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Bifunctional catalysts containing spinel NiCo2O4 and CoxNi1-xO bimetallic oxide nanoparticles embedded on reduced graphene oxide (rGO), CoNi/rGO, were obtained by the thermal decomposition of metal nitrates and graphene oxide (GO). For the first time, we report the correlation of the catalytic activities in the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) at low current density (<30 mA cm(-2)) and the zinc-air battery (ZAB) performance at a high current density of 100 mA cm(-2) with the structures of CoNi/rGO catalysts with different Co : Ni molar ratios and metal loading. A layer of 2-3 nm NiCo2O4 and Co-rich CoxNi1-xO nanoparticles on rGO exhibited a synergistic ORR catalytic effect. In contrast, NiO and big-sized Ni-rich CoxNi1-xO nanoparticles (10-20 nm) exhibited poor ORR and OER performance at low current density. No synergetic effect of Co and Ni oxides were found in the OER at low current density in the electrochemical test. The battery test at high current density revealed the best cycling stability of CoNi/rGO-5/5 with equimolar Co and Ni and medium metal loading. This is due to the synergetic OER performance with the lowest charge voltage at high current density and the best ORR activity with the highest electron transfer numbers of 3.63. This is related to the highest Co : Ni ratio of the small-sized CoxNi1-xO bimetallic oxide and the high amount of spinel NiCo2O4 nanoparticles. Corrosion during charging was found to be the limiting factor of the long-term cycling stability at high current density.

Bifunctional catalysts containing spinel NiCo2O4 and CoxNi1-xO bimetallic oxide nanoparticles embedded on reduced graphene oxide (rGO), CoNi/rGO, were obtained by the thermal decomposition of metal nitrates and graphene oxide (GO). For the first time, we report the correlation of the catalytic activities in the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) at low current density (<30 mA cm(-2)) and the zinc-air battery (ZAB) performance at a high current density of 100 mA cm(-2) with the structures of CoNi/rGO catalysts with different Co : Ni molar ratios and metal loading. A layer of 2-3 nm NiCo2O4 and Co-rich CoxNi1-xO nanoparticles on rGO exhibited a synergistic ORR catalytic effect. In contrast, NiO and big-sized Ni-rich CoxNi1-xO nanoparticles (10-20 nm) exhibited poor ORR and OER performance at low current density. No synergetic effect of Co and Ni oxides were found in the OER at low current density in the electrochemical test. The battery test at high current density revealed the best cycling stability of CoNi/rGO-5/5 with equimolar Co and Ni and medium metal loading. This is due to the synergetic OER performance with the lowest charge voltage at high current density and the best ORR activity with the highest electron transfer numbers of 3.63. This is related to the highest Co : Ni ratio of the small-sized CoxNi1-xO bimetallic oxide and the high amount of spinel NiCo2O4 nanoparticles. Corrosion during charging was found to be the limiting factor of the long-term cycling stability at high current density.

In this study we investigated the effect of astaxanthin (Ax), which exhibits strong antioxidant activity, during invitro growth (IVG) on the developmental competence of oocytes and steroidogenesis of granulosa cells derived from early antral follicles. Bovine oocyte-cumulus-granulosa complexes collected from early antral follicles were cultured for 12 days in the presence or absence (control) of 500 mu M Ax. The viability of oocytes and antrum formation in the granulosa cell layer during IVG culture were greater in the presence than absence of Ax (P<0.05). Regardless of Ax treatment, 17-oestradiol production increased during IVG culture; however, progesterone production was significantly lower in the presence than absence of Ax (P<0.05). Reactive oxygen species levels were lower in Ax-treated oocytes than in controls after IVG (P<0.05). Although nuclear maturation and cleavage rates did not differ between the Ax-treated and control groups, Ax treatment led to weaker cathepsin B activity in oocytes and better blastocyst rates than in controls (P<0.05). Accordingly, Ax treatment during IVG increased the total number of cells in blastocysts (P<0.05). These results indicate that Ax supplementation of IVG medium improves the quality of bovine oocytes due to its antioxidative effects on growing oocytes and its suppression of the luteinisation of granulosa cells.

Nonmuscle myosin II (NMII) plays an important role in cytokinesis by constricting a contractile ring. However, it is poorly understood how NMII isoforms contribute to cytokinesis in mammalian cells. Here, we investigated the roles of the two major NMII isoforms, NMIIA and NMIIB, in cytokinesis using a WI-38 VA13 cell line (human immortalized fibroblast). In this cell line, NMIIB tended to localize to the contractile ring more than NMIIA. The expression level of NMIIA affected the localization of NMIIB. Most NMIIB accumulated at the cleavage furrow in NMIIA-knockout (KO) cells, and most NMIIA was displaced from this location in exogenous NMIIB-expressing cells, indicating that NMIIB preferentially localizes to the contractile ring. Specific KO of each isoform elicited opposite effects. The rate of furrow ingression was decreased and increased in NMIIA-KO and NMIIB-KO cells, respectively. Meanwhile, the length of NMII-filament stacks in the contractile ring was increased and decreased in NMIIA-KO and NMIIB-KO cells, respectively. Moreover, NMIIA helped to maintain cortical stiffness during cytokinesis. These findings suggest that appropriate ratio of NMIIA and NMIIB in the contractile ring is important for proper cytokinesis in specific cell types. In addition, two-photon excitation spinning-disk confocal microscopy enabled us to image constriction of the contractile ring in live cells in a three-dimensional manner.

Nonmuscle myosin II (NMII) plays an essential role in directional cell migration. In this study, we investigated the roles of NMII isoforms (NMIIA and NMIIB) in the migration of human embryonic lung fibroblasts, which exhibit directionally persistent migration in an intrinsic manner. NMIIA-knockdown (KD) cells migrated unsteadily, but their direction of migration was approximately maintained. By contrast, NMIIB-KD cells occasionally reversed their direction of migration. Lamellipodium-like protrusions formed in the posterior region of NMIIB-KD cells prior to reversal of the migration direction. Moreover, NMIIB KD led to elongation of the posterior region in migrating cells, probably due to the lack of load-bearing stress fibers in this area. These results suggest that NMIIA plays a role in steering migration by maintaining stable protrusions in the anterior region, whereas NMIIB plays a role in maintenance of front-rear polarity by preventing aberrant protrusion formation in the posterior region. These distinct functions of NMIIA and NMIIB might promote intrinsic and directed migration of normal human fibroblasts. (C) 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Stress fibers (SFs) are contractile, force-generating bundled structures that can be classified into three subtypes, namely ventral SFs (vSFs), transverse arcs (TAs), and dorsal SFs. Nonmuscle myosin II (NMII) is the main component of SFs. This study examined the roles of the NMII isoforms NMIIA and NMIIB in the organization of each SF subtype in immortalized fibroblasts. Knockdown (KD) of NMIIA (a major isoform) resulted in loss of TAs from the lamella and caused the lamella to lose its flattened shape. Exogenous expression of NMIIB rescued this defect in TA formation. However, the TAs that formed on exogenous NMIIB expression in NMIIA-KD cells and the remaining TAs in NMIIB-KD cells, which mainly consisted of NMIIB and NMIIA, respectively, failed to rescue the defect in lamellar flattening. These results indicate that both isoforms are required for the proper function of TAs in lamellar flattening. KD of NMIIB resulted in loss of vSFs from the central region of the cell body, and this defect was not rescued by exogenous expression of NMIIA, indicating that NMIIA cannot replace the function of NMIIB in vSF formation. Moreover, we raised the possibility that actin filaments in vSFs are in a stretched conformation.

A variety of biochemical fractionation methods are available for the quantification of cytoskeletal components. However, each method is designed to target only one cytoskeletal network, either the micro tubule (MT) or actin cytoskeleton, and non-targeted cytoskeletal networks are ignored. Considering the importance of MT actin crosstalk, the organization of both the targeted and non-targeted cytoskeletal networks must be retained intact during fractionation for the accurate analysis of cytoskeletal organization. In this study, we reveal that existing fractionation methods, represented by the MT sedimentation-method for MTs and the Triton X-100 solubility assay-method for actin cytoskeletons, disrupt the organizations of the non-targeted cytoskeletons. We demonstrate a novel fractionation method for the accurate analysis of the cytoskeletal organizations using a taxol-containing PEM-based permeabilization buffer, which we name "semi-retentive cytoskeletal fractionation (SERCYF)-method". The organizations of both MTs and actin cytoskeletons were retained intact even after permeabilization with this buffer. By using the SERCYF-method, we analyzed the effects of nocodazole on the cytoskeletal organizations biochemically and showed promotion of the actin cytoskeletal organization by MT depolymerization. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Myosin II molecules assemble into filaments through their C-terminal rod region, and are responsible for several cellular motile activities. Three isoforms of nonmuscle myosin II (IIA, IIB and IIC) are expressed in mammalian cells. However, little is known regarding the isoform composition in filaments. To obtain new insight into the assembly properties of myosin II isoforms, especially regarding the isoform composition in filaments, we performed a combination analysis of fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) and fluorescence cross-correlation spectroscopy (FCCS), which enables us to acquire information on both the interaction and the size of each molecule simultaneously. Using C-terminal rod fragments of IIA and IIB (ARF296 and BRF305) labelled with different fluorescent probes, we demonstrated that hetero-assemblies were formed from a mixture of ARF296 and BRF305, and that dynamic exchange of rod fragments occurred between pre-formed homo-assemblies of each isoform in an isoform-independent manner. We also showed that Mts1 (S100A4) specifically stripped ARF296 away from the hetero-assemblies, and consequently, homo-assemblies of BRF305 were formed. These results suggest that IIA and IIB can form hetero-filaments in an isoform-independent manner, and that a factor like Mts1 can remove one isoform from the hetero-filament, resulting in a formation of homo-filaments consisting of another isoform.

To function in the cell, nonmuscle myosin II molecules assemble into filaments through their C-terminal tails. Because myosin II isoforms most likely assemble into homo-filaments in vivo, it seems that some self-recognition mechanisms of individual myosin II isoforms should exist. Exogenous expression of myosin IIB rod fragment is thus expected to prevent the function of myosin IIB specifically. We expected to reveal some self-recognition sites of myosin IIB from the phenotype by expressing appropriate myosin IIB rod fragments. We expressed the C-terminal 305-residue rod fragment of the myosin IIB heavy chain (BRF305) in MRC-5 SV1 TG1 cells. As a result, unstable morphology was observed like MHC-IIB(-/-) fibroblasts. This phenotype was not observed in cells expressing BRF305 mutants: 1) with a defect in assembling, 2) lacking N-terminal 57 residues (N-57), or 3) lacking C-terminal 63 residues (C-63). A myosin IIA rod fragment ARF296 corresponding to BRF305 was not effective. However, the chimeric ARF296, in which the N-57 and C-63 of BRF305 were substituted for the corresponding regions of ARF296, acquired the ability to induce unstable morphology. We propose that the N-57 and C-63 of BRF305 are involved in self-recognition when myosin IIB molecules assemble into homo-filament.

Regulation of the contractile force is crucial for cell migration, cell proliferation, and maintenance of cell morphology. Phosphorylation of the myosin II regulatory light chain (MRLC) is involved in these processes. To show whether the diphosphorylation of MRLC increases the tension acting on stress fibers, changes in the stiffness of fibroblasts expressing wild-type MRLC and a mutant type, which cannot be diphosphorylated, on treatment with lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) were examined by a mechanical-scanning probe microscope (M-SPM). The LPA treatment increased cellular stiffness in the wild-type MRLC expressing cells, while it had no effect on the mutated cells. Immunostaining showed that LPA stimulation induced the diphosphorylation of MRLC. These results suggest that the diphosphorylation of MRLC enhances the tension acting on stress fibers. J. Cell. Physiol. 209: 726-731, 2006. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

The alternatively spliced isoform of nonmuscle myosin II heavy chain B (MHC-IIB) with an insert of 21 amino acids in the actin-binding surface loop (loop 2), MHC-IIB(B2), is expressed specifically in the central nervous system of vertebrates. To examine the role of the B2 insert in the motor activity of the myosin II molecule, we expressed chimeric myosin heavy chain molecules using the Dictyostelium myosin II heavy chain as the backbone. We replaced the Dictyostelium native loop 2 with either the noninserted form of loop 2 from human MHC-IIB or the B2-inserted form of loop 2 from human MHC-IIB(B2). The transformant Dictyostelium cells expressing only the B2-inserted chimeric myosin formed unusual fruiting bodies. We then assessed the function of chimeric proteins, using an in vitro motility assay and by measuring ATPase activities and binding to F-actin. We demonstrate that the insertion of the B2 sequence reduces the motor activity of Dictyostelium myosin II, with reduction of the maximal actin-activated ATPase activity and a decrease in the affinity for actin. In addition, we demonstrate that the native loop 2 sequence of Dictyostelium myosin II is required for the regulation of the actin-activated ATPase activity by phosphorylation of the regulatory light chain.