Fundamental study on identification of target molecule of isothiocyanates using stable conjugation with lysine residue

　Isothiocyanates (ITCs) are contained as glucosinolates in cruciferous plants such as Wasabia japonica ( wasabi) and broccoli. Numerous studies have shown that ITCs have beneficial effects in our body such as induction of detoxification enzymes and inhibitory effects on cancer cell growth. The biological activities of ITCs are considered to be triggered in the reaction of ITC with thiols to form an unstable thiocarbamoyl adduct. On the other hand, ITCs are also known to react with amino moieties stably under alkaline pH. However, the reaction of ITCs with amino moieties under physiological conditions has not been explored fully. Therefore, we investigated the reactivity of allyl ITC (AITC) with amino groups under neutral conditions. When AITC was incubated with bovine serum albumin (BSA) as a model protein in a phosphate buffer (pH 7.4), amino groups were decreased. In addition, AITCmodified Nα‒benzoyl-glycyl-L-lysine (BGK) with a Nε‒thiocarbamoyl linkage was detected by incubation of AITC and BGK in the buffer. To verify the transformation of ITC from predominant target ‘thiol’ to amine, synthetic AITC‒modified Nα‒acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) was incubated with BGK. The AITC‒Lys adduct was generated in a timedependent manner, while AITC‒NAC adduct was degraded. Furthermore, AITC‒Lys adduct was detected from the mixture of AITC‒NAC and BSA using a novel anti‒AITC‒Lys monoclonal antibody. Thus, the adduct of ITC and Lys residue may be a useful tag for identification of ITC target molecules

Role of PIR-B in Autoimmune Glomerulonephritis

PIR-B, an inhibitory receptor expressed on murine B cells and myeloid cells, regulates humoral and cellular immune responses via its constitutive binding to the ligand, MHC class I molecules, on the same cells (cis) or on different cells (trans). Although it has been speculated that PIR-B is important for maintaining peripheral tolerance, PIR-B single deficiency does not cause overt autoimmune diseases. Recently, however, the combination of its deficiency with the Fas lpr mutation was found to result in augmented production of autoantibodies such as IgG rheumatoid factor and anti-DNA IgG, leading to glomerulonephritis in mice. Although the precise molecular mechanism for the overall scenario is unclear, PIR-B was found to suppress TLR9-mediated production of naturally autoreactive antibodies by innate B cells or B-1 cells by inhibiting the activation of Bruton's tyrosine kinase. Thus, PIR-B is an important regulator of innate immunity mediated by TLR9 in B-1 cells, which can otherwise provoke autoimmunity when overactivated

Dialogic investigations: Motivation in Japanese language learning

Over the past 15 years, the L2 motivational self system (Dörnyei, 2005, 2009) has been a dominant framework in the field of second language (L2) motivation. Yet, since the model’s introduction, there has been a theoretical discordance between the two components associated with future self-images (the ideal L2 self and the ought-to L2 self) and the third component related to the actual process of learning (the L2 learning experience). To remedy this shortcoming, this study draws on Bakhtin’s (1981, 1986) theory of dialog. Bakhtin claims that any use of language is a dialog between self and others and that language is learned through the assimilation of speech genres used by others for similar purposes in typical situations of social communication. The analysis of interview data obtained from three Japanese-as-a-second-language learners shows how situation-specific and future-oriented motivations are related to each other. The learners’ engagement in dialog with imagined Japanese speakers is developed through their engagement in dialog with actual Japanese speakers, and regardless of whether the dialog is actual or imagined, the participants orient themselves to speech genres of the language that correspond to particular social contexts

Electrostatic Micro Mirror Array with Batch-Fabricated Torsion Beam of Silicon Nanowire

2020 IEEE 33rd International Conference on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS), 18-22 Jan. 2020.A new design of arrayed micro mirror device for a high performance spatial light modulator of high resonant frequency, large deflection angle with high mechanical reliability has been proposed. The mirror has 100-μm square plate of 5 μm thick, which is suspended by thin silicon nanowire of about 1 μm thick and wide. The device was fabricated using Bosch process and isotropic plasma etching. We successfully demonstrated array operation of 4×4 devices at relatively low actuation voltage (~20 Vpp) and large mechanical deflection amplitude (~9°). However, the deviation of vibration amplitude was large among unit resonators. By fitting the frequency response to the Duffing equation we found that self-enhancing actuation force caused by nonlinearity of the vertical combs was a main reason

Double inflation in supergravity and the primordial black hole formation

We study a double inflation model (a hybrid inflation + a new inflation) in supergravity and discuss the formation of primordial black holes (PBHs) with mass \sim 10^{-20}-10^{5}M_{\odot}. We find that in a wide range of parameter space, we obtain PBHs which amount to \Omega \simeq 1, i.e., PBH dark matter. Also, we find a set of inflation parameters which produces PBHs evaporating now. Those PBHs may be responsible for antiproton fluxes observed by the BESS experiment.Comment: 14 pages, 2 figures (RevTeX file

Chapter 4 : Injury and the Recovery Reaction due to the Penetration of Material into the Mandibular Canal

A root canal filling material paste, mainly made of calcium hydroxide and iodoform with the addition of silicone oil, was experimentally introduced into the mandibular canals of dogs. The tissue reactions to the paste were examined by radiography, histopathology, and electron microscopy. The examination results showed that the paste was phagocytosed by macrophages and, in general, was gradually resorbed by the passage of time. The paste was also found to cause heterotopic calcification and/or bone formation within the limited area of original penetration. The histopathological tissue changes of the alveolar nerve tissue were also examined. No injury-related histopathological change was observed as long as the injected paste did not contact alveolar nerve tissue, but tissue damage was observed at sites of direct contact. After removal of degenerated nerved debris by macrophages and Schwann cells, the persisting external membrane or “Schwann tubes” appeared to provide a scaffold for axonal regeneration and Schwann cell proliferation.Editor, Toshiyuki KawakamiLanguage Editor, David M Carlsonviii, 232 p. ill. (some col.

The effect of exogenous dihydroxyacetone and methylglyoxal on growth, anthocyanin accumulation, and the glyoxalase system in Arabidopsis

Dihydroxyacetone (DHA) occurs in wide-ranging organisms, including plants, and can undergo spontaneous conversion to methylglyoxal (MG). While the toxicity of MG to plants is well-known, the toxicity of DHA to plants remains to be elucidated. We investigated the effects of DHA and MG on Arabidopsis. Exogenous DHA at up to 10 mM did not affect the radicle emergence, the expansion of green cotyledons, the seedling growth, or the activity of glyoxalase II, while DHA at 10 mM inhibited the root elongation and increased the activity of glyoxalase I. Exogenous MG at 1.0 mM inhibited these physiological responses and increased both activities. Dihydroxyacetone at 10 mM increased the MG content in the roots. These results indicate that DHA is not so toxic as MG in Arabidopsis seeds and seedlings and suggest that the toxic effect of DHA at high concentrations is attributed to MG accumulation by the conversion to MG