Atsushi Kira

Contribution of nanoscale curvature to number density of immobilized DNA on gold nanoparticles

We report the curvature size dependence of the density of attached single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) on the surface of gold nanoparticles. The densities of immobilized ssDNA on 10, 20, 30, and 50 nm gold nanoparticles were examined, and we found that the maximum density of the immobilized ssDNA on 10 nm particles was 13 times larger than that on 50 nm particles, which was still 10 times larger than that on flat gold surfaces. This result indicates the importance of curvature in the nanometer-scale attachment of ssDNAs to nanoparticles.

Structure and Orientation of Bovine Lactoferrampin in the Mimetic Bacterial Membrane as Revealed by Solid-State NMR and Molecular Dynamics Simulation

Bovine lactoferrampin (LFampinB) is a newly discovered antimicrobial peptide found in the N1-domain of bovine lactoferrin (268-284), and consists of 17 amino-acid residues. It is important to determine the orientation and structure of LFampinB in bacterial membranes to reveal the antimicrobial mechanism. We therefore performed (13)C and (31)P NMR, (13)C-(31)P rotational echo double resonance (REDOR), potassium ion-selective electrode, and quartz-crystal microbalance measurements for LFampinB with mimetic bacterial membrane and molecular-dynamics simulation in acidic membrane. (31)P NMR results indicated that LFampinB caused a defect in mimetic bacterial membranes. Ion-selective electrode measurements showed that ion leakage occurred for the mimetic bacterial membrane containing cardiolipin. Quartz-crystal microbalance measurements revealed that LFampinB had greater affinity to acidic phospholipids than that to neutral phospholipids. (13)C DD-MAS and static NMR spectra showed that LFampinB formed an α-helix in the N-terminus region and tilted 45° to the bilayer normal. REDOR dephasing patterns between carbonyl carbon nucleus in LFampinB and phosphorus nuclei in lipid phosphate groups were measured by (13)C-(31)P REDOR and the results revealed that LFampinB is located in the interfacial region of the membrane. Molecular-dynamics simulation showed the tilt angle to be 42° and the rotation angle to be 92.5° for Leu(3), which are in excellent agreement with the experimental values.

Induction of Cell-Cell Connections by Using in situ Laser Lithography on a Perfluoroalkyl-Coated Cultivation Platform

This article describes a novel laser‐directed microfabrication method carried out in aqueous solution for the organization of cell networks on a platform. A femtosecond (fs) laser was applied to a platform culturing PC12, HeLa, or normal human astrocyte (NHA) cells to manipulate them and to facilitate mutual connections. By applying an fs‐laser‐induced impulsive force, cells were detached from their original location on the plate, and translocated onto microfabricated cell‐adhesive domains that were surrounded with a cell‐repellent perfluoroalkyl (Rf) polymer. Then the fs‐laser pulse‐train was applied to the Rf polymer surface to modify the cell‐repellent surface, and to make cell‐adhesive channels of several μm in width between each cell‐adhesive domain. PC12 cells elongated along the channels and made contact with others cells. HeLa and NHA cells also migrated along the channels and connected to the other cells. Surface analysis by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) confirmed that the Rf polymer was partially decomposed. The method presented here could contribute not only to the study of developing networks of neuronal, glial, and capillary cells, but also to the quantitative analysis of nerve function.

Inhibitory mechanism of pancreatic amyloid fibril formation: formation of the complex between tea catechins and the fragment of residues 22-27.

Islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP) is a major component of pancreatic amyloid deposits associated with type 2 diabetes. Polyphenols contained in plant foods have been found to inhibit amyloid fibril formation of proteins and/or peptides. However, the inhibition mechanism is not clear for a variety of systems. Here the inhibition mechanism of green tea polyphenols, catechins, on amyloid fibril formation of the IAPP fragment (IAPP22-27), which is of sufficient length for formation of β-sheet-containing amyloid fibrils, was investigated by means of kinetic analysis. A quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) determined that the association constants of gallate-type catechins [epicatechin 3-gallate (ECg) and epigallocatechin 3-gallate] for binding to IAPP22-27 immobilized on the gold plate in QCM were 1 order of magnitude larger than those of the free IAPP22-27 peptide, and also those of epicatechin and epigallocatechin. Kinetic analysis using a two-step autocatalytic reaction mechanism revealed that ECg significantly reduced the rate constants of the first nucleation step of amyloid fibril formation, while the rate of autocatalytic growth was less retarded. (1)H nuclear magnetic resonance studies clarified that a IAPP22-27/ECg complex clearly forms as viewed from the (1)H chemical shift changes and line broadening. Our study suggests that tea catechins specifically inhibit the early stages of amyloid fibril formation to form amyloid nuclei by interacting with the unstructured peptide and that this inhibition mechanism is of great therapeutic value because stabilization of the native state could delay the pathogenesis of amyloid diseases and also the toxicity of the small oligomer (protofibril) is reported to be greater than that of the mature fibril.

Interaction of extracellular loop II of κ-opioid receptor (196-228) with opioid peptide dynorphin in membrane environments as revealed by solid state nuclear magnetic resonance, quartz crystal microbalance and molecular dynamics simulation.

κ-Opioid receptor is a member of the opioid receptor family and selectively interacts with the opioid peptide dynorphin. Extracellular loop II (ECL-II) of the κ-opioid receptor displays an amphiphilic helix in membrane environments and the N-terminal α-helix of dynorphin A(1-17) (hereafter DynA17) is inserted into the membrane with the tilt angle of 21° to the bilayer normal. ECL-II peptides (1-33), corresponding to 196-228 of κ-opioid receptor with [1-(13)C]- or [3-(13)C]-labeled amino acids were incorporated into large [dimyristoylphosphatidyl choline (DMPC)/ dihexanoylphosphatidyl choline (DHPC) = 3, q = 3] and small bicelle (q = 1) systems. (13)C direct detection with dipolar decoupling and magic angle spinning (DD-MAS) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra were recorded, and the (13)C chemical shift perturbation clearly indicated that DynA17 interacts with ECL-II at the location of Val10-Ala15. Quartz crystal microbalance measurements were performed to determine the binding constant of ECL-II with DynA17 and indicated that the binding constant between DynA17 and ECL-II embedded in the lipid layer was 72 times larger than that between DynA17 and the lipid. The result of the molecular dynamics simulation clearly indicates that the C-terminus of DynA17 interact with the amino acid residues of the region between Val10-Gln14 of ECL-II. These results suggest that DynA17 interacts with the ECL-II of the κ-opioid receptor through a hydrophobic and short-lived electrostatic interaction with high affinity in the outer surface of the membrane.

Suppressed or recovered intensities analysis in site-directed 13C NMR: Assessment of low-frequency fluctuations in bacteriorhodopsin and D85N mutants revisited

The first proton transfer of bacteriorhodopsin (bR) occurs from the protonated Schiff base to the anionic Asp 85 at the central part of the protein in the L to M states. Low-frequency dynamics accompanied by this process can be revealed by suppressed or recovered intensities (SRI) analysis of site-directed (13)C solid-state NMR spectra of 2D crystalline preparations. First of all, we examined a relationship of fluctuation frequencies available from [1-(13)C]Val- and [3-(13)C]Ala-labeled preparations, by taking the effective correlation time of internal methyl rotations into account. We analyzed the SRI data of [1-(13)C]Val-labeled wild-type bR and D85N mutants, as a function of temperature and pH, respectively, based on so-far assigned peaks including newly assigned or revised ones. Global conformational change of the protein backbone, caused by neutralization of the anionic D85 by D85N, can be visualized by characteristic displacement of peaks due to the conformation-dependent (13)C chemical shifts. Concomitant dynamics changes if any, with fluctuation frequencies in the order of 10(4) Hz, were evaluated by the decreased peak intensities in the B-C and D-E loops of D85N mutant. The resulting fluctuation frequencies, owing to subsequent, accelerated dynamics changes in the M-like state by deprotonation of the Schiff base at alkaline pH, were successfully evaluated based on the SRI plots as a function of pH, which were varied depending upon the extent of interference of induced fluctuation frequency with frequency of magic angle spinning or escape from such interference. Distinguishing fluctuation frequencies between the higher and lower than 10(4) Hz is now possible, instead of a simple description of the data around 10(4) Hz available from one-point data analysis previously reported.

Non-amplified Quantitative Detection of Nucleic Acid Sequences Using a Gold Nanoparticle Probe Set and Field-Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy

For the precise detection of the number of expressed biomarkers at the single-cell level, we have developed a method of quantifying and specifying target DNA fragments by using a set of gold nanoparticles as labels and field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) to measure the number and sizes of gold nanoparticles attached to target samples. One or more target DNAs on a substrate were labeled with a set of different-sized gold nanoparticle probes having complementary sequences to different target candidates. The type and number of the target DNAs having a specific sequence were identified by counting the attached nanoparticles of a specific size in FE-SEM images. The results evaluated using a DNA microarray showed high specificity and sensitivity, and a linear correlation between the number of attached particles and the target DNA concentration, indicating the feasibility of quantitative detection in the femtomolar to nanomolar concentration range.

Direct formation of homogeneous DNA-probe surface on polyimide thin film by vapor deposition polymerization

Summary form only given. This paper reports on the developed method for decorating DNA-probes on the chip with desired intervals and homogeneous concentration applying the vapor deposition polymerization (VDP) technique, in which hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI) and 3,5-diaminobenzonic acid (DBA) molecules were polymerized directly on the chip to form the polymer thin layer. The interval of the reactive carboxyl-group (-COOH) on the side-chains of DBA was controlled to become 2.0 nm by choosing another molecule having this length (HDI). The result indicates the potential of our method to form the homogeneous DNA-probe surface.

DNA hybridization activity of single-stranded DNA-conjugated gold nanoparticles used as probes for DNA detection

Colloidal nanoparticles (NPs) have potential applications in bio-sensing technologies as labels or signal enhancers. In order to meet demands for a development of biomolecular assays by a quantitative understanding of single-molecule, it is necessary to regulate accuracy of the NPs probes modified with biomolecules to optimize the characteristics of NPs. However, to our knowledge, there is little information about the structural effect of conjugated biomolecules to the NPs. In this study, we investigated the contribution of a density of single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) conjugating gold NP to hybridization activity. Hybridization activity decreased in accordance with increases in the density of attached ssDNAs, likely due to electrostatic repulsion generated by negatively charged phosphate groups in the ssDNA backbone. These results highlight the importance of controlling the density of ssDNAs attached to the surface of NPs used as DNA detection probes.

On-chip single-cell-based gene expression analysis using gold nano-particles

The authors have developed a novel method to measure the quantitative amount of mRNA expression in individual cells keeping their spatial distributions in the cell without any amplification process like PCR. In this method, a set of different sizes of gold nanoparticles attached with different probe-DNA respectively were used as a set of probes to detect different mRNAs existing in a cell. At first, the optimum condition of the immobilization of probe-DNA onto the gold nanoparticle surface was examined. Next, the selectivity of the probe-DNA immobilized onto the nanoparticle was tested using complementary oligonucleotide molecules. We confirmed the several different kinds of gold nanoparticle probes were hybridized with target oligonucleotides having complementary sequences with almost 100% selectively. For the counting and distinguishing each of the gold nanoparticles, we used two different methods and compared: one is atomic force microscopy and the other is scanning electron microscopy. Quantitative detection of mRNAs in individual cells keeping their spatial distributions was then examined using the gold nanoparticle-based detection system. In this meeting, we will present the results and will discuss about the potential and problems of this method for the single-cell-based quantitative expression analysis.