Reversible Photoreaction of a Retinal Photoisomerase, Retinal G-Protein-Coupled Receptor RGR.

Retinal G-protein-coupled receptor (RGR) plays a crucial role in the visual system of vertebrates as a retinal photoisomerase, which isomerizes all--retinal to 11--retinal to maintain the photosensitivity of visual rhodopsins. Despite the previous characterization of bovine RGR, little is known about the spectral properties of RGR from other species. In addition, photoreactivity of the 11--retinal-binding form remains unclear.

Tough hydrogels with rapid self-reinforcement.

Most tough hydrogels are reinforced by introducing sacrificial structures that can dissipate input energy. However, because the sacrificial damage cannot rapidly recover, the toughness of these gels drops substantially during consecutive cyclic loadings. We propose a damageless reinforcement strategy for hydrogels using strain-induced crystallization.

Modulation of Cell Adhesion and Differentiation on Collagen Gels by the Addition of the Ovalbumin Secretory Signal Peptide.

Ovalbumin (OVA) is the most abundant protein in egg whites that is unnecessary in the egg yolk-based food industry. The development of OVA-based functional materials is of great interest. Collagen is a major component of the extracellular matrix.