Utsunomiya University

About: Utsunomiya University is a education organization based out in Utsunomiya, Japan. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Laser & Holography. The organization has 4139 authors who have published 6812 publications receiving 91975 citations. The organization is also known as: Utsunomiya daigaku.

Surface Micelles of CF3(CF2)7(CH2)10COOH on Aqueous La3+ Subphase Investigated by Atomic Force Microscopy and Infrared Spectroscopy

Abstract: CF3(CF2)7(CH2)10COOH spontaneously assembles into monodispersed nanometer-sized micelles after spreading onto the aqueous lanthanum acetate subphase in a Langmuir trough at 283 K, according to the atomic force microscope (AFM) images. Polarization modulation infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (PM-IRRAS) and ordinary polarized infrared spectroscopy are applied to study the surface micelles in situ on the aqueous subphase and ex situ on the solid substrate, respectively. The long axes of the −(CH2)7− helix and −(CH2)10−chain are slightly inclined, with tilt angles of 25 ± 3°, on the solid substrate and basically so inclined on the aqueous subphase. The micelle formation comes from a subtle interplay of the steric hindrance imposed by the bulky −(CH2)7− helix and the van der Waals interaction between the underlying −(CH2)10− chains. The micelle has a CH2 antisymmetric stretching [νas(CH2)] frequency of 2918.0 ± 0.1 cm-1 on the solid substrate and 2916.4 ± 0.2 cm-1 on the aqueous subphase, correspond...

Infection dynamics in viral spread and interference under the synergism between Cucumber mosaic virus and Turnip mosaic virus.

Abstract: Mixed infection of Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) and Turnip mosaic virus (TuMV) induced more severe symptoms on Nicotiana benthamiana than single infection. To dissect the relationships between spatial infection patterns and the 2b protein (2b) of CMV in single or mixed infections, the CMV vectors expressing enhanced green fluorescent or Discosoma sp. red fluorescent proteins (EGFP [EG] or DsRed2 [Ds], respectively were constructed from the same wild-type CMV-Y and used for inoculation onto N. benthamiana. CMV2-A1 vector (C2-A1 [A1]) has a functional 2b while CMV-H1 vector (C2-H1 [H1]) is 2b deficient. As we expected from the 2b function as an RNA silencing suppressor (RSS), in a single infection, A1Ds retained a high level of accumulation at initial infection sites and showed extensive fluorescence in upper, noninoculated leaves, whereas H1Ds disappeared rapidly at initial infection sites and could not spread efficiently in upper, noninoculated leaf tissues. In various mixed infections, we found two phenomena providing novel insights into the relationships among RSS, viral synergism, and interference. First, H1Ds could not spread efficiently from vasculature into nonvascular tissues with or without TuMV, suggesting that RNA silencing was not involved in CMV unloading from vasculature. These results indicated that 2b could promote CMV to unload from vasculature into nonvascular tissues, and that this 2b function might be independent of its RSS activity. Second, we detected spatial interference (local interference) between A1Ds and A1EG in mixed infection with TuMV, between A1Ds (or H1Ds) and TuMV, and between H1Ds and H1EG. This observation suggested that local interference between two viruses was established even in the synergism between CMV and TuMV and, again, RNA silencing did not seem to contribute greatly to this phenomenon.

Distribution of N-Acylhomoserine Lactone-Producing Fluorescent Pseudomonads in the Phyllosphere and Rhizosphere of Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.).

Abstract: Four hundred and fifty nine isolates of fluorescent pseudomonads were obtained from the leaves and roots of potato plants. Of these, 20 leaf isolates and 28 root isolates induced violacein production in two N-acylhomoserine lactone (AHL)-reporter strains-Chromobacterium violaceum CV026 and VIR24. VIR24 is a new reporter strain for long N-acyl-chain-homoserine lactones, which can not be detected by CV026. Thin-layer chromatography revealed that the isolates produced multiple AHL molecules. We compared the 16S rRNA gene sequences of these isolates with sequences from a known database, and examined phylogenetic relationships. The AHL-producing isolates generally separated into three groups. Group I was mostly composed of leaf isolates, and group III, root isolates. Group II comprised both leaf and root isolates. There was a correlation between the phylogenetic cluster and the AHL molecules produced and some phenotypic characteristics. Our study confirmed that AHL-producing fluorescent pseudomonads could be distinguished in the phyllosphere and rhizosphere of potato plants.

Mechanism for suppression of ferroelectricity in Cd 1-x Ca x TiO 3

Abstract: A mechanism for cation-substitution-induced suppression of ferroelectricity in a perovskite-type ferroelectric oxide, CdTiO${}_{3}$, has been elucidated in terms of the relationship between the covalency and the lattice dynamics. Raman scattering experiments and first-principles calculations clarified that a change in the covalency of Cd sites due to Ca substitution selectively decreases the frequencies of the modes associated with octahedral rotations whose axes are perpendicular to the spontaneous polarization direction. The resulting destabilization of zigzag octahedral chains synchronizes the hardening of the ferroelectric soft mode, which suppresses the ferroelectricity. This result enhances our understanding of the relationship between local chemical bonds and macroscopic ferroelectricity.

Hydroxyl carlactone derivatives are predominant strigolactones in Arabidopsis

Abstract: Strigolactones (SLs) regulate important aspects of plant growth and stress responses. Many diverse types of SL occur in plants, but a complete picture of biosynthesis remains unclear. In Arabidopsis thaliana, we have demonstrated that MAX1, a cytochrome P450 monooxygenase, converts carlactone (CL) into carlactonoic acid (CLA) and that LBO, a 2-oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenase, can convert methyl carlactonoate (MeCLA) into a metabolite called [MeCLA + 16 Da]. In the present study, feeding experiments with deuterated MeCLAs revealed that [MeCLA + 16 Da] is hydroxymethyl carlactonoate (1'-HO-MeCLA). Importantly, this LBO metabolite was detected in plants. Interestingly, other related compounds, methyl 4-hydroxycarlactonoate (4-HO-MeCLA) and methyl 16-hydroxycarlactonoate (16-HO-MeCLA), were also found to accumulate in lbo mutants. 3-HO-, 4-HO-, and 16-HO-CL were detected in plants, but their expected corresponding metabolites, HO-CLAs, were absent in max1 mutants. These results suggest that HO-CL derivatives may be predominant SLs in Arabidopsis, produced through MAX1 and LBO.