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Takashi Karatsu

Publications and source records attributed to Takashi Karatsu.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Photoresponsive self-assembly and self-organization of hydrogen-bonded supramolecular tapes.

Self-assembling building blocks that are readily functionalizable and capable of achieving programmed hierarchical organization have enabled us to create various functional nanomaterials. We have previously demonstrated that N,N'-disubstituted 4,6-diaminopyrimidin-2(1 H)-one (DAP), a guanine-cytosine hybridized molecule, is a versatile building block for the creation of tapelike supramolecular polymer species in solution. In the current study, DAP was functionalized with azobenzene side chains. 1H NMR, UV/Vis, and dynamic light scattering studies confirmed the presence of nanometer-scale tapelike supramolecular polymers in alkane solvents at micromolar regimes. At higher concentrations (millimolar regimes), the supramolecular polymers hierarchically organized into lamellar superstructures to form organogels, as shown by X-ray diffraction and polarized optical microscopy. Remarkably, the azobenzene side chains are photoisomerizable even in the supramolecular polymers, owing to their loosely packed state supported by the rigid hydrogen-bonded scaffold, enabling us to establish photocontrollable supramolecular polymerization and higher order organization of the tapelike supramolecular polymers into lamellar superstructures.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2006

Lysophosphatidic acid cooperates with EGF in inducing branching morphogenesis of embryonic mouse salivary epithelium.

Epithelial morphogenesis is supported by diffusible growth factors and by nondiffusible cell substrata, such as laminin and fibronectin. When embedded in a laminin-rich basement-membrane substratum, embryonic mouse submandibular epithelium undergoes cell proliferation and branching morphogenesis in response to epidermal growth factor (EGF) in mesenchyme-free culture but not in serum-free medium. In this study, we sought to identify the biologically active factor in serum. As this factor was heat-stable and trypsin-resistant, the lipid fraction was analyzed. Horse serum was fractionated by ethanol extraction, Folch partition with chloroform-methanol-water, and high-performance liquid chromatography, and we tested the branch-inducing activity of each fraction. We also analyzed the partially purified fraction with a mass spectrometer, indicating that the active fraction largely consisted of lysophosphatidyl-hexose. Finally we identified the molecule as lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), because, whereas lysophosphatidyl-inositol had only a slight branch-inducing activity, its relevant LPA fully substituted for serum and induced branching morphogenesis in cooperation with EGF. LPA receptor genes were expressed in submandibular epithelial cells. DNA-synthesizing cells were abundant only when cultured in the presence of both EGF and LPA, but not either singly.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Melamine-barbiturate/cyanurate binary organogels possessing rigid azobenzene-tether moiety.

Binary organogels were prepared from coaggregates of azobenzene-tethered melamine dimer and cyanurate/barbiturates. In the gels of hydrocarbon liquids, the coaggregates formed heavily entangled nanofibers, morphologies of which are dramatically different from the previously reported coaggregates based on flexible dodecamethylene-tethered melamine dimers. In the present systems, the rigidity of the azobenzene tether may induce regular packing of molecules. In addition, UV-vis and IR spectroscopic measurements provided unequivocal evidence for the contribution of the central amide groups and the azobenzene chromophores in the tether moiety upon forming well-defined nanofibers by hydrogen-bonding and face-to-face (H-type) pi-pi stacking interactions, respectively. As a result of tight molecular packing in the self-assembled nanofibers, the azobenzene moiety in the gel state showed remarkable resistance to trans --> cis isomerization upon irradiation with UV light.

Azo Compounds↗
PubMed2005

Hierarchical organization of photoresponsive hydrogen-bonded rosettes.

Hydrogen-bonded disk-shaped aggregates (rosettes) composed of azobenzene-appended melamine and barbiturate or cyanurate are investigated in view of their hierarchical organization and photoresponsive behavior by (1)H NMR and UV/vis spectroscopies, dynamic light scattering, and gelation behavior in aliphatic solvents and liquid crystalline behavior in bulk state. In the bulk state the rosette possessing a sterically bulky tridodecyloxyphenyl substituent in the barbiturate component stacks in an offset arrangement to form a rectangular columnar mesophase, whereas in aliphatic solvents it does not hierarchically organize into higher-order columnar aggregates. This drawback is improved by exchanging the barbiturate component into a more sterically nondemanding N-dodecylcyanurate component. The resulting new rosette stacks in a face-to-face arrangement to form a hexagonal columnar mesophase in the bulk state and hierarchically organizes into elongated fibrous aggregates in cyclohexane, which eventually leads to the formation of organogel. Dynamic light scattering and UV-vis experiments upon UV-irradiation of the columnar aggregates in cyclohexane revealed that the dissociation and the reformation of columnar aggregates can be controlled by the trans-cis isomerization of the azobenzene moiety. Molecular modeling indicates that the rosette possessing cis-azobenzene side chains loses its planarity. Using this photoinduced morphological change of the rosette, photoresponsive organogel is created by the use of a disk-shaped supramolecule the first time.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2005

Photocontrollable self-assembly.

The incorporation of photoswitching molecules into molecular building blocks creates the possibility of photoresponsive self-assemblies in which the self-assembled architecture or self-assembling process can be controlled by external light stimulus. Among the photoswitching molecules, azobenzene has been used most widely by virtue of the large photoinduced changes in its molecular geometry and physical properties. This article reviews how azobenzene can be effectively used to construct the self-assemblies in which supramolecular structure and formation/dissociation can be altered by light.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2004

Phototriggered self-assembly of hydrogen-bonded rosette.

Azobenzene-appended melamine M2 and barbiturate B2, both possessing bulky tridodecyloxyphenyl (TDP) wedge(s), were designed and synthesized to establish a photoresponsive hydrogen-bonded supramolecular assembly. The geometrical isomer EE-M2 bearing two E-azobenzene moieties easily complexed with B2, affording a remarkably stable cyclic hexamer EE-M2(3).B2(3) (rosette) in chloroform, toluene, and methylcyclohexane, as confirmed by size exclusion chromatography, dynamic light scattering, (1)H NMR, and UV-vis studies. The E --> Z photoisomerization of the azobenzene moieties upon irradiation with UV light was significantly suppressed in the rosette because of the steric crowding of the TDP wedges (total of nine TDP wedges in a rosette), whereas irradiation of the monomeric EE-M2 resulted in facile transformation into ZZ-M2 bearing two Z-azobenzene moieties. (1)H NMR studies of the complexation of the initially photogenerated ZZ-M2 with B2 revealed that it is hard for ZZ-M2 to form a rosette with B2 because of the intermolecular steric interaction between the TDP wedges. The photoregulatable complexation efficiency of M2 allowed us to accomplish the phototriggered formation of the rosette by irradiation of a monomeric mixture of ZZ-M2 and B2 using visible light.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2002

A novel photochemical reaction of 2-alkoxynicotinates to cage-type photodimers.

Irradiation of a benzene solution of 2-alkoxynicotinic acid alkyl esters gave cage-type photodimers in good yields, the structure of which was established by X-ray single-crystal analysis. The maximum quantum yield was 8.0 x 10(-)(2) when a 5.0 M (almost neat) solution was used. Photolysis of phenyl 2-methoxynicotinate promoted photo-Fries rearrangement to give 1,3- and 1,5-rearranged products. Excimer emission of methyl 2-methoxynicotinate was observed at 77 K.

Journal Article↗