Photochemical reactions can dramatically alter physical characteristics of reacted molecules. In this study, we demonstrate that near-infrared (NIR) light induces an axial ligand-releasing reaction, which dramatically alters hydrophilicity of a silicon phthalocyanine derivative (IR700) dye leading to a change in the shape of the conjugate and its propensity to aggregate in aqueous solution. This photochemical reaction is proposed as a major mechanism of cell death induced by NIR photoimmunotherapy (NIR-PIT), which was recently developed as a molecularly targeted cancer therapy. Once the antibody-IR700 conjugate is bound to its target, activation by NIR light causes physical changes in the shape of antibody antigen complexes that are thought to induce physical stress within the cellular membrane leading to increases in transmembrane water flow that eventually lead to cell bursting and necrotic cell death.

Fully conjugated giant macrocyclic oligothiophenes with 60pi, 90pi,120pi, 150pi, and 180pi frames (1, 2, 3, 4 and 5) have been designed, and their butyl-substituted derivatives (1a, 2a, 3a, 4a, and 5a) have been synthesized using modified Sonogashira and McMurry coupling reactions as key steps. The 60-180pi systems 1-5 are circular with 1.8-6 nm inner cavities and 3.3-7.5 nm outside molecular diameters. Compound 1a containing ten 3,4-dibutyl-2,5-thienylene, eight ethynylene, and two vinylene units has been converted into macrocyclic oligo(3,4-dibutyl-2,5-thienylene-ethynylene) 6a using bromination/dehydrobromination procedure. Giant macrocycles 1a-6a exhibit a red shift of their absorption spectra and a fairly strong fluorescence with a large Stokes shift as compared to a linear conjugated counterpart having five thiophene rings. Compounds 1a-6a exhibit multistep reversible redox behaviors with fairly low first oxidation potentials, reflecting their cyclic conjugation. Furthermore, chemical oxidation of 1a-6a with FeCl3 shows drastic changes of spectroscopic properties due to intramolecular and intermolecular pi-pi interactions. Doping of 1a-3a with iodine forms semiconductor due to its pi-donor properties and pi-pi stacking ability. X-ray analysis of 1a confirmed a round, planar structure with nanoscale inner cavity, and revealed host ability for alkanes and unique packing structure. Interestingly, 2a and 3a self-aggregate in the solid state to form "molecular wires," which are about 200 nm thick and more than 1 mm long. The internal structures of fibrous aggregates have been investigated by optical microscope, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and X-ray diffraction analyses.

In fission yeast, knockout of the calcineurin gene resulted in hypersensitivity to Cl(-), and the overexpression of pmp1(+) encoding a dual-specificity phosphatase for Pmk1 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) or the knockout of the components of the Pmk1 pathway complemented the Cl(-) hypersensitivity of calcineurin deletion. Here, we showed that the overexpression of ptc1(+) and ptc3(+), both encoding type 2C protein phosphatase (PP2C), previously known to inactivate the Wis1-Spc1-Atf1 stress-activated MAPK signaling pathway, suppressed the Cl(-) hypersensitivity of calcineurin deletion. We also demonstrated that the mRNA levels of these two PP2Cs and pyp2(+), another negative regulator of Spc1, are dependent on Pmk1. Notably, the deletion of Atf1, but not that of Spc1, displayed hypersensitivity to the cell wall-damaging agents and also suppressed the Cl(-) hypersensitivity of calcineurin deletion, both of which are characteristic phenotypes shared by the mutation of the components of the Pmk1 MAPK pathway. Moreover, micafungin treatment induced Pmk1 hyperactivation that resulted in Atf1 hyperphosphorylation. Together, our results suggest that PP2C is involved in a negative feedback loop of the Pmk1 signaling, and results also demonstrate that Atf1 is a key component of the cell integrity signaling downstream of Pmk1 MAPK.

We isolated four monoclonal antibodies (MAbs), M38, M101, M104, and C33, which were capable of inhibiting syncytium formation induced in a human T-cell line, MOLT-4-#8, by coculture with human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-l)-positive human T-cell lines. The MAbs had, however, no inhibitory activity on syncytium formation induced in a human osteosarcoma line, HOS, by HTLV-l-positive T-cell lines. They also did not inhibit syncytium formation induced in MOLT-4-#8 by human immunodeficiency virus type 1-positive MOLT-4. All MAbs reacted with various human cell lines of lymphoid and nonlymphoid origins, including HTLV-l-positive T-cell lines. Furthermore, they all reacted with a murine A9 clone containing human chromosome 11 fragment q23-pter. Two MAbs, M104 and C33, immunoprecipitated a membrane antigen with the same molecular size. The antigen (henceforth called C33 antigen) was about 40 to 55 kDa in HTLV-1-negative Jurkat, CEM, MOLT-4, and normal peripheral blood CD4-positive human T cells and about 40 to 75 kDa in HTLV-1-positive C91/PL, TCL-Kan, MT-2, and in fresh HTLV-1-transformed CD4-positive human T-cell lines. Pulse-chase experiments revealed that C33 antigen was synthesized as a 35-kDa precursor that was then processed to 41 to 50 kDa in MOLT-4 and to 44 to 70 kDa in C91/PL. In the presence of tunicamycin, a 28-kDa protein was synthesized. The conversion from 35 kDa to 41 to 50 kDa in MOLT-4 and to 44 to 70 kDa in C91/PL was inhibited by monensin. Treatment with N-glycanase alone, but not with sialidase and O-glycanase in combination, completely removed the sugar moiety of C33 antigen from both HTLV-1negative Jurkat and HTLV-1-positive C91/PL. Therefore, C33 antigen has only N-linked carbohydrates, the modification of which appears to be substantially altered in the presence of the HTLV-1 genome.

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