Publications by authors named "Kaori Sasaki-Tabata"

We designed 6-dimethylamino 3-methyleneisoindolin-1-one as an environment-sensitive fluorophore, examining its applications for protein labeling. Synthesized 3-methyleneisoindolin-1-one exhibits solvatochromic fluorescence (; 472 nm in 2-PrOH, 512 nm in HO). A positive linear dependence between and solvent dielectric constant (DC), as well as between Stokes shift and DC, and a negative correlation between fluorescence quantum yield and DC are observed in protic solvents.

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  • A new variant of SARS-CoV-2, called EG.5.1, is spreading rapidly and has been studied using various scientific methods to understand its features.
  • Key mutations in EG.5.1, specifically S:F456L and ORF9b:I5T, enhance its viral fitness compared to other variants like XBB.1.5.
  • Structural differences were found in the spike proteins of EG.5.1 versus XBB.1.5, and the research helps us understand the evolution of emerging viruses that can affect human health.
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  • The emergence of a new Variant of Interest, XBB.1.5, is linked to mutations from the pre-existing variant XBB.1, specifically an S486P spike mutation and a nonsense mutation in ORF8.
  • Phylogenetic analysis indicates that XBB.1.5 maintains similar immune escape abilities compared to XBB.1, and structural studies reveal that the spike proteins of both variants are largely similar.
  • Research involving hamsters shows that the ORF8 nonsense mutation in XBB.1.5 reduces MHC suppression and results in lower virulence in this variant compared to XBB.1.
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  • In late 2022, the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron subvariant XBB emerged from the recombination of two existing BA.2 lineages, BJ.1 and BM.1.1.1, during the summer of 2022.
  • XBB.1 shows strong resistance to vaccines designed for BA.2/5 and has increased fusogenicity, meaning it can fuse with human cells more efficiently due to changes in its spike protein.
  • Research indicates that while XBB.1 is pathogenic, its disease-causing potential in male hamsters is similar to or lower than that of the BA.2.75 variant, marking a notable adaptation in virus evolution through recombination.
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  • In late 2022, several Omicron subvariants emerged globally, characterized by specific amino acid changes in their spike proteins, indicating convergent evolution.
  • The study highlights a problematic lineage, BQ.1.1, which shows higher viral fitness due to five critical amino acid substitutions and better evasion of immune responses compared to the BA.5 subvariant.
  • In tests on hamsters, BQ.1.1 demonstrated lower pathogenicity than BA.5, revealing insights into the evolutionary patterns of Omicron subvariants up to 2022.
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  • The SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.2.75 variant, emerging in May 2022, is a distinct descendant of BA.2 and shows a greater reproductive number than the dominant BA.5 variant.
  • BA.2.75 demonstrates different responses to vaccines and antibodies, retaining antiviral drug effectiveness but showing variable antibody sensitivity due to unique genetic changes.
  • This variant has enhanced ability to bind to human receptors, increased growth efficiency in lung cells, and heightened pathogenicity in hamsters, indicating a potentially greater risk to global health compared to BA.5.
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  • The emergence of various subvariants of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.2, such as BA.2.9.1, BA.2.11, BA.2.12.1, BA.4, and BA.5, shows that they have higher effective reproduction numbers compared to the original BA.2 strain.
  • Neutralization experiments indicate that immunity from previous BA.1/2 infections is less effective against the newer BA.4/5 subvariants, which also replicate more efficiently and exhibit greater cell fusion than BA.2.
  • Research using hamsters and structural analysis of the BA.4/5 spike protein suggests that these subvariants are more pathogenic and pose a greater risk to global health
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We have prepared a monoclonal antibody against notoginsenoside R1, a primary active constituent of Sanqi ginseng (roots of Panax notoginseng). The monoclonal antibody was raised by immunizing BALB/c male mice with notoginsenoside R1-bovine albumin conjugates following cell fusion via electroporation. This method has been shown to be very effective for producing hybridomas with excellent antibody prevalence following cell fusion of their splenocytes with cells of the myeloma cell line SP2/0.

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Salvinorin A (1), the main active constituent in Salvia divinorum, is a highly selective kappa-opioid receptor agonist with hallucinogenic effects, which is regulated in several countries. In the present study, a monoclonal antibody (mAb) against 1 was prepared, and an indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (icELISA) system was developed for the detection of salvinorins. To raise mAbs against 1, salvinorin B (2) hemisuccinate was synthesized and used to prepare the immunogen 2-bovine serum albumin conjugate.

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Paclitaxel, the major active component of the yew tree, is used as an important anti-cancer agent. To obtain the monoclonal antibody (MAb) against paclitaxel for paclitaxel determination using immunoassay, 7-xylosyltaxol was conjugated to the carrier protein bovine serum albumin (BSA) to construct the immunogen, and the ratio of hapten in XylTax-BSA conjugate was determined by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. After immunization of mice with this conjugate, hybridomas secreting MAbs against paclitaxel were obtained by fusing the splenocytes with the mouse myeloma cell line SP2/0.

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Two different recombinant antibodies, a single-chain variable fragment (scFv) and an antigen-binding fragment (Fab), were prepared against artemisinin (AM) and artesunate (AS) and were developed for use in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The recombinant antibodies, which were derived from a single monoclonal antibody against AM and AS (mAb 1C1) prepared by us, were expressed by Escherichia coli cells and their reactivity and specificity were characterized. As a result, to obtain sufficient signal in indirect ELISA, a much greater amount of a first antibody was needed in the use of scFv due to the differences of the secondary antibody and conformational stability.

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A fluorescent single-domain antibody (fluobody), a chimera of a green fluorescent protein (AcGFP) with a single chain variable fragment antibody (scFv), against plumbagin (5-hydorxy-2-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone; PL) was successfully expressed in the hemolymph of silkworm larvae using a Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) bacmid DNA system to develop a rapid, simple, and sensitive fluorescence-linked immunosorbent assay (FLISA). In this study, two kinds of fluobody, in which the PL-scFv was fused at the N-terminus (N-fluobody) or C-terminus of AcGFP (C-fluobody), were expressed in silkworm larvae for comparative purposes. Interestingly, both fluobodies expressed in the BmNPV bacmid DNA system retained both of their original functions as an AcGFP and a PL-scFv, although the functions of the N-fluobody were found to be inferior to those of C-fluobody when they were expressed in Escherichia coli.

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A single-chain variable fragment antibody against herbicide, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D-scFv) has been successfully expressed in the hemolymph of silkworm larvae using a rapid Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) bacmid DNA system. Variable heavy- and light-chain domains were cloned directly from the cDNA of the hybridoma cell line 2C4 and assembled together with flexible peptide linker (Gly(4)Ser)(3) between two domains. The yield of functional 2,4-D-scFv after purification was 640 μg per 30 ml of hemolymph, which is equivalent to 21.

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