arXiv subjects

Goro Mizutani

Publications and source records attributed to Goro Mizutani.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2021

Sum frequency generation spectroscopy of the attachment disc of a spider

The pyriform silk of the attachment disc of a spider was studied using infrared-visible vibrational sum frequency generation (SFG) spectroscopy. The spider can attach dragline and radial lines to many kinds of substrates in nature (concrete, alloy, metal, glass, plant branches, leaves, etc.) with the attachment disc. The adhesion can bear the spider's own weight, and resist the wind on its orb web. From our SFG spectroscopy study, the NH group of arginine side chain and/or NH$_{2}$ group of arginine and glutamine side chain in the amino acid sequence of the attachment silk proteins are suggested to be oriented in the disc. It was inferred from the observed doublet SFG peaks at around 3300 cm$^{-1}$ that the oriented peptide contains two kinds of structures.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2018

Observation of Spider Silk by Femtosecond Pulse Laser Second Harmonic Generation Microscopy

An asymmetric \b{eta}-sheet structure of spider silk is said to induce optical second harmonic generation. In this paper, using an in-house non-scanning type femtosecond pulse laser second harmonic generation microscope, we characterized the behavior of the \b{eta}-sheet of spider silk under an applied external force. The orientation of the \b{eta}-sheets was more unidirectional when the silk was extended. One of the origins of the high mechanical strength of the dragline is suggested to be the physical arrangement of its \b{eta}-sheets.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2018

Ungerminated Rice Grains Observed by Femtosecond Pulse Laser Second-Harmonic Generation Microscopy

As a demonstration that second-order nonlinear optical microscopy is a powerful tool for rice grain science, we observed second-harmonic generation (SHG) images of amylose-free glutinous rice and amylose-containing nonglutinous rice grains. The images obtained from SHG microscopy and photographs of the iodine-stained starch granules indicate that the distribution of starch types in the embryo-facing endosperm region (EFR) depends on the type of rice and suggests that glucose, maltose, or both are localized on the testa side of the embryo. In the testa side of the embryo, crystallized glucose or maltose are judged to be detected by SHG. These monosaccharides and disaccharides play an important role, as they trigger energy in the initial stage of germination. These results confirm SHG microscopy is a good method to monitor the distribution of such sugars and amylopectin in the embryo and its neighboring regions of rice grains.

physics.bio-ph↗

arXiv2018

Electric Field Effect on Optical Second-harmonic Generation of Amphoteric Megamolecule Aggregates

We have detected second-order nonlinear optical response from an amphoteric mega-saccharides named sacran under a needle/ring electrode stimulus by using an optical second harmonic generation (SHG) microscope. SHG was observed from sacran in the neighborhood of the negatively biased needle electrode below -4.5 V with respect to the outer ring electrode. From the incident light polarization dependence of SHG, this sacran was suggested to be oriented toward the electrode needle. SHG of the sacran polymer was judged to be induced by sacran aggregates with net positive charge.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2018

Second-order Nonlinear Optical Microscopy of Spider Silk

Asymmetric $\rm β$-sheet protein structures in spider silk should induce nonlinear optical interaction such as second harmonic generation (SHG) which is experimentally observed for a radial line and dragline spider silk by using an imaging femtosecond laser SHG microscope. By comparing different spider silks, we found that the SHG signal correlates with the existence of the protein $\rm β$-sheets. Measurements of the polarization dependence of SHG from the dragline indicated that the $\rm β$-sheet has a nonlinear response depending on the direction of the incident electric field. We propose a model of what orientation the $\rm β$-sheet takes in spider silk.

physics.bio-ph↗

arXiv2018

Optical Second-harmonic Images of Sacran Megamolecule Aggregates

We have detected a second-order nonlinear optical response from aggregates of the ampholytic megamolecular polysaccharide sacran extracted from cyanobacterial biomaterials, by using optical second harmonic generation (SHG) microscopy. The SHG images of sacran cotton-like lump, fibers, and cast films showed SHG intensity microspots of several tens of micrometers in size. The dependence of the SHG spot intensity on an excitation light polarization angle was observed to illustrate sacran molecular orientation in these microdomains. We also observed SHG signals around a special region of the cast film edges of sacran. These results show that sacran megamolecules aggregate in several different ways.

physics.optics↗