| 高分子 Vol.63 No.6 |
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特集 高分子で「生物」をつくる
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| 展望 COVER STORY: Highlight Reviews |
| 人工細胞のデザインと構築 Design and Construction of an Artificial Cell |
市橋 伯一・四方 哲也 Norikazu ICHIHASHI, Tetsuya YOMO |
| ＜要旨＞ 天然の細胞のもつ機能を試験管内で再構築する試みは、生物を今までとは異なる角度から理解することができ、さらに新しいテクノロジーをもたらすと期待されている。本稿ではこれまでに行われた再構築の試みを紹介し、天然の細胞と同等な機能をもつ人工細胞がデザイン可能なのか、いまだ足りない知識は何なのかを議論する。 Keywords: Design / Construction / Artificial Cell |
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| 無細胞タンパク質合成系 Cell-Free Protein Synthesis System |
松林 英明・上田 卓也 Hideaki MATSUBAYASHI, Takuya UEDA |
| ＜要旨＞無細胞タンパク質合成系は、翻訳機構の解析やタンパク質調製のツールとして用いられるほか、近年では、人工細胞モデル構築をはじめとした合成生物学の基盤技術としても応用されている。本稿では、再構築型無細胞タンパク質合成系として筆者らが開発、改良してきたPURE systemを中心に、無細胞タンパク質合成系の概要と今後の展望について紹介したい。 Keywords: Cell-Free System / Translation / PURE System / Protein Maturation / Unnatural Amino Acids / Ribosome Display |
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| 自らが増殖する人工細胞の化学構築 Chemical Construction of Artificial-Cell |
菅原 正・鈴木健太郎 Tadashi SUGAWARA, Kentaro SUZUKI |
| ＜要旨＞ジャイアントベシクルの内部で酵素反応によるDNAの増幅が進行し、外部から膜分子の前駆体を添加すると肥大して分裂するというベシクル型人工細胞が構築された。本稿では、なぜDNAの複製が可能になるのかについて、分子システムとしての立場から論じる。 Keywords: Giant Vesicle / Artificial Cell / DNA Amplification / Self-reproduction / Vesicular Transport |
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| トピックス COVER STORY: Topics and Products |
| 人工RNAによる情報と構造の変換 Synthetic RNA Technologies to Control molecular Information and Structure |
齊藤 博英 Hirohide SAITO |
| ＜要旨＞ Research in the synthetic biology field, which attempts to bring about new technologies by understanding life through the process of “artificially creating” biomolecules and biological systems, is becoming established worldwide. Creating artificial biomolecules that freely control the functions of living cells and applying them to examinations and medical treatments is one of the research goals of this new field. We will use the unique synthetic RNA technologies to tackle these issues. For example, we have succeeded in developing “synthetic RNA switches” that can control translation of desired genes in target mammalian cells. We have also developed a method to control cell fate by using protein-responsive RNA translational ON/OFF switches. Moreover, for the first time we have succeeded in designing and constructing synthetic RNA-protein complexes （RNP）-based nanostructures, providing great potential for nanomedicine and biotechnology applications. Keywords: RNA / Synthetic Biology / Translation / RNP / Nanotechnology / Human Health Care |
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| 細胞スケールの非平衡系における自己秩序化：自律運動と自律振動反応 Self-Organization in Cell-Scale Nonequilibrium Systems: Spontaneous Motions and Oscillatory Reactions |
瀧ノ上 正浩 Masahiro TAKINOUE |
| ＜要旨＞ In natural living systems, we find self-organized dynamic phenomena such as cellular tactic motion, cell division, pattern formation of animal body surface, beating of heart, circadian rhythm, etc. Amazingly, all the dynamic phenomena are realized by autonomous molecular reactions. In general, these phenomena are known to occur in nonequilibrium open systems, which have sustained influx and dissipation of matter and energy into/out of the systems. In recent years, autonomous and dynamic molecular systems such as artificial cells and molecular robots have been developed by learning from the nonequilibrium self-organized phenomena of living systems. Using these molecular systems, we can accelerate understanding of dynamic properties of living systems, and also achieve highly functionalized micro/nano-scaled molecular devices. In this topic, I describe two cell-sized nonequilibrium self-organized phenomena: （i） autonomous motion of cell-sized objects and （ii） spontaneous chemical oscillation in a cell-sized reaction system. We believe that these basic studies will be applied to more complex and highly functionalized molecular systems in the future. Keywords: Artificial cell / Nonequilibrium / Self-Organization / Molecular Robot / Water-in-Oil Microdroplet |
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| In vitro微小血管モデル：生体組織構造のデザイン In vitro Microvasculature Models: Designing Living Tissue Structures |
松永 行子 Yukiko T. MATSUNAGA |
| ＜要旨＞Conventional preclinical drug evaluation models include a lack of similarity between two-dimensionally cultured systems and in vivo systems, and a discrepancy between animal models and human models. Microtechnologies is a powerful tool to mimic the microenvironment （i.e. chemical and mechanical properties） of the tissues. Therefore, the concept of organ-on-chips was recently proposed to establish in vitro models that precisely recapitulate in vivo characteristics as well as drug response. Here we explain a importance of in vitro tissue models and organ-on-chips, and emphasize need for the in vitro microvasculature models that are deeply involved in various organ/tissue events such as inflammation, metabolism and regeneration. Keywords: Tissue Engineering / Microfabrication / Microvasculature / Collagen Gel |
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| アミノ酸の種類がなぜ20種類なのか？ Why 20 Amino Acids? |
網蔵 和晃・木賀 大介 Kazuaki AMIKURA, Daisuke KIGA |
| ＜要旨＞It is generally accepted that primitive genetic codes employed fewer than 20 amino acids. In other words, biochemistry in a primitive cell was realized by using simplified proteins including only the amino acids that were considered to be used in primitive genetic codes. We wonder whether it is possible to construct such biochemical systems using simplified proteins. In this paper, we will describe previous studies about the number of amino acids in genetic codes and introduce our research in order to answer the question. In our recent study for construction of simplified genetic code, codons for amino acids are reassigned to alanine or serine to reduce a number of amino acids in the engineered code. Simplified genetic codes will provide an effective tool for construction of simplified proteins （A. Kawahara-Kobayashi, et al., Nucl. Acids Res, （2012）, K. Amikura, et al., RSC advances, （2013））. Keywords: Amino Acids / Genetic Code / tRNA / Protein / Evolution / Engineering / Origin of Life |
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| 遺伝情報の拡張とその応用技術 Genetic Alphabet Expansion and its Application |
平尾 一郎・木本 路子・松永 賢一郎 Ichiro HIRAO, Michiko KIMOTO, Ken-ichiro MATSUNAGA |
| ＜要旨＞Expansion of the genetic alphabet by an unnatural base pair system could provide a powerful platform for new biotechnology. Recently, we developed unnatural base pairs that exhibit high fidelity in replication as a third base pair, and applied them to an evolutionaly engeneering method. Through the application, we succeeded in the generation of high affinity DNA aptamers containing unnatural bases and proved that unnatural bases significantly augment nucleic acid functionalities. Keywords: Unnatural Base Pair / Genetic Alphabet Expansion / PCR / DNA Aptamer |
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| グローイングポリマー Polymer Science and I: A Personal Account |
| 自分の引き出し To Make Own Skill |
金 善南 Sunnam KIM |
| ＜要旨＞ With new idea and own skill, we can develop a new technology. New idea comes up for advanced life with solving inconvenience. To make own skill, we need to make an effort with special training and knowledge. Also, communication with nearby professionals is very helpful. |
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| 高分子科学最近の進歩 Front-Line Polymer Science |
| 特殊構造をもつ金属クラスター：サブナノ領域にみるユニークな構造と特性 Ultrasmall Metal Clusters with Unusual Structures and Properties |
小西 克明 Katsuaki KONISHI |
| ＜要旨＞ Subnanometer-sized noble metal clusters with defined nuclearity have recently attracted special attention in relation to their unique optical（electronic absorption / luminescence）properties arising from their molecular-like characters. In this article, recent progresses in structure determination of ultrasmall gold and silver clusters by X-ray crystallography is summarized. An example is provided by the crystal structure of thiolate-capped Ag44 cluster, which has a Keplerate-type double-structured silver core and is markedly different from those of the related gold clusters with similar nuclearity. Examples of several diphosphine-coordinated non-spherical gold clusters with core＋exo type geometries and their unique optical properties are also presented. Unlike conventional spherical clusters, they exhibit isolated visible absorption bands, indicating that the attachment of metal atoms drastically alters the electronic structures of the cluster moiety. Keywords: Metal Cluster / Gold / Silver / Crystal Structure / Optical Properties / Geometry |
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| Copyright(C) 2014 The Society of Polymer Science, Japan All Rights Reserved. |