Tetraspanin CD9 modulates ADAM17-mediated shedding of LR11 in leukocytes

LR11, also known as SorLA or SORL1, is a type-I membrane protein from which a large extracellular part, soluble LR11 (sLR11), is released by proteolytic shedding on cleavage with a disintegrin and metalloproteinase 17 (ADAM17). A shedding mechanism is presumed to have a key role in the functions of LR11, but the evidence for this has not yet been demonstrated. Tetraspanin CD9 has been recently shown to regulate the ADAM17-mediated shedding of tumor necrosis factor-α and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 on the cell surface. Here, we investigated the role of CD9 on the shedding of LR11 in leukocytes. LR11 was not expressed in THP-1 monocytes, but it was expressed and released in phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA)-induced THP-1 macrophages (PMA/THP-1). Confocal microscopy showed colocalization of LR11 and CD9 proteins on the cell surface of PMA/THP-1. Ectopic neo-expression of CD9 in CCRF-SB cells, which are LR11-positive and CD9-negative, reduced the amount of sLR11 released from the cells. In contrast, incubation of LR11-transfected THP-1 cells with neutralizing anti-CD9 monoclonal antibodies increased the amount of sLR11 released from the cells. Likewise, the PMA-stimulated release of sLR11 increased in THP-1 cells transfected with CD9-targeted shRNAs, which was negated by treatment with the metalloproteinase inhibitor GM6001. These results suggest that the tetraspanin CD9 modulates the ADAM17-mediated shedding of LR11 in various leukemia cell lines and that the association between LR11 and CD9 on the cell surface has an important role in the ADAM17-mediated shedding mechanism.     

Development of visual analytical methods for trace determination.

In this paper our recent progress in the field of simple analytical methods is reviewed, with particular focus on the development of rapid, inexpensive, yet sensitive techniques to visualize trace elements of medical, industrial, and environmental importance. Our objective is to solve long-standing practical problems in these fields. We have repeatedly shown that visual perception is remarkably sensitive when used with our new techniques. The applicability of the proposed methods to real samples is also discussed. Making measurements visually is a method free from machinery malfunctions and serves as a simple and sensitive analytical technique, avoiding all of the practical disadvantages associated with sophisticated instrumentation as well as tedious procedures.     

(1‐Pyridinio)perfluorophenacylide: a new stable pyridinium ylide in the enol form

The title compound, C₁₃H₆F₅NO, exists in the enol form and adopts the E configuration about the enol double bond. It is the first example of an enol‐type pyridinium ylide. The enol structure was unambiguously determined on the basis of the significantly longer C—O bond and shorter C—C bond. Intramolecular C—H...O and C—H...F hydrogen bonds are responsible for promotion of the enol form and for the stability of this compound.     

Cholesterol location and orientation in aqueous suspension of large unilamellar vesicles of phospholipid revealed by intermolecular nuclear overhauser effect

The locational and orientational structure and the dynamics of cholesterol in the bilayer membrane were studied by using the solution-state NMR. The intermolecular nuclear Overhauser effect (NOE) was analyzed for large unilamellar vesicles (100 nm in diameter) composed of dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) and cholesterol at cholesterol concentrations of 9-33 mol %. The DMPC headgroups show (1)H-{(1)H}-NOEs with the methyl groups at the hydrophobic terminals of both cholesterol and DMPC, illustrating the significant fluctuation of the bilayer membrane in the vertical (bilayer normal) direction. Cholesterol was found to keep the hydroxyl (OH) group toward the outer water pool on the basis of the following observations: (1) the cross correlation between the DMPC headgroup and the cholesterol terminal methyl group is weaker than those between the DMPC headgroups and (2) the methyl group at the hydrophobic terminal of cholesterol shows strong correlation with the terminal group of the DMPC chain portion. The OH group plays a crucial role in orienting cholesterol with its OH group outward, since cholestane, which has a molecular structure similar to that of cholesterol except for the absence of the OH group, was found to have no orientational preference in the bilayer membrane. The dynamic slowdown at high cholesterol concentrations is demonstrated on the basis of the correlation times for NOE as well as the broadening of the proton linewidths.     

Colloidal crystallization of colloidal silica modified with ferrocenyl group-contained polymers in organic solvents

Surface modification of colloidal silica with ferrocenyl-grafted polymer and colloidal crystallization of the particles in organic solvent were studied. Poly(methyl methacrylate-co-vinylferrocene)-grafted silica never formed colloidal crystals in polar solvent, such as acetone, acetonitrile, ethanol and N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF), while poly(methyl methacrylate-co-ferrocenyl acrylate)-grafted silica gave colloidal crystallization in DMF. The particles prepared by grafting of poly(N,N-dimethylacrylamide-co-vinylferrocene), with vinylferrocene (Vfc) mole fraction of 1/13 and 1/23, were observed to give the crystallization in ethanol and DMF over particle volume fraction of 0.058. Further, silica modified with copolymer of Vfc and N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone, N-vinylcarbazole or N-isopropylacrylamide formed colloidal crystals in ethanol and DMF. Especially, poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-Vfc)-grafted silica, which was composed of the highest mole fraction of vinylferrocene, 1/3, afforded colloidal crystallization in ethanol over particle volume fraction of 0.053. Relatively high polar vinylferrocene copolymer grafting of silica resulted in colloidal polymerization in organic solvents.     

Dynamics of a discretized SIR epidemic model with pulse vaccination and time delay

We derive a discretized SIR epidemic model with pulse vaccination and time delay from the original continuous model. The sufficient conditions for global attractivity of an infection-free periodic solution and permanence of our model are obtained. Improving discretization, our results are corresponding to those in the original continuous model.     

Dense aqueous colloidal gold nanoparticles prepared from highly concentrated precursor solution

Gold nanoparticles were fabricated by reduction of highly concentrated Au(III) ions (200 mM) with casein proteins from milk. The gold nanoparticles were converted to nanoparticle-powders after washing and subsequent vacuum drying without aggregation. The nanoparticle-powders completely re-dispersed in aqueous solution, and stable colloidal gold nanoparticles were obtained. UV-vis extinction spectra and dynamic light scattering (DLS) measurements revealed that large assemblies (size, ca. 3 μm) and subaggregates (size, <0.5 μm) composed of gold nanoparticle-casein protein chain-Au(III) ion were dynamically formed and disintegrated over the course of the growth of the gold nanoparticles. Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra indicated conformational changes of casein proteins induced by the interaction of casein protein-Au(III) ion and -gold nanoparticle. Finally, rapid, one-pot, and highly concentrated synthetic procedures of gold and silver nanoparticle powders protected by casein (mean diameters below 10 nm) were successfully developed using 3-amino-1-propanol aqueous solutions as reaction media. Dense colloidal gold (40 g L(-1)) and silver (22 g L(-1)) nanoparticle aqueous solutions were obtained by re-dispersing the metal nanoparticle powders.     

Photoinduced reversible changes in morphology of plasmonic Ag nanorods on TiO2 and application to versatile photochromism

We achieved reversible changes in length and spectrum of Ag nanorods based on plasmon-induced photoelectrochemical reactions. The changes are applied to multi-wavelength and dual-polarization photochromism in visible-infrared regions. It allows display of invisible images viewable only by infrared cameras. Also possible is display of superimposed visible and invisible images.     

On pallets for Fox colorings of spatial graphs

We introduce the notion of pallets of quandles and define coloring invariants for spatial graphs which give a generalization of Fox colorings studied in Ishii and Yasuhara (1997) [4]. All pallets for dihedral quandles are obtained from the quotient sets of the universal pallets under a certain equivalence relation. We study the quotient sets and classify their elements.     

Atomic‐Scale Visualization of the Stepwise Metal‐Mediated Dehalogenative Cycloaddition Reaction Pathways: Competition between Radicals and Organometallic Intermediates

Dehalogenative cycloaddition reaction is a powerful strategy to generate new ring scaffolds with π‐conjugated features on a surface, and thus holds great promise toward atomically precise electronic devices or nanomaterials. The ortho‐dihalo substitution provides a good strategy to realize cycloaddition. However, the limited understanding of intermediate states involved hinders mechanistic exploration for further precise design and optimization of reaction products. Now, the evolutions of competing surface‐stabilized radicals and organometallic intermediates in real space were visualized toward the formation of dominant conjugated four‐membered ring connections. From the interplay of scanning tunneling microscopy and density functional theory calculations, the stepwise metal‐mediated dehalogenative cycloaddition pathway is elucidated both experimentally and theoretically. The results provide fundamental insights into the intermediate states involved in on‐surface synthesis.