Soft x-ray photoelectron momentum microscope for multimodal valence band stereography.

The photoelectron momentum microscope (PMM) in operation at BL6U, an undulator-based soft x-ray beamline at the UVSOR Synchrotron Facility, offers a new approach for µm-scale momentum-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy (MRPES). A key feature of the PMM is that it can very effectively reduce radiation-induced damage by directly projecting a single photoelectron constant energy contour in reciprocal space with a radius of a few Å-1 or real space with a radius of a few 100 µm onto a two-dimensional detector. This approach was applied to three-dimensional valence band structure E(k) and E(r) measurements ("stereography") as functions of photon energy (hν), its polarization (e), detection position (r), and temperature (T). In this study, we described some examples of possible measurement techniques using a soft x-ray PMM. We successfully applied this stereography technique to µm-scale MRPES to selectively visualize the single-domain band structure of twinned face-centered-cubic Ir thin films grown on Al2O3(0001) substrates. The photon energy dependence of the photoelectron intensity on the Au(111) surface state was measured in detail within the bulk Fermi surface. By changing the temperature of 1T-TaS2, we clarified the variations in the valence band dispersion associated with chiral charge-density-wave phase transitions. Finally, PMMs for valence band stereography with various electron analyzers were compared, and the advantages of each were discussed.

Identification of a regulatory subunit of protein phosphatase 1 which mediates blue light signaling for stomatal opening.

Protein phosphatase 1 (PP1) is a eukaryotic serine/threonine protein phosphatase comprised of a catalytic subunit (PP1c) and a regulatory subunit that modulates catalytic activity, subcellular localization and substrate specificity. PP1c positively regulates stomatal opening through blue light signaling between phototropins and the plasma membrane H(+)-ATPase in guard cells. However, the regulatory subunit functioning in this process is unknown. We identified Arabidopsis PRSL1 (PP1 regulatory subunit2-like protein1) as a regulatory subunit of PP1c. Tautomycin, a selective inhibitor of PP1c, inhibited blue light responses of stomata in the single mutants phot1 and phot2, supporting the idea that signals from phot1 and phot2 converge on PP1c. We obtained PRSL1 based on the sequence similarity to Vicia faba PRS2, a PP1c-binding protein isolated by a yeast two-hybrid screen. PRSL1 bound to Arabidopsis PP1c through its RVxF motif, a consensus PP1c-binding sequence. Arabidopsis prsl1 mutants were impaired in blue light-dependent stomatal opening, H(+) pumping and phosphorylation of the H(+)-ATPase, but showed normal phototropin activities. PRSL1 complemented the prsl1 phenotype, but not if the protein carried a mutation in the RVxF motif, suggesting that PRSL1 functions through binding PP1c via the RVxF motif. PRSL1 did not affect the catalytic activity of Arabidopsis PP1c but it stimulated the localization of PP1c in the cytoplasm. We conclude that PRSL1 functions as a regulatory subunit of PP1 and regulates blue light signaling in stomata.

JAK-STAT3 pathway regulates spinal astrocyte proliferation and neuropathic pain maintenance in rats.

Neuropathic pain, a debilitating pain condition, is a common consequence of damage to the nervous system. Optimal treatment of neuropathic pain is a major clinical challenge because the underlying mechanisms remain unclear and currently available treatments are frequently ineffective. Emerging lines of evidence indicate that peripheral nerve injury converts resting spinal cord glia into reactive cells that are required for the development and maintenance of neuropathic pain. However, the mechanisms underlying reactive astrogliosis after nerve injury are largely unknown. In the present study, we investigated cell proliferation, a critical process in reactive astrogliosis, and determined the temporally restricted proliferation of dorsal horn astrocytes in rats with spinal nerve injury, a well-known model of neuropathic pain. We found that nerve injury-induced astrocyte proliferation requires the Janus kinase-signal transducers and activators of transcription 3 signalling pathway. Nerve injury induced a marked signal transducers and activators of transcription 3 nuclear translocation, a primary index of signal transducers and activators of transcription 3 activation, in dorsal horn astrocytes. Intrathecally administering inhibitors of Janus kinase-signal transducers and activators of transcription 3 signalling to rats with nerve injury reduced the number of proliferating dorsal horn astrocytes and produced a recovery from established tactile allodynia, a cardinal symptom of neuropathic pain that is characterized by pain hypersensitivity evoked by innocuous stimuli. Moreover, recovery from tactile allodynia was also produced by direct suppression of dividing astrocytes by intrathecal administration of the cell cycle inhibitor flavopiridol to nerve-injured rats. Together, these results imply that the Janus kinase-signal transducers and activators of transcription 3 signalling pathway are critical transducers of astrocyte proliferation and maintenance of tactile allodynia and may be a therapeutic target for neuropathic pain.

Effectiveness of small interfering RNA (siRNA) against the Mcl-1 gene in a canine mammary gland tumor cell line.

The effect of down-regulation of Mcl-1 expression by small interfering RNA (siRNA) against the canine Mcl-1 gene on apoptosis was investigated by transfecting CF33 (canine mammary gland tumor cell line) with siRNA using cationic liposomes. The siRNA against canine Mcl-1 increased the rate of apoptotic cells and decreased the numbers of viable cells. Further, sequence-specific down-regulation of Mcl-1 expression was measured by real time-PCR and Western blot analysis. The siRNA directed against the Mcl-1 gene reduced both the mRNA and protein expression in the CF33. Our study suggests the importance of Mcl-1 in canine mammary tumors for inducing apoptosis and reinforces using Mcl-1 as a putative therapeutic target in canine mammary gland tumor.

Optically specific detection of D- and L-lactic acids by a flow-injection dual biosensor system with on-line microdialysis sampling.

A flow-injection dual biosensor system with microdialysis sampling is proposed for the simultaneous determination of D-lactic and L-lactic acids. The dialysate from the microdialysis tube is delivered to a sample loop of the six-way autoinjector and then automatically injected into the flow-injection line with a dual enzyme electrode arranged in perpendicular to the flow direction. The dual enzyme electrode is constructed by hybridizing a poly(1,2-diaminobenzene) film into two sensing parts which respond selectively to D-lactic and L-lactic acids, respectively, without any cross-reactivity. The proposed flow-injection analysis method can be successfully applied to the simultaneous determination of D,L-lactic acids in alcoholic beverages.

Synthesis of carboxamides by LDA-catalyzed Haller-Bauer and Cannizzaro reactions.

[reaction: see text] The first direct synthesis of N-alkylcarboxamides and N,N-dialkylcarboxamides by Haller-Bauer (HB) and Cannizzaro-type reactions has been realized. Lithium N,N-diisopropylamide (LDA) catalyst was successfully used in not only the HB reaction of benzylic ketones with lithium N-alkylamides to give the corresponding carboxamides and hydrocarbons but also in the Cannizzaro-type reaction of aldehydes with lithium N-alkylamides or lithium N,N-dialkylamides to give the corresponding carboxamides and alcohols.

On-line microdialysis assay of l-lactate and pyruvate in vitro and in vivo by a flow-injection system with a dual enzyme electrode.

A flow-injection biosensor system with an on-line microdialysis sampling is proposed for the simultaneous assay of l-lactate and pyruvate in serum and rat brain. The dialysate collected in the sample loop by perfusing Ringer's solution through the microdialysis probe is automatically injected into the flow-injection line with a dual enzyme electrode arranged in parallel for the flow direction. The dual enzyme electrode is constructed by hybridizing a poly(1,2-diaminobenzene) film to two sensing parts, which respond selectively to l-lactate and pyruvate, respectively, without any cross-reactivity. Both the sensing parts respond linearly to the concentrations of both analytes between 0.01 and 5mM, without any interference from oxidizable species and low-molecular weight proteins present in the dialysate. The proposed flow-injection analysis (FIA) method can be successfully applied to the simultaneous in vitro and in vivo assays of both analytes in serum and rat brain, respectively. The system can be automatically processed at an analytical speed of 19dialysatesh(-1) over a period of 5h.

Simultaneous determination of glucose and L-lactate in rat brain by an electrochemical in vivo flow-injection system with an on-line microdialysis sampling.

An electrochemical in vivo flow-injection system with an on-line microdialysis sampling is proposed for the simultaneous monitoring of L-lactate and glucose in rat brain. In the first stage of the operation, the dialysate from the microdialysis probe is delivered to a sample loop of the six-way autoinjector by perfusing Ringer's solution for 80 s at 5 microl min(-1). In the second stage, the dialysate collected in the sample loop is automatically injected for 10 s into the flow-injection line. Injected dialysate is split into two streams and two portions pass through two channels with two different immobilized enzyme reactors (glucose oxidase and lactate oxidase immobilized reactors) to produce hydrogen peroxide from glucose and L-lactate in the dialysate. After a subsequent confluence of the streams, produced hydrogen peroxide can be detected amperometrically at a downstream poly(1,2-diaminobenzene) film-coated platinum electrode, without any interference from oxidizable species and proteins present in the dialysate. Because each channel has a different residence time, two peaks are obtained. The first peak corresponds to L-lactate and the second peak to glucose. The peak current is linearly related to the concentrations of L-lactate between 0.2 and 10 mM and glucose between 0.1 and 20 mM. The present method can be successfully applied to the simultaneous in vivo monitoring of L-lactate and glucose in rat brain. The analytical speed is 45 dialysates h(-1).