Characterization of the Elasticity of Small Objects Buried in Media Based on the Measurements of Photoacoustic Temporal Waveforms.

Since the elasticity of biological tissues is related to their pathological states, the development of new methods allowing for non-invasive measurements of the elasticity has been desired in the medical field. We present a characterization of the elasticity of objects buried in media from the temporal waveforms of photoacoustic signals. As the increment in Young's moduli of the objects, the frequency corresponding to the gravitational center of the power spectra obtained by the Fourier-transformation of the waveforms is increased.

A novel aerobactin utilization cluster in Vibrio vulnificus with a gene involved in the transcription regulation of the iutA homologue.

We demonstrated that Vibrio vulnificus M2799 utilizes aerobactin for growth as an exogenous siderophore under iron-limiting conditions, concomitant with enhanced production of the 76-kDa iron-repressible outer membrane protein. Subsequently, by applying the Fur titration assay method to the M2799 genomic libraries followed by further cloning of the regions surrounding the candidate genes, we identified the 8.4-kb aerobactin utilization gene cluster which consists of five genes arranged in three distinct transcriptional units.

Identification of an AraC-like regulator gene required for induction of the 78-kDa ferrioxamine B receptor in Vibrio vulnificus.

We previously reported that the 78-kDa outer membrane receptor for ferrioxamine B is induced in iron-starved Vibrio vulnificus cells when desferrioxamine B was supplied exogenously. Based on its N-terminal amino acid sequence, a candidate gene for the ferrichrome B receptor was detected in the V. vulnificus CMCP6 genomic database.