T. Nakajima

Retinoids rescue ceruloplasmin secretion and alleviate oxidative stress in Wilson's disease-specific hepatocytes

This study uses patient-derived iPSCs to identify retinoids as potential therapeutics for Wilson's disease by rescuing ceruloplasmin secretion and reducing oxidative stress.

Mechanistic investigation of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant spike mutants via full quantum mechanical modeling

The paper uses quantum mechanical modeling to predict and analyze binding strengths of SARS-CoV-2 spike variants to the human ACE2 receptor, validating predictions experimentally.

Anticipating future SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern through ab initio quantum mechanical modeling

This paper uses quantum mechanical modeling to predict the impact of SARS-CoV-2 mutations on hACE2 binding and identify potential future variants of concern.

A glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored α-amylase encoded by amyD contributes to a decrease in the molecular mass of cell wall α-1,3-glucan in Aspergillus nidulans

The paper investigates the role of AmyD, a GPI-anchored α-amylase, in regulating the molecular mass of -1,3-glucan in Aspergillus nidulans cell walls.

Mechanistic Insight from Full Quantum Mechanical Modeling: Laccase as a Detoxifier of Aflatoxins

The paper uses quantum mechanical modeling to show that low steric affinity, not oxidative activity, limits laccase's ability to detoxify aflatoxins, identifying key residues for enzyme optimization.

Full quantum mechanical modeling of the enzyme-substrate system: how laccase detoxifies aflatoxin

This paper uses quantum mechanical modeling to study laccase detoxification of aflatoxin, identifying affinity limitations and environmental dependencies, and proposes a roadmap for enzyme optimization.

Both galactosaminogalactan and α-1,3-glucan contribute to aggregation of Aspergillusoryzae hyphae in liquid culture

This paper identifies galactosaminogalactan and α-1,3-glucan as factors contributing to hyphal aggregation in Aspergillus oryzae and shows that their removal disperses hyphae, improving recombinant protein production.