GABA from vasopressin neurons regulates the time at which suprachiasmatic nucleus molecular clocks enable circadian behavior.

The suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), the central circadian pacemaker in mammals, is a network structure composed of multiple types of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-ergic neurons and glial cells. However, the roles of GABA-mediated signaling in the SCN network remain controversial. Here, we report noticeable impairment of the circadian rhythm in mice with a specific deletion of the vesicular GABA transporter in arginine vasopressin (AVP)-producing neurons. These mice showed disturbed diurnal rhythms of GABAA receptor-mediated synaptic transmission in SCN neurons and marked lengthening of the activity time in circadian behavioral rhythms due to the extended interval between morning and evening locomotor activities. Synchrony of molecular circadian oscillations among SCN neurons did not significantly change, whereas the phase relationships between SCN molecular clocks and circadian morning/evening locomotor activities were altered significantly, as revealed by PER2::LUC imaging of SCN explants and in vivo recording of intracellular Ca2+ in SCN AVP neurons. In contrast, daily neuronal activity in SCN neurons in vivo clearly showed a bimodal pattern that correlated with dissociated morning/evening locomotor activities. Therefore, GABAergic transmission from AVP neurons regulates the timing of SCN neuronal firing to temporally restrict circadian behavior to appropriate time windows in SCN molecular clocks.

Simple separation of glycosphingolipids in the lower phase of a Folch's partition from crude lipid fractions using zirconium dioxide.

A simple method was developed for the separation of glycosphingolipids (GSLs) from lipid mixtures, including phospholipids and cholesterol, using zirconium dioxide (zirconia, ZrO2). Although this procedure does not incorporate a mild alkali treatment, which is commonly used for eliminating glycerophospholipids, it can be used to remove both alkali-resistant sphingomyelin and glycerophospholipids possessing ether bonds. Importantly, when GSLs were dissolved in organic solvent together with cholesterol (Chol) and phospholipids, and loaded onto ZrO2, Chol did not bind to the ZrO2 but both the GSLs and phospholipids did. When eluted with 5 mg/mL of 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid in methanol, GSLs but not phospholipids were recovered, leaving the phospholipids bound to the ZrO2 particles. This method is particularly applicable for GSLs such as triglycosylceramides, tetraglycosylceramides and some pentaglycosylceramides, sulfatide and GM3 located in the lower phase of a Folch's partition, where significant amounts of phospholipids, Chol and neutral lipids reside along with GSLs. This method was successfully used to easily isolate GSLs from biological materials for their subsequent analysis by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry with high resolution.

Separation of glycosphingolipids with titanium dioxide.

We introduce the principle of a new technique to isolate glycosphingolipids (GSLs) from phospholipids. Neutral and acidic GSLs in organic solvent bind to titanium dioxide under neutral pH and can be eluted with 5 mg/ml of 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid in methanol. This special property is applicable for eliminating phospholipids, including sphingomyelin, which cannot be eliminated by a typical mild alkaline treatment. By using this technique, we demonstrated the rapid separation of minor components of GSLs, namely sulfatide and gangliosides from rabbit serum and liver, respectively. The minor GSL components were effectively purified despite both sources containing tremendous amount of phospholipids and simple lipids such as cholesterol, cholesteryl esters and triglycerides.

The migration pattern of cells during the mesoderm and endoderm differentiation from human pluripotent stem cells.

Gastrulation is the first major differentiation process in animal embryos. However, the dynamics of human gastrulation remain mostly unknown owing to the ethical limitations. We studied the dynamics of the mesoderm and endoderm cell differentiation from human pluripotent stem cells for insight into the cellular dynamics of human gastrulation. Human pluripotent stem cells have properties similar to those of the epiblast, which gives rise to the three germ layers. The mesoderm and endoderm were induced with more than 75% purity from human induced pluripotent stem cells. Single-cell dynamics of pluripotent stem cell-derived mesoderm and endoderm cells were traced using time-lapse imaging. Both mesoderm and endoderm cells migrate randomly, accompanied by short-term directional persistence. No substantial differences were detected between mesoderm and endoderm migration. Computer simulations created using the measured parameters revealed that random movement and external force, such as the spread out of cells from the primitive streak area, mimicked the homogeneous discoidal germ layer formation. These results were consistent with the development of amniotes, which suggests the effectiveness of human pluripotent stem cells as a good model for studying human embryogenesis.

Sequential extraction of inorganic arsenic compounds and methyl arsenate in human urine using mixed-mode monolithic silica spin column coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

A sequential analytical method was developed for the detection of arsenite, arsenate, and methylarsenate in human urine by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The combination of a derivatization of trivalent arsenic compounds by 2,3-dithio-1-propanol (British antilewisite; BAL) and a reduction of pentavalent arsenic compounds (arsenate and methylarsenate) were accomplished to carry out the analysis of arsenic compounds in urine. The arsenic derivatives obtained using BAL were extracted in a stepwise manner using a monolithic spin column and analyzed by GC-MS. A linear curve was observed for concentrations of arsenic compounds of 2.0 to 200 ng/mL, where the correlation coefficients of calibration curves were greater than 0.996 (for a signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio >10). The detection limits were 1 ng/mL (S/N > 3). Recoveries of the targets in urine were in the range 91.9-106.5%, and RSDs of the intra- and interday assay for urine samples containing 5, 50, and 150 ng/mL of arsenic compounds varied between 2.95 and 13.4%. The results from real samples obtained from a patient suspected of having ingested As containing medications using this proposed method were in good agreement with those obtained using high-performance liquid chromatography with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.

Monolithic spin column extraction and GC-MS for the simultaneous assay of diquat, paraquat, and fenitrothion in human serum and urine.

We present a method based on monolitic spin column extraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry as an analytical method for screening diquat (DQ), paraquat (PQ), and fenitrothion in serum and urine. This method is useful for clinical and forensic toxicological analyses. Recovery of DQ, PQ, and fenitrothion from serum and urine, spiked at concentrations between 0.1, 2.5, 20, and 45 µg/ml, ranged from 51.3% to 106.1%. Relative standard deviation percentages were between 3.3% and 14.8%. Detection and quantitation limits for serum and urine were 0.025 and 0.05 µg/ml, respectively, for DQ, 0.1 and 0.1 µg/ml, respectively, for PQ, and 0.025 and 0.05 µg/ml, respectively, for fenitrothion. Therefore, these compounds can be detected and quantified in the case of acute poisoning.

Monolith as a new sample preparation material: recent devices and applications.

Monolith was first used as a material for chromatographic separation two decades ago and solid-phase extraction over 10 years, and since then, separation science has undergone a dramatic change owing to advancements in analytical technology. Recently, monolith has been modified to suit various devices for the extraction and enrichment of analytes in any matrices of environmental, food, and biological analyses. This approach has contributed to miniaturization and automation for sample preparation, and it can reduce the time and cost requirements of sample preparation. Recently, numerous applications have been demonstrated for online and inline preconcentration coupled with monolith, and many kinds of devices have been designed and developed for offline devices. In this review, these applications and devices are listed and discussed in reference to other fields.

Simultaneous extraction of acidic and basic drugs from urine using mixed-mode monolithic silica spin column bonded with octadecyl and cation-exchange group.

A method coupling spin column extraction with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was developed for the simultaneous extraction of acidic and basic drugs from urine. Benzodiazepines, local anaesthetics, antidepressants, and barbiturates were used as model drugs. Sample loading, washing, and elution of the target drugs were accomplished by centrifugation of the column. In this study, mixed-mode monolithic silica bonded with a C18 reversed-phase and a strong cation exchange phase was packed in a spin column. The pH of a urine sample (0.2 mL) was adjusted to 3 and the analytes adsorbed onto the column were eluted with 0.1 mL of MeOH containing 2% NH3; all the tested drugs were simultaneously extracted from urine. The recovery of the tested drugs was 65-123%. Up to a concentration of 2500 ng/mL of the target drugs in urine, a linear curve was observed (r(2)>0.996). The intra- and interday RSDs at three different concentrations in urine were 2.1-14.7%. For RSDs lower than 15%, the limits of detection were 1-25 ng/mL. The proposed method was successfully applied for clinical and forensic cases and the results thus obtained were in good agreement with those obtained by conventional methods.

Monolithic spin column: a new extraction device for analysis of drugs in urine and serum by GC/MS and HPLC/MS.

A monolithic spin column was developed for the extraction of analytes from biological materials. This column was constructed by packing a monolithic silica disk into a spin column. Sample loading, washing, and elution of the target drugs were accomplished simply by centrifugation of the column. Opiates and benzodiazepines are abused throughout the world. Identification and quantification of these drugs is very important to solve crimes or the cause of death. Three opiates (morphine, codeine, and dihydrocodeine) were extracted from urine and serum by using the column. After conversion to trimethylsilyl derivatives of the opiates by vigorous mixing with the derivatizing reagent, the solution was subjected to GC/MS. A linear curve was observed for opiates from 10 to 2500 ng/mL in urine and 5 to 1200 ng/mL in serum, respectively (correlation coefficient > 0.996). For benzodiazepines, the hydroxyl metabolites of triazolam and etizolam were extracted from urine using the column, and the eluate was directly analyzed by HPLC/MS without evaporation. The LOD values were at the ppb level, with RSD values lower than 15%. The proposed methods were successfully applied to clinical and forensic cases, and good agreement of results was obtained compared to conventional methods.

Chronic methamphetamine uncovers a circadian rhythm in multiple-unit neural activity in the dorsal striatum which is independent of the suprachiasmatic nucleus.

The dorsal striatum forms part of the basal ganglia circuit that is a major regulator of voluntary motor behavior. Dysfunction in this circuit is a critical factor in the pathology of neurological (Parkinson's and Huntington's disease) as well as psychiatric disorders. In this study, we employed in vivo real-time monitoring of multiple unit neural activity (MUA) in the dorsal striatum of freely moving mice. We demonstrate that the striatum exhibits robust diurnal and circadian rhythms in MUA that peak in the night. These rhythms are dependent upon the central circadian clock located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) as lesions of this structure caused the loss of rhythmicity measured in the striatum. Nonetheless, chronic treatment of methamphetamine (METH) makes circadian rhythms appear in MUA recorded from the striatum of SCN-lesioned mice. These data demonstrate that the physiological properties of neurons in the dorsal striatum are regulated by the circadian system and that METH drives circadian rhythms in striatal physiology in the absence of the SCN. The finding of SCN-driven circadian rhythms in striatal physiology has important implications for an understanding of the temporal regulation of motor control as well as revealing how disease processes may disrupt this regulation.

Secretin receptor-deficient mice exhibit altered circadian rhythm in wheel-running activity.

In mammals, the timing of behavior and physiological activity is controlled by the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) in the hypothalamus. Incidentally, secretin is a peptide hormone that promotes digestive activities and regulates water reabsorption. In recent studies, exogenous administration of secretin has been reported to induce secretion of oxytocin in the supraoptic nucleus of the hypothalamus and modulate social behavior. These results indicate that secretin is involved in the neural network that controls social behavior and plays important roles in the central nervous system. In the present study, we investigated the effects of secretin on circadian rhythms, by assessing circadian rhythms during wheel-running behavior in secretin receptor-deficient (Sctr-/-) mice. Male adult wild-type (WT) and Sctr-/- mice were housed in separate cages containing a wheel. Every minute of the wheel-running activity was monitored during the normal light-dark (LD) cycle (12:12 h) and in constant darkness (DD). Significant differences were observed in the free-running period between the WT and Sctr-/- mice. However, no significant differences were observed in the daily wheel-running revolutions between WT and Sctr-/- mice, in the LD and DD conditions. Moreover, the ratio of the daily activity phase to the rest phase (α/ρ) was significantly smaller in Sctr-/- than that in WT mice in the DD condition. Secretin receptors were expressed in the SCN cells. These findings suggest that secretin receptors are involved in the central circadian clock in the SCN and the circadian system in general.

Fission yeast chromatin assembly factor 1 assists in the replication-coupled maintenance of heterochromatin.

Chromatin assembly factor-1 (CAF1) is a well-conserved histone chaperone that loads the histone H3-H4 complex onto newly synthesized DNA in vitro through interaction with the replication factor PCNA. CAF1 is considered to be involved in heterochromatin maintenance in several organisms, but the evidence is circumstantial and functional details have not been established. We identified fission yeast CAF-1 (spCAF1), which interacts with PCNA in S phase. Depletion of spCAF1 caused defects in silencing at centromeric and mating locus heterochromatin, accompanied with a decrease in Swi6, the fission yeast HP1 homologue. Loss of spCAF1 destabilized both the silent and active states of chromatin at the meta-stable heterochromatic region, with a more pronounced effect on the silent state, indicating that spCAF1 is involved in the maintenance of heterochromatin. Swi6 dissociated from heterochromatin during G1/S phase appears to associate with spCAF1. In early S phase, spCAF1 localized to replicating heterochromatin as well as euchromatin and remained associated with Swi6, and Swi6 then bound to heterochromatin. Taken together, we propose that spCAF1 functions in heterochromatin maintenance by recruiting dislocated Swi6 during replication to replicated heterochromatin at the replication fork.

Extraction of amphetamines and methylenedioxyamphetamines from urine using a monolithic silica disk-packed spin column and high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection.

To overcome the limitations of solid-phase extraction, we developed a device comprising a spin column packed with octadecyl silane-bonded monolithic silica for extracting amphetamines and methylenedioxyamphetamines from urine. Urine (0.5mL), buffer (0.4mL), and methoxyphenamine (internal standard) were directly put into the preactivated column. The column was centrifuged (3000rpm, 5min) for sample loading and washed. The adsorbed analytes were eluted and analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography, without evaporation. The results were as follows: linear curves (drug concentrations of 0.2-20microg/mL); correlation coefficients >0.99; detection limit, 0.1microg/mL. The proposed method is not only useful for drugs from biological materials but also highly reproducible for the analysis of these drugs in urine.

Simultaneous determination of amitraz and its metabolite in human serum by monolithic silica spin column extraction and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.

A simple, rapid, sensitive, and specific liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) method was developed and validated for the quantification of amitraz and its metabolite in human serum. Both the compounds were extracted using monolithic silica spin columns with acetonitrile. The chromatographic separation was performed on a reverse-phase C(18) column with a mobile phase of 10 mM ammonium formate-acetonitrile. The protonated analyte was quantitated in positive ionization by mass spectrometry. The method was validated over the concentration range of 25-1000 ng/ml for amitraz and its metabolite in human serum. For both compounds, the limit of detection was 5 ng/ml. The method was applied to serum samples taken from an attempted suicide patient, and only small volumes of serum were required for the simultaneous determination of these compounds.

Simultaneous determination of dibucaine and naphazoline in human serum by monolithic silica spin column extraction and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.

A simple, sensitive, and specific liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) method for simultaneous determination of dibucaine and naphazoline from serum was developed and validated. The extraction procedure was performed using a monolithic silica spin column. Chromatographic separation of dibucaine and naphazoline was achieved on a C(18) reverse phase column with a mobile phase gradient (mobile phase A: 10 mM ammonium formate and mobile phase B: acetonitrile) at a flow rate of 0.2 mL/min. LC-MS was operated under the selective ion monitoring mode using the electrospray ionization technique in the positive mode. The retention times for naphazoline, dibucaine, and the internal standard (IS) were 6.7, 7.8, and 8.0 min, respectively. A linear graph was obtained for dibucaine and naphazoline with correlation coefficients >0.998 for all analytes by this method. The limit of quantification of dibucaine and naphazoline was 10 and 25 ng/mL, respectively. The mean recoveries were greater than 70%. Both compounds were stable under conditions of short-term storage, long-term storage as well as after freeze-thaw cycles. Monolithic spin column extraction and LC-MS analysis enabled the separation of dibucaine and naphazoline within 20 min.

A simple and rapid measurement method of encapsulation efficiency of doxorubicin loaded liposomes by direct injection of the liposomal suspension to liquid chromatography.

A simple and rapid chromatographic measurement method for determining doxorubicin (DOX) encapsulation efficiency (EE) into PEGylated liposomes using nanoparticle exclusion chromatography (nPEC) was developed. In this work, Doxil® and two PEGylated liposomes spiked with DOX were employed as model liposomes, and unencapsulated DOX was measured by high performance liquid chromatography with diode-array detector using an N-vinylpyrrolidone modified nPEC column without any sample pretreatment. Only 5 µL of an intact liposomal suspension and 3 min analysis time were required for the determination of the quantity of unencapsulated DOX. The method was validated in terms of linearity, accuracy, precision, and recovery in the range from 0.00-1.0 mg/mL (corresponding to 100-50% EE). Applicability of the method was confirmed using the measurement of time-dependent DOX loading% into the liposomes with the remote loading method using an ammonium sulfate gradient. Furthermore, it was found that the peak area of DOX-loaded liposomes in the chromatogram was proportional to DOX EE%. As this simple and rapid analytical method can measure the EE precisely, it is expected that this method will be applicable to the in-process control of liposome preparation manufacturing and the quality control of the liposome drug products.

Reduction of the extra-column band dispersion by a slow transport of a sample band from the injector to the column in isocratic reversed-phase liquid chromatography.

Extra-column band dispersion during the transport of a sample band from the injector to the column can be reduced by a flow rate program starting with a low flow rate until the sample band has approached to, or just entered into the column, followed by an increased flow rate suitable for the solute separation in the column. Such a sample introduction method increased the plate counts of a 50 mm long column, 1.0 or 2.1 mmID, especially for early-eluting solutes by up to several times compared to a conventional elution method, when a 0.254 mmID, 15.2 cm connection tubing was used. Increase in plate counts of up to 50-70% was possible for solutes with retention factors smaller than 1.0 for the columns connected with a 0.13 mmID, 15 cm tube. The method also seems to reduce the contribution of the void space at the column inlet to the band dispersion. The elution method including a slow transport of the sample band in the pre-column space of 10 µL or less may require a little longer separation time than normal elution, but it was shown to be effective for increasing the observed efficiency of a small column for solutes with small retention factors.

Concentration determination of urinary metabolites of N,N-dimethylacetamide by high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

OBJECTIVES: N,N-Dimethylacetamide (DMAC) is widely used in industry as a solvent. It can be absorbed through human skin. Therefore, it is necessary to determine exposure to DMAC via biological monitoring. However, the precision of traditional gas chromatography (GC) is low due to the thermal decomposition of metabolites in the high-temperature GC injection port. To overcome this problem, we have developed a new method for the simultaneous separation and quantification of urinary DMAC metabolites using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). METHODS: Urine samples were diluted 10-fold in formic acid, and 1-µl aliquots were injected into the LC-MS/MS equipment. A C18 reverse-phase Octa Decyl Silyl (ODS) column was used as the analytical column, and the mobile phase consisted of a mixture of methanol and aqueous formic acid solution. RESULTS: Urinary concentrations of DMAC and its known metabolites (N-hydroxymethyl-N-methylacetamide (DMAC-OH), N-methylacetamide (NMAC), and S- (acetamidomethyl) mercapturic acid (AMMA) ) were determined in a single run. The dynamic ranges of the calibration curves were 0.05-5 mg/l (r≥0.999) for all four compounds. The limits of detection for DMAC, DMAC-OH, NMAC, and AMMA in urine were 0.04, 0.02, 0.05, and 0.02 mg/l, respectively. Within-run accuracies were 96.5%-109.6% with relative standard deviations of precision being 3.43%-10.31%. CONCLUSIONS: The results demonstrated that the proposed method could successfully quantify low concentrations of DMAC and its metabolites with high precision. Hence, this method is useful for evaluating DMAC exposure. In addition, this method can be used to examine metabolite behaviors in human bodies after exposure and to select appropriate biomarkers.

Random migration of induced pluripotent stem cell-derived human gastrulation-stage mesendoderm.

Gastrulation is the initial systematic deformation of the embryo to form germ layers, which is characterized by the placement of appropriate cells in their destined locations. Thus, gastrulation, which occurs at the beginning of the second month of pregnancy, is a critical stage in human body formation. Although histological analyses indicate that human gastrulation is similar to that of other amniotes (birds and mammals), much of human gastrulation dynamics remain unresolved due to ethical and technical limitations. We used human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) to study the migration of mesendodermal cells through the primitive streak to form discoidal germ layers during gastrulation. Immunostaining results showed that hiPSCs differentiated into mesendodermal cells and that epithelial-mesenchymal transition occurred through the activation of the Activin/Nodal and Wnt/beta-catenin pathways. Single-cell time-lapse imaging of cells adhered to cover glass showed that mesendodermal differentiation resulted in the dissociation of cells and an increase in their migration speed, thus confirming the occurrence of epithelial-mesenchymal transition. These results suggest that mesendodermal cells derived from hiPSCs may be used as a model system for studying migration during human gastrulation in vitro. Using random walk analysis, we found that random migration occurred for both undifferentiated hiPSCs and differentiated mesendodermal cells. Two-dimensional random walk simulation showed that homogeneous dissociation of particles may form a discoidal layer, suggesting that random migration might be suitable to effectively disperse cells homogeneously from the primitive streak to form discoidal germ layers during human gastrulation.

High-throughput protein digestion by trypsin-immobilized monolithic silica with pipette-tip formula.

Based on the monolithic silica gel materials with hierarchical pore structure and on the SPE devices (MonoTip) developed thereof, a trypsin-immobilized monolithic silica in a pipette tip (MonoTip Trypsin) suitable for digesting proteins has been newly developed. The surface of monolithic silica fixed into the tip was chemically modified with trypsin via an aminopropyl group. Trypsin-immobilized monolith successfully performed a rapid digestion of reduced and alkylated proteins with only a few times pipetting operation for the pre-treatment procedure of chromatographic analysis. The novel solid-phase digestion tool using monolithic silica allows a high-throughput trypsin proteolysis of bio-substances in proteomics.