Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Zohaib Hussain, Seoungkyun Kim, Jinhwan Cho, Gyudae Sim, Youngjune Park, Inchan Kwon
Summary: This study introduces a novel method for the selective extraction and recovery of total rare earth elements (REEs) using elastin-like polypeptide (ELP) and the REE-binding domain (lanmodulin). By controlling solution temperature and pH, RELP shows high REE specificity and allows for easy recovery of bound REEs during repeated cycles.
ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Hong -Yin Wang, Sze Ham Chan, Simli Dey, Ivan Castello-Serrano, Michael K. Rosen, Jonathon A. Ditlev, Kandice R. Levental, Ilya Levental
Summary: During T cell activation, LAT forms condensates with Grb2 and Sos1, inducing lipid domains and stabilizing raft-like membrane domains. The coupling of lipid and protein assembly is functionally important, as uncoupling them abrogates T cell activation.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Xiaoya Niu, Yi Fu, Lei Feng, Maodi Xie, Bei Li, Lin Que, Zhen You
Summary: In this study, a new type of drug-loaded nanoparticles was prepared for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma. These nanoparticles can precisely control the drug release and improve the hypoxic microenvironment of tumor tissue. The nanoparticles can kill cancer cells and ablate tumors through photothermal effect, and achieve controlled drug release by increasing temperature.
Article
Polymer Science
Zahra Khoubi-Arani
Summary: The compressible regular solution (CRS) model predicts the phase behavior of polymer blends without considering any characteristics of the mixture. The CRS model combined with the Sanchez-Lacombe equation of state (SL EoS) significantly improves the prediction ability for the phase behavior of PS/PVME and PCL/SAN25 blends. Experimental and theoretical results show satisfactory agreement for some blends, while for others, the predicted phase behavior is opposite to experimental observations.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Runnan Yu, Guangzheng Wu, Yong Cui, Xueqi Wei, Ling Hong, Tao Zhang, Chao Zou, Siqian Hu, Jianhui Hou, Zhan'ao Tan
Summary: The study demonstrates hierarchical morphology control in Layer-by-Layer (LBL) organic photovoltaic (OPV) cells using a dual functional solid additive. By individually or simultaneously introducing the solid additive to the donor or acceptor layer, preferable vertical component distribution and enhanced molecular crystallinity were achieved, leading to high power conversion efficiencies of 16.4% and 17.4% in binary and quaternary LBL devices. This approach offers an alternative method to manipulate the morphology of LBL OPV cells for improved efficiency and stability.
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Yanqi Liu, Bo Jiang, Jiaming Luo, Jing Yang, Peichao Lian, Xinzhi Chen, Li Ding, Yi Mei
Summary: In this study, a novel black phosphorene membrane made from highly ordered 2D black phosphorene nanoflakes is reported, demonstrating extremely high gas separation performance.
SEPARATION AND PURIFICATION TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Joanna Korpanty, Cheng Wang, Nathan C. Gianneschi
Summary: The authors utilized liquid-cell transmission electron microscopy and liquid resonant soft X-ray scattering to investigate the phase transition of UCST multiblock copolymer amphiphiles. They observed that heating above the upper critical solution temperature resulted in a reduction in particle size and a morphological transition from a spherical core shell particle with a complex, multiphase core to a micelle with a uniform core and Gaussian polymer chains attached to the surface.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Emma L. Wood, Cristina Greco, Dimitri A. Ivanov, Kurt Kremer, Kostas Ch Daoulas
Summary: Board-shaped polymers can form sanidic mesophases that are potentially interesting for studying crystallization and technological applications. In this study, a generic model capturing a highly ordered sanidic mesophase was developed and showed good agreement with experimental data. Furthermore, it was found that this mesophase is closer to the crystalline state compared to the experimental samples.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY B
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Peicai Li, Xia Liu, Mingrui Guo, Yecan Pi, Ning Wang, Shuxing Bai, Yong Xu, Qi Sun
Summary: Phase engineering plays a crucial role in regulating catalytic performance, and understanding the structure-selectivity correlation remains a challenge. This study demonstrates that the body-centered cubic phase of PdCu is a highly active and selective catalyst for 3-nitrostyrene (NS) hydrogenation under mild conditions. The presence of NH3 center dot BH3 assists in the selective hydrogenation of -NO2, leading to the formation of 3-amino-styrene (AS).
Article
Polymer Science
Brian J. Ree, Yusuke Satoh, Takuya Isono, Toshifumi Satoh
Summary: In this study, the morphological investigation of cyclic and tadpole-shaped block copolymers on nanoscale films was conducted using synchrotron grazing-incidence X-ray scattering. It was found that the nonlinear copolymers formed highly ordered and unidirectional nanostructures with significantly shorter d-spacing compared to their linear counterparts. The study suggests that cyclic and tadpole topologies can be effectively utilized in developing highly ordered nanomaterials.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Komol Kanta Sharker, Yusuke Shigeta, Shinji Ozoe, Panittha Damsongsang, Voravee P. Hoven, Shin-ichi Yusa
Summary: Amphoteric statistical equivalent copolymers (P(2VP/NaSS)(n)) exhibit an upper critical solution temperature (UCST) in acidic aqueous solutions, which can be controlled by factors such as pH value, salt concentration, polymer concentration, etc. The UCST can increase with higher molecular weight polymer chains, deuterium oxide substitution, and decrease with higher pH value or salt concentration.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yusuke Sato, Masahiro Takinoue
Summary: Liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) of biopolymer molecules forms liquid-like droplets, and the physical properties of these droplets are influenced by factors such as viscosity and surface tension. In this study, we investigated the effects of sticky end (SE) design in DNA nanostructures on the physical properties of DNA droplets. Our results showed that longer SEs in the Y-motifs led to a longer coalescence period in the assembled droplets. Additionally, Y-motifs with the same length but different sequence SEs exhibited slight variations in coalescence period. These findings enhance our understanding of the relationship between molecular design and the physical properties of droplets formed via LLPS.
NANOSCALE ADVANCES
(2023)
Article
Polymer Science
Minjee Kang, Yoo Kyung Go, Marilyn Porras-Gomez, Tzortzis Koulaxizis, Dylan Steer, Antonia Statt, Cecilia Leal
Summary: Using GISAXS and AFM, we demonstrate the self-assembly of MO, DOTAP, and PBD-b-PEO into highly ordered bicontinuous cubicphases without aqueous media. This study expands the understanding of the structural diversity of lipid-polymer hybrid materials and opens up potential for designing new biocompatible humidity-responsive nanomaterials.
Article
Polymer Science
Hanyu Wu, Fengxian Xu, Guanzhen Gao, Xunda Feng
Summary: A scalable strategy using photo-crosslinking of QLCs to fabricate polymeric membranes with interconnected nanopores is presented. The use of a readily synthesized zwitterionic monomer to construct G(1) mesophases enables structural lock-in. High-brilliance synchrotron small-angle X-ray scattering and transmission electron microscopy confirm the structural preservation and detailed visualization of the materials.
Article
Polymer Science
Huiling Lan, Yuanyuan Liu, Yanli Mao, Juan Han, Yu Wang, Yun Wang, Lei Wang
Summary: This study focuses on enhancing the hydrogen bonding interactions between thermo-responsive polymers through adjusting chain architectures, which enables reversible upper critical solution temperature (UCST) behavior in both water and electrolyte solutions. By incorporating acrylic acid monomers and hydrophobic blocks, the UCST value can be further controlled and approaches room temperature.
Article
Biophysics
Orakan Hanpanich, Atchara Lomae, Atsushi Maruyama, Tanapat Palaga, Orawon Chailapakul, Nattaya Ngamrojanavanich
Summary: This study reports the development of an isothermal, label-free electrochemical biosensor for point-of-care (POC) diagnostic applications. The biosensor is designed based on target-driven MNAzyme cleavage activity and can rapidly detect DNA and RNA. Integration of an artificial chaperone-enhanced MNAzyme system further enhances the analytical performance of the biosensor, reducing the detection time and improving the detection limit. The proposed biosensing platform shows simple fabrication and operation, good selectivity, and versatility in complex mixtures of total RNA.
BIOSENSORS & BIOELECTRONICS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Shuya Fan, Tadao Takada, Atsushi Maruyama, Mamoru Fujitsuka, Kiyohiko Kawai
Summary: Fluorescence imaging uses changes in intensity and wavelength to analyze multiple targets. Blinking, as an additional parameter, can increase the number of targets that can be identified simultaneously. By using DNA as a platform, the processes of electron transfer leading to blinking were elucidated, and different blinking patterns were observed depending on the DNA sequence. The blinking patterns were successfully described using a combination of electron transfer rate constants. Thus, molecules with various blinking patterns can be developed by tuning electron transfer, increasing the number of targets that can be analyzed simultaneously.
CHEMISTRY-A EUROPEAN JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Yuki Ohmuro-Matsuyama, Hayato Matsui, Masaki Kanai, Tadaomi Furuta
Summary: This study found that adding oligopeptides with charged residues to the C-terminus of picALuc significantly enhanced its luminescence by up to 50-fold, indicating an increased enzymatic activity. This enhancement was observed in both bacterial and mammalian expression systems.
BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ayumu Kobayashi, Masamune Nakamura, Masaru Tsujii, Kohei Makino, Tatsuya Nagayama, Kensuke Nakamura, Kei Nanatani, Kera Kota, Yuki Furuuchi, Shunsuke Kayamori, Tadaomi Furuta, Iwane Suzuki, Yoshihiro Hayakawa, Ellen Tanudjaja, Yasuhiro Ishimaru, Nobuyuki Uozumi
Summary: Two two-component regulatory systems (TCSs), Rre2-Hik12 and Rre8-Hik14, were found to be involved in biofilm formation in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. Rre2 and Rre8 regulated c-di-GMP production, with Rre2 having DGC activity regardless of its phosphorylation status and Rre8 requiring phosphorylation for DGC activity.
MOLECULAR MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Sung-Bae Kim, Tadaomi Furuta, Genta Kamiya, Nobuo Kitada, Ramasamy Paulmurugan, Shojiro A. Maki
Summary: In this study, we developed bright and highly sensitive single-chain molecular strain probe templates with luciferase reporters for imaging protein-protein interactions (PPIs). By utilizing the concept of molecular strains and rapamycin-triggered intramolecular PPIs, the ligand-sensing properties of the templates were maximized. The highest fold intensities were achieved with RLuc86SG and ALuc49, with tunable colors to blue, green, and yellow.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Mika Omura, Kenta Morimoto, Yurina Araki, Hisaaki Hirose, Yoshimasa Kawaguchi, Yukiya Kitayama, Yuto Goto, Atsushi Harada, Ikuo Fujii, Tomoka Takatani-Nakase, Shiroh Futaki, Ikuhiko Nakase
Summary: A new intracellular introduction technology was developed using an inkjet device and cell-penetrating peptides to accurately deliver biofunctional cargo to cells, achieving efficient cytosolic transduction.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Basudev Maity, Jiaxin Tian, Tadaomi Furuta, Satoshi Abe, Takafumi Ueno
Summary: Water behavior on protein surfaces affects protein structure and function. Antifreeze proteins (AFPs) have been extensively studied in the field of biological cytotechnology. They can inhibit ice microcrystal growth through the formation of unique water cluster networks influenced by protein surface morphology and hydrophobicity. However, there is limited information about the atomic-level process of semi-clathrate formation and the structural units of water-clathrate networks.
CRYSTAL GROWTH & DESIGN
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yuki Ohmuro-Matsuyama, Hayato Matsui, Masaki Kanai, Tadaomi Furuta
Summary: Researchers developed a bright luciferase, picALuc, and identified important residues and regions for its catalysis and bioluminescence through mutational analyses. These findings provide important insights into the bioluminescence mechanism of picALuc and copepod luciferases and have potential applications for sustained observations.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Haruka Kono, Satoshi Hara, Tadaomi Furuta, Hiroshi Ichinose
Summary: In this study, the binding profile of quinonoid-form dihydrobiopterin (qBH2) to quinonoid dihydropteridine reductase (QDPR) was analyzed using in vitro and in silico methods. It was found that qBH2 and quinonoid-form dihydrofolate (qDHF) could be potential physiological substrates for QDPR, suggesting that QDPR may have a bifunctional role. These findings provide important insights into biopterin and folate metabolism and have implications for drug development.
JOURNAL OF BIOCHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Seiya Takemura, Naohiko Shimada, Atsushi Maruyama
Summary: Molecular chaperones play essential roles in physiological reactions by regulating biomacromolecules. This study demonstrates the photoresponsive activation of a cationic comb-type copolymer as a molecular chaperone, enhancing the disruptive activity of proteins and inducing morphological changes.
JOURNAL OF BIOMATERIALS SCIENCE-POLYMER EDITION
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Sung-Bae Kim, Tadaomi Furuta, Nobuo Kitada, Shojiro A. A. Maki
Summary: A series of new artificial luciferases (ALucs) were created by compensating missing peptide blocks in the alignment of existing ALuc sequences. These new ALucs formed an independent branch genetically isolated from other natural marine luciferases and showed bioluminescent properties in living mammalian cells. The success of this study can provide new insights into engineering and functionalizing marine luciferases for various applications in bioassays and molecular imaging.
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Sung-Bae Kim, Genta Kamiya, Tadaomi Furuta, Nobuo Kitada, Shojiro A. Maki
Summary: Synthetic coelenterazine (CTZ) indicators were developed to quantitatively study human and bovine serum albumins (HSA and BSA) with high specificity. The CTZ indicators emit luminescence with specific modifications, and their colors and peak positions can determine the origins and mixing levels of albumins. The study also found that serum albumins catalyze the CTZ indicators and this catalytic reaction can be efficiently inhibited by specific inhibitors.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sung-Bae Kim, Tadaomi Furuta, Yuki Ohmuro-Matsuyama, Nobuo Kitada, Ryo Nishihara, Shojiro A. Maki
Summary: In this study, a near-infrared bioluminescence (BL) imaging system was developed using copepod luciferases ALuc30 and its miniaturized version picALuc. The system was characterized and analyzed with different coelenterazine analogues and Cy5. The results showed that picALuc-based system enhances BL intensities in the red and NIR region, while both ALuc30- and picALuc-based systems exhibit unique spectral bands in the NIR region with a Cy5-conjugated coelenterazine analogue.
PHOTOCHEMICAL & PHOTOBIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Biomaterials
Jun Wang, He Huang, Orakan Hanpanich, Naohiko Shimada, Atsushi Maruyama
Summary: This study demonstrates that the catalytic activity of a Na+-dependent DNAzyme can be enhanced by adding a cationic copolymer and PEG in a molecular crowded environment, resulting in a significant increase in reaction rate.
BIOMATERIALS SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Polymer Science
Takuya Komachi, Shunya Kawai, Yuki Hirayama, Atsushi Maruyama, Naohiko Shimada
Summary: This study found that liquid droplets resulting from liquid-liquid phase separation can be formed when two types of polymers are mixed in aqueous media. Cooling-induced liquid droplets formed by PAU can entrap DNAzyme, significantly enhancing its activity. This phenomenon suggests that the liquid droplets induced by PAU are efficient reaction media for DNAzymes.
