Assembly of Six Types of Heteroleptic PdL Cages under Kinetic Control.

Heteroleptic assemblies composed of several kinds of building blocks have been seen in nature. It is still unclear how natural systems design and create such complicated assemblies selectively. Past efforts on multicomponent self-assembly of artificial metal-organic cages have mainly focused on finding a suitable combination of building blocks to lead to a single multicomponent self-assembly as the thermodynamically most stable product.

Pathway selection in the self-assembly of RhL coordination squares under kinetic control.

Pathway selection principles in reversible reaction networks such as molecular self-assembly have not been established yet, because achieving kinetic control in reversible reaction networks is more complicated than in irreversible ones. In this study, we discovered that coordination squares consisting of cis-protected dinuclear rhodium(II) corner complexes and linear ditopic ligands are assembled under kinetic control, perfectly preventing the corresponding triangles, by modulating their energy landscapes with a weak monotopic carboxylate ligand (2,6-dichlorobenzoate: dcb) as the leaving ligand. Experimental and numerical approaches revealed the self-assembly pathway where the cyclization step to form the triangular complex is blocked by dcb.

Diversity of Chlamydiales detected in pet birds privately kept in individual homes in Japan.

Chlamydia-related bacteria of the Chlamydiales order have recently been described as emerging pathogens that cause pneumonia and abortion in animals and humans. We investigated the presence of Chlamydiales using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) by targeting the 16S rRNA gene of a broad range of Chlamydiales in 827 fecal samples from pet birds kept in individual homes in Japan. Of the 827 samples, 493 (59.

Genome editing by introduction of Cas9/sgRNA into plant cells using temperature-controlled atmospheric pressure plasma.

Previously, we developed a technique to introduce a superfolder green fluorescent protein (sGFP) fusion protein directly into plant cells using atmospheric-pressure plasma. In this study, we attempted genome editing using CRISPR/Cas9 (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/CRISPR associated protein 9) system using this protein introduction technique. As an experimental system to evaluate genome editing, we utilized transgenic reporter plants carrying the reporter genes L-(I-SceI)-UC and sGFP-waxy-HPT.

Reproductive status of a female white cockatoo (Cacatua alba) based on relationships among urofecal steroid hormone dynamics, molting, and body weight.

The detailed reproductive physiology of cockatoos based on gonadal hormone dynamics is unclear. In this study, we aimed to investigate ovarian activity by monitoring urofecal sex steroid hormone profiles in a captive female white cockatoo (Cacatua alba) and to noninvasively reveal basic reproductive physiology by comparing the hormone profiles with the laying dates, body mass changes, and molt progress. Urofeces were collected regularly for approximately 4 years from one female that frequently laid unfertilized eggs under single-rearing conditions.

FDI-6, a FOXM1 inhibitor, activates the aryl hydrocarbon receptor and suppresses tumorsphere formation.

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is a ligand-activated transcription factor that is activated by environmental contaminants such as dioxins and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Following ligand binding, AhR binds to xenobiotic responsive elements and modulates the transcription of AhR target genes. Multiple studies have shown that AhR plays important roles in a range of cancer cells and is attracting attention as a therapeutic target for cancer treatment.

Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Directly Regulates VTCN1 Gene Expression in MCF-7 Cells.

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is a ligand-activated transcription factor that mediates the toxicity of dioxins and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Recent studies have suggested that AhR is involved in cancer immunity. In the present study, we examined whether AhR regulates the expression of immune checkpoint genes in breast cancer cells.

Camalexin, an indole phytoalexin, inhibits cell proliferation, migration, and mammosphere formation in breast cancer cells via the aryl hydrocarbon receptor.

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women worldwide. Despite a variety of drugs available for the treatment of patients with breast cancer, drug resistance remains a significant clinical problem. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop drugs with new mechanisms of action.

Activation of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor by 3-methylcholanthrene, but not by indirubin, suppresses mammosphere formation via downregulation of CDC20 expression in breast cancer cells.

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is a ligand-activated transcription factor that regulates various toxicological and biological functions. We reported previously that 3-methylcholanthrene (3MC), an exogenous AhR agonist, inhibited tumorsphere (mammosphere) formation from breast cancer cell lines, while the endogenous AhR agonist, indirubin, very weakly inhibited this process. However, the difference in inhibition mechanism of mammosphere formation by 3MC or indirubin is still unknown.

Effects of narrow-band UVB on nasal symptom and upregulation of histamine H receptor mRNA in allergic rhinitis model rats.

Background: Phototherapy with narrow-band ultraviolet B (narrow-band UVB) is clinically effective treatment for atopic dermatitis. In the present study, we examined the effects of intranasal irradiation with narrow-band UVB on nasal symptom, upregulation of histamine H receptor (H1R) gene expression and induction of DNA damage in the nasal mucosa of allergic rhinitis (AR) model rat.

Methods: AR model rats were intranasally irradiated with 310 nm of narrow-band UVB.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons induce CYP3A5 gene expression via aryl hydrocarbon receptor in HepG2 cells.

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) regulates expression of genes encoding drug/xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes. Cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A5 is involved in drug metabolism. However, regulation of CYP3A5 gene expression is not yet well understood.

The 89-kDa PARP1 cleavage fragment serves as a cytoplasmic PAR carrier to induce AIF-mediated apoptosis.

Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP1) is a nuclear protein that is activated by binding to DNA lesions and catalyzes poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation of nuclear acceptor proteins, including PARP1 itself, to recruit DNA repair machinery to DNA lesions. When excessive DNA damage occurs, poly(ADP-ribose) (PAR) produced by PARP1 is translocated to the cytoplasm, changing the activity and localization of cytoplasmic proteins, e.g.

An androgen-independent mechanism underlying the androgenic effects of 3-methylcholanthrene, a potent aryl hydrocarbon receptor agonist.

Aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) and androgen receptor (AR) are ligand-activated transcription factors with profound cross-talk between their signal transduction pathways. Previous studies have shown that AhR agonists activate the transcription of AR-regulated genes in an androgen-independent manner; however, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. To decipher this mechanism, we evaluated the effects of 3-methylcholanthrene (3MC), a potent AhR agonist, on the transcription of AR-regulated genes in three AR-expressing cell lines.

Aryl hydrocarbon receptor counteracts pharmacological efficacy of doxorubicin via enhanced AKR1C3 expression in triple negative breast cancer cells.

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is associated with poor prognosis, because of no effective targeted therapy. In the present study, we demonstrated the crucial role of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) in mediating the effects of the chemotherapeutic agent doxorubicin (DOX) in the chemotherapeutic sensitivity of TNBC. Firstly, we established AhR knockout (KO) MDA-MB 231 TNBC cells.

Effects of irradiation with narrowband-ultraviolet B on up-regulation of histamine H receptor mRNA and induction of apoptosis in HeLa cells and nasal mucosa of rats.

Narrowband-ultraviolet B (NB-UVB) phototherapy is used for the treatment of atopic dermatitis. Previously, we reported that irradiation with 200 mJ/cm of 310 nm NB-UVB suppressed phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA)-induced up-regulation of histamine H receptor (H1R) gene expression without induction of apoptosis in HeLa cells. However, the effect of NB-UVB irradiation on nasal symptoms is still unclear.

Implementation of Tube Radial Distribution Chromatography by Using a Commercially Available HPLC System.

Tube radial distribution chromatography based on tube radial distribution flow, or annular flow, in an open-tubular capillary has been reported. The chromatographic system requires specific instruments and treatments for microfluidic flow in the capillary tube. In this study, we have developed a new model of tube radial distribution chromatography, which is comprised of a commercially available HPLC system without any packed separation columns.

Three-Dimensional Image of Cleavage Bodies in Nuclei Is Configured Using Gas Cluster Ion Beam with Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry.

Structural variations of DNA in nuclei are deeply related with development, aging, and diseases through transcriptional regulation. In order to bare cross sections of samples maintaining sub-micron structures, an Ar2500(+)-gas cluster ion beam (GCIB) sputter was recently engineered. By introducing GCIB sputter to time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS), we analyzed the 3D configuration and chemical composition of subnuclear structures of pyramidal cells in the CA2 region in mouse brain hippocampus.

Single-cell time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry reveals that human breast cancer stem cells have significantly lower content of palmitoleic acid compared to their counterpart non-stem cancer cells.

Lipids comprise the primary component of cell membranes. Imaging mass spectrometry is increasingly being used to visualize membranous lipids in clinical specimens, and it has revealed that abnormal lipid metabolism is related to the development of diseases. To characterize cell populations which are rare and sparsely localized in tissues, we conducted time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) analyses of individual cells sorted by fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS) and applied the method to analyze breast cancer stem cells (CSCs).

Proventricular dilatation disease associated with avian bornavirus infection in a Citron-crested Cockatoo that was born and hand-reared in Japan.

A 5-month-old female Citron-crested Cockatoo (Cacatua sulphurea citrinocristata) that was born and hand-reared in Japan died with suspected proventricular dilatation disease (PDD). Macroscopic and microscopic examinations of the bird revealed characteristic features of PDD, i.e.

Detection of characteristic distributions of phospholipid head groups and fatty acids on neurite surface by time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry.

Neurons have a large surface because of their long and thin neurites. This surface is composed of a lipid bilayer. Lipids have not been actively investigated so far because of some technical difficulties, although evidence from cell biology is emerging that lipids contain valuable information about their roles in the central nervous system.

A novel genotype of beak and feather disease virus in budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus).

Beak and feather disease virus (BFDV) is a causative agent for psittacine beak and feather disease (PBFD), which shows a characteristic feather disorder in psittacine birds. Nineteen budgerigars, which were clinically suspected to have PBFD, were examined by two polymerase chain reactions (PCR), which target each of open reading frames (ORFs) V1 and C1. All of the 19 samples were detected BFDV by the PCR targeting ORF C1, whereas only two of them were detected by the PCR targeting ORF V1.

Effects of electron back-scattering in observations of cross-sectioned GaAs/AlAs superlattice with auger electron spectroscopy.

Cross-sections of GaAs/AlAs thin films prepared by cleavage of MBE-grown superlattices have been analyzed with Auger electron spectroscopy with a spatial resolution of 6 nm. Elemental distributions of Ga, Al, and As were clearly distinguished in line analysis as well as in two dimensional mapping for 50, 20, and 10 nm thin film structures. We have found an oscillation of Al KLL peak position between the two values while the peak positions of Ga LMM and As LMM remain constant.

Three-dimensional time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry imaging of a pharmaceutical in a coronary stent coating as a function of elution time.

Three-dimensional (3D) chemical images reveal the surface and subsurface distribution of pharmaceutical molecules in a coronary stent coating and are used to visualize the drug distribution as a function of elution time. The coronary stent coating consists of 25% (w/w) sirolimus in a poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) matrix and is spray-coated onto metal coupons. Information regarding the 3D distribution of sirolimus in PLGA as a function of elution time was obtained by time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) imaging using a Au(+) ion beam for analysis in conjunction with a C(60)(+) ion beam for sputter depth profiling.

Repression of activated aryl hydrocarbon receptor-induced transcriptional activation by 5alpha-dihydrotestosterone in human prostate cancer LNCaP and human breast cancer T47D cells.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and dioxins are ubiquitous environmental pollutants and activate the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), a ligand-activated transcription factor. It has been reported that testosterone represses 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin-induced transcription of the cytochrome P450 (CYP) 1A1 gene in LNCaP cells. In this study, we investigated the mechanism for the repression of 3-methylcholanthrene (3MC)-induced transcription of AhR-regulated genes, CYP1A1, CYP1A2, CYP1B1, and AhR repressor (AhRR), by 5alpha-dihydroteststerone (DHT) in LNCaP and T47D cells, which are androgen receptor (AR)- and AhR-positive.

Atomic-force microscope observation and molecular-scale flattening of the single-crystal surface of 4-dimethylamino-N-methyl-4-stilbazolium tosylate (DAST).

The surface of an organic electro-optic crystal tends to be covered with a degenerate rough layer, which may cause light scattering or unfavorable transmission of light. We demonstrate a novel method of removing this layer and flattening the (001) surface of a 4-dimethylamino- N -methyl-4-stilbazolium tosylate (DAST) crystal on a molecular scale by applying suitable force on the tip of an atomic-force microscope (AFM). When the loading force on the AFM tip is kept near 10 nN, the DAST molecules can be removed layer by layer.