Expression of a cascading genetic network within liposomes

AbstractLiposomes have long been used as possible compartments for artificial cells, and it has been shown that liposomes can sustain various types of biochemical reactions. To elevate the degree of molecular complexity of the system in liposomes, we have constructed a two-stage genetic network encapsulated in liposomes. This two-stage genetic network was constructed with the plasmid pTH, in which the protein product of the first stage (T7 RNA polymerase) is required to drive the protein synthesis of the second stage (GFP). We show that the two-stage genetic network constructed in a cell-free expression system is functional within liposomes

Solubility of artificial proteins with random sequences

AbstractA library of artificial random proteins of 141 amino acid residues of which 95 are random and which includes the 20 kinds of amino acids was prepared. Out of the 25 identified random proteins, 5 were soluble in the cell lysate, indicating that about 20% of the random proteins expressed in Escherichia coli are expected to be soluble. The soluble random proteins RP3–42 and RP3–45 and insoluble RP3–70 were purified. The solubility of the purified form is the same as that in the cell lysate

Roadmap of a Lunar Base Using the Lunar Lava Tubes and Their Vertical Skylights

Masato Sakurai, JAXA, JPAsuka Shima, JAXA, JPIsao Kawano, JAXA, JPYasufumi Wakabayashi, JAXA, JPJunichi Haruyama, JAXA, JPTakuya Goto, Doshisya University, JPMitsuhiko Ohta, Nippon Steel, JPKen Shoji, Taisei Advanced Center of Technology, JPHiroyuki Miyajima, International University of Health and Welfare, JPICES506: Human Exploration Beyond Low Earth Orbit: Missions and TechnologiesThe 51st International Conference on Environmental Systems was held in Saint Paul, Minnesota, US, on 10 July 2022 through 14 July 2022.With the participation of experts for the purpose of formulating a more concrete technology roadmap for the construction of a manned Lunar base in Lava Tubes and Their Vertical Skylights, which is essential for supporting long-term stays on the moon, resource utilization, and industrial activities, investigated. This paper, we proceeded with Robots, Architecture, Energy and in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) as an item to be examined. These are important not only for supporting human survival on the moon from the early stages of base construction, but also because they are deeply involved in transportation and energy problems

SERPINI1 regulates epithelial-mesenchymal transition in an orthotopic implantation model of colorectal cancer

An increasingly accepted concept is that the progression of colorectal cancer is accompanied by epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). In our study, in order to characterize the properties of EMT in 16 colorectal cancer cell lines, the cells were first orthotopically implanted into nude mice, and the tumors in vivo, as well as cells cultured in vitro, were immunostained for EMT markers. The immunostaining revealed that seven of the cells had an epithelial phenotype with a high expression of E-cadherin, whereas other cells showed opposite patterns, such as a high expression of vimentin (CX-1, COLO205, CloneA, HCT116, and SW48). Among the cells expressing vimentin, some expressed vimentin in the orthotopic tumors but not in the cultured cells (SW480, SW620, and COLO320). We evaluated these findings in combination with microarray analyses, and selected five genes: CHST11, SERPINI1, AGR2, FBP1, and FOXA1. Next, we downregulated the expression of SERPINI1 with siRNA in the cells, the results of which showed reverse-EMT changes at the protein level and in the cellular morphology. Along with immunohistochemical analyses, we confirmed the effect of the intracellular and secreted SERPINI1 protein of SW620 cells, which supported the importance of SERPINI1 in EMT. The development of therapeutic strategies targeting EMT is ongoing, including methods targeting the transforming growth factor-β signaling pathway as well as the Wnt pathway. SERPINI1 is an important regulator of EMT. Our findings help to elucidate the signaling pathways of EMT, hopefully clarifying therapeutic pathways as well