Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Megan K. DeBari, Xiaodan Niu, Jacqueline V. Scott, Mallory D. Griffin, Sean R. Pereira, Keith E. Cook, Bin He, Rosalyn D. Abbott
Summary: The study reveals that therapeutic ultrasound can noninvasively trigger enhanced degradation of silk fibroin scaffolds by removing microbubbles on the scaffold surface. This ultrasound-responsive biomaterial is proven safe for human cells and effectively triggers scaffold degradation through human skin, increasing clinical relevance. The degradation profile can be adjusted noninvasively to improve regenerative outcomes.
ADVANCED HEALTHCARE MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Jingxia Wang, Tiantian Fan, Xi Li, Xiaoxia Hu, Weidong Huang, Wensu Yuan, Zhi Lin
Summary: A simple method has been developed to spin superstrong silk fibers using regenerated silkworm fibroins in a metal-ion coagulation bath. The artificial silk surpasses natural silks in terms of mechanical properties, with higher tensile strength and Young's modulus.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Shuai Wei, Yu Wang, Yu Sun, Leilei Gong, Xiu Dai, Haoye Meng, Wenjing Xu, Jianxiong Ma, Qian Hu, Xinlong Ma, Jiang Peng, Xiaosong Gu
Summary: Compared with most nondegradable or slowly degradable bone repair materials, bioactive biodegradable porous scaffolds with certain mechanical strengths can promote the regeneration of both new bone and vasculature while the cavity created by their degradation can be replaced by the infiltration of new bone tissue. A three-dimensional porous biomimetic composite scaffold with a two-component SF-MC system was constructed based on the advantages of mineralized collagen (MC) and silk fibroin (SF). The SF-MC scaffold showed good osteogenic induction and cell proliferation abilities, and in vivo experiments confirmed its efficacy in stimulating vascular and bone regeneration.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Xuedong Chen, Yongfeng Wang, Yujun Wang, Qiuying Li, Xinyin Liang, Guang Wang, Yang-Hu Sima, Shiqing Xu, Jianglan Li, Ruji Peng
Summary: Transgenic modification of silkworms has been used to engineer new silk fibers with improved production efficiency and resistance to alkaline conditions.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Mana Yamano, Ryoko Hirose, Ping Ying Lye, Keiko Takaki, Rina Maruta, Mervyn Wing On Liew, Shinichi Sakurai, Hajime Mori, Eiji Kotani
Summary: Silk fibroin is a versatile biomaterial for medical applications due to its high biocompatibility and biodegradability. In this study, transgenic silkworms were created to produce cocoons composed solely of fibroin by repressing the expression of sericin. Intact, nondegraded fibroin can be obtained from these transgenic cocoons without the need for sericin removal, providing a method to produce allergen-free fibroin-based materials with high biocompatibility for biomedical uses.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Yuqing Niu, Massimiliano Galluzzi, Fuming Deng, Zhang Zhao, Ming Fu, Liang Su, Weitang Sun, Wei Jia, Huimin Xia
Summary: The study found that the hyaluronic acid-coating silk fibroin nanofiber scaffold can effectively regulate the epithelialization process of urethral regeneration, promoting luminal epithelialization, smooth muscle bundle structural remodeling, and capillary formation.
BIOENGINEERING & TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE
(2022)
Review
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Hao Wu, Kaili Lin, Cancan Zhao, Xudong Wang
Summary: Silk fibroin (SF) scaffolds offer excellent biocompatibility and mechanical properties, making them promising candidates for bone regeneration. Further research on fabrication techniques and modifications to enhance osteogenesis show great potential for improving clinical translation and outcomes.
FRONTIERS IN BIOENGINEERING AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Zhi-Hu Zhao, Xin-Long Ma, Bin Zhao, Peng Tian, Jian-Xiong Ma, Jia-Yu Kang, Yang Zhang, Yue Guo, Lei Sun
Summary: This study developed a naringin-inlaid composite scaffold for repairing bone defects with superior osteogenic and angiogenic activities compared to other scaffolds. Through gene microarray and in vitro experiments, it was found that naringin facilitated mesenchymal stem cell growth and osteogenic differentiation, enhancing the potential of the NG/SF/HAp scaffold for bone regeneration.
CELL PROLIFERATION
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Haojie Lu, Kailun Xia, Muqiang Jian, Xiaoping Liang, Zhe Yin, Mingchao Zhang, Huimin Wang, Haomin Wang, Shuo Li, Yingying Zhang
Summary: In this study, a facile and scalable hot stretching process was used to reinforce natural silk fibers. The experimental results showed that the hot-stretched silk fibers retained the chemical components of the original silk fibers while exhibiting enhanced crystalline properties and mechanical properties. This approach could effectively produce super stiff, strong, and tough silk fibers and may be applicable to other fibers or films containing abundant hydrogen bonds.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Salvador D. Aznar-Cervantes, Ana Pagan, Maria J. Candel, Jose Perez-Rigueiro, Jose L. Cenis
Summary: This study explored the manufacture of high-strength fibres using the silk glands of Samia cynthia ricini and evaluated the mechanical properties and biocompatibility of scaffolds made from these fibres. The results showed that S. c. ricini fibres had lower crystallinity compared to Bombyx mori fibres, but exhibited higher tensile strength and strain at break.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
M. Rama, U. Vijayalakshmi
Summary: A novel dual protein-based composite nanofiber scaffold was developed to promote cartilage tissue regeneration. Experimental results demonstrated improved cell adhesion and proliferation, as well as good biological compatibility and antibacterial properties.
PROGRESS IN NATURAL SCIENCE-MATERIALS INTERNATIONAL
(2022)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Rucha Deshpande, Swati Shukla, Raeesa Sayyad, Shalmali Salunke, Anuya Nisal, Premnath Venugopalan
Summary: This study compared the safety and efficacy of silk fibroin-based bone void fillers with ceramic fillers and evaluated their impact on stem cell differentiation. Results demonstrated that SF scaffolds promoted a better differentiation of stem cells into osteoblast lineage compared to ceramic scaffolds.
BIOENGINEERING & TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Ying Shen, Xinyu Wang, Yiyu Wang, Xiaodong Guo, Keda Yu, Kuo Dong, Yajin Guo, Cuiling Cai, Binbin Li
Summary: An ideal wound dressing for full-thickness wound regeneration should have desirable biocompatibility, mechanical properties, barrier function, and cellular regulation. In this study, a bilayer scaffold resembling the hierarchical structure of human skin was developed. The combination of a nonporous upper membrane and a porous lower scaffold improved the tensile strength and protected the wound from dehydration. The bilayer scaffold facilitated wound closure, granulation tissue formation, re-epithelialization, and skin component transition. This off-the-shelf and cell-free wound dressing is promising for full-thickness wound regeneration.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Lara Pierantoni, Viviana P. Ribeiro, Ligia Costa, Sandra Pina, Alain da Silva Morais, Joana Silva-Correia, Subhas C. Kundu, Antonella Motta, Rui L. Reis, Joaquim M. Oliveira
Summary: This study reports the generation of calcium-containing silk fibroin hydrogels using calcium peroxide as oxidizer, which exhibit potential for promoting tumor cell death and angiogenesis. In vivo evaluation shows the stability of the hydrogels up to 6 weeks after implantation, although an increased number of dead cells are present in the surrounding tissue.
MACROMOLECULAR BIOSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Qianyi Wang, Xinyue Ran, Jian Wang, Sinan Wang, Peiling Zhang, Erji Gao, Baoshuai Bai, Junfeng Zhang, Guangdong Zhou, Dong Lei
Summary: Tissue engineering is a promising approach for regenerative medicine, but current tissue engineered constructs made from porous scaffolds have issues with cell infiltration and mechanical properties. This study successfully integrated silk fibroin with silk short fibers to create fiber-reinforced silk fibroin super elastic absorbent sponges (Fr-SF-SEAs). The Fr-SF-SEAs exhibited desirable properties that promoted cell diffusion and achieved uniform cell distribution. The regenerated cartilage maintained its original structure and achieved human-scale ear-shaped cartilage regeneration. This research provides a platform strategy for tissue engineering for various cartilage defect repairs.
ADVANCED FIBER MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Takashi Tanaka, Yasuyuki Abe, Chieh-Jen Cheng, Ryo Tanaka, Akira Naito, Tetsuo Asakura
Summary: The study developed a novel EL-SF double-raschel knitted vascular graft, which effectively prevented thrombus formation and intimal hyperplasia, promoted the adhesion of vascular endothelial cells and cell migration. When implanted into the abdominal aorta of rats, the grafts displayed good patency and remodeling ability without adverse reactions, indicating the potential usefulness of EL-SF artificial vascular grafts for small-diameter requirements.
FRONTIERS IN BIOENGINEERING AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Mai Watanabe, Ujjal K. Bhawal, Shinji Takemoto, Norihiro Nishiyama, Yuichi Nakahara, Ken-Ichiro Tatematsu, Hideki Sezutsu, Nobuo Kuwabara, Tamiko Minamisawa, Kiyotaka Shiba, Tetsuo Asakura
Summary: In this study, silk fibroin (SF) from Bombyx mori was endowed with reversible binding ability to titanium surfaces by embedding a titanium binding motif. The functionalized SF (TiBP-SF) can accelerate the differentiation of bone cells, providing a new method for endowing titanium materials with osseointegration functionality in potential medical applications.
BIOTECHNOLOGY AND BIOENGINEERING
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Takeshi Yokoyama, Shigeru Saito, Misato Shimoda, Masakazu Kobayashi, Yoko Takasu, Hideki Sezutsu, Yoshiomi Kato, Makoto Tominaga, Akira Mizoguchi, Kunihiro Shiomi
Summary: The bivoltine strain of domestic silkworm and wild mulberry silkworm differ in the molecular mechanisms involved in diapause induction, influenced by environmental factors. In the bivoltine strain, temperature signals affect diapause determination through TRPA1 and DH signaling pathways, while diapause in the wild mulberry silkworm is photoperiod-dependent. The DH signaling pathway and thermal sensitivity of TRPA1 are conserved in both species.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Oncology
Hiroe Tada, Hideyuki Takahashi, Kanae Yamada, Kei Masuda, Yurino Nagata, Miho Uchida, Masato Shino, Shota Ida, Ikko Mito, Toshiyuki Matsuyama, Tetsunari Oyama, Ken-Ichiro Tatematsu, Hideki Sezutsu, Shigeki Takeda, Kazuaki Chikamatsu
Summary: This study found that in patients with recurrent/metastatic HNSCC treated with nivolumab, circulating T cells show dynamic alterations in activation status and immune checkpoint molecule expression levels, which may be associated with treatment response. The frequency of MAGE-A4-specific T cells significantly increased in patients with disease control.
CANCER IMMUNOLOGY IMMUNOTHERAPY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Valeriya Zabelina, Yoko Takasu, Hana Sehadova, Naoyuki Yonemura, Kenichi Nakajima, Hideki Sezutsu, Michal Sery, Michal Zurovec, Frantisek Sehnal, Toshiki Tamura
Summary: The study reveals that while Fhx is dispensable for silk formation, it contributes to the stability of fibroin complexes and affects the morphology of fibroin secretory globules in the PSG lumen.
INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Entomology
Valeriya Zabelina, Naoyuki Yonemura, Keiro Uchino, Tetsuya Iizuka, Yuji Mochida, Yoko Takemura, Vyacheslav Klymenko, Hideki Sezutsu, Frantisek Sehnal, Toshiki Tamura
Summary: The study developed a method for producing transgenic silkworms by breeding non-diapausing parthenogenetic strains, which increased production efficiency and convenience. Experimental results showed that through mating and selection, silkworms with high parthenogenesis ability could be produced, and the cryopreservation of germplasm was also demonstrated.
JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Entomology
David Urban-Duarte, Shuichiro Tomita, Hiroki Sakai, Hideki Sezutsu, Jose Fernando De La Torre-Sanchez, Yooichi Kainoh, Seiichi Furukawa, Keiro Uchino
Summary: The chorion covering insect eggs is an important barrier to manipulate, cryopreserve, and study insect embryos. Researchers have developed a chemical dechorionation method that improves silkworm embryo viability and allows for successful embryo development through culture.
JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Entomology
Yudai Masuoka, Wei Cao, Akiya Jouraku, Hiroki Sakai, Hideki Sezutsu, Kakeru Yokoi
Summary: This study identified novel regulatory factors for silk protein genes in Bombyx mori through co-expression network and time-course expression analysis. The results suggest that silk protein production in B. mori is regulated by a complex mechanism, and the newly identified candidate genes can be used to develop methods to enhance silk protein production.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Tomohiro Inui, Hideki Sezutsu, Takaaki Daimon
Summary: The let-7 microRNA controls the timing of developmental programs and triggers the juvenile-adult transition in various organisms. In Bombyx mori, let-7 is required for the coordination of ecdysone and juvenile hormone biosynthesis during metamorphosis.
INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Mizuko Osanai-Futahashi, Keiro Uchino, Toshiki Tamura, Hideki Sezutsu
Summary: Ommochromes are important pigments involved in the coloration of arthropods. This study focused on the red egg (re) mutant of Bombyx mori, which has red eggs and dark red eyes due to a defect in ommochrome pigment synthesis. The researchers discovered that the Bm-re gene, a major facilitator superfamily transporter gene, can rescue the re phenotype and be used as a marker gene for visual screening of transgenic silkworms. Transgenic screening with the Bm-re gene allows for earlier and longer screening compared to conventional fluorescent markers.
INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Hiroyuki Kajiura, Takanori Eguchi, Keiro Uchino, Ken-ichiro Tatematsu, Toshiki Tamura, Hideki Sezutsu, Kazuhito Fujiyama
Summary: N-glycosylation is an important post-translational modification in eukaryotic cells. The study focused on the GlcNAc extension of N-glycan in the silkworm Bombyx mori. The analysis revealed that GlcNAc extension-related genes showed differential expression profiles during different stages, leading to changes in N-glycan structures.
JOURNAL OF BIOSCIENCE AND BIOENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Physiology
Valeriya Zabelina, Marketa Vrchotova, Naoyuki Yonemura, Hideki Sezutsu, Toshiki Tamura, Vyacheslav Klymenko, Frantisek Sehnal, Michal Zurovec, Hana Sehadova, Ivo Sauman
Summary: The use of parthenogenetic silkworm strains is useful for maintaining transgenic clonal lines, but the efficiency of downstream transgenesis techniques is relatively low. This study aims to optimize the use of transgenesis in parthenogenetic individuals and found that the timing of embryo microinjection is a crucial parameter. The modification of the original method increased the efficiency of transgene injection and survival rate.
FRONTIERS IN PHYSIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Tetsuo Asakura, Hironori Matsuda, Akira Naito, Hideyasu Okamura, Yu Suzuki, Yunosuke Abe
Summary: In this study, spider silk was successfully applied in a practical way using C-13 solid-state NMR. Recombinant spider silk materials with high dimensional stability were produced through molecular design, making them suitable for textiles and biomaterials.
Article
Materials Science, Biomaterials
Takashi Tanaka, Sakiko Hara, Hanan Hendawy, Hussein M. El-Husseiny, Ryo Tanaka, Tetsuo Asakura
Summary: The study found that transgenic SF coatings containing VEGF and REDV can accelerate endothelialization in vivo, while the effectiveness of YIGSR-containing transgenic SF coatings is lower.
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Yukina Nakatsuji, Shuichi Fukuoka, Yuichi Katayose, Tatsumi Mizubayashi, Hideki Sezutsu, Tetsuya Kobayashi, Yoshinori Hatakeyama, Yasumori Tamura
Summary: Norin-PL3 and Norin-PL4 are rice breeding lines carrying brown planthopper (BPH) resistance genes derived from different indica rice varieties. A method was developed to detect alleles from resistant donor varieties in these lines using InDel information from short-read next-generation sequencing data, identifying chromosomal regions contributing to resistance. This method can also be applied to create graphical genotypes of other rice lines with both japonica and indica variety parents, and the results will be beneficial for rice breeding research on BPH resistance.
JARQ-JAPAN AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH QUARTERLY
(2021)
