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全身性エリテマトーデス(SLE)は,典型的な自己免疫疾患であり,免疫調節性T細胞機能およびB細胞機能の異常を特徴としている。この疾患では種々の臨床症状を示すが,中でも腎機能に異常をきたした場合,その病状は重篤なものとなり,この疾患の死亡原因の多くを占めている。SLE患者においてその病勢と相関するとされている血中の抗DNA抗体の等電点によるクロノタイプを調べてみると,陽性荷電の抗DNA抗体がループス腎炎の活動期に特異的に検出され,ループス腎炎は陽性に荷電した抗DNA抗体が腎糸球体基底膜上でin situ免疫複合体を形成することにより起こると考えられる。このような病原性抗DNA抗体の産生には,従来からループス腎炎マウスを用いて体細胞突然変異の重要性が報告されてきたが,ヒトのループス腎炎の場合,あらかじめゲノムに病原性抗DNA抗体V|遺伝子(SG3/A30)が用意されており,腎炎の発症には免疫グロブリン胚細胞型遺伝子座の多型などの遺伝的な要因とreceptor editingによる自己反応性免疫グロブリンレセプターの排除機構の異常が重要な要素となっている。Systemic lupus erythematosus is a prototype of human autoimmune diseases, characterized by aberrant immune regulatory T cell function and excessive B cell function. It has a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations, of which renal failure is the principal cause of death. Serum levels of anti-DNA antibodies are correlated with this disease. Cationic anti-DNA antibodies are detected only in patients with active lupus nephritis and possibly may be involved in the development of lupus nephritis through in situ immune complex formation on the glomerular basement membrane. Studies on lupus mice suggest somatic mutation of anti-DNA antibody to have a critical role in generation of the pathogenic autoantibody. In human lupus patients, the κ chain of the cationic anti-DNA antibody derives from the germ-line Vκgene (SG3/A30) with no cationic shift. Characterization of SG3/A30 gene locus has indicated polymorphism of immunoglobulin Vκlocus and failure of receptor editing to possibly be contributing factors in the development of human lupus nephritis

Sonication-induced formation of size-controlled self-assemblies of amphiphilic Janus-type polymers as optical tumor-imaging agents.

In this study, amphiphilic Janus-type polymers were synthesized via ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP), multiple vicinal diol formation, and grafting of poly(ethylene glycol) monomethyl ether (mPEG). These amphiphilic polymers formed self-assemblies, which were a mixture of micelles and multimicellar aggregates, in water. By choosing suitable Janus-type polymers and irradiating an aqueous solution of polymers using a sonicator, either small micelles or large multimicellar aggregates were obtained selectively. Hydrophobic substituents controlled the aggregation-disaggregation behavior, leading to the formation of metastable self-assemblies by sonication. The formation of self-assemblies with a uniform size was affected by ultrasonic frequency, rather than power. In vivo optical tumor imaging revealed that the large-size multimicellar aggregates persisting for a long time in blood circulation slowly accumulated in tumor tissues. In contrast, the tumor site was rapidly, clearly visualized using the small-size micelles

Sensitizer-free photochemical regeneration of benzimidazoline organohydride

Organohydrides are an important class of organic compounds that can provide hydride anions for chemical and biochemical reactions, as demonstrated by reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide serving as an important natural redox cofactor. The coupling of hydride transfer from the organohydride to the substrate and subsequent regeneration of the organohydride from its oxidized form can realize organohydride-catalyzed reduction reactions. Depending on the structure of the organohydride, its hydridicity and ease of regeneration vary. Benzimidazoline (BIH) is one of the strongest synthetic C–H hydride donors; however, its reductive regeneration requires highly reducing conditions. In this study, we synthesized various oxidized and reduced forms of BIH derivatives with aryl groups at the 2-position and investigated their photophysical and electrochemical properties. 4-(Dimethylamino)phenyl-substituted BIH exhibited salient red-shifted absorption compared to other synthesized BIH derivatives, and visible-light-driven regeneration without using an external photosensitizer was achieved. This knowledge has significant implications for the future development of solar-energy-based catalytic photoreduction technologies that utilize organohydride regeneration strategies