Biology subjects

Hayasaka, D.

Publications and source records attributed to Hayasaka, D..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2024

Clinical factors associated with SFTS diagnosis and severity in cats

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is a potentially fatal tick-borne zoonosis caused by SFTS virus (SFTSV). In addition to tick bites, animal-to-human transmission of SFTSV has been reported, but little is known about feline SFTSV infection. In this study, we analyzed data on 187 cats with suspected SFTS to identify biomarkers for SFTS diagnosis and clinical outcome., Body weight, red and white blood cell and platelet counts, serum aspartate aminotransferase and total bilirubin levels, were useful for SFTS diagnosis, and alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase and serum SFTSV RNA levels were associated with the clinical outcome. We developed a scoring model to predict SFTSV infection. In addition, we performed a phylogenetic analysis to reveal the relationship between disease severity and viral strain. This study provides comprehensive information on feline SFTS and could contribute to the protection of cat owners, community members, and veterinarians from the risk of cat-transmitted SFTSV infection.

zoology↗

bioRxiv2021

Severe disturbance overflows the stabilizing buffer of variable biotic interactions

Recent studies have revealed that biotic interactions in ecological communities vary over time, possibly mediating community responses to anthropogenic disturbances. This study investigated the heterogeneity of such variability within a real community and its impact on population stability in the face of pesticide application, particularly focusing on density-dependence of the interaction effect. Using outdoor mesocosms with a freshwater community, we found considerable heterogeneity in density-dependent interaction variability among links in the same community. This variability mediated the stability of recipient populations, with negative density-dependent interaction variability stabilizing whereas positive density-dependence and density-independent interaction variability destabilizing populations. Unexpectedly, the mean interaction strength, which is typically considered crucial for stability, had no significant effect, suggesting that how organisms interact on average is insufficient to predict the ecological impacts of pesticides. Our findings emphasize the multifaceted role of interaction variability in predicting the ecological consequences of anthropogenic disturbances such as pesticide application.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2020

Heritable endogenization of an RNA virus in a mammalian species

Viruses are considered one of the driving forces for genome rearrangements via infection and endogenization into the host genome (Kazazian, 2004; Maksakova et al., 2006). In 2010, Horie and colleagues demonstrated that a non-retroviral RNA virus, Borna disease virus (BDV), could integrate into the genome in cultured somatic cells (Horie et al., 2010). However, germline transmission of viral-derived sequences using animal models is yet to be experimentally demonstrated. In this study, we reported a case of heritable endogenization using the encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV) and laboratory mice. The EMCV is a small non-enveloped single-strand RNA virus without its own reverse transcriptase activity (Carocci et al., 2012). Here, we demonstrated that the EMCV genomic RNA was reverse transcribed into DNA fragments in the murine testes. The DNA sequence originated from the RNA genome of EMCV was also detected in the liver and earlobes of the offspring generated from the EMCV-infected father. This suggests that the exogenous sequence derived from the EMCV is transmitted into the host germline and inherited across subsequent generations. This first experimental demonstration of viral endogenization proposes reconsideration about the impact of viruses as a driving force for genome modification.

genetics↗