The development of the eyelid requires coordinated cellular processes of proliferation, cell shape changes, migration and cell death. Mutant mice deficient in the fibroblast growth factor 10 (Fgf10) gene exhibit open-eyelids at birth. To elucidate the roles of FGF10 during eyelid formation, we examined the expression pattern of Fgf10 during eyelid formation and the phenotype of Fgf10-null eyelids in detail. Fgf10 is expressed by mesenchymal cells just beneath the protruding epidermal cells of the nascent eyelid. However, Fgf10-null epithelial cells running though the eyelid groove do not exhibit typical cuboid shape or sufficient proliferation. Furthermore, peridermal clumps are not maintained on the eyelid leading edge, and epithelial extension does not occur. At the cellular level, the accumulation of actin fibers is not observed in the mutant epithelial leading edge. The expression of activin/inhibin βB(ActβB/Inhbb) and transforming growth factor α(Tgfa), previously reported to be crucial for eyelid development, is down-regulated in the mutant leading edge, while the onset of sonic hedgehog(Shh) expression is delayed on the mutant eyelid margin. Explant cultures of mouse eyelid primordia shows that the open-eyelid phenotype of the mutant is reduced by exogenous FGF10 protein, and that the expression of ActβB and Tgfa is ectopically induced in the thickened eyelid epithelium by the FGF10 protein. These results indicate a dual role of FGF10 in mouse eyelid development, for both proliferation and coordinated migration of eyelid epithelial cells by reorganization of the cytoskeleton, through the regulation of activin, TGFα and SHH signaling.

Nanofibrillated bacterial cellulose (NFBC) is produced by culturing a cellulose-producing bacterium (Gluconacetobacter intermedius NEDO-01) with rotation or agitation in medium supplemented with carboxymethylcellulose (CMC). Despite a high yield and dispersibility in water, the product immediately aggregates in organic solvents. To broaden its applicability, we prepared amphiphilic NFBC by culturing strain NEDO-01 in medium supplemented with hydroxyethylcellulose or hydroxypropylcellulose instead of CMC. Transmission electron microscopy analysis revealed that the resultant materials (HE-NFBC and HP-NFBC, respectively) comprised relatively uniform fibers with diameters of 33 ± 7 and 42 ± 8 nm, respectively. HP-NFBC was dispersible in polar organic solvents such as methanol, acetone, isopropyl alcohol, acetonitrile, tetrahydrofuran (THF), and dimethylformamide, and was also dispersible in poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) by solvent mixing using THF. HP-NFBC/PMMA composite films were highly transparent and had a higher tensile strength than neat PMMA film. Thus, HP-NFBC has a broad range of applications, including as a filler material.

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a b s t r a c tCellulose ampholytes (CAms) prepared from biocompatible and biodegradable carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) could represent an environmentally friendly alternative for the efficient removal of anionic dyes from water effluents. In order to evaluate their potential for this application, a series of CAms with a degree of cationic substitution (DS C ) between 0.26 and 1.08 were prepared from sodium CMC, by cationization with 2,3-epoxypropyltrimethylammonium chloride. The flocculation ability of the CAms against the anionic dye Acid Red 13 (AR13) was found to strongly depend on the DS C as well as on the pH of the solution. The highest flocculation ability was observed at lower pH and higher DS C : a color removal as high as 99% was achieved at pH 3 using a CAm with the highest DS C . The kinetic analysis revealed that the flocculation of AR13 can be accurately fitted by a pseudo-second order kinetic model, which thus allows to predict the flocculation behavior of CAms under these conditions. Besides AR13, the ampholytes also showed high flocculation ability against Acid Red 9 and Acid Blue 13. The flocculation behavior of these anionic dyes followed the Langmuir adsorption isotherm model, which revealed the maximum flocculation capacity of a CAm for these dyes. Moreover, the analysis of the flocculation isotherm data and the SEM observation of the formed flocs allowed to determine the flocculation mechanism.

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Nanofibrillated bacterial cellulose (NFBC) is produced by culturing a cellulose-producing bacterium under agitated aerobic conditions in a carboxymethylcellulose (CMC)-supplemented medium. Detailed structural analyses revealed that NFBC fiber widths varied with the degree of substitution of the CMC used, and zeta potential values decreased with the increment of CMC concentration in the medium. Transmission electron microscopy observation after immunostaining demonstrated that CMC molecules were present on the NFBC microfibril surfaces. We tested NFBC for utility as a binder for a display device that uses electrochromic (EC) material. Introduction of a quaternary ammonium group into the EC molecules enhanced their interactions with the negatively charged NFBC microfibrils. A casting process homogeneously adsorbed the EC molecules onto the surface of a transparent electrode with NFBC. A homogeneous color change was successfully observed upon applying an electric field, suggesting that NFBC could be used as a binder material for uniform surface adsorption.

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