Ultra-sensitive angle sensor based on laser autocollimation for measurement of stage tilt motions.

An ultra-sensitive angle sensor employing single-cell photodiodes, which allows tighter focusing leading to a higher angular resolution better than 0.001 arc-second, has been designed based on laser autocollimation. Aiming to investigate the influences of spherical aberrations in the optical system on the sensor sensitivity, an optical model has been established based on wave optics. Computer simulation has been carried out by using the model, and its feasibility has been verified in experiments. In addition, a prototype optical angle sensor has been designed in a compact size of 100 mm × 150 mm, and its measurement resolution has been verified in experiments.

Remarkable alkaline stability of an engineered protein A as immunoglobulin affinity ligand: C domain having only one amino acid substitution.

Protein A affinity chromatography is the standard purification process for the capture of therapeutic antibodies. The individual IgG-binding domains of protein A (E, D, A, B, C) have highly homologous amino acid sequences. From a previous report, it has been assumed that the C domain has superior resistance to alkaline conditions compared to the other domains. We investigated several properties of the C domain as an IgG-Fc capture ligand. Based on cleavage site analysis of a recombinant protein A using a protein sequencer, the C domain was found to be the only domain to have neither of the potential alkaline cleavage sites. Circular dichroism (CD) analysis also indicated that the C domain has good physicochemical stability. Additionally, we evaluated the amino acid substitutions at the Gly-29 position of the C domain, as the Z domain (an artificial B domain) acquired alkaline resistance through a G29A mutation. The G29A mutation proved to increase the alkaline resistance of the C domain, based on BIACORE analysis, although the improvement was significantly smaller than that observed for the B domain. Interestingly, a number of other amino acid mutations at the same position increased alkaline resistance more than did the G29A mutation. This result supports the notion that even a single mutation on the originally alkali-stable C domain would improve its alkaline stability. An engineered protein A based on this C domain is expected to show remarkable performance as an affinity ligand for immunoglobulin.

Crystal structure and peroxidase activity of myoglobin reconstituted with iron porphycene.

The incorporation of an artificially created metal complex into an apomyoglobin is one of the attractive methods in a series of hemoprotein modifications. Single crystals of sperm whale myoglobin reconstituted with 13,16-dicarboxyethyl-2,7-diethyl-3,6,12,17-tetramethylporphycenatoiron(III) were obtained in the imidazole buffer, and the 3D structure with a 2.25-A resolution indicates that the iron porphycene, a structural isomer of hemin, is located in the normal position of the heme pocket. Furthermore, it was found that the reconstituted myoglobin catalyzed the H2O2-dependent oxidations of substrates such as guaiacol, thioanisole, and styrene. At pH 7.0 and 20 degrees C, the initial rate of the guaiacol oxidation is 11-fold faster than that observed for the native myoglobin. Moreover, the stopped-flow analysis of the reaction of the reconstituted protein with H2O2 suggested the formation of two reaction intermediates, compounds II- and III-like species, in the absence of a substrate. It is a rare example that compound III is formed via compound II in myoglobin chemistry. The enhancement of the peroxidase activity and the formation of the stable compound III in myoglobin with iron porphycene mainly arise from the strong coordination of the Fe-His93 bond.

Surgical treatment of congenital kyphosis associated with progressive spastic paralysis in an adult patient.

A 38-year-old man presented with untreated congenital kyphosis associated with progressive spastic gait. To prevent progression of the spastic paralysis, rigid correction of the severe spinal deformity arising from the congenital kyphosis was performed by one-stage posterior closing-wedge osteotomy, without occurrence of neurological complications. Progression of the paralysis has not been identified for 30 months after the operation and a slight improvement in gait was recognized. The current case is categorized as type I deformity of congenital kyphosis in the upper thoracic spine, which is normally treated surgically before the adolescent growth phase begins.

Ligand binding properties of myoglobin reconstituted with iron porphycene: unusual O2 binding selectivity against CO binding.

Sperm whale myoglobin, an oxygen storage hemoprotein, was successfully reconstituted with the iron porphycene having two propionates, 2,7-diethyl-3,6,12,17-tetramethyl-13,16-bis(carboxyethyl)porphycenatoiron. The physicochemical properties and ligand bindings of the reconstituted myoglobin were investigated. The ferric reconstituted myoglobin shows the remarkable stability against acid denaturation and only a low-spin characteristic in its EPR spectrum. The Fe(III)/Fe(II) redox potential (-190 mV vs NHE) determined by the spectroelectrochemical measurements was much lower than that of the wild-type. These results can be attributed to the strong coordination of His93 to the porphycene iron, which is induced by the nature of the porphycene ring symmetry. The O2 affinity of the ferrous reconstituted myoglobin is 2600-fold higher than that of the wild-type, mainly due to the decrease in the O2 dissociation rate, whereas the CO affinity is not so significantly enhanced. As a result, the O2 affinity of the reconstituted myoglobin exceeds its CO affinity (M' = K(CO)/K(O2) < 1). The ligand binding studies on H64A mutants support the fact that the slow O2 dissociation of the reconstituted myoglobin is primarily caused by the stabilization of the Fe-O2 sigma-bonding. The IR spectra for the carbon monoxide (CO) complex of the reconstituted myoglobin suggest several structural and/or electrostatic conformations of the Fe-C-O bond, but this is not directly correlated with the CO dissociation rate. The high O2 affinity and the unique characteristics of the myoglobin with the iron porphycene indicate that reconstitution with a synthesized heme is a useful method not only to understand the physiological function of myoglobin but also to create a tailor-made function on the protein.

Blue myoglobin reconstituted with an iron porphycene shows extremely high oxygen affinity.

Myoglobin will be a good scaffold for engineering a function into proteins. To modulate the physiological function of myoglobin, almost all approaches have been demonstrated by site-directed mutagenesis, however, there are few studies which show a significant improvement in the function. In contrast, we focused on the replacement of heme in the protein with an artificial prosthetic group. Recently, we prepared a novel myoglobin reconstituted with an iron porphycene as a structural isomer of mesoheme. The bluish colored reconstituted myoglobin is relatively stable and the deoxymyoglobin reversibly binds ligands. Interestingly, the O2 affinity of the reconstituted myoglobin, 1.1 x 109 M-1, is a significant 1,400-fold higher than that of the native myoglobin. Furthermore, the unfavorable autoxidation kinetics show 7-fold decrease in rate for the reconstituted myoglobin relative to the native myoglobin, indicating the stable oxy-form against autoxidation. The net results come from the slow dissociation of the O2 ligand in the reconstituted myoglobin, koff = 0.11 s-1, because of the formation of strong hydrogen bond between His64 and negatively charged dioxygen. The present study indicates that the replacement of native heme with an artificially created prosthetic group will give us a unique function into a hemoprotein.