National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology

About: National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology is a government organization based out in Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Catalysis & Thin film. The organization has 22114 authors who have published 65856 publications receiving 1669827 citations. The organization is also known as: Sangyō Gijutsu Sōgō Kenkyū-sho.

Wolbachia infections are virulent and inhibit the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum in Anopheles gambiae.

Abstract: Endosymbiotic Wolbachia bacteria are potent modulators of pathogen infection and transmission in multiple naturally and artificially infected insect species, including important vectors of human pathogens. Anopheles mosquitoes are naturally uninfected with Wolbachia, and stable artificial infections have not yet succeeded in this genus. Recent techniques have enabled establishment of somatic Wolbachia infections in Anopheles. Here, we characterize somatic infections of two diverse Wolbachia strains (wMelPop and wAlbB) in Anopheles gambiae, the major vector of human malaria. After infection, wMelPop disseminates widely in the mosquito, infecting the fat body, head, sensory organs and other tissues but is notably absent from the midgut and ovaries. Wolbachia initially induces the mosquito immune system, coincident with initial clearing of the infection, but then suppresses expression of immune genes, coincident with Wolbachia replication in the mosquito. Both wMelPop and wAlbB significantly inhibit Plasmodium falciparum oocyst levels in the mosquito midgut. Although not virulent in non-bloodfed mosquitoes, wMelPop exhibits a novel phenotype and is extremely virulent for approximately 12–24 hours post-bloodmeal, after which surviving mosquitoes exhibit similar mortality trajectories to control mosquitoes. The data suggest that if stable transinfections act in a similar manner to somatic infections, Wolbachia could potentially be used as part of a strategy to control the Anopheles mosquitoes that transmit malaria.

Non-canonical inhibition of DNA damage-dependent ubiquitination by OTUB1

Abstract: DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) pose a potent threat to genome integrity. These lesions also contribute to the efficacy of radiotherapy and many cancer chemotherapeutics. DSBs elicit a signalling cascade that modifies the chromatin surrounding the break, first by ATM-dependent phosphorylation and then by RNF8-, RNF168- and BRCA1-dependent regulatory ubiquitination. Here we report that OTUB1, a deubiquitinating enzyme, is an inhibitor of DSB-induced chromatin ubiquitination. Surprisingly, we found that OTUB1 suppresses RNF168-dependent poly-ubiquitination independently of its catalytic activity. OTUB1 does so by binding to and inhibiting UBC13 (also known as UBE2N), the cognate E2 enzyme for RNF168. This unusual mode of regulation is unlikely to be limited to UBC13 because analysis of OTUB1-associated proteins revealed that OTUB1 binds to E2s of the UBE2D and UBE2E subfamilies. Finally, OTUB1 depletion mitigates the DSB repair defect associated with defective ATM signalling, indicating that pharmacological targeting of the OTUB1-UBC13 interaction might enhance the DNA damage response.

Photocatalytic reactivity for O2•- and OH• radical formation in anatase and rutile TiO2 suspension as the effect of H2O2 addition

Abstract: Effect of crystalline structure, anatase and rutile, on the production of OH and O2 − by TiO2 photocatalytic reaction was investigated. The OH radical free from the TiO2 surface was monitored by the fluorescence intensity of 2-hydroxyl terephthalic acid produced by the reaction with terephthalic acid. Superoxide radical was detected by the chemiluminescence probe method with luminol. Formation rate of OH with rutile photocatalysts was significantly lower than that with anatase photocatalysts. By the addition of H2O2, the formation rate of OH was significantly increased for rutile and for anatase mixed with rutile by 10–20%, while pure anatase showed an opposite tendency. We suggest that the adsorption structure of H2O2 on the rutile TiO2 surface is preferable to produce OH . In photocatalytic production of O2 −, rutile surpassed anatase in stabilizing the produced O2 −. On H2O2 addition, anatase surpassed rutile in the photocatalytic activity to produce O2 − from H2O2.