Seibutsu Butsuri
Online ISSN : 1347-4219
Print ISSN : 0582-4052
ISSN-L : 0582-4052
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Volume 40, Issue 2
Issue 228
Displaying 1-11 of 11 articles from this issue
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Perspective
Overview
  • Green Fluorescent Protein-based Probes
    Atsushi MIYAWAKI
    2000 Volume 40 Issue 2 Pages 83-88
    Published: 2000
    Released on J-STAGE: April 26, 2001
    DOIhttps://doi.org/10.2142/biophys.40.83
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
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    The green fluorescent protein (GFP) of the jelly fish Aequorea victoria is a spontaneously fluorescent protein that can be incorporated into other proteins by genetic fusion. One of our approaches is to use two GFPs of different colors to permit fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET), which is highly sensitive to the relative orientation and distance between the two fluorophores and alters the ratio of their emission intensities. For example, cameleons are genetically-encoded fluorescent indicators for calcium. I describe here potentially unique features of GFP-based FRET, which would allow us to make probes for many intracellular signaling events that are currently assayed by grinding millions of cells.
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  • A Single Myosin Head Moves along an Actin Filament with Regular Steps during One Biochemical Cycle of ATP Hydrolysis
    Kazuo KITAMURA, Atsuko H. IWANE, Makio TOKUNAGA
    2000 Volume 40 Issue 2 Pages 89-93
    Published: 2000
    Released on J-STAGE: April 26, 2001
    DOIhttps://doi.org/10.2142/biophys.40.89
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
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    To resolve the individual mechanical events of force generation by actomyosin, we have developed a new technique to capture and directly manipulate individual myosin subfragment-1 (S1) molecules using a scanning probe. The unitary mechanical step during sliding along an actin filament is 5.3nm, but 2 to 5 rapid steps in succession often end up with total displacements of ∼11 to ∼30nm. Multiple steps are produced by single heads during the hydrolysis of a single ATP molecule.
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Review
  • Phase Behavior of Phospholipid Bilayer Membranes under High Pressure
    Shoji KANESHINA, Hitoshi MATSUKI
    2000 Volume 40 Issue 2 Pages 94-98
    Published: 2000
    Released on J-STAGE: April 26, 2001
    DOIhttps://doi.org/10.2142/biophys.40.94
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
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    High-pressure studies on the bilayer phase transitions of phosphatidylcholines containing linear saturated acyl chains are reviewed. Temperature-pressure phase diagrams of lipid bilayer membranes are shown; the pressure-induced, interdigitated gel phase is found in addition to liquid crystal, ripple gel and lamellar gel phases. The minimum pressure for the interdigitation of lipid bilayers decreases with an increase in acyl chain length in a non-linear manner. Thermodynamic quantities for phase transitions are also discussed.
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  • Design of a Novel Allosteric Ribozyme “Maxizyme” with a Sensor Function
    Tomoko KUWABARA, Masaki WARASHINA, Yoshiyuki TANAKA, Kazunari TAIRA
    2000 Volume 40 Issue 2 Pages 99-104
    Published: 2000
    Released on J-STAGE: April 26, 2001
    DOIhttps://doi.org/10.2142/biophys.40.99
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
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    Ribozymes are potential tools for future gene therapy. Recently, we designed an allosterically controllable novel ribozyme (designated maxizyme) that can be transcribed in vivo under the control of a human tRNAVal-promoter. The maxizyme has sensor arms that can recognize target sequences and, in the presence of such a target sequence only, it can form a cavity that can capture catalytically indispensable Mg2+ ions. The maxizyme (but not conventional ribozymes) has extremely high specificity and high-level activity, not only in vitro but also in vivo. To the best of our knowledge, our novel maxizyme is superior to other nucleic acid-based drugs reported to date because of its extremely high substrate-specificity and high cleavage activity.
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  • Genes for Taste Receptors; Isolation of a Gene for a Sour Taste Receptor
    Shinya UGAWA, Shoichi SHIMADA
    2000 Volume 40 Issue 2 Pages 105-110
    Published: 2000
    Released on J-STAGE: April 26, 2001
    DOIhttps://doi.org/10.2142/biophys.40.105
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
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    Taste receptor cells located in taste buds respond to gustatory stimuli using a complex arrangement of receptor molecules, signaling cascades, and ion channels. To depolarize taste receptor cells, ionic stimuli, such as salts and acids (protons), interact directly with apically located ion channels, whereas the second messenger systems via specific taste receptors are important in transducing bitter, sweet, and umami stimuli. In this article, we report the isolation of a cDNA encoding a taste receptor for sourness from a rat circumvallate papilla cDNA library by combined homology and functional expression approaches. Taste receptors for other tastes are also mentioned.
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  • Molecular Motor, Dynein is an Oscillating Force Generator
    Chikako SHINGYOJI
    2000 Volume 40 Issue 2 Pages 111-116
    Published: 2000
    Released on J-STAGE: April 26, 2001
    DOIhttps://doi.org/10.2142/biophys.40.111
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
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    One of the prominent features of flagellar movement is oscillation (or cyclical beating). The motive force for the bending is the sliding induced by dynein arms between adjacent doublet microtubules in the flagellar axonemes. To generate oscillatory bending, the activity of dynein should be regulated. The central pair apparatus, which locates at the center of the axoneme, seems to be involved in this regulation. Our recent finding of the oscillation of force in dynein revealed that the dynein molecule itself may be related to the oscillation of the flagellar movement.
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Experimental techniques
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