Realizing a healthy, active, aged society and creating a sustainable society

New Research Results

Determines the Degree of Antibody Denaturation by Color

Researchers at AIST and Keio University have developed a luminescent substrate (luciferin) that reacts with IgG, an antibody widely used for therapeutic and diagnostic purposes, and changes its emission color according to the structure of IgG.
Antibodies play a role in recognizing and eliminating viruses and bacteria in vivo and are widely used as diagnostic and therapeutic agents. However, antibodies are easily affected by the environment during the manufacturing, storage, and use processes, and their original functions are lost when they are denatured.
In this study, we discovered for the first time that IgG, a type of antibody, has "pseudo-luciferase activity" that catalyzes the luminescent reaction of luciferin. We also developed a denaturing detection technology for IgG that utilizes this activity. Since the emission wavelength of this newly designed and synthesized luciferin changes according to the structure of IgG, the degree of IgG denaturation can be easily and quantitatively evaluated by measuring it. This method has higher sensitivity than the conventional fluorescence analysis method, and since the measurement can be completed within 3 minutes by simply mixing the newly developed luciferin, it is expected to contribute to quality control of antibody drugs related to IgG and to the development of diagnostic agents.

An analog of natural luciferin changes its emission color to reflect the conformational state of antibodies

Novel Bacteria Parasitizing Archaea

AIST researchers, in collaboration with JAMSTEC, Hokkaido University and Tohoku University, have succeeded in cultivating an ultrasmall bacterial strain parasitizing archaea and classified the strain PMX.108^T as new species and genus of Minisyncoccus archaeiphilus.
We have discovered, for the first time in the world, bacteria that parasitize the methanogenic archaea, which play a central role in anaerobic wastewater treatment systems. The ultrasmall bacterium inhibits the growth of the host methanogenic archaeon Methanospirillum hungatei. This study represents the first successful cultivation of ultrasmall bacteria that parasitize archaea, which evolutionarily diverged approximately 4 billion years ago and exhibit significant biological differences in cell membrane lipids, genetic information, and other biochemical characteristics. The bacterium was observed to have limited host range and to attach only host archaeon-specific sites.
Furthermore, we have proposed a new phylum Minisyncoccota formerly known as Candidate phyla radiation (CPR). The phylogenetically classification and deposition of the CPR bacterium to a public culture collections will advance research on the CPR bacteria, and is expected to advance our understanding of the physiology and ecological role of the bacteria, which have remained a mystery until now.

The first successful two-strain co-culture of the ultrasmall CPR bacteria Minisyncoccus archaeiphilus strain PMX.108^T (=JCM 39522^T).
^*Figures from the original paper are quoted and modified.

Open Innovation Laboratory

Since FY 2016, as a part of the “Open Innovation Arena concept” promoted by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), AIST has created the concept of “open innovation laboratories” (OILs), collaborative research bases located on university campuses, and has been engaged in their provision. We are planning to establish more than ten OILs by FY 2020.

AIST will merge the basic research carried out at universities, etc. with AISTʼs goal-oriented basic research and applied technology development, and will promote bridging research and evelopment and industry by the establishment of OILs.