Deficiency of the RIß subunit of protein kinase A causes body tremor and impaired fear conditioning memory in rats.

The RIß subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA), encoded by Prkar1b, is a neuronal isoform of the type I regulatory subunit of PKA. Mice lacking the RIß subunit exhibit normal long-term potentiation (LTP) in the Schaffer collateral pathway of the hippocampus and normal behavior in the open-field and fear conditioning tests. Here, we combined genetic, electrophysiological, and behavioral approaches to demonstrate that the RIß subunit was involved in body tremor, LTP in the Schaffer collateral pathway, and fear conditioning memory in rats. Genetic analysis of WTC-furue, a mutant strain with spontaneous tremors, revealed a deletion in the Prkar1b gene of the WTC-furue genome. Prkar1b-deficient rats created by the CRISPR/Cas9 system exhibited body tremor. Hippocampal slices from mutant rats showed deficient LTP in the Schaffer collateral-CA1 synapse. Mutant rats also exhibited decreased freezing time following contextual and cued fear conditioning, as well as increased exploratory behavior in the open field. These findings indicate the roles of the RIß subunit in tremor pathogenesis and contextual and cued fear memory, and suggest that the hippocampal and amygdala roles of this subunit differ between mice and rats and that rats are therefore beneficial for exploring RIß function.

Genomic evidence for convergent evolution of gene clusters for momilactone biosynthesis in land plants.

Momilactones are bioactive diterpenoids that contribute to plant defense against pathogens and allelopathic interactions between plants. Both cultivated and wild grass species of Oryza and Echinochloa crus-galli (barnyard grass) produce momilactones using a biosynthetic gene cluster (BGC) in their genomes. The bryophyte Calohypnum plumiforme (formerly Hypnum plumaeforme) also produces momilactones, and the bifunctional diterpene cyclase gene CpDTC1/HpDTC1, which is responsible for the production of the diterpene framework, has been characterized. To understand the molecular architecture of the momilactone biosynthetic genes in the moss genome and their evolutionary relationships with other momilactone-producing plants, we sequenced and annotated the C. plumiforme genome. The data revealed a 150-kb genomic region that contains two cytochrome P450 genes, the CpDTC1/HpDTC1 gene and the "dehydrogenase momilactone A synthase" gene tandemly arranged and inductively transcribed following stress exposure. The predicted enzymatic functions in yeast and recombinant assay and the successful pathway reconstitution in Nicotiana benthamiana suggest that it is a functional BGC responsible for momilactone production. Furthermore, in a survey of genomic sequences of a broad range of plant species, we found that momilactone BGC is limited to the two grasses (Oryza and Echinochloa) and C. plumiforme, with no synteny among these genomes. These results indicate that while the gene cluster in C. plumiforme is functionally similar to that in rice and barnyard grass, it is likely a product of convergent evolution. To the best of our knowledge, this report of a BGC for a specialized plant defense metabolite in bryophytes is unique.

Permselective monolayer membrane based on two-dimensional cross-linked polysiloxane LB films for hydrogen peroxide detecting glucose sensors.

Novel two-dimensional (2D) cross-linked polysiloxane LB films were prepared and applied for glucose sensing as H2O2-permselective films in order to block other electroactive interferences, such as L-ascorbic acid, L-cysteine, uric acid and acetaminophen; the 2D cross-linked polysiloxane monolayers were remarkably effective in eliminating interfering responses and had a rapid response for glucose, even though the films were only a monolayer thick.