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This paper aims to review the research achievements concerning sustainable sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) production and outlook on the production constraints and future perspectives for Myanmar sesame. Sesame is an economically and nutritionally important crop, and it is prized for oil. The global sesame market demand is rising with increasing health awareness. Meanwhile, there is high competition in the market among producing countries for an international trade. Smallholder farmers in developing countries cultivate sesame as a cash crop on marginal soils. The edible oilseed sectors currently face several challenges, including ones affecting sesame crops. For sustainable production of sesame, an integrated approach is needed to overcome these challenges and the critical limiting factors should be identified. In recent years, sesame genomic resources, including molecular markers, genetic maps, genome sequences, and online functional databases, are available for sesame genetic improvement programs. Since ancient times, sesame has been cultivated in Myanmar, but productivity is still lower than that of other sesame producing countries. Myanmar sesame production is limited by many factors, including production technology, research and development, etc. With integration of these genomic resources, crop production and protection techniques, postharvest practices, crop improvement programs, and capacity building will play a crucial role for improving sesame production in Myanmar.

The Japanese government recognizes the substantial values of genome-edited agricultural organisms and has defined in which cases these are covered by the existing regulatory framework to handle this technology. Genome-editing technologies could revolutionize and accelerate plant breeding owing to the simplicity of the methods and precision of genome modifications. These technologies have spread rapidly and widely, and various genome-edited crops have been developed recently. The regulatory status of genome-edited end products is a subject of controversy worldwide. In February 2019, the Japanese government defined genome-edited end products derived by modifications of SDN-1 type (directed mutation without using a DNA sequence template) as not representing \"living modified organisms\" according to the Japanese Cartagena Act. Here, we describe the classification and regulatory status of genome-edited end products in this decision. We hope that reporting the progress in Japan toward the implementation of this regulatory approach will provide insight for scientific and regulatory communities worldwide.

Several research groups have examined the effects of drought stress and heat stress on potato, but few investigations of the effects of combined drought-heat stress have been reported. Using five potato lines, the potato plants’ responses to drought stress, heat stress, as well as combined drought-heat stress were studied, to get the insight in phenotypic shift due to abiotic stresses. The experiment was conducted as a growth room experimental under non-stress and abiotic stresses (drought, heat, and combined drought-heat) conditions. The results demonstrated that potato plants responded to the abiotic stresses by decreasing their plant height, leaf size, cell membrane stability, and relative water content (RWC). However, increasing their leaf chlorophyll content under drought and combined drought-heat stresses. Generally, the combined drought-heat stress had a greater effect on the tested traits. The potato line L1 (84.194.30) showed the lowest level of wilting in all three types of abiotic stress, supported by a small RWC change compared to the control condition; L1 is thus considered relatively tolerant to abiotic stress. The potato lines’ different responses to each type of abiotic stress indicate that the potato lines have different levels of sensitivity to each abiotic stress.

Eucalyptus trees are important for industrial forestry plantations because of their high potential for biomass production, but their susceptibility to damage at low temperatures restricts their plantation areas. In this study, a 6-year field trial of Eucalyptus globulus was conducted in Tsukuba, Japan, which is the northernmost reach of Eucalyptus plantations, and leaf damage was quantitatively monitored over four of six winters. Leaf photosynthetic quantum yield (QY) levels, an indicator of cold stress-induced damage, fluctuated synchronously with temperature in the winters. We performed a maximum likelihood estimation of the regression model explaining leaf QY using training data subsets for the first 3 years. The resulting model explained QY by the number of days when the daily maximum temperature was below 9.5 °C over approximately the last 7 weeks as an explanatory variable. The correlation coefficient and coefficient of determination of prediction by the model between the predicted and observed values were 0.84 and 0.70, respectively. The model was then used to perform two kinds of simulations. Geographical simulations of potential Eucalyptus plantation areas using global meteorological data from more than 5,000 locations around the world successfully predicted an area that generally agreed with the global Eucalyptus plantation distribution reported previously. Another simulation based on meteorological data of the past 70 years suggested that global warming will increase the potential E. globulus plantation area in Japan approximately 1.5-fold over the next 70 years. These results suggest that the model developed herein would be applicable to preliminary predictions of E. globulus cold damage in the field.

Drought is an abiotic stress that limits plant growth and productivity, and the development of trees with improved drought tolerance is expected to expand potential plantation areas and to promote sustainable development. Previously we reported that transgenic poplars (Populus tremula × P. tremuloides, T89) harboring the stress-responsive galactinol synthase gene, AtGolS2, derived from Arabidopsis thaliana were developed and showed improved drought stress tolerance in laboratory conditions. Herein we report a field trial evaluation of the AtGolS2-transgenic poplars. The rainfall-restricted treatments on the poplars started in late May 2020, 18 months after transplanting to the field, and were performed for 100 days. During these treatments, the leaf injury levels were observed by measuring photosynthetic quantum yields twice a week. Observed leaf injury levels varied in response to soil moisture fluctuation and showed a large difference between transgenic and non-transgenic poplars during the last month. Comparison of the leaf injury levels against three stress classes clustered by the machine learning approach revealed that the transgenic poplars exhibited significant alleviation of leaf injuries in the most severe stress class. The transgenes and transcript levels were stable in the transgenic poplars cultivated in the field conditions. These results indicated that the overexpression of AtGolS2 significantly improved the drought stress tolerance of transgenic poplars not only in the laboratory but also in the field. In future studies, molecular breeding using AtGolS2 will be an effective method for developing practical drought-tolerant forest trees.

The Zingiberaceae family encompasses numerous species renowned for their significant pharmacological properties and culinary importance. Despite this value, many species remain under-utilized due to the absence of basic molecular information, which hinders effective conservation and sustainable utilization. Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) markers are particularly suitable for genetic studies in such species, as they are highly polymorphic and do not necessitate a reference genome. Microsatellite capture sequencing (MiCAPs) presents a cost-effective solution by enriching libraries for SSR-containing fragments prior to sequencing, substantially reducing data requirements and costs for marker discovery. MiCAPs was applied to 160 accessions, including 148 samples from 14 Zingiberaceae species and 12 samples from an outgroup (Musaceae family). SSR marker candidates were developed and evaluated via electronic-PCR (ePCR) for seven target species. Phylogenetic relationships were reconstructed using consensus sequences from MiCAPs data, and genetic similarity patterns were assessed using Polymorphic SSR Retrieval (PSR) analysis across and species. A total of 21.78 million raw reads were generated, from which 612 SSR marker candidates were developed. A genus-level phylogenetic tree successfully reconstructed the relationships among the 14 Zingiberaceae species. Comparative genetic diversity analysis revealed that exhibits a relatively more conserved genetic background compared to . This integrated workflow combining MiCAPs, ePCR, and PSR demonstrates a practical approach for marker development and diversity assessment in polyploid species lacking reference genomes. Despite the genetic complexities inherent in Zingiberaceae, especially potential polyploidy, our approach proved highly effective in establishing a robust phylogenetic framework and enabling comprehensive genetic diversity assessment. The novel set of 612 SSR marker candidates represents a significant resource that will facilitate future genetic studies focused on the diversity, evolutionary relationships, conservation, and sustainable utilization of valuable Zingiberaceae species.

Interleukin‐6 (IL‐6)/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) pathway inhibition may overcome chemoresistance of metastatic pancreatic cancer (MPC). We sought to determine the safety and recommended dose of tocilizumab (TCZ), an IL‐6 receptor monoclonal antibody, and biological correlates of tumor shrinkage in patients with gemcitabine (GEM)/nanoparticle albumin‐bound paclitaxel (nab‐PTX)‐refractory MPC. This phase 1 study enrolled 10 patients with MPC who had progressed after GEM/nab‐PTX. Patients initially received TCZ 8 mg/kg on Day 1 and nab‐PTX 100 mg/m 2  + GEM 750 mg/m 2 on Days 2, 9, and 16. Before and at the end of Cycle 1, biopsy of liver metastases was performed 3–5 h after levofloxacin (LVFX) administration to measure LVFX infiltration into tumor tissue. No dose‐limited toxicities occurred, and the recommended dosage of TCZ was determined to be 8 mg/kg. Treatment‐emergent adverse events occurred in 80% of patients, of which decreased neutrophil count was the most common. Tumor reduction during Cycle 1 was observed in four patients, who were defined as responders. In paired‐biopsy samples, responder‐related biological activities were an increase of cleaved PARP expression of tumor nuclei ( p  = 0.01), a decrease of proliferative cancer‐associated fibroblasts (CAFs) ( p  = 0.08), and an increase of LVFX infiltration in the tumor ( p  = 0.04). A decrease of phosphorylated STAT3 expression ( p  = 0.02) favored an increase in LVFX infiltration. In conclusion, TCZ + GEM/nab‐PTX‐rechallenge had a manageable safety profile and showed preliminary activity via inhibition of CAF and improved intratumoral drug infiltration in MPC.

Although FOLFIRINOX ( l -Leucovorin/5-FU/Irinotecan/Oxaliplatin) is established as one of the standard therapies for patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer, the modified FOLFIRINOX (mFOLFIRINOX) is often used in clinical practice to reduce the incidence of toxicities. Febrile neutropenia (FN) and severe neutropenia during FOLFIRINOX are especially frequently observed in Japanese patients. In this study, we evaluated the incidence of FN and severe neutropenia, and explored the risk factors for severe neutropenia in patients receiving treatment with mFOLFIRINOX. The data of patients who had received mFOLFIRINOX between December 2013 and December 2014 at the National Cancer Center Hospital East were reviewed retrospectively. We graded the neutropenia severity and defined ≥ Grade 3 neutropenia as severe neutropenia. Univariate and multivariate analysis were undertaken to evaluate the associations with risk of development of severe neutropenia. A total of 122 patients were enrolled in this study. Sixty two patients (51%) and 10 patients (8%) developed severe neutropenia and FN, respectively. Multivariate analysis identified a low baseline white blood cell count (odds ratio [OR], 14.50; 95% confidence interval (CI), 3.27–111.14; p  = 0.002) and presence of heterozygosity for UGT1A1 *28 or UGT1A1 *6 polymorphism (OR, 2.84; 95% CI, 1.18–7.17; p  = 0.023) as independent risk factors for severe neutropenia. The incidences of severe neutropenia and FN in patients receiving mFOLFIRINOX in our clinical practice were comparable to previous reports. The risk factors for severe neutropenia in patients receiving mFOLFIRINOX were a low baseline white blood cell count and presence of heterozygosity for UGT1A1 *28 or UGT1A1 *6 polymorphism.

Polyploidization can be a way to produce new varieties in vegetatively propagated species where options on increasing genetic variability are limited compared with sexual reproduction. While there are hundreds of publications with in vitro methods in somatic doubling, it is cardinal to custom-test for a target species of interest on choosing specific reagents and optimizing conditions. This research was performed to provide a reference process for Zingiberaceae species of which the majority is reproduced with vegetative propagation. Ginger lilies, Hedychium gardnerianum Shepard ex Ker Gawl. and Hedychium coronarium J. Koenig, were employed to optimize chromosome doubling for tetraploid production as they are typically used by vegetative propagation. However, they have the popularity as ornamentals globally due to their horticultural aspects. Tetraploid induction was optimized by in vitro somatic chromosome doubling on H. coronarium and H. gardnerianum through callogenesis. The explant segments of young leaf blades or leaf sheaths were treated with different concentrations of either with colchicine or with oryzalin. The regenerated shoots from callus cultures were transferred to basal MS medium for 2mo to confirm somatic stability. The ploidy was assessed by flow cytometry, measuring the size and density of stomata, counting chromosomes, and chloroplasts in guard cells. The highest percentage of tetraploid regenerated plants was observed with 1250 µM colchicine treatment for Hedychium gardnerianum when compared to the other treatments tested, while no tetraploid plants were obtained from the oryzalin treatment. In H. coronarium, four mixoploid regenerated plants treated with 15 µM oryzalin were confirmed and no shoots were obtained from the colchicine treatment. The results indicated that the in vitro polyploid induction is optimized with the two Hedychium species, which could reference other Zingiberaceae species.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) play an important role in the biological activities of the medicinal Zingiberaceae species. In commercial preparations of VOCs from Kaempferia parviflora rhizomes, its leaves are wasted as by-products. The foliage could be an alternative source to rhizome, but its VOCs composition has not been explored previously. In this study, the VOCs in the leaves and rhizomes of K. parviflora plants grown in a growth room and in the field were analyzed using the headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) method coupled with gas chromatography and time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC-TOF-MS). The results showed a total of 75 and 78 VOCs identified from the leaves and rhizomes, respectively, of plants grown in the growth room. In the field samples, 96 VOCs were detected from the leaves and 98 from the rhizomes. These numbers are higher compared to the previous reports, which can be attributed to the analytical techniques used. It was also observed that monoterpenes were dominant in leaves, whereas sesquiterpenes were more abundant in rhizomes. Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed significantly higher abundance and diversity of VOCs in plants grown in the field than in the growth room. A high level of similarity of identified VOCs between the two tissues was also observed, as they shared 68 and 94 VOCs in the growth room and field samples, respectively. The difference lies in the relative abundance of VOCs, as most of them are abundant in rhizomes. Overall, the current study showed that the leaves of K. parviflora, grown in any growth conditions, can be further utilized as an alternative source of VOCs for rhizomes.