Article
Microbiology
Amanda C. Ramdass, Sephra N. Rampersad
Summary: By analyzing the M. antarcticus strains from Trinidad, it was found that they have the ability to survive in oil-contaminated environments and produce MEL biosurfactants and lipase enzymes, which have important potential applications.
Article
Biophysics
Richard B. M. Schasfoort, Jos van Weperen, Margot van Amsterdam, Judicael Parisot, Jan Hendriks, Michelle Koerselman, Marcel Karperien, Anouk Mentink, Martin Bennink, Hans Krabbe, Leon W. M. M. Terstappen, A. H. Leontine Mulder
Summary: The SPRi assay revealed that levels and binding strength of IgG antibodies against the RBD protein increased during the course of the disease in COVID-19 patients, while levels of IgM and IgA generally decreased. Recovered patients exhibited high binding strength of IgG antibodies to the RBD protein.
BIOSENSORS & BIOELECTRONICS
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Catherine Forest-Nault, Jimmy Gaudreault, Olivier Henry, Yves Durocher, Gregory De Crescenzo
Summary: Surface plasmon resonance (SPR)-based optical biosensors play a crucial role in studying the quality attributes of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), particularly the influence of N-glycosylation on IgG-Fc gamma R interactions. Discrepancies in research conclusions are partly attributed to experimental design and data analysis methods in SPR assays. Recent advancements in SPR analysis methods and glycoprofile control strategies are promising for a better understanding of IgG-Fc gamma R interactions.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Review
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Bianca Lisley Barboza Pacheco, Camila Parada Nogueira, Emerson Jose Venancio
Summary: IgY antibodies, found in the blood and yolk of eggs, have shown potential for immunotherapy and immunodiagnosis. This review examines the factors influencing the affinity and avidity of IgY antibodies and the methods used to determine these variables. More research is needed to standardize methodologies and optimize the production of high avidity IgY antibodies.
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Hongyu Lu, Youmei Jin, Hao Yang, Ze Tao, Jie Chen, Shiyuan Chen, Yanru Feng, Huimin Xing, Xiaofeng Lu
Summary: Fragment antigen-binding (Fab) has several advantages in the treatment and diagnosis of diseases. However, the purification of Fab faces challenges. In this study, a self-trimerizing domain (tri) was fused to C-Fab to increase its affinity. C-Fab-tri showed promising binding to Fab from various species and outperformed protein G and protein L in terms of purification efficiency and specificity.
JOURNAL OF CHROMATOGRAPHY A
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Awadhesh Kumar, Sarvesh K. Dubey, Anil Kumar, Chandra Shekhar Pati Tripathi, S. K. Srivastava
Summary: In this study, a SPR biosensor based on a hybrid structure of silicon nitride, molybdenum trioxide, and graphene oxide was proposed. The performance parameters of the sensor were investigated and it was found to have high sensitivity and detection accuracy for IgG detection. The sensor showed improved sensitivity compared to other reported works.
OPTICAL AND QUANTUM ELECTRONICS
(2022)
Review
Chemistry, Applied
Dai Kitamoto, Tokuma Fukuoka, Azusa Saika, Tomotake Morita
Summary: Biosurfactants, produced by microorganisms, have attractive properties compared to chemically synthesized counterparts, including higher surface activity, biodegradability, lower toxicity, and environmental compatibility. Glycolipids, especially mannosylerythritol lipids (MELs), are the most practically useful biosurfactants due to their high product titers from renewable resources and versatile interfacial properties. MELs exhibit different lyotropic liquid crystalline phases and have high surface activity at low concentrations. They also show excellent moisturizing effects on human skin and hair, comparable to natural ceramides. Currently, MELs are commercially produced and their use is expanding globally, particularly in cosmetic and personal care products.
JOURNAL OF OLEO SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Nidhi Nath, Becky Godat, Rod Flemming, Marjeta Urh
Summary: The study introduced a novel solution-based immunoassay to investigate the interaction between antibodies and neonatal Fc receptor without the need for surface immobilization. It was found that the Fc fragment is the main driver for the IgG/FcRn interaction. Additionally, the simple add-and-read format of the assay makes it suitable for high-throughput screening during early antibody discovery phase.
JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Andrew R. Crowley, Matthew R. Mehlenbacher, Mohammad M. Sajadi, Anthony L. DeVico, George K. Lewis, Margaret E. Ackerman
Summary: Antibody-mediated effector functions can unfold according to an associative model of IgG-Fcγ receptor (FcγR) interactions or a competing model of antibody allostery. Evidence supports the antibody allostery model, but it remains controversial.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Pavan P. Gotipamul, Ganesh Vattikondala, Karthik Dilly Rajan, Shweta Khanna, Maheswaran Rathinam, Siva Chidambaram
Summary: The piezophotocatalytic mechanism using g-C3N4/Ag/ZnO tricomponent showed enhanced degradation of RhB with 89% efficiency. Characterization of nanomaterials and photoelectrochemical activity testing were conducted with XRD, SEM, TEM, UV-vis spectrophotometer, and photoluminescence spectroscopy.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Hae Gon Lee, Shinill Kang, Joon Sang Lee
Summary: Protein-protein interactions and their binding are crucial for biological metabolism. Understanding the interactions between IgG and natural immunoglobulin-binding ligands is essential for pharmaceutical science and biotechnology. This study analyzed the binding strengths of IgG-spA and IgG-spG complexes and identified the mechanisms enabling these bindings.
COMPUTATIONAL AND STRUCTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL
(2021)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Niki Baccile, Chloe Seyrig, Alexandre Poirier, Silvia Alonso-de Castro, Sophie L. K. W. Roelants, Stephane Abel
Summary: Chemical surfactants are widely used in consumer products, causing environmental concerns. The complete replacement of petrochemical surfactants by biosurfactants is considered as a future direction, but faces challenges such as high cost and limited availability. This tutorial review discusses the properties of microbial biosurfactants in solution, their self-assembly at various interfaces, and applications in stable nanoparticle development. It also explores the interactions between biosurfactants and macromolecules, highlighting their potential in various material properties.
Review
Chemistry, Applied
Wan Nur Fatihah Wan Muhammad Zulkifli, Douglas G. Hayes, Zulina Abdul Maurad, Arniza Mohd Zan
Summary: This review discusses the production, properties, and applications of MEL in the fields of food, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and agriculture. It also highlights the potential of using waste materials for MEL production.
JOURNAL OF SURFACTANTS AND DETERGENTS
(2023)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Hamed Farzi-Khajeh, Sayna Toraby, Mostafa Akbarzadeh-Khiavi, Azam Safary, Mohammad Hossein Somi
Summary: The study focuses on the role of aryl substituents in triazine-based affinity ligands on the purification of immunoglobulin G (IgG). The findings suggest that using specific substituents can enhance the purification of IgG with high yield and purity.
JOURNAL OF CHROMATOGRAPHY A
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Nunzio Cennamo, Cosimo Trono, Ambra Giannetti, Francesco Baldini, Aldo Minardo, Luigi Zeni, Sara Tombelli
Summary: In this study, an unconventional light-diffusing fiber (LDF) plasmonic platform was used to efficiently monitor a bio-interaction. The surface plasmon resonance (SPR)-LDF sensor showed good performance in detecting the interaction between immunoglobulin G (IgG) and anti-IgG, as well as detecting C-reactive protein (CRP) in human serum. The innovative data analysis approach for resonance wavelength extraction demonstrated the potential of the LDF platform for SPR-based biosensors.
SENSORS AND ACTUATORS B-CHEMICAL
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Natsuki Omae, Yuka Sameshima-Yamashita, Kazunori Ushimaru, Hideaki Koike, Hiroko Kitamoto, Tomotake Morita
Summary: This study confirmed the relationship between proteases A and B orthologous genes in Pseudozyma antarctica and the degradation of biodegradable plastic-degrading enzyme (PaE), providing a new approach for large-scale production of PaE. The gene-deletion mutants showed stable production of PaE without degradation fragments, indicating the importance of proteases A and B in controlling PaE degradation.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Shun Sato, Kotaro Ino, Kazunori Ushimaru, Keisuke Wada, Azusa Saika, Tokuma Fukuoka, Koichi Ohshiman, Tomotake Morita
Summary: Evaluation of various culture media for haloarchaea showed that production of ultrahigh-molecular-weight PHBV by Haloferax mediterranei was optimized under specific conditions, leading to the synthesis of UHMW-PHBV with desired properties for potential applications.
APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Aritomo Yamaguchi, Yuka Murakami, Tomohiro Imura, Kazuaki Wakita
Summary: In this study, the hydrogenolysis of furfuryl alcohol to 1,2-pentanediol over various supported Ru catalysts in different solvents was investigated. Among the tested combinations, Ru/MgO in water showed the best selectivity for 1,2-pentanediol, while Ru/Al2O3 in water produced cyclopentanone and cyclopentanol through hydrogenation and rearrangement reactions.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Takanori Kondo, Chihiro Yasui, Taisuke Banno, Kouichi Asakura, Tokuma Fukuoka, Kazunori Ushimaru, Maito Koga, Hiroyuki Minamikawa, Azusa Saika, Tomotake Morita, Daisuke Takahashi, Kazunobu Toshima
Summary: This study investigated the self-assembling properties and structure-activity relationship of chemically synthesized MELs, as well as their recovery effects on damaged skin cells. It was found that the synthetic MELs formed droplets or giant vesicles and the length of the fatty acid chains significantly affected their recovery effects.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Toshiaki Taira, Satohiro Yanagisawa, Tomohiro Imura
Summary: This study investigated the influence of different organic and inorganic counter-cations on the self-assembly properties of the cyclic lipopeptide surfactin (SF), revealing that more hydrophobic counter-cations resulted in higher critical aggregation concentrations (CACs). Additionally, it was found that more hydrophobic organic counter-cations could enhance intramolecular and intermolecular hydrogen bonding to promote SF self-assembly in aqueous solution. Furthermore, mixtures of SF-Na and alkylammonium bromides with different alkyl chain lengths produced stable colloidal suspensions consisting of vesicles with a diameter around 100 nm.
COLLOIDS AND SURFACES A-PHYSICOCHEMICAL AND ENGINEERING ASPECTS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Keisuke Wada, Azusa Saika, Kazunori Ushimaru, Shun Sato, Tokuma Fukuoka, Tomotake Morita
Summary: Moesziomyces antarcticus is a basidiomycetous yeast that produces mannosylerythritol lipids (MELs). Metabolomic analysis revealed differences in the central metabolic pathways of M. antarcticus strain T-34 grown on glucose or olive oil, with changes in fatty acid content and levels of tricarboxylic acid cycle metabolites observed.
JOURNAL OF OLEO SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Biomaterials
Meng Wei, Tomonori Inoue, Yu- Hsu, Moon-Hee Sung, Tokuma Fukuoka, Shiro Kobayashi, Hiroshi Uyama
Summary: pH-responsive hydrogels have been developed for oral drug release applications, and their properties can be tuned by changing the preparation conditions and constituent molecules. The hydrogels showed good reversible pH responsiveness and achieved sustained drug release. These results highlight the promising applications of pH-responsive hydrogels in oral drug delivery.
ACS BIOMATERIALS SCIENCE & ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Polymer Science
Kazunori Ushimaru, Maito Koga, Tomotake Morita, Tokuma Fukuoka
Summary: The physical structure of cationic-polyelectrolyte/fructose complexes crosslinked by the Maillard reaction was investigated. The complexes showed amorphous and highly homogeneous structures according to the wide- and small-angle X-ray scattering analyses. The ε-poly-L-lysine/fructose complex exhibited the highest homogeneity and good mechanical toughness, which can be attributed to its intrinsic homogeneity and crosslinked structure.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Takanori Kondo, Chihiro Yasui, Ikkei Miyajima, Taisuke Banno, Kouichi Asakura, Tokuma Fukuoka, Kazunori Ushimaru, Maito Koga, Azusa Saika, Tomotake Morita, Yoshiaki Takahashi, Chigusa Hayashi, Masayuki Igarashi, Daisuke Takahashi, Kazunobu Toshima
Summary: Three purpose-designed mannosylerythritol lipid (MEL-D) analogues with decanoyl groups, beta-GlcEL-D, alpha-GlcEL-D, and alpha-MEL-D, were synthesized using the boron-mediated aglycon delivery (BMAD) methods. Their self-assembling properties, recovery effects on damaged skin cells, and antibacterial activity were evaluated. It was found that the steric configuration of an erythritol moiety and fatty acyl chains affected the ability to form vesicles, and alpha-MEL-D showed significant recovery effects on damaged skin cells and comparable antibacterial activity to MEL-D.
CHEMISTRY-A EUROPEAN JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Multidisciplinary
Kazunori Ushimaru, Takuma Nakamura, Shoto Fukuoka, Kanae Takahashi, Keita Sakakibara, Maito Koga, Ryota Watanabe, Tomotake Morita, Tokuma Fukuoka
Summary: A lignosulfonate-derived thermoplastic was successfully synthesized through a grafting reaction with a polyethylene glycol derivative. The resulting grafted polymer, LS-g-PEG, exhibited improved thermo-moldability and mechanical properties compared to pure LS and an LS/phenylPEG blend. Small-angle X-ray scattering analysis revealed a nano-scale homogeneous lamellar structure in LS-g-PEG, while the LS/PEG blend showed phase separation. The nano-scale structure of LS-g-PEG contributed to its macroscopic homogeneity, leading to enhanced thermo-moldability and mechanical properties.
COMPOSITES PART B-ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Hiroko Kitamoto, Motoo Koitabashi, Yuka Sameshima-Yamashita, Hirokazu Ueda, Akihiko Takeuchi, Takashi Watanabe, Shun Sato, Azusa Saika, Tokuma Fukuoka
Summary: If biodegradable plastics can combine durability in use with rapid degradation after use, they have the potential to solve the problem of environmental plastic accumulation. We have discovered that an enzyme produced by the leaf surface yeast Pseudozyma antarctica (PaE) can degrade films containing polybutylene adipate-co-terephthalate (PBAT). In field experiments, biodegradable films containing PBAT were weakened and reduced in size and weight through PaE treatment and ploughing.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Tomohiro Imura, Satohiro Yanagisawa, Toshiaki Taira
Summary: We report the synergistic effect of microbial cyclic lipopeptide surfactin (SF) and petroleum-derived surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). Addition of a small amount of SF (0.1 mol %) reduces the critical micelle concentration (CMC) of SDS, minimizing SDS consumption without loss of surface activity. Surface tension measurement and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy indicate attractive interactions between SDS and SF, with an extremum observed at a mole fraction of 0.7.
ACS SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY & ENGINEERING
(2023)
Review
Chemistry, Applied
Dai Kitamoto, Tokuma Fukuoka, Azusa Saika, Tomotake Morita
Summary: Biosurfactants, produced by microorganisms, have attractive properties compared to chemically synthesized counterparts, including higher surface activity, biodegradability, lower toxicity, and environmental compatibility. Glycolipids, especially mannosylerythritol lipids (MELs), are the most practically useful biosurfactants due to their high product titers from renewable resources and versatile interfacial properties. MELs exhibit different lyotropic liquid crystalline phases and have high surface activity at low concentrations. They also show excellent moisturizing effects on human skin and hair, comparable to natural ceramides. Currently, MELs are commercially produced and their use is expanding globally, particularly in cosmetic and personal care products.
JOURNAL OF OLEO SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Hiroshi Habe, Yuya Sato, Toshiaki Taira, Tomohiro Imura
Summary: By studying the microbial communities in two enrichment cultures, it was found that various bacterial species dominated the degradation of surfactin. One strain, Pseudomonas putida, was identified as a bacterium with strong surfactin-degrading ability.
JOURNAL OF OLEO SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Toshiaki Taira, Takaya Yanagimoto, Kenichi Sakai, Hideki Sakai, Tomohiro Imura
Summary: The coordination of Au(i)-, Ag(i)-, and Pd(ii) transition metals to an N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC)-based amphiphile drove diverse self-assembly processes, leading to the formation of spherical, hexagonal, cylindrical, and lamellar structures. The specific metal coordination determined the direction of self-assembly and the resulting morphology of the NHC-based amphiphile.