We have developed a novel system for photocontrol of the fusion of lipid vesicles through the use of a photosensitive surfactant containing an azobenzene moiety (AzoTAB). Real-time microscopic observations clarified a change in both the surface area and internal volume of vesicles during fusion. We also determined the optimal cholesterol concentrations and temperature for inducing fusion. The mechanism of fusion can be attributed to a change in membrane tension, which is caused by the solubilization of lipids through the isomerization of AzoTAB. We used a micropipet technique to estimate membrane tension and discuss the mechanism of fusion in terms of membrane elastic energy. The obtained results regarding this novel photoinduced fusion could lead to a better understanding of the mechanism of membrane fusion in living cells and may also see wider applications, such as in drug delivery and biomimetic material design.

Coordination polymerization reactions between ruthenium(II) metalloligands [Ru(n,n'-dcbpy)](4-) ([nRu]; n = 4, 5; n,n'-dcbpy = n,n'-dicarboxy-2,2'-bipyridine) and several divalent metal salts in basic aqueous solutions afforded porous luminescent complexes formulated as [Mg(H2O)6]{[Mg(H2O)3][4Ru]·4H2O} (Mg2[4Ru]·13H2O), [Mg2(H2O)9][5Ru]·10H2O (Mg2[5Ru]·19H2O), {[Sr4(H2O)9][4Ru]2·9H2O} (Sr2[4Ru]·9H2O)2, {[Sr2(H2O)8][5Ru]·6H2O} (Sr2[5Ru]·14H2O), and {[Cd2(H2O)2][5Ru]·10H2O} (Cd2[5Ru]·12H2O). Single-crystal X-ray structural analyses revealed that the divalent metal ions were commonly coordinated by the carboxyl groups of the [nRu] metalloligand, forming porous frameworks with a void fraction varying from 11.4% Mg2[4Ru]·13H2O to 43.9% Cd2[5Ru]·12H2O. M2[4Ru]·nH2O showed a reversible structural transition accompanied by water and methanol vapor adsorption/desorption, while the porous structures of M2[5Ru]·nH2O were irreversibly collapsed by the removal of crystal water. The triplet metal-to-ligand charge-transfer emission energies of M2[4Ru]·nH2O were lower than those of [4Ru] in aqueous solution, whereas those of M2[5Ru]·nH2O were close to those of [5Ru] in aqueous solution. These results suggested that the position of the coordination site in the metalloligand played an important role not only on the structure of the porous framework but also on the structural flexibility involving the guest adsorption/desorption properties.

Purpose: The anti-CCR4 mAb, mogamulizumab, offers therapeutic benefit to patients with adult T-cell leukemialymphoma (ATL), but skin-related adverse events (AE) such as erythema multiforme occur frequently. The purpose of this study was to determine the mechanisms by which mogamulizumab causes skin-related AEs in patients with ATL. Experimental Design: We investigated whether autoantibodies were present in patients' sera using flow cytometry to determine binding to keratinocytes and melanocytes (n ¼ 17), and immunofluorescence analysis of tissue sections. We analyzed the IgM heavy chain repertoire in peripheral blood mononuclear cells before and after mogamulizumab or other chemotherapy by next-generation sequencing (NGS; n ¼ 16). Results: Autoantibodies recognizing human keratinocytes or melanocytes were found in the sera of 6 of 8 patients suffering from mogamulizumab-induced erythema multiforme. In one patient, complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) mediated by autoantibodies against keratinocytes or melanocytes was proportionally related to the severity of the erythema multiforme. The presence of autoantibodies in the epidermis was confirmed in all biopsy specimens of mogamulizumab-induced erythema multiforme (n ¼ 12). Furthermore, colocalization of autoantibodies and C1q, suggesting the activation of CDC, was observed in 67% (8/12). In contrast, no autoantibody or C1q was found in ATL tumor skin lesions (n ¼ 13). Consistent with these findings, NGS demonstrated that IgM germline genes had newly emerged and expanded, resulting in IgM repertoire skewing at the time of erythema multiforme. Conclusions: Mogamulizumab elicits autoantibodies playing an important role in skin-related AEs, possibly associated with regulatory T-cell depletion. This is the first report demonstrating the presence of skin-directed autoantibodies after mogamulizumab treatment.

We synthesized new porous coordination polymers (PCPs) {Ln(III)[Co(III)(dcbpy)(3)]·nH(2)O} (Ln = La(3+), Nd(3+), Gd(3+); H(2)dcbpy = 4,4'-dicarboxy-2,2'-bipyridine) and characterized them by X-ray diffraction and vapor-adsorption measurements. These three Ln-Co-based PCPs have similar rock-salt types and highly symmetrical porous structure and show a reversible structural collapse-regeneration accompanied by water-vapor desorption-adsorption. Similar structural regeneration was also observed for the Gd-Co PCP upon exposure to MeOH and CH(3)CN vapors, whereas the remaining two PCPs barely responded to organic vapors.

A high performance liquid chromatographic method for measuring vitamin K in human milk and cow milk is described. The K vitamins were extracted with n-pentane from enzymatic hydrolysate of milk, purified by semipreparative HPLC, and then analyzed by reversed-phase HPLC equipped with a dual electrochemical detector. The amount of phylloquinone and menaquinone-4 in human milk was 2.1 +/- .9 and 1.3 +/- 1 microgram/L, respectively (n = 23). A small amount of menaquinone-6 was detected in both human and cow milk.