Optimization of Analytical Conditions for Hydrophilic Nucleic Acids Using Mixed-Mode and Reversed-Phase Pentabromobenzyl Columns.

The aim of this study was to investigate appropriate analytical conditions for hydrophilic nucleosides and nucleotides (monophosphates and triphosphates) by HPLC methods using a mixed-mode AX-C18 column with anion-exchange and hydrophobic interactions by quaternary ammonium and C18, respectively, and a reversed-phase pentabromobenzyl (PBr) column with dispersion force and hydrophobic interactions by PBr group. The higher compound polarity led to stronger retention on AX-C18 (triphosphates > monophosphates > nucleosides). AX-C18 demonstrated feasible retention of nucleotides via anion-exchange interaction by increasing the salt and methanol concentrations. In contrast, on PBr, the lower compound polarity led to stronger retention. On PBr, feasible retention of both nucleosides and nucleotides was obtained via dispersion interactions with purine and pyrimidine rings by increasing the methanol concentration. Regarding the pH of phosphate buffer used as the mobile phase, pH 7.0 should be used in measuring nucleoside triphosphates on AX-C18, whereas pH 2.5 is better suited for measuring nucleotides on PBr. In terms of selectivity to highly hydrophilic nucleotides, the mixed-mode AX-C18 column had an advantage over the reverse-phase PBr column. In contrast, PBr column was more versatile than the AX-C18 column. Taken together, HPLC analyses of nucleosides and nucleotides should be carried out by optimizing the interactions between the stationary phase and nucleic acids.

Effect of increased inspiratory muscle work on blood flow to inactive and active limbs during submaximal dynamic exercise.

NEW FINDINGS: What is the central question of this study? Increased respiratory muscle activation is associated with neural and cardiovascular consequences via the respiratory muscle metaboreflex. Does increased sympathetic vasoconstriction originating from the respiratory musculature elicit a reduction in blood flow to an inactive limb in order to maintain blood flow to an active limb? What is the main finding and its importance? Arm blood flow was reduced whereas leg blood flow was preserved during mild leg exercise with inspiratory resistance. Blood flow to the active limb is maintained via sympathetic control of blood flow redistribution when the respiratory muscle-induced metaboreflex is activated. ABSTRACT: The purpose of this study was to elucidate the effect of increasing inspiratory muscle work on blood flow to inactive and active limbs. Healthy young men (n = 10, 20 ± 2 years of age) performed two bilateral dynamic knee-extension and knee-flexion exercise tests at 40% peak oxygen uptake for 10 min. The trials consisted of spontaneous breathing for 5 min followed by voluntary hyperventilation either with or without inspiratory resistance for 5 min (40% of maximal inspiratory mouth pressure, inspiratory duty cycle of 50% and a breathing frequency of 40 breaths min-1 ). Mean arterial blood pressure was acquired using finger photoplethysmography. Blood flow in the brachial artery (inactive limb) and in the femoral artery (active limb) were monitored using Doppler ultrasound. Mean arterial blood pressure during exercise was higher (P < 0.05) with inspiratory resistance (121 ± 7 mmHg) than without resistance (99 ± 5 mmHg). Brachial artery blood flow increased during exercise without inspiratory resistance (120 ± 31 ml min-1 ) compared with the resting level, whereas it was attenuated with inspiratory resistance (65 ± 43 ml min-1 ). Femoral artery blood flow increased at the onset of exercise and was maintained throughout exercise without inspiratory resistance (2576 ± 640 ml min-1 ) and was unchanged when inspiratory resistance was added (2634 ± 659 ml min-1 ; P > 0.05). These results suggest that sympathetic control of blood redistribution to active limbs is facilitated, in part, by the respiratory muscle-induced metaboreflex.

Characteristics of Japanese Patients with Becker Muscular Dystrophy and Intermediate Muscular Dystrophy in a Japanese National Registry of Muscular Dystrophy (Remudy): Heterogeneity and Clinical Variation.

BACKGROUND: Obtaining an adequate number of patients to conduct a natural history study for rare diseases such as Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD) is difficult. OBJECTIVES: The present study used data from Remudy, a national registry for neuromuscular diseases in Japan, to conduct a phenotypic analysis of BMD. METHODS: We analyzed Remudy data of participants with dystrophinopathy. All participants who were aged 17 and older and were ambulant at age 13 were included in this study. Participants were divided into two groups: those with BMD who were ambulant at age 17, and those with intermediate muscular dystrophy (IMD) who lost ambulation by age 17. Frequent mutations were analyzed by age at ambulation, cardiopulmonary function, and genotype. For clinical comparisons, participants who were administered steroids were excluded. RESULTS: From July 2009 through September 2015, 192 participants had registered with Remudy. Mean participant age was 34.80±13.3 (range, 17-78) years, and 52.1% of participants were ambulant. Of the entire study population, 50.5% had cardiomyopathy and 35.9% had respiratory failure. Three participants required invasive ventilation and 30 required non-invasive ventilation. Nineteen of the 30 non-invasive ventilator users were part-time users. In total, 138 (71.9%) had BMD and 54 (28.1%) had IMD. The most frequent mutation was ex45_ex47del (36 participants). Among participants with frequent in-frame mutations, those with the ex45-49del mutation lost their ambulation earlier than those with the ex45_ex47del mutation. A total of 67 different exon deletions and duplications were identified in the study population. CONCLUSION: We clarified the clinical phenotypes of Japanese patients with BMD/IMD using data from Remudy. Our results suggest that not only IMD but also BMD are associated with risk of respiratory dysfunction.

Elevated sympathetic vasomotor outflow in response to increased inspiratory muscle activity during exercise is less in young women compared with men.

NEW FINDINGS: What is the central question of this study? Premenopausal women have an attenuated inspiratory muscle metaboreflex-induced increase in arterial blood pressure compared with men. It is unclear whether sympathetic vasomotor outflow during dynamic exercise with increased inspiratory muscle activation is less in young women than in men. What is the main finding and its importance? The magnitude of increased sympathetic vasomotor outflow during leg cycling with inspiratory resistance was smaller in women than in men. Less sympathetic vasomotor outflow with inspiratory muscle metaboreflex activation could be one of the mechanisms for the attenuated inspiratory muscle-induced metaboreflex during exercise in young women. ABSTRACT: We compared changes in muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) and cardiovascular variables during leg cycle exercise with increased inspiratory muscle resistance in men and women. We hypothesized that sympathetic vasomotor outflow during exercise with increased inspiratory resistance would be attenuated in young women compared with age-matched men. Eight women and seven men completed the study. The subjects performed two 10 min exercise bouts at 40% peak oxygen uptake using a cycle ergometer in a semirecumbent position [spontaneous breathing for 5 min and voluntary hyperventilation with or without inspiratory resistive breathing for 5 min (breathing frequency 50 breaths min-1 with a 50% duty cycle; inspiratory resistance 30% of maximal inspiratory pressure)]. Mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) was acquired using finger photoplethysmography. The MSNA was recorded via microneurography of the right median nerve at the cubital fossa. During leg cycle exercise with inspiratory resistive breathing, MSNA burst frequency was increased, accompanied by an increase in MAP in both men and women. Women, compared with men, had less of an increase in MAP (women +22.8 ± 12.3 mmHg versus men +32.2 ± 5.4 mmHg; P < 0.05) and MSNA burst frequency (women +9.6 ± 2.9 bursts min-1 versus men +14.6 ± 6.4 bursts min-1 ; P < 0.05). These results suggest that the attenuated inspiratory muscle-induced metaboreflex during exercise in young women is attributable, in part, to a lesser sympathetic vasomotor outflow compared with men.

Blood pressure response during normocapnic hyperpnoea is blunted in young women compared to men.

We hypothesized that young women have a lower arterial blood pressure (BP) response to high inspiratory and expiratory muscle contractions with normocapnic hyperpnoea compared to age-matched men. To test this hypothesis, the cardiovascular response during voluntary normocapnic incremental hyperpnoea was evaluated in young women and compared to that of young men. An incremental respiratory endurance test (IRET) was performed as follows: target minute ventilation was initially set to 30% of the maximal voluntary ventilation (MVV12) and was increased by 10% MVV12 every 3min. The test was terminated when the subject could not maintain the target%MVV. Heart rate and mean arterial BP (MBP) were continuously recorded. The increase in MBP from the baseline (ΔMBP) during the IRET was lower in women than in men (ΔMBP, men: +32.1±4.6mmHg vs. women: +14.9±3.5mmHg at 8min during IRET). This result suggests that young women exhibit a blunted arterial BP response during high-speed inspiratory and expiratory muscle contractions with normocapnic hyperpnoea compared to young men.

Corrigendum: Genetic diagnosis of Duchenne/Becker muscular dystrophy using next-generation sequencing: validation analysis of DMD mutations.

This corrects the article DOI: 10.1038/jhg.2016.7.

Comprehensive analysis for genetic diagnosis of Dystrophinopathies in Japan.

BACKGROUND: Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is the most common disease in children caused by mutations in the DMD gene, and DMD and Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD) are collectively called dystrophinopathies. Dystrophinopathies show a complex mutation spectrum. The importance of mutation databases, with clinical phenotypes and protein studies of patients, is increasingly recognized as a reference for genetic diagnosis and for the development of gene therapy. METHODS: We used the data from the Japanese Registry of Muscular Dystrophy (Remudy) compiled during from July 2009 to March 2017, and reviewed 1497 patients with dystrophinopathies. RESULTS: The spectrum of identified mutations contained exon deletions (61%), exon duplications (13%), nonsense mutations (13%), small deletions (5%), small insertions (3%), splice-site mutations (4%), and missense mutations (1%). Exon deletions were found most frequently in the central hot spot region between exons 45-52 (42%), and most duplications were detected in the proximal hot spot region between exons 3-25 (47%). In the 371 patients harboring a small mutation, 194 mutations were reported and 187 mutations were unreported. CONCLUSIONS: We report the largest dystrophinopathies mutation dataset in Japan from a national patient registry, "Remudy". This dataset provides a useful reference to support the genetic diagnosis and treatment of dystrophinopathy.

Gait characteristics in women's safety shoes.

Although workers in Japan are required to wear safety footwear, there is concern about occupational accidents that occur when wearing safety shoes. This study aimed to analyze the effect of wearing hardsoled safety shoes on both spatiotemporal gait characteristics and the muscle activity in the lower extremities. Seventeen young women participated in this study. A 5-m gait trial and a surface electromyography trial were conducted while the women walked in either safety shoes or sports shoes. Paired t-tests were performed to analyze the differences in gait characteristics when walking in the two different pairs of shoes. Walking in safety shoes was associated with a significant increase in vastus lateralis, biceps femoris and tibialis anterior activity. This increased muscle activity in the lower extremities is likely compensating for the lower flexibility of the safety shoes.

Clinical, muscle pathological, and genetic features of Japanese facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy 2 (FSHD2) patients with SMCHD1 mutations.

Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy 2 (FSHD2) is a genetic muscular disorder characterized by DNA hypomethylation on the 4q-subtelomeric macrosatellite repeat array, D4Z4. FSHD2 is caused by heterozygous mutations in the gene encoding structural maintenance of chromosomes flexible hinge domain containing 1 (SMCHD1). Because there has been no study on FSHD2 in Asian populations, it is not known whether this disease mechanism is widely seen. To identify FSHD2 patients with SMCHD1 mutations in the Japanese population, bisulfite pyrosequencing was used to measure DNA methylation on the D4Z4 repeat array, and in patients with DNA hypomethylation, the SMCHD1 gene was sequenced by the Sanger method. Twenty patients with D4Z4 hypomethylation were identified. Of these, 13 patients from 11 unrelated families had ten novel and one reported SMCHD1 mutations: four splice-site, two nonsense, two in-frame deletion, two out-of-frame deletion, and one missense mutations. One of the splice-site mutations was homozygous in the single patient identified with this. In summary, we identified novel SMCHD1 mutations in a Japanese cohort of FSHD2 patients, confirming the presence of this disease in a wider population than previously known.

Genetic diagnosis of Duchenne/Becker muscular dystrophy using next-generation sequencing: validation analysis of DMD mutations.

Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophies (DMD/BMD) are the most common inherited neuromuscular disease. The genetic diagnosis is not easily made because of the large size of the dystrophin gene, complex mutational spectrum and high number of tests patients undergo for diagnosis. Multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) has been used as the initial diagnostic test of choice. Although MLPA can diagnose 70% of DMD/BMD patients having deletions/duplications, the remaining 30% of patients with small mutations require further analysis, such as Sanger sequencing. We applied a high-throughput method using Ion Torrent next-generation sequencing technology and diagnosed 92% of patients with DMD/BMD in a single analysis. We designed a multiplex primer pool for DMD and sequenced 67 cases having different mutations: 37 with deletions/duplications and 30 with small mutations or short insertions/deletions in DMD, using an Ion PGM sequencer. The results were compared with those from MLPA or Sanger sequencing. All deletions were detected. In contrast, 50% of duplications were correctly identified compared with the MLPA method. Small insertions in consecutive bases could not be detected. We estimated that Ion Torrent sequencing could diagnose ~92% of DMD/BMD patients according to the mutational spectrum of our cohort. Our results clearly indicate that this method is suitable for routine clinical practice providing novel insights into comprehensive genetic information for future molecular therapy.

Identification of variants in the 4q35 gene FAT1 in patients with a facioscapulohumeral dystrophy-like phenotype.

Facioscapulohumeralmuscular dystrophy (FSHD) is linked to copy-number reduction (N < 10) of the 4q D4Z4 subtelomeric array, in association with DUX4-permissive haplotypes. This main form is indicated as FSHD1. FSHD-like phenotypes may also appear in the absence of D4Z4 copy-number reduction. Variants of the SMCHD1 gene have been reported to associate with D4Z4 hypomethylation in DUX4-compatible haplotypes, thus defining FSHD2. Recently, mice carrying a muscle-specific knock-out of the protocadherin gene Fat1 or its constitutive hypomorphic allele were shown to develop muscular and nonmuscular defects mimicking human FSHD. Here, we report FAT1 variants in a group of patients presenting with neuromuscular symptoms reminiscent of FSHD. The patients do not carry D4Z4 copy-number reduction, 4q hypomethylation, or SMCHD1 variants. However, abnormal splicing of the FAT1 transcript is predicted for all identified variants. To determine their pathogenicity, we elaborated a minigene approach coupled to an antisense oligonucleotide (AON) assay. In vitro, four out of five selected variants induced partial or complete alteration of splicing by creating new splice sites or modifying splicing regulators. AONs confirmed these effects. Altered transcripts may affect FAT1 protein interactions or stability. Altogether, our data suggest that defective FAT1 is associated with an FSHD-like phenotype.

Congenital fiber type disproportion myopathy caused by LMNA mutations.

A boy, who had shown muscle weakness and hypotonia from early childhood and fiber type disproportion (FTD) with no dystrophic changes on muscle biopsy, was initially diagnosed as having congenital fiber type disproportion (CFTD). Subsequently, he developed cardiac conduction blocks. We reconsidered the diagnosis as possible LMNA-myopathy and found a heterozygous mutation in the LMNA gene. This encouraged us to search for LMNA mutations on 80 patients who met the diagnostic criteria of CFTD with unknown cause. Two patients including the above index case had heterozygous in-frame deletion mutations of c.367_369delAAG and c.99_101delGGA in LMNA, respectively. Four of 23 muscular dystrophy patients with LMNA mutation also showed fiber type disproportion (FTD). Importantly, all FTD associated with LMNA-myopathy were caused by hypertrophy of type 2 fibers as compared with age-matched controls, whereas CFTD with mutations in ACTA1 or TPM3 showed selective type 1 fiber atrophy but no type 2 fiber hypertrophy. Although FTD is not a constant pathological feature of LMNA-myopathy, we should consider the possibility of LMNA-myopathy whenever a diagnosis of CFTD is made and take steps to prevent cardiac insufficiency.

Association between a C8orf13-BLK polymorphism and polymyositis/dermatomyositis in the Japanese population: an additive effect with STAT4 on disease susceptibility.

BACKGROUND: Accumulating evidence has shown that several non-HLA genes are involved in the susceptibility to polymyositis/dermatomyositis. This study aimed to investigate the involvement of C8orf13-BLK, one of the strongest candidate genes for autoimmune diseases, in susceptibility to polymyositis/dermatomyositis in the Japanese population. A possible gene-gene interaction between C8orf13-BLK and STAT4, which we recently showed to be associated with Japanese polymyositis/dermatomyositis, was also analyzed. METHODS: A single-nucleotide polymorphism in C8orf13-BLK (dbSNP ID: rs13277113) was investigated in the Japanese population using a TaqMan assay in 283 polymyositis patients, 194 dermatomyositis patients, and 656 control subjects. RESULTS: The C8orf13-BLK rs13277113A allele was associated with overall polymyositis/dermatomyositis (P<0.001, odds ratio [OR] 1.44, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.19-1.73), as well as polymyositis (P = 0.011, OR 1.32, 95% CI 1.06-1.64) and dermatomyositis (P<0.001, OR 1.64, 95% CI 1.26-2.12). No association was observed between the C8orf13-BLK rs13277113A allele and either interstitial lung disease or anti-Jo-1 antibody positivity. The C8orf13-BLK rs13277113 A and STAT4 rs7574865 T alleles had an additive effect on polymyositis/dermatomyositis susceptibility. The strongest association was observed in dermatomyositis, with an OR of 3.07 (95% CI; 1.57-6.02) for the carriers of four risk alleles at the two SNP sites, namely, rs1327713 and rs7574865. CONCLUSIONS: This study established C8orf13-BLK as a new genetic susceptibility factor for polymyositis/dermatomyositis. Both C8orf13-BLK and STAT4 exert additive effects on disease susceptibility. These observations suggested that C8orf13-BLK, in combination with STAT4, plays a pivotal role in creating genetic susceptibility to polymyositis/dermatomyositis in Japanese individuals.

Characteristics of Japanese Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophy patients in a novel Japanese national registry of muscular dystrophy (Remudy).

BACKGROUND: Currently, clinical trials for new therapeutic strategies are being planned for Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophies (DMD/BMD). However, it is difficult to obtain adequate numbers of patients in clinical trials. As solutions to these problems, patient registries are an important resource worldwide, especially in rare diseases such as DMD/BMD. METHODS: We developed a national registry of Japanese DMD/BMD patients in collaboration with TREAT-NMD. The registry includes male Japanese DMD/BMD patients whose genetic status has been confirmed by genetic analysis. The registry includes patients throughout Japan. RESULTS: As of February 2012, 583 DMD and 105 BMD patients were registered. Most individuals aged less than 20 years. In terms of genetic mutations of registrants of DMD and BMD, deletion of exons was the most frequent (61.4% and 79.0%) followed by point mutations (24.5% and 14.3%) and duplications (13.6% and 4.8%), respectively. 43.6% of DMD are capable of walking, and 76.2% of BMD registrants are able to walk. 41.1% of DMD registrants in the database were treated using steroids. 29.5% of DMD and 23.8% of BMD registrants were prescribed one cardiac medicine at least. 22% of DMD used ventilator support, and non-invasive support was common. Small numbers of DMD and BMD registrants, only 3.9% and 1.0% of them, have received scoliosis surgery. 57 (9.8%) patients were eligible to clinical trial focused on 'skipping' exon 51. CONCLUSIONS: The Remudy has already demonstrated utility in clinical researches and standardization of patients care for DMD/BMD. This new DMD/BMD patient registry facilitates the synchronization of clinical drug development in Japan with that in other countries.

Infantile facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy revisited: Expansion of clinical phenotypes in patients with a very short EcoRI fragment.

Contrary to the classical form, infantile facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) usually denotes a severe phenotype and is frequently associated with extramuscular involvements. To elucidate the genotype-phenotype correlation in this severe subgroup, we identified a cohort of nine patients with infantile FSHD who also carried a very short (10-13kb) EcoRI fragment. Their current age ranged from 8 to 33 years and age of onset ranged from 0.4 to 5 years. One patient even manifested his first FSHD-related symptoms at as early as 5 months of age, including inability to smile, poor response to call, and infantile spasms. To date, four patients were wheelchair-bound and six patients had asymmetric weakness. Sensorineural hearing loss and abnormal fundoscopic findings were observed in eight and all of patients respectively. Three with the smallest EcoRI fragments (10-11kb, with normal length being 50-300kb) had mental retardation. Two of these had epilepsy. Cardiac arrhythmias were found in five patients. Restrictive ventilatory defects were observed in seven patients, with one progressing to chronic respiratory failure. Two had swallowing difficulties; one of these required gastrostomy. We identified several rarely reported phenotypes in infantile FSHD, including cardiac arrhythmia, respiratory insufficiency, and swallowing difficulties. There seems to be a correlation between the severity of phenotype and the very short EcoRI fragment in the chromosome 4q35 region. We conclude that the high frequency of multi-organ involvements in this severe FSHD variant suggests the need for an early and multidisciplinary intervention.

[Recent advances in facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy].

Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) is a common autosomal dominant muscular dystrophy caused by truncation of D4Z4 repeat array on chromosome 4q35. Facial and shoulder-girdle muscles are preferentially affected but clinical symptoms are quite variable even within the same family. Asymmetrical muscle involvement is also characteristic in this disease. There are no disease specific changes on muscle pathology, and genetic diagnosis is performed by the southern blotting analysis. Recent advances provide us several ideas on possible pathomechanisms of this complicated disease. There are several genes on chromosome 4q35 region including DUX4 within D4Z4 repeats. Transcription of these genes is usually repressed by epigenetic modifications of this chromosomal region and also accumulation of transcriptional repressors to the repeat array. Shortening of the D4Z4 repeats observed in FSHD can cause structural changes of this chromosomal region, reduced recruitment of repressors, and expression of noncoding RNA which can enhance transcription of the genes on chromosome 4q35 region. Actually, increased mRNA expression levels of 4q35 genes was reported in FSHD cells, together with their undesirable roles on muscles by overexpression models. Further analysis is required to elucidate the precise pathomechanisms of FSHD.

Positive association between STAT4 polymorphisms and polymyositis/dermatomyositis in a Japanese population.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate associations between signal transducer and activator of transcription 4 (STAT4), one of the most commonly acknowledged genes for the risk of multiple autoimmune diseases, with susceptibility to adult-onset polymyositis/dermatomyositis among Japanese individuals. METHODS: A single nucleotide polymorphism of STAT4, rs7574865, was genotyped using TaqMan assay in 1143 Japanese individuals. The first set comprised 138 polymyositis/dermatomyositis patients and 289 controls and the second set comprised 322 patients and 394 controls. 460 patients (273 polymyositis and 187 dermatomyositis patients) and 683 controls were genotyped. RESULTS: rs7574865T conferred a risk of polymyositis/dermatomyositis with an OR of 1.37 (95% CI 1.16 to 1.64; p=4x10(-4); p(corr)=0.0012). Both polymyositis and dermatomyositis exhibited high associations with the rs7574865T allele (polymyositis: OR=1.36, 95% CI 1.11 to 1.67; p=0.0039; p(corr)=0.012; dermatomyositis: OR=1.40, 95% CI 1.10 to 1.78; p=0.0054; p(corr)=0.016). The association between this STAT4 polymorphism and interstitial lung disease (ILD) was also investigated in the first set of polymyositis/dermatomyositis patients (n=138); those with ILD (n=79) bore rs7574865T more frequently compared with controls (OR 1.59, 95% CI 1.10 to 2.28; p=0.013; p(corr)=0.039). CONCLUSION: This is the first study to show a positive association between a STAT4 polymorphism and polymyositis/dermatomyositis, suggesting that polymyositis/dermatomyositis shares a gene commonly associated with the risk of other autoimmune diseases.

Preparation of asymmetrically nanoparticle-supported, monodisperse composite dumbbells by protruding a smooth polymer bulge from rugged spheres.

A novel method is proposed to create asymmetrically nanoparticle-supported, monodisperse composite dumbbells. The method consists of the three steps of double soap-free emulsion polymerizations before and after a heterocoagulation. In the first step, soap-free emulsion polymerization was conducted to cover silica cores with cross-linked poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) shells. Then, positively or negatively charged silica nanoparticles were heterocoagulated with the silica-PMMA core-shell particles. In the heterocoagulations, the nanoparticles surface-modified with a cationic silane coupling agent, 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane, were used as the positively charged ones, and silica nanoparticles without any treatment were used as the negatively charged ones. In the third step, soap-free polymerizations at different pH values were performed to protrude a polystyrene (PSt) bulge from the core-shell particles supporting the charged silica nanoparticles. In the polymerization, the core-shell particles heterocoagulated with the positively charged silica nanoparticles were aggregated in an acidic condition whereas the silica nanoparticles supported on the core-shell particles were dissolved in a basic condition. For the negatively charged silica nanoparticle, a PSt bulge was successfully protruded from the core-shell particle in acidic and neutral conditions without aggregation of the core-shell particles. The protrusion of the PSt bulge became distinctive when the number of heterocoagulated silica nanoparticles per core-shell particle was increased. Additional heterocoagulation experiments, in which positively or negatively charged magnetite nanoparticles were mixed with the asymmetrically nanoparticle-supported composite dumbbells, confirmed direct exposure of silica nanoparticles to the outer solvent phase.