LUBAC-mediated linear ubiquitination in tissue homeostasis and disease.

In addition to its role in the ubiquitin-proteasome system of protein degradation, polyubiquitination is involved in the regulation of intracellular events. Depending on the type of ubiquitin-ubiquitin linkage used, polyubiquitin can assume several types of structures. The spatiotemporal dynamics of polyubiquitin involve multiple adaptor proteins and induce different downstream outputs. Linear ubiquitination, in which the N-terminal methionine on the acceptor ubiquitin serves as the site for ubiquitin-ubiquitin conjugation, is a rare and atypical type of polyubiquitin modification. The production of linear ubiquitin chains is dependent on various external inflammatory stimuli and leads to the transient activation of the downstream NF-κB signalling pathway. This in turn suppresses extrinsic programmed cell death signals and protects cells from activation-induced cell death under inflammatory conditions. Recent evidence has revealed the role of linear ubiquitination in various biological processes under both physiological and pathological conditions. This led us to propose that linear ubiquitination may be pivotal in the 'inflammatory adaptation' of cells, and consequently in tissue homeostasis and inflammatory disease. In this review, we focused on the physiological and pathophysiological roles of linear ubiquitination in vivo in response to a changing inflammatory microenvironment.

Linear ubiquitination-induced necrotic tumor remodeling elicits immune evasion.

Tumor-elicited inflammation confers tumorigenic properties, including cell death resistance, proliferation, or immune evasion. To focus on inflammatory signaling in tumors, we investigated linear ubiquitination, which enhances the nuclear factor-κB signaling pathway and prevents extrinsic programmed cell death under inflammatory environments. Here, we showed that linear ubiquitination was augmented especially in tumor cells around a necrotic core. Linear ubiquitination allowed melanomas to tolerate the hostile tumor microenvironment and to extend a necrosis-containing morphology. Loss of linear ubiquitination resulted in few necrotic lesions and growth regression, further leading to repression of innate anti-PD-1 therapy resistance signatures in melanoma as well as activation of interferon responses and antigen presentation that promote immune-mediated tumor eradication. Collectively, linear ubiquitination promotes tumor-specific tissue remodeling and the ensuing immune evasion.

Genetic deletion and pharmacologic inhibition of E3 ubiquitin ligase HOIP impairs the propagation of myeloid leukemia.

We investigated the role of Hoip, a catalytic subunit of linear ubiquitin chain assembly complex (LUBAC), in adult hematopoiesis and myeloid leukemia by using both conditional deletion of Hoip and small-molecule chemical inhibitors of Hoip. Conditional deletion of Hoip led to significantly longer survival and marked depletion of leukemia burden in murine myeloid leukemia models. Nevertheless, a competitive transplantation assay showed the reduction of donor-derived cells in the bone marrow of recipient mice was relatively mild after conditional deletion of Hoip. Although both Hoip-deficient hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and leukemia stem cells (LSCs) impaired the maintenance of quiescence, conditional deletion of Hoipinduced apoptosis in LSCs but not HSCs in vivo. Structure-function analysis revealed that LUBAC ligase activity and the interaction of LUBAC subunits were critical for the propagation of leukemia. Hoip regulated oxidative phosphorylation pathway independently of nuclear factor kappa B pathway in leukemia, but not in normal hematopoietic cells. Finally, the administration of thiolutin, which inhibits the catalytic activity of Hoip, improved the survival of recipients in murine myeloid leukemia and suppressed propagation in the patient-derived xenograft model of myeloid leukemia. Collectively, these data indicate that inhibition of LUBAC activity may be a valid therapeutic target for myeloid leukemia.

Differential involvement of LUBAC-mediated linear ubiquitination in intestinal epithelial cells and macrophages during intestinal inflammation.

Disruption of the intestinal epithelial barrier and dysregulation of macrophages are major factors contributing to the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs). Activation of NF-κB and cell death are involved in maintaining intestinal homeostasis in a cell type-dependent manner. Although both are regulated by linear ubiquitin chain assembly complex (LUBAC)-mediated linear ubiquitination, the physiological relevance of linear ubiquitination to intestinal inflammation remains unexplored. Here, we used two experimental mouse models of IBD (intraperitoneal LPS and oral dextran sodium sulfate [DSS] administration) to examine the role of linear ubiquitination in intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) and macrophages during intestinal inflammation. We did this by deleting the linear ubiquitination activity of LUBAC specifically from IECs or macrophages. Upon LPS administration, loss of ligase activity in IECs induced mucosal inflammation and augmented IEC death. LPS-mediated death of LUBAC-defective IECs was triggered by TNF. IEC death was rescued by an anti-TNF antibody, and TNF (but not LPS) induced apoptosis of organoids derived from LUBAC-defective IECs. However, augmented TNF-mediated IEC death did not overtly affect the severity of colitis after DSS administration. By contrast, defective LUBAC ligase activity in macrophages ameliorated DSS-induced colitis by attenuating both infiltration of macrophages and expression of inflammatory cytokines. Decreased production of macrophage chemoattractant MCP-1/CCL2, as well as pro-inflammatory IL-6 and TNF, occurred through impaired activation of NF-κB and ERK via loss of ligase activity in macrophages. Taken together, these results indicate that both intraperitoneal LPS and oral DSS administrations are beneficial for evaluating epithelial integrity under inflammatory conditions, as well as macrophage functions in the event of an epithelial barrier breach. The data clarify the cell-specific roles of linear ubiquitination as a critical regulator of TNF-mediated epithelial integrity and macrophage pro-inflammatory responses during intestinal inflammation. © 2022 The Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland.

Role of linear ubiquitination in inflammatory responses and tissue homeostasis.

Polyubiquitination is a post-translational modification involved in a wide range of immunological events, including inflammatory responses, immune cell differentiation, and development of inflammatory diseases. The versatile functions of polyubiquitination are based on different types of ubiquitin linkage, which enable various UBD (ubiquitin binding domain)-containing adaptor proteins to associate and induce distinct biological outputs. A unique and atypical type of polyubiquitin chain comprising a conjugation between the N-terminal methionine of the proximal ubiquitin moiety and the C-terminal glycine of the distal ubiquitin moiety, referred to as a linear or M1-linked ubiquitin chain, has been studied exclusively within the field of immunology because it is distinct from other polyubiquitin forms: linear ubiquitin chains are generated predominantly by various inflammatory stimulants, including tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß), and act as a critical modulator of transient and optimal signal transduction. Moreover, accumulating evidence suggests that linear ubiquitin chains are of physiological significance. Dysregulation of linear ubiquitination triggers chronic inflammation and immunodeficiency via downregulation of linear ubiquitin-dependent nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) signaling and by triggering TNF-α-induced cell death, suggesting that linear ubiquitination is a homeostatic regulator of tissue-specific functions. In this review, we focus on our current understating of the molecular and cellular mechanisms by which linear ubiquitin chains control inflammatory environments. Furthermore, we review the role of linear ubiquitination on T cell development, differentiation, and function, thereby providing insight into its direct association with maintaining the immune system.

ABIN1 is a signal-induced autophagy receptor that attenuates NF-κB activation by recognizing linear ubiquitin chains.

Linear ubiquitin chains play pivotal roles in immune signaling by augmenting NF-κB activation and suppressing programmed cell death induced by various stimuli. A20-binding inhibitor of NF-κB 1 (ABIN1) binds to linear ubiquitin chains and attenuates NF-κB activation and cell death induction. Although interactions with linear ubiquitin chains are thought to play a role in ABIN1-mediated suppression of NF-κB and cell death, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we show that upon stimulation by Toll-like receptor (TLR) ligands, ABIN1 is phosphorylated on Ser 83 and functions as a selective autophagy receptor. ABIN1 recognizes components of the MyD88 signaling complex via interaction with linear ubiquitin chains conjugated to components of the complex in TLR signaling, which leads to autophagic degradation of signaling proteins and attenuated NF-κB signaling. Our current findings indicate that phosphorylation and linear ubiquitination also play a role in downregulation of signaling via selective induction of autophagy.

The HOIL-1L ligase modulates immune signalling and cell death via monoubiquitination of LUBAC.

The linear ubiquitin chain assembly complex (LUBAC), which consists of HOIP, SHARPIN and HOIL-1L, promotes NF-κB activation and protects against cell death by generating linear ubiquitin chains. LUBAC contains two RING-IBR-RING (RBR) ubiquitin ligases (E3), and the HOIP RBR is responsible for catalysing linear ubiquitination. We found that HOIL-1L RBR plays a crucial role in regulating LUBAC. HOIL-1L RBR conjugates monoubiquitin onto all LUBAC subunits, followed by HOIP-mediated conjugation of linear chains onto monoubiquitin, and these linear chains attenuate the functions of LUBAC. The introduction of E3-defective HOIL-1L mutants into cells augmented linear ubiquitination, which protected the cells against Salmonella infection and cured dermatitis caused by reduced LUBAC levels due to SHARPIN loss. Our results reveal a regulatory mode of E3 ligases in which the accessory E3 in LUBAC downregulates the main E3 by providing preferred substrates for autolinear ubiquitination. Thus, inhibition of HOIL-1L E3 represents a promising strategy for treating severe infections or immunodeficiency.

LUBAC accelerates B-cell lymphomagenesis by conferring resistance to genotoxic stress on B cells.

The linear ubiquitin chain assembly complex (LUBAC) is a key regulator of NF-κB signaling. Activating single-nucleotide polymorphisms of HOIP, the catalytic subunit of LUBAC, are enriched in patients with activated B-cell-like (ABC) diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), and expression of HOIP, which parallels LUBAC activity, is elevated in ABC-DLBCL samples. Thus, to clarify the precise roles of LUBAC in lymphomagenesis, we generated a mouse model with augmented expression of HOIP in B cells. Interestingly, augmented HOIP expression facilitated DLBCL-like B-cell lymphomagenesis driven by MYD88-activating mutation. The developed lymphoma cells partly shared somatic gene mutations with human DLBCLs, with increased frequency of a typical AID mutation pattern. In vitro analysis revealed that HOIP overexpression protected B cells from DNA damage-induced cell death through NF-κB activation, and analysis of the human DLBCL database showed that expression of HOIP positively correlated with gene signatures representing regulation of apoptosis signaling, as well as NF-κB signaling. These results indicate that HOIP facilitates lymphomagenesis by preventing cell death and augmenting NF-κB signaling, leading to accumulation of AID-mediated mutations. Furthermore, a natural compound that specifically inhibits LUBAC was shown to suppress the tumor growth in a mouse transplantation model. Collectively, our data indicate that LUBAC is crucially involved in B-cell lymphomagenesis through protection against DNA damage-induced cell death and is a suitable therapeutic target for B-cell lymphomas.

Modulation of autoimmune pathogenesis by T cell-triggered inflammatory cell death.

T cell-mediated autoimmunity encompasses diverse immunopathological outcomes; however, the mechanisms underlying this diversity are largely unknown. Dysfunction of the tripartite linear ubiquitin chain assembly complex (LUBAC) is associated with distinct autonomous immune-related diseases. Cpdm mice lacking Sharpin, an accessory subunit of LUBAC, have innate immune cell-predominant dermatitis triggered by death of LUBAC-compromised keratinocytes. Here we show that specific gene ablation of Sharpin in mouse Treg causes phenotypes mimicking cpdm-like inflammation. Mechanistic analyses find that multiple types of programmed cell death triggered by TNF from tissue-oriented T cells initiate proinflammatory responses to implicate innate immune-mediated pathogenesis in this T cell-mediated inflammation. Moreover, additional disruption of the Hoip locus encoding the catalytic subunit of LUBAC converts cpdm-like dermatitis to T cell-predominant autoimmune lesions; however, innate immune-mediated pathogenesis still remains. These findings show that T cell-mediated killing and sequential autoinflammation are common and crucial for pathogenic diversity during T cell-mediated autoimmune responses.

Hydrophobic CDR3 residues promote the development of self-reactive T cells.

Studies of individual T cell antigen receptors (TCRs) have shed some light on structural features that underlie self-reactivity. However, the general rules that can be used to predict whether TCRs are self-reactive have not been fully elucidated. Here we found that the interfacial hydrophobicity of amino acids at positions 6 and 7 of the complementarity-determining region CDR3ß robustly promoted the development of self-reactive TCRs. This property was found irrespective of the member of the ß-chain variable region (Vß) family present in the TCR or the length of the CDR3ß. An index based on these findings distinguished Vß2(+), Vß6(+) and Vß8.2(+) regulatory T cells from conventional T cells and also distinguished CD4(+) T cells selected by the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II molecule I-A(g7) (associated with the development of type 1 diabetes in NOD mice) from those selected by a non-autoimmunity-promoting MHC class II molecule I-A(b). Our results provide a means for distinguishing normal T cell repertoires versus autoimmunity-prone T cell repertoires.

Perspective imaging of flow in arterial model obtained with continuous wave Doppler focusing technique.

Flowing emboli in the circulatory system cause fatal diseases such as stroke or pulmonary embolism. Conventional transcranial Doppler ultrasound for detection of emboli requires precise positioning by experienced examiner. In the present study, an easier emboli detection device by visualizing perspective view of blood vessel is proposed. The perspective image was obtained with continuous wave (CW) Doppler ultrasound from 2-dimensional array probe. CW Doppler signal from each element was focused by novel beam forming algorithm to obtain en face images at arbitrary depth to form perspective image. Flow in arterial phantom was clearly visualized with CW Doppler focusing technique. The measured flow speed was 0.75 m/s (the theoretical flow speed: 0.796 m/s). The device may contribute for non-invasive and easier diagnosis of flowing emboli to prevent fatal embolus diseases at early stage.

Role of T cell-glial cell interactions in creating and amplifying central nervous system inflammation and multiple sclerosis disease symptoms.

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory disease of the Central Nervous System (CNS) that causes the demyelination of nerve cells and destroys oligodendrocytes, neurons and axons. Historically, MS has been thought of as a T cell-mediated autoimmune disease of CNS white matter. However, recent studies have identified gray matter lesions in MS patients, suggesting that CNS antigens other than myelin proteins may be involved during the MS disease process. We have recently found that T cells targeting astrocyte-specific antigens can drive unique aspects of inflammatory CNS autoimmunity, including the targeting of gray matter and white matter of the brain and inducing heterogeneous clinical disease courses. In addition to being a target of T cells, astrocytes play a critical role in propagating the inflammatory response within the CNS induced NF-κB signaling. Here, we will discuss the pathophysiology of CNS inflammation mediated by T cell-glial cell interactions and its contributions to CNS autoimmunity.

Roles of linear ubiquitinylation, a crucial regulator of NF-κB and cell death, in the immune system.

Linear ubiquitinylation, a newly identified post-translational modification, is catalyzed by the linear ubiquitin assembly complex (LUBAC), which is composed of three different subunits, HOIL-1L (heme-oxidized IRP2 ligase 1L), HOIP (HOIL-1 interacting protein), and SHARPIN (SHANK-associated RH domain-interacting protein). LUBAC plays a critical role in the activation of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) signaling triggered by a variety of stimuli, including tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß), and pathogen-derived components, and in the protection from cell death. Loss of function of SHARPIN in mice triggers chronic inflammation in multiple organs including the skin, as well as immunodeficiency. In humans, mutations in the gene encoding HOIL-1L cause chronic hyperinflammation and immunodeficiency, which are both associated with decreased levels of LUBAC. The linear ubiquitinylation activity of LUBAC is indispensable for B-cell function in mice, and hyperactivation of LUBAC is associated with oncogenesis in certain forms of B-cell lymphoma. In this review, the current understanding of the biochemistry of LUBAC-mediated linear ubiquitinylation and its involvement in the immune system are discussed.

Thymoproteasomes produce unique peptide motifs for positive selection of CD8(+) T cells.

Positive selection in the thymus provides low-affinity T-cell receptor (TCR) engagement to support the development of potentially useful self-major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC-I)-restricted T cells. Optimal positive selection of CD8(+) T cells requires cortical thymic epithelial cells that express ß5t-containing thymoproteasomes (tCPs). However, how tCPs govern positive selection is unclear. Here we show that the tCPs produce unique cleavage motifs in digested peptides and in MHC-I-associated peptides. Interestingly, MHC-I-associated peptides carrying these tCP-dependent motifs are enriched with low-affinity TCR ligands that efficiently induce the positive selection of functionally competent CD8(+) T cells in antigen-specific TCR-transgenic models. These results suggest that tCPs contribute to the positive selection of CD8(+) T cells by preferentially producing low-affinity TCR ligand peptides.

In situ observation of carbon nanotube yarn during voltage application.

Carbon nanotube (CNT) yarns are fabricated by drawing (combined with spinning) from CNT forests and grown on a substrate. Three types of phenomena occur in these CNT yarns with increasing amounts of current: yarn rotation, catalyst evaporation, and breakage of the yarn. These phenomena result from the resistive heating occurring during the current flow, and have been observed in situ under vacuum by transmission electron microscopy. If these CNT yarns are applied to electronic circuits, the rotation and breakage may lead to circuit failure. However, catalyst evaporation is a useful method for purifying CNT yarns without additional treatments prior to yarn fabrication.

Measurement of Proteasome Activity in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells as an Indicator of Susceptibility to Bortezomib-Induced Severe Neurological Adverse Events in Patients with Multiple Myeloma.

AIMS: To explore the biomarker for predicting the occurrence of adverse events in myeloma patients treated by intravenous bortezomib, we measured proteasome activity in peripheral blood mononuclear cells. METHODS: Samples were obtained from 34 bortezomib-naïve patients. Proteasome activity was measured at pre- and postchemotherapy phase by using a synthetic substrate. RESULTS: Bortezomib injection resulted in a dramatic decrease in proteasome activity, reaching 32.4 ± 18.79% (mean ± SD) of the pretreatment level at 1 h, but it generally recovered at the end of the first course. In total, 6 patients manifested with severe bortezomib-induced peripheral neuropathy (sBIPN) in the second-third course. There was a nonsignificant trend for these patients to have lower levels of the relative proteasome activity at the end of the first course than those without sBIPN (median: 74.03 vs. 103.2%, p = 0.052). Moreover, in all of them, proteasome activity did not recover to the pretreatment level, whereas no patients with complete recovery manifested with sBIPN. Analysis with Fisher's exact test demonstrated that incomplete recovery of proteasome activity is a significant risk factor for sBIPN (p = 0.014). CONCLUSION: Patients with incomplete recovery of proteasome activity are at high risk for developing sBIPN, and the susceptible patients can be indicated by monitoring proteasome activity.

Formation of secondary phase at grain boundary of flash-sintered BaTiO3.

Recently, Raj et.al. have developed a very unique sintering technique, called flash-sintering [1]. According to their report, fully densified ZrO2-3mol%Y2O3 ceramic bulks were successfully obtained only at 800°C for 5sec. Considering the conventional sintering condition around 1500°C for a few hours necessary to obtain ZrO2-3mol%Y2O3 ceramic bulks, their sintering technique is very attracting from a viewpoint of sintering temperature, soaking time and further the physical phenomena. The flash-sintering is a technique that green compacts were heating under application of high electric field. When furnace temperature reaches at a critical temperature, the electric current abruptly increases and the compact sinters near full density with a very high shrinkage rate. So far, a few studies about flash-sintering were reported for Y2O3 [2], SrTiO3, MgO-Al2O3. To understand the detail mechanism of flash-sintering, more case studies must be necessary. In this study, we focused BaTiO3 widely used for electro-ceramics, which has not been investigated from a viewpoint of flash-sintering.Green compacts were prepared from BaTiO3 raw powders (0.1-m, 99.9%, SAKAI chemical industry Co. Ltd., Lot. No.1308607) after uniaxially pressed at 100MPa into a rectangular shape with 2x10x30mm(3). The green compacts were suspended into a box type furnace by Pt-wires with Pt-based paste. Then, the furnace temperature was raised at 300°C/h under application of electric field ranged from 25V/cm to 350V/cm with monitoring the specimen current. After sintering, the shrinkages, microstructure of the sintered compacts were investigated.Sintering rates at all electric fields were found to be accelerated by applying electric field in BaTiO3. The appearance of abrupt current increment was confirmed over the application of 75V/cm. For example, a density of green compact reached about 90% relative density of BaTiO3 only at 1020°C for 1min at 100V/cm. However, the final shrinkages were revealed to decrease with an increase in electric fields, which is very different from the case of ZrO2-3mol%Y2O3 and Y2O3 ceramics. This fact means that application of high electric fields does not effectively operate for enhancement of shrinkage rates in the case of BaTiO3. In contrast, only gradual current increment was observed at 25V/cm, which is categorized in field-assisted sintering (FAST) process. The density of the green compact at 25V/cm was more than 95%.To investigate the mechanism of the decrease in a total shrinkage with electric fields, the microstructure of flash-sintered compact was observed. As a result, it was found that discharge occurs during flash-sintering process, indicating that the input power due to high electric fields does not work effectively. A typical example of the microstructure near the discharge area is shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a TEM bright field image taken from BaTiO3 flash-sintered at 100V/cm. As seen in the image, the formation of a secondary phase along the grain boundary can be clearly seen. Diffractometric and EDS analysis have revealed that the secondary phase is BaTi4O9, one of compounds between BaO and TiO2 system. By discharging, grain boundaries partially melt and a part of Ba vaporizes to form BaTi4O9 with cooling. To investigate flash-sintering behaviors, it was concluded that FAST process play an important role to enhance the shrinklage rate in the case of BaTiO3.jmicro;63/suppl_1/i19/DFU048F1F1DFU048F1Fig. 1.TEM bright field image of a secondary phase and the electron diffraction pattern taken from the secondary phase.

Surface precipitates formed on annealed LSAT (001) single crystal.

LSAT (La0.3Sr0.7)(Al0.65Ta0.35)O3, which has a complex perovskite structure of (A'A'')(B'B'')O3, is expected as an attracting substrates for GaN and high temperature superconductivity oxides solid thin films from a viewpoint of the suitable lattice matching. To grow high quality thin film, it is very important to prepare step-terrace structure on substrates used for thin film growth. For this purpose, a technique of annealing substrates with mirror surface is often used. However, surface precipitates, called surface mounts, are reported to appear after annealing LSAT substrates [1]. In this study, we investigated the surface precipitates formed on annealed LSAT surfaces by TEM/STEM. Further, we directly confirmed the terminated atomic layers at the annealed LSAT surfaces in the area without surface precipitates.Commercially available LSAT single crystal substrates with (001) surfaces (SHINKOSHA CO.,LTD) were used for TEM/STEM observation. After annealing at 1300°C for 30 min in air, the (001) surface structures were observed from [110] direction using cross sectional thin foils. The thin foils were prepared by joining two annealed LSAT (001) surfaces with glue, grinding, polishing and finally Ar ion milling. TEM/STEM observation was conducted by JEOL ARM-200F (a double Cs-corrector type for TEM/STEM) operated at 200kV.Surface mounds were confirmed to appear on LSAT crystal surface after annealing at the annealing condition used in this study. A typical example is shown in Fig. 1. shows TEM bright field image taken from the surface area of LSAT (001) after annealing. The observation direction of the image is [110], which is parallel to the annealed surface. Cross sectional images of surface mounts with 300nm was clearly seen as indicated by the arrows in the image. The height of the mounts is around 20nm, and it is noted that the interfaces between the mounts and LSAT surfaces are hollowed into LSAT crystal with the depth about 10nm. Nano diffractometric and EDS analysis have revealed that the mounts are amorphous structure with mainly Al and Sr. So far, the surface mounts has been considered to be SrO precipitation because the mounts easily dissolve into water. After cleaning in water, smooth surfaces for thin film growth can be considered to be obtained. However, the mounts are revealed to be formed on the hollowed surfaces of LAST as shown in Fig. 1. To use LSAT annealed surfaces as suitable substrates for thin film growth, the hollowed surface structure should be considered.jmicro;63/suppl_1/i20/DFU049F1F1DFU049F1Fig. 1.TEM bright field image of surface mounds on LSAT (001) annealed surface. Meanwhile, we determined the terminated atomic layers of the surface by carrying out high resolved HAADF-STEM observation at the areas without the mounts. After annealing, the surfaces without any mounts have atomically flat (001) surface structure at an atomic level. To clarify the terminated atomic layers, it must be necessary to assign a position of a unit cell for atomically resolved HAADF-STEM image. To carry out the assignment, we used an ordered domain structure exiting in LSAT crystal [2]. In the ordered domains, the cations of Al and Ta occupy at B-site periodically. Observing the B-site ordered domains by HAADF-STEM, the respective B-site atomic columns can be distinguished separately with contrast difference due to the atomic number of Al and Ta ions. To use the contrast variation, we can precisely assign the unit cell position for the obtained HAADF-STEM image. As a result, it was found that the annealed surfaces were terminated at B-site at the area without any mounts. Further, EDS analysis has revealed that Al/Ta ratio at terminated B-site layer is different from that of crystals, which is Al/Ta ∼ 1. There is a report informing that La ions tend to vapor during annealing LSAT [1]. The formation of the surface mounts is closely related to the vaporization of La ions near surfaces. The mounts was formed from residual ions of Al and Sr. As a result, the surface areas without any mounts can be considered to include Ta more.

Analysis of nonlinear intensity attenuation in bright-field TEM images for correct 3D reconstruction of the density in micron-sized materials.

To obtain the correct tomographic reconstruction of micron-sized materials, the nonlinear intensity attenuation of bright-field transmission electron microscopy (BF-TEM) images was analyzed as a function of the sample thickness using a high-voltage electron microscope. The intensity attenuation was precisely measured relative to the projection thickness of carbon microcoils (CMCs) at acceleration voltages of 400-1000 kV using objective apertures (OAs) with radii of 2.1-28 nm(-1). The results show that the nonlinearity is strongly dependent on the OA size and the acceleration voltage. The influence of nonlinearity on tomographic reconstructions was also examined using a specially developed 360°-tilt sample holder. Sliced images of the reconstructed volumes indicated that an increase in the nonlinearity caused artificial fluctuations in the internal density of materials and inaccurate shapes of the objects in more significant cases. Conditions sufficient for reconstruction with the correct density have been estimated to be 0.67 of the minimum electron transmittance, and for reconstructions with correct shapes, 0.4. This information enables foreseeing the quality of the reconstruction from a single BF-TEM image prior to the tilt-series acquisition. As a result to demonstrate the appropriateness of these conditions, a CMC with a diameter of 3.7 µm was reconstructed successfully; i.e. not only the shape but also the internal density were correctly reproduced using electron tomography.

Relapsing-remitting central nervous system autoimmunity mediated by GFAP-specific CD8 T cells.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory disease of the CNS that causes the demyelination of nerve cells and destroys oligodendrocytes, neurons, and axons. Historically, MS has been thought to be a CD4 T cell-mediated autoimmune disease of CNS white matter. However, recent studies identified CD8 T cell infiltrates and gray matter lesions in MS patients. These findings suggest that CD8 T cells and CNS Ags other than myelin proteins may be involved during the MS disease process. In this article, we show that CD8 T cells reactive to glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), a protein expressed in astrocytes, can avoid tolerance mechanisms and, depending upon the T cell-triggering event, drive unique aspects of inflammatory CNS autoimmunity. In GFAP-specific CD8 TCR-transgenic (BG1) mice, tissue resident memory-like CD8 T cells spontaneously infiltrate the gray matter and white matter of the CNS, resulting in a relapsing-remitting CNS autoimmunity. The frequency, severity, and remissions from spontaneous disease are controlled by the presence of polyclonal B cells. In contrast, a viral trigger induces GFAP-specific CD8 T effector cells to exclusively target the meninges and vascular/perivascular space of the gray and white matter of the brain, causing a rapid, acute CNS disease. These findings demonstrate that the type of CD8 T cell-triggering event can determine the presentation of distinct CNS autoimmune disease pathologies.