Imaging of Rab5 activity identifies essential regulators for phagosome maturation

Efficient phagocytosis of apoptotic cells is crucial for tissue homeostasis and the immune response. Rab5 is known as a key regulator of the early endocytic pathway and we have recently shown that Rab5 is also implicated in apoptotic cell engulfment; however, the precise spatio-temporal dynamics of Rab5 activity remain unknown. Here, using a newly developed fluorescence resonance energy transfer biosensor, we describe a change in Rab5 activity during the engulfment of apoptotic thymocytes. Rab5 activity on phagosome membranes began to increase on disassembly of the actin coat encapsulating phagosomes. Rab5 activation was either continuous or repetitive for up to 10 min, but it ended before the collapse of engulfed apoptotic cells. Expression of a dominant-negative mutant of Rab5 delayed this collapse of apoptotic thymocytes, showing a role for Rab5 in phagosome maturation. Disruption of microtubules with nocodazole inhibited Rab5 activation on the phagosome membrane without perturbing the engulfment of apoptotic cells. Furthermore, we found that Gapex-5 is the guanine nucleotide exchange factor essential for Rab5 activation during the engulfment of apoptotic cells. Gapex-5 was bound to a microtubule-tip-associating protein, EB1, whose depletion inhibited Rab5 activation during phagocytosis. We therefore propose a mechanistic model in which the recruitment of Gapex-5 to phagosomes through the microtubule network induces the transient Rab5 activation.     

Conversion of anisotropically phase-segregated Pd/gamma-Fe2O3 nanoparticles into exchange-coupled fct-FePd/alpha-Fe nanocomposite magnets

Exchange-coupled fct-FePd/alpha-Fe nanocomposite magnets were fabricated by converting anisotropically phase-segregated Pd/gamma-Fe2O3 nanoparticles via the interfacial atom diffusion. The magnetically hard fct-FePd phases formed by the interdiffusion between alpha-Fe and fcc-Pd phases nearly preserve their sizes at the nanometer scale because they are surrounded by the alpha-Fe matrix. The VSM measurements reveal that the exchange coupling between the soft and hard phases has been realized.     

Four new stilbenoid C-glucosides isolated from the stem bark of Shorea hemsleyana

Four new C-glucopyranosides of resveratrol oligomers, hemsleyanosides A-D, were isolated from the bark of Shorea hemsleyana. The structures were established on the basis of spectroscopic evidence, including 1H-1H and 1H-13C long-range couplings and nuclear Overhauser effect experiments in the NMR spectrum.     

First result from the MTV experiment at TRIUMF searching T-violation in nuclear beta decay

The MTV experiment (Mott Polarimetry for T-Violation Experiment) is running from 2009 at TRIUMF, which aims to search a large non-standard T-Violation in polarized nuclear beta decay. Existence of transverse polarization of electrons emitted from polarized ⁸Li nuclei, which are produced at TRIUMF-ISAC and stopped inside an aluminum stopper, is investigated. We utilize a Mott polarimeter consists of a planer drift chamber, measuring backward scattering left-right asymmetry from a thin lead analyzer foil. In this paper, preliminary results from the first physics run performed in 2010 are described.     

Combined fit to BABAR and Belle Data on e^＋e^- →φπ^＋π^- and φf0（980）

A combined fit is performed to the BABAR and Belle measurements of the e^＋e^- →φπ^＋π^- and φf0（980） cross sections for center-of-mass energy between threshold and 3.0 GeV. The resonance parameters of the φ（1680） and Y（2175） are determined. The mass is （1681-12^＋10） MeV/c^2 and the width is （221-24^＋34） MeV/c^2 for the φ（1680）, and the mass is （2117-49^＋59） MeV/c^2 and the width is （164-80^＋69） MeV/c^2 for the Y（2175）. This information will shed light on the understanding of the nature of the excited φ and Y states observed in e＋e- annihilation.     

Fabrication of nanostructures by selective growth of C60 and Si on Si(1 1 1) substrate

Using two types of selective growth, selective C₆₀ growth and selective Si growth, on a common Si(1 1 1) substrate, an array of C₆₀ nanoribbons with controlled values of width and thickness is fabricated. On a surface that has Si(1 1 1)√3 × √3R30°-Ag (referred to as Si(1 1 1)√3-Ag hereafter) and bare Si(1 1 1) regions at the same time, the preferential growth of C₆₀ multilayered film is recognized on the Si(1 1 1)√3-Ag region. The growth of Si selectively occurs on a bare Si(1 1 1) region if the substrate surface has C₆₀-adsorbed and bare Si(1 1 1) regions at the same time. As a demonstration of the use of these selective growths, we fabricate an array of well-isolated C₆₀ nanoribbons, which show a well-ordered molecular arrangement and have sizes of about 40 nm in widths and 3-4 nm in thicknesses.