Osaka University

Riken Corporation

The Institute of Physical and Chemical Research

Japan Science and Technology Agency

Olympus Corporation

Yokogawa Electric Corporation

Takeharu Nagai

Atsushi Miyawaki

Yoshiyuki Arai

Katsunori Nakata

Jun Aruga

Katsuhiko Mikoshiba

Takeo Tanaami

Shinichi Takimoto

Kenta Mikuriya

Naoki Seki

Kazushi Suzuki

Kenta Saito

Katsumasa Fujita

Megumi Iwano

Masahito Yamanaka

Dhermendra Kumar Tiwari

Yuanqing Ma

Tomoki Matsuda

Hajime Shinoda

The present disclosure relates to a device including a reagent portion in which a chemiluminescent indicator and a chemiluminescent substrate for the indicator are disposed, and a base on which the reagent portion is formed. The chemiluminescent indicator and the chemiluminescent substrate are disposed independently from each other in the reagent portion in such a manner that the chemiluminescent indicator and the chemiluminescent substrate can react with each other when a sample is supplied to the reagent portion. The present disclosure also relates to a remote diagnosis system including an imaging terminal for detecting a luminescent signal generated when a reagent is supplied to the device and an information processing unit for processing luminescent signal data obtained by the imaging terminal. The imaging terminal and the information processing unit can bi-directionally communicate with each other via a network.

Device and determination system using same

Provided is a method of detecting a biological material, by which quantitative measurement can be performed easily. The method of detecting a biological material in a sample includes: mixing, with the sample, a fusion protein (C) in which a protein (A) capable of binding the biological material and a chemiluminescent protein (B) are fused together and a substrate for the chemiluminescent protein (B); and observing a luminescent signal from the sample, wherein the protein (A) and the protein (B) are linked in such a manner that resonance energy transfer can occur, the protein (A) is either a protein (A1) that can emit fluorescence in a state where the biological material is bound thereto or a protein (A2) capable of binding an autofluorescent molecule as the biological material, and the protein (B) can excite fluorescence or autofluorescence of the protein (A) with its luminescence energy.

Method of detecting biological material, and chemiluminescent indicator used therein

A biological specimen containing a chemiluminescence substance that generates chemiluminescence is observed in a living state under a microscope. The microscope includes a light source that outputs control light that changes the state of the chemiluminescence, a defining unit that defines the radiation pattern of the control light with which an observation surface of the biological specimen is irradiated, and a detector that detects the chemiluminescence from the biological specimen.

Microscope and method for observing biological specimen in living state

Provided is a green-yellow fluorescent protein with high pH stability (with reduced pH sensitivity). In one or more embodiments, the fluorescent protein is a fluorescent protein comprising an amino acid sequence from position 2 to 225 of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1, at least a mutation being introduced into the sequence, wherein the above-mentioned mutation is selected from the group consisting of F149T or S or A, L158T or S or A, H160T or S or A, Y174T or S or A, and Y192T or S or A as well as combinations of 2 to 5 thereof.

Fluorescent protein

Provided is a fluorescent protein that has a fast photo-switching speed and a high photostability and that switches from a non-fluorescent state to a fluorescent state by being irradiated with light for fluorescence excitation and switches from a fluorescent state to a non-fluorescent state by being irradiated with light having a specific wavelength that does not cause fluorescence excitation. The present invention relates to (a) A protein having an amino acid sequence of Sequence ID No. 1. (b) A protein that has an amino acid sequence of Sequence ID No. 1 in which one to several amino acids are deleted, substituted, and/or added.

Provided is an optical microscope capable of maintaining an objective lens in a focus state without adversely affecting a captured image even when a substance with a weak emission is used as an observation target object. The optical microscope includes an observation optical system capable of capturing, with an image pickup device (), an optical image of an observation target object () that has been obtained with an objective lens (), and sending out the optical image as an image signal; and an autofocus device that adjusts a focal position of the objective lens based on autofocus light emitted from a focusing light source () so as to focus on the observation target object, wherein the autofocus light is emitted from the focusing light source during a non-capturing period during which the image pickup device is not capturing an image of the observation target object.

Optical microscope, and autofocus device for optical microscope

A fluorescence observation method of the present invention for detecting plural types of fluorescence emitted from two or more kinds of fluorescent molecules includes: subjecting each of the two or more kinds of fluorescent molecules to multi-photon excitation by exciting light having an exciting wavelength equal to or shorter than 700 nm in a visible region, to generate fluorescence upon making use of an absorption wavelength band in a deep ultraviolet region of each of the two or more kinds of fluorescent molecules; and simultaneously detecting plural types of fluorescence generated on a shorter-wavelength side or on both of the shorter-wavelength side and a longer-wavelength side of the exciting wavelength of the exciting light.

Fluorescence observation method and fluorescence observation apparatus

It is an object of the present invention to provide a fluorescent protein, which allows an acceptor for fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) to appear in a stimulating light-dependent manner, thereby enabling the marking of any given cell organelle, cells, or tissues, with multiple colors. The present invention provides a fluorescent protein which consists of a fused protein of a donor fluorescent protein and an acceptor fluorescent protein, wherein before irradiation with stimulating light, the donor protein is able to emit fluorescence as a result of irradiation of the donor protein with excitation light; and after irradiation with stimulating light, intramolecular FRET occurs between the donor fluorescent protein and the acceptor fluorescent protein as a result of irradiation of the donor protein with excitation light, and the acceptor protein is able to emit fluorescence, and wherein the fluorescence of the donor protein and the fluorescence of the acceptor protein have wavelengths that are different from each other.

The present invention provides a fluorescent protein having an amino acid sequence of the green fluorescent protein, the yellow fluorescent protein or mutants thereof wherein the 46phenylalanine residue is substituted with a leucine residue. According to the present invention, there are provided novel GFP or YEP mutants having an excellent maturation efficacy and having a decreased sensitivity to both of Hand CI.

Nucleic acid molecules, vectors, and host cells encoding fluorescent protein

The present invention provides a fluorescent protein having an amino acid sequence of the green fluorescent protein, the yellow fluorescent protein or mutants thereof wherein the 46th phenylalanine residue is substituted with a leucine residue. According to the present invention, there are provided novel GFP or YEP mutants having an excellent maturation efficacy and having a decreased sensitivity to both of Hand Cl.

The present invention provides a method of analyzing the physiological function of a target substance by inactivating the physiological function of the target substance, comprising the steps of: (a) binding to the target substance a photoactive compound represented by formula (I): (in the formula, Q is a group for binding this compound with the target substance) to form a composite comprising the target substance and the photoactive compound; and (b) irradiating the obtained composite with light to inactivate the function of the target substance to which the photoactive compound has been bound, or to inactivate the function of the target substance at the site where the photoactive compound has been bound.

Method of analyzing physiological function of target substance

A confocal optical scanner of Nipkow disk type for measuring a sample, in which each component of two or more color pigments, has a high reflection mirror for separating an excited light to be radiated onto the sample and a fluorescence emitted from the sample, wherein a reflectance of the high reflection mirror is from 80% to 100% in a measured wavelength region including at least an excited light wavelength region and a fluorescence wavelength region. Thereby, the confocal optical scanner capable of measuring a polychromatic fluorescent image at the same time is realized with the enhanced light receiving efficiency of fluorescence, using one high reflection mirror without using a plurality of dichroic mirrors by exchange.

Confocal optical scanner

The present invention relates to neurogenesis inducing genes. In particular, the present invention provides neurogenesis inducing genes coding for Zic proteins, vectors containing such genes, host cells containing such vectors, proteins produced by such host cells, antibodies raised to such proteins, and therapeutic agents or agents for gene therapy for nervous diseases.

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Takeharu Nagai