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We previously identified Xenopus tudor domain containing 6/Xenopus tudor repeat (Xtdrd6/Xtr), which was exclusively expressed in the germ cells of adult Xenopus laevis. Western blot analysis showed that the XTdrd6/Xtr protein was translated in St. I/II oocytes and persisted as a maternal factor until the tailbud stage. XTdrd6/Xtr has been reported to be essential for the translation of maternal mRNA involved in oocyte meiosis. In the present study, we examined the distribution of the XTdrd6/Xtr protein during oogenesis and early development, to predict the time point of its action during development. First, we showed that XTdrd6/Xtr is localized to germinal granules in the germplasm by electron microscopy. XTdrd6/Xtr was found to be localized to the origin of the germplasm, the mitochondrial cloud of St. I oocytes, during oogenesis. Notably, XTdrd6/Xtr was also found to be localized around the nuclear membrane of St. I oocytes. This suggests that XTdrd6/Xtr may immediately interact with some mRNAs that emerge from the nucleus and translocate to the mitochondrial cloud. XTdrd6/Xtr was also detected in primordial germ cells and germ cells throughout development. Using transgenic Xenopus expressing XTdrd6/Xtr with a C‐terminal FLAG tag produced by homology‐directed repair, we found that the zygotic translation of the XTdrd6/Xtr protein began at St. 47/48. As germ cells are surrounded by gonadal somatic cells and are considered to enter a new differentiation stage at this phase, the newly synthesized XTdrd6/Xtr protein may regulate the translation of mRNAs involved in the new steps of germ cell differentiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetoelectric (ME) materials exhibiting coupled electric and magnetic properties are of significant interest because of their potential use in memory storage devices, new sensors, or low‐consumption devices. Herein, we report a new category of ME material that shows liquid crystal (LC), ferroelectric (FE), and field‐induced single molecule magnet (SMM) behaviors. Co(II) complex incorporating alkyl chains of type [Co(3C16‐bzimpy)2](BF4)2 (1; 3C16‐bzimpy=2,2'‐(4‐hexadecyloxy‐2,6‐diyl)bis(1‐hexadecyl‐1H‐benzo[d]imidazole)) displayed a chiral smectic C mesophase in the temperature range 321 K–458 K, in which distinct FE behavior was observed, with a remnant polarization (88.3 nC cm−2). Complex 1 also exhibited field‐induced slow magnetic relaxation behavior that reflects the large magnetic anisotropy of the Co(II) center. Furthermore, the dielectric property of 1 was able to be tuned by an external magnetic field occurring from both spin‐lattice coupling and molecular orientational variation. Clearly, this multifunctional compound, combining LC, FE, and SMM properties, represents an entry to the development of a range of next‐generation ME materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ultrafast excited state dynamics of spirilloxanthin in solution and bound to the light-harvesting core antenna complexes from Rhodospirillum rubrum S1 were investigated by means of femtosecond pump-probe spectroscopic measurements. The previously proposed S* state of spirilloxanthin was clearly observed both in solution and bound to the light-harvesting core antenna complexes, while the lowest triplet excited state appeared only with spirilloxanthin bound to the protein complexes. Ultrafast formation of triplet spirilloxanthin bound to the protein complexes was observed upon excitation of either spirilloxanthin or bacteriochlorophyll-a. The anomalous reaction of the ultrafast triplet formation is discussed in terms of ultrafast energy transfer between spirilloxanthin and bacteriochlorophyll-a. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ultrafast relaxation kinetics of all-trans-β-carotene homologs with varying numbers of conjugated double bonds n(n=7–15) and lycopene (n=11) has been investigated using femtosecond time-resolved absorption and Kerr-gate fluorescence spectroscopies, both carried out under identical excitation conditions. The nonradiative relaxation rates of the optically allowed S2(11Bu+) state were precisely determined by the time-resolved fluorescence. The kinetics of the optically forbidden S1(21Ag-) state were observed by the time-resolved absorption measurements. The dependence of the S1 relaxation rates upon the conjugation length is adequately described by application of the energy gap law. In contrast to this, the nonradiative relaxation rates of S2 have a minimum at n=9 and show a reverse energy gap law dependence for values of n above 11. This anomalous behavior of the S2 relaxation rates can be explained by the presence of an intermediate state (here called the Sx state) located between the S2 and S1 states at large values of n (such as n=11). The presence of such an intermediate state would then result in the following sequential relaxation pathway S2→Sx→S1→S0. A model based on conical intersections between the potential energy curves of these excited singlet states can readily explain the measured relationships between the decay rates and the energy gaps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]