Three-dimensional x-ray crystal structure analysis of solution-processed oriented thin film utilizing liquid-crystalline phthalocyanine

SPIE OPTO, 2018, San Francisco, California, United StatesMasashi Ohmori, Mitsuhiro Nakatani, Masaya Kurokawa, Akihiko Fujii, and Masanori Ozaki "Three-dimensional x-ray crystal structure analysis of solution-processed oriented thin film utilizing liquid-crystalline phthalocyanine", Proc. SPIE 10555, Emerging Liquid Crystal Technologies XIII, 105550D (8 February 2018). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1117/12.228808

Data mining tools for the Saccharomyces cerevisiae morphological database

For comprehensive understanding of precise morphological changes resulting from loss-of-function mutagenesis, a large collection of 1 899 247 cell images was assembled from 91 271 micrographs of 4782 budding yeast disruptants of non-lethal genes. All the cell images were processed computationally to measure ∼500 morphological parameters in individual mutants. We have recently made this morphological quantitative data available to the public through the Saccharomyces cerevisiae Morphological Database (SCMD). Inspecting the significance of morphological discrepancies between the wild type and the mutants is expected to provide clues to uncover genes that are relevant to the biological processes producing a particular morphology. To facilitate such intensive data mining, a suite of new software tools for visualizing parameter value distributions was developed to present mutants with significant changes in easily understandable forms. In addition, for a given group of mutants associated with a particular function, the system automatically identifies a combination of multiple morphological parameters that discriminates a mutant group from others significantly, thereby characterizing the function effectively. These data mining functions are available through the World Wide Web at

Evaluation of Fatigue Properties under Four-point Bending and Fatigue Crack Propagation in Austenitic Stainless Steel with a Bimodal Harmonic Structure

Austenitic stainless steel (JIS-SUS304L) with a bimodal harmonic structure, which is defined as a coarse-grained structure surrounded by a network of fine grains, was fabricated using powder metallurgy to improve both the strength and ductility. Four-point bending fatigue tests and K-decreasing tests were conducted in air at room temperature under a stress ratio R of 0.1 to investigate fatigue crack propagation in SUS304L. The fatigue limit of this harmonic-structured material was higher than that of the material with a homogeneous coarse-grained structure. This is attributable to the formation of fine grains by mechanical milling and to the suppression of pore formation. In contrast, the threshold stress intensity range, DKth, for the harmonic-structured material was lower than that for the homogeneous coarse-grained material, while the crack growth rates, da/dN, were higher at comparable DK. These results can be attributed to a reduction in the effective threshold stress intensity range, DKeff,th, due to the presence of fine grains in the harmonic structure

ALK7 is a novel marker for adipocyte differentiation

Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) family members regulate a variety of cellular functions and play important roles in cell differentiation. Activin receptor-like kinase 7 (ALK7), a receptor for TGF-β family members, was initially cloned from rats as an orphan receptor and has been recently shown to be a type I receptor for nodal, activin B and activin AB. ALK7 is expressed not only in neurons, but also in insulin-producing islet β cells and white and brown adipose tissues however, the specific functions of ALK7 in these tissues are not known. In order to test whether ALK7 is involved in adipocyte differentiation, we analyzed its expression during adipocyte differentiation. ALK7 expression was detected in the late phase of adipocyte differentiation by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), Western blotting and immunofluorescence staining in 3T3-L1 cells. We also detected the expression of ALK7 by RT-PCR in stromal vascular fraction (SVF) cells. These results indicated that ALK7 is a novel marker specifically expressed during the late phase of adipocyte differentiation. Furthermore, our results suggest the possible involvement of nodal or activin B in adipocyte differentiation

Collagen-VI supplementation by cell transplantation improves muscle regeneration in Ullrich congenital muscular dystrophy model mice

6型コラーゲンを補う細胞移植がウルリッヒ型先天性筋ジストロフィーモデルマウスの病態を改善する. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2021-08-24.iPS cells show therapeutic benefits for a rare muscle dystrophy. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2021-08-24.[Background] Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) function as supportive cells on skeletal muscle homeostasis through several secretory factors including type 6 collagen (COL6). Several mutations of COL6A1, 2, and 3 genes cause Ullrich congenital muscular dystrophy (UCMD). Skeletal muscle regeneration deficiency has been reported as a characteristic phenotype in muscle biopsy samples of human UCMD patients and UCMD model mice. However, little is known about the COL6-dependent mechanism for the occurrence and progression of the deficiency. The purpose of this study was to clarify the pathological mechanism of UCMD by supplementing COL6 through cell transplantation. [Methods] To test whether COL6 supplementation has a therapeutic effect for UCMD, in vivo and in vitro experiments were conducted using four types of MSCs: (1) healthy donors derived-primary MSCs (pMSCs), (2) MSCs derived from healthy donor induced pluripotent stem cell (iMSCs), (3) COL6-knockout iMSCs (COL6KO-iMSCs), and (4) UCMD patient-derived iMSCs (UCMD-iMSCs). [Results] All four MSC types could engraft for at least 12 weeks when transplanted into the tibialis anterior muscles of immunodeficient UCMD model (Col6a1KO) mice. COL6 protein was restored by the MSC transplantation if the MSCs were not COL6-deficient (types 1 and 2). Moreover, muscle regeneration and maturation in Col6a1KO mice were promoted with the transplantation of the COL6-producing MSCs only in the region supplemented with COL6. Skeletal muscle satellite cells derived from UCMD model mice (Col6a1KO-MuSCs) co-cultured with type 1 or 2 MSCs showed improved proliferation, differentiation, and maturation, whereas those co-cultured with type 3 or 4 MSCs did not. [Conclusions] These findings indicate that COL6 supplementation improves muscle regeneration and maturation in UCMD model mice

Cell-Surface Protein Profiling Identifies Distinctive Markers of Progenitor Cells in Human Skeletal Muscle

SummarySkeletal muscle contains two distinct stem/progenitor populations. One is the satellite cell, which acts as a muscle stem cell, and the other is the mesenchymal progenitor, which contributes to muscle pathogeneses such as fat infiltration and fibrosis. Detailed and accurate characterization of these progenitors in humans remains elusive. Here, we performed comprehensive cell-surface protein profiling of the two progenitor populations residing in human skeletal muscle and identified three previously unrecognized markers: CD82 and CD318 for satellite cells and CD201 for mesenchymal progenitors. These markers distinguish myogenic and mesenchymal progenitors, and enable efficient isolation of the two types of progenitors. Functional study revealed that CD82 ensures expansion and preservation of myogenic progenitors by suppressing excessive differentiation, and CD201 signaling favors adipogenesis of mesenchymal progenitors. Thus, cell-surface proteins identified here are not only useful markers but also functionally important molecules, and provide valuable insight into human muscle biology and diseases

Chiral Ice Crystals in Space

We observed the formation of CO, CH3OH, and H2O ices using a cryogenic transmission electron microscope, to determine if chiral ice crystals could form under the conditions of interstellar molecular clouds and young stellar objects (protoplanetary disks) and to clarify the crystalline structure of these ices. Our results suggest that the following ice crystals are chiral: crystalline CO (α-CO) formed on amorphous H2O (a-H2O) grains in a 10-K molecular cloud, crystalline CH3OH formed by the heating of amorphous CH3OH on a-H2O grains at 40–60 K in young stellar objects, and several polymorphs of hydrogen-ordered cubic ice crystals formed by the heating of a-H2O at 80–100 K and direct condensation at 120–140 K in protoplanetary disks. We also investigated candidates for other chiral ices using published data. We found that NH3 I and NH3·H2O I are chiral at low temperature and pressure conditions. If one-handed circularly polarized light is irradiated during the nucleation of these chiral ice crystals, homochiral crystals can be formed. These results have important implications for the origin of interstellar organic molecule homochirality