Background: Gc protein-derived macrophage-activating factor (GcMAF) occurs naturally in
the human body. It has various functions, such as macrophage activation and antitumor …

Ascidian embryos sequester a specific cytoplasm, called the postplasm, at the posterior pole,
where many maternal RNAs and proteins accumulate. Although the postplasm is thought to …

Many kinds of animal embryos exhibit stereotyped cleavage patterns during early
embryogenesis. In the ascidianHalocynthia roretzi,cleavage patterns are invariant but they are …

The mechanism of unequal cleavage is one of the most intriguing subjects in cell biology.
Previous studies of unequal cleavage have focused on a limited number of organisms such as …

Ascidians are primitive chordates. Their fertilized egg develops quickly into a tadpole-type
larva, which consists of a small number but distinct types of cells, including those of epidermis, …

Background/Aim: Macrophage activating factor (MAF)-based immunotherapy has a wide
application for use in treating many diseases via macrophage activation. Sonodynamic therapy (…

Injectable hydrogels are biomaterials that have the potential to provide scaffolds to cells for
in situ tissue regeneration with a minimally invasive implantation procedure. The success of …

Hydroxyapatite adsorbs various substances, but little is known about the effects on oral
bacteria of adsorption onto hydroxyapatite derived from scallop shells. In the present study, we …

Pigmentation in the dermis is known to be caused by melanophages, defined as melanosome-laden
macrophages. In this study, we show that dermal fibroblasts also have an ability to …

… Takahito Nishikata conceived and designed the study. Mami … , Takahito Nishikata were
involved in data analysis and interpretation of the data. Mami Ishikawa, Takahito Nishikata drafted …