My contribution, my dream - a look at the future of APS

We found, in 1994, that the epitope for anticardiolipin antibodies (aCL) developed when β2-glycoprotein I (β2GPI) was adsorbed on polyoxygenated polystyrene plates. We also found, in 2009, that the cleaved form of β2GPI (nicked β2GPI) was bound to angiostatin 4.5 and attenuated its antiangiogenic property. We described in 2000 that antiprothrombin antibodies were bound to prothrombin exposed to immobilized phosphatidylserine (aPS/PT) and more than 95% of antiphospholipid syndrome patients who were positive for aPS/PT had lupus anticoagulant. We demonstrated that in the cells stimulated by human monoclonal anti-β2GPI antibodies, p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphorylation was observed in the presence of β2GPI. Furthermore, we found that complement activation was essential for thrombus formation in patients with the antiphospholipid syndrome in vivo.

Comprehensive data on ionising radiation from Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in the town of Miharu, Fukushima Prefecture: The Misho Project

Data related to radioactivity released from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) accident on 15 March 2011 gathered by residents of Miharu, Fukushima Prefecture, and by Tohoku University are presented. These data sets consist of (1) the earliest radiation monitoring by a Geiger counter in the town, (2) ratios of radioactivity between (132)Te and (137)Cs for a wide area between Fukushima and Tokyo, (3) radiation measurement of soil samples collected from 18 school grounds, and (4) external radiation exposure of 1400 students using OSL badges. By combining and analysing these various data sets, a curve for the cumulative total external exposure as a function of time, with 16 : 00 h on 15 March 2011 being time zero, is obtained. The average cumulative external dosage is estimated to be 10 mSv (σ = 4.2 mSv) over 10 years. In addition, the initiative that the residents of Miharu took in response to the FDNPP accident, which became known as The Misho Project (MP), is documented; in particular, the time at which the municipality instructed the immediate ingestion of iodine tablets by those under the age of 40, 13 : 00 h on 15 March 2011, is assessed.

Multiple chiral doublet bands of identical configuration in 103Rh

Three sets of chiral doublet band structures have been identified in the ^{103}Rh nucleus. The properties of the observed chiral doublet bands are in good agreement with theoretical results obtained using constrained covariant density functional theory and particle rotor model calculations. Two of them belong to an identical configuration and provide the first experimental evidence for a novel type of multiple chiral doublets, where an "excited" chiral doublet of a configuration is seen together with the "yrast" one. This observation shows that the chiral geometry in nuclei can be robust against the increase of the intrinsic excitation energy.

Identification of phosphatase that dephosphorylates xylose in the glycosaminoglycan-protein linkage region of proteoglycans

Recently, we demonstrated that FAM20B is a kinase that phosphorylates the xylose (Xyl) residue in the glycosaminoglycan-protein linkage region of proteoglycans. The phosphorylation of Xyl residues by FAM20B enhances the formation of the linkage region. Rapid dephosphorylation is probably induced just after synthesis of the linker and just before polymerization initiates. Indeed, in vitro chondroitin or heparan sulfate polymerization does not occur when the Xyl residue of the tetrasaccharide linkage region is phosphorylated. However, the enzyme responsible for the dephosphorylation of Xyl remains unknown. Here, we identified a novel protein that dephosphorylates the Xyl residue and designated it 2-phosphoxylose phosphatase. The phosphatase efficiently removed the phosphate from the phosphorylated trisaccharide, Galβ1-3Galβ1-4Xyl(2-O-phosphate), but not from phosphorylated tetrasaccharide, GlcUAβ1-3Galβ1-3Galβ1-4Xyl(2-O-phosphate). Additionally, RNA interference-mediated inhibition of 2-phosphoxylose phosphatase resulted in increased amounts of GlcNAcα1-4GlcUAβ1-3Galβ1-3Galβ1-4Xyl(2-O-phosphate), Galβ1-3Galβ1-4Xyl(2-O-phosphate), and Galβ1-4Xyl(2-O-phosphate) in the cells. Gel filtration analysis of the glycosaminoglycan chains synthesized in the knockdown cells revealed that these cells produced decreased amounts of glycosaminoglycan chains and that the chains had similar lengths to those in the mock-transfected cells. Transcripts encoding this phosphatase were ubiquitously, but differentially, expressed in human tissues. Moreover, the phosphatase localized to the Golgi and interacted with the glucuronyltransferase-I involved in the completion of the glycosaminoglycan-protein linkage region. Based on these findings, we conclude that transient phosphorylation of the Xyl residue in the glycosaminoglycan-protein linkage region controls the formation of glycosaminoglycan chains of proteoglycans.

The inhibition of protein C anticoagulant activity by anti-β2-glycoprotein I (β2GPI) antibodies isolated from patients with antiphospholipid syndrome by chromatography methods

Abstract Antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) are associated with an increased risk of thrombosis; however, the mechanism remains unknown. Recent studies have focused on the impediment of protein C anticoagulant activity by anti-β2-glycoprotein I (β2GPI) antibodies (aβ2GPI Ab). We purified IgG fractions containing a high concentration of aβ2GPI Ab from patients with antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) and then investigated the effect of purified aβ2GPI Ab on the activity of activated protein C (APC). Using a three-step chromatography method (DEAE-sepharose column, phosphatidylserine polyacrylamide gel column dependent on the presence of β2GPI, and protein G column chromatography), we successfully isolated anti-β2GPI IgG from nine patients with APS. Seven of nine samples inhibited APC activity in a concentration-dependent manner only in the presence of β2GPI, as observed by a chromogenic assay that was able to determine thrombin activity even in the presence of APC. The extent of APC inhibition by these fractions appeared to be related to aβ2GPI Ab titers of the purified IgG. However, the inhibitory effect of IgG from patients was not detected in the absence of β2GPI. IgG purified from three normal subjects did not affect APC activity. Herein, we show a useful method for the isolation of IgG containing a high concentration of aβ2GPI Ab. Moreover, the present findings indicate that inhibition by aβ2GPI Ab on APC anticoagulant activity could explain one of the mechanisms for the thrombotic state in APS.