A Water-Soluble Warped Nanographene: Synthesis and Applications for Photoinduced Cell Death.

Nanographene, a small piece of graphene, has attracted unprecedented interest across diverse scientific disciplines particularly in organic electronics. The biological applications of nanographenes, such as bioimaging, cancer therapies and drug delivery, provide significant opportunities for breakthroughs in the field. However, the intrinsic aggregation behavior and low solubility of nanographenes, which stem from their flat structures, hamper their development for bioapplications. Herein, we report a water-soluble warped nanographene (WNG) that can be easily synthesized by sequential regioselective C-H borylation and cross-coupling reactions of the saddle-shaped WNG core structure. The saddle-shaped structure and hydrophilic tetraethylene glycol chains impart high water solubility to the WNG. The water-soluble WNG possesses a range of promising properties including good photostability and low cytotoxicity. Moreover, the water-soluble WNG was successfully internalized into HeLa cells and promoted photoinduced cell death.

Physcomitrella cyclin-dependent kinase A links cell cycle reactivation to other cellular changes during reprogramming of leaf cells.

During regeneration, differentiated plant cells can be reprogrammed to produce stem cells, a process that requires coordination of cell cycle reactivation with acquisition of other cellular characteristics. However, the factors that coordinate the two functions during reprogramming have not been determined. Here, we report a link between cell cycle reactivation and the acquisition of new cell-type characteristics through the activity of cyclin-dependent kinase A (CDKA) during reprogramming in the moss Physcomitrella patens. Excised gametophore leaf cells of P. patens are readily reprogrammed, initiate tip growth, and form chloronema apical cells with stem cell characteristics at their first cell division. We found that leaf cells facing the cut undergo CDK activation along with induction of a D-type cyclin, tip growth, and transcriptional activation of protonema-specific genes. A DNA synthesis inhibitor, aphidicolin, inhibited cell cycle progression but prevented neither tip growth nor protonemal gene expression, indicating that cell cycle progression is not required for acquisition of protonema cell-type characteristics. By contrast, treatment with a CDK inhibitor or induction of dominant-negative CDKA;1 protein inhibited not only cell cycle progression but also tip growth and protonemal gene expression. These findings indicate that cell cycle progression is coordinated with other cellular changes by the concomitant regulation through CDKA;1.

N-aryl pyrido cyanine derivatives are nuclear and organelle DNA markers for two-photon and super-resolution imaging.

Live cell imaging using fluorescent DNA markers are an indispensable molecular tool in various biological and biomedical fields. It is a challenge to develop DNA probes that avoid UV light photo-excitation, have high specificity for DNA, are cell-permeable and are compatible with cutting-edge imaging techniques such as super-resolution microscopy. Herein, we present N-aryl pyrido cyanine (N-aryl-PC) derivatives as a class of long absorption DNA markers with absorption in the wide range of visible light. The high DNA specificity and membrane permeability allow the staining of both organelle DNA as well as nuclear DNA, in various cell types, including plant tissues, without the need for washing post-staining. N-aryl-PC dyes are also highly compatible with a separation of photon by lifetime tuning method in stimulated emission depletion microscopy (SPLIT-STED) for super-resolution imaging as well as two-photon microscopy for deep tissue imaging, making it a powerful tool in the life sciences.

Development of Microfluidic Devices to Study the Elongation Capability of Tip-growing Plant Cells in Extremely Small Spaces.

In vivo, tip-growing plant cells need to overcome a series of physical barriers; however, researchers lack the methodology to visualize cellular behavior in such restrictive conditions. To address this issue, we have developed growth chambers for tip-growing plant cells that contain a series of narrow, micro-fabricated gaps (~1 µm) in a poly-dimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrate. This transparent material allows the user to monitor tip elongation processes in individual cells during microgap penetration by time-lapse imaging. Using this experimental platform, we observed morphological changes in pollen tubes as they penetrated the microgap. We captured the dynamic changes in the shape of a fluorescently labeled vegetative nucleus and sperm cells in a pollen tube during this process. Furthermore, we demonstrated the capability of root hairs and moss protonemata to penetrate the 1 µm gap. This in vitro platform can be used to study how individual cells respond to physically constrained spaces and may provide insights into tip-growth mechanisms.

Frem3, a member of the 12 CSPG repeats-containing extracellular matrix protein family, is a basement membrane protein with tissue distribution patterns distinct from those of Fras1, Frem2, and QBRICK/Frem1.

A novel protein family characterized by the presence of 12 CSPG repeats and Calx-beta domains includes Fras1, QBRICK/Frem1, Frem2 and Frem3. Although Fras1, QBRICK/Frem1 and Frem2 have been shown to localize at the basement membrane through reciprocal stabilization, it remains unclear whether Frem3 is also deposited at the basement membrane in a similar manner. Here we show that Frem3 localizes at the basement membrane with tissue distribution patterns clearly distinct from those of other 12 CSPG repeats-containing proteins (12-CSPG proteins). In adult mice, Frem3 was present at the basement membrane underlying ductal cells of the salivary gland, retinal ganglion cells, basal cells of epidermis and hair follicles, where other 12-CSPG proteins were barely expressed. In embryos and neonates, the expression of Frem3 transcripts was significantly lower than that of the other 12-CSPG proteins, although Frem3 protein was coexpressed with other 12-CSPG proteins at the basement membranes of retina, renal epithelia and epidermis. Interestingly, Frem3 deposition at the epidermal basement membrane was not severely compromised in blebbing mutant embryos, in which the basement membrane deposition of other 12-CSPG proteins was dramatically reduced due to the breakdown of their reciprocal stabilization. These results indicate that Frem3 is a basement membrane protein that is distinct from other 12-CSPG proteins in its tissue distribution and competence to assemble into the basement membrane.

Capability of tip-growing plant cells to penetrate into extremely narrow gaps.

Plant cells are covered with rigid cell walls, yet tip-growing cells can elongate by providing new cell wall material to their apical regions. Studies of the mechanical properties of tip-growing plant cells typically involve measurement of the turgor pressure and stiffness of the cells' apical regions. These experiments, however, do not address how living tip-growing cells react when they encounter physical obstacles that are not substantially altered by turgor pressure. To investigate this issue, we constructed microfabricated platforms with a series of artificial gaps as small as 1 µm, and examined the capability of tip-growing plant cells, including pollen tubes, root hairs, and moss protonemata, to penetrate into these gaps. The cells were grown inside microfluidic chambers and guided towards the gaps using microdevices customized for each cell type. All types of tip-growing cells could grow through the microgaps with their organelles intact, even though the gaps were much smaller than the cylindrical cell diameter. Our findings reveal the dramatic physiological and developmental flexibility of tip-growing plant cells. The microfluidic platforms designed in this study provide novel tools for the elucidation of the mechanical properties of tip-growing plant cells in extremely small spaces.

Cells reprogramming to stem cells inhibit the reprogramming of adjacent cells in the moss Physcomitrella patens.

Under certain circumstances differentiated cells can be reprogrammed to form stem cells in land plants, but only a portion of the cells reprograms successfully. A long-distance inhibitory signal from reprogrammed cells to surrounding cells has been reported in some ferns. Here we show the existence of anisotropic inhibitory signal to regulate stem cell formation in the moss Physcomitrella patens. When single cells were isolated from a gametophore leaf, over 90% of them were reprogrammed to stem cells with characteristic nuclear expansion. By contrast, when two adjacent cells were isolated, the nuclei of both cells expanded, but successful reprogramming of both cells occurred only in approximately one fifth of the pairs. When three aligned cells were isolated, the reprogramming rate of both edge cells decreased with a living middle cell but did not with a dead middle cell. Furthermore, unequal conversion into stem cells was more prominent in cell pairs aligned parallel to the proximal-distal leaf axis than in those perpendicular to the axis. This study gives an insight into the role of the inhibitory signal in development and evolution as well as the efficient stem cell induction from differentiated cells.

Key Structural Elements of Unsymmetrical Cyanine Dyes for Highly Sensitive Fluorescence Turn-On DNA Probes.

Unsymmetrical cyanine dyes, such as thiazole orange, are useful for the detection of nucleic acids with fluorescence because they dramatically enhance the fluorescence upon binding to nucleic acids. Herein, we synthesized a series of unsymmetrical cyanine dyes and evaluated their fluorescence properties. A systematic structure-property relationship study has revealed that the dialkylamino group at the 2-position of quinoline in a series of unsymmetrical cyanine dyes plays a critical role in the fluorescence enhancement. Four newly designed unsymmetrical cyanine dyes showed negligible intrinsic fluorescence in the free state and strong fluorescence upon binding to double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) with a quantum yield of 0.53 to 0.90, which is 2 to 3 times higher than previous unsymmetrical cyanine dyes. A detailed analysis of the fluorescence lifetime revealed that the dialkylamino group at the 2-position of quinoline suppressed nonradiative decay in favor of increased fluorescence quantum yield. Moreover, these newly developed dyes were able to stain the nucleus specifically in fixed HeLa cells examined by using a confocal laser-scanning microscope.

Identification and characterization of photomedins: novel olfactomedin-domain-containing proteins with chondroitin sulphate-E-binding activity.

We screened more than 60000 RIKEN mouse cDNAs for novel ECM (extracellular matrix) proteins by extensive computational screening followed by recombinant expression and immunohistochemical characterization. We identified two novel olfactomedin-family proteins characterized by the presence of tandem CXCXCX9C motifs in the N-terminal region, a coiled-coil domain and an olfactomedin domain in the C-terminal region. These proteins, named photomedin-1 and photomedin-2, were secreted as disulphide-bonded dimers (photomedin-1) or oligomers/multimers (photomedin-2) with O-linked carbohydrate chains, although photomedin-1 was proteolytically processed in the middle of the molecule after secretion. In the retina, photomedin-1 was selectively expressed in the outer segment of photoreceptor cells and photomedin-2 was expressed in all retinal neurons. Among a panel of ECM components, including glycosaminoglycans, photomedins preferentially bound to chondroitin sulphate-E and heparin. These results, together, indicate that photomedins are novel olfactomedin-domain-containing extracellular proteins capable of binding to proteoglycans containing these glycosaminoglycan chains.

Quantification of pollen tube attraction in response to guidance by female gametophyte tissue using artificial microscale pathway.

We developed two types of artificial platforms, T-junction and crossroad microchannel devices, and obtained guidance response ratio of pollen tubes to the female tissue as 56-57%. The crossroad device was also able to collect the attracted pollen tubes with high purity, which is useful for future omics analysis.

Identification of genes expressed during hair follicle induction.

The hair follicle is one of the skin appendages that develops through reciprocal epithelial-mesenchymal interactions. Although a large number of studies have been made on the mechanisms of hair follicle development, the whole molecular mechanism that governs hair follicle development remains poorly defined. To further understand the molecular basis of hair follicle development, it is necessary to identify genes that drive hair morphogenesis. As an initial approach, we attempted to identify gene products associated with mouse hair follicle development. Genes upregulated in the vibrissal hair placodes were screened by polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based cDNA subtraction. The genes thus isolated were evaluated for their hair development-associated induction and spatiotemporal expression by quantitative reverse-transcription-PCR analysis and whole-mount in situ hybridization, respectively. Finally, we identified four genes whose upregulation and spatiotemporal expression in developing hair follicles were confirmed. Successful identification of novel hair development-associated genes will be informative as clues for further characterization of hair follicle development at the molecular level.

Breakdown of the reciprocal stabilization of QBRICK/Frem1, Fras1, and Frem2 at the basement membrane provokes Fraser syndrome-like defects.

An emerging family of extracellular matrix proteins characterized by 12 consecutive CSPG repeats and the presence of Calx-beta motif(s) includes Fras1, QBRICK/Frem1, and Frem2. Mutations in the genes encoding these proteins have been associated with mouse models of Fraser syndrome, which is characterized by subepidermal blistering, cryptophthalmos, syndactyly, and renal dysmorphogenesis. Here, we report that all of these proteins are localized to the basement membrane, and that their basement membrane localization is simultaneously impaired in Fraser syndrome model mice. In Frem2 mutant mice, not only Frem2 but Fras1 and QBRICK/Frem1 were depleted from the basement membrane zone. This coordinated reduction in basement membrane deposition was also observed in another Fraser syndrome model mouse, in which GRIP1, a Fras1- and Frem2-interacting adaptor protein, is primarily affected. Targeted disruption of Qbrick/Frem1 also resulted in diminished expression of Fras1 and Frem2 at the epidermal basement membrane, confirming the reciprocal stabilization of QBRICK/Frem1, Fras1, and Frem2 in this location. When expressed and secreted by transfected cells, these proteins formed a ternary complex, raising the possibility that their reciprocal stabilization at the basement membrane is due to complex formation. Given the close association of Fraser syndrome phenotypes with defective epidermal-dermal interactions, the coordinated assembly of three Fraser syndrome-associated proteins at the basement membrane appears to be instrumental in epidermal-dermal interactions during morphogenetic processes.

Identification of a novel cell-adhesive protein spatiotemporally expressed in the basement membrane of mouse developing hair follicle.

We used PCR-based cDNA subtraction to screen for genes up-regulated during mouse hair morphogenesis. One gene selected was predominantly expressed at the tip of developing hair follicles and encoded a protein characterized by the presence of twelve tandem repeats of approximately 120 amino acids and a novel N-terminal domain containing an Arg-Gly-Asp cell-adhesive motif. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated that the protein encoded by this gene, named QBRICK, was localized at the basement membrane zone of embryonic epidermis and hair follicles, in which it was more enriched at the tip rather than the stalk region. Cell adhesion assays showed that QBRICK was active in mediating cell-substratum adhesion through integrins containing alphav or alpha8 chain, but not integrin alpha5beta1. Immunohistochemistry showed that QBRICK colocalized with alphav-containing integrins in the interfollicular region, but with the alpha8-containing integrin at the tip region of developing hair follicles. These results, together, indicate that QBRICK is an adhesive ligand of basement membrane distinctively recognized by cells in the embryonic skin and hair follicles through different types of integrins directed to the Arg-Gly-Asp motif.

Expression of MAEG, a novel basement membrane protein, in mouse hair follicle morphogenesis.

We screened for genes specifically expressed in the mesenchymes of developing hair follicles using representational differential analysis; one gene identified was MAEG, which encodes a protein consisting of five EGF-like repeats, a linker segment containing a cell-adhesive Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) motif, and a MAM domain. Immunohistochemistry showed that MAEG protein was localized at the basement membrane of embryonic skin and developing hair follicles, while MAEG expression diminished at the tip of the hair bud. A recombinant MAEG fragment containing the RGD motif was active in mediating adhesion of keratinocytes to the substratum in an RGD-dependent manner. One of the adhesion receptors recognizing the RGD motif was found to be the alpha8beta1 integrin, the expression of which was detected in the placode close to MAEG-positive mesenchymal cells, but later became restricted to the tip of the developing hair bud. Given its localized expression at the basement membrane in developing hair follicles and the RGD-dependent cell-adhesive activity, MAEG may play a role as a mediator regulating epithelial-mesenchymal interaction through binding to RGD-binding integrins including alpha8beta1 during hair follicle development.