Tokyo Institute of Technology

16 ARTICLES PUBLISHED IN JoVE

Chemistry

Eric T. Parker¹, James H. Cleaves^2,3, Aaron S. Burton⁴, Daniel P. Glavin⁵, Jason P. Dworkin⁵, Manshui Zhou¹, Jeffrey L. Bada⁶, Facundo M. Fernández¹

¹School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, ²Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, ³Institute for Advanced Study, ⁴Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science Directorate, NASA Johnson Space Center, ⁵Goddard Center for Astrobiology, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, ⁶Geosciences Research Division, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California at San Diego

The Miller-Urey experiment was a pioneering study regarding the abiotic synthesis of organic compounds with possible relevance to the origins of life. Simple gases were introduced into a glass apparatus and subjected to an electric discharge, simulating the effects of lightning in the primordial Earth’s atmosphere-ocean system. The experiment was conducted for one week, after which, the samples collected from it were analyzed for the chemical building blocks of life.

Engineering

Capillary-based Centrifugal Microfluidic Device for Size-controllable Formation of Monodisperse Microdroplets

Masamune Morita¹, Hitoyoshi Yamashita^1,2, Masayuki Hayakawa¹, Hiroaki Onoe³, Masahiro Takinoue^1,4

¹Department of Computational Intelligence and Systems Science, Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology, ²Graduate School of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, ³Department of Mechanical Engineering, Keio University, ⁴PRESTO, Japan Science and Technology Agency

Here, we demonstrate a simple production method for size-controllable, monodisperse, water-in-oil (W/O) microdroplets using a capillary-based centrifugal microfluidic device. This method requires only a small sample volume and enables high-yield production. We expect this method will be useful for rapid biochemical and cellular analyses.

Behavior

Visualization Method for Proprioceptive Drift on a 2D Plane Using Support Vector Machine

Daisuke Tajima¹, Tota Mizuno², Yuichiro Kume³, Takako Yoshida¹

¹Applied Brain Science Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Sciences and Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology, ²Department of Informatics, Graduate School of Informatics and Engineering, The University of Electro-Communications, ³Department of Media and Image Technology, Faculty of Engineering, Tokyo Polytechnic University

This article describes a novel method to estimate proprioceptive drift on a 2D plane using the mirror illusion and combining a psychophysical procedure with an analysis using machine learning.

Chemistry

Synthesis of Cyclic Polymers and Characterization of Their Diffusive Motion in the Melt State at the Single Molecule Level

Satoshi Habuchi¹, Takuya Yamamoto^2,3, Yasuyuki Tezuka³

¹Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), ²Division of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University, ³Department of Organic and Polymeric Materials, Tokyo Institute of Technology

A protocol for the synthesis and characterization of diffusive motion of cyclic polymers at the single molecule level is presented.

Chemistry

Direct Imaging of Laser-driven Ultrafast Molecular Rotation

Kenta Mizuse¹, Romu Fujimoto¹, Nobuo Mizutani², Yasuhiro Ohshima^1,3

¹Department of Chemistry, Tokyo Institute of Technology, ²Equipment Development Center, Institute for Molecular Science, ³Department of Photo-molecular Science, Institute for Molecular Science

We present a protocol for creating a real-time movie of a molecular rotational wave packet using a high-resolution Coulomb explosion imaging setup.

Bioengineering

Fabrication of a Multiplexed Artificial Cellular MicroEnvironment Array

Yasumasa Mashimo^1,2, Momoko Yoshioka¹, Yumie Tokunaga¹, Christopher Fockenberg¹, Shiho Terada¹, Yoshie Koyama¹, Teiko Shibata-Seki², Koki Yoshimoto¹, Risako Sakai¹, Hayase Hakariya¹, Li Liu¹, Toshihiro Akaike³, Eiry Kobatake², Siew-Eng How⁴, Motonari Uesugi^1,5, Yong Chen^1,6, Ken-ichiro Kamei¹

¹Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (WPI-iCeMS), Kyoto University, ²Department of Life Science and Technology, School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, ³Biomaterials Center for Regenerative Medical Engineering, Foundation for Advancement of International Science, ⁴Faculty of Science and Natural Resources, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, ⁵Institute for Chemical Research, Kyoto University, ⁶Ecole Normale Supérieure

This article describes the detailed methodology to prepare a Multiplexed Artificial Cellular MicroEnvironment (MACME) array for high-throughput manipulation of physical and chemical cues mimicking in vivo cellular microenvironments and to identify the optimal cellular environment for human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) with single-cell profiling.

Chemistry

Preparation of Polyoxometalate-based Photo-responsive Membranes for the Photo-activation of Manganese Oxide Catalysts

Akira Yamaguchi^1,5, Toshihiro Takashima², Kazuhito Hashimoto^1,6, Ryuhei Nakamura^3,4

¹Department of Applied Chemistry, The University of Tokyo, ²Clean Energy Research Center, University of Yamanashi, ³Biofunctional Catalyst Research Team, RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, ⁴Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI), Tokyo Institute of Technology, ⁵Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology, ⁶National Institute for Materials Science

Here, we present a protocol to prepare charge transfer chromophores based on a polyoxometalate/polymer composite membrane.

Immunology and Infection

Enhancement Method of Surface Acoustic Wave-Atomizer Efficiency for Olfactory Display

Takamichi Nakamoto¹, Sami Ollila¹, Shingo Kato¹, Haining Li^1,2, Guiping Qi¹

¹Tokyo Institute of Technology, ²University of Electronic Science and Technology of China

We establish here a method for coating the surface of a surface acoustic wave (SAW) device with amorphous Teflon film to improve the atomization efficiency required for application to an olfactory display.

Biochemistry

Real-time Observation of the DNA Strand Exchange Reaction Mediated by Rad51

Kentaro Ito¹, Bilge Argunhan¹, Hideo Tsubouchi¹, Hiroshi Iwasaki¹

¹Cell Biology Center, Institute of Innovative Research, Tokyo Institute of Technology

Fluorescence resonance energy transfer-based real-time observation systems of the DNA strand exchange reaction mediated by Rad51 were developed. Using the protocols presented here, we are able to detect the formation of reaction intermediates and their conversion into products, while also analyzing the enzymatic kinetics of the reaction.

Biology

Bead Loading Proteins and Nucleic Acids into Adherent Human Cells

Charlotte Ayn Cialek¹, Gabriel Galindo¹, Amanda Lynn Koch¹, Matthew Neeley Saxton¹, Timothy John Stasevich^1,2

¹Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, ²World Research Hub Initiative, Institute of Innovative Research, Tokyo Institute of Technology

Bead loading introduces proteins, plasmids, and particles into adherent mammalian cells. This cell loading technique is inexpensive, rapid, and does not substantially affect cell health. It is best suited for live-cell imaging.

Bioengineering

Automated Microbial Cultivation and Adaptive Evolution using Microbial Microdroplet Culture System (MMC)

Xingjin Jian^*1,2, Xiaojie Guo^*1,2,3, Jia Wang⁴, Zheng Lin Tan^1,2,6, Xin-hui Xing^1,2,5, Liyan Wang³, Chong Zhang^1,2,5

¹Department of Chemical Engineering, Institute of Biochemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, ²Key Laboratory of Industrial Biocatalysis, Ministry of Education, Tsinghua University, ³Luoyang TMAXTREE Biotechnology Co., Ltd., ⁴Biochemical Engineering Research Group, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Xi’an Jiaotong University, ⁵Center for Synthetic & Systems Biology, Tsinghua University, ⁶School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology

This protocol describes how to use the Microbial Microdroplet Culture system (MMC) to conduct automated microbial cultivation and adaptive evolution. MMC can cultivate and sub-cultivate microorganisms automatically and continuously and monitor online their growth with relatively high throughput and good parallelization, reducing labor and reagent consumption.

Developmental Biology

A Label-free Xenograft Model for Investigating the Behavior of Human Stem Cell Spheroids in Chick Embryos

Ingrid Rosenburg Cordeiro^1,2, José Marques de Brito Neto¹

¹Morphological Sciences Program, Biomedical Sciences Institute, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, ²Department of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology

Here, we describe a method to transplant and identify human cell spheroids into chick embryos. This xenograft model uses the embryonic microenvironment as a source of instructive signals to assay cell migration, differentiation, and tropism and is especially suited for the study of primary and/or heterogeneous cell populations.

Biology

Reactivation of Demembranated Cell Models in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

Noriko Ueki¹, Atsuko Isu², Ken‒ichi Wakabayashi^2,3

¹Science Research Center, Hosei University, ²Laboratory for Chemistry and Life Science, Institute of Innovative Research, Tokyo Institute of Technology, ³School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology

The in vitro reactivation of motile cells is a crucial experiment in understanding the mechanisms of cell motility. The protocol describes reactivating the demembranated cell models of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, a model organism to study cilia/flagella.

Biology

Observation of Photobehavior in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

Noriko Ueki^*1, Atsuko Isu^*2, Ayaka Kyuji^*2,3, Yuma Asahina^*2,3, Satoaki So^*2,3, Rina Takahashi^*2,3, Toru Hisabori^2,3, Ken‒ichi Wakabayashi^2,3

Most swimming photoautotrophic organisms show photo-induced behavioral changes (photobehavior). The present protocol observes the said photobehavior in the model organism Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.

Bioengineering

Preparation of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles and the Evaluation of their Antibacterial Effects

Jongjun Park^*1, Gahyun Lee^*1, Yonghyun Choi^1,2,3, Jiwon Kim¹, Seongeun Park¹, Hee-Young Lee⁴, Jonghoon Choi^1,2

¹School of Integrative Engineering, Chung-Ang University, ²Feynman Institute of Technology, Nanomedicine Corporation, ³Department of Chemical Science and Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology, ⁴Department of Chemical Engineering, Kumoh National Institute of Technology

In this study, zinc oxide nanoparticles were synthesized using a precipitation method. The antibacterial effect of the synthesized particles was tested against multidrug-resistant methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacterial strains.

Fabrication of Antibacterial Graphene Oxide/Copper Nanocomposites

Jiwon Kim¹, Jongjun Park¹, Seongeun Park¹, Yonghyun Choi^1,2,3, Hee-Young Lee⁴, Jonghoon Choi^1,2

Herein, we introduce graphene oxide/copper (GO/Cu) nanocomposites as an antibacterial nanomaterial. The antibacterial effectiveness of the GO/Cu nanocomposites was evaluated against both antibiotic-resistant gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria.