Jun Adachi

Bio: Jun Adachi is an academic researcher from Osaka University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Medicine & Proteomics. The author has an hindex of 24, co-authored 84 publications receiving 2923 citations. Previous affiliations of Jun Adachi include Kyoto University & Max Planck Society.

The human urinary proteome contains more than 1500 proteins, including a large proportion of membrane proteins.

Abstract: Urine is a desirable material for the diagnosis and classification of diseases because of the convenience of its collection in large amounts; however, all of the urinary proteome catalogs currently being generated have limitations in their depth and confidence of identification. Our laboratory has developed methods for the in-depth characterization of body fluids; these involve a linear ion trap-Fourier transform (LTQ-FT) and a linear ion trap-orbitrap (LTQ-Orbitrap) mass spectrometer. Here we applied these methods to the analysis of the human urinary proteome. We employed one-dimensional sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and reverse phase high-performance liquid chromatography for protein separation and fractionation. Fractionated proteins were digested in-gel or in-solution, and digests were analyzed with the LTQ-FT and LTQ-Orbitrap at parts per million accuracy and with two consecutive stages of mass spectrometric fragmentation. We identified 1543 proteins in urine obtained from ten healthy donors, while essentially eliminating false-positive identifications. Surprisingly, nearly half of the annotated proteins were membrane proteins according to Gene Ontology (GO) analysis. Furthermore, extracellular, lysosomal, and plasma membrane proteins were enriched in the urine compared with all GO entries. Plasma membrane proteins are probably present in urine by secretion in exosomes. Our analysis provides a high-confidence set of proteins present in human urinary proteome and provides a useful reference for comparing datasets obtained using different methodologies. The urinary proteome is unexpectedly complex and may prove useful in biomarker discovery in the future.

An international comparative analysis of sustainability transformation across seven universities

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify the key aspects of transformation of universities towards sustainability, such as the ideal characteristics of the “sustainable university”, and the drivers and barriers in the transformation, by comparing the strategies of seven universities world-wide. Design/methodology/approach – A systems transformation analysis of seven case studies has been applied through a self-evaluation based on the tridimensional Framework-Level-Actors (FLA) method. Findings – The study shows that none of the three dimensions of change is predominant over the others. The main barrier to be overcome is the lack of incentive structure for promoting changes at the individual level. The main drivers for change are the presence of “connectors” with society, the existence of coordination bodies and projects, and the availability of funding, all of which are important for progress. Enhancing interdisciplinarity is a strategic objective at almost all of these universities, while transformative learning is less present. A common characteristic for most of the institutions is establishing and supporting networks of expertise within the universities. These universities show important strategic efforts and initiatives that drive and nucleate change for sustainable development, the result of a combination of drivers. Practical implications – The FLA-method has proved useful for being used at the level of comparing case-studies through a bird’s-eye perspective. Originality/value – The paper demonstrates the application of a simple tool that gives a global perspective on transformational strategies used in seven cases world-wide in the search for commonalities and differences.

Activation of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor by structurally diverse exogenous and endogenous chemicals.

Abstract: The induction of expression of genes for xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes in response to chemical insult is an adaptive response found in most organisms. In vertebrates, the AhR is one of several chemical/ligand-dependent intracellular receptors that can stimulate gene transcription in response to xenobiotics. The ability of the AhR to bind and be activated by a range of structurally divergent chemicals suggests that the AhR contains a rather promiscuous ligand binding site. In addition to synthetic and environmental chemicals, numerous naturally occurring dietary and endogenous AhR ligands have also been identified. In this review, we describe evidence for the structural promiscuity of AhR ligand binding and discuss the current state of knowledge with regards to the activation of the AhR signaling pathway by naturally occurring exogenous and endogenous ligands.

Mass-spectrometry-based draft of the human proteome

Abstract: Proteomes are characterized by large protein-abundance differences, cell-type- and time-dependent expression patterns and post-translational modifications, all of which carry biological information that is not accessible by genomics or transcriptomics. Here we present a mass-spectrometry-based draft of the human proteome and a public, high-performance, in-memory database for real-time analysis of terabytes of big data, called ProteomicsDB. The information assembled from human tissues, cell lines and body fluids enabled estimation of the size of the protein-coding genome, and identified organ-specific proteins and a large number of translated lincRNAs (long intergenic non-coding RNAs). Analysis of messenger RNA and protein-expression profiles of human tissues revealed conserved control of protein abundance, and integration of drug-sensitivity data enabled the identification of proteins predicting resistance or sensitivity. The proteome profiles also hold considerable promise for analysing the composition and stoichiometry of protein complexes. ProteomicsDB thus enables navigation of proteomes, provides biological insight and fosters the development of proteomic technology.

Impact of natural products on developing new anti-cancer agents

Abstract: 3.3.1. Potential of the “Metagenome” 3016 3.3.2. Cryptic Clusters in Bacteria and Fungi 3016 3.3.3. Cyanophytes 3017 3.3.4. Marine Microbes (Non-Cyanophytes) 3018 3.3.5. Extremophiles 3018 3.3.6. Microbial Symbionts 3019 3.3.7. Plant Endophytes 3020 3.3.8. Combinatorial Biosynthesis 3020 4. Development of Drugs from Natural Products 3020 4.1. Synthesis Based on Natural Products 3021 4.1.1. Derivatization and Semisynthesis 3021 4.1.2. Total Synthesis 3021 4.1.3. Diverted Total Synthesis 3021 4.2. Natural Product-Inspired Combinatorial Synthesis 3022

Consolidation/synthesis of materials by electric current activated/assisted sintering

Abstract: This review article aims to provide an updated and comprehensive description of the development of the Electric Current Activated/assisted Sintering technique (ECAS) for the obtainment of dense materials including nanostructured ones. The use of ECAS for pure sintering purposes, when starting from already synthesized powders promoters, and to obtain the desired material by simultaneously performing synthesis and consolidation in one-step is reviewed. Specifically, more than a thousand papers published on this subject during the past decades are taken into account. The experimental procedures, formation mechanisms, characteristics, and functionality of a wide spectrum of dense materials fabricated by ECAS are presented. The influence of the most important operating parameters (i.e. current intensity, temperature, processing time, etc.) on product characteristics and process dynamics is reviewed for a large family of materials including ceramics, intermetallics, metal–ceramic and ceramic–ceramic composites. In this review, systems where synthesis and densification stages occur simultaneously, i.e. a fully dense product is formed immediately after reaction completion, as well as those ones for which a satisfactory densification degree is reached only by maintaining the application of the electric current once the full reaction conversion is obtained, are identified. In addition, emphasis is given to the obtainment of nanostructured dense materials due to their rapid progress and wide applications. Specifically, the effect of mechanical activation by ball milling of starting powders on ECAS process dynamics and product characteristics (i.e. density and microstructure) is analysed. The emerging theme from the large majority of the reviewed investigations is the comparison of ECAS over conventional methods including pressureless sintering, hot pressing, and others. Theoretical analysis pertaining to such technique is also proposed following the last results obtained on this topic.

The cancer cell

Abstract: These investigations and several others that have beenpublishedwithin recentyears compel us us to hold the view that the ratio of the vital capacity to the body length, trunk length, chest circumference,surfacearea or weight or any combination of thesemeasurements, is too variable to admit of any workable standardor normal value. On the other hand the vital capacity of each individual, after he had becomeaccustomedto the use of the spirometer,will be found to be subjectto but small variations as long as good health is maintained. Thereseems to beevidenceto show that a reductionin the vital capacityis ofen the first sign of a progressivedamageto the respiratorytissue.