Publications by authors named "W Tsugawa"

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has challenged more scientists to detect viruses and to visualize virus-containing spots for diagnosis and infection control; however, detection principles of commercially available technologies are not optimal for visualization. Here, a convenient and universal homogeneous detection platform named proximity-unlocked luminescence by sequential enzymatic reactions from antibody and antibody/aptamer (PULSERAA) is developed. This is designed so that the signal appears only when the donor and acceptor are in proximity on the viral surface.

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Article Synopsis
  • Hemozoin (Hz) is a crystal made during malaria infection that activates immune cells, promoting the production of cytokines and chemokines, and is useful for developing adjuvants.
  • This study explored an enzymatic method for synthesizing Hz using a heme detoxification protein (HDP), which successfully produces an analog called esHz.
  • EsHz demonstrated the ability to stimulate immune responses in macrophages and human immune cells, enhancing specific types of antibodies in mice, indicating it could serve as an effective Th-1 cell adjuvant.
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Antibody-enzyme complexes (AECs) are ideal for immunosensing. Although AECs using antibody fragments can be produced by bacterial hosts, their low affinity limits their sensing applications. We have improved the affinity of AECs by combining two antibodies using Catcher/Tag systems; however, it requires multiple antibodies and an enzyme production process.

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We introduce a versatile method to convert NAD or NADP -dependent dehydrogenases into quasi-direct electron transfer (quasi-DET)-type dehydrogenases, by modifying with a mediator on the enzyme surface toward the development of 2.5 generation enzymatic sensors. In this study, we use β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) dehydrogenase (BHBDh) from Alcaligenes faecalis (AfBHBDh) as a representative NAD or NADP -dependent dehydrogenase.

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Although IgG-free immunosensors are in high demand owing to ethical concerns, the development of convenient immunosensors that alternatively integrate recombinantly produced antibody fragments, such as single-chain variable fragments (scFvs), remains challenging. The low affinity of antibody fragments, unlike IgG, caused by monovalent binding to targets often leads to decreased sensitivity. We improved the affinity owing to the bivalent effect by fabricating a bivalent antibody-enzyme complex (AEC) composed of two scFvs and a single glucose dehydrogenase, and developed a rapid and convenient scFv-employed electrochemical detection system for the C-reactive protein (CRP), which is a homopentameric protein biomarker of systemic inflammation.

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