Professor OKURO, Kou
Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, HKU
B.Sc. (Keio University); Ph.D. (The University of Tokyo)
- [javascript protected email address]
- 3910 2195
- Room 106, Hui Oi Chow Science Building, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong
Research:
Supramolecular Chemistry for Engineering of Biomolecular Interfaces
The surface of biomolecules plays essential roles in molecular recognition, binding, self-assembly, bio-distribution, and so forth. Engineering of biomolecular surfaces or "interfaces" is an important subject in the fields of chemical biology, biomaterial sciences, and medical sciences, for modulation and/or control of biomolecular functions. Our objective is to develop new molecular motifs for engineering of biomolecular interfaces based on supramolecular chemistry.
Guanidinium-based "Molecular Glues"
As a "universal" molecular tool for engineering biomolecular interfaces, we have developed "molecular glues" bearing multiple guanidinium ion pendants. Molecular glues can tightly adhere to the surface of biomolecules via multivalent salt-bridges with oxyanions. By means of molecular glues, we are trying to build functional biomolecular assemblies (project 1) and manipulate biomolecular functions (project 2). We are also developing a new soft materials consisting molecular glues and their derivatives (project 3).
Selected Publications
The title will be announced soon. Zhaocun Shen,* Yutao Sang, Tianyu Wang, Jian Jiang, Yan Meng, Yuqian Jiang, Kou Okuro,* Takuzo Aida,* Minghua Liu*, Nat. Commun. 2019, accepted. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-11840-3
Molecular Glue that Spatiotemporally Turns on Protein-Protein Interactions, Rina Mogaki, Kou Okuro,* Ryosuke Ueki, Shinsuke Sando, Takuzo Aida*, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2019, 141, 8035-8040. DOI: 10.1021/jacs.9b02427
Transferrin-Appended Nanocaplet for Transcellular siRNA Delivery into Deep Tissues, Ai Kohata, P. K. Hashim, Kou Okuro,* Takuzo Aida*, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2019, 141, 2862-2866. DOI: 10.1021/jacs.8b1250
Spatiotemporally Controlled Nuclear Translocation of Guests in Living Cells Using Caged Molecular Glues as Photoactivatable Tags, Rina Mogaki, Kou Okuro,* Akio Arisaka, Takuzo Aida*, J. Vis. Exp. 2019, 143, e58631. DOI: 10.3791/5863
Dendritic Molecular Glues with Reductively Cleavable Guanidinium Ion Pendants: Highly Efficient Intracellular siRNA Delivery via Direct Translocation, Kou Okuro,* Harei Nemoto, Rina Mogaki, Takuzo Aida*, Chem. Lett. 2018, 47, 1232-1235. DOI: 10.124/cl.180551
Nitrobenzoxadiazole-Appended Cell Membrane Modifiers for Efficient Optoporation with Noncoherent Light, Saya Otake, Kou Okuro,* Davide Bochicchio, Giovanni M. Pavan, Takuzo Aida*, Bioconjugate Chem. 2018, 29, 2068-2073. DOI: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.8b0027
Caged Molecular Glues as Photoactivatable Tags for Nuclear Translocation of Guests in Living Cells, Akio Arisaka, Rina Mogaki, Kou Okuro,* Takuzo Aida*, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2018, 140, 2687-2692. DOI: 10.1021/jacs.7b1361
Mechanically Robust, Readily Repairable Polymers via Tailored Noncovalent Cross-linking, Yu Yanagisawa, Yiling Nan, Kou Okuro, Takuzo Aida*, Science 2018, 359, 72-76. DOI: 10.1126/science.aam758
Guanidinium-based "Molecular Glues" for Modulation of Biomolecular Functions, Rina Mogaki, P. K. Hashim, Kou Okuro,* Takuzo Aida*, Chem. Soc. Rev. 2017, 46, 6480-6491. DOI: 10.1039/c7cs00647
Adhesive Photoswitch: Selective Photochemical Modulation of Enzymes under Physiological Conditions, Rina Mogaki, Kou Okuro,* Takuzo Aida*, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2017, 139, 10072-10078. DOI: 10.1021/jacs.7b05151
Boronic Acid-Appended Molecular Glues for ATP-Responsive Activity Modulation of Enzymes, Kou Okuro,* Mizuki Sasaki, Takuzo Aida*, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2016, 138, 5527-5530. DOI: 10.1021/jacs.6b0266
Photoinduced Bioorthogonal 1,3-Dipolar Polycycloaddition Promoted by Oxyanionic Substrates for Spatiotemporal Operation of Molecular Glues, Junichi Hatano, Kou Okuro,* Takuzo Aida*, Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 2016, 55, 193-198. DOI: 10.1002/anie.20150798
Reductively Cleavable Nanocaplets for siRNA Delivery by Template-Assisted Oxidative Polymerization, P. K. Hashim, Kou Okuro,* Shigekazu Sasaki, Yasutaka Hoashi, Takuzo Aida*, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2015, 137, 15608-15611. DOI: 10.1021/jacs.5b0894
Molecular Glues for Manipulating Enzymes: Trypsin Inhibition by Benzamidine-conjugated Molecular Glues, Rina Mogaki, Kou Okuro,* Takuzo Aida*, Chem. Sci. 2015, 6, 2802-2805. DOI: 10.1039/C5SC00524
Subnanoscale Hydrophobic Modulation of Salt Bridges in Aqueous Media, Shuo Chen, Yoshimitsu Itoh,* Takuya Masuda, Seishi Shimizu, Jun Zhao, Jing Ma, Shugo Nakamura, Kou Okuro, Hidenori Noguchi, Kouhei Uosaki, Takuzo Aida*, Science2015, 348, 555-559. DOI: 10.1126/science.aaa2421
Structure and Shape Effects of Molecular Glue on Supramolecular Tubulin Assemblies, Matteo Garzoni, Kou Okuro, Noriyuki Ishii, Takuzo Aida, Giovanni M. Pavan*, ACS Nano 2014, 8, 904-914. DOI: 10.1021/nn405653
Photoclickable Dendritic Molecular Glue: Noncovalent-to-Covalent Photochemical Transformation of Protein Hybrids, Noriyuki Uchida, Kou Okuro,* Yamato Niitani, Xiao Ling, Takayuki Ariga, Michio Tomishige,* Takuzo Aida*, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2013, 135, 4684-4687. DOI: 10.1021/ja401059
Friction-Mediated Dynamic Disordering of Phospholipid Membrane by Mechanical Motions of Photoresponsive Molecular Glue: Activation of Ion Permeation, Yushi Suzuki, Kou Okuro,* Tadashi Takeuchi, Takuzo Aida*, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2012, 134, 15273-15276. DOI: 10.1021/ja307442
Adhesion Effects of a Guanidinium Ion Appended Dendritic “Molecular Glue” on the ATP-driven Sliding Motion of Actomyosin, Kou Okuro, Kazushi Kinbara,* Kuniaki Takeda, Yuichi Inoue, Akihiko Ishijima, Takuzo Aida*, Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 2010, 49, 3030-3033. DOI: 10.1002/anie.200906139
High-water-content Mouldable Hydrogels by Mixing Clay and a Dendritic Molecular Binder, Qigang Wang, Justin L. Mynar,* Masaru Yoshida, Eunji Lee, Myongsoo Lee, Kou Okuro, Kazushi Kinbara, Takuzo Aida*, Nature 2010, 463, 339-343. DOI: 10.1038/nature08693
Image Analysis of α/β-Tubulin Rings in Two-dimensional Crystalline Arrays of Periodic Mesoporous Nanostructures, Noriyuki Ishii,* Kou Okuro, Kazushi Kinbara, Takuzo Aida, J. Biochem. 2010, 147, 555-563. DOI: 10.1093/jb/mvp201
Molecular Glues Carrying Multiple Guanidinium Ion Pendants via an Oligoether Spacer: Stabilization of Microtubules against Depolymerization, Kou Okuro, Kazushi Kinbara,* Kouhei Tsumoto, Noriyuki Ishii, Takuzo Aida*, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2009, 131, 1626-1627. DOI: 10.1021/ja800491v
Substrate Specificity and Reaction Mechanism of Recombinant Styrene Oxide Isomerase from Pseudomonas putida S12, Kenji Miyamoto, Kou Okuro, Hiromichi Ohta*, Tetrahedron Lett. 2007, 48, 3255-3257. DOI: 10.1016/j.tetlet.2007.03.016