Dr.OKURO, Kou

Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, HKU

B.Sc. (Keio University); Ph.D. (The University of Tokyo)

WEBSITE

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[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.

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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*,Science2018,359, 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.**
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 Nano2014,8, 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.
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*,Nature2010,463, 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