Human musical capacity and products should have been induced by the hominin-specific combination of several biosocial features: A three-phase scheme on socio-ecological, cognitive, and cultural evolution.

Various selection pressures have shaped human uniqueness, for instance, music. When and why did musical universality and diversity emerge? Our hypothesis is that "music" initially originated from manipulative calls with limited musical elements. Thereafter, vocalizations became more complex and flexible along with a greater degree of social learning. Finally, constructed musical instruments and the language faculty resulted in diverse and context-specific music. Music precursors correspond to vocal communication among nonhuman primates, songbirds, and cetaceans. To place this scenario in hominin history, a three-phase scheme for music evolution is presented herein. We emphasize (1) the evolution of sociality and life history in australopithecines, (2) the evolution of cognitive and learning abilities in early/middle Homo, and (3) cultural evolution, primarily in Homo sapiens. Human musical capacity and products should be due to the hominin-specific combination of several biosocial features, including bipedalism, stable pair bonding, alloparenting, expanded brain size, and sexual selection.

Cultural transmission of traditional songs in the Ryukyu Archipelago.

Geographic patterns of cultural variations are affected by how cultural traits are transmitted within and between populations. It has been argued that cultural traits are transmitted in different manners depending on their characteristics; for example, words for basic concepts are less liable to horizontal transmission between populations (i.e., borrowing) than other words. Here we examine the geographic variation of traditional songs in the Ryukyu Archipelago, southwestern islands of Japan, to explore cultural evolution of music with a focus on different social contexts in which songs are sung. Published scores of 1,342 traditional songs are coded using the CantoCore song classification scheme and distances between the songs are calculated from the codings. Neighbor-Net graphs of regions/islands are generated on the basis of the musical distances, and delta scores are obtained to examine the treelikeness of the networks. We also perform analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) to evaluate the extent of musical diversification among regions/islands. Our results suggest that horizontal transmission between populations has played a greater role in the formation of musical diversity than that of linguistic diversity in the Ryukyu Archipelago and that the social context in which songs are sung has an effect on how they are transmitted within and between populations. In addition, we compare the observed patterns of song diversity among regions/islands with those of lexical and mitochondrial-DNA (mtDNA) diversity, showing that the variation of songs sung in the "work" context are associated with the linguistic variation, whereas no association is found between the musical and genetic variation.

Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors, glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists and sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors for people with cardiovascular disease: a network meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of death globally. Recently, dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP4i), glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RA) and sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) were approved for treating people with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Although metformin remains the first-line pharmacotherapy for people with type 2 diabetes mellitus, a body of evidence has recently emerged indicating that DPP4i, GLP-1RA and SGLT2i may exert positive effects on patients with known CVD. OBJECTIVES: To systematically review the available evidence on the benefits and harms of DPP4i, GLP-1RA, and SGLT2i in people with established CVD, using network meta-analysis. SEARCH METHODS: We searched CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, and the Conference Proceedings Citation Index on 16 July 2020. We also searched clinical trials registers on 22 August 2020. We did not restrict by language or publication status. SELECTION CRITERIA: We searched for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) investigating DPP4i, GLP-1RA, or SGLT2i that included participants with established CVD. Outcome measures of interest were CVD mortality, fatal and non-fatal myocardial infarction, fatal and non-fatal stroke, all-cause mortality, hospitalisation for heart failure (HF), and safety outcomes. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Three review authors independently screened the results of searches to identify eligible studies and extracted study data. We used the GRADE approach to assess the certainty of the evidence. We conducted standard pairwise meta-analyses and network meta-analyses by pooling studies that we assessed to be of substantial homogeneity; subgroup and sensitivity analyses were also pursued to explore how study characteristics and potential effect modifiers could affect the robustness of our review findings. We analysed study data using the odds ratios (ORs) and log odds ratios (LORs) with their respective 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and credible intervals (Crls), where appropriate. We also performed narrative synthesis for included studies that were of substantial heterogeneity and that did not report quantitative data in a usable format, in order to discuss their individual findings and relevance to our review scope. MAIN RESULTS: We included 31 studies (287 records), of which we pooled data from 20 studies (129,465 participants) for our meta-analysis. The majority of the included studies were at low risk of bias, using Cochrane's tool for assessing risk of bias. Among the 20 pooled studies, six investigated DPP4i, seven studied GLP-1RA, and the remaining seven trials evaluated SGLT2i. All outcome data described below were reported at the longest follow-up duration. 1. DPP4i versus placebo Our review suggests that DPP4i do not reduce any risk of efficacy outcomes: CVD mortality (OR 1.00, 95% CI 0.91 to 1.09; high-certainty evidence), myocardial infarction (OR 0.97, 95% CI 0.88 to 1.08; high-certainty evidence), stroke (OR 1.00, 95% CI 0.87 to 1.14; high-certainty evidence), and all-cause mortality (OR 1.03, 95% CI 0.96 to 1.11; high-certainty evidence). DPP4i probably do not reduce hospitalisation for HF (OR 0.99, 95% CI 0.80 to 1.23; moderate-certainty evidence). DPP4i may not increase the likelihood of worsening renal function (OR 1.08, 95% CI 0.88 to 1.33; low-certainty evidence) and probably do not increase the risk of bone fracture (OR 1.00, 95% CI 0.83 to 1.19; moderate-certainty evidence) or hypoglycaemia (OR 1.11, 95% CI 0.95 to 1.29; moderate-certainty evidence). They are likely to increase the risk of pancreatitis (OR 1.63, 95% CI 1.12 to 2.37; moderate-certainty evidence). 2. GLP-1RA versus placebo Our findings indicate that GLP-1RA reduce the risk of CV mortality (OR 0.87, 95% CI 0.79 to 0.95; high-certainty evidence), all-cause mortality (OR 0.88, 95% CI 0.82 to 0.95; high-certainty evidence), and stroke (OR 0.87, 95% CI 0.77 to 0.98; high-certainty evidence). GLP-1RA probably do not reduce the risk of myocardial infarction (OR 0.89, 95% CI 0.78 to 1.01; moderate-certainty evidence), and hospitalisation for HF (OR 0.95, 95% CI 0.85 to 1.06; high-certainty evidence). GLP-1RA may reduce the risk of worsening renal function (OR 0.61, 95% CI 0.44 to 0.84; low-certainty evidence), but may have no impact on pancreatitis (OR 0.96, 95% CI 0.68 to 1.35; low-certainty evidence). We are uncertain about the effect of GLP-1RA on hypoglycaemia and bone fractures. 3. SGLT2i versus placebo This review shows that SGLT2i probably reduce the risk of CV mortality (OR 0.82, 95% CI 0.70 to 0.95; moderate-certainty evidence), all-cause mortality (OR 0.84, 95% CI 0.74 to 0.96; moderate-certainty evidence), and reduce the risk of HF hospitalisation (OR 0.65, 95% CI 0.59 to 0.71; high-certainty evidence); they do not reduce the risk of myocardial infarction (OR 0.97, 95% CI 0.84 to 1.12; high-certainty evidence) and probably do not reduce the risk of stroke (OR 1.12, 95% CI 0.92 to 1.36; moderate-certainty evidence). In terms of treatment safety, SGLT2i probably reduce the incidence of worsening renal function (OR 0.59, 95% CI 0.43 to 0.82; moderate-certainty evidence), and probably have no effect on hypoglycaemia (OR 0.90, 95% CI 0.75 to 1.07; moderate-certainty evidence) or bone fracture (OR 1.02, 95% CI 0.88 to 1.18; high-certainty evidence), and may have no impact on pancreatitis (OR 0.85, 95% CI 0.39 to 1.86; low-certainty evidence). 4. Network meta-analysis Because we failed to identify direct comparisons between each class of the agents, findings from our network meta-analysis provided limited novel insights. Almost all findings from our network meta-analysis agree with those from the standard meta-analysis. GLP-1RA may not reduce the risk of stroke compared with placebo (OR 0.87, 95% CrI 0.75 to 1.0; moderate-certainty evidence), which showed similar odds estimates and wider 95% Crl compared with standard pairwise meta-analysis. Indirect estimates also supported comparison across all three classes. SGLT2i was ranked the best for CVD and all-cause mortality. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Findings from both standard and network meta-analyses of moderate- to high-certainty evidence suggest that GLP-1RA and SGLT2i are likely to reduce the risk of CVD mortality and all-cause mortality in people with established CVD; high-certainty evidence demonstrates that treatment with SGLT2i reduce the risk of hospitalisation for HF, while moderate-certainty evidence likely supports the use of GLP-1RA to reduce fatal and non-fatal stroke. Future studies conducted in the non-diabetic CVD population will reveal the mechanisms behind how these agents improve clinical outcomes irrespective of their glucose-lowering effects.

Realization and personalization by facing fatality: A grounded theory of developing the view of dying in people with heart failure.

AIM: To explore how people with heart failure develop and change their views of dying and death. DESIGN: A Straussian grounded theory approach. METHODS: Purposive and theoretical sampling were used. Data collection and analysis were repeated until reaching data saturation using the constant comparative method. We conducted semi-structured interviews between January 2019 and July 2020 with 24 people with heart failure from a university and a community hospital in Japan. RESULTS: Initially, participants' views of dying and death were unrelated to their disease. After the first turning point, namely the confirmation of the deterioration and incurability of the disease, their views became related to their own disease, adding to the suffering caused by the exacerbated symptoms. After the second turning point, namely when participants became tormented by the inevitability of death, they added their struggles with physical, psychological, and spiritual pain owing to medical interventions to their views of dying and death. Only a few participants reached the last stage of this process as it was emotionally distressing; some chose not to proceed to the next stage. CONCLUSION: Participants develop their views of dying and death gradually and in stages while they experience two turning points. Healthcare providers need to address this process while keeping in mind that proceeding this process requires some turning points, and it can be painful. IMPACT: This study provides a theoretical framework on the development of the views regarding dying and death of people with heart failure; it showed that these people need some turning points and to pass through stages to develop/individualize their views, and that this process is inherently distressing. This theory provides a cornerstone for healthcare professionals to understand the disease-specific transition in views of dying and psychological readiness, and it may help establish a therapeutic relationship that includes advance care planning.

Correlation of proline, hydroxyproline and serine content, denaturation temperature and circular dichroism analysis of type I collagen with the physiological temperature of marine teleosts.

Fish products are a promising source of collagen; however, these extracts are biochemically unstable. Acid-soluble collagen (ASC) was isolated from the skin of eleven fish species at various physiological temperatures (Tp). Structural features of these samples were analysed in detail using Circular Dichroism (CD) and compared to their biochemical characteristics. Positive correlation (r = 0.74, p < 0.01) between the Tp and ratio of positive peak intensity to negative peak intensity (Rpn) in CD analysis suggested a higher thermal stability of ASC from warm-water fish, owing to a higher content of cyclic imino acids, such as proline and hydroxyproline (Hyp). Conversely, cold-water fish ASCs contain significantly higher levels of acyclic, hydroxyl groups carrying Ser. These results indicated that CD spectrum techniques including Rpn measurement are concise and helpful for direct detection of the triple helix structure of fish collagens, and that this structure is tightly linked to thermostability of this molecule.

Villous adenoma of the urachus obscuring urachal adenocarcinoma: A case report.

We report a case of a 78-year-old woman with a urachal tumor of the bladder wall. We performed a biopsy and revealed the tumor as a villous adenoma. We excised the tumor by partial cystectomy together with the umbilical ligament, because it was possible there was a co-existing malignancy. The tumor turned out to be villous adenoma and a urachal adenocarcinoma. Because the superficial section of the tumor consisted only of adenoma, a biopsy could not identify the malignant component. Villous adenoma of the urinary tract or the urachus is very rare, and it is considered as an intestinal premalignancy.

Spontaneous regression of metastatic renal cell carcinoma after cytoreductive nephrectomy: A case report.

We herein report a case involving a 59-year-old man with right lung and mediastinal lymph node metastases from renal cell carcinoma. After cytoreductive nephrectomy without neoadjuvant therapy, he achieved spontaneous regression. The regression was maintained 3 years after the operation. We immunohistochemically examined the surgical specimens and considered the possible mechanism underlying this phenomenon.

Advance care planning for adults with heart failure.

BACKGROUND: People with heart failure report various symptoms and show a trajectory of periodic exacerbations and recoveries, where each exacerbation event may lead to death. Current clinical practice guidelines indicate the importance of discussing future care strategies with people with heart failure. Advance care planning (ACP) is the process of discussing an individual's future care plan according to their values and preferences, and involves the person with heart failure, their family members or surrogate decision-makers, and healthcare providers. Although it is shown that ACP may improve discussion about end-of-life care and documentation of an individual's preferences, the effects of ACP for people with heart failure are uncertain. OBJECTIVES: To assess the effects of advance care planning (ACP) in people with heart failure compared to usual care strategies that do not have any components promoting ACP. SEARCH METHODS: We searched CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, Social Work Abstracts, and two clinical trials registers in October 2019. We checked the reference lists of included studies. There were no restrictions on language or publication status. SELECTION CRITERIA: We included randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that compared ACP with usual care in people with heart failure. Trials could have parallel group, cluster-randomised, or cross-over designs. We included interventions that implemented ACP, such as discussing and considering values, wishes, life goals, and preferences for future medical care. The study participants comprised adults (18 years of age or older) with heart failure. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors independently extracted outcome data from the included studies, and assessed their risk of bias. We contacted trial authors when we needed to obtain missing information. MAIN RESULTS: We included nine RCTs (1242 participants and 426 surrogate decision-makers) in this review. The meta-analysis included seven studies (876 participants). Participants' mean ages ranged from 62 to 82 years, and 53% to 100% of the studies' participants were men. All included studies took place in the US or the UK. Only one study reported concordance between participants' preferences and end-of-life care, and it enrolled people with heart failure or renal disease. Owing to one study with small sample size, the effects of ACP on concordance between participants' preferences and end-of-life care were uncertain (risk ratio (RR) 1.19, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.91 to 1.55; participants = 110; studies = 1; very low-quality evidence). It corresponded to an assumed risk of 625 per 1000 participants receiving usual care and a corresponding risk of 744 per 1000 (95% CI 569 to 969) for ACP. There was no evidence of a difference in quality of life between groups (standardised mean difference (SMD) 0.06, 95% CI -0.26 to 0.38; participants = 156; studies = 3; low-quality evidence). However, one study, which was not included in the meta-analysis, showed that the quality of life score improved by 14.86 points in the ACP group compared with 11.80 points in the usual care group. Completion of documentation by medical staff regarding discussions with participants about ACP processes may have increased (RR 1.68. 95% CI 1.23 to 2.29; participants = 92; studies = 2; low-quality evidence). This corresponded to an assumed risk of 489 per 1000 participants with usual care and a corresponding risk of 822 per 1000 (95% CI 602 to 1000) for ACP. One study, which was not included in the meta-analysis, also showed that ACP helped to improve documentation of the ACP process (hazard ratio (HR) 2.87, 95% CI 1.09 to 7.59; participants = 232). Three studies reported that implementation of ACP led to an improvement of participants' depression (SMD -0.58, 95% CI -0.82 to -0.34; participants = 278; studies = 3; low-quality evidence). We were uncertain about the effects of ACP on the quality of communication when compared to the usual care group (MD -0.40, 95% CI -1.61 to 0.81; participants = 9; studies = 1; very low-quality evidence). We also noted an increase in all-cause mortality in the ACP group (RR 1.32, 95% CI 1.04 to 1.67; participants = 795; studies = 5). The studies did not report participants' satisfaction with care/treatment and caregivers' satisfaction with care/treatment. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: ACP may help to increase documentation by medical staff regarding discussions with participants about ACP processes, and may improve an individual's depression. However, the quality of the evidence about these outcomes was low. The quality of the evidence for each outcome was low to very low due to the small number of studies and participants included in this review. Additionally, the follow-up periods and types of ACP intervention were varied. Therefore, further studies are needed to explore the effects of ACP that consider these differences carefully.

Expression of a rice glutaredoxin in aleurone layers of developing and mature seeds: subcellular localization and possible functions in antioxidant defense.

MAIN CONCLUSION: A rice glutaredoxin isoform (OsGrxC2;2) with antioxidant capacity is expressed abundantly in seed tissues and is localized to storage vacuoles in aleurone layers in developing and mature seeds. Seed tissues undergo drastic water loss at the late stage of seed development, and thus need to tolerate oxidative injuries associated with desiccation. We previously found a rice glutaredoxin isoform, OsGrxC2;2, as a gene expressed abundantly in developing seeds. Since glutaredoxin is involved in antioxidant defense, in the present study we investigated the subcellular localization and expression profile of OsGrxC2;2 and whether OsGrxC2;2 has a role in the defense against reactive oxygen species. Western blotting and immunohistochemistry revealed that the OsGrxC2;2 protein accumulated at a high level in the embryo and aleurone layers of developing and mature seeds. The OsGrxC2;2 in developing seeds was particularly localized to aleurone grains, which are storage organelles derived from vacuoles. Overexpression of OsGrxC2;2 resulted in an enhanced tolerance to menadione in yeast and methyl viologen in green leaves of transgenic rice plants. These results suggest that OsGrxC2;2 participates in the defense against oxidative stress in developing and mature seeds.

Tetranorsesquiterpenoids and Santalane-Type Sesquiterpenoids from Illicium lanceolatum and Their Antimicrobial Activity against the Oral Pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis.

The methanol extract of the leaves of Illicium lanceolatum, indigenous to Fujian Province, People's Republic of China, was found to exhibit antimicrobial activity against the periodontal pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis, and a bioassay-guided fractionation led to the isolation of two new compounds, 1 and 2, along with two known santalane-type sesquiterpenoids, 3 and 4. The structures of lanceolactone A (1) and lanceolactone B (2) were elucidated by analyzing their 2D NMR spectroscopic data. Compounds 1 and 2 were assigned as new tetranorsesquiterpenoids with a spiroacetal ring and tricyclic structure, respectively. Compound 3 (α-santal-11-en-10-one) showed potent antimicrobial activity against the oral pathogen P. gingivalis.

Group A PP2Cs evolved in land plants as key regulators of intrinsic desiccation tolerance.

Vegetative desiccation tolerance is common in bryophytes, although this character has been lost in most vascular plants. The moss Physcomitrella patens survives complete desiccation if treated with abscisic acid (ABA). Group A protein phosphatases type 2C (PP2C) are negative regulators of abscisic acid signalling. Here we show that the elimination of Group A PP2C is sufficient to ensure P. patens survival to full desiccation, without ABA treatment, although its growth is severely hindered. Microarray analysis shows that the Group A PP2C-regulated genes exclusively overlap with genes exhibiting a high level of ABA induction. Group A PP2C disruption weakly affects ABA-activated kinase activity, indicating Group A PP2C action downstream of these kinases in the moss. We propose that Group A PP2C emerged in land plants to repress desiccation tolerance mechanisms, possibly facilitating plants propagation on land, whereas ABA releases the intrinsic desiccation tolerance from Group A PP2C regulation.

Prevalence of pain among residents in Japanese nursing homes: a descriptive study.

It is often observed that pain causes substantial problems for nursing home residents. However, there has been little research about the prevalence of pain for nursing home residents in Japan. This study aimed to examine the prevalence of pain in older adults living in nursing homes in Japan by using self-reporting and the Abbey Pain Scale-Japanese version (APS-J) and to explore factors related to pain. This is a descriptive study. Residents in two Special Nursing Homes for the Elderly in Tokyo, Japan, were asked to participate in this study, with the exclusion of short-term temporary residents. Data collected from participating residents included their demographics and the results from the Barthel Index, the Folstein Mini-Mental State Examination, the APS-J, and the Verbal Descriptor Scale for pain. The residents were divided into two groups: residents able to report their pain (self-report group) and residents not able to report their pain. The second group was assessed by using the APS-J (APS-J group). The Mann-Whitney U test, the χ2 test, and logistic analyses were performed to derive factors related to pain prevalence. Data were obtained from 171 residents. The prevalence of pain in the self-report group (n = 96) was 41.7%. For the 75 residents unable to report their pain, 52.0% were assessed by the APS-J to have pain. The overall pain prevalence of all residents was 46.2%. Age, Barthel Index score, and length of time of institutionalization were significantly associated with residents' pain in the APS-J group. Logistic regression analysis showed that contracture (odds ratio 3.8) and previous injury (odds ratio 3.4) were associated with residents' pain in the self-report group, whereas only the length of nursing home stay (odds ratio 1.03) was a predictor for pain in the APS-J group. Nearly one-half of residents had pain when they moved or were moved. Pain assessment and management is needed for residents.

PGR5-dependent cyclic electron transport around PSI contributes to the redox homeostasis in chloroplasts rather than CO(2) fixation and biomass production in rice.

The PGR5 (PROTON GRADIENT REGULATION 5) gene that is required for PSI cyclic electron transport in Arabidopsis was knocked down in rice (Oryza sativa). In three PGR5 knockdown (KD) lines, the PGR5 protein level was reduced to 5-8% of that in the wild type, resulting in a 50% reduction in PGRL1 (PGR5-LIKE PHOTOSYNTHETIC PHENOTYPE 1) protein levels. In ruptured chloroplasts, ferredoxin-dependent plastoquinone reduction activity was partially impaired; the phenotype was mimicked by addition of antimycin A to wild-type chloroplasts. As occurred in the Arabidopsis pgr5 mutant, non-photochemical quenching of Chl fluorescence (NPQ) induction was impaired in the leaves, but the electron transport rate (ETR) was only mildly affected at high light intensity. The P700(+) level was reduced even at low light intensity, suggesting that the PGR5 function was severely disturbed as in the Arabidopsis pgr5 mutant and that the other alternative routes of electrons could not compensate the stromal redox balance. The amplitude of the light-dark electrochromic shift (ECS) signal (ECSt), which reflects the total size of the proton motive force in steady-state photosynthesis, was reduced by 13-25% at approximately the growth light intensity. The CO(2) fixation rate was only slightly reduced in the PGR5 KD lines. Despite the drastic reduction in NPQ and P700(+) levels, total biomass was only slightly reduced in PGR5 KD lines grown at 370 µmol photons m(-2) s(-1). These results suggest that CO(2) fixation and growth rate are very robust in the face of alterations in the fundamental reactions of photosynthesis under constant light conditions in rice.

Abbey Pain Scale: development and validation of the Japanese version.

AIM: The purpose of this study was to develop and validate the Japanese version of the Abbey Pain Scale (APS-J), to assess pain of older adults who live in nursing homes in Japan. METHODS: In this study, the data were collected from residents in two nursing homes in Japan to include: demographics, the Barthel Index, Folstein Mini-Mental Examination (MMSE), APS-J and Verbal Descriptor Scale (VDS) for pain. Two researchers independently assessed the residents' pain using the APS-J while the residents walked or were transferred from bed to wheelchair. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) for inter-rater and test-retest reliability, Chronbach's alpha-value of the APS-J, and correlation between the APS-J and other variables were examined. RESULTS: Data were obtained from 171 residents. The ICC for inter-rater and test-retest reliability were 0.824 and 0.657, respectively. Internal consistency was 0.645 for the total sample and 0.719 for those with an MMSE score of 0 (n = 58). Multiple regression analysis showed that contractures (P < 0.001), previous injuries (P < 0.001), the MMSE (P = 0.003) and paralysis (P = 0.018) were independently associated with the APS-J. The APS-J and VDS were moderately correlated (r = 0.49; P < 0.01). The APS-J total score and subscales, "change in body language" and "physical changes", were significantly different among subjects with different MMSE score groups. CONCLUSION: Findings show some evidence for the reliability and validity of APS-J.

Functional analyses of the ABI1-related protein phosphatase type 2C reveal evolutionarily conserved regulation of abscisic acid signaling between Arabidopsis and the moss Physcomitrella patens.

We employed a comparative genomic approach to understand protein phosphatase 2C (PP2C)-mediated abscisic acid (ABA) signaling in the moss Physcomitrella patens. Ectopic expression of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) abi1-1, a dominant mutant allele of ABI1 encoding a PP2C involved in the negative regulation of ABA signaling, caused ABA insensitivity of P. patens both in gene expression of late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) genes and in ABA-induced protonemal growth inhibition. The transgenic abi1-1 plants showed decreased ABA-induced freezing tolerance, and decreased tolerance to osmotic stress. Analyses of the P. patens genome revealed that only two (PpABI1A and PpABI1B) PP2C genes were related to ABI1. In the ppabi1a null mutants, ABA-induced expression of LEA genes was elevated, and protonemal growth was inhibited with lower ABA concentration compared to the wild type. Moreover, ABA-induced freezing tolerance of the ppabi1a mutants was markedly enhanced. We provide the genetic evidence that PP2C-mediated ABA signaling is evolutionarily conserved between Arabidopsis and P. patens.