOM (institute of occupational medicine) sampler with a glass fiber filter was used to measure inhalation exposure. Analytical method accuracy in the exposure matrices was evaluated by a field recovery study. The dermal and inhalation exposure amounts for mixing/loading were 9.7 mg [0.002% of the total mixed/loaded active ingredient (a.i.)] and 1.2 µg (1.7 × 10 −6 % of the total mixed/loaded a.i.), respectively. The body parts more exposed were the forearms (35.5%), chest & stomach (30.2%), and hands (17.9%). During application, the dermal and inhalation exposure amounts were 66.5 mg (0.009% of the total applied a.i) and 34.8 µg (4.6 × 10 −5% of the total applied a.i.), respectively. The shins (18.5%) and chest & stomach (16.0%) were exposed to higher proportion of pesticide, followed by the thighs (15.8%) and back (14.7%). Comparing the exposure pattern as assessed by the WBD method in the present study with the patch method as in our previous study, the ADE (actual dermal exposure) as measured by the WBD method was 25 times less than that measured by the patch method. The daily exposure amounts of ADE and AIE (actual inhalation exposure) for mixing/loading were 711.8 µg/day and 4.3 µg/day, respectively, whereas the amounts of ADE and AIE for application were 1825.8 µg/day and 116.1 µg/day. In risk assessment of the mixing/loading and application scenarios, the AOEL (acceptable operator exposure level) of kresoxim-methyl was used as the reference dose to show that the RI (risk index) was much lower than 1, indicating that agricultural operators are at low risk of exposure to kresoxim-methyl. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The NFκB family of transcription factors is crucial for innate or adaptive immunity, inflammation, and diseases including cancer. The two NFκB signaling pathways (canonical and non-canonical) differ from each other in extracellular signals, membrane receptors, signaling adaptors, and dimer subunits. The p52 (NFκB2) subunit, which participates in the non-canonical pathway, is generated by ubiquitin-mediated processing of the p100 precursor. Here, we found that NFκB2 processing and activation were mediated by mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase-4 (MKK4) and its substrate c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK). In MKK4-null mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs), serum- and lymphotoxin β receptor (LTβR) antibody-induced processing of p100 and nuclear translocation of p52 were found to be defective. Serum and LTβR antibody activated the MKK4-JNK signaling pathway, and SP600125, a JNK inhibitor, blocked p100 processing. Cellular senescence, one of the responses regulated by the non-canonical NFκB pathway, was observed more frequently in MKK4-null MEFs than in wildtype cells. These results suggest that the MKK4/JNK-dependent pathway regulates NFκB2 processing/activation and, through this mechanism, MKK4 and NFκB2 control cellular growth and senescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main purpose of this paper is to provide threshold functions for the events that a random subset of the points of a finite vector space has certain properties related to point-flat incidences. Specifically, we consider the events that there is an ℓ -rich m -flat with regard to a random set of points in F q n , the event that a random set of points is an m -blocking set, and the event that there is an incidence between a random set of points and a random set of m -flats. One of our key ingredients is a stronger version of a recent result obtained by Chen and Greenhill (2021). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extensive studies have reported the significant roles of numerous cellular features and processes in properly maintaining neuronal morphology and function throughout the lifespan of an animal. Any alterations in their homeostasis appear to be strongly associated with neuronal aging and the pathogenesis of various neurodegenerative diseases, even before the occurrence of prominent neuronal death. However, until recently, the primary focus of studies regarding many neurodegenerative diseases has been on the massive cell death occurring at the late stages of disease progression. Thus, our understanding on early neuropathy in these diseases remains relatively limited. The complicated nature of various neuropathic features manifested early in neurodegenerative diseases suggests the involvement of a system-wide transcriptional regulation and epigenetic control. Epigenetic alterations and consequent changes in the neuronal transcriptome are now begun to be extensively studied in various neurodegenerative diseases. Upon the catastrophic incident of neuronal death in disease progression, it is utterly difficult to reverse the deleterious defects by pharmacological treatments, and therefore, therapeutics targeting the system-wide transcriptional dysregulation associated with specific early neuropathy is considered a better option. Here, we review our current understanding on the system-wide transcriptional dysregulation that is likely associated with early neuropathy shown in various neurodegenerative diseases and discuss the possible future developments of pharmaceutical therapeutics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We provide generalized entanglement constraints in multi-qubit systems in terms of Tsallis entropy. Using quantum Tsallis entropy of order q , we first provide a generalized monogamy inequality of multi-qubit entanglement for q = 2 or 3 . This generalization encapsulates the multi-qubit CKW-type inequality as a special case. We further provide a generalized polygamy inequality of multi-qubit entanglement in terms of Tsallis- q entropy for 1 ≤ q ≤ 2 or 3 ≤ q ≤ 4 , which also contains the multi-qubit polygamy inequality as a special case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dermal & inhalation exposure was examined and according to these results, risk assessment of agricultural workers to thiamethoxam was performed during pesticide mixing/loading and hand-held sprayer application (11 replicates, each of about 1000 L of spray suspension) in vineyards. For the whole body dosimetry (WBD), clothing (Outer and inner), gauze, and nitrile gloves were analyzed to determine dermal exposure using whole-body dosimetry exposure protocol. The inhalation exposure was measured using a glass fiber filter with an IOM sampler. Analytical method validation of exposure matrices was evaluated including the field recovery and breakthrough test. The dermal exposure amount during mixing/loading was 0.163 mg (0.0004% of the total mixed/loaded active ingredient [a.i.]), whereas there was no inhalation exposure. The gloves (0.154 mg, 94.5%) were the most exposed body parts followed by the chest and stomach (0.009 mg, 5.5%). During application, the dermal and inhalation exposure amounts were 32.3 mg (0.07% of the total applied a.i.) and 10.8 µg (2.4 × 10−6% of the total applied a.i), respectively. The shin (35.1%) had the highest exposure to pesticides, followed by the chest & stomach (15.6%) and pelvis (12.6%). In case of mixing/loading, the amounts of actual dermal exposure (ADE) and actual inhalation exposure (AIE) were 0.0 and 0.0 μg/day, while those of ADE and AIE were 4707.6 and 15.8 μg/day for application. In risk assessment of the two different scenarios, the risk index was much lower than 1 (mixing/loading:0.000, application:0.014), indicating that vineyard workers are at low risk of thiamethoxam exposure. To determine the validity of the risk assessment using WBD method, the urinary metabolite was analyzed. Comparison of biomonitoring data and WBD exposure data show a reliable correlation (r = 0.885, p = 0.0003), suggesting that these are suitable methods to estimate exposure. [Display omitted] • To measure the exposure, whole body dosimetry and IOM sampler were used. • Risk assessment of agricultural workers who sprayed pesticides in vineyard were conducted. • Correlation between actual clothing exposure and urinary biomonitoring data was confirmed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Time-temperature-indicator, or integrator (TTI), can be used for visual display of food product safety information for consumers. A prototype isopropyl palmitate (IPP) diffusion-based TTI system was characterized and evaluated for monitoring microbial quality of non-pasteurized angelica (NPA) juice based on temperature abuse. Diffusion of IPP in the TTI system was measured at various iso-thermal and dynamic temperatures and a mathematical model based on relationships between diffusion and time-temperature was established. Predicted results from the established model were in good agreement with experimental results. Total aerobe counts in NPA juice reached a critical level of 6 log CFU/mL from an initial load of 3.7 log CFU/mL after 36.6 h and 12.5 h of storage at 15 °C and 25 °C, respectively. IPP diffusion distances were 9.7 mm and 7.2 mm at 15 °C and 25 °C, respectively. IPP diffusion of 7.0 mm in the TTI system was considered to be a threshold point for bacterial quality of NPA juice. However, the proposed TTI was only verified for indicating temperature abuse above 13.5 °C. The TTI system characterized in this study showed potential for monitoring the microbial quality of perishable food products during distribution and storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using survey data from 512 sworn police officers in the Korean National Police Agency, this study explores the impact of five job characteristics, organizational environment, and external environment on stress experienced by male and female police officers in South Korea. Data analyses show that female officers experience statistically significant elevated degrees of somatization and anxiety. The level of organizational bureaucracy has statistically significant impact on both male and female officer's somatization and anxiety, and male officer's depression. In addition, the level of community relationships has statistically significant impact on somatization, anxiety, and depression for male officers, but only on anxiety and depression for female officers. The effects of task identity and autonomy on different measures of work-related stresses differ between the two gender groups. Findings of the current study support previous police stress literature in general. Implications, limitations, and directions for future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many options traded in the over-the-counter markets are subject to default risks resulting from the probability that the option writer could not honor its contractual obligations. There have been growing concerns about financial derivatives subject to default risks, in particular, since the Global Financial Crisis and Eurozone crisis. This paper uses double Mellin transforms to study European vulnerable options under constant as well as stochastic (the Hull–White) interest rates. We obtain explicitly an analytic closed form pricing formula in each interest rate case so that the pricing of the options can be computed both accurately and efficiently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little is known about the effect of serving temperature on saltiness perception in food products such as soups that are typically consumed at high temperature. This study focused on determining whether serving temperature modulates saltiness perception in soup-base products. Eight trained panelists and 62 untrained consumers were asked to rate saltiness intensities in salt water, chicken broth, and miso soup, with serving temperatures of 40, 50, 60, 70, and 80 °C. Neither trained nor untrained panelists were able to find significant difference in the saltiness intensity among salt water samples served at these five different temperatures. However, untrained consumers (but not trained panelists) rated chicken broth and miso soup to be significantly less salty when served at 70 and/or 80 °C compared to when served at 40 to 60 °C. There was an interaction between temperature-related perceived saltiness and preference; for example, consumers who preferred soups served at lower temperatures found soups served at higher temperatures to be less salty. Consumers who frequently consumed hot dishes rated soup samples served at 60 °C as saltier than consumers who consumed hot dishes less frequently. This study demonstrates that soup serving temperature and consumer dietary habits are influential factors affecting saltiness perception of soup. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Zigzag strip bundles are new combinatorial models realizing the crystals for the quantum affine algebras , where . In this paper, we give new realizations of the crystal bases for the irreducible highest weight modules over quantum affine algebras using zigzag strip bundles. Further, we discuss the connection between zigzag strip bundle realization, Nakajima monomial realization, and polyhedral realization of the crystals . [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The study on pathogenesis of influenza B virus during pregnancy is limited. Here, we showed using a mouse model that influenza B virus could cause severe disease including death during pregnancy. Infected pregnant mice resulted in 40% mortality, but infected age-matched non-pregnant mice did not show any death. Infected pregnant mice contained high viral loads in lungs with the elevated inductions of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines than infected non-pregnant mice. Infected pregnant mice delivered lower number of neonates than uninfected pregnant mice, suggesting adverse effects of influenza B virus on fetuses. Progesterone which is important for maintaining pregnancy was reduced in uteruses of infected pregnant mice than in those of uninfected pregnant mice. Taken together, our results suggest that influenza B virus can cause severe disease during pregnancy, and that preventive measures including vaccination may be important for protecting women during pregnancy. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We introduce new combinatorial models, called zigzag strip bundles, over quantum affine algebras , and , and show that the sets of all zigzag strip bundles for , and realize the crystal bases of , and , respectively. Further, we discuss the connection between zigzag strip bundle realization, Nakajima monomial realization, and polyhedral realization of the crystal . [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Laminaria japonica is a brown alga, which is consumed widely in Korea, Japan, and China. This study investigated the antimicrobial activity of ethanol extracts of L. japonica against oral microbial species to assess the possible application of L. japonica extracts in dental care products. The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC) were determined in culture medium using a microdilution method. The MICs of ethanol extracts of L. japonica with oral streptococci were 62.5–500 μg/ml and the MBCs were 125–1000 μg/ml. The MICs of Actinomyces naeslundii and Actinomyces odontolyticus were 250 and 62.5 μg/ml, respectively. The MBCs of A. naeslundii and A. odontolyticus were 500 and 250 μg/ml, respectively. The MICs were 250 and 62.5 μg/ml for Fusobacterium nucleatum and Porphyromonas gingivalis, respectively. The killing of Streptococcus mutans and P. gingivalis was dependent on the incubation time. The killing of S. mutans, A. odontolyticus, and P. gingivalis was significantly dependent on the extract concentration. Bacterial treatment with L. japonica extracts changed the cell surface texture of S. mutans, A. odontolyticus, and P. gingivalis. The results of this study suggest that L. japonica extracts may be useful for the development of antimicrobial agents to combat oral pathogens. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Production of food crops on metal contaminated agricultural soils is of concern because consumers are potentially exposed to hazardous metals via dietary intake of such crops or crop derived products. Therefore, the current study was conducted to develop management protocols for crop cultivation to allow safer food production. Metal uptake, as influenced by pH change-induced immobilizing agents (dolomite, steel slag, and agricultural lime) and sorption agents (zeolite and compost), was monitored in three common plants representative of leafy (Chinese cabbage), root (spring onion) and fruit (red pepper) vegetables, in a field experiment. The efficiency of the immobilizing agents was assessed by their ability to decrease the phytoavailability of metals (Cd, Pb, and Zn). The fruit vegetable (red pepper) showed the least accumulation of Cd (0.16–0.29mgkg−1 DW) and Pb (0.2–0.9mgkg−1 DW) in edible parts regardless of treatment, indicating selection of low metal accumulating crops was a reasonable strategy for safer food production. However, safer food production was more likely to be achievable by combining crop selection with immobilizing agent amendment of soils. Among the immobilizing agents, pH change-induced immobilizers were more effective than sorption agents, showing decreases in Cd and Pb concentrations in each plant well below standard limits. The efficiency of pH change-induced immobilizers was also comparable to reductions obtained by ‘clean soil cover’ where the total metal concentrations of the plow layer was reduced via capping the surface with uncontaminated soil, implying that pH change-induced immobilizers can be practically applied to metal contaminated agricultural soils for safer food production. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Nitroreductases comprise a group of FMN- or FAD-dependent enzymes that reduce nitrosubstituted compounds by using NAD(P)H, and are found in bacterial species and yeast. Although there is little information on the biological functions of nitroreductases, some studies suggest their possible involvement in oxidative stress responses. In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a putative nitroreductase protein, Frm2, has been identified based on its sequence similarity with known bacterial nitroreductases. Frm2 has been reported to function in the lipid signaling pathway. To study the functions of Frm2, we measured the nitroreductase activity of purified Frm2 on 4-nitroquinoline-N-oxide (4-NQO) using NADH. LC-MS analysis of the reaction products revealed that Frm2 reduced NQO into 4-aminoquinoline-N-oxide (4-AQO) via 4-hydroxyaminoquinoline (4-HAQO). An Frm2 deletion mutant exhibited growth inhibition in the presence of 4-NQO. Thus, in this study, we demonstrate a novel nitroreductase activity of Frm2 and its involvement in the oxidative stress defense system. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Adenoviruses have been identified in humans and a wide range of vertebrate animals, but not previously from the polar region. Here, we report the entire 26,340-bp genome of a novel adenovirus, detected by PCR, in tissues of six of nine South Polar skuas (Catharacta maccormicki), collected in Lake King Sejong, King George Island, Antarctica, from 2007 to 2009. The DNA polymerase, penton base, hexon and fiber genes of the South Polar skua adenovirus (SPSAdV) exhibited 68.3%, 75.4%, 74.9% and 48.0% nucleotide sequence similarity with their counterparts in turkey hemorrhagic enteritis virus. Phylogenetic analysis based on the entire genome revealed that SPSAdV belonged to the genus Siadenovirus, family Adenoviridae. This is the first evidence of a novel adenovirus, SPSAdV, from a large polar seabird (family Stercorariidae) in Antarctica. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The angiotensinogen (AGT) gene enhances the effect of several bronchoconstrictors and produces a peptide that is accumulated in the airways of asthma patients; events that may underpin the pathogenesis of aspirin-intolerant asthma (AIA). To carry out a case-control analysis between AGT and aspirin-induced bronchospasm following treatment with an anti-asthma drug, montelukast (MLK), 38 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in AGT were genotyped in 56 AIA cohort. Genotyping was performed with TaqMan assay and haplotypes were inferred using PHASE algorithm ver. 2.0. Statistical analyses of each SNPs and haplotypes were performed using SAS version 9.1. Among 13 variants displaying significant signals, two SNPs (+2401C>G and +2476C>T) in the intronic region of AGT were significantly associated with modification of drug response even after correction for multiple testing (P =0.0009–0.002; P corr =0.02–0.03). Furthermore, the two variants also exhibited associations with MLK response rate (P =0.0003–0.0006; P corr =0.006–0.01). Although our results are preliminary and further replication in a larger-scale group of subjects should be warranted, these observations provide evidence that AGT variants might be one of genetic factors involved in the response of anti-asthma drugs in AIA patients. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this paper, we realize the crystal basis of the irreducible highest weight module of level 1 for using Nakajima monomials satisfying some conditions. Also, from this monomial realization, we obtain the image of Kashiwara embedding , where ι is some infinite sequence from the index set of simple roots. Finally, we give a -crystal isomorphism between Young wall realization and monomial realization, and so we can understand the image of Kashiwara embedding using the combinatorics of Young walls. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We consider a portfolio optimization problem under stochastic volatility as well as stochastic interest rate on an infinite time horizon. It is assumed that risky asset prices follow geometric Brownian motion and both volatility and interest rate vary according to ergodic Markov diffusion processes and are correlated with risky asset price. We use an asymptotic method to obtain an optimal consumption and investment policy and find some characteristics of the policy depending upon the correlation between the underlying risky asset price and the stochastic interest rate. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In finance, many option pricing models generalizing the Black–Scholes model do not have closed form, analytic solutions so that it is hard to compute the solutions or at least it requires much time to compute the solutions. Therefore, asymptotic representation of options prices of various type has important practical implications in finance. This paper presents asymptotic expansions of option prices in the constant elasticity of variance model as the parameter appearing in the exponent of the diffusion coefficient tends to 2 which corresponds to the well-known Black–Scholes model. We use perturbation theory for partial differential equations to obtain the relevant results for European vanilla, barrier, and lookback options. We make our application of perturbation theory mathematically rigorous by supplying error bounds. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In a previous report we demonstrated that the transcriptomic response of liver tissue was specific to toxicants, and a characteristic molecular signature could be used as an early prognostic biomarker in rats. It is necessary to determine the transcriptomic response to toxicants in peripheral blood for application to the human system. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) comprise a major group of pollutants which significantly affect the chemistry of the atmosphere and human health. In this study we identified and validated the specific molecular signatures of toxicants in rat whole blood as early predictors of environmental toxicants. VOCs (dichloromethane, ethylbenzene, and trichloroethylene) were administered to 11-week-old SD male rats after 48h of exposure, peripheral whole blood was subjected to expression profiling analysis. Unsupervised gene expression analysis resulted in a characteristic molecular signature for each toxicant, and supervised analysis identified 1,217 outlier genes as distinct molecular signatures discerning VOC exposure from healthy controls. Further analysis of multi-classification suggested 337 genes as early detective molecular markers for three VOCs with 100% accuracy. A large-scale gene expression analysis of a different VOC exposure animal model suggested that characteristic expression profiles exist in blood cells and multi-classification of this VOC-specific molecular signature can discriminate each toxicant at an early exposure time. This blood expression signature can thus be used as discernable surrogate marker for detection of biological responses to VOC exposure in an environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In 2004 numerous hominid footprints, along with diverse animal footprints, were found in the Late Quaternary strata of Jeju Island, South Korea. However, the age of the sediments in which the footprints were found is still controversial. Previous age estimates included radiocarbon ages of ca. 15,000 yr BP (Late Pleistocene) and quartz optically stimulated luminescence ages of ca. 7000 yr BP (mid-Holocene). In this study we report on 11 AMS 14C dating results from a new set of samples collected from the footprint-bearing strata and from associated sediments. Despite some variations and age reversal, all samples collected from the footprint-bearing strata yielded 14C ages of late Pleistocene. These ages are comparable with previous radiocarbon dating results. Furthermore, the presence of the proboscidean footprints attributable to woolly mammoths in the footprint-bearing strata supports the radiocarbon dating results. Based on the new radiocarbon dates and the presence of the alleged mammoth footprints, the age of the hominid footprints found at Jeju Island is thought to be late Pleistocene (about 19,000–25,000 cal yr BP). Therefore, this is the second discovery of hominid footprints dated to the Pleistocene age in Asia, and the first to be discovered in Korea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The valuation of path-dependent options in finance creates many interesting mathematical challenges. Among them are a large Delta and Gamma near the expiry leading to a big error in pricing those exotic options as well as European vanilla options. Also, the higher order corrections of the asymptotic prices of the derivatives in some stochastic volatility models are difficult to be evaluated. In this paper we use the method of matched asymptotic expansions to obtain more practical values of lookback and barrier option prices near the expiry. Our results verify that matching asymptotics is a useful tool for PDE methods in path-dependent option pricing. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1 has been established as a master regulator of vascular responses to hypoxia and ischemia by driving transcriptional activation of angiogenic factors. Oxygen- and 2-oxoglutarate (2-OG)-dependent, iron(II) containing HIF-specific prolyl-4-hydroxylases (PHDs) and factor inhibiting HIF-1α (FIH-1) catalyze the hydroxylation of the specific proline and asparagine residues of HIF-1α, thereby controlling the level of HIF-1α and ultimately the HIF response. Here, we unveil a new action of hinokitiol, an iron chelator found in natural plants, on stabilization of HIF-1α in cell cultures in a dose-dependent manner. In vitro PHD2 and FIH activity assays based on fluorescence polarization reveal that such HIF-1α stabilization is likely medicated by inhibitory effects of hinokitiol on prolyl and asparaginyl hydroxylation of HIF-1α. In addition, the inhibition of PHD2 by hinokitiol is reversed by the addition of 2-OG and iron(II), suggesting that the underlying inhibitory mechanism involves displacement of 2-OG and a chelate formation with iron(II) at the enzyme active site by hinokitiol. Furthermore, hinokitiol treated cells show increased transcription of vascular endothelial growth factor, providing the therapeutic potential in the treatment of ischemic diseases. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In this study, sequential approaches for damage detection in beams using time-modal features and artificial neural networks are proposed. The scheme of the sequential approaches mainly consists of two phases: time-domain damage monitoring and modal-domain damage estimation. In the first phase, an acceleration-based neural networks (ABNN) algorithm is designed to monitor the occurrence of damage in a structure by using cross-covariance functions of acceleration signals measured from two different sensors. By using the acceleration feature, the ABNN is trained for potential damage scenarios and loading patterns which are unknown. In the second phase, a modal feature-based neural networks (MBNN) algorithm is designed to estimate the location and severity of damage in the structure by using mode shapes and modal strain energies. By using the modal feature, the MBNN is trained for potential damage scenarios. The feasibility and the practicality of the proposed methodology are evaluated from numerical tests on simply supported beams and also from laboratory tests on free–free beams. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: CeO2–ZrO2 mixed oxides were prepared by continuous hydrothermal synthesis in supercritical water (supercritical synthesis) and co-precipitation method, respectively, and they were used as support for Rh catalyst. The activities of Rh-loaded CeO2–ZrO2 catalysts were investigated for catalytic reduction of NO by CO and their physicochemical properties were characterized with TPR, N2 adsorption, O2-uptake, XRD, Raman, SEM, AES, and H2/CO chemisorption. Discussions were made on the differences in the catalytic performances between the two preparation methods of CeO2–ZrO2 supports in terms of reducibility, homogeneity, morphology, Rh dispersion, and thermal stability. Rh-loaded CeO2–ZrO2 prepared by supercritical synthesis showed superior performances for the catalytic reduction of NO by CO as well as better reducibility and higher thermal stability, compared with co-precipitation method, due to its sparsely-agglomerated morphology. CeO2–ZrO2 mixed oxide prepared by supercritical synthesis had more potential applications as catalyst support mainly due to its sparsely-agglomerated morphology and higher thermal stability. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The DNA-binding sites of YY1 located within two newly identified downstream genes of YY1, Peg3 (GGCGCCATnTT) and Xist ( C CGCCATnTT), are longer than the known motif of YY1 (CGCCATnTT). Gel shift assays indicated that these DNA-binding sites are previously unnoticed, longer motifs of YY1. Independent DNA-binding motif studies further confirmed that YY1 recognizes a longer sequence (GCCGCCATTTTG) as its consensus motif. This longer motif exhibited higher affinity to the YY1 protein than the known motif. Another DNA-binding motif study was also performed using a protein containing three amino acid substitutions in the first zinc finger unit of YY1, mimicking the zinc finger domain of pho (a drosophila homologue of YY1). The substitutions cause the weakening of DNA-binding specificity at both 5′- and 3′-sides of the longer motif, yielding a much shorter sequence (GCCAT) as a consensus motif. This indicates that the intact first finger unit is required for recognition of the longer motif of YY1. Also, this shortening suggests that the DNA recognition by YY1 is mediated through the concerted, but not modular, contribution by its four zinc finger units. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The commercial preparation of Lecanicillium longisporum, Vertalec® was evaluated for simultaneous suppression of cotton aphid and cucumber powdery mildew on potted cucumber plants. Vertalec was applied onto cucumber plants that had been infested with either cotton aphid, spores of Sphaerotheca fuliginea or both. Irradiation-inactivated Vertalec (II Vertalec) was also applied to an identical series of cucumber plants as a control. The Vertalec was highly pathogenic against adult aphids with an LT50 of 6.9 days. II Vertalec did not affect aphid survival. Application of either active or II Vertalec significantly suppressed spore production of S. fuliginea compared to the water control. For dual control assays, Vertalec applications were made one day after infestation of both aphid and S. fuliginea onto potted cucumbers. Fifteen days after the Vertalec treatments, the numbers of surviving aphids and the production of powdery mildew spores were significantly reduced compared with the water control. The presence of aphids also suppressed S. fuliginea spore production. Our results suggest the potential of a dual role for Vertalec as a microbial control agent of aphids and powdery mildew in cucumber. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The identification of non-pathogenic surrogate microorganisms is beneficial for determining and validating the efficacy of antimicrobial treatments in food manufacturing environments. A surrogate organism was identified to aid in the decontamination process of fresh produce when treated with chlorine dioxide (ClO2) gas. Thirty-two known strains of pathogenic and non-pathogenic microorganisms and seven unknown microbial isolates from mushroom, tomatoes, and strawberries were evaluated. The primary goal was to find alternative non-pathogenic organisms that had an equal or higher resistance compared to Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella spp., and Listeria monocytogenes. Among the strains tested, MR1 (mushroom isolate), E. coli O157:H7 C7927, E. coli O157:H7 204P, STB2 (strawberry isolate), and vegetative cells of Bacillus cereus 232 in wet inoculum were found to be the most resistant to gaseous ClO2 treatment at 0.3mg/l for 1min and D-values at 0.3mg/l ClO2 were 3.53, 1.95, 1.72, 1.68, and 1.57min, respectively. For identification, the MR1 and STB2 strains were identified using a Ribotyper™ with the EcoRI restriction enzyme of 16S rDNA sequence. MR1 was identified as Hafnia alvei with a similarity value of 94% using the ribotype pattern and with a 93.6% similarity using an API 20E strip, and with a 99% similarity using 16S rDNA analysis. The Ped-2E9-based cytotoxicity assay was conducted for the MRI strain extracellular toxin and whole cell toxicity and did not show cytotoxicity. Analysis, using multiplex PCR, was performed to verify absence of the eaeA gene. H. alvei is a suitable non-pathogenic surrogate, with higher resistance to ClO2 gas compared to pathogens studied, that may be useful to establish optimum conditions of ClO2 gas decontamination systems. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Neovascularization in the eye is the most common cause of blindness in all age groups; retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), diabetic retinopathy, and age-related macular degeneration. Despite current advances in surgical treatments, ROP remains as the most serious problem of vision loss in children. Here, we report that homoisoflavanone, a natural product from Cremastra appendiculata, significantly reduces retinal neovascularization in a mouse model of ROP. Homoisoflavanone inhibited the cell growth of HUVECs, but its cytotoxic effect was not observed in a concentration range of 1–20μM. HUVECs population gradually increased in G2/M phase and reduced in G0/G1 and S phases after exposure to the compound. Homoisoflavanone decreased the level of cdc2 expression whereas the level of p21WAF1 expression was increased in a dose-dependent manner. These data demonstrate that homoisoflavanone could inhibit retinal neovascularization and be applied in the treatment of other vasoproliferative retinopathies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Few studies have examined in detail the combined effects of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) gene delivery on collateral development. Here, we evaluated the potential synergism of naked DNA vectors encoding VEGF and bFGF using a skeletal-muscle based ex vivo angiogenesis assay and compared tissue perfusion and limb loss in a murine model of hindlimb ischemia. In the ex vivo angiogenesis assay, the VEGF+bFGF combination group had a larger capillary sprouting area than those of the LacZ, VEGF, and bFGF groups. Consistent with these results, regional blood flow recovery on day 14 was also highest in the VEGF+bFGF combination group, followed by the bFGF, VEGF, and LacZ groups. The limb loss frequency was 0% in the combination group, whereas the limb loss frequencies of the other groups were 7–29%. The ischemic muscles of the combination group revealed evidence of increased angiogenesis and arteriogenesis and the upregulated expression of genes that may be associated with arteriogenesis, such as those for cardiac ankyrin repeat protein, early growth response factor-1, and transforming growth factor-β1. Our study has implications for the development of a combined gene therapy for the vascular occlusive diseases. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A bacterial strain, HAK-13, exhibited strongest activity against Heterosigma akashiwo and was capable of controlling this bloom forming phytoplankton. Based on 16S rDNA sequences and biochemical and morphological characteristics, the strain HAK-13 was determined to be Pseudomonas fluorescens on the basis of 99.9% similarity with reference strains in the DNA databases. The growth of H. akashiwo was strongly suppressed by HAK-13 in all growth phases, with the strongest alga-lytic activity noted against harmful bloom-forming species in the exponential stage (6–22 days). Host range tests showed that HAK-13 also significantly inhibited the growth of Alexandrium tamarense and Cochlodinium polykrikoides but could not destroy Gymnodinium catenatum. P. fluorescens HAK-13 indirectly attacked H. akashiwo by alga-lytic substances that might be located at the compartment of cytoplasmic membrane of the bacterium at a level of 45.86units/mg of specific activity. The results indicated that P. fluorescens HAK-13 caused cell lysis and death of H. akashiwo, A. tamarense, and C. polykrikoides dramatically and Prorocentrum dentatum slightly. Therefore, P. fluorescens HAK-13 has potential for use as a selective biocontrol of harmful algal blooms. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Detached leaf disc bioassays were conducted against cucumber powdery mildew and three species of aphid with three entomopathogenic species of Lecanicillium; Lecanicillium longisporum (Vertalec®), Lecanicillium attenuatum (CS625), and an unidentified isolate (DAOM198499). The three Lecanicillium species had high virulence against the aphids Myzus persicae, Macrosiphum euphorbiae and Aulacorthum solani with the exception of DAOM 198499, which demonstrated reduced virulence to A. solani with an LT50 of 6.4 days. Otherwise, LT50 ranged between two and four days. Suspensions of conidia and blastospores of the Lecanicillium species were also applied onto 15mm leaf discs dissected from cucumber plants previously inoculated with Sphaerotheca fuliginea. Powdery mildew did not develop when the Lecanicillium applications were made one and eight days after S. fuliginea inoculations. When Lecanicillium was applied to highly infected leaf discs 11 and 15 days after S. fuliginea inoculation, the application suppressed subsequent production of S. fuliginea spores as compared to the controls. These results suggest the potential of a dual role for Lecanicillium spp. as microbial control agents against aphids and powdery mildew. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this paper, we give a new realization of the crystal using modified Nakajima monomials. For the quantum affine algebras of type , we give an explicit characterization of the monomials in , and construct a natural crystal isomorphism between monomial realization and path realization. As a corollary, we obtain a new realization of the crystal for the quantum classical algebras of type . [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Imprinting control regions (ICRs) often harbor tandem arrays of transcription factor binding sites, as demonstrated by the identification of multiple YY1 binding sites within the ICRs of Peg3, Nespas, and Xist/Tsix domains. In the current study, we have sought to characterize possible roles for YY1 in transcriptional control and epigenetic modification of these imprinted domains. RNA interference-based knockdown experiments in Neuro2A cells resulted in overall transcriptional up-regulation of most of the imprinted genes within the Peg3 domain and also, concomitantly, caused significant loss in the DNA methylation of the Peg3 differentially methylated region. A similar overall and coordinated expression change was also observed for the imprinted genes of the Gnas domain: up-regulation of Nespas and down-regulation of Nesp and Gnasxl. YY1 knockdown also resulted in changes in the expression levels of Xist and Snrpn. These results support the idea that YY1 plays a major role, as a trans factor, in the control of these imprinted domains. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been shown to down-regulate T-cell responses. However, the mechanisms underlying remain unknown. In this study, we report that BALB/c bone marrow-derived MSCs inhibit the proliferation of allogeneic T-cells in mixed lymphocyte reactions (MLR), This inhibition is dependent on cell–cell contact, and do not induce apoptosis. Furthermore, cell-cycle analyses reveal that T-cells, in the presence of MSCs, are arrested in the G0/G1 phase through. The blockage of phosphorylation of retinoblastoma protein (Rb), mediated by the p16INK4A-cyclin D1/cdk4 complex and p21waf1, p27kip1-cyclin E/cdk2 complex pathway. Our results suggest that MSCs may perform a crucial function in the maintenance of immune homeostasis, via direct regulation of the clonal expansion of activated T-cells. The novel T-cell regulatory mechanism exhibited by MSCs may prove useful in a variety of therapeutic applications. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A novel autosomal recessive mutant was produced using N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea mutagenesis. The characteristics of the mutant mice included progressive irreversible hair loss within a month of birth, wrinkled skin, and long curved nails. Linkage analysis revealed that the causative gene is linked to D14Mit193 on chromosome 14. Sequence analysis of the complete cDNA of the candidate gene, hairless (Hr), identified a homozygous G-to-T transition at nucleotide 3572, leading to the substitution of glycine by tryptophan, designated Gly960Trp. This missense mutation occurs in the vicinity of repression domain 3 of the hairless protein (HR). This allele was named Hr m1Enu . The relative amounts of Hr mRNA and HR protein determined by real-time PCR and Western blot analyses, respectively, were slightly elevated in the mutant mice. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis revealed the increased expression of Kc1 and Vdr in the mutant mice, whereas the expression of Nrs1 and Krtap16-6 was decreased. These results suggest that the Gly960Trp substitution in HR protein in Hr m1Enu mice may alter the function of HR as a transcriptional corepressor. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: T cell activation signals induced by altered peptide ligands (APLs) are different from those induced by the original agonistic peptide. The characteristics of the former are partial phosphorylation of TCR-ζ and no tyrosine-phosphorylation of ζ-associated protein-70 (ZAP-70). To analyze further those signaling pathways, we introduced a dominant negative (DN) form of ZAP-70 into a human CD4+ T cell clone in which fully and partially agonistic peptide ligands have been well characterized. We found that some over-expressed partially agonistic ligands (OPALs) induced T cell responses without tyrosine-phosphorylation and kinase activation of ZAP-70. However, those responses were inhibited in T cells expressing DN ZAP-70, which could associate with partially phosphorylated TCR-ζ. In OPAL-stimulated T cells, PLC-γ1 was phosphorylated and it was suppressed by DN ZAP-70 expression, suggesting that the ZAP-70-TCR-ζ association mediates the activation of PLC-γ1 leading to T cell responses even in the absence of kinase activation of ZAP-70. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Macrophages generated with macrophage-colony stimulating factor (M-CSF) are defective in antigen presenting cell (APC) function, although they do express major histocompatibility (MHC) class II molecules, numerous accessory molecules, and intercellular adhesion molecules. In the present study, we show evidence that the acquisition of APC function is influenced significantly by microenvironmental condition of development. Macrophages generated from bone marrow progenitor cells with M-CSF and interleukin (IL)-6 were defective in APC function as determined by their ability to induce anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody (mAb)-primed T cell proliferation. Macrophages generated in the presence of some of the CC chemokines such as leukotactin-1, macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-1α, and RANTES together with M-CSF and IL-6, however, induced proliferation of anti-CD3 mAb-primed T cells. Maximum level of APC function was obtained when developing macrophages were exposed with the chemokines at the late stage of maturation. Enhanced APC function of the macrophages appeared to be correlated with the expression of co-stimulatory molecules and the ability to produce cytokines. These results suggest that the acquisition of APC function of mature macrophage is modulated significantly by the microenvironmental condition during development. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We give a 1–1 correspondence between the Young wall realization and the Young tableau realization of the crystal bases for the classical Lie algebras. Moreover, as its application, we give an insertion scheme for reduced proper Young walls. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In plants, nucleoside diphosphate kinases (NDPKs) play a key role in the signaling of both stress and light. However, little is known about the structural elements involved in their function. Of the three NDPKs (NDPK1–NDPK3) expressed in Arabidopsis thaliana, NDPK2 is involved in phytochrome-mediated signal transduction. In this study, we found that the binding of dNDP or NTP to NDPK2 strengthens the interaction significantly between activated phytochrome and NDPK2. To better understand the structural basis of the phytochrome–NDPK2 interaction, we determined the X-ray structures of NDPK1, NDPK2, and dGTP-bound NDPK2 from A.thaliana at 1.8Å, 2.6Å, and 2.4Å, respectively. The structures showed that nucleotide binding caused a slight conformational change in NDPK2 that was confined to helices αA and α2. This suggests that the presence of nucleotide in the active site and/or the evoked conformational change contributes to the recognition of NDPK2 by activated phytochrome. In vitro binding assays showed that only NDPK2 interacted specifically with the phytochrome and the C-terminal regulatory domain of phytochrome is involved in the interaction. A domain swap experiment between NDPK1 and NDPK2 showed that the variable C-terminal region of NDPK2 is important for the activation by phytochrome. The structure of Arabidopsis NDPK1 and NDPK2 showed that the isoforms share common electrostatic surfaces at the nucleotide-binding site, but the variable C-terminal regions have distinct electrostatic charge distributions. These findings suggest that the binding of nucleotide to NDPK2 plays a regulatory role in phytochrome signaling and that the C-terminal extension of NDPK2 provides a potential binding surface for the specific interaction with phytochromes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]