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Polydorou AE, May JP, Makris K, Ferri S, Wu Q, Stride E, Carugo D, Evans ND. An investigation into the cytotoxic effects of microbubbles and their constituents on osteosarcoma and bone marrow stromal cells. Biochim Biophys Acta Gen Subj 2023; 1867:130481. [PMID: 37802372 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagen.2023.130481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2023] [Revised: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Ultrasound-responsive microbubbles offer a means of achieving minimally invasive, localised drug delivery in applications including regenerative medicine. To facilitate their use, however, it is important to determine any cytotoxic effects they or their constituents may have. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that phospholipid-shelled microbubbles are non-toxic to human bone-derived cells at biologically-relevant concentrations. METHODS Microbubbles were fabricated using combinations of 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DSPC), 1,2-dibehenoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DBPC), polyoxyethylene(40) stearate (PEG40S) and 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine-N-[methoxy(polyethylene-glycol)-2000] (DSPE-PEG2000). Microbubble size and concentration were measured as a function of time and temperature by optical microscopy. Effects on MG63 osteosarcoma and human bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) were measured for up to 72 h by assay for viability, metabolic activity and proliferation. RESULTS DBPC:DSPE-PEG2000 microbubbles were significantly more stable than DSPC:PEG40S microbubbles under all conditions tested. Serum-containing medium had no detrimental effect on microbubble stability, but storage at 37 °C compared to at 4 °C reduced stability for both preparations, with almost complete dissolution of microbubbles at times ≥24 h. DSPC:PEG40S microbubbles had greater inhibitory effects on cell metabolism and growth than DBPC:DSPE-PEG2000 microbubbles, with PEG40S found to be the principle inhibitory component. These effects were only evident at high microbubble concentrations (≥20% (v/v)) or with prolonged culture (≥24 h). Increasing cell-microbubble contact by inversion culture in a custom-built device had no inhibitory effect on metabolism. CONCLUSIONS These data indicate that, over a broad range of concentrations and incubation times, DBPC:DSPE-PEG2000 and DSPC:PEG40S microbubbles have little effect on osteoblastic cell viability and growth, and that PEG40S is the principle inhibitory component in the formulations investigated.
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Affiliation(s)
- A E Polydorou
- Centre for Human Development, Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, Bone and Joint Research group, University of Southampton, United Kingdom; Bioengineering Sciences Group, Institute for Life Sciences, University of Southampton, United Kingdom
| | - J P May
- Centre for Human Development, Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, Bone and Joint Research group, University of Southampton, United Kingdom; Bioengineering Sciences Group, Institute for Life Sciences, University of Southampton, United Kingdom
| | - K Makris
- Bioengineering Sciences Group, Institute for Life Sciences, University of Southampton, United Kingdom
| | - S Ferri
- Centre for Human Development, Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, Bone and Joint Research group, University of Southampton, United Kingdom; Bioengineering Sciences Group, Institute for Life Sciences, University of Southampton, United Kingdom
| | - Q Wu
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - E Stride
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Oxford, United Kingdom; Botnar Research Centre, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences (NDORMS), University of Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - D Carugo
- Botnar Research Centre, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences (NDORMS), University of Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - N D Evans
- Centre for Human Development, Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, Bone and Joint Research group, University of Southampton, United Kingdom; Bioengineering Sciences Group, Institute for Life Sciences, University of Southampton, United Kingdom.
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Paoletti G, Casini M, Malvezzi L, Pirola F, Russo E, Nappi E, Muci GQ, Montagna C, Messina MR, Ferri S, Racca F, Lamacchia D, Cataldo G, Puggioni F, De Virgilio A, Ferreli F, Mercante G, Spriano G, Canonica GW, Heffler E. Very Rapid Improvement in Extended Nitric Oxide Parameters Is Associated With Clinical and Functional Improvement in Patients With Chronic Rhinosinusitis With Nasal Polyps Treated With Dupilumab. J Investig Allergol Clin Immunol 2023; 33:457-463. [PMID: 38095494 DOI: 10.18176/jiaci.0851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Dupilumab, an anti-IL-4 receptor a monoclonal antibody, was recently approved for the treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) and moderate-to-severe asthma. Onset of its clinical effects is rapid. CRSwNP is characterized by extended type 2 inflammatory involvement that can be assessed using extended nitric oxide analysis. We investigated whether dupilumab was associated with a rapid improvement in extended nitric oxide parameters, lung function, and clinical outcomes in patients with CRSwNP. METHODS Consecutive patients with CRSwNP and an indication for dupilumab were evaluated for extended nitric oxide analysis (exhaled, FeNO; bronchial, JawNO; alveolar, CalvNO; nasal, nNO) and lung function 15 and 30 days after initiation of treatment and for clinical outcomes (nasal polyps score [NPS], quality of life questionnaires, visual analog scale [VAS] for the main symptoms, and the Asthma Control Test [ACT]) 30 days after initiation of treatment. RESULTS We enrolled 33 patients. All extended nitric oxide and lung function parameters improved significantly after 15 days of treatment, remaining stable at 30 days. Scores on the NPS, VAS for the main RSwNP symptoms, quality of life questionnaires, and the ACT improved significantly 30 days after initiation of treatment. CONCLUSION Dupilumab is associated with very rapid improvement in type 2 inflammation in all airway areas. This is associated with improved lung function and clinical parameters in patients with CRSwNP.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Paoletti
- IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele, Milan, Italy
| | - M Casini
- IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele, Milan, Italy
| | - L Malvezzi
- IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
| | - F Pirola
- IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele, Milan, Italy
| | - E Russo
- IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele, Milan, Italy
| | - E Nappi
- IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele, Milan, Italy
| | - G Q Muci
- IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele, Milan, Italy
| | - C Montagna
- IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele, Milan, Italy
| | - M R Messina
- IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele, Milan, Italy
| | - S Ferri
- IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
| | - F Racca
- IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
| | - D Lamacchia
- IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
| | - G Cataldo
- IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
| | - F Puggioni
- IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
| | - A De Virgilio
- IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele, Milan, Italy
| | - F Ferreli
- IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele, Milan, Italy
| | - G Mercante
- IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele, Milan, Italy
| | - G Spriano
- IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele, Milan, Italy
| | - G W Canonica
- IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele, Milan, Italy
| | - E Heffler
- IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele, Milan, Italy
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Ferri S, Cacciola F, Zaccaria R, Ghetti I, Curcio A, Germanò AF. Neuronavigated Retropharyngeal Anterior Screw Fixation of the Odontoid for the Treatment of C2 Type II Fractures: Case Report. Acta Neurochir Suppl 2023; 135:279-282. [PMID: 38153482 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-36084-8_43] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2023]
Abstract
Odontoid fractures, frequently observed in patients over the age of 70, often involve the base of the axis (Anderson-D'Alonzo type 2). For surgical treatment, posterior C1-C2 fixation is the traditional method, whose fusion rates range between 93 and 100%. However, morbidity and mortality rates are high. In addition, cervical motion, especially axial rotation, is postoperatively reduced. Nakanishi and Bohler introduced the anterior screw fixation approach for the surgical treatment of odontoid fracture type II. This procedure preserves the atlantoaxial complex motion, provides immediate stability and high fracture healing rates, and, most importantly, has a low incidence of complications with good fusion rates. The surgical strategy must take into account the patient's anatomy, the morphological characteristics of the fracture, the quality of the bone, and any concomitant injuries. In this chapter, we describe a C2 type II fracture treated via a neuronavigated anterior retropharyngeal approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Ferri
- Department of Biomedical and Dental Science and Morphofunctional Imaging, Unit of Neurosurgery, University of Messina, Messina, Italy
| | - F Cacciola
- Department of Biomedical and Dental Science and Morphofunctional Imaging, Unit of Neurosurgery, University of Messina, Messina, Italy
| | - R Zaccaria
- Department of Biomedical and Dental Science and Morphofunctional Imaging, Unit of Neurosurgery, University of Messina, Messina, Italy
| | - I Ghetti
- Department of Biomedical and Dental Science and Morphofunctional Imaging, Unit of Neurosurgery, University of Messina, Messina, Italy
| | - A Curcio
- Department of Biomedical and Dental Science and Morphofunctional Imaging, Unit of Neurosurgery, University of Messina, Messina, Italy
| | - Antonino Francesco Germanò
- Department of Biomedical and Dental Science and Morphofunctional Imaging, Unit of Neurosurgery, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.
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Zaccaria R, Cacciola F, Caruso G, Ferri S, Caffo M, Curcio A, Ghetti I, Germanò A. Correlation Between Cervical Spine Sagittal Alignment and Clinical Outcome After Standalone Intersomatic Titanium Cage CeSPACE for Cervical Anterior Discectomy and Fusion in Cervical Degenerative Disk Diseases. Acta Neurochir Suppl 2023; 135:361-366. [PMID: 38153494 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-36084-8_55] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2023]
Abstract
The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between cervical spine sagittal alignment and clinical outcomes after using a standalone intersomatic titanium cage CeSPACE for anterior cervical discectomy and arthrodesis. We present our clinical experience in a group of 180 patients with a mean follow-up for at least 2 years. Patients were evaluated by clinical and radiological assessment preoperatively, immediately after surgery and at regular follow-up. There were 97 male and 83 female patients (average age: 56.6 years) who were preoperatively affected by cervical radiculomyelopathy that was due to spondylosis or cervical disk herniation and who underwent surgical treatment. All patients underwent an anterior discectomy and interbody fusion through the positioning of one or more levels of the CeSPACE device. Compared with the preoperative scores, improvement was seen in postoperative visual analog scale (VAS) scores and Neck Disability Index (NDI) values. The standalone intersomatic titanium cage CeSPACE for anterior cervical discectomy and arthrodesis improved radiculomyelopathy and increased the probability of cervical kyphotic alignment. However, cervical sagittal alignment after surgery was not significantly associated with clinical outcomes in terms of postoperative improvement in VAS scores and NDI values. Similarly, the change in cervical sagittal alignment was not related to visual analog scale scores or Neck Disability Index values.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Zaccaria
- Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morphofunctional Imaging, Unit of Neurosurgery, University of Messina, Messina, Italy
| | - F Cacciola
- Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morphofunctional Imaging, Unit of Neurosurgery, University of Messina, Messina, Italy
| | - G Caruso
- Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morphofunctional Imaging, Unit of Neurosurgery, University of Messina, Messina, Italy
| | - S Ferri
- Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morphofunctional Imaging, Unit of Neurosurgery, University of Messina, Messina, Italy
| | - M Caffo
- Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morphofunctional Imaging, Unit of Neurosurgery, University of Messina, Messina, Italy
| | - A Curcio
- Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morphofunctional Imaging, Unit of Neurosurgery, University of Messina, Messina, Italy
| | - I Ghetti
- Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morphofunctional Imaging, Unit of Neurosurgery, University of Messina, Messina, Italy
| | - A Germanò
- Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morphofunctional Imaging, Unit of Neurosurgery, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.
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Zaghi I, Ielasi L, Stagni B, Cascavilla A, Ferri S, Ambrosini V, Riefolo M, Varani S. A case of Leishmania infection with focal splanchnic involvement without systemic symptoms: a potential anti-inflammatory role for vitamin D. Acta Clin Belg 2022:1-4. [DOI: 10.1080/17843286.2022.2145686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- I Zaghi
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
- Division of Internal Medicine, Hepatobiliary and Immunoallergic Diseases, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Italy
| | - L Ielasi
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
- Division of Infectious Diseases, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - B Stagni
- Division of Internal Medicine, Hepatobiliary and Immunoallergic Diseases, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Italy
| | - A Cascavilla
- Division of Infectious Diseases, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - S Ferri
- Division of Internal Medicine, Hepatobiliary and Immunoallergic Diseases, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Italy
| | - V Ambrosini
- Nuclear Medicine Unit, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - M Riefolo
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
- Pathology Unit, Sant’Orsola Hospital, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - S Varani
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
- Unit of Clinical Microbiology, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
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Pérez-Callejo G, Vlachos C, Walsh CA, Florido R, Bailly-Grandvaux M, Vaisseau X, Suzuki-Vidal F, McGuffey C, Beg FN, Bradford P, Ospina-Bohórquez V, Batani D, Raffestin D, Colaïtis A, Tikhonchuk V, Casner A, Koenig M, Albertazzi B, Fedosejevs R, Woolsey N, Ehret M, Debayle A, Loiseau P, Calisti A, Ferri S, Honrubia J, Kingham R, Mancini RC, Gigosos MA, Santos JJ. Cylindrical implosion platform for the study of highly magnetized plasmas at Laser MegaJoule. Phys Rev E 2022; 106:035206. [PMID: 36266806 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.106.035206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2022] [Accepted: 07/25/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Investigating the potential benefits of the use of magnetic fields in inertial confinement fusion experiments has given rise to experimental platforms like the Magnetized Liner Inertial Fusion approach at the Z-machine (Sandia National Laboratories) or its laser-driven equivalent at OMEGA (Laboratory for Laser Energetics). Implementing these platforms at MegaJoule-scale laser facilities, such as the Laser MegaJoule (LMJ) or the National Ignition Facility (NIF), is crucial to reaching self-sustained nuclear fusion and enlarges the level of magnetization that can be achieved through a higher compression. In this paper, we present a complete design of an experimental platform for magnetized implosions using cylindrical targets at LMJ. A seed magnetic field is generated along the axis of the cylinder using laser-driven coil targets, minimizing debris and increasing diagnostic access compared with pulsed power field generators. We present a comprehensive simulation study of the initial B field generated with these coil targets, as well as two-dimensional extended magnetohydrodynamics simulations showing that a 5 T initial B field is compressed up to 25 kT during the implosion. Under these circumstances, the electrons become magnetized, which severely modifies the plasma conditions at stagnation. In particular, in the hot spot the electron temperature is increased (from 1 keV to 5 keV) while the density is reduced (from 40g/cm^{3} to 7g/cm^{3}). We discuss how these changes can be diagnosed using x-ray imaging and spectroscopy, and particle diagnostics. We propose the simultaneous use of two dopants in the fuel (Ar and Kr) to act as spectroscopic tracers. We show that this introduces an effective spatial resolution in the plasma which permits an unambiguous observation of the B-field effects. Additionally, we present a plan for future experiments of this kind at LMJ.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Pérez-Callejo
- Université de Bordeaux-CNRS-CEA, Centre Lasers Intenses et Applications (CELIA), UMR 5107, F-33405 Talence, France
- Departamento de Física Teórica, Atómica y Óptica, Universidad de Valladolid, 47011 Valladolid, Spain
| | - C Vlachos
- Université de Bordeaux-CNRS-CEA, Centre Lasers Intenses et Applications (CELIA), UMR 5107, F-33405 Talence, France
- Institute of Plasma Physics & Lasers, Hellenic Mediterranean University Research Centre, 74100 Rethymno, Greece
| | - C A Walsh
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550, USA
| | - R Florido
- iUNAT-Departamento de Física, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35017 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
| | - M Bailly-Grandvaux
- Center for Energy Research, University of California-San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, USA
| | | | - F Suzuki-Vidal
- Plasma Physics Group, The Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - C McGuffey
- General Atomics, San Diego, California 92121, USA
| | - F N Beg
- Center for Energy Research, University of California-San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, USA
| | - P Bradford
- Université de Bordeaux-CNRS-CEA, Centre Lasers Intenses et Applications (CELIA), UMR 5107, F-33405 Talence, France
| | - V Ospina-Bohórquez
- Université de Bordeaux-CNRS-CEA, Centre Lasers Intenses et Applications (CELIA), UMR 5107, F-33405 Talence, France
- CEA, DAM, DIF, F-91297 Arpajon, France
- University of Salamanca, 37008 Salamanca, Spain
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, Laboratoire Matière en Conditions Extrêmes, 91680 Bruyères-le-Châtel, France
| | - D Batani
- Université de Bordeaux-CNRS-CEA, Centre Lasers Intenses et Applications (CELIA), UMR 5107, F-33405 Talence, France
| | - D Raffestin
- Université de Bordeaux-CNRS-CEA, Centre Lasers Intenses et Applications (CELIA), UMR 5107, F-33405 Talence, France
| | - A Colaïtis
- Université de Bordeaux-CNRS-CEA, Centre Lasers Intenses et Applications (CELIA), UMR 5107, F-33405 Talence, France
| | - V Tikhonchuk
- Université de Bordeaux-CNRS-CEA, Centre Lasers Intenses et Applications (CELIA), UMR 5107, F-33405 Talence, France
- ELI-Beamlines, Institute of Physics, Czech Academy of Sciences, 25241 Dolní Brezany, Czech Republic
| | - A Casner
- Université de Bordeaux-CNRS-CEA, Centre Lasers Intenses et Applications (CELIA), UMR 5107, F-33405 Talence, France
- CEA-CESTA, CS 60001, 33116 Le Barp Cedex, France
| | - M Koenig
- LULI-CNRS, CEA, Sorbonne Universites, Ecole Polytechnique, Institut Polytechnique de Paris, F-91128 Palaiseau Cedex, France
| | - B Albertazzi
- LULI-CNRS, CEA, Sorbonne Universites, Ecole Polytechnique, Institut Polytechnique de Paris, F-91128 Palaiseau Cedex, France
| | - R Fedosejevs
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, T6G1R1 Alberta, Canada
| | - N Woolsey
- Department of Physics, University of York, Heslington YO10 5DD, United Kingdom
| | - M Ehret
- Centro de Laseres Pulsados, Building M5, Science Park, 37185 Villamayor, Salamanca, Spain
| | - A Debayle
- CEA, DAM, DIF, F-91297 Arpajon, France
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, Laboratoire Matière en Conditions Extrêmes, 91680 Bruyères-le-Châtel, France
| | - P Loiseau
- CEA, DAM, DIF, F-91297 Arpajon, France
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, Laboratoire Matière en Conditions Extrêmes, 91680 Bruyères-le-Châtel, France
| | - A Calisti
- Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, PIIM, F-13013 Marseille, France
| | - S Ferri
- Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, PIIM, F-13013 Marseille, France
| | - J Honrubia
- ETSI Aeronáutica y del Espacio, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - R Kingham
- Plasma Physics Group, The Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - R C Mancini
- Department of Physics, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada 89557, USA
| | - M A Gigosos
- Departamento de Física Teórica, Atómica y Óptica, Universidad de Valladolid, 47011 Valladolid, Spain
| | - J J Santos
- Université de Bordeaux-CNRS-CEA, Centre Lasers Intenses et Applications (CELIA), UMR 5107, F-33405 Talence, France
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D'Angelo S, Afeltra A, Atzeni F, Baldissera E, Caminiti M, Ciccia F, D'Agostino MA, Dagna L, Erre GL, Franceschini F, Fusaro E, Giacomelli R, Gremese E, Guggino G, Lomater C, Lubrano E, Padula AA, Pagano Mariano G, Russo R, Sarzi Puttini P, Scarpa R, Selmi C, Tirri E, Ferri S, Iannone F. Early Spondyloarthritis Clinic: Organizational Improvements in the Patient Journey. Front Med (Lausanne) 2022; 9:833139. [PMID: 35685409 PMCID: PMC9170963 DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2022.833139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2021] [Accepted: 04/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Spondyloarthritis are chronic inflammatory diseases affecting spine, peripheral joints and enthesis, as well as extra-articular sites (bowel, eyes, skin). Diagnosis of spondyloarthritis often is slow and requires a multidisciplinary approach. The “Early SpA Clinic” project aimed at improving the patient care and journeys, by solving some organizational issues existing in Rheumatology Clinics. The “Early SpA Clinic” involved 19 Italian Rheumatology Centers using in-depth organizational analyses to identify areas for improvement. From the results of the analyses, some organizational solutions were suggested, and their impact measured at the end of the project through specific KPI. With the implementation of the suggested organizational solutions, Centers achieved relevant results, positively impacting on all the phases of the patient journey: decrease in waiting lists (−23%) and in the time length to transit the Center (−22%), increase in the percentage of new diagnoses (+20%), in the saturation of outpatient clinic capacity (+16%), and in the patient satisfaction (+4%). Centers involved in the “Early SpA Clinic” implemented several organizational actions based on an overall assessment of their activities and on solutions that required no additional resources. Overall, the Centers achieved the “Early SpA Clinic” objectives in terms of better management of resources, personnel, spaces, equipment, in relation to the volumes of patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Salvatore D'Angelo
- Dipartimento Regionale di Reumatologia, Azienda Ospedaliera Regionale (A.O.R.) San Carlo, Potenza, Italy
| | - Antonella Afeltra
- Unità Operativa Complessa (U.O.C.) Immunoreumatologia, Campus Bio-Medico, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Elena Baldissera
- Unità Operativa (U.O.) Immunologia, Reumatologia, Allergologia e Malattie Rare, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (I.R.C.C.S.) Ospedale S. Raffaele, Milan, Italy
| | - Maurizio Caminiti
- U.O. Reumatologia, Grande Ospedale Metropolitano Bianchi-Melacrino-Morelli, Reggio Calabria, Italy
| | - Francesco Ciccia
- U.O.C. Reumatologia, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria (A.O.U.) Vanvitelli, Naples, Italy
| | - Maria Antonietta D'Agostino
- U.O.C. Reumatologia, Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli-I.R.C.C.S., Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Dagna
- Unità Operativa (U.O.) Immunologia, Reumatologia, Allergologia e Malattie Rare, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (I.R.C.C.S.) Ospedale S. Raffaele, Milan, Italy
| | - Gian Luca Erre
- Struttura Complessa (S.C.) Reumatologia, A.O.U. Sassari, Sassari, Italy
| | - Franco Franceschini
- U.O.C. Reumatologia e Immunologia Clinica, Azienda Socio Sanitaria Territoriale (A.S.S.T.) Spedali Civili, Brescia, Italy
| | - Enrico Fusaro
- S.C. Reumatologia, A.O.U. Città della Salute e della Scienza, Turin, Italy
| | - Roberto Giacomelli
- Unità Operativa Complessa (U.O.C.) Immunoreumatologia, Campus Bio-Medico, Rome, Italy
| | - Elisa Gremese
- U.O.C. Reumatologia, Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli-I.R.C.C.S., Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Claudia Lomater
- Struttura Semplice Dipartimentale (S.S.D.) Reumatologia, Azienda Ospedaliera (A.O.) Ordine Mauriziano, Turin, Italy
| | - Ennio Lubrano
- Unità Operativa Semplice Dipartimentale (U.O.S.D.) Reumatologia, Presidio Ospedaliero (P.O.) Cardarelli, Campobasso, Italy
| | - Angela Anna Padula
- Dipartimento Regionale di Reumatologia, Azienda Ospedaliera Regionale (A.O.R.) San Carlo, Potenza, Italy
| | - Giuseppa Pagano Mariano
- U.O. Reumatologia, Grande Ospedale Metropolitano Bianchi-Melacrino-Morelli, Reggio Calabria, Italy
| | - Romualdo Russo
- U.O.S. Reumatologia, Azienda Ospedaliera di Rilievo Nazionale (A.O.R.N.) Cardarelli, Naples, Italy
| | - Piercarlo Sarzi Puttini
- U.O. Reumatologia, Azienda Socio Sanitaria Territoriale Fatebenefratelli (A.S.S.T. F.B.F.) Sacco, Milan, Italy
| | - Raffaele Scarpa
- U.O. Reumatologia e Riabilitazione Reumatologica, A.O.U. Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Carlo Selmi
- U.O. Reumatologia e Immunologia Clinica, Istituto Clinico Humanitas – I.R.C.C.S., Rozzano, Italy
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche, Humanitas University, Milan, Italy
| | - Enrico Tirri
- U.O.S.D. Reumatologia, Presidio Ospedaliero San Giovanni Bosco (P.O. S.G.), Naples, Italy
| | | | - Florenzo Iannone
- Dipartimento di Emergenza e Trapianto d'Organi, U.O.C. Reumatologia Universitaria, Clinica Reumatologica, Scuola di Specializzazione in Reumatologia, Bari, Italy
- *Correspondence: Florenzo Iannone
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Pape S, Snijders RJALM, Gevers TJG, Chazouilleres O, Dalekos GN, Hirschfield GM, Lenzi M, Trauner M, Manns MP, Vierling JM, Montano-Loza AJ, Lohse AW, Schramm C, Drenth JPH, Heneghan MA, Alvarez F, Andrade R, Arikan C, Assis D, Bardou-Jacquet E, Biewenga M, Cancado E, Cazzagon N, Chazouillères O, Colloredo G, Cuarterolo M, Dalekos G, Debray D, Robles-Díaz M, Drenth J, Dyson J, Efe C, Engel B, Ferri S, Fontana R, Gatselis N, Gerussi A, Halilbasic E, Halliday N, Heneghan M, Hirschfield G, van Hoek B, Hørby Jørgensen M, Indolfini G, Iorio R, Jeong S, Jones D, Kelly D, Kerkar N, Lacaille F, Lammert C, Leggett B, Lenzi M, Levy C, Liberal R, Lleo A, Lohse A, Ines Lopez S, de Martin E, McLin V, Mieli-Vergani G, Milkiewicz P, Mohan N, Muratori L, Nebbia G, van Nieuwkerk C, Oo Y, Ortega A, Páres A, Pop T, Pratt D, Purnak T, Ranucci G, Rushbrook S, Schramm C, Stättermayer A, Swain M, Tanaka A, Taubert R, Terrabuio D, Terziroli B, Trauner M, Valentino P, van den Brand F, Villamil A, Wahlin S, Ytting H, Zachou K, Zeniya M. Systematic review of response criteria and endpoints in autoimmune hepatitis by the International Autoimmune Hepatitis Group. J Hepatol 2022; 76:841-849. [PMID: 35066089 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhep.2021.12.041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2021] [Revised: 11/18/2021] [Accepted: 12/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) has been well characterised and codified through the development of diagnostic criteria. These criteria have been adapted and simplified and are widely used in clinical practice. However, there is a need to update and precisely define the criteria for both treatment response and treatment. METHODS A systematic review was performed and a modified Delphi consensus process was used to identify and redefine the response criteria in autoimmune hepatitis. RESULTS The consensus process initiated by the International Autoimmune Hepatitis Group proposes that the term 'complete biochemical response' defined as 'normalization of serum transaminases and IgG below the upper limit of normal' be adopted to include a time point at 6 months after initiation of treatment. An insufficient response by 6 months was a failure to meet the above definition. Non-response was defined as '<50% decrease of serum transaminases within 4 weeks after initiation of treatment'. Remission is defined as liver histology with a Hepatitis Activity Index <4/18. Intolerance to treatment was agreed to stand for 'any adverse event possibly related to treatment leading to potential drug discontinuation'. CONCLUSIONS These definitions provide a simple and reproducible framework to define treatment response and non-response, irrespective of the therapeutic intervention. A consensus on endpoints is urgently required to set a global standard for the reporting of study results and to enable inter-study comparisons. Future prospective database studies are needed to validate these endpoints. LAY SUMMARY Consensus among international experts on response criteria and endpoints in autoimmune hepatitis is lacking. A consensus on endpoints is urgently required to set a global standard for the reporting of study results and to enable the comparison of results between clinical trials. Therefore, the International Autoimmune Hepatitis Group (IAIHG) herein presents a statement on 5 agreed response criteria and endpoints: complete biochemical response, insufficient response, non-response, remission, and intolerance to treatment, which can be used to guide future reporting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Pape
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands; European Reference Network on Hepatological Diseases (ERN RARE-LIVER)
| | - Romée J A L M Snijders
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands; European Reference Network on Hepatological Diseases (ERN RARE-LIVER)
| | - Tom J G Gevers
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands; Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht 6229HX, The Netherlands; European Reference Network on Hepatological Diseases (ERN RARE-LIVER)
| | - Oliver Chazouilleres
- Hepatology Department, Reference Center for Inflammatory Biliary Diseases and Autoimmune Hepatitis, Saint-Antoine Hospital Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Paris, France; European Reference Network on Hepatological Diseases (ERN RARE-LIVER)
| | - George N Dalekos
- Department of Medicine and Research Laboratory of Internal Medicine, University of Thessaly Medical School, Larissa, Greece
| | - Gideon M Hirschfield
- Toronto Centre for Liver Disease, University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Marco Lenzi
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Sant'Orsola-Malpighi, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Michael Trauner
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine III, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria; European Reference Network on Hepatological Diseases (ERN RARE-LIVER)
| | - Michael P Manns
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endocrinology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany; European Reference Network on Hepatological Diseases (ERN RARE-LIVER)
| | - John M Vierling
- Departments of Medicine and Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Aldo J Montano-Loza
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of Alberta Hospital, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Ansgar W Lohse
- 1(st) Department of Internal Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany; European Reference Network on Hepatological Diseases (ERN RARE-LIVER)
| | - Christoph Schramm
- 1(st) Department of Internal Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany; Martin Zeitz Centre for Rare Diseases, University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany; European Reference Network on Hepatological Diseases (ERN RARE-LIVER)
| | - Joost P H Drenth
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands; European Reference Network on Hepatological Diseases (ERN RARE-LIVER)
| | - Michael A Heneghan
- Institute of Liver Studies, King's College Hospital, London, United Kingdom; European Reference Network on Hepatological Diseases (ERN RARE-LIVER).
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9
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Colantoni A, Paris E, Bianchini L, Ferri S, Marcantonio V, Carnevale M, Palma A, Civitarese V, Gallucci F. Spent coffee ground characterization, pelletization test and emissions assessment in the combustion process. Sci Rep 2021; 11:5119. [PMID: 33664428 PMCID: PMC7933292 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-84772-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2020] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Industrial development and increased energy requirements have led to high consumption of fossil fuels. Thus, environmental pollution has become a profound problem. Every year, a large amount of agro-industrial, municipal and forest residues are treated as waste, but they can be recovered and used to produce thermal and electrical energy through biological or thermochemical conversion processes. Among the main types of agro-industrial waste, soluble coffee residues represent a significant quantity all over the world. Silver skin and spent coffee grounds (SCG) are the main residues of the coffee industry. The many organic compounds contained in coffee residues suggest that their recovery and use could be very beneficial. Indeed, thanks to their composition, they can be used in the production of biodiesel, as a source of sugar, as a precursor for the creation of active carbon or as a sorbent for the removal of metals. After a careful evaluation of the possible uses of coffee grounds, the aim of this research was to show a broad characterization of coffee waste for energy purposes through physical and chemical analyses that highlight the most significant quality indexes, the interactions between them and the quantification of their importance. Results identify important tools for the qualification and quantification of the effects of coffee waste properties on energy production processes. They show that (SCG) are an excellent raw material as biomass, with excellent values in terms of calorific value and low ash content, allowing the production of 98% coffee pellets that are highly suitable for use in thermal conversion systems. Combustion tests were also carried out in an 80kWth boiler and the resulting emissions without any type of abatement filter were characterized.
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Affiliation(s)
- A. Colantoni
- grid.12597.380000 0001 2298 9743Department of Agriculture and Forestry Science (UNITUS-DAFNE), Tuscia University, Viterbo, Italy
| | - E. Paris
- grid.423616.40000 0001 2293 6756Centro Di Ricerca Ingegneria E Trasformazioni Agroalimentari (CREA-IT), Consiglio Per La Ricerca in Agricoltura E L’analisi Dell’economia Agraria (CREA), Rome, Italy
| | - L. Bianchini
- grid.12597.380000 0001 2298 9743Department of Agriculture and Forestry Science (UNITUS-DAFNE), Tuscia University, Viterbo, Italy
| | - S. Ferri
- grid.12597.380000 0001 2298 9743Department of Agriculture and Forestry Science (UNITUS-DAFNE), Tuscia University, Viterbo, Italy
| | - V. Marcantonio
- grid.12597.380000 0001 2298 9743Department of Agriculture and Forestry Science (UNITUS-DAFNE), Tuscia University, Viterbo, Italy
| | - M. Carnevale
- grid.423616.40000 0001 2293 6756Centro Di Ricerca Ingegneria E Trasformazioni Agroalimentari (CREA-IT), Consiglio Per La Ricerca in Agricoltura E L’analisi Dell’economia Agraria (CREA), Rome, Italy
| | - A. Palma
- grid.423616.40000 0001 2293 6756Centro Di Ricerca Ingegneria E Trasformazioni Agroalimentari (CREA-IT), Consiglio Per La Ricerca in Agricoltura E L’analisi Dell’economia Agraria (CREA), Rome, Italy
| | - V. Civitarese
- grid.423616.40000 0001 2293 6756Centro Di Ricerca Ingegneria E Trasformazioni Agroalimentari (CREA-IT), Consiglio Per La Ricerca in Agricoltura E L’analisi Dell’economia Agraria (CREA), Rome, Italy
| | - F. Gallucci
- grid.423616.40000 0001 2293 6756Centro Di Ricerca Ingegneria E Trasformazioni Agroalimentari (CREA-IT), Consiglio Per La Ricerca in Agricoltura E L’analisi Dell’economia Agraria (CREA), Rome, Italy
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Yoshida H, Kojima K, Shiota M, Yoshimatsu K, Yamazaki T, Ferri S, Tsugawa W, Kamitori S, Sode K. X-ray structure of the direct electron transfer-type FAD glucose dehydrogenase catalytic subunit complexed with a hitchhiker protein. Acta Crystallogr D Struct Biol 2019; 75:841-851. [PMID: 31478907 PMCID: PMC6719666 DOI: 10.1107/s2059798319010878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2019] [Accepted: 08/02/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
The X-ray structure of the catalytic subunit of Burkholderia cepacia FAD glucose dehydrogenase complexed with a hitchhiker protein was determined as a representative molecule of direct electron transfer-type FAD-dependent dehydrogenase complexes. The 3Fe–4S cluster is present at the surface of the catalytic subunit and serves in the intramolecular and intermolecular electron transfer from FAD to the electron-transfer subunit. The bacterial flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD)-dependent glucose dehydrogenase complex derived from Burkholderia cepacia (BcGDH) is a representative molecule of direct electron transfer-type FAD-dependent dehydrogenase complexes. In this study, the X-ray structure of BcGDHγα, the catalytic subunit (α-subunit) of BcGDH complexed with a hitchhiker protein (γ-subunit), was determined. The most prominent feature of this enzyme is the presence of the 3Fe–4S cluster, which is located at the surface of the catalytic subunit and functions in intramolecular and intermolecular electron transfer from FAD to the electron-transfer subunit. The structure of the complex revealed that these two molecules are connected through disulfide bonds and hydrophobic interactions, and that the formation of disulfide bonds is required to stabilize the catalytic subunit. The structure of the complex revealed the putative position of the electron-transfer subunit. A comparison of the structures of BcGDHγα and membrane-bound fumarate reductases suggested that the whole BcGDH complex, which also includes the membrane-bound β-subunit containing three heme c moieties, may form a similar overall structure to fumarate reductases, thus accomplishing effective electron transfer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiromi Yoshida
- Life Science Research Center and Faculty of Medicine, Kagawa University, 1750-1 Ikenobe, Miki-cho, Kita-gun, Kagawa 761-0793, Japan
| | - Katsuhiro Kojima
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Science, Graduate School of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan
| | - Masaki Shiota
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Science, Graduate School of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan
| | - Keiichi Yoshimatsu
- Department of Chemistry, Missouri State University, Springfield, MO 65897, USA
| | - Tomohiko Yamazaki
- Research Center for Functional Materials, National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), 1-2-1 Sengen, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0047, Japan
| | - Stefano Ferri
- Department of Applied Chemistry and Biochemical Engineering, Shizuoka University, 3-5-1 Johoku, Naka-ku, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka 432-8561, Japan
| | - Wakako Tsugawa
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Science, Graduate School of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan
| | - Shigehiro Kamitori
- Life Science Research Center and Faculty of Medicine, Kagawa University, 1750-1 Ikenobe, Miki-cho, Kita-gun, Kagawa 761-0793, Japan
| | - Koji Sode
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Science, Graduate School of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan
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Ferri S, Crimi C, Heffler E, Campisi R, Noto A, Crimi N. Vitamin D and disease severity in bronchiectasis. Respir Med 2019; 148:1-5. [PMID: 30827468 DOI: 10.1016/j.rmed.2019.01.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2018] [Revised: 01/08/2019] [Accepted: 01/20/2019] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Bronchiectasis is a complex respiratory disease characterised by permanent dilatation of bronchi. Vitamin D plays a role in infective disease by modulating the inflammation. Patients affected by bronchiectasis are frequently Vitamin D deficient and it correlates with lung function decline. We want to understand if there is a correlation between Vitamin D and clinical and radiological severity of bronchiectasis. METHODS We included 57 patients (17 males/40 female with mean age 60 ± 12 years) between October 2017 and March 2018. We excluded patients with cystic fibrosis, traction bronchiectasis and reporting Vitamin D supplementation. Bronchiectasis severity index (BSI) and Bhalla score were calculated, blood inflammatory markers and Vit. D were measured and lung function tests were performed. RESULTS Vitamin D is deficient in 64% of patients, sufficient in 36% and normal in 7%. Mean BSI is 7.5 ± 5 and mean Bhalla score is 16 ± 4. Vitamin D levels correlate with Bhalla score (R2 = 0.68, p < 0.001) and BSI (R2 = 0.58, p < 0.0001). The correlation appears to be stronger than other markers of inflammation such as ESR and CRP [R2 = 0.33, p = 0.001 and R2 = 0.39, p = 0.001 respectively]. CONCLUSIONS We consider Vitamin D as a good predictor of clinical and radiological severity of bronchiectasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Ferri
- Respiratory Medicine, AOU "Policlinico - Vittorio Emanuele", University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - C Crimi
- Respiratory Medicine, AOU "Policlinico - Vittorio Emanuele", University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - E Heffler
- Personalized Medicine, Asthma and Allergy, Humanitas Clinical and Research Center, IRCCS, Rozzano, MI, Italy; Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele, MI, Italy.
| | - R Campisi
- Respiratory Medicine, AOU "Policlinico - Vittorio Emanuele", University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - A Noto
- Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care, AOU Policlinico "G. Martino", University of Messina, Messina, Italy
| | - N Crimi
- Respiratory Medicine, AOU "Policlinico - Vittorio Emanuele", University of Catania, Catania, Italy
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13
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Badary A, Takamatsu S, Nakajima M, Ferri S, Lindblad P, Sode K. Glycogen Production in Marine Cyanobacterial Strain Synechococcus sp. NKBG 15041c. Mar Biotechnol (NY) 2018; 20:109-117. [PMID: 29330710 DOI: 10.1007/s10126-017-9792-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2017] [Accepted: 12/15/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
An important feature offered by marine cyanobacterial strains over freshwater strains is the capacity to grow in seawater, replacing the need for often-limited freshwater. However, there are only limited numbers of marine cyanobacteria that are available for genetic manipulation and bioprocess applications. The marine unicellular cyanobacteria Synechococcus sp. strain NKBG 15041c (NKBG15041c) has been extensively studied. Recombinant DNA technologies are available for this strain, and its genomic information has been elucidated. However, an investigation of carbohydrate production, such as glycogen production, would provide information for inevitable biofuel-related compound production, but it has not been conducted. In this study, glycogen production by marine cyanobacterium NKBG15041c was investigated under different cultivation conditions. NKBG15041c yielded up to 399 μg/ml/OD730 when cells were cultivated for 168 h in nitrogen-depleted medium (marine BG11ΔN) after medium replacement (336 h after inoculation). Cultivation under nitrogen-limited conditions also yielded an accumulation of glycogen in NKBG15041c cells (1 mM NaNO3, 301 μg/ml/OD730; 3 mM NaNO3, 393 μg/ml/OD730; and 5 mM NaNO3, 328 μg/ml/OD730) under ambient conditions. Transcriptional analyses were carried out for 13 putative genes responsible for glycogen synthesis and catabolism that were predicted based on homology analyses with Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 (PCC6803) and Synechococcus sp. PCC7002 (PCC7002). The transcriptional analyses revealed that glycogen production in NKBG15041c under nitrogen-depleted conditions can be explained by the contribution of both increased carbon flux towards glycogen synthesis, similar to PCC6803 and PCC7002, and increased transcriptional levels of genes responsible for glycogen synthesis, which is different from the conventionally reported phenomenon, resulting in a relatively high amount of glycogen under ambient conditions compared to PCC6803 and PCC7002.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amr Badary
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Science, Graduate School of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo, 184-8588, Japan
- JST, CREST, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo, 184-8588, Japan
| | - Shouhei Takamatsu
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Science, Graduate School of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo, 184-8588, Japan
- JST, CREST, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo, 184-8588, Japan
| | - Mitsuharu Nakajima
- JST, CREST, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo, 184-8588, Japan
- Institute of Global Innovation Research, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 3-8-1 Harumi-cho, Fuchu, Tokyo, 183-8538, Japan
| | - Stefano Ferri
- JST, CREST, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo, 184-8588, Japan
- Department of Applied Chemistry and Biochemical Engineering, Shizuoka University, 3-5-1 Johoku, Naka-Ku, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, 432-8561, Japan
| | - Peter Lindblad
- Department of Chemistry, Ångström Laboratory, Uppsala University, Box 523, SE-751 20, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Koji Sode
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Science, Graduate School of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo, 184-8588, Japan.
- JST, CREST, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo, 184-8588, Japan.
- Institute of Global Innovation Research, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 3-8-1 Harumi-cho, Fuchu, Tokyo, 183-8538, Japan.
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Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the contribution of stereopsis to the processing of observed manipulative actions. To this end, we first combined the factors "stimulus type" (action, static control, and dynamic control), "stereopsis" (present, absent) and "viewpoint" (frontal, lateral) into a single design. Four sites in premotor, retro-insular (2) and parietal cortex operated specifically when actions were viewed stereoscopically and frontally. A second experiment clarified that the stereo-action-specific regions were driven by actions moving out of the frontoparallel plane, an effect amplified by frontal viewing in premotor cortex. Analysis of single voxels and their discriminatory power showed that the representation of action in the stereo-action-specific areas was more accurate when stereopsis was active. Further analyses showed that the 4 stereo-action-specific sites form a closed network converging onto the premotor node, which connects to parietal and occipitotemporal regions outside the network. Several of the specific sites are known to process vestibular signals, suggesting that the network combines observed actions in peripersonal space with gravitational signals. These findings have wider implications for the function of premotor cortex and the role of stereopsis in human behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Ferri
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Parma, 43125 Parma, Italy
| | - K Pauwels
- Computer Vision and Active Perception Laboratory, School of Computer Science and Communication, KTH, 10044 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - G Rizzolatti
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Parma, 43125 Parma, Italy
| | - G A Orban
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Parma, 43125 Parma, Italy
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Kameya M, Tsugawa W, Yamada-Tajima M, Hatada M, Suzuki K, Sakaguchi-Mikami A, Ferri S, Klonoff DC, Sode K. Electrochemical sensing system employing fructosamine 6-kinase enables glycated albumin measurement requiring no proteolytic digestion. Biotechnol J 2016; 11:797-804. [DOI: 10.1002/biot.201500442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2015] [Revised: 02/25/2016] [Accepted: 04/06/2016] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Miho Kameya
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Science, Graduate School of Engineering; Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology; Tokyo Japan
| | - Wakako Tsugawa
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Science, Graduate School of Engineering; Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology; Tokyo Japan
| | - Mayumi Yamada-Tajima
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Science, Graduate School of Engineering; Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology; Tokyo Japan
| | - Mika Hatada
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Science, Graduate School of Engineering; Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology; Tokyo Japan
| | - Keita Suzuki
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Science, Graduate School of Engineering; Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology; Tokyo Japan
| | - Akane Sakaguchi-Mikami
- D epartment of Medical Technology, School of Health Sciences, Graduate School of Bionics, Computer and Media Sciences; Tokyo University of Technology; Tokyo Japan
| | - Stefano Ferri
- Department of Engineering, Graduate School of Integrated Science and Technology; Shizuoka University; Tokyo Japan
| | - David C. Klonoff
- Diabetes Research Institute; Mills-Peninsula Health Services; San Mateo California USA
| | - Koji Sode
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Science, Graduate School of Engineering; Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology; Tokyo Japan
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Nakajima M, Abe K, Ferri S, Sode K. Development of a light-regulated cell-recovery system for non-photosynthetic bacteria. Microb Cell Fact 2016; 15:31. [PMID: 26875863 PMCID: PMC4753666 DOI: 10.1186/s12934-016-0426-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2015] [Accepted: 01/19/2016] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Recent advances in the understanding of photosensing in biological systems have enabled the use of photoreceptors as novel genetic tools. Exploiting various photoreceptors that cyanobacteria possess, a green light-inducible gene expression system was previously developed for the regulation of gene expression in cyanobacteria.
However, the applications of cyanobacterial photoreceptors are not limited to these bacteria but are also available for non-photosynthetic microorganisms by the coexpression of a cyanobacterial chromophore with a cyanobacteria-derived photosensing system. An Escherichia coli-derived self-aggregation system based on Antigen 43 (Ag43) has been shown to induce cell self-aggregation of various bacteria by exogenous introduction of the Ag43 gene. Results An E. coli transformant harboring a plasmid encoding the Ag43 structural gene under a green light-regulated gene expression system derived from the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 was constructed. Ag43 was inserted downstream of the cpcG2 promoter PcpcG2, and its expression was regulated by green light induction, which was achieved by the functional expression of cyanobacterial CcaS/CcaR by coexpressing its chromophore synthesis gene cassette in E. coli. E. coli transformants harboring this designed system self-aggregated under green light exposure and precipitated, whereas transformants lacking the green light induction system did not. The green light induction system effectively functioned before the cell culture entered the stationary growth phase, and approximately 80 % of the cell culture was recovered by simple decantation. Conclusion This study demonstrated the construction of a cell recovery system for non-photosynthetic microorganisms induced by exposure of cells to green light. The system was regulated by a two-component regulatory system from cyanobacteria, and cell precipitation was mediated by an autotransporter protein, Ag43. Although further strict control and an increase of cell recovery efficiency are necessary, the system represents a novel tool for future bioprocessing with reduced energy and labor required for cell recovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mitsuharu Nakajima
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Science, Graduate School of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture & Technology, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo, 184-8588, Japan. .,Japan Science and Technology Agency, CREST, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo, 184-8588, Japan.
| | - Koichi Abe
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Science, Graduate School of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture & Technology, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo, 184-8588, Japan. .,Japan Science and Technology Agency, CREST, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo, 184-8588, Japan.
| | - Stefano Ferri
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Science, Graduate School of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture & Technology, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo, 184-8588, Japan. .,Japan Science and Technology Agency, CREST, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo, 184-8588, Japan. .,Department of Applied Chemistry and Biochemical Engineering, Shizuoka University, 3-5-1 Johoku, Naka-ku, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, 432-8561, Japan.
| | - Koji Sode
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Science, Graduate School of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture & Technology, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo, 184-8588, Japan. .,Japan Science and Technology Agency, CREST, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo, 184-8588, Japan.
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17
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Fukaya T, Abe K, Savory N, Tsukakoshi K, Yoshida W, Ferri S, Sode K, Ikebukuro K. Improvement of the VEGF binding ability of DNA aptamers through in silico maturation and multimerization strategy. J Biotechnol 2015; 212:99-105. [PMID: 26302839 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2015.08.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2015] [Revised: 07/25/2015] [Accepted: 08/17/2015] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Aptamers are mainly selected by in vitro selection using random nucleic acid libraries. These aptamers have often shown insufficient affinity for biomedical applications. We improved DNA aptamer binding affinity for vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) through in silico maturation (ISM) and aptamer multimerization. ISM is one of a number of evolutionary approaches and aptamer multimerization is one of several semi-rational strategies to improve function. We first reselected VEGF-binding aptamers using a partially randomized DNA library and identified two aptamers with higher binding ability than that of a known aptamer. We conducted ISM using the re-selected aptamers to optimize the key loop sequences created by a three-way junction structure. After five ISM rounds, we identified aptamer 2G19 [dissociation constant (Kd), 52 nM] as a local optimum of the defined search space. We characterized the aptamer and found that a specific stem-loop structure was involved in aptamer VEGF recognition. To further improve its affinity for VEGF, we multimerized 2G19 or its stem-loop structure. The designed SL5-trivalent aptamer (Kd, 0.37 nM) with three binding motifs significantly increased binding affinity, representing a 500-fold improvement from systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment-selected aptamers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takahiro Fukaya
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Japan
| | - Koichi Abe
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Japan
| | - Nasa Savory
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Japan
| | - Kaori Tsukakoshi
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Japan
| | - Wataru Yoshida
- School of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Tokyo University of Technology, Japan
| | - Stefano Ferri
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Japan
| | - Koji Sode
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Japan
| | - Kazunori Ikebukuro
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Japan.
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18
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Badary A, Abe K, Ferri S, Kojima K, Sode K. The development and characterization of an exogenous green-light-regulated gene expression system in marine cyanobacteria. Mar Biotechnol (NY) 2015; 17:245-251. [PMID: 25638493 DOI: 10.1007/s10126-015-9616-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2014] [Accepted: 11/08/2014] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
A green-light-regulated gene expression system derived from Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 was constructed and introduced into the marine cyanobacterial strain Synechococcus sp. NKBG 15041c. The regulation system was evaluated using gfp uv as a reporter gene under red-light illumination and under simultaneous red- and green-light illumination. Expression of the reporter gene was effectively repressed under red-light illumination and increased over 10-fold by illuminating with green light. Control vectors missing either the ccaS sensor histidine kinase gene or the ccaR response regulator gene showed no detectable induction of GFPuv expression. Green-light induction of gfp uv expression was further confirmed by quantitative reverse transcription PCR. The constructed system was effective at regulating the recombinant expression of a target gene using green light in a marine cyanobacterial strain that does not naturally possess such a green-light regulation system. Thus, constructed green-light-regulated gene expression system may be used as a core platform technology for the development of marine cyanobacterial strains in which bioprocesses will be regulated by light.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amr Badary
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo, 184-8588, Japan
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19
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Sakai Y, Abe K, Nakashima S, Ellinger JJ, Ferri S, Sode K, Ikebukuro K. Scaffold-fused riboregulators for enhanced gene activation in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. Microbiologyopen 2015; 4:533-40. [PMID: 25865486 PMCID: PMC4554450 DOI: 10.1002/mbo3.257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2015] [Revised: 02/27/2015] [Accepted: 03/09/2015] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Cyanobacteria are an attractive host for biofuel production because they can produce valuable chemical compounds from CO2 fixed by photosynthesis. However, the available genetic tools that enable precise gene regulation for the applications of synthetic biology are insufficient. Previously, we engineered an RNA-based posttranscriptional regulator, termed riboregulator, for the control of target gene expression in cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. Moreover, we enhanced the gene regulation ability of the riboregulators in Escherichia coli by fusing and engineering a scaffold sequence derived from naturally occurring E. coli noncoding small RNAs. Here, we demonstrated that the scaffold sequence fused to the riboregulators improved their gene regulation ability in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. To further improve gene regulation, we expressed an exogenous RNA chaperone protein that is responsible for noncoding small RNA-mediated gene regulation, which resulted in higher target gene expression. The scaffold sequence derived from natural E. coli noncoding small RNAs is effective for designing RNA-based genetic tools and scaffold-fused riboregulators are a strong RNA-tool to regulate gene expression in cyanobacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuta Sakai
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Science, Graduate School of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo, 184-8588, Japan.,CREST, Japan Science and Technology Agency, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo, 184-8588, Japan
| | - Koichi Abe
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Science, Graduate School of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo, 184-8588, Japan.,CREST, Japan Science and Technology Agency, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo, 184-8588, Japan
| | - Saki Nakashima
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Science, Graduate School of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo, 184-8588, Japan.,CREST, Japan Science and Technology Agency, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo, 184-8588, Japan
| | - James J Ellinger
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Science, Graduate School of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo, 184-8588, Japan.,CREST, Japan Science and Technology Agency, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo, 184-8588, Japan
| | - Stefano Ferri
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Science, Graduate School of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo, 184-8588, Japan.,CREST, Japan Science and Technology Agency, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo, 184-8588, Japan
| | - Koji Sode
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Science, Graduate School of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo, 184-8588, Japan.,CREST, Japan Science and Technology Agency, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo, 184-8588, Japan
| | - Kazunori Ikebukuro
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Science, Graduate School of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo, 184-8588, Japan.,CREST, Japan Science and Technology Agency, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo, 184-8588, Japan
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20
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Abstract
Research advances in biochemical molecules have led to the development of convenient and reproducible biosensing molecules for glycated proteins, such as those based on the enzymes fructosyl amino acid oxidase (FAOX) or fructosyl peptide oxidase (FPOX). Recently, more attractive biosensing molecules with potential applications in next-generation biosensing of glycated proteins have been aggressively reported. We review 2 such molecules, fructosamine 6-kinase (FN6K) and fructosyl amino acid-binding protein, as well as their recent applications in the development of glycated protein biosensing systems. Research on FN6K and fructosyl amino acid-binding protein has been opening up new possibilities for the development of highly sensitive and proteolytic-digestion-free biosensing systems for glycated proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miho Kameya
- Department of Biotechnology & Life Science, Graduate School of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Akane Sakaguchi-Mikami
- Department of Medical Technology, School of Health Sciences, Graduate School of Bionics, Computer and Media Sciences, Tokyo University of Technology, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Stefano Ferri
- Department of Biotechnology & Life Science, Graduate School of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Wakako Tsugawa
- Department of Biotechnology & Life Science, Graduate School of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Koji Sode
- Department of Biotechnology & Life Science, Graduate School of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Tokyo, Japan Ultizyme International Ltd, Tokyo, Japan
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21
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Ferri S, Peeters R, Nelissen K, Vanduffel W, Rizzolatti G, Orban GA. A human homologue of monkey F5c. Neuroimage 2015; 111:251-66. [PMID: 25711137 PMCID: PMC4401441 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2015.02.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2014] [Revised: 01/15/2015] [Accepted: 02/16/2015] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Area F5c is a monkey premotor area housing mirror neurons which responds more strongly to grasping observation when the actor is visible than when only the actor's hand is visible. Here we used this characteristic fMRI signature of F5c in seven imaging experiments – one in macaque monkeys and six in humans – to identify the human homologue of monkey F5c. By presenting the two grasping actions (actor, hand) and varying the low level visual characteristics, we localized a putative human homologue of area F5c (phF5c) in the inferior part of precentral sulcus, bilaterally. In contrast to monkey F5c, phF5c is asymmetric, with a right-sided bias, and is activated more strongly during the observation of the later stages of grasping when the hand is close to the object. The latter characteristic might be related to the emergence, in humans, of the capacity to precisely copy motor acts performed by others, and thus imitation. We use parallel fMRI to identify the human homologue of macaque F5c. In premotor cortex only F5c reacts more to observing grasping with the actor visible. Two bilateral inferior precentral sulcus sites respond similarly for many stimuli. The human homologues of F5c are asymmetric and require fixation near the target.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Ferri
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - R Peeters
- Division of Radiology, KU Leuven University Hospital, Leuven, Belgium
| | - K Nelissen
- Laboratorium voor Neuro-en Psychofysiologie, KU Leuven Medical School, Leuven, Belgium
| | - W Vanduffel
- Laboratorium voor Neuro-en Psychofysiologie, KU Leuven Medical School, Leuven, Belgium
| | - G Rizzolatti
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Parma, Parma, Italy; Brain Center for Social and Motor Cognition, Italian Institute of Technology, Parma, Italy
| | - G A Orban
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Parma, Parma, Italy; Laboratorium voor Neuro-en Psychofysiologie, KU Leuven Medical School, Leuven, Belgium.
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22
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Savory N, Nzakizwanayo J, Abe K, Yoshida W, Ferri S, Dedi C, Jones BV, Ikebukuro K. Selection of DNA aptamers against uropathogenic Escherichia coli NSM59 by quantitative PCR controlled Cell-SELEX. J Microbiol Methods 2014; 104:94-100. [PMID: 25008464 DOI: 10.1016/j.mimet.2014.06.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2013] [Revised: 05/01/2014] [Accepted: 06/25/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
In order to better control nosocomial infections, and facilitate the most prudent and effective use of antibiotics, improved strategies for the rapid detection and identification of problematic bacterial pathogens are required. DNA aptamers have much potential in the development of diagnostic assays and biosensors to address this important healthcare need, but further development of aptamers targeting common pathogens, and the strategies used to obtain specific aptamers are required. Here we demonstrate the application of a quantitative PCR (qPCR) controlled Cell-SELEX process, coupled with downstream secondary-conformation-based aptamer profiling. We used this approach to identify and select DNA aptamers targeted against uropathogenic Escherichia coli, for which specific aptamers are currently lacking, despite the prevalence of these infections. The use of qPCR to monitor the Cell-SELEX process permitted a minimal number of SELEX cycles to be employed, as well as the cycle-by-cycle optimisation of standard PCR amplification of recovered aptamer pools at each round. Identification of useful aptamer candidates was also facilitated by profiling of secondary conformations and selection based on putative aptamer secondary structure. One aptamer selected this way (designated EcA5-27), displaying a guanine-quadruplex sequence motif, was shown to have high affinity and specificity for target cells, and the potential to discriminate between distinct strains of E. coli, highlighting the possibility for development of aptamers selectively recognising pathogenic strains. Overall, the identified aptamers hold much potential for the development of rapid diagnostic assays for nosocomial urinary tract infections caused by E. coli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nasa Savory
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan.
| | - Jonathan Nzakizwanayo
- School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Brighton, Huxley Building, Lewes Road, Brighton, East Sussex, BN2 4GJ, United Kingdom.
| | - Koichi Abe
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan.
| | - Wataru Yoshida
- School of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Tokyo University of Technology, 1404-1 Katakuramachi, Hachioji, Tokyo 192-0982, Japan.
| | - Stefano Ferri
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan.
| | - Cinzia Dedi
- School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Brighton, Huxley Building, Lewes Road, Brighton, East Sussex, BN2 4GJ, United Kingdom.
| | - Brian V Jones
- School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Brighton, Huxley Building, Lewes Road, Brighton, East Sussex, BN2 4GJ, United Kingdom; Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Holtye Road, East Grinstead, West Sussex, RD19 3DZ, United Kingdom.
| | - Kazunori Ikebukuro
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan.
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23
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Miyake K, Abe K, Ferri S, Nakajima M, Nakamura M, Yoshida W, Kojima K, Ikebukuro K, Sode K. A green-light inducible lytic system for cyanobacterial cells. Biotechnol Biofuels 2014; 7:56. [PMID: 24713090 PMCID: PMC4021604 DOI: 10.1186/1754-6834-7-56] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2013] [Accepted: 03/25/2014] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cyanobacteria are an attractive candidate for the production of biofuel because of their ability to capture carbon dioxide by photosynthesis and grow on non-arable land. However, because huge quantities of water are required for cultivation, strict water management is one of the greatest issues in algae- and cyanobacteria-based biofuel production. In this study, we aim to construct a lytic cyanobacterium that can be regulated by a physical signal (green-light illumination) for future use in the recovery of biofuel related compounds. RESULTS We introduced T4 bacteriophage-derived lysis genes encoding holin and endolysin under the control of the green-light regulated cpcG2 promoter in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. When cells harboring the lysis genes were illuminated with both red and green light, we observed a considerable decrease in growth rate, a significant increase in cellular phycocyanin released in the medium, and a considerable fraction of dead cells. These effects were not observed when these cells were illuminated with only red light, or when cells not containing the lysis genes were grown under either red light or red and green light. These results indicate that our constructed green-light inducible lytic system was clearly induced by green-light illumination, resulting in lytic cells that released intracellular phycocyanin into the culture supernatant. This property suggests a future possibility to construct photosynthetic genetically modified organisms that are unable to survive under sunlight exposure. Expression of the self-lysis system with green-light illumination was also found to greatly increase the fragility of the cell membrane, as determined by subjecting the induced cells to detergent, osmotic-shock, and freeze-thaw treatments. CONCLUSIONS A green-light inducible lytic system was constructed in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. The engineered lytic cyanobacterial cells should be beneficial for the recovery of biofuels and related compounds from cells with minimal effort and energy, due to the fragile nature of the induced cells. Furthermore, the use of light-sensing two-component systems to regulate the expression of exogenous genes in cyanobacteria promises to replace conventional chemical inducers in many bioprocess applications, impacting the limiting water management issues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kotone Miyake
- Department of Biotechnology, Graduate School of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture & Technology, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan
- JST, CREST, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan
| | - Koichi Abe
- Department of Biotechnology, Graduate School of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture & Technology, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan
- JST, CREST, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan
| | - Stefano Ferri
- Department of Biotechnology, Graduate School of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture & Technology, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan
- JST, CREST, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan
| | - Mitsuharu Nakajima
- Department of Biotechnology, Graduate School of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture & Technology, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan
- JST, CREST, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan
| | - Mayumi Nakamura
- Department of Biotechnology, Graduate School of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture & Technology, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan
- JST, CREST, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan
| | - Wataru Yoshida
- Department of Biotechnology, Graduate School of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture & Technology, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan
- JST, CREST, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan
| | - Katsuhiro Kojima
- Department of Biotechnology, Graduate School of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture & Technology, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan
- JST, CREST, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan
| | - Kazunori Ikebukuro
- Department of Biotechnology, Graduate School of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture & Technology, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan
- JST, CREST, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan
| | - Koji Sode
- Department of Biotechnology, Graduate School of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture & Technology, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan
- JST, CREST, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan
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Horaguchi Y, Saito S, Kojima K, Tsugawa W, Ferri S, Sode K. Engineering glucose oxidase to minimize the influence of oxygen on sensor response. Electrochim Acta 2014. [DOI: 10.1016/j.electacta.2013.09.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Sakai Y, Abe K, Nakashima S, Yoshida W, Ferri S, Sode K, Ikebukuro K. Improving the gene-regulation ability of small RNAs by scaffold engineering in Escherichia coli. ACS Synth Biol 2014; 3:152-62. [PMID: 24328142 DOI: 10.1021/sb4000959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Noncoding small RNAs are involved in transcriptional and post-transcriptional gene regulation of target mRNAs by modulating mRNA elongation, stability, or translational efficiency. Many natural trans-encoded small RNAs contain a scaffold that allows binding of the RNA chaperone protein Hfq for conditional gene regulation. Here, we improved the gene regulation abilities of small RNAs by directly fusing the natural Escherichia coli trans-encoded small RNA-derived scaffolds, including Hfq-binding and rho-independent transcription terminator sequences, to the 3' end of the small RNAs that mediate RNA-based gene regulation. As target small RNAs to improve their gene regulation abilities, we selected small RNAs of artificial post-transcriptional riboregulators and transcriptional attenuators. Four different small RNA scaffolds were fused to the riboregulator and attenuator-derived small RNAs. Mutations were introduced into the best small RNA scaffold to improve its gene-regulation ability further. As a result, mutations predicted to stabilize the secondary structures of the small RNA scaffolds dramatically increased its ability to regulate gene expression of both the post-transcriptional riboregulator and transcriptional attenuator systems. We believe our engineered small RNA scaffolds are applicable to other RNA regulators for improving regulatory activity, and engineered small RNA scaffolds may present a valuable strategy to regulate target gene expression strongly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuta Sakai
- Department
of Biotechnology and Life Science, Graduate School of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan
- Japan Science and Technology Agency, CREST, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan
| | - Koichi Abe
- Department
of Biotechnology and Life Science, Graduate School of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan
- Japan Science and Technology Agency, CREST, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan
| | - Saki Nakashima
- Department
of Biotechnology and Life Science, Graduate School of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan
- Japan Science and Technology Agency, CREST, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan
| | - Wataru Yoshida
- Department
of Biotechnology and Life Science, Graduate School of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan
- Japan Science and Technology Agency, CREST, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan
| | - Stefano Ferri
- Department
of Biotechnology and Life Science, Graduate School of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan
- Japan Science and Technology Agency, CREST, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan
| | - Koji Sode
- Department
of Biotechnology and Life Science, Graduate School of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan
- Japan Science and Technology Agency, CREST, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan
| | - Kazunori Ikebukuro
- Department
of Biotechnology and Life Science, Graduate School of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan
- Japan Science and Technology Agency, CREST, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan
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26
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Abe K, Miyake K, Nakamura M, Kojima K, Ferri S, Ikebukuro K, Sode K. Engineering of a green-light inducible gene expression system in Synechocystis sp. PCC6803. Microb Biotechnol 2013; 7:177-83. [PMID: 24330635 PMCID: PMC3937721 DOI: 10.1111/1751-7915.12098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
In order to construct a green-light-regulated gene expression system for cyanobacteria, we characterized a green-light sensing system derived from Synechocystis sp. PCC6803, consisting of the green-light sensing histidine kinase CcaS, the cognate response regulator CcaR, and the promoter of cpcG2 (PcpcG 2 ). CcaS and CcaR act as a genetic controller and activate gene expression from PcpcG 2 with green-light illumination. The green-light induction level of the native PcpcG 2 was investigated using GFPuv as a reporter gene inserted in a broad-host-range vector. A clear induction of protein expression from native PcpcG 2 under green-light illumination was observed; however, the expression level was very low compared with Ptrc , which was reported to act as a constitutive promoter in cyanobacteria. Therefore, a Shine-Dalgarno-like sequence derived from the cpcB gene was inserted in the 5' untranslated region of the cpcG2 gene, and the expression level of CcaR was increased. Thus, constructed engineered green-light sensing system resulted in about 40-fold higher protein expression than with the wild-type promoter with a high ON/OFF ratio under green-light illumination. The engineered green-light gene expression system would be a useful genetic tool for controlling gene expression in the emergent cyanobacterial bioprocesses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Koichi Abe
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture & Technology, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo, 184-8588, Japan; JST, CREST, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo, 184-8588, Japan
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Savory N, Goto S, Yoshida W, Unuma Y, Nakamura M, Abe K, Ferri S, Ikebukuro K. Two-Dimensional Electrophoresis-Based Selection of Aptamers Against an Unidentified Protein in a Tissue Sample. ANAL LETT 2013. [DOI: 10.1080/00032719.2013.828300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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Savory N, Takahashi Y, Tsukakoshi K, Hasegawa H, Takase M, Abe K, Yoshida W, Ferri S, Kumazawa S, Sode K, Ikebukuro K. Simultaneous improvement of specificity and affinity of aptamers against Streptococcus mutans by in silico maturation for biosensor development. Biotechnol Bioeng 2013; 111:454-61. [PMID: 24018905 DOI: 10.1002/bit.25111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2013] [Revised: 08/27/2013] [Accepted: 09/03/2013] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
In silico evolution with an in vitro system can facilitate the development of functional aptamers with high specificity and affinity. Although a general technique known as systematic evolution of ligand by exponential enrichment (SELEX) is an efficient method for aptamer selection, it sometimes fails to identify aptamers with sufficient binding properties. We have previously developed in silico maturation (ISM) to improve functions of aptamers based on genetic algorithms. ISM represents an intelligent exploitation of a random search within a defined sequence space to optimize aptamer sequences and improve their function of interest. Here we demonstrated a successful application of ISM of aptamers to simultaneously improve specificity and affinity for Streptococcus mutans with discovery of a core sequence, which was required to form a polymerized guanine quadruplex structure for target binding. We applied ISM to aptamers selected by whole-cell SELEX and identified an aptamer with up to 16-fold improvement in affinity compared to its parent aptamers, and specificity was increased to show 12-fold more binding to S. mutans than to Lactobacillus acidophilus. Furthermore, we demonstrated a specific flow-through detection of S. mutans at a concentration range of 1 × 10(5) -10(8) CFU/mL using the evolved aptamer immobilized on gold colloids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nasa Savory
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo, 184-8588, Japan
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Abstract
We developed a method for aptamer identification without in vitro selection. We have previously obtained several aptamers, which may fold into the G-quadruplex (G4) structure, against target proteins; therefore, we hypothesized that the G4 structure would be an excellent scaffold for aptamers to recognize the target protein. Moreover, the G4-forming sequence contained in the promoter region of insulin can reportedly bind to insulin. We thus expected that G4 DNAs, which are contained in promoter regions, could act as DNA aptamers against their gene products. We designated this aptamer identification method as “G4 promoter-derived aptamer selection (G4PAS).” Using G4PAS, we identified vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)165, platelet-derived growth factor-AA (PDGF)-AA, and RB1 DNA aptamers. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) analysis revealed that the dissociation constant (Kd) values of VEGF165, PDGF-AA, and RB1 DNA aptamers were 1.7 × 10−7 M, 6.3 × 10−9 M, and 4.4 × 10−7 M, respectively. G4PAS is a simple and rapid method of aptamer identification because it involves only binding analysis of G4 DNAs to the target protein. In the human genome, over 40% of promoters contain one or more potential G4 DNAs. G4PAS could therefore be applied to identify aptamers against target proteins that contain G4 DNAs on their promoters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wataru Yoshida
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture & Technology, Koganei, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Taiki Saito
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture & Technology, Koganei, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Tomomi Yokoyama
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture & Technology, Koganei, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Stefano Ferri
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture & Technology, Koganei, Tokyo, Japan
- Japan Science and Technology Agency, CREST, Koganei, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kazunori Ikebukuro
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture & Technology, Koganei, Tokyo, Japan
- Japan Science and Technology Agency, CREST, Koganei, Tokyo, Japan
- * E-mail:
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Sakaguchi-Mikami A, Kameya M, Ferri S, Tsugawa W, Sode K. Cloning and characterization of fructosamine-6-kinase from Arthrobacter aurescens. Appl Biochem Biotechnol 2013; 170:710-7. [PMID: 23609907 DOI: 10.1007/s12010-013-0229-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2012] [Accepted: 04/07/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Fructosamine-6-kinases (FN6Ks) that catalyze phosphorylation of glycated amino acids, i.e., fructosyl amino acids (FAs), have been shown as a potential recognition element for glycated protein detection. However, there are only two available FN6Ks: those from Escherichia coli which is specific for ε-fructosyl lysine (ε-FK) and Bacillus subtilis which recognizes both ε-FK and α-FA as substrates. In this study, we characterized an FN6K homologue isolated from Arthrobacter, some of whose species are reported to assimilate FA. The BLAST searches of Arthrobacter genomic database, using the bacterial FN6K primary structure information, revealed the presence of an FN6K homologue in Arthrobacter aurescens TC1 strain. Indeed, enzymatic assays confirmed that the putative FN6K from A. aurescens is an FN6K that is specific for ε-FK, although the primary sequence alignments showed similarity of A. aurescens FN6Ks with FN6Ks from B. subtilis and E. coli at the same level. In this study, we describe for the first time the presence of FN6K in Arthrobacter spp. and ε-FK-specific degradation pathway from Gram-positive bacteria, providing important information for the development of FA-recognizing molecules as well as for the FA assimilation system in bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akane Sakaguchi-Mikami
- Graduate School of Bionics, Computer and Media Sciences, Tokyo University of Technology, Hachioji, Japan
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Savory N, Lednor D, Tsukakoshi K, Abe K, Yoshida W, Ferri S, Jones BV, Ikebukuro K. In silico maturation of binding-specificity of DNA aptamers against Proteus mirabilis. Biotechnol Bioeng 2013; 110:2573-80. [PMID: 23568752 DOI: 10.1002/bit.24922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2013] [Revised: 02/27/2013] [Accepted: 03/29/2013] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Proteus mirabilis is a prominent cause of catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) among patients undergoing long-term bladder catheterization. There are currently no effective means of preventing P. mirabilis infections, and strategies for prophylaxis and rapid early diagnosis are urgently required. Aptamers offer significant potential for development of countermeasures against P. mirabilis CAUTI and are an ideal class of molecules for the development of diagnostics and therapeutics. Here we demonstrate the application of Cell-SELEX to identify DNA aptamers that show high affinity for P. mirabilis. While the aptamers identified displayed high affinity for P. mirabilis cells in dot blotting assays, they also bound to other uropathogenic bacteria. To improve aptamer specificity for P. mirabilis, an in silico maturation (ISM) approach was employed. Two cycles of ISM allowed the identification of an aptamer showing 36% higher specificity, evaluated as a ratio of binding signal for P. mirabilis to that for Escherichia coli (also a cause of CAUTI and the most common urinary tract pathogen). Aptamers that specifically recognize P. mirabilis would have diagnostic and therapeutic values and constitute useful tools for studying membrane-associated proteins in this organism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nasa Savory
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo, 184-8588, Japan
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Kojima K, Kobayashi T, Tsugawa W, Ferri S, Sode K. Mutational analysis of the oxygen-binding site of cholesterol oxidase and its impact on dye-mediated dehydrogenase activity. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2013. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molcatb.2012.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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Sakaguchi-Mikami A, Ferri S, Katayama S, Tsugawa W, Sode K. Identification and functional analysis of fructosyl amino acid-binding protein from Gram-positive bacterium Arthrobacter
sp. J Appl Microbiol 2013; 114:1449-56. [DOI: 10.1111/jam.12152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2012] [Revised: 12/26/2012] [Accepted: 01/20/2013] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- A. Sakaguchi-Mikami
- Graduate School of Bionics; Computer and Media Sciences; Tokyo University of Technology; Hachioji Japan
| | - S. Ferri
- Department of Biotechnology; Graduate School of Engineering; Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology; Tokyo Japan
| | - S. Katayama
- Department of Biotechnology; Graduate School of Engineering; Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology; Tokyo Japan
| | - W. Tsugawa
- Department of Biotechnology; Graduate School of Engineering; Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology; Tokyo Japan
| | - K. Sode
- Department of Biotechnology; Graduate School of Engineering; Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology; Tokyo Japan
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Ferri S, Miyamoto Y, Sakaguchi-Mikami A, Tsugawa W, Sode K. Engineering Fructosyl Peptide Oxidase to Improve Activity Toward the Fructosyl Hexapeptide Standard for HbA1c Measurement. Mol Biotechnol 2013; 54:939-43. [DOI: 10.1007/s12033-012-9644-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Nonaka Y, Yoshida W, Abe K, Ferri S, Schulze H, Bachmann TT, Ikebukuro K. Affinity improvement of a VEGF aptamer by in silico maturation for a sensitive VEGF-detection system. Anal Chem 2012; 85:1132-7. [PMID: 23237717 DOI: 10.1021/ac303023d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX) is an efficient method to identify aptamers; however, it sometimes fails to identify aptamers that bind to their target with high affinity. Thus, post-SELEX optimization of aptamers is required to improve aptamer binding affinity. We developed in silico maturation based on a genetic algorithm (1) as an efficient mutagenesis method to improve aptamer binding affinity. In silico maturation was performed to improve a VEGF-binding DNA aptamer (VEap121). The VEap121 aptamer is considered to fold into a G-quadruplex structure and this structure may be important for VEGF recognition. Using in silico maturation, VEap121 was mutated with the exception of the guanine tracts that are considered to form the G-quartet. As a result, four aptamers were obtained that showed higher affinity compared with VEap121. The dissociation constant (K(d)) of the most improved aptamer (3R02) was 300 pM. The affinity of 3R02 was 16-fold higher than that of VEap121. Moreover, a bivalent aptamer was constructed by connecting two identical 3R02s through a 10-mer thymine linker for further improvement of affinity. The bivalent aptamer (3R02 Bivalent) bound to VEGF with a K(d) value of 30 pM. Finally, by constructing a VEGF-detection system using a VEGF antibody as the capture molecule and monovalent 3R02 as the detection molecule, a more sensitive assay was developed compared with the system using VEap121. These results indicate that in silico maturation could be an efficient method to improve aptamer affinity for construction of sensitive detection systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoshihiko Nonaka
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan
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Yamashita Y, Ferri S, Huynh ML, Shimizu H, Yamaoka H, Sode K. Direct electron transfer type disposable sensor strip for glucose sensing employing an engineered FAD glucose dehydrogenase. Enzyme Microb Technol 2012; 52:123-8. [PMID: 23273282 DOI: 10.1016/j.enzmictec.2012.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2012] [Revised: 11/03/2012] [Accepted: 11/05/2012] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
The FAD-dependent glucose dehydrogenase (FADGDH) from Burkholderia cepacia has several attractive features for glucose sensing. However, expanding the application of this enzyme requires improvement of its substrate specificity, especially decreasing its high activity toward maltose. A three-dimensional structural model of the FADGDH catalytic subunit was generated by homology modeling. By comparing the predicted active site with that of glucose oxidase, the two amino acid residues serine 326 and serine 365 were targeted for site-directed mutagenesis. The single mutations that produced the highest glucose specificity were combined, leading to the creation of the S326Q/S365Y double mutant, which was virtually nonreactive to maltose while retaining high glucose dehydrogenase activity. The engineered FADGDH was used to develop a direct electron transfer-type, disposable glucose sensor strip by immobilizing the enzyme complex onto a carbon screen-printed electrode. While the electrode employing wild-type FADGDH provided dangerously flawed results in the presence of maltose, the sensor employing our engineered FADGDH showed a clear glucose concentration-dependent response that was not affected by the presence of maltose.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuki Yamashita
- Department of Biotechnology, Graduate School of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture & Technology, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo, 184-8588, Japan
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Abstract
Mutagenesis studies on glucose oxidases (GOxs) were conducted to construct GOxs with reduced oxidase activity and increased dehydrogenase activity. We focused on two representative GOxs, of which crystal structures have already been reported—Penicillium amagasakiense GOx (PDB ID; 1gpe) and Aspergillus niger GOx (PDB ID; 1cf3). We constructed oxygen-interacting structural models for GOxs, and predicted the residues responsible for oxidative half reaction with oxygen on the basis of the crystal structure of cholesterol oxidase as well as on the fact that both enzymes are members of the glucose/methanol/choline (GMC) oxidoreductase family. Rational amino acid substitution resulted in the construction of an engineered GOx with drastically decreased oxidase activity and increased dehydrogenase activity, which was higher than that of the wild-type enzyme. As a result, the dehydrogenase/oxidase ratio of the engineered enzyme was more than 11-fold greater than that of the wild-type enzyme. These results indicate that alteration of the dehydrogenase/oxidase activity ratio of GOxs is possible by introducing a mutation into the putative functional residues responsible for oxidative half reaction with oxygen of these enzymes, resulting in a further increased dehydrogenase activity. This is the first study reporting the alteration of GOx electron acceptor preference from oxygen to an artificial electron acceptor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yohei Horaguchi
- Department of Biotechnology, Graduate School of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 2-24-16 Nakamachi, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan; E-Mails: (Y.H.); (S.S.); (W.T.); (S.F.)
| | - Shoko Saito
- Department of Biotechnology, Graduate School of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 2-24-16 Nakamachi, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan; E-Mails: (Y.H.); (S.S.); (W.T.); (S.F.)
| | - Katsuhiro Kojima
- Ultizyme International Ltd., 1-13-16, Minami, Meguro, Tokyo 152-0013, Japan; E-Mail:
| | - Wakako Tsugawa
- Department of Biotechnology, Graduate School of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 2-24-16 Nakamachi, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan; E-Mails: (Y.H.); (S.S.); (W.T.); (S.F.)
| | - Stefano Ferri
- Department of Biotechnology, Graduate School of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 2-24-16 Nakamachi, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan; E-Mails: (Y.H.); (S.S.); (W.T.); (S.F.)
| | - Koji Sode
- Department of Biotechnology, Graduate School of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 2-24-16 Nakamachi, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan; E-Mails: (Y.H.); (S.S.); (W.T.); (S.F.)
- Ultizyme International Ltd., 1-13-16, Minami, Meguro, Tokyo 152-0013, Japan; E-Mail:
- Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: ; Tel./Fax: +81-42-388-7027
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Ferri S, Kolster H, Jastorff J, Orban GA. The overlap of the EBA and the MT/V5 cluster. Neuroimage 2012; 66:412-25. [PMID: 23108274 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2012.10.060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2012] [Revised: 10/03/2012] [Accepted: 10/04/2012] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The extrastriate body area (EBA) is located in the lateral occipito-temporal cortex, in the vicinity of the motion-sensitive region hMT/V5+. To investigate the relationship of EBA to the recently mapped retinotopic areas of the MT/V5 cluster (Kolster et al., 2010), we evaluated the proportion of voxels responsive to the presentation of static human bodies (EBA voxels) in each of the four areas of the MT/V5 cluster and neighboring LO and phPIT areas. We evaluated this proportion as both a function of the number of voxels in a given area and the total number of voxels in a broader lateral occipito-temporal cortex (LOTC) ROI. We observed that each of the four retinotopic areas of the MT/V5 cluster includes substantial fractions of EBA voxels, in contrast to the LO and phPIT areas. This proportion was slightly greater in the right than left hemisphere, and did not depend on the control condition. While most EBA voxels in MT/V5 were only body-sensitive, those in pMSTv and pFST were also motion-sensitive. The main locus of EBA voxels outside the MT/V5 cluster was in the LOTC cortex just rostral to the MT/V5 cluster. Although this region contained more EBA voxels than the MT/V5 cluster, the proportion as a function of areal size was much reduced compared to the MT/V5 cluster. Our results show that EBA is not a single cortical area as EBA voxels are located in all four areas of the MT/V5 cluster, and that body-sensitivity is a key feature of the MT/V5 cluster, in keeping with its exquisite sensitivity to observed actions of others.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Ferri
- Laboratorium voor Neuro-en Psychofysiologie, KU Leuven Medical School, Belgium; Department of Neurosciences, Parma University Medical School, Italy
| | - H Kolster
- Laboratorium voor Neuro-en Psychofysiologie, KU Leuven Medical School, Belgium
| | - J Jastorff
- Laboratorium voor Neuro-en Psychofysiologie, KU Leuven Medical School, Belgium.
| | - G A Orban
- Laboratorium voor Neuro-en Psychofysiologie, KU Leuven Medical School, Belgium; Department of Neurosciences, Parma University Medical School, Italy
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Kojima K, Mikami-Sakaguchi A, Kameya M, Miyamoto Y, Ferri S, Tsugawa W, Sode K. Substrate specificity engineering of Escherichia coli derived fructosamine 6-kinase. Biotechnol Lett 2012; 35:253-8. [DOI: 10.1007/s10529-012-1062-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2012] [Accepted: 10/04/2012] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Ferri S, Gatti A, Casale G, Mastroianni C, Dauri M, Sabato A, Visconti G. [Modalities for access to networks of palliative care and pain management in Lazio: level of information for health personnel aware of the Policlinico Tor Vergata]. Ig Sanita Pubbl 2012; 68:677-696. [PMID: 23223318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Law no. 38 of 2010 introduces for the first time protection for access to Palliative Care and Pain Management. It was interesting to evaluate the level of knowledge among health care workers at the Policlinico Tor Vergata, procedures relating to such access through the administration of a questionnaire. The questionnaire divided into a general part and the two sections (A and B) The general part concerns the health operator respect to age, gender, profession, and his role within the operating unit of the hospital. The section A and B, is to understand if the operator knows Palliative Care, and Pain Therapy, as he became aware of the two arguments, and if they have been addressed during the university courses he attended. The analysis of the data examined show a general confusion distributed evenly among all professionals. Is greater knowledge of pain therapy compared to Palliative Care.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Ferri
- Medico Direzione Sanitaria di Presidio Fondazione PTV.
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Abstract
The evolution from first-generation through third-generation glucose sensors has witnessed the appearance of a number of very diverse oxidoreductases, which vary tremendously in terms of origin, structure, substrate specificity, cofactor used as primary electron acceptor, and acceptable final electron acceptor. This article summarizes our present knowledge of redox enzymes currently utilized in commercially available glucose monitoring systems to promote a fuller appreciation of enzymatic properties and principles employed in blood glucose monitoring to help avoid potential errors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Ferri
- Department of Biotechnology, Graduate School of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and TechnologyKoganei, Tokyo, Japan
| | | | - Koji Sode
- Department of Biotechnology, Graduate School of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and TechnologyKoganei, Tokyo, Japan
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Ferri S, Calisti A, Mossé C, Mouret L, Talin B, Gigosos MA, González MA, Lisitsa V. Frequency-fluctuation model applied to Stark-Zeeman spectral line shapes in plasmas. Phys Rev E Stat Nonlin Soft Matter Phys 2011; 84:026407. [PMID: 21929120 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.84.026407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2010] [Revised: 02/04/2011] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
A very fast method for calculating line shapes in the presence of an external magnetic field accounting for charge particle dynamics is proposed. It is based on a reformulation of the frequency fluctuation model, which provides an expression of the dynamic line shape as a functional of the static distribution function of frequencies. In the presence of an external magnetic field, the distribution of intensity and polarization of the emission depends on the angle between the observation line and the magnetic field's direction. Comparisons with numerical simulations and experimental results for various plasma conditions show very good agreement. Results on hydrogen lines in the context of magnetic fusion and the Lyman-α line, accounting for fine structure, emitted by argon in the context of inertial fusion, are also presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Ferri
- Laboratoire PIIM, UMR 6633, Université de Provence-CNRS, Centre de Saint Jérôme, Case 232, F-13397 Marseille Cedex 20, France.
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43
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Abstract
The measurement of glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) has important implications for diagnosis of diabetes and assessment of treatment effectiveness. We proposed specific sequence motifs to identify enzymes that oxidize glycated compounds from genome database searches. The gene encoding a putative fructosyl amino acid oxidase was found in the Phaeosphaeria nodorum SN15 genome and successfully expressed in Escherichia coli. The recombinant protein (XP_001798711) was confirmed to be a novel fructosyl peptide oxidase (FPOX) with high specificity for alpha-glycated compounds, such as HbA1c model compounds fructosyl-(alpha)N-valine (f-(alpha)Val) and fructosyl-(alpha)N-valyl-histidine (f-(alpha)Val-His). Unlike previously reported FPOXs, the P. nodorum FPOX has a K(m) value for f-(alpha)Val-His (0.185 mM) that is considerably lower than that for f-(alpha)Val (0.458 mM). Based on amino acid sequence alignment, three dimensional structural modeling, and site-directed mutagenesis, Gly60 was found to be a determining residue for the activity towards f-(alpha)Val-His. A flexible surface loop region was also found to likely play an important role in accepting f-(alpha)Val-His.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seungsu Kim
- Department of Biotechnology, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Koganei-shi, Japan
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Desriani, Ferri S, Sode K. Amino acid substitution at the substrate-binding subsite alters the specificity of the Phanerochaete chrysosporium cellobiose dehydrogenase. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2010; 391:1246-50. [PMID: 20120044 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2009.12.052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
The active site of cellobiose dehydrogenase from Phanerochaete chrysosporium is composed of two subsites, a catalytic C subsite and a substrate-binding B subsite. Based on the crystal structure of the enzyme with a cellobiose analogue, residue Glu279 was selected for site-directed mutagenesis studies. Substitution of Glu279 to Ala, Asn, and Asp had no effect on the expression of the protein in Pichia pastoris but completely abolished its enzymatic activity. Substitution of Glu279 to Gln drastically altered the enzyme's substrate specificity. While the wild-type cellobiose dehydrogenase efficiently oxidizes cellobiose and lactose, the Glu279Gln mutant retained most of its activity with cellobiose but was completely inactive with lactose. We generated structural models of the active site interacting with cellobiose and lactose to provide an interpretation of these results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Desriani
- Department of Biotechnology, Graduate School of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan.
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Calisti A, Mossé C, Ferri S, Talin B, Rosmej F, Bureyeva LA, Lisitsa VS. Dynamic Stark broadening as the Dicke narrowing effect. Phys Rev E Stat Nonlin Soft Matter Phys 2010; 81:016406. [PMID: 20365484 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.81.016406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2009] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
A very fast method to account for charged particle dynamics effects in calculations of spectral line shape emitted by plasmas is presented. This method is based on a formulation of the frequency fluctuation model (FFM), which provides an expression of the dynamic line shape as a functional of the static distribution of frequencies. Thus, the main numerical work rests on the calculation of the quasistatic Stark profile. This method for taking into account ion dynamics allows a very fast and accurate calculation of Stark broadening of atomic hydrogen high- n series emission lines. It is not limited to hydrogen spectra. Results on helium- beta and Lyman- alpha lines emitted by argon in microballoon implosion experiment conditions compared with experimental data and simulation results are also presented. The present approach reduces the computer time by more than 2 orders of magnitude as compared with the original FFM with an improvement of the calculation precision, and it opens broad possibilities for its application in spectral line-shape codes.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Calisti
- PIIM, UMR6633, Centre Saint Jérôme, Université de Provence-CNRS, Marseille, France.
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Abstract
Glycated proteins, particularly glycated hemoglobin A1c, are important markers for assessing the effectiveness of diabetes treatment. Convenient and reproducible assay systems based on the enzyme fructosyl amino acid oxidase (FAOD) have become attractive alternatives to conventional detection methods. We review the available FAOD-based assays for measurement of glycated proteins as well as the recent advances and future direction of FAOD research. Future research is expected to lead to the next generation of convenient, simple, and economical sensors for glycated protein, ideally suited for point-of-care treatment and self-monitoring applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Ferri
- Department of Biotechnology, Graduate School of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Koganei, Japan
| | - Seungsu Kim
- Department of Biotechnology, Graduate School of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Koganei, Japan
| | - Wakako Tsugawa
- Department of Biotechnology, Graduate School of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Koganei, Japan
- Department of Technology Risk Management, Graduate School of Technology Management, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Koji Sode
- Department of Biotechnology, Graduate School of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Koganei, Japan
- Department of Technology Risk Management, Graduate School of Technology Management, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Tokyo, Japan
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Rosato J, Marandet Y, Capes H, Ferri S, Mossé C, Godbert-Mouret L, Koubiti M, Stamm R. Stark broadening of hydrogen lines in low-density magnetized plasmas. Phys Rev E Stat Nonlin Soft Matter Phys 2009; 79:046408. [PMID: 19518360 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.79.046408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2008] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Stark broadening of hydrogen lines in the presence of a magnetic field is revisited, with emphasis on the role of the ion component under typical conditions of magnetized fusion devices. An impact theory for ions valid at low density (N_{e} < or approximately 10;{14} cm;{-3}) and taking into account the Zeeman degeneracy removal of the atomic states is developed. It is shown that the Stark widths of the Lorentz triplet components strongly depend on the magnetic field. The model is validated by a computer simulation method. For the lateral sigma components of Lyalpha , we show that the impact approximation still holds for densities as high as N_{e} approximately 10;{15} cm;{-3}. In contrast, for the central pi component as well as for the other lines from low principal quantum number, significant discrepancies between the proposed theory and the simulation results appear at high density. Application to Dalpha in tokamak divertor plasma conditions shows that, in this case, the quasistatic approximation becomes more relevant.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Rosato
- IEF-Plasmaphysik, TEC Euratom Association, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, D-52425 Jülich, Germany.
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48
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Kim S, Miura S, Ferri S, Tsugawa W, Sode K. Cumulative effect of amino acid substitution for the development of fructosyl valine-specific fructosyl amine oxidase. Enzyme Microb Technol 2009. [DOI: 10.1016/j.enzmictec.2008.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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Abstract
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is characterized by a number of autoreactive manifestations, such as autoantibody production, cryoglobulinemia and thyroid disorders. We will analyse critically the mechanisms invoked, and partially documented, to explain such manifestations arising in genetically predisposed individuals exposed to HCV. In particular we will examine the available evidence implicating the virus in lowering the B cell activation threshold, in directly infecting lymphocytes and in inducing self-reactivity through a mechanism of molecular mimicry. We will then move to the HCV related clinical immunopathological manifestations, with a specific attention to the effects of antiviral treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Ferri
- Institute of Liver Studies, King's College School of Medicine at King's College Hospital, Denmark Hill, London, UK
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Franchi GG, Ferri S, Bovalini L, Martelli P. Ammi Visnaga(L.) Lam.: Occurrence of Khellin and Visnagin in Primary Rib Channels and Endosperm, and Emptiness of Vittae, Revealed by U.V. Microscopy*. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2008. [DOI: 10.3109/13880208709060918] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
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