Putative Neural Network Within an Olfactory Sensory Unit for Nestmate and Non-nestmate Discrimination in the Japanese Carpenter Ant: The Ultra-structures and Mathematical Simulation

Ants are known to use a colony-specific blend of cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) as a pheromone to discriminate between nestmates and non-nestmates and the CHCs were sensed in the basiconic type of antennal sensilla (S. basiconica). To investigate the functional design of this type of antennal sensilla, we observed the ultra-structures at 2D and 3D in the Japanese carpenter ant, Camponotus japonicus, using a serial block-face scanning electron microscope (SBF-SEM), and conventional and high-voltage transmission electron microscopes. Based on the serial images of 352 cross sections of SBF-SEM, we reconstructed a 3D model of the sensillum revealing that each S. basiconica houses > 100 unbranched dendritic processes, which extend from the same number of olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs). The dendritic processes had characteristic beaded-structures and formed a twisted bundle within the sensillum. At the “beads,” the cell membranes of the processes were closely adjacent in the interdigitated profiles, suggesting functional interactions via gap junctions (GJs). Immunohistochemistry with anti-innexin (invertebrate GJ protein) antisera revealed positive labeling in the antennae of C. japonicus. Innexin 3, one of the five antennal innexin subtypes, was detected as a dotted signal within the S. basiconica as a sensory organ for nestmate recognition. These morphological results suggest that ORNs form an electrical network via GJs between dendritic processes. We were unable to functionally certify the electric connections in an olfactory sensory unit comprising such multiple ORNs; however, with the aid of simulation of a mathematical model, we examined the putative function of this novel chemosensory information network, which possibly contributes to the distinct discrimination of colony-specific blends of CHCs or other odor detection

Detection of glypiean-3 proteins for hepatocellular carcinoma marker using wireless-electrodeless quartz-crystal microbalance

Pure shear-wave resonances were excited and detected in 18- and 30-μm-thick electrodeless AT-cut quartz plates in liquids using line antennas contactlessly, achieving high-frequency quartz-crystal microbalances (QCMs). Their fundamental resonance frequencies (85 and 54 MHz) were monitored to study interactions in real time between human glypican-3 and an anti-glypican-3 antibody: glypican-3 is a prospective protein marker for hepatocellular carcinoma. Their affinity was determined by the Langmuir kinetics. This study demonstrates the high ability of the wireless-electrodeless QCM for detection of the protein markers and development of drugs for disorders.Hirotsugu Ogi, Toshinobu Omori, Kenichi Hatanaka, Masahiko Hirao and Masayoshi Nishiyama. Detection of glypiean-3 proteins for hepatocellular carcinoma marker using wireless-electrodeless quartz-crystal microbalance. Japanese Journal of Applied Physics, 2008, 47(5S), 4021. https://doi.org/10.1143/JJAP.47.4021

Effects of flow rate on sensitivity and affinity in flow injection biosensor systems studied by 55-MHz wireless quartz crystal microbalance

In this paper, we developed a 55-MHz wireless-electrodeless quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) and systematically studied the effects of flow rate on the sensitivity to the detection of proteins and on the affinity between biomolecules evaluated by the flow injection system. Brownian motion of proteins in liquid suggests a low probability of meeting, and the convection effect plays an important role in the sensitivity and the affinity in the flow cell injection system. The wireless quartz crystal was isolated in the QCM cell, and flow rates between 50 and 1000 μL/min were used for monitoring binding reactions between human immunoglobulin G and Staphylococcus aureus protein A. The sensitivity was significantly increased as the flow rate increased, while the affinity value remained unchanged. However, the affinity value was affected by the reaction time for a large-concentration analyte, indicating the need of a high-sensitivity biosensor system for accurate evaluation of affinity. The electrode effect on the QCM sensitivity was also theoretically investigated, showing that the electrode significantly deteriorates the QCM sensitivity and makes the Sauerbrey equation invalid.Hirotsugu Ogi, Yuji Fukunishi, Toshinobu Omori, Kenichi Hatanaka, Masahiko Hirao, and Masayoshi Nishiyama. Effects of flow rate on sensitivity and affinity in flow injection biosensor systems studied by 55-MHz wireless quartz crystal microbalance. Analytical Chemistry, 2008, 80(14), 5494-5500. ©2008 American Chemical Society. https://doi.org/10.1021/ac800459g