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Controlling the flowering habit of strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa) is important for extending its period of production and increasing yields. In strawberry, the single dominant Perpetual Flowering Runnering (PFRU) locus controls the perpetual flowering (PF) trait, as revealed using a traditional linkage analysis with DNA markers. Additional DNA markers for PFRU have been developed using the linkage map; however, they have only been applied to the limited cultivars showing polymorphisms. Furthermore, distinguishing between genotypes homozygous and heterozygous for PFRU is difficult because only the dominant markers were previously available. Here, we identified the PFRU locus by performing a genome-wide association study with whole-genome sequencing data and a publicly available reference genome and mapped the previously reported DNA marker onto a physical map of F. × ananassa. This accurate location for PFRU may facilitate the development of DNA markers that can be applied to various cultivars/lines, accelerating the breeding of PF-type strawberry cultivars and facilitating the isolation of the PFRU causal gene by further narrowing down the candidate region.

Self-assembled microspherical aggregates that work as whispering gallery mode (WGM) optical resonators are synthesized from a novel hygroscopic polymer covalently appended with an aggregation-induced emission luminogen. The resultant microspheres can absorb moisture from the surrounding atmosphere. Accordingly, the WGM resonant peaks shift due to the change in the diameter of the microsphere. The sensitivity of the peak-shift is as high as 255 picometre per percent relative humidity, which is the highest among non-tapered type optical humidity sensors. The responsivity toward moisture is kept virtually intact at least through five cycles of hydration and dehydration processes.

We recently reported that tetraphenylethene-appended poly(acrylic acid) derivatives (e.g., PAA-TPE

Here we report the facile derivatization of a cyano-substituted stilbene into higher π-extended analogues. The cyano-substituted stilbene, which serves as a synthetic scaffold, has a bromo group and a formyl group on its 4- and 4′-position of the phenylene rings and thus readily undergoes selective transformation into other functional groups using various simple organic reactions. The resultant π-conjugated molecules that contain a cyano-substituted stilbene skeleton exhibit fluorescence in solution and in the solid state.

Enhancing the mechanical reliability of thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) is a key issue for their application as a structural material. Here we systematically investigated the effects of dynamic bonds on the mechanical properties of ABA triblock copolymer-type TPEs. We prepared a series of TPEs having strong hydrogen-bonding side groups, ureidopyrimidinone (UPy), in either or both of the hard A blocks and soft B blocks. The TPEs formed microphase-separated structures consisting of spherical hard A domains surrounded by soft B matrices. When the dynamic bonds were introduced in the hard A blocks, the mechanical stability of the hard domains was improved. The stress in the tensile tests also increased but only at relatively large strains. Dynamic bonds in the soft B block served as transient crosslinks in the soft matrix that enhanced stress across the entire range of strain. The effect of introducing dynamic bonds in both the hard domains and soft matrix was more than just the sum of the effects of the dynamic bonds in both phases: a robust synergistic interaction existed between the dynamic bonding moieties in the two phases. This synergistic interaction enhanced the rigidity of the material (tensile stress ∼13 MPa) while maintaining high tensile toughness (∼58 MJ m−3). The dynamicity of the interactions in the different phases and its effect on fatigue recoverability in the large strain regime were also discussed using the classical theory of nonlinear viscoelasticity.

We recently reported that tetraphenylethene-appended poly(acrylic acid) derivatives (e.g., PAA-TPE0.02) can serve as fluorescent Ca2+ sensors in the presence of physiological concentrations of biologically relevant ions, amino acids, and sugars. However, in the presence of basic proteins such as albumins, the Ca2+-sensing property of the polymer is significantly impaired due to the nonspecific adsorption of protein molecules, which competes with binding to Ca2+. To solve this problem, we explored new designs by focusing on the polymer-chain topology of PAA-TPE0.02 with biocompatible segments. Here, we report the Ca2+-sensing and protein-adsorption-resistance properties of various types of PAA-TPE0.02 copolymers with a poly(oligoethylene glycol acrylate) (polyOEGA) segment, featuring a random, diblock, triblock, or 4-armed-star-block structure. Through this study, we show an interesting topology effect; i.e., a branch-shaped PAA-TPE0.02-co-polyOEGA with biocompatible segments at every terminal (i.e., 4-armed-star-block copolymer) exhibits both good Ca2+-sensing and protein-adsorption-resistance properties.

CD147, a transmembrane glycoprotein that belongs to the immunoglobulin superfamily, and cyclophilin A (CypA), one of the binding partners of CD147, are overexpressed in tumor cells and associated with the progression of several malignancies, including both solid and hematological malignancies. However, CD147 and CypA involvement in cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) has not been reported. In this study, we examined CD147 and CypA expression and function using clinical samples of mycosis fungoides (MF) and Sézary syndrome (SS) and CTCL cell lines. CD147 and CypA were overexpressed by tumor cells of MF/SS, and CypA was also expressed by epidermal keratinocytes in MF/SS lesional skin. Serum CypA levels were increased and correlated with disease severity markers in MF/SS patients. Anti-CD147 antibody and/or anti-CypA antibody suppressed the proliferation of CTCL cell lines, both in vitro and in vivo, via downregulation of phosphorylated extracellular-regulated kinase 1/2 and Akt. These results suggest that CD147-CypA interactions can contribute to the proliferation of MF/SS tumor cells in both a autocrine and paracrine manner, and that the disruption of CD147-CypA interactions could be a new therapeutic strategy for the treatment of MF/SS.

We investigated the effect of six ionic liquids (ILs), and dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) as a typical molecular liquid (organic solvent), on the hatching of Artemia salina cysts. The effect of an IL on the hatching of Artemia salina strongly depends on the specific combination of cation and anion. Of the ILs tested, choline acetate and choline chloride had a significantly lower toxicity. The level of inhabitation followed the order [chl][dhp] > [bmim][NO3] > [MAN][NO3] > [bmim][Ac] > DMSO > [chl][Ac] ≥ [chl][Cl].