Self-assembly of Aeropyrum pernix bacilliform virus 1 (APBV1) major capsid protein and its application as building blocks for nanomaterials.

Virus capsid proteins have various applications in diverse fields such as biotechnology, electronics, and medicine. In this study, the major capsid protein of bacilliform clavavitus APBV1, which infects the hyperthermophilic archaeon Aeropyrum pernix, was successfully expressed in Escherichia coli. The gene product was expressed as a histidine-tagged protein in E. coli and purified to homogeneity using single-step nickel affinity chromatography. The purified recombinant protein self-assembled to form bacilliform virus-like particles at room temperature. The particles exhibited tolerance against high concentrations of organic solvents and protein denaturants. In addition, we succeeded in fabricating functional nanoparticles with amine functional groups on the surface of ORF6-81 nanoparticles. These robust protein nanoparticles can potentially be used as a scaffold in nanotechnological applications.

Controlled Radical Homopolymerization of Representative Cationically Polymerizable Vinyl Ethers.

Facile direct radical homopolymerization of vinyl ethers without a hydroxy group was achieved up to near full conversion. This polymerization was conducted in water suspension in the presence of lithium hydroxide using a thermally triggered azo-initiator of dimethyl 2,2'-azobis(2-methylpropionate). In the polymerization system, appropriate hydrogen bonding and cation-π interactions under basic conditions are keys to the successful direct radical homopolymerization. The hydrogen bonding between water and vinyl ether oxygen reduces the reactivity of the growing radical, thus suppressing unfavorable side reactions such as ß-scission. In addition, Li+ interacts with the oxygen and the vinyl group of vinyl ethers. The vinyl ether tends to be "activated" and the polymerization can be facilitated. Based on the results of free radical polymerization of vinyl ethers, controlled polymerization was also accomplished using the appropriate dithiocarbamate RAFT agent in view of the solubilities of the radical leaving group.

Synthesis and Nano-object Assembly of Biomimetic Block Copolymers for Catalytic Silver Nanoparticles.

Biomimetic ABC triblock copolymers of poly[2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl phosphorylcholine]- b-poly[2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate]- b-poly(2-hydroxypropyl methacrylate) (PMPC- b-PDMA- b-PHPMA) were synthesized by RAFT aqueous dispersion polymerization of 2-hydroxypropyl methacrylate (HPMA) in the presence of a PMPC- b-PDMA macromolecular chain transfer agent (macro-CTA). This ABC triblock copolymer deploys well-known biocompatible PMPC and PDMA for the coordination of Ag+ ions to form silver nanoparticles in situ on reduction, and PHPMA for assembling (core) in water. The synthesis of PMPC- b-PDMA- b-PHPMA starts when both the reactive steric stabilizer of PMPC25- b-PDMA4 macro-CTA and HPMA monomer are dissolved in water. The growing PHPMA is not soluble in water and begins to assemble based on three-layer onion micelles, in which the outer and inner shells are PMPC and PDMA, respectively. In the synthesis of PMPC25- b-PDMA4- b-PHPMA z at a constant 25% (w/w) solids concentration, the resultant assemblies change from spheres to worms to jellyfishes to vesicles when the targeted PHPMA chain length increases from 100mer to 400mer at full monomer conversion. Furthermore, in the synthesis of identical PMPC25- b-PDMA4- b-PHPMA400 copolymers, the assembly morphology can be controlled from vesicles to spheres through worms by varying the solids concentration in the polymerization mixture, decreasing from 25% (w/w) to 15% (w/w) at full monomer conversion. Thus, the final morphology can be tuned by the degree of polymerization of HPMA and the solids concentration in the polymerization mixture. Using the resultant three PMPC25- b-PDMA4- b-PHPMA400 assemblies as scaffolds, Ag(0) nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) are obtained through in situ reduction of AgNO3 facilitated by electrostatic interactions between the Ag+ ions and PDMA moieties. The resultant Ag-NPs loaded in the assemblies exhibit excellent stability, dispersibility, and activity of catalyst for the reduction of p-nitrophenol. The order of rate constants for the reduction using Ag-NPs loaded in the assemblies is worms > vesicles > spheres, which corresponds to the order of the surface areas of the assemblies of PMPC25- b-PDMA4- b-PHPMA400. These results can be achieved thanks to the kinetically frozen PMPC25- b-PDMA4- b-PHPMA400 assemblies with identical compositions.

Morphology Control via RAFT Emulsion Polymerization-Induced Self-Assembly: Systematic Investigation of Core-Forming Blocks.

Polymerization-induced self-assembly (PISA) is a useful formulation for readily obtaining nanoparticles from block copolymers in situ. Reversible addition-fragmentation chain-transfer (RAFT) emulsion polymerization is utilized as one of the PISA formulations. Various factors have so far been investigated for obtaining nonspherical particles via RAFT emulsion polymerization, such as the steric structure of the shell, the glass-transition temperature (T g) of the core-forming block, and the water solubility of the core-forming monomer. This study focuses on core-forming blocks without changing the structure of the shell-forming block. In particular, we elucidate the balance between T g for the core-forming block and the water solubility of the core monomer. A series of alkyl methacrylates, such as methyl methacrylate (MMA), ethyl methacrylate (EMA), and n-propyl methacrylate (PrMA), are emulsion-polymerized in the presence of a poly[poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate] (PPEGMA) macromolecular chain-transfer agent via the RAFT process. The resulting in situ morphology changes to form shapes such as spheres, worms (toroids), and vesicles are systematically investigated. The properties of the core that determine whether a morphological change occurs from spheres are (i) the solubility of the core-forming monomer in water, (ii) the relationship between T g for the core-forming block and the polymerization temperature, and (iii) the hydrophobic core volume, which changes the packing parameter. These factors allow prediction of the block copolymer morphology produced during RAFT emulsion polymerization of other methacrylates such as n-butyl methacrylate (BuMA), tetrahydrofurfuryl methacrylate (THFMA) with physical properties of the homopolymer (poly(tetrahydrofurfuryl methacrylate) (PTHFMA)) between those for poly(MMA) (PMMA) and PBuMA, and 1-adamantyl methacrylate (ADMA) with low monomer solubility in water and high T g of the homopolymer (PADMA).

Electrospun Porous Nanofibers with Imprinted Patterns Induced by Phase Separation of Immiscible Polymer Blends.

Nanofibrous nonwoven fabrics have attracted attention as porous adsorbents with high specific surface areas for the safe and efficient treatment of spilled organic dyes and petroleum. For this purpose, a method of fabricating porous nanofibers with high specific surface areas would be highly beneficial. In this study, the phase separation in nanofibers electrospun from blended solutions of immiscible polymers [poly(styrene) (PS) and poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP)] was investigated. The removal of PVP as a sacrificial polymer afforded the imprinting of mesopores (40-70 nm) in the PS nanofibers. The effects of solution composition (PS/PVP in N,N-dimethylformamide) on the structure formation in the fibers were investigated. The nanofibers thus obtained could selectively adsorb low-molecular-weight hydrophobic dyes, such as Nile Red and Oil Red O. Thus, it is expected that the combined approach of electrospinning of immiscible polymer blends and phase separation-induced patterning can be applied to the fabrication of functional nanofibers for diverse applications.

Aqueous dispersion polymerization: a new paradigm for in situ block copolymer self-assembly in concentrated solution.

Reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer polymerization has been utilized to polymerize 2-hydroxypropyl methacrylate (HPMA) using a water-soluble macromolecular chain transfer agent based on poly(2-(methacryloyloxy)ethylphosphorylcholine) (PMPC). A detailed phase diagram has been elucidated for this aqueous dispersion polymerization formulation that reliably predicts the precise block compositions associated with well-defined particle morphologies (i.e., pure phases). Unlike the ad hoc approaches described in the literature, this strategy enables the facile, efficient, and reproducible preparation of diblock copolymer spheres, worms, or vesicles directly in concentrated aqueous solution. Chain extension of the highly hydrated zwitterionic PMPC block with HPMA in water at 70 °C produces a hydrophobic poly(2-hydroxypropyl methacrylate) (PHPMA) block, which drives in situ self-assembly to form well-defined diblock copolymer spheres, worms, or vesicles. The final particle morphology obtained at full monomer conversion is dictated by (i) the target degree of polymerization of the PHPMA block and (ii) the total solids concentration at which the HPMA polymerization is conducted. Moreover, if the targeted diblock copolymer composition corresponds to vesicle phase space at full monomer conversion, the in situ particle morphology evolves from spheres to worms to vesicles during the in situ polymerization of HPMA. In the case of PMPC(25)-PHPMA(400) particles, this systematic approach allows the direct, reproducible, and highly efficient preparation of either block copolymer vesicles at up to 25% solids or well-defined worms at 16-25% solids in aqueous solution.

Metal-Free Photoinduced Decarboxylative Radical Polymerization Using Carboxylic Acids as Benign Radical Initiators: Introduction of Complex Molecules into Polymer Chain Ends.

Metal-free photoinduced decarboxylative radical polymerization of aliphatic carboxylic acids with a variety of monomers was found to proceed smoothly to give the corresponding polymers under mild conditions. Complex carboxylic acids such as those of sugars, steroids, and peptides can function as benign radical initiators via decarboxylation and can be incorporated at the polymer chain ends. This synthetic methodology represents a facile introduction of molecules and functionalities to polymers by using commercially available carboxylic acids.

Infrared spectroscopic study on hydration and chiral interaction of temperature-responsive polymer with L-proline moieties.

We studied the hydration of a temperature-responsive polymer containing L-proline moieties (poly(acryloyl-L-proline methyl ester), PAProM) by using infrared spectroscopy. Red shifts of ν(C-H) bands and blue shifts of amide and ester carbonyl bands of PAProM during temperature-induced phase separation indicate that the alkyl, amide, and ester groups are partially dehydrated. The population of the amide carbonyls forming hydrogen bonds (H-bonds) with two water molecules decreased from 63 to 33%, while that of the ester carbonyls forming one H bonding decreased from 100 to 84%. We labeled the methyl groups of PAProM by introducing deuterium (poly(acryloyl-L-proline methyl-d3 ester, PAProMd3) to clarify hydration change of the labeled groups. Red shifts of three ν(C-D) bands appearing at 2000-2200 cm(-1) clearly showed that the methyl groups at the end of side chains also dehydrated as well as the alkyl groups on the main chain. As for the effects of additives, methanol raised the phase separation temperature (Tp) of PAProM. The IR spectra show that the average number of H bonds to the amide and ester carbonyls decreases with increasing methanol concentration and that the water molecules surrounding the alkyl groups of PAProM are replaced by methanol molecules. The increase in Tp suggests that the favorable effect of the latter is superior to the unfavorable effect of the former. On the other hand, malic acid (MA) reduced Tp of PAProM. Moreover, a chiral interaction occurs; that is, Tp was lower in the presence of d-isomer than L-isomer. The analysis of the amide band revealed that the d-isomer associates more effectively with the amide carbonyls of PAProM than the L-isomer does.

The Escherichia coli highly expressed entD gene complements the pfaE deficiency in a pfa gene clone responsible for the biosynthesis of long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids.

The Escherichia coli entD gene, which encodes an Sfp-type phosphopantetheinyl transferase (PPTase) that is involved in the biosynthesis of siderophore, is available as a high-expression ASKA clone (pCA24N::entD) constructed from the E. coli K-12 strain AG1. In E. coli DH5alpha, pCA24N::entD complemented a pfaE-deficient clone that comprised pfaA, pfaB, pfaC and pfaD, which are four of the five pfa genes that are responsible for the biosynthesis of eicosapentaenoic acid derived from Shewanella pneumatophori SCRC-2738. Sfp-type PPTases are classified into the EntD and PfaE groups, based on differences between their N-terminal-domain structures. Here, we showed that all Sfp-type PPTases may have the potential to promote the biosynthesis of long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids.

An improved method for 85Kr analysis by liquid scintillation counting and its application to atmospheric 85Kr determination.

Atmospheric (85)Kr concentration at Fukuoka, Japan was determined by an improved (85)Kr analytical method using liquid scintillation counting (LSC). An average value of 1.54 +/- 0.05 Bq m(-3) was observed in 2008, which is about two times that measured in 1981 at Fukuoka, indicating a 29 mBq y(-1) rate of increase as an average for these 27 years. The analytical method developed involves collecting Kr from air using activated charcoal at liquid N(2) temperature and purifying it using He at dry ice temperature, followed by Kr separation by gas chromatography. An overall Kr recovery of 76.4 +/- 8.1% was achieved when Kr was analyzed in 500-1000 l of air. The Kr isolated by gas chromatography was collected on silica gel in a quartz glass vial cooled to liquid N(2) temperature and the activity of (85)Kr was measured with a low-background LS counter. The detection limit of (85)Kr activity by the present analytical method is 0.0015 Bq at a 95% confidence level, including all propagation errors, which is equivalent with (85)Kr in 1.3 l of the present air under the analytical conditions of 72.1% counting efficiency, 0.1597 cps background count rate, and 76.4% Kr recovery.

Possible biosynthetic pathways for all cis-3,6,9,12,15,19,22, 25,28-hentriacontanonaene in bacteria.

A very long chain polyunsaturated hydrocarbon, hentriacontanonaene (C31:9), was detected in an eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)-producing marine bacterium, which was isolated from the mid-latitude seashore of Hokkaido, Japan, and was tentatively identified as mesophilic Shewanella sp. strain osh08 from 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The geometry and position of the double bonds in this compound were determined physicochemically to be all cis at positions 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 19, 22, 25, and 28. Although C31:9 was detected in all of the seven EPA- or/and docosahexaenoic acid-producing bacteria tested, an EPA-deficient mutant (strain IK-1Delta8) of one of these bacteria had no C31:9. Strain IK-1Delta8 had defects in the pfaD gene, one of the five pfa genes responsible for the biosynthesis of EPA. Although Escherichia coli DH5alpha does not produce EPA or DHA inherently, cells transformed with the pfa genes responsible for the biosynthesis of EPA and DHA produced EPA and DHA, respectively, but not C31:9. These results suggest that the Pfa protein complex is involved in the biosynthesis of C31:9 and that pfa genes must not be the only genes responsible for the formation of C31:9. In this report, we determined for the first time the molecular structure of the C31:9 and discuss the possible biosynthetic pathways of this compound.

pfaB products determine the molecular species produced in bacterial polyunsaturated fatty acid biosynthesis.

When pDHA4, a vector carrying all five pfaA-pfaE genes responsible for docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; 22:6) biosynthesis in Moritella marina MP-1, was coexpressed in Escherichia coli with the individual pfaA-pfaD genes for eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; 20:5) biosynthesis from Shewanella pneumatophori SCRC-2738, both polyunsaturated fatty acids were synthesized only in the recombinant carrying pfaB for EPA synthesis. Escherichia coli coexpressing a deleted construct comprising pfaA, pfaC, pfaD and pfaE for EPA and pfaB for DHA produced EPA and DHA. Both EPA and DHA were detected in bacteria that inherently contained pfa genes for DHA. These results suggest that PfaB is the key enzyme determining the final product in EPA or DHA biosynthesis.

An EntD-like phosphopantetheinyl transferase gene from Photobacterium profundum SS9 complements pfa genes of Moritella marina strain MP-1 involved in biosynthesis of docosahexaenoic acid.

The EntD-like phosphopantetheinyl transferase (PPTase) gene, cloned from the eicosapentaenoic acid-producing bacterium Photobacterium profundum strain SS9, has an ORF of 690 bp encoding a 230-amino acid protein. When this PPTase gene was expressed in Escherichia coli with pfaA, pfaB, pfaC and pfaD derived from Moritella marina MP-1, which were four of five essential genes for biosynthesis of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), the DHA production of the recombinant was 2% (w/w) of total fatty acids. This is the first report showing that the EntD-like PPTase is involved in producing n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids.

Cell attachment to PET films coated with a thermo-sensitive block co-polymer with different chemical composition.

This objective of this study is to characterize the surface of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) films coated with the thermo-sensitive di-block co-polymers of 2-ethoxyethyl vinyl ether and 2-phenoxyethyl vinyl ether segments (EOVE-b-PhOVE) with a high polydispersity and evaluate the behavior of cell attachment on them at different temperatures. The EOVE segment possessed a low critical solution temperature at 20 degrees C while the hydrophobic PhOVE segment functioned as the site to allow the co-polymer to adsorb onto the PET films. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and contact angle measurements revealed that the PET film was coated with the EOVE-b-PhOVE co-polymers. The density of co-polymers coated increased with the concentration of co-polymers used for coating. Irrespective of the co-polymer type, 3T3L1 cells attached on the surface of coated films at 37 degrees C, while the cells showed a spread shape, which is similar to that of cells attached on the original non-coated film. However, when the temperature decreased from 37 to 4 degrees C, the cell shape changed to be round, in contrast to that of the original PET film. The percent increase of round cells depended on the coating density and the polymerization degree of EOVE segment.

Infrared spectroscopic investigation of poly(2-methoxyethyl vinyl ether) during thermosensitive phase separation in water.

Hydration changes of poly(2-methoxyethyl vinyl ether) (PMOVE) synthesized via living cationic polymerization have been investigated during a temperature-responsive phase separation in water by using infrared spectroscopy. An aqueous PMOVE solution has lower critical solution temperatures (LCSTs) of 66 degrees C in H2O and 65 degrees C in D2O at approximately 15 wt %. During phase separation, the C-H stretching (nu(C-H)) bands of PMOVE shift downward (red shift). In particular, the IR band assigned to the antisymmetric stretching vibration of the terminal methyl groups exhibits a remarkably large red shift by 16 cm-1. The band also exhibits a red shift with increasing polymer concentration at T < Tp. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations of the models of hydrated PMOVE indicate that the shift is due mainly to the breaking of hydrogen bonds (H-bonds) between the oxygen of the methoxy groups and water and partially to the breaking of the CH...O H-bond to them.

Controlled release of vitamin E from thermo-responsive polymeric physico-gel.

Thermo-sensitive copolymer consists of poly(2-ethoxyethyl vinyl ether) and poly(hydroxyethyl vinyl ether) (EOVE200-HOVE400), whose sol-gel transition temperature was 20.5 degrees C, was synthesized and its applicability to a drug delivery system was examined. Vitamin E (VE) was enclosed in EOVE200-HOVE400 and the release of VE was measured by varying the temperature 10<-->30 degrees C. There was no release of VE from EOVE200-HOVE400 at 30 degrees C, while VE was released when the temperature was reduced to 10 degrees C.