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While it has been hypothesized that brown adipocytes responsible for mammalian thermogenesis are absent in birds, the existence of beige fat has yet to be studied directly. The present study tests the hypothesis that beige fat emerges in birds as a mechanism of physiological adaptation to cold environments. Subcutaneous neck adipose tissue from cold-acclimated or triiodothyronine (T3)-treated chickens exhibited increases in the expression of avian uncoupling protein (avUCP, an ortholog of mammalian UCP2 and UCP3) gene and some known mammalian beige adipocyte-specific markers. Morphological characteristics of white adipose tissues of treated chickens showed increased numbers of both small and larger clusters of multilocular fat cells within the tissues. Increases in protein levels of avUCP and mitochondrial marker protein, voltage-dependent anion channel, and immunohistochemical analysis for subcutaneous neck fat revealed the presence of potentially thermogenic mitochondria-rich cells. This is the first evidence that the capacity for thermogenesis may be acquired by differentiating adipose tissue into beige-like fat for maintaining temperature homeostasis in the subcutaneous fat 'neck warmer' in chickens exposed to a cold environment.

Root-expressed nitrate transporters work for the uptake of nitrogen when nitrate is present as the main nitrogen source in the soil. In Arabidopsis roots, high-affinity nitrate transporter, NRT2.1, is transcriptionally activated by nitrate, suggesting significance of its presence as a major facilitator for the acquisition of nitrate; however information on upstream regulatory factors that may control the expression of NRT2.1 is still limited. In this study, we focused on transcription factors that can modulate the transcript levels of NRT2.1. A transposon-tagged collection of transcription factors of Arabidopsis was screened by RT-PCR to monitor the NRT2.1 transcript levels, allowing us to identify a loss-of-function mutant of AUXIN RESPONCE FACTOR7 (ARF7). The isolated arf7 mutant showed reduced number of lateral roots and increased levels of NRT2.1 mRNA compared to the wild type. We propose a model that ARF7 is an upstream factor that negatively controls NRT2.1 having inhibitory effects on lateral root initiation under low nitrate conditions.

For efficient growth under varying light and nutritional conditions, plants keep the balance of carbon/nitrogen ratio by complex interactions between carbon and nitrogen metabolisms. The upstream regulatory modules may also interact for the balance. Despite their importance in controlling plant growth and biomass production, the underlying regulatory mechanisms of the carbon/nitrogen interactions have been mostly uncharacterized. In the present work, we characterized the expression and regulatory networks of starch biosynthesis and nitrogen assimilation using public microarray data of Arabidopsis. We showed that granule-bound starch synthase (GBSS) and ammonium transporter (AMT1;2) have a common expression pattern with their potential transcriptional regulators over a day/night cycle. Approximately 50% and 25% of genes for starch and nitrogen metabolisms, respectively, were shown to be diurnally regulated in Arabidopsis leaves. Among them, GBSS and AMT1;2 showed marked expression patterns having maximum transcript levels in the first few hours of the light period. This pattern was also detected for CONSTANS-LIKE transcription factors, COL and COL7. In addition, the networks of GBSS, AMT1;2 and their potential regulators were suggested to be robust in other conditions, indicating the significance of this regulatory module. We further found that knockout of COL and COL7 significantly affect the induction of GBSS and AMT1;2 transcripts, providing evidence that two contrasting metabolic processes, starch biosynthesis and ammonium transport, are controlled by common upstream regulatory factors.

Introduction: We aimed to evaluate the safety and short‐term outcomes of robotic‐assisted transabdominal preperitoneal repair for inguinal hernia in 12 pioneering hospitals in Japan. Methods: Clinical data of patients who underwent robotic‐assisted transabdominal preperitoneal repair between September 1, 2016, and December 31, 2021 were collected. Primary outcome measures were intra‐operative adverse events and post‐operative complications, whereas secondary outcomes were surgical outcomes, including chronic pain, recurrence, and learning curve. Results: In total, 307 patients were included. One case of inferior epigastric arterial injury was reported; no cases of bowel or bladder injury were reported. Thirty‐five seromas were observed, including four (1.3%) cases that required aspiration. The median operative time of a unilateral case was 108 minutes (interquartile range: 89.8–125.5), and post‐operative pain was rated 1 (interquartile range: 0–2) on the numerical rating scale. In complicated cases, such as recurrent inguinal hernias and robotic‐assisted radical prostatectomy‐associated hernias, dissection and suture were safely achieved, and no complications were observed, except for non‐symptomatic seroma. All patients underwent robotic procedures, and there was no chronic post‐operative inguinal pain, although one case of hernia recurrence was reported. Regarding the learning curve, plateau performance was achieved after 7–10 cases in terms of operative time (P <.001). Conclusion: Robotic‐assisted transabdominal preperitoneal repair can be safely introduced in Japan. Regardless of the involvement of many surgeons, the mastery of robotic techniques was achieved relatively quickly. The advantage of robotic technology such as wristed instruments may expand the application of minimally invasive hernia repair for complicated cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]