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An increasing number of plant viruses and viroids have been reported from all over the world due largely to metavirogenomics approaches with technological innovation. Herein, the official changes of virus taxonomy, including the establishment of megataxonomy and amendments of the codes of virus classification and nomenclature, recently made by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses were summarized. The continued efforts of the plant virology community of Japan to index all plant viruses and viroids occurring in Japan, which represent 407 viruses, including 303 virus species and 104 unclassified viruses, and 25 viroids, including 20 species and 5 unclassified viroids, as of October 2021, were also introduced. These viruses and viroids are collectively classified into 81 genera within 26 families of 3 kingdoms (Shotokuvirae, Orthornavirae, Pararnavirae) across 2 realms (Monodnaviria and Riboviria). This review also overviewed how Japan's plant virus/viroid studies have contributed to advance virus/viroid taxonomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Japanese star anise (Illicium anisatum L., JSA) is seriously damaged by a ringspot disease in Japan. Herein, to determine the causal agent using high-throughput sequencing, we discovered viral RNAs associated with JSA ringspot disease. We then determined the complete or near-complete nucleotide sequences of these RNAs using Sanger sequencing and RACE. The complementary strand of viral RNAs 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 encoded a single protein, which shared sequence identity with P1 (RNA-dependent RNA polymerase), P2 (glycoprotein precursor), P3 (nucleocapsid protein), P4 (movement protein), and a protein with unknown function of emaraviruses (genus Emaravirus), respectively; however, the highest amino acid sequence identity for the P1–P5 proteins between JSARaV and known emaraviruses was 41.9%, 30.0%, 30.1%, 52.2%, and 38.0%, respectively, all of which were lower than the species demarcation criterion. Furthermore, RNA segments harbored conserved 12-nt terminal sequences at the 5′- and 3′-termini, and a high complementarity of approximately 20 nt in 5′- and 3′-terminal sequences. Transmission electron microscopy confirmed the presence of virus-like particles. JSA ringspot disease was found to be transmitted by an eriophyid mite (subclass Acari, superfamily Eriophyoidea) that belongs to the family Diptilomiopidae. Taken together, these results identified the virus responsible for the ringspot disease of JSA as a new member of the genus, Emaravirus, which we named as the Japanese star anise ringspot-associated virus (JSARaV). Moreover, this is the first report noting that eriophyid mites of the family Diptilomiopidae are capable of transmitting emaravirus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2010, severe necrotic mosaic disease and fruit distortion were observed on greenhouse-grown chili pepper ( Capsicum annuum cv. Fushimi-amanaga) plants in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. Electron microscopic imaging and genomic RNA sequencing indicated that the virus responsible was a new isolate of Rehmannia mosaic virus (ReMV), which had not been previously reported in Japan. Although ReMV systemically infected many Solanaceae species, including chili pepper and tomato ( Solanum lycopersicum), tobamovirus-resistance genes from species of Capsicum ( L, L, L, and L) and tomato ( Tm- 1, Tm- 2, and Tm- 2) conferred resistance against ReMV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A field experimental study of CO2 sequestration into the Ogachi hot dry rock (approximately 200 grad C, mainly consists of granitic rocks) have been conducted to explore safe and permanent CO2 storage by creating carbonate minerals in the subsurface. In the CO2-Injection Experiment by single well testing, CO2 dissolved water with a tracer was injected by free flowing injection through a deep geothermal well (OGC-2) to the reservoir. And chemical monitoring with a wireline sampler in batch has been enforced for the estimation of the release of base cations from reservoir rock, reaction of CO2 with cations. Resultant CO2–Tracer balance suggests that carbonates might precipitate in a few days. In addition, the crystal-growth testing in the borehole using a newly developed chemical reactor sonde was implemented to ascertain CO2 fixation as carbonates under in-situ conditions and it was indicated that a spiral growth rate of calcite was order of mm/year. Laboratory experiments and simulations for CO2–water–rock interaction also have been executed to make long-term evaluation of the CO2 storage process and optimization of reservoir modeling. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A new tobamo-like virus was isolated from a greenhouse-grown cucumber that showed severe mosaic distortion on leaves and fruit, in the southern part of Japan. The virus was tentatively designated Cucumber mottle virus (CuM0V) and further characterized. The size and antigenicity of the coat protein (CP) and the complete sequence of the genome were compared with those of the known cucurbit-infecting tobamoviruses: the W and SH strains of Cucumber green mottle mosaic virus (CGMMV), the C and Y strains of Kyuri green mottle mosaic virus (KGMMV), Cucumber fruit mottle mosaic virus (CFMMV), and Zucchini green mottle mosaic virus (ZGMMV). The CP of CuMoV migrated more slowly than those of CGMMV-W and -SH and KGMMV-C and -Y in sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. In Western blot analysis, the CP of CuMoV cross-reacted weakly with antisera against CGMMV-W and did not react with antisera against KGMMV-Y. The overall nucleotide sequence of CuMoV had 62.5 to 63.5% identity with those of CGMMV-W, -SH, KGMMV-Y, CFMMV, and ZGMMV. The genome organization was characteristic of tobamoviruses, encoding a 13 I-kb protein, a 188-kb protein, a movement protein (MP), and CP in 5′ to 3′ order. In the phylogenetic analyses of the CP, CuMoV was placed in a separate lineage from CGMMV-W, -SH, KGMMV-C, -Y, CFMMV, and ZGMMV. The results indicate that CuMoV is a distinct tobamovirus species which represents a third sub-subgroup in the cucurbit-infecting tobamoviruses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cadaver surgical training (CST), which ensures medical safety by improving the skills of surgeons, is popular overseas. However, training involves ethical issues given the use of cadavers. In 2012, the Japan Surgical Society and the Japanese Association of Anatomists compiled and opened the "Guidelines for Cadaver Dissection in Education and Research of Clinical Medicine (Guideline 2012)" to the public. This has allowed Japan to conduct CST or research under the regulations of Postmortem Examination and Corpse Preservation Act and the Body Donation Act. However, its dissemination has been sluggish. The Clinical Anatomy Lab (CAL), established in 2010 at Chiba University, is a facility for conducting CST and research. In the 11 years since its inception, 250 programs have been implemented. Orthopedics had the most implemented in the clinical field, with 120 (48%), followed by emergency and critical care medicine with 27 (10.8%), and neurological surgery with 27 (10. 8%). Based on the purpose of the training, the most common objective for the programs (approximately 83%) was education. Further, the highest number of programs was recorded in 2018 (34) and participants in 2017 (631). The implementation of CST requires more than just guiding surgeons to a dissection practice room. There are several methods of preserving cadavers to make them suitable for CST. For various surgical simulations, an operating table is more suitable than a dissection table. The current paper provides information on how to implement CST in universities that have so far only worked on anatomy education for medical students., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Japanese Association of Anatomists.)

Shiso ( Perilla frutescens var. crispa ) is widely grown as an important vegetable or herb crop in Japan. Beginning around the year 2000, occurrences of severe mosaic symptoms on shiso were documented and gradually spread across Kochi Prefecture, one of four major shiso production areas in Japan. Next generation sequencing and cloning indicated the presence of a previously unknown virus related to the members of the genus Emaravirus , for which we proposed the name Perilla mosaic virus (PerMV). The genome of PerMV consists of 10 RNA segments, each encoding a single protein in the negative-sense orientation. Of these proteins, P1, P2, P3a, P3b, P4, and P5 show amino acid sequence similarities with those of known emaraviruses, whereas no similarities were found in P6a, P6b, P6c, and P7. Characteristics of the RNA segments as well as phylogenetic analysis of P1 to P4 indicate that PerMV is a distinct and highly divergent emaravirus. Electron microscopy observations and protein analyses corresponded to presence of an emaravirus. Transmission experiments demonstrated that an eriophyid mite, Shevtchenkella sp. (family Eriophyidae), transmits PerMV with a minimum 30-min acquisition access period. Only plants belonging to the genus Perilla tested positive for PerMV, and the plant-virus-vector interactions were evaluated. The nucleotide sequences reported here are available in the DDBJ/ENA/GenBank databases under accession numbers LC496090 to LC496099.