"She's going to be at WrestleMania weekend doing I think what is it but she's moving back to the United States I don't know when she's going to start back but it should be whenever Tony [Khan] gets to start using her." STARDOM American Dream 2025 will take place at The Veil Pavilion in Las Vegas Suzu Suzuki and Momo Watanabe are scheduled to appear over the two-day event If you use any of the quotes in this article please credit "Wrestling Observer Radio" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc you will need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser GO TOKYO The Official Tokyo Travel Guide Detailed search: You can do a detailed search by keyword open calendar Search Select your preference and enjoy a refreshing cup after walking through the nearby Kiyosumi Gardens This traditional Japanese landscape garden covers an area of about 37,000 square meters with three big islands and a teahouse on the pond Cross the pond using the iso-watari stepping stones Take a moment to appreciate the flowers and trees in the different seasons Despite Kiyosumi’s Edo period charm, the area is also full of modern art galleries. The Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo boasts one of the largest collections in the country including works by Roy Lichtenstein and Yoko Ono including collection and special exhibitions you can find a number of galleries which feature modern art Don't miss the public art that can be found throughout the area The metal walls of the train platform at Kiyosumi-Shirakawa Station on the Toei Oedo Line were created using scrap metal from industrial products made during Japan's period of rapid economic growth after World War II This installation was made by sculptor Shoichiro Higuchi The station also features irregularly placed fluorescent lights Tripadvisor Copyright © Tokyo Convention & Visitors Bureau Return to top of page Mina Shirakawa’s first match under the AEW/ROH banner since leaving Stardom has been announced Shirakawa will face Leila Grey on this Thursday’s episode of ROH on HonorClub It will be her first match for ROH since last August aside from Wrestle Dynasty on January 5 in Tokyo was at Winter is Coming 2024 on December 11 “@Miss_LeilaGrey sets her sights on the ROH Women’s Pure Title Tournament but first she faces the returning @MinaShirakawa!” Grey is one of five participants announced for the upcoming ROH Women’s Pure title tournament The match will likely be taped at AEW’s show on Wednesday in Norfolk as there is no record of it being taped recently Shirakawa finished up with Stardom at the promotion’s American Dream 2025 shows in Las Vegas on April 17 and 18 This will be the second singles match between Shirakawa and Grey Their first meeting took place on the November 27 Ring of Honor on HonorClub announced lineup for Thursday whose work has been featured in NOW Magazine A lifelong wrestling aficionado born in Calgary he has covered the industry for a decade and a half Metrics details Co-option of gene regulatory networks leads to the acquisition of new cell types and tissues are present in most land plants and regulate CO2 exchange The transcription factor (TF) FAMA globally regulates GC differentiation FAMA also promotes the development of idioblast myrosin cells (MCs) another type of specialized cell along the vasculature essential for Brassicales-specific chemical defences FAMA directly induces the TF gene WASABI MAKER (WSB) a stomatal lineage-specific direct FAMA target) synergistically promote GC differentiation wsb mutants lacked MCs and the wsb scap1 double mutant lacked normal GCs Evolutionary analyses revealed that WSB is conserved across stomatous angiosperms We propose that the conserved and reduced transcriptional FAMA–WSB module was co-opted before evolving to induce MC differentiation how FAMA regulates the differentiation of GCs through its direct targets is largely unknown the precise components of the GRNs regulating GC and MC development via FAMA and how each cell identity is differentially regulated are largely unknown as are the key genes directly regulated by FAMA Here we describe two direct FAMA target genes that encode TFs: ERF51 which we renamed WASABI MAKER (WSB) after its functional analysis Genetic and biochemical analyses revealed that FAMA deploys WSB and SCAP1 for GC differentiation and WSB specifically for MC differentiation We propose that the FAMA–WSB–SCAP1 GRN had an established function in the differentiation of GCs before being co-opted and reduced to the FAMA–WSB GRN for the differentiation of MCs during evolution reflecting the neofunctionalization of FAMA and WSB This study not only advances our understanding of how specialized cells arise during evolution but also provides insight into the co-option and neofunctionalization of GRNs during evolution Note that WSB (green) is the only gene directly connected to FAMA (purple) The only TF genes that are strongly connected with FAMA (as shown by thicker lines) are WSB and SCAP1 Time-course analysis of WSB expression levels in seedlings at 4 DAG for iFAMA lines with or without oestrogen treatment (10 µM oestrogen for 6 10 or 24 h) (n = 5; relative expression levels) (means ± s.d.) A two-tailed unpaired Student’s t-test was used to calculate the P values between + and − oestrogen treatments RT–qPCR analysis of WSB transcript levels in whole seedlings at 14 DAG for WT (Col-0) and fama (n = 3; relative expression levels) Open circles represent individual data points A two-tailed unpaired Student’s t-test was used to calculate the P values between WT and fama ChIP–qPCR assay testing the binding of FAMA to the WSB locus (n = 3; % input) The percentage of input of FAMA-Myc at WSB was analysed using fama proFAMA:FAMA-Myc seedlings at 4 DAG Open circles represent the percentage of input from each sample A two-tailed unpaired Student’s t-test was used to calculate the P values between proFAMA:FAMA-Myc and Col-0 GUS staining of true leaves from WT Arabidopsis (Col-0) harbouring the proWSB:GUS reporter at 14 DAG The two panels are photographs of the same region in different focal planes Left: photograph focusing on inner tissues Right: photograph focusing on the epidermis; arrows Left: confocal image of epidermis from first or second true leaves of wsb-1 gWSB-mVenus at 5 DAG Cell outlines were visualized by propidium iodide staining (magenta) Right: confocal image of inner tissues from a fifth true leaf of wsb-1 gWSB-mVenus at 8 DAG Cell outlines were visualized by SR2200 staining (magenta) Confocal images of myrosin (top) and stomatal (bottom) lineage cells in wsb-1 gWSB-mTurquoise2 proTGG2:Venus-2sc true leaves at 7 DAG 2sc (C-terminal peptides of 2S albumin) is a vacuolar sorting signal Enlarged images of stomatal-lineage cells from f (top left to right: GMC GC just after division; bottom left to right: developing GC these results suggest that FAMA–SCRM complexes are critical transcriptional activators for WSB We also observed weak WSB-mVenus signals in the cytoplasm of MCs and GCs Diagram of part of the WSB locus with the sgRNA target site and resulting mutations in the newly obtained CRISPR/Cas9-generated alleles The protospacer adjacent motif (PAM) for Cas9 is highlighted in bold; deleted or inserted nucleotides are highlighted in blue The development of the wsb-1 mutant and that of WT at 28 DAG are comparable RT–qPCR analysis of relative expression levels of the myrosinase genes TGG1 and TGG2 in stems of the WT and wsb mutants (n = 3) The elongating top 1 cm of the stem without flowers was collected at 25–30 DAG The relative expression levels were presented by setting the average expression level of TGG1 or TGG2 in the wild type to 1 Experiments were performed 3 times and open circles represent individual data points Different lowercase letters indicate significant differences as determined using one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey–Kramer test (P < 0.05) Immunoblot analysis of rosette leaves from the WT and wsb mutants at 14 DAG with anti-TGG1 and anti-TGG2 antibodies GUS staining of the cotyledons and sepals from WT and wsb-3 plants harbouring the MC marker reporter MYR001:GUS seedlings at 2 DAG and flowers from plants at 25–30 DAG were used Boxed area in top panel is enlarged at the bottom Number of MCs (GUS-positive cells) in the cotyledons of WT and wsb-3 seedlings (n = 20) Open circles represent the number of MCs from each sample A two-tailed unpaired Student’s t-test was used to calculate the P values between the WT and wsb Venn diagram showing the extent of overlap between GC-specific genes (grey) MC-specific genes (blue) and genes downregulated in wsb (green) the elongating top 1 cm of the stem without flowers was collected at 25–30 DAG RT–qPCR analysis of MYR002 in the WT and wsb-1 (n = 6) The elongating top 1 cm of the stem without flowers was collected at 25–30 DAG for RT–qPCR A two-tailed unpaired Student’s t-test was used to calculate the P values between WT and wsb Immunoblot analysis of mVenus in iWSB-mVenus seedlings with anti-GFP antibodies Seedlings at 4 DAG were transferred to inductive medium containing 10 µM oestrogen (+) or maintained on medium with no oestrogen (−) and incubated for 6 or 24 h * indicates the molecular weight of WSB-mVenus fusion proteins Time-course analysis of relative MYR002 expression levels in iWSB-mVenus seedlings at 4 DAG with or without oestrogen (10 µM) treatment A two-tailed unpaired Student’s t-test was used to calculate the P values between expression with and without oestrogen treatment Cells ectopically expressing MYR002 are induced by the transient overexpression of WSB-mVenus Top: phenotypes of cotyledons from iWSB-mVenus seedlings at 4 DAG with or without 48 h of oestrogen treatment (10 µM) MYR002-expressing cells were visualized by GUS staining (blue) Time-course analysis of relative expression levels for At1g23170 (m) TET4 (n) and HIPP20 (o) in iWSB-mVenus seedlings at 4 DAG with or without oestrogen (10 µM) treatment The relative expression levels were presented by setting the average expression level in mock-treated plants to 1 100 µm (f cotyledon bottom and l bottom MC) and 20 µm (l bottom stomata) suggesting that WSB is a critical downstream target of FAMA for the development of MCs These results suggest that WSB governs transcriptional networks for the differentiation of both MCs and GCs in agreement with the WSB expression pattern these results suggest that WSB can activate the expression of a subset of MC marker genes in various cell types the promoter fragment was from −1,770 to −1 bp; for proSCAP1(del):GUS the promoter fragment was from −1,703 to −1 bp No GUS staining was observed in proSCAP1(del):GUS Confocal image of the first or second leaves from a scap1 gSCAP1-mVenus seedling at 5 DAG Signal intensities are shown in blue to red according to increasing intensity levels Confocal image of inner tissues from fifth leaves of a wsb gWSB-mVenus (left) or scap1 gSCAP1-mVenus true leaves (right) at 8 DAG mVenus signal is shown in green and the signal from the dye SR2200 (cell wall) is shown in purple Note that an mVenus signal was hardly detected in scap1 gSCAP1-mVenus Confocal images of the sixth true leaf from transgenic seedlings at 10 DAG harbouring gWSB-mVenus and gSCAP1-mTurquoise2 (shown in green and magenta respectively) in the wsb-1 mutant background Cell walls were stained with propidium iodide (cyan) Stomatal-lineage cells indicated by arrowheads are enlarged in h Confocal images of each and merged channels for nine GCs indicated by arrowheads in g GCs were arranged along with stomatal development Note that WSB-mVenus and SCAP1-mTurquoise2 co-accumulated at stages 6 and 7 Quantification of fluorescence signals for WSB-mVenus (green) and SCAP1-mTurquoise2 (magenta) through stomatal development using LAS X quantification mode Quantification of cell area for GCs through stomatal development using LAS X quantification mode These results suggest that WSB and PAT repress the expression of the guard cell-specific gene SCAP1 in the MC lineage resulting in the fate specification of MCs suggesting that these two TFs contribute to the differentiation of GCs at the stage just after final division Representative confocal images for the ‘unorganized’ category of stomata in wsb scap1 at 21 DAG Cell walls were stained with propidium iodide Representative electron micrographs of stomata from the WT (left) and abnormal stomata in wsb scap1 (right) True leaves from plants at 21 DAG were used except for WT GCs just after division (14 DAG) These results suggest that unopen GCs at 14 DAG might have the potential to differentiate but they failed to properly differentiate into normal GCs instead differentiating into irregular GCs at 21 DAG these results suggest that WSB and SCAP1 act synergistically in the differentiation of GCs These results suggest that CYCD7 can induce random divisions of stomatal-lineage cells in wsb scap1 instead of the symmetric divisions or division along the longest wall previously reported in fama Statistical significance was tested using ANOVA followed by Tukey–Kramer test (f,h,o P < 0.05) or a Student’s t-test (g,i,k,l suggesting that WSB may weakly bind to the FAMA promoter these results suggest the existence of a positive feedback regulation between WSB and the FAMA–SCRM complex in both MCs and GCs This feedback is required for the sustained these results suggest that the WSB–CCS52A1 module is required for MC differentiation we propose that WSB suppresses the expression of SCAP1 in MCs The positive feedback loops of FAMA–WSB and WSB–FAMA may support the sustained and/or high expression of WSB in MC lineages these results suggest that the co-option of WSB might have occurred in the common ancestor of Brassicales BdFAMA may not activate the AtFAMA promoter resulting in the loss of WSB in inner tissues These results suggest that the positive feedback-dependent expression of FAMA in inner tissues was acquired during evolution these results suggest that the FAMA–WSB transcriptional module may be conserved in this plant order we propose that Brassicales plant species co-opted the FAMA–WSB module for the evolution of the myrosinase-glucosinolate defence strategy we discuss the conserved stomatous transcriptional module and the co-option and neofunctionalization of the stomatal executors for defence against herbivores in Brassicales It is an open question whether SCAP1-positive cells in WSB-knockdown lines are phloem parenchyma cells (specifically even though the development of vascular tissues is different between leaves and roots scRNA-seq or single-nucleus RNA sequencing analysis of leaf primordia may provide useful information about the cell lineages and upstream factors of FAMA in inner tissues surrounding future vascular tissues WSB may be a good target for gene editing to generate Brassicales vegetables/crops without pungency as gene editing of multiple homologous genes other direct FAMA targets may play critical roles in other aspects of stomatal development and function These results suggest that the promotion of GC differentiation is the primary role of FAMA in angiosperms A stomatal function for WSB and SCAP1 in other species remains to be determined These results suggest that the binding of WSB to the FAMA locus is transient and/or that WSB indirectly binds to the FAMA locus Further experiments are required to fully elucidate the detailed binding mode of WSB to the FAMA locus Future studies will shed light on how WSB and epigenetic regulators work together or independently to maintain sustained FAMA expression How Brassicales plants established the positive feedback regulation of FAMA is an important question for further investigation the evolution of cis elements necessary for FAMA binding in the FAMA promoter and the 3D structure of the FAMA–SCRM complex bound to these cis elements should be examined We also do not exclude the possibility that other inner tissue-specific phytohormones and/or TFs contribute to the expression of WSB with the FAMA–SCRM complex To clarify the detailed role of CCS52A1 in the differentiation of MCs live imaging of MC development and their ploidy change using the histone H2B reporter (for example H2B-GFP) in WT and ccs52a1 mutants is needed in future studies comparative transcriptome studies of MCs from WT and ccs52a1 are needed to elucidate the comprehensive role of CCS52A1 in MCs using single-cell analysis approaches Further analysis of other WSB targets will provide a detailed molecular mechanism of MC differentiation suggesting that the AtWSB promoter is important for the development of MCs and neofunctionalization of WSB Analyses of the evolution of cis regulatory elements in the AtWSB promoter are needed for future studies We cannot address a possible neofunctionalization of WSB protein stability in Brassicales as we used codon-optimized sequences for each WSB homologue tested which may improve translational efficiency These two neofunctionalization events of FAMA and WSB are connected by the transcriptional layers between FAMA and WSB these results suggest that the positive feedback-mediated sustained or high expression of WSB (WSB dynamics) in the MC lineage may have driven the evolution of MCs we provide evidence here for the co-option and the neofunctionalization of stomatal executors Seeds were surface sterilized with 70% (v/v) ethanol and then sown onto Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium (Wako) solidified with 0.5% (w/v) gellan gum (Wako) and containing 1% (w/v) sucrose The seeds were stratified at 4 °C for 2–5 days to break dormancy and grown at 22 °C for 20 days under continuous light (100 µE s−1 m−2) or long-day conditions (16 h light/8 h dark) in a plant growth chamber (BiOTRON NIPPON MEDICAL and CHEMICAL INSTRUMENTS) with fluorescent light tubes Humidity in the plant growth chamber was kept at 40–50% plants were transferred to pots containing vermiculite and Metro-Mix for subsequent growth The humidity in the plant culture room was kept at 40–50% E8875-1G) was dissolved in 70% (v/v) ethanol to 10 mM concentration and used at 10 µM (1,000× dilution) or 0.01 µM (1,000,000× dilution only for ChIP-seq experiments using iWSB-mVenus lines) as the final working concentration in water Seeds were sown onto MS medium (Wako) solidified with 0.5% (w/v) Gellan gum (Wako) and containing 1% (w/v) sucrose; seedlings at 4 DAG were transferred to water containing 10 µM oestrogen or water with 0.07% (v/v) ethanol vacuumed at least three times and incubated for the indicated times The sections were stained with 0.01% (w/v) toluidine blue (Wako Chemicals) Representative images were captured under an AX-70 light microscope (Olympus) and an AXIO Zoom V16 (Zeiss) microscope The same confocal laser-scanning microscope settings were used when comparing the WT and mutants the FDR and fold-change were calculated using the edgeR package in R Differentially expressed genes were identified (FDR < 0.05) The data have been deposited at the DNA Data Bank of Japan (DRA013687) The data have been deposited at the DNA Data Bank of Japan (DRA016932) cell peripheries of the third true leaves at 14 and 21 DAG were visualized following staining with 1 mg ml−1 propidium iodide (Molecular Probes Images were captured using a confocal laser-scanning microscope (Leica SP8 FALCON) with a WLL Approximately 40 sequential confocal slices were used for the construction of Z-stack images covering a 0.308-mm2 field Brightness and contrast were uniformly adjusted using Photoshop 2021 (Adobe) The number of each category of stomata was scored in the 0.308-mm2 field (WT n = 9 The third true leaves of WT and wsb scap1 seedlings were cut and immediately fixed with 2% (w/v) paraformaldehyde and 2% (w/v) glutaraldehyde in 0.05 M cacodylate buffer (pH 7.4) at 4 °C overnight the samples were washed 3 times with 0.05 M cacodylate buffer for 30 min each and postfixed with 2% (w/v) osmium tetroxide in 0.05 M cacodylate buffer (pH 7.4) at 4°C for 3 h The samples were infiltrated with propylene oxide (PO) twice for 30 min each placed into a 1:1 (v/v) mixture of PO and resin (Quetol-651 The samples were allowed to polymerize at 60 °C for 48 h The polymerized resin blocks were ultrathin sectioned to 80 nm with a diamond knife using an ultramicrotome (Ultracut UCT Leica) and the sections were mounted onto copper grids The sections were stained with 2% (w/v) uranyl acetate at room temperature for 15 min and washed with distilled water followed by secondary staining with 1× lead stain solution (Sigma-Aldrich) at room temperature for 3 min The grids were observed with a transmission electron microscope (JEM-1400Plus JEOL) at an acceleration voltage of 100 kV Digital images (3,296 × 2,472 pixels) were taken with a CCD camera (EM-14830RUBY2 Leaves from dark-adapted plants were illuminated with red light (300 µmol m−2 s−1) for 1 h and then blue light (10 µmol m−2 s−1) was superimposed onto red light for 20 min For the measurement of CO2-induced stomatal responses the ambient CO2 concentration was lowered from 350 ppm to 100 ppm and then increased to 800 ppm in the dark epidermal strips prepared from dark-adapted leaves were incubated in 5 mM MES-bistrispropane (pH 6.5) 50 mM KCl and 0.1 mM CaCl2 in the dark or under red light (50 µmol m−2 s−1) and blue light (10 µmol m−2 s−1) for 2 h at 24 °C Stomatal apertures on the abaxial epidermis were measured using an inverted microscope (Eclipse TS100 Further information on research design is available in the Nature Portfolio Reporting Summary linked to this article Gene co-option in physiological and morphological evolution Evolution of transcription networks—lessons from yeasts Evolution of transcription factor binding in metazoans—mechanisms and functional implications Molecular mechanisms involved in functional macroevolution of plant transcription factors Origin and diversification of basic-helix-loop-helix proteins in plants and fate choice of neural progenitor cells Transcriptional control of cell fate in the stomatal lineage Stomatal lineage control by developmental program and environmental cues Stomatal development in the context of epidermal tissues Cell biology of the leaf epidermis: fate specification Arabidopsis FAMA controls the final proliferation/differentiation switch during stomatal development Transcription factor control of asymmetric cell divisions that establish the stomatal lineage Termination of asymmetric cell division and differentiation of stomata SCREAM/ICE1 and SCREAM2 specify three cell-state transitional steps leading to Arabidopsis stomatal differentiation bHLH transcription factors cooperate with chromatin remodelers to regulate cell fate decisions during Arabidopsis stomatal development Morphology made for movement: formation of diverse stomatal guard cells Differentiation of Arabidopsis guard cells: analysis of the networks incorporating the basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor Extensive embryonic patterning without cellular differentiation primes the plant epidermis for efficient post-embryonic stomatal activities is essential for the development of functional stomata in Arabidopsis Two independent cis-acting elements are required for the guard cell-specific expression of SCAP1 which is essential for late stomatal development The cell differentiation of idioblast myrosin cells; similarities with vascular and guard cells Myrosin idioblast cell fate and development are regulated by the Arabidopsis transcription factor FAMA FAMA is an essential component for the differentiation of two distinct cell types FAMA: a molecular link between stomata and myrosin cells Specialized vacuoles of myrosin cells: chemical defense strategy in Brassicales plants functionality and breeding for the improvement of Brassicaceae vegetables Origins and evolution of stomatal development CONTINUOUS VASCULAR RING (COV1) is a trans-Golgi network-localized membrane protein required for Golgi morphology and vacuolar protein sorting The glycerophosphoryl diester phosphodiesterase-like proteins SHV3 and its homologs play important roles in cell wall organization Molecular profiling of stomatal meristemoids reveals new component of asymmetric cell division and commonalities among stem cell populations in Arabidopsis AtVAM3 is required for normal specification of idioblasts Vacuolar SNAREs function in the formation of the leaf vascular network by regulating auxin distribution Arabidopsis Qa-SNARE SYP2 proteins localized to different subcellular regions function redundantly in vacuolar protein sorting and plant development Myrosin cell development is regulated by endocytosis machinery and PIN1 polarity in leaf primordia of Arabidopsis thaliana Arabidopsis myrosinases TGG1 and TGG2 have redundant function in glucosinolate breakdown and insect defense Metallochaperone-like genes in Arabidopsis thaliana ATTED-II in 2018: a plant coexpression database based on investigation of the statistical property of the mutual rank index Genome-wide analysis of the ERF gene family in Arabidopsis and rice Irreversible fate commitment in the Arabidopsis stomatal lineage requires a FAMA and RETINOBLASTOMA-RELATED module Direct roles of SPEECHLESS in the specification of stomatal self-renewing cells Myrosin cells are differentiated directly from ground meristem cells and are developmentally independent of the vasculature in Arabidopsis leaves Structure-guided evolution of cyan fluorescent proteins towards a quantum yield of 93% pKAMA-ITACHI vectors for highly efficient CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene knockout in Arabidopsis thaliana Single-cell transcriptomics sheds light on the identity and metabolism of developing leaf cells Single-cell RNA sequencing of Arabidopsis leaf tissues identifies multiple specialized cell types: idioblast myrosin cells and potential glucosinolate-producing cells MUTE directly orchestrates cell-state switch and the single symmetric division to create stomata Lineage- and stage-specific expressed CYCD7;1 coordinates the single symmetric division that creates stomatal guard cells Single-cell resolution of lineage trajectories in the Arabidopsis stomatal lineage and developing leaf FZR2/CCS52A1 expression is a determinant of endoreduplication and cell expansion in Arabidopsis Complementary and dose-dependent action of AtCCS52A isoforms in endoreduplication and plant size control Cytokinins control endocycle onset by promoting the expression of an APC/C activator in Arabidopsis roots The genome of the seagrass Zostera marina reveals angiosperm adaptation to the sea Stomatal regulators are co-opted for seta development in the astomatous liverwort Marchantia polymorpha Expanded roles and divergent regulation of FAMA in Brachypodium and Arabidopsis stomatal development Sequence logos: a new way to display consensus sequences Lyu, M. et al. The dynamic and diverse nature of parenchyma cells in the Arabidopsis root during secondary growth. Preprint at bioRxiv https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.07.18.604073v1 (2024) Cell-type-specific transcriptome and histone modification dynamics during cellular reprogramming in the Arabidopsis stomatal lineage Deep functional redundancy between FAMA and FOUR LIPS in stomatal development Arabidopsis guard cell integrity involves the epigenetic stabilization of the FLP and FAMA transcription factor genes Orthologs of Arabidopsis thaliana stomatal bHLH genes and regulation of stomatal development in grasses Multiple transcriptional factors control stomatal development rice Plant idioblasts: remarkable examples of cell specialization Transcription factor WRKY23 assists auxin distribution patterns during Arabidopsis root development through local control on flavonol biosynthesis Gateway binary vectors with the bialaphos resistance gene as a selection marker for plant transformation A gateway cloning vector set for high-throughput functional analysis of gene in planta Highly specific gene silencing by artificial microRNAs in Arabidopsis A rapid and non-destructive screenable marker for identifying transformed seeds of Arabidopsis thaliana Floral dip: a simplified method for Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of Arabidopsis thaliana Boosting CRISPR/Cas9 multiplex editing capability with the endogenous tRNA-processing system ClearSee: a rapid optical clearing reagent for whole-plant fluorescence imaging BrAD-seq: Breath Adapter Directional sequencing: a streamlined ultra-simple and fast library preparation protocol for strand specific mRNA library construction Morphological and physiological framework underlying plant longevity in Arabidopsis thaliana Analysis of relative gene expression data using real-time quantitative PCR and the 2−∆∆CT method PROTOCOLS: chromatin immunoprecipitation from Arabidopsis tissues H3K27me3 demethylases alter HSP22 and HSP17.6C expression in response to recurring heat in Arabidopsis Trimmomatic: a flexible trimmer for Illumina sequence data deepTools: a flexible platform for exploring deep-sequencing data Chromatin organization in early land plants reveals an ancestral association between H3K27me3 MAFFT Multiple Sequence Alignment Software Version 7: improvements in performance and usability trimAl: a tool for automated alignment trimming in large-scale phylogenetic analyses RAxML version 8: a tool for phylogenetic analysis and post-analysis of large phylogenies GGTREE: an R package for visualization and annotation of phylogenetic trees with their covariates and other associated data A BLUS1 kinase signal and a decrease in intercellular CO2 concentration are necessary for stomatal opening in response to blue light B1-type cyclin-dependent kinases are essential for the formation of stomatal complexes in Arabidopsis thaliana Download references Mifuji for technical assistance; the Arabidopsis Biological Resource Center for providing the fama scrm and scrm2 seeds; D Bergmann for providing the proFAMA:FAMA-Myc seeds; I Hara-Nishimura for providing syp22 seeds and the pFAST-R02 DNA constructs; J Negi for providing the proSCAP1:GUS and scap1 seeds; K Higashiyama for providing the pKI1.1R DNA constructs; T Beeckman for providing the proMYR002:GUS (proWRKY23:GUS) seeds; E Umeda for providing the ccs52a1-1 and proCCS52A1:GUS seeds; E Shimada for providing fama proAtFAMA:MpSETA seeds; T Hiroki for sharing information in pKAMA-ITACHI; T Nakagawa for providing the plant Gateway vectors; U Grossniklaus for providing the pMDC7 construct; Y Namima for help with statistical analysis; T Goh for helping with setting up confocal laser-scanning microscopy and providing the pENTR D-TOPO H2B-tdTomato plasmid; A Roeder for providing the pDONR Zeo mCitrine-RCI2A plasmid; and K Nakajima for sharing the plant image used in the model This work was supported by a research fellowship from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) (12J05453) a JSPS KAKENHI Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas (20H05416 and 22H04723) Transformative Research Areas (B) (24H00881) and grants from the Takeda Science Foundation the Japan Science and Technology Agency ‘Precursory Research for Embryonic Science and Technology’ (JPMJPR22D3) and the Ohsumi Frontier Science Foundation to M Shirakawa; a JSPS KAKENHI Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Early-Career Scientists and grants from MEXT (18K14678) and JST CREST (JPMJCR19S6) to S.S.S.; a grant from JSPS KAKENHI Grant-in-Aid for Transformative Research Areas (B) (20H05780) to S Yamaoka; a JSPS KAKENHI Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research C (19K06723) to M.W.; a JSPS KAKENHI Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research B (22H02648) to T.T.; JSPS KAKENHI Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas (22H04726) and Transformative Research Areas (A) (21H05665) to A.T.; JSPS KAKENHI Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research B (18H02465 and 23H02503) and Transformative Research Areas (A) (21H05663 and 23H04968) and grants from the SECOM Science and Technology Foundation and the Ohsumi Frontier Science Foundation to N.Y.; a grant from JSPS KAKENHI 19H05670 and 19H05675 to T.K.; and grants from JSPS KAKENHI JP20H00470 These authors contributed equally: Tomoki Oguro Precursory Research for Embryonic Science and Technology National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology Graduate School of Sciences and Technology for Innovation Shirakawa and T.O.; CRISPR/Cas9 mutants were established by M and S.S.S.; analyses of WSB and SCAP1 were performed by M and K.H.; evolutionary conservation analyses were performed by M and T.K.; stomatal movement analyses were performed by S Yoshida and A.T.; RNA-seq library construction sequencing and analyses were performed by K.K. sequencing and analyses were performed by N.Y Shirakawa wrote the original draft of the paper Shirakawa and all authors revised the paper All authors read and approved the final version of the paper The authors declare no competing interests Xingyun Qi and Margot Smit for their contribution to the peer review of this work Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations Ectopic expression of an MC marker is induced by the transient overexpression of FAMA Representative GUS staining pattern of leaves from iFAMA transgenic seedlings at 4 DAG with (+) or without (−) 8 h of estrogen treatment (10 µM) MCs were visualized with the reporter MYR001:GUS arrows indicate MCs next to vascular cells Time-course analysis of FAMA expression levels in iFAMA seedlings at 4 DAG with (+) or without (−) estrogen treatment (10 µM; 6 A two-tailed unpaired Student’s t-test was used to calculate the p-values between estrogen treatments The elongating top 1 cm of the stem without flowers was collected at 25–30 DAG from WT and scrm (n = 5) The expression data of eight marker genes were determined by RT-qPCR (upper) and compared to the results obtained by RNA-seq (lower) using the same RNA samples from the WT and scrm RT-qPCR experiments were performed five times and open circles represent individual data points Note that the expression levels of all eight genes in scrm were significantly downregulated (A two-tailed Student’s t-test was used to calculate the p-values between WT and scrm the same eight marker genes were also significantly downregulated in scrm compared to the WT (false discovery rate [FDR] < 0.05) GUS staining of a rosette leaf from WT Arabidopsis (Col-0) seedlings at 14 DAG harboring proHIPP20:GUS Enlarged image of myrosin lineage cells (left) and epidermal stomatal lineage cells (right) are shown RT-qPCR analysis of WSB transcript levels in whole seedlings at 14 DAG for the WT and scrm scrm2 A two-tailed Student’s t-test was used to calculate the p-values between WT and scrm scrm2 ChIP-qPCR binding assay showing the binding of SCRM to the WSB locus (n = 3; the percentage of input) The percentage of input (% input) of GFP-SCRM at the WSB was analyzed using proSCRM:GFP-SCRM seedlings at 4 DAG Whole seedlings were used as samples for the extraction of DNA-protein complexes A two-tailed unpaired Student’s t-test was used to calculate the p-values between proSCRM:GFP-SCRM and Col-0 The TMM locus served as a positive control; NC GUS staining of cotyledons from WT and scrm-D seedlings at 14 DAG harboring the proWSB:GUS reporter Image of whole leaves (upper); enlarged images of epidermis (lower) the entire epidermis differentiates into GCs with blue signals (GUS) GUS staining of rosette leaves from WT and syp22 seedlings at 14 DAG harboring proWSB:GUS Images of whole leaves (upper); enlarged images of inner tissues (lower) GUS staining of a rosette leaf from fama-1 proWSB:GUS seedling at 14 DAG Note that no blue signal (GUS) was observed in the leaves WSB accumulates primarily in the nucleus of myrosin lineage cells Confocal Z-stack image of a rosette leaf from wsb-1 gWSB-mVenus seedling at 8 DAG mVenus signal intensities are shown in blue to red according to increasing intensity levels Confocal Z-stack image of a rosette leaf from a seedling at 8 DAG carrying proFAMA:H2B-tdTomato (red; nucleus) and proUBQ11:mCitrine-RCI2A (green; plasma membrane) and white arrowheads indicate GCs in the epidermis yellow arrows indicate MCs in inner tissues Gene disruption of At3g57600 (WSB) in Arabidopsis using CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing Diagram of part of the WSB gene with the sgRNA target sites and resulting mutations in the newly obtained CRISPR/Cas9-generated alleles The protospacer adjacent motif (PAM) for Cas9 is in bold; deletions or inserted nucleotides in the new mutant alleles are in blue amino acids after frameshifts that are different from the WT The development of wsb-1 mutant seedlings is comparable to that of WT seedlings at 14 DAG The development of wsb-1 mutant plants is comparable to that of WT plants at 28 DAG as determined by one-way ANOVA test followed by Tukey-Kramer test (p < 0.05) RT-qPCR analysis of TGG1 (g) and TGG2 (h) transcript levels in true leaves of seedlings at 14 DAG for WT The wsb-1/wsb-2 F1 and wsb-1/wsb-3 F1 seedlings were generated by crossing Experiments were performed three times; open circles represent individual data points from each replicate The gWSB-mVenus transgene rescues the phenotypes of wsb-1 RT-qPCR analysis of TGG1 (i) and TGG2 (j) transcript levels in the true leaves at 14 DAG for WT wsb-1 gWSB-mVenus was generated by transforming the gWSB-mVenus construct into wsb-1 Different lowercase letters indicate significant differences (i) A two-tailed Student’s t-test was used to calculate the p-values between WT and wsb-1 gWSB-mVenus (NS; not significant) Concentration-dependent effects of WSB on the expression levels of TGG1 (k) and TGG2 (l) RT-qPCR analysis of TGG1 and TGG2 transcript levels in WT and WSB-knockdown lines (amiRNA-WSB) Twenty-six independent T1 plants were analyzed The black and green circles represent the expression levels in the true leaves at 14 DAG for TGG1 from the WT and amiRNA-WSB The black and blue circles represent the expression levels in the true leaves at 14 DAG for TGG2 from the WT and amiRNA-WSB The boxed area in the left plots is enlarged in the right plots and flower stalks (f) for WT and wsb-3 plants harboring the MC reporter MYR001:GUS The boxed area in (e) is enlarged in the right panel and HIPP20 transcript levels in the stems of WT and wsb-1 mutants The elongating top 1 cm of the stem without flowers was collected at 25–30 DAG A two-tailed unpaired Student’s t-test was used to calculate the p-values between wsb and Col-0 GUS staining of a rosette leaf from WT Arabidopsis (Col-0) harboring proAt1g2317020:GUS (h) and proTET4:GUS (i) at 14 DAG Enlarged image of myrosin lineage cells (upper right) and epidermal stomatal lineage cells (lower right) Note that no GUS staining was observed in proSCAP1(del):GUS Confocal images of true leaves from wsb harboring gWSB-mVenus (green) and proFAMA:mCherry-RCI2A (magenta) at 14 DAG WSB highly accumulates in the nucleus of mature MCs (nuclear size is larger than 30 µm) GUS staining of inner tissues for true leaves from WT Arabidopsis (Col-0) and WSB-knockdown lines (amiRNA-WSB) harboring proSCAP1:GUS at 14 DAG Note that ectopic expression of SCAP1 was detected in MCs of amiRNA-WSB (yellow asterisks) fuzzy GUS signals are derived from out-of-focus GUS signals from GCs GUS staining of true leaves from syp22 seedlings at 14 DAG harboring proSCAP1:GUS Longitudinal length (µm) of stomata expressing WSB-mVenus (green including two GMCs) or SCAP1-mVenus (purple Note that the expression windows of WSB-mVenus and SCAP1-mVenus partially overlap Two-tailed unpaired Student’s t-test was used to calculate the p-values between WSB-mVenus and SCAP1-mVenus 500 µm (b); 100 µm (e);50 µm (c and d); 10 µm (c Number of GCs of in the 0.308-mm2 field of the third true leaves from the indicated genotypes at 14 DAG in each category (WT [i] as determined by one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey-Kramer test Percentage of each differentiation pattern category in seedlings at 14 DAG for the indicated genotypes (WT [i] Diagram of two different types of unopen stomata number of stomata in the 0.308-mm2 field of the third true leaves for the indicated genotypes at 14 DAG in a (WT unopen without wall thickening; light orange ratio of stomatal categories for third true leaves from wsb scap1 at 14 DAG Ratio of stomatal categories in the 0.308-mm2 field for third true leaves of wsb scap1 at 14 and 21 DAG Number of GCs of in the 0.308-mm2 field of the third true leaves for the indicated genotypes at 14 DAG in each category (WT [i] RT-qPCR analysis of CYCD5 and CYCD7 transcript levels in true leaves of WT GUS staining of rosette (left) and cauline (right) leaves from WT Arabidopsis (Col-0) harboring proCCS52A1:GUS at 14 and 28 DAG and moderate signal was detected in GMCs (arrows) Confocal images of nuclei stained with Hoechst 33342 for MCs of fifth true leaves from the WT and ccs52a1-1 at 8 DAG Signals of Hoechst 33342 fluorescence are correlated with DNA amounts (ploidy) MC nuclei were labeled with the proFAMA:mScarlet-N7 marker Samples were cleared by ClearSee and then stained with Hoechst 33342 Quantification of nuclear Hoechst 33342 signals and cell sizes using LAS X quantification mode and ninth (right) true leaves from WT and ccs52a1-1 seedlings at 15 DAG harboring the MC marker reporter MYR001:GUS Note that MCs in ccs52a1-1 are smaller than those in the WT Light-induced stomatal responses in the WT and the wsb-1 mutant Light-induced changes in stomatal conductance in intact leaves (true leaves from 4-week-old plants) Dark-adapted plants were illuminated with red light (RL: 300 µmol m−2 s−1) and blue light (BL: 10 µmol m−2 s−1) as indicated Data are means ± standard error of the mean (SEM n = 3; stomatal conductance [mol H2O m-2 s-1]) Light-induced stomatal opening on the epidermis Epidermal strips from dark-adapted leaves (true leaves from 4-week-old plants) were illuminated with RL (50 µmol m−2 s−1) and BL (10 µmol m−2 s−1) for 2 h as determined by ANOVA with Tukey’s test; p < 0.01 CO2-induced stomatal responses in the WT and the wsb-1 mutant CO2-induced changes in stomatal conductance in intact leaves (true leaves from 4-week-old plants) of dark-adapted plants Ambient CO2 concentration was lowered from 350 to 100 ppm and then raised to 800 ppm as indicated Data are means ± SEM (n = 3; stomatal conductance [mol H2O m-2 s-1]) List of upregulated and downregulated genes in iFAMA at 8 h List of upregulated and downregulated genes in iFAMA at 24 h Gene ontology (GO) term enrichment analysis of iFAMA differentially expressed genes at 8 h List of upregulated and downregulated genes in scrm mutants List of genes overlapping between the four transcriptome datasets List of upregulated and downregulated genes in wsb mutants WSB regulates the expression of MC-related and GC-related genes Comparative analysis of WSB ChIP-seq and scRNA-seq data of stomatal lineages List of mutants and transgenic lines used in this study Methods for the visualization of cell outlines Source data for the graphs in the paper and all statistical analyses including exact P values Download citation DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-025-01921-1 Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: a shareable link is not currently available for this article Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science During a press conference that was held Wednesday morning, Shirakawa announced that she will be leaving STARDOM when her contract with the company expires at the end of the month. News of her departure was first reported by Tokyo Sports on Tuesday Additionally, Mina also confirmed a Fightful Select report that she will soon be joining a highly competitive AEW Women's Division on a full-time basis 白川未奈『私 白川未奈は2025年3月をもちましてスターダムを退団させていただく形となりました。ずっと信じて応援してくださったファンの方がいたからこそ、夢をずっと追い続けながらプロレスラーとして歩んでいくことができました。本当にありがとうございます。今後の事ですけども、私… pic.twitter.com/XykVPP6tc0 "It is only thanks to the fans who have always believed in me and supported me that I have been able to continue to pursue my dreams and pursue my career as a professional wrestler Thank you so much," Mina said during her announcement Shirakawa is coming off an extended run with All Elite Wrestling last year where she worked closely with 'Timeless' Toni Storm and Mariah May She even challenged for the AEW Women's Championship on two occasions It's not known when Mina will make her official first appearance as a member of the AEW roster. She will make her final appearance for STARDOM overseas coming up on Wednesday April 2 where she'll wrestle Maika at Korakuen Hall Mina still has a number of appearances for the promotion coming up during WrestleMania week in Las Vegas The announcement today by Shirakawa marks the beginning of the end of a successful five year run with STARDOM The 37-year-old captured both the Future Of STARDOM Championship and Wonder Of STARDOM Title during her tenure Orlando Sports Commission Makes Big Push To Land Major WWE & UFC Events WWE NXT Results (3/25/25): Women's Champion Stephanie Vaquer Makes WWE History Exclusive: The Hardy Boyz Are Reinventing Themselves In TNA While Helping The Next Generation Battles With Sex Abuse, Abandonment & Addiction: Saraya's 'Hell in Boots' Pulls No Punches [Exclusive] The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only Betting and gambling content is intended for individuals 21+ and is based on individual commentators' opinions and not that of Sports Illustrated or its affiliates All picks and predictions are suggestions only and not a guarantee of success or profit If you or someone you know has a gambling problem crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER Get instant access to ITR on your home screen Add ITR Wrestling to your Google News feed > Mina Shirakawa has announced that she will be leaving Stardom very soon and has also confirmed where fans will see her next Holding a press conference on March 26th, Shirakawa made the announcement that she would be leaving the promotion this month and that her next destination would be AEW: It is only thanks to the fans who have always believed in me and supported me that I have been able to continue to pursue my dreams and pursue my career as a professional wrestler 白川未奈『私 白川未奈は2025年3月をもちましてスターダムを退団させていただく形となりました。ずっと信じて応援してくださったファンの方がいたからこそ、夢をずっと追い続けながらプロレスラーとして歩んでいくことができました。本当にありがとうございます。今後の事ですけども、私… pic.twitter.com/XykVPP6tc0 — スターダム✪STARDOM (@wwr_stardom) March 26, 2025 It was reported the day before that the top international star was set to become All Elite but the press conference from Stardom now makes the news official Shirakawa captured the Artist of Stardom Championship Goddesses of Stardom Championship and Wonder of Stardom Championship It is currently unknown when Shirakawa will officially join All Elite Wrestling and make her debut as a member of the roster AEW fans are very familiar with Shirakawa’s work due to her previous appearances in the company. Along with being a significant part of the feud between Mariah May and Toni Storm Shirakawa also faced Mercedes Mone at the first-ever Wrestle Dynasty show in January 2025 Putting the RevPro Undisputed British Women’s Title on the line Shirakawa dropped the championship to Mone at the event It has been announced that two WWE stars will be making an appearance at AAA's TripleMania Regia on June 15 has once again teased a possible return to the company where she became Divas Champion Former WWE wrestler Duke "The Dumpster" Droese has been indicted on alleged charges of attempted child exploitation Logan Paul has jumped Jey Uso after the May 5 episode of WWE Raw went off the air A former WWE Champion has made their shocking return on the May 5 episode of Raw "Dirty" Dominik Mysterio is set to defend his recently captured Intercontinental Championship at the upcoming Backlash PLE This week's WWE Raw featured a Gunther-Pat McAfee confrontation and Jey Uso facing Seth Rollins in the main event A former WWE champion has competed and won his first match on Raw in over five years Mina Shirakawa is leaving Japan and could be making AEW her full-time home Tokyo Sports reported today that Shirakawa has informed Stardom that she will be leaving the promotion at the end of March for what is likely a full-time move to wrestling in the United States The report mentioned both AEW and WWE as potential destinations Shirakawa has already been a regular for AEW while with Stardom including playing a role in the highly praised storyline between Toni Storm and Mariah May The report states that the 37-year-old Shirakawa told Stardom of her decision to leave at the end of last year Shirakawa made her first AEW/ROH appearance in March 2024 and challenged both Storm and May for the AEW Women’s World Championship during their respective reigns last year Shirakawa faced off against Mercedes Mone at the Tokyo Dome where Mone defeated Shirakawa to win the RevPro Undisputed British Women’s Championship and retain the AEW TBS Championship Shirakawa started her pro wrestling career in 2018 and has competed for both Stardom and Tokyo Joshi Pro Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com managing the staff of editors and writers and directing day-to-day news coverage He is a lifelong pro wrestling fan and graduated from the University of Massachusetts with a degree in journalism in 2016 After Mone successfully defended the NJPW Strong Women’s title against Hazuki in the main event of Strong Style Evolved on Sunday Mina Shirakawa came out and said she wanted Mone for Wrestle Dynasty Mone agreed to a match for January 5 at the Tokyo Dome but only if Shirakawa agreed to put up her RevPro Undisputed British Women’s Championship Shirakawa agreed as the two danced together to end the show If Mone were to be successful in defeating Shirakawa at Wrestle Dynasty she would hold three championships in three different companies Shirakawa has been the Undisputed British Women’s Champion since August defeating Dani Luna at RevPro’s 12th Anniversary Show Shirakawa was most recently seen on AEW television last week losing a match for the Women’s Championship against current champion Mariah May after May turned on her former friend at Full Gear last month Mone is scheduled to defend the TBS Championship against Anna Jay at this week’s AEW Holiday Bash edition of Dynamite Bryan Rose is an editor from California that has been covering professional wrestling for well over a decade Mina Shirakawa expected to join AEW imminently Having impressed in fleeting appearances for AEW, it looks like Mina Shirakawa is gearing up to make Tony Khan's promotion her new permanent home As per Fightful Select, Tokyo Sports is reporting that Mina is in the process of wrapping up her current STARDOM run and is expected to head to the United States. Fightful's sources confirmed that the 37-year-old is indeed on her way to AEW with a press conference planned for later in the week The outlet was told that this move has been planned for a while with Shirakawa previously telling Fightful how she was intending to move to America at some point in the future Having made her in-ring debut in 2018, 2020 saw Mina Shirakawa make her first appearance for STARDOM. Battling a who's who of the promotion in the years since, the Venus' success with STARDOM includes runs as the Future of STARDOM Champion, the Wonder of STARDOM Champion, two stints as one-third of the Artist of STARDOM Champions, and winning the Goddess of STARDOM Championship with a certain Mariah May On that front, Mariah May's own AEW future has been in the news this week with the former AEW Women's Champion's current AEW deal due to expire this year it is believed that AEW will have an extension that they can and will trigger to keep the Glamour #AllElite for the foreseeable future The first AEW fans saw of Mina Shirakawa was on an April 2024 episode of Dynamite, where she came to the rescue of Mariah May to save her old tag partner from an Anna Jay beatdown Mina would make her AEW in-ring debut later that month defeating Jay on the company's Wednesday night flagship Shortly after that, Shirakawa was inserted into the Mariah May and Toni Storm dynamic which saw her get a shot at Timeless Toni's AEW Women's Championship at last year's Forbidden Door she'd later get another crack at the AEW Women's Title facing Mariah at Winter is Coming in December following May turning on her former partner much like Mariah had previously turned on Toni Shirakawa came up short in her quest to win the AEW Women's Championship Mina Shirakawa has technically wrestled one more match under the AEW banner since then, with that being at the co-promoted Wrestle Dynasty - which featured AEW, ROH, CMLL, and NJPW talent - event in January. There, Shirakawa lost the RevPro Undisputed British Women's Championship to AEW TBS Champion Mercedes Moné in a winner-takes-all match with both of those titles on the line WhatCulture is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab) ©Future Publishing Limited Quay House England and Wales company registration number 2008885 The in-demand Japanese star broke the news in a video less than 24 hours after reports surfaced about her plans After a successful run with AEW last year as part of Timeless Toni Storm and Mariah May’s widely-praised Women’s World title storyline Stardom’s Mina Shirakawa saw her popularity in the United States skyrocket and the savvy to know how to use those advantages in a variety of ways Most figured it was only a matter of time before the “We Want Mina” chants led to the joshi wrestler moving to the United States and signing with one of the big feds based here Given her history with the company and its roster — and AEW’s ties to Stardom and its fellow Bushiroad-owned promotion New Japan Pro-Wrestling — it would have been somewhat of a shock if that wasn’t AEW Now, just hours after the first rumors/reports that Shirakawa was leaving Japan for the States and an AEW contract The 37-year-old from Tokyo has been with Stardom for five years and has captured several of the promotion’s titles (Shirakawa held Stardom’s secondary singles belt as Wonder of Stardom champion and is a two-time Artist Of Stardom (trios) & one-time Goddesses Of Stardom (tag) champ) for NJPW’s Windy City Riot show in Chicago on April 11 Escape to the magical snow-covered village of Shirakawa-go Deep winter in Japan conjures images of crowded ski resorts steaming hot springs and … not much else and you’ll uncover enchanting landscapes touched by the silver and white wand of winter Gifu Prefecture’s historic village Shirakawa-go stands out for its unique scenery: steep the farmhouses — some of which offer overnight accommodation — glow softly in golden lamplight wintry Shirakawa-go is truly a sight to behold Shirakawa-go gained UNESCO World Heritage status in 1995 along with Gokayama in neighboring Toyama Prefecture The two areas are home to three traditional villages inscribed as part of the World Heritage Site — Ogimachi in Shirakawa-go and Ainokura and Suganuma in Gokayama Shirakawa-go’s Ogimachi is the most well known of the three and the easiest to access If losing yourself in timeless townscapes is on your list of things to do read on for everything you need to know about visiting this exceptional village Shirakawa-go is an ancient mountain settlement surrounded by forests The village is well known for its farmhouses built in the distinctive gassho-zukuri style a construction method featuring roofs that resemble hands joined in prayer While this type of dwelling originated in the Edo period (1603–1867) the Hida region shows traces of human life dating back to between 7000 BCE and 2300 BCE.  Sightseeing in Shirakawa-go centers on two areas: Ogimachi where you’ll find gassho-zukuri houses It was Ogimachi’s gassho-zukuri architecture that led to its registration as a UNESCO World Heritage Site The village owes its status — and its traditional townscape — to preservation efforts made by residents after many of the village’s gassho-zukuri houses were lost due to construction and fire in the mid-1900s.  is the largest settlement in the area and is dotted with gassho-zukuri houses These houses are well adapted to the region’s climate steep-pitched roofs efficiently shedding winter’s heavy snowfalls and preventing structural damage and collapse The functional design of gassho-zukuri houses extends beyond sharply sloping roofs — the large windows of the gable ends have a purpose sericulture was a key industry in Shirakawa-go and households cultivated silkworms in their multifloor attics The expansive windows illuminated and ventilated these upper floors Though gassho-zukuri style houses originated in the mid-Edo period their historical significance went unrecognized until the latter half of the 20th century abandonment and submersion in the wake of hydroelectric dam construction had decimated their number The houses of Ogimachi remain due to the efforts of locals who formed a preservation society in 1971 to protect the surviving homes the area had been designated a Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings paving the way for the World Heritage Site designation of 1995.  The prominence of the Wada family is clear from the farmhouse that bears its name: Not only is Wada House the largest gassho-zukuri residence in Shirakawa-go including two tatami rooms — with their own special entrance — for the sole use of important visitors a traditional garden and a fire-resistant earthen storehouse but many rooms and the attic are open to the public and feature displays of historical items and tools related to the construction of the pitched roof Visit the house to gain insight into the lifestyle of the family that was once Ogimachi’s largest landowner a temple of the Jodo Shinshu (True Pure Land) school of Buddhism located in the head priest’s living quarters — one of Ogimachi’s biggest gassho-zukuri houses Myozenji has been the village’s principal Buddhist sanctuary for over 275 years and features a two-story thatched gate-slash-bell tower and thatched main hall tools for silkworm cultivation and other items used by villagers in the past Those curious about the construction of gassho-zukuri roofs will have much to admire in the attic as the straw ropes and bindings that hold the roof together are clearly visible The mountains and rivers of the Shirakawa-go area provide inhabitants with plentiful fresh ingredients allowing them to develop nutritious and delicious seasonal cuisine Befitting a town that regularly welcomes foreign nationals — of the 1.7 million visitors to Shirakawa-go in 2023 658,441 were international tourists — many of the restaurants around the village feature English menus Dine in a gassho-zukuri farmhouse, right in Ogimachi, at Irori Making full use of the bounty of each season Irori offers local dishes such as Hida beef grilled with hoba (magnolia leaf) miso grilled gassho tofu and udon or soba topped with mountain vegetables A souvenir shop next to the restaurant sells a variety of local sweets and specialty products as well as grilled Hida beef skewers and mitarashi dango.  Tenkara specializes in Hida beef Produced from the Japanese black breed of beef cattle Hida beef is considered one of the finest varieties of Japanese beef and is known for its marbling Give this regional specialty a taste with one of Tenkara’s set meals As the restaurant is equipped with in-table yakiniku grills you’ll get to cook your meat to your very own definition of perfection.  Located opposite Ogimachi’s information center, Shiraogi serves teishoku (set meals) made with locally sourced ingredients like river fish and mountain vegetables Savor your drink under the thatched roof of a gassho-zukuri house at Ochudo a conveniently located cafe just a short walk from the Shirakawa-go bus terminal which maintains the original layout of the house offers zenzai — a sweet soup made of red azuki beans — with free refills It should come as no surprise that Purin no Ie (house of pudding) specializes in pudding established by residents with long ancestral ties to Shirakawa-go prides itself on its use of high-quality ingredients Gifu-developed Minomusume strawberries and pristine local spring water Purin no Ie’s smooth-as-silk nameraka pudding and its award-winning mizu (water) pudding attract visitors from all over Japan seasonal and village-inspired puddings are also on offer like gohei mochi pudding with a miso aroma Shirakawa matcha pudding made with matcha from south-central Gifu’s tea-producing town of Shirakawa and strawberry pudding.  courtesy of shirakawa-go tourist information This cozy kissaten serves up a variety of coffee blends and teas, plus assorted sandwiches, cakes and toast. Only a four-minute walk from Wada House, Coffee Shop Hina is the perfect spot to grab a snack before or after checking out Ogimachi’s most well-appointed abode Get a real feel for life in Shirakawa-go by spending the night in a thatched house. These lodgings are typically furnished with tatami mats and futon, and some even have private onsen. Check the list of available gassho-zukuri properties for an overview of their style of accommodation.  For a taste of omotenashi — Japanese-style hospitality — book a night at a ryokan. The historical Shiroyamakan built in 1884 and an Important Traditional Building is an enchanting option that hosts just four groups per night Shiroyamakan is a fusion of classical Japanese elements and modern Japanese design a homey retreat where you can sample local seasonal cuisine and soak up the natural beauty and traditional culture of Shirakawa-go.   the snowy Shirakawa-go region gets quite chilly in the winter months especially as you’ll likely spend a lot of time outside and we recommend a thermal base layer like Uniqlo’s Heattech Pack footwear that will keep your toes toasty and your feet comfortable as you walk around town Although Shirakawa-go is a popular tourist destination for residents of Japan and foreign nationals alike it’s important to remember that it’s both a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a place of residence for many families Don’t enter or photograph private homes or peek inside Remember: Only designated buildings like museums guesthouses and cafes are open to the public.  as littering can have a significant impact on the village’s rural environment Be mindful of any wildlife you may encounter The Ogimachi area of Shirakawa-go is small enough to get around on foot Ogimachi is also the most convenient location for catching buses The Shirakawa-go bus terminal is located at the entrance to Ogimachi and is serviced by buses destined for Takayama Take the Hokuriku Shinkansen to Toyama Station it’s approximately one and a half hours to Shirakawa-go by bus.  From the Meitetsu Bus Center (roughly 15 minutes on foot from JR Nagoya Station) The trip takes approximately three hours.  Check Shirakawa-go’s official website for a comprehensive list of transportation options.  Shirakawa assessed her position in the AEW women's division heading into 2025 and what she hopes to bring to women's wrestling in North America and I feel — I truly believe Japanese joshi wrestling skill is so good so it's my mission to show our skill to AEW fans It's my dream." Shirakawa also mentioned that she believes the AEW women's division is filled with strong citing the likes of Kris Statlander and Hikaru Shida as dream opponents for the future Please credit Denise Salcedo when using quotes from this article AEW wrestlers Mina Shirakawa and Harley Cameron took full advantage of a backstage segment during Wednesday night's AEW Dynamite to promote their upcoming match Cameron interrupted an interview that Shirakawa who just returned to the wrestling promotion was doing with Renee Paquette to challenge her to a match Cameron grabbed the champagne out of Shirakawa's hand defeats Serena Deeb during AEW Dynamite on October 2 (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) "Since you'll be here for Collision Why don't you feel the wrath of Harley Cameron," Cameron said Rack 'em up and may the breast woman win." It's hard to turn down a challenge like that one and Shirakawa accepted it by shaking her boobs and saying "I'll see you on Saturday." an old-fashioned "boob shake off" between the wrestlers was underway Paquette eventually stepped in to calm the situation down before one of the ladies accidentally suffered a wardrobe malfunction That's how you promote the addition of a last-minute match. The episode of AEW Collision set to air on Saturday, is actually being taped tonight, reports Cageside Seats, at the MVP Arena in Albany, New York. The Shirakawa and Cameron match is taking place on a lineup of matches that includes Daniel Garcia taking on Johnny TV, a tag team match between The Acclaimed and LFI with the winner advancing to the AEW world tag title match at Full Gear, and a women's world title match between Mariah May and Anna Jay. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that none of those matches had anything close to the promotion of Shirakawa and Cameron's. Not that they needed to. The "boob shake off" that these two executed could carry the promotion for the entire event. Best of luck to all involved. Written by Sean is a cubicle life escapee and proud member of OutKick's Culture Department and puppies - only one of those things is true You are agreeing to OutKick's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy DISCLAIMER: This site is 100% for entertainment purposes only and does not involve real money betting. Gambling related content is not intended for anyone under the age of 21. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER 28 (Xinhua) -- Nestled in Japan's Ono District of Gifu Prefecture Shirakawa-go is surrounded by towering mountains The place is often blanketed by heavy snowfall in winter too substantial to cause frequent traffic interruptions earning Shirakawa-go the poetic titles of "a hidden gem" and "an isolated island." the thickness of snow in Shirakawa-go often exceeds one meter The harsh climate has shaped the unique architectural style known as "Gassho-zukuri," characterized by its steeply pitched thatched roofs resembling hands pressed together in prayer constructed entirely of wood and straw without the use of nails are designed at a sharp 60-degree angle to facilitate the sliding off of snow The beams of the houses are oriented east to west ensuring ample sunlight and reducing wind resistance-ingenious adaptations born from villagers' long-standing experience of living in a cold    The traditional Gassho-zukuri houses require periodic replacement of their thatched roofs a labor-intensive task that calls for collective efforts of the entire village This cooperative practice is locally referred to as "Yui." In Japanese it means mutual assistance or share labor People value the heart of Yui in Shirakawa-go Life here has always been sustained through mutual aid and solidarity among families when the place is cut off from the outside world by heavy snow harsh natural conditions compel villagers to rely on one another for survival has forged a unique bond of mutual support Shirakawa-go together with Gokayama (In Toyama Prefecture) was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site (Cultural Heritage).Renowned for its distinctive architecture Shirakawa-go has since become a highly sought-after tourist destination in Japan visitors to the open-air museum in Shirakawa-go can immerse themselves in the traditional culture of the Gassho-zukuri village The museum features 25 traditional Gassho-zukuri houses Guests can closely observe the architectural nuances of the Gassho-zukuri roofs and savor a bowl of traditional mochi red bean soup    To protect the villagers' living environment and preserve the natural and architectural heritage Shirakawa-go has implemented various measures residents have voluntarily established three principles of no selling no renting and no destruction for their traditional houses They also have decided against arbitrary renovations or alterations to the exteriors of private homes the number of visitors and their hours of activity are strictly regulated Day-trippers must depart by 5 PM to avoid disrupting the villagers' daily routines and access to the scenic viewpoints is only permitted via shuttle buses within the village These measures safeguard the precious traditional cottages and exemplify the harmonious coexistence of culture and nature in modern society Shirakawa-go is a blend of modernity and tradition visitors from around the globe flock to this enchanting village drawn by its unique culture and eager to explore its ancient charm amidst the ever-changing world and the influx of new influences Shirakawa-go remains steadfast in its commitment to preserving its timeless traditions and serene way of life either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content AEW has added another top talent to its already-loaded roster with their latest signing On Wednesday, Shirakawa announced her departure from STARDOM to join All Elite Wrestling (AEW), with the news confirmed by both herself and reports from Fightful Select. She wraps up her time with the promotion on March 31st Mina Shirakawa closed her STARDOM press conference today... Kenny Omega style.Goodbye and good night, BANG. 👉 pic.twitter.com/xOFVI5k8Wu emphasized Shirakawa's ambition to compete on a global stage a goal she has held since her professional wrestling debut While the exact start date remains unclear her previous appearances in AEW suggest a seamless transition into the company's growing women's division Shirakawa's dynamic personality and captivating showmanship are expected to make her a valuable addition to AEW's roster Potential feuds with stars like Toni Storm More news: WWE News: Steve Austin Reveals Real-Life Vince McMahon Confrontation AEW's established working relationship with STARDOM could facilitate special appearances allowing Shirakawa to maintain ties with her former promotion which began in 2020 and includes reigns as Wonder of Stardom and Goddesses of Stardom Champion demonstrates her ability to excel in the ring and her challenge for the AEW Women's World Championship indicate her immediate impact and potential within the promotion AEW CEO Tony Khan stated last year while speaking with the media what he thought of Mina He went as far as saying she could be a World Champion in his promotion "Mina gets big pops and has done really well for the show I think she'd be a great AEW Women's World Champion It would be something that could really strengthen the relationship with STARDOM." it continues to build what is already a great group of talent The promotion was criticized in the past by fans for not giving female talent enough time on TV They've also made investments in its roster by signing some notable stars This is just the latest in several key signings for not just the women's division but the entire company as well For more on WWE, head to Newsweek Sports Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground Newsletters in your inbox See all After Mercedes Mone’ successfully defended the NJPW Strong Women’s Championship against Hazuki at NJPW’s Strong Style Evolved on Sunday Mina Shirakawa came out to challenge Mone’ for the Strong Women’s Title at the Wrestle Dynasty pay-per-view that takes place on Sunday Mone’ said she would agree to the match only if Shirakawa agreed to put up the RevPro Undisputed British Women’s Title as well NJPW Strong Style took place at the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach Shirakawa unsuccessfully challenged Mariah May for the AEW Women’s World Championship on last Wednesday’s Dynamite Winter Is Coming special Should Mone’ retain the NJPW Strong Women’s Championship against Shirakawa at Wrestle Dynasty the AEW TBS Championship and the RevPro Undisputed British Women’s Championship (Source: F4WOnline) Stardom announced that Shirakawa will be out of action for an unspecified period due to injuries suffered during Sunday’s show at Korakuen Hall The exact nature of her injury has not been disclosed @MinaShirakawa will be out of action for an unspecified period to recover from injuries sustained on Sunday at Korakuen Hall Join us in wishing Mina a speedy recovery” But I’m not the type of person to just keep losing and getting beaten Please give me some time so I can give it back at 120%.” 悔しい。でも負けっぱなし、やられっぱなしで終わる私じゃない。120%でやり返す為に、少し時間をください🙏待っててね。#STARDOM #WeWantMina https://t.co/bNmGVGBNJ8 Shirakawa last wrestled on Sunday in an eight-person tag match at Stardom 14th Anniversary Supreme Fight 2025 at Korakuen Hall She teamed with other members of Empress Nexus Venus in a loss to the HATE faction’s Thekla Shirakawa last performed in the United States at NJPW Battle in the Valley on January 11 she had just lost the RevPro women’s title to Mercedes Mone at Wrestle Dynasty in the Tokyo Dome on January 5 Stardom also recently announced its return to the United States The promotion will be in Las Vegas for WrestleMania week on April 17 and 18 this may not be the end of their in-ring story During a post-Wrestle Dynasty interview (via X) Mone admitted to feeling a whirlwind of emotions after her victory especially as it marked her in-ring debut in the Tokyo Dome — something she had long dreamed of Mone fulfilled this dream alongside "one of the very best" in Shirakawa — someone she hopes to meet again in the future I can't believe I got to kick off the year here in the Tokyo Dome," Mone said "I feel like me and Mina tore the house down you can have a rematch because everybody wants Mina In the moments following their closing bell "The CEO" extended her hand to Shirakawa as a gesture of respect slapped it away and also called for a rematch between them before heading to the back Shirakawa initially claimed the RevPro Undisputed British Women's Championship in August 2024 with a win over Dani Luna. Meanwhile, Mone captured the NJPW STRONG Women's Championship at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door when she bested Stephanie Vaquer in another title-for-title match in which Mone raised up her third belt Mina Shirakawa has named the currently absent WWE star Asuka as a future dream match opponent in recent comments Asuka has been out of action for several months having suffered a knee injury, although her in-ring return has been discussed by WWE creative During a recent appearance on Pep Talk? Pep Talks! Shirakawa was asked to name the wrestlers she wants to face Initially looking at her female stars in AEW Shirakawa would reveal her dream is to become AEW Women’s World Champion my dream is to be AEW Women’s World Champion so every AEW wrestler (is) my rival.” She would then cast her vision further and look at WWE’s Asuka with whom she has respect and a friendship “So Asuka-san always tell me what should I do in the US ring She (gave) advice every time and message to me Although a return date for Asuka is yet to be revealed WWE Women’s Intercontinental Champion Lyra Valkyria has also named Asuka as a dream opponent During her absence, Asuka made a series of worrying posts on social media with it later being revealed that WWE and TKO are taking action to protect her Shirakawa has previously teased a rematch with Mercedes Mone after losing the RevPro Undisputed British Women’s Championship to her at WrestleDynasty on January 5 Transcript from Fightful To make sure you stay up to date with all the biggest wrestling and WrestleTalk news, follow us on BlueSky by clicking this link © Trident Digital Media Limited. 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Read our Privacy and Data Policy Designed and Developed by Arren Marketing 白川未奈『私 白川未奈は2025年3月をもちましてスターダムを退団させていただく形となりました。ずっと信じて応援してくださったファンの方がいたからこそ、夢をずっと追い続けながらプロレスラーとして歩んでいくことができました。本当にありがとうございます。今後の事ですけども、私... pic.twitter.com/XykVPP6tc0 — スターダム✪STARDOM (@wwr_stardom) March 26, 2025 will be leaving STARDOM," the wrestler stated "It is only thanks to the fans who have always believed in me and supported me that I have been able to continue to pursue my dreams and pursue my career as a professional wrestler Shirakawa wrestled her first AEW match nearly a year ago when she defeated Anna Jay on an episode of "AEW Dynamite" in April She went on to challenge Storm for the world title at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door a few months later but fell short After a string of victories and a falling out with May Shirakawa once again challenged for the AEW Women's World Championship in December at Winter is Coming This past January, Shirakawa faced Mercedes Mone for the NJPW STRONG Women's Championship at Wrestle Dynasty in Japan, with her own RevPro Undisputed British Women's Championship also on the line. Shirakawa fell short yet again, but after that bout, Mone stated that she hopes to face Shirakawa in a rematch Although Shirakawa suffered an injury during the Wrestle Dynasty match the performer has since been able to return to the ring Mina Shirakawa is headed to All Elite Wrestling At a press conference on Wednesday, Shirakawa confirmed reports that her contract with Stardom expires at the end of the month she will continue to wrestle for the promotion throughout much of April concluding with Stardom American Dream 2025 in Las Vegas on April 17 and 18 Shirakawa announced that she will join AEW after leaving Stardom This marks the start of my challenge to compete on the world stage which has been my goal since my debut.” 【📺3.26 記者会見生配信】白川未奈『私白川未奈はAEWに入団いたします。これはデビュー当初からの目標であった世界への挑戦ということになります。』🔻Youtube生配信中！https://t.co/JqwzRhH6KH#STARDOM pic.twitter.com/CRW5H9FurI Maika will take place at Stardom’s April 2 show at Korakuen Hall The lineup for her final match in Japan on April 6 will be announced at a later date No matches have been announced yet for Stardom American Dream 2025 and fans for supporting her during her time in the promotion She said she hopes to reunite with Stardom somewhere down the line and show fans an improved version of herself The full press conference is available below Mariah May won the AEW Women’s title back in August at All In but she put off celebrating her win until she could toast her success with her friend partner and the love of her life — Mina Shirakawa The Japanese bombshell has been back in the States for a couple weeks and the promotion was having their Full Gear PPV in Newark Let the celebration BEGIN!Order #AEWFullGear on PPV right now!https://t.co/JlBXZPLNGj@MinaShirakawa | @MariahMayx pic.twitter.com/NUwWNb9lnE It was also time for May to try and take out a potential rival because she turned before the champ could smash a glass into her head she speared The Glamour off the stage and through a table Friends NO MORE!Order #AEWFullGear on PPV right now!https://t.co/JlBXZPLNGj@MinaShirakawa | @MariahMayx pic.twitter.com/pKGOBYi0Ku That left Mina bleeding from the mouth (and possibly missing a tooth) It made for quite a visual when she kissed the champ — her now former lover — on the forehead Mina Shirakawa has been betrayed!Order #AEWFullGear on PPV right now!https://t.co/JlBXZPLNGj@MinaShirakawa | @MariahMayx pic.twitter.com/QIxCk9Fh8e It wasn't Toni Storm coming out of “retirement”, but let us know if you think a feud with Shirakawa will liven up May’s AEW Women’s World title reign. Then get complete Full Gear results and coverage of the entire show here while also opening up about another reason why she loves Mina so much "I remember meeting her a few years back when she was in her early 30s she was new to our craft and shared her great passion for wrestling with me and wanting to wrestle in the U.S. She honestly seemed to feel like it was too late for her I do remember assuring her nothing could be further from the truth and your children: it's never too late for any of us And you heard it here from the CEO: you have not seen the last of this girl and I couldn't be prouder to know her and to have competed against her." After their match, Mone did attempt to shake Shirakawa's hand, but the challenger ultimately refused out of frustration due to losing. With that in mind, it's safe to say "The CEO" has not seen the last of Shirakawa as Mone looks to have a very busy 2025 as a champion in three different companies and the love of her life," bringing May out on to the stage May said that it's been a "tough four months," but it was the celebration she always desired and there's not a single woman in the division that can touch her She then acknowledged Shirakawa as her "one true friend" who she couldn't have done anything without but May grabbed the champagne bottle while Shirakawa's back was turned and looked to hit her with it Shirakawa speared May off the stage and they went crashing through some tables below screaming and crying before security rushed her off.