Yoshitomo Tanaka

Molecular Characterization of Rose Flavonoid Biosynthesis Genes and Their Application in Petunia

ABSTRACT The cDNAs encoding dihydroflavonol 4-reductase (DFR) and flavonol synthase (FLS) that are involved in flavonoid biosynthesis determining flower colour were cloned from Rosa hybrida petal cDNA library. Leucoanthocyanidins and flavonols are synthesized from dihydroflavonols, the same substrates, through the action of DFR and FLS enzymes, respectively. Sequence comparison of the rose DFR with the reported DFR genes revealed that they were homologous each other. The amount of DFR mRNA in rose petals was developmentally regulated and paralleled anthocyanin production in petals. Sepals, thorns, styles and stamens also contained anthocyanins and DFR mRNA. No DFR mRNA was observed in mature leaves and a small amount of the transcript was detected in young leaves. A petunia cultivar, whose colour was pale pink due to a deficiency in flavonoid 3′-hydroxylase and 3′5′-hydroxylase, was transformed with binary vector containing a rose DFR cDNA cloned behind a constitutive promoter. Petals and anthers of the resultant transgenic petunia plants were salmon pink and contained pelargonidin, an anthocyanidin rarely found in petunia. FLS transcripts peak earlier than chalcone synthase and DFR transcripts in the petal development, which is consistent with the findings of preceding accumulation of flavonols to anthocyanidins in rose petals. The results indicate that flavonol biosynthesis is transcriptionally and differently regulated from anthocyanin biosynthesis. A phylogenetic analysis of 2-oxoglutarate dependent dioxygenases including FLS, flavanone 3-hydroxylase and anthocyanidin synthase indicates that these genes had diverted before flowering plants speciated and that FLS is closely related to anthocyanidin synthase. Rose and petunia FLS expressed in yeast required 2-oxoglutarate, ferrous ion and ascorbate for the full activity. Rose FLS catalyzed flavonol synthesis from dihydrokaempferol, dihydroquercetin and dihydromyricetin while petunia FLS only utilized dihydrokaempferol and dihydroquercetin. Flavonols contribute to bluing of flower colour by forming complex with anthocyanins. Cosuppression of FLS gene in transgenic petunias by petunia FLS gene yielded redder flower colour due to decrease of flavonols and increase of anthocyanins. The flowers of transgenic petunia expressing rose FLS cDNA had paler flower due to decrease of anthocyanidins.

Magnetic properties of low temperature phase MnBi of island structure

The magnetic and structural properties of island-structured LTP MnBi fabricated onto MgO single crystal substrates are discussed. The size and height of the “Volmer-Weber” type islands vary from place to place but are averagely a few microns and sub-microns, respectively. From the wetting angle (40 ∼ 60°) of those islands, the surface energy ΥMnBi of LTP MnBi is found to be 0.5∼0.8 J/m2. Those MnBi islands possesses the magnetic anisotropy constant Ku and saturation magnetization Ms close to those for bulk over a temperature range of 5 to 400 K. There seems to be a correlation between Ku and lattice constant c measured at 300K. The Ku is found to be inversely proportional to Ms5 over the temperature range from 5 K to 400 K, as compared to the Ms8 dependence for those fabricated onto fused silica glass substrates.

The phase-change optical disc with the data-recording rate of 216 Mbps

New recording material with higher crystallization speed and higher thermal stability is required to realize a phase-change disc for higher data recording rate. We have developed a new phase-change material that consists of TbSbTeGe material based on eutectic composition. This new phase-change material improves the crystallization speed and the crystallization temperature simultaneously. We have achieved the practical use characteristic of data recording rate of 216 Mbps (6X-speed of Blu-ray Disc) by using TbSbTeGe new phase-change material.

Magnetic properties and structure of low temperature phase MnBi with island structure

The magnetic properties of the low temperature phase (LTP) MnBi thin films of islands structure are discussed. The LTP MnBi islands are formed onto silica substrates after the multilayers Bi(3.2nm)/Mn(2nm)x N are deposited and then annealed at 450C for 0.5hr, where N is the number of the repetition of a pair of Mn and Bi layer. Those islands are found to be of the LTP MnBi, with the c-axis orientation along the normal to the sample plane for N=10 ∼ 40. Their size vary from place to place, but are averagely of about a few hundred nm in height and a few μm in width for N from 10 to 40. For N=200, the elongated islands are formed densely, with the length of about a few tens of μm. The coverage of those islands increases with N. The temperature dependence of saturation magnetization Ms is qualitatively similar to that for bulk, though the absolute values for Ms are smaller by 20%. The magnetic anisotropy constants of Ku1 and Ku2 are evaluated for the samples with N=10 ∼ 40, where Ku1 and Ku2 are the magnetic ...

Effect of Strain on Magnetic Properties of Nd-Fe-B Thin Film Magnets on BaTiO 3

The influence of strain in the Nd-Fe-B was investigated by using the structural phase transition of BaTiO3 in films consisting of a Mo top layer (10 nm), Nd-Fe-B (30 nm), and a Mo bottom layer (20 nm) deposited onto BaTiO3 (001) substrates by sputtering. As a result, it was found that the magnetization along the easy axis jumps up in magnitude by 3% at around 280 K. This significant effect is certainly due to the lattice strain accompanying the structural phase transition of BaTiO3 from orthorhombic to tetragonal. First-principles calculations were applied to simulate the relationship between magnetization, magnetocrystalline anisotropy and the strain in the Nd-Fe-B main phase. It was also found that the magnetization along the easy axis increases as the lattice constant of the a-axis expands, which shows mostly good agreement with the experimental results under some assumptions.

The growth temperature and measurement temperature dependences of soft magnetic properties and effective damping parameter of (FeCo)-Al alloy thin films

The soft magnetic properties and effective damping parameters of Fe73Co25Al2 alloy thin films are discussed. The effective damping parameter αeff measured by ferromagnetic resonance for the 10 nm-thick sample is nearly constant (≈0.004 ± 0.0008) for a growth temperature Ts from ambient to 200 °C, and then tends to decrease for higher temperatures and αeff is 0.002 ± 0.0004 at Ts = 300 °C. For the 80 nm-thick sample, the αeff seems to increase with Ts from αeff = 0.001 ± 0.0002 at Ts = ambient to αeff = 0.002 ± 0.0004. The αeff is found nearly constant (αeff = 0.004 ± 0.0008) over a temperature range from 10 to 300 K for the 10 nm films with the different Ts (ambient, 100 and 200 °C). Together with an increasing non-linearity of the frequency dependence of the linewidth at low Ts, extrinsic contributions such as two-magnon scattering dominate the observed temperature dependence of effective damping and linewidth.The soft magnetic properties and effective damping parameters of Fe73Co25Al2 alloy thin films are discussed. The effective damping parameter αeff measured by ferromagnetic resonance for the 10 nm-thick sample is nearly constant (≈0.004 ± 0.0008) for a growth temperature Ts from ambient to 200 °C, and then tends to decrease for higher temperatures and αeff is 0.002 ± 0.0004 at Ts = 300 °C. For the 80 nm-thick sample, the αeff seems to increase with Ts from αeff = 0.001 ± 0.0002 at Ts = ambient to αeff = 0.002 ± 0.0004. The αeff is found nearly constant (αeff = 0.004 ± 0.0008) over a temperature range from 10 to 300 K for the 10 nm films with the different Ts (ambient, 100 and 200 °C). Together with an increasing non-linearity of the frequency dependence of the linewidth at low Ts, extrinsic contributions such as two-magnon scattering dominate the observed temperature dependence of effective damping and linewidth.

The temperature dependence of magnetic anisotropy of Nd-Fe-B thin films

The magnetic properties of Nd-Fe-B thin films with the three different compositions (#1: Nd12.6Fe81.5B5.9, #2: Nd14.6Fe78.1B7.4 and #3: Nd22.6Fe66.2B11.2) are discussed. With increasing Nd content, the c-axis orientation along the film normal is enhanced. It is found that sample #2 possesses the saturation magnetization Ms very close to that for Nd2Fe14B over a temperature range from 100 to about 300K. The magnetic anisotropy constant Ku2 for sample #2 is the highest among those samples, but smaller by about 20%, as compared to that for Nd2Fe14B. It is of interest to note that the temperature TR at which Ku1 changes its sign is lower by about 30K as compared to that previously reported for Nd2Fe14B. The reason for this discrepancy is not clear, but could be due to the presence of the minority phases of Nd-rich compounds and also a possible contribution of the magneto-elastic effect to the net magnetic anisotropy.

Electrodeposition of Ferromagnetic Metal Nanowires

Ni-Fe alloy films and nanowires were fabricated using electrodeposition technique. The cylindrical shape of nanowires was precisely transferred from the nanochannels of membrane filters and the aspect ratio reached to around 60. Coercive force in in-plan direction of Ni-Fe alloy films decreased to ca. 1 Oe with increasing Fe content in deposits while, in perpendicular direction, the films were hardly magnetized. Magnetic hysteresis loops revealed that the nanowires were spontaneously magnetized to the long axis direction and the coercive force reached to ca. 200 Oe.