Article
Engineering, Environmental
Jinzhu Gao, Rongchen Wang, Kai Yin, Tianli Zhu, Jie Sun, Chengjun Dong, Xuemei Dong, Mengting Zhao, Xianfeng Gu, Chunchang Zhao
Summary: Visualizing the complex crosstalk between biological signaling molecules, such as H2O2 and H2S, is urgent. In this study, dynamic-reversible probes with dually responsive sites were engineered to visualize the fluctuations of H2O2 and H2S. The designed reporter features self-immolation and aromatic nucleophilic reaction to yield sulfhydryl-functionalized intermediate probe for bright NIR emissions. The probe can repeatedly cycle S-oxidation and reduction processes to alternate fluorescence, visualizing the intracellular coexistence of H2O2 and H2S.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Qian Chen, Xiao-Fan Zhang, Teng Wang, Xiao-Qun Cao, Shi-Li Shen
Summary: The researchers developed a near-infrared fluorescence probe that can detect viscosity changes and distinguish cancer cells from normal cells. The probe was successfully applied to in vivo viscosity imaging.
ANALYTICA CHIMICA ACTA
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Ying Lian, Rui Jiang, Zeyu Zhang, Zhenzhen Lin, Nianhong Wang, Xu-Dong Wang
Summary: In this study, a FRET-based mitochondrial glutathione (mGSH) nanosensor was developed to effectively measure the dynamic changes of mGSH in living cells. The nanosensor showed efficient FRET and rapid response to mGSH due to its unique nanostructure. With excellent photostability and low cytotoxicity, the nanosensor holds great potential for real-time monitoring of mGSH concentration.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Shuchun Qin, Yiming Ran, Yitian He, Xiaoyan Lu, Jiamin Wang, Weili Zhao, Jian Zhang
Summary: In this study, a new near-infrared fluorescence probe BDP-ENE-S-Py+ was constructed to detect peroxynitrite (ONOO-), with advantages of fast response, good selectivity, and high signal-to-noise ratio. The probe could detect exogenous ONOO- in liver cancer cells without interference from other reactive oxygen species and visualize the fluctuations in ONOO- concentrations in cells. Moreover, it was able to track the upregulation of ONOO- content in a mouse model of peritonitis induced by LPS. This work provides a promising tool for inflammation-related studies.
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Wei Wang, Jiexuan Cai, Nai-Kei Wong, Meijing Hong, Jianbin Deng, Long Jin, Yang Ran, Yi Zhang, Yaqi Zhou, Bai-Ou Guan
Summary: In this study, two fluorescent probes were successfully synthesized for the detection of NTR activity in cell and in vivo models. One probe showed high selectivity for NTR, strong fluorescence enhancement, and low detection limit in the presence of NADH. The other tumor-targeting probe efficiently detected NTR activity in cancer cells. The liposome-encapsulated probe was successfully applied to visualize NTR during liver inflammation in mice.
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Yang Xiao, Panpan Wang, Qian Wang, Nana Ma, Suling Feng, Guisheng Zhang, Yi-Jun Gong
Summary: Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is an important gas transmitter in living system, and is of great significance in many pathological and physiological processes. A hydroxylated dye, DCI-Br, with highly activated near infrared fluorescence, was used to construct a hidden probe, DCI-Br-NBD, for specific detection of H2S. The probe showed specific response to H2S over other biothiols and has been successfully applied for visualizing exogenous H2S and enzymatic generation of H2S.
SENSORS AND ACTUATORS B-CHEMICAL
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Li Tian, Xiaofei Sun, Lulu Zhou, Keli Zhong, Shidi Li, Xiaomei Yan, Lijun Tang
Summary: A colorimetric and NIR fluorescent dual channels response probe for SO2/H2O2 in food safety and biology was developed in this study. The probe exhibited rapid and sensitive recognition of SO2, as well as detection ability for H2O2. The reversible response of the probe enables real-time imaging and sample analysis.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Ya-Xi Ye, Ya-Wen Yu, Zhu-Min Xu, Xin-Yue Chen, Zhong-Chang Wang, Bao-Zhong Wang, Qing-Cai Jiao, Hai-Liang Zhu
Summary: A novel fluorescent probe, PE-YW, was designed for selectively detecting Cys by regulating its AIE-based effects. The probe utilized a specific conjugate addition cyclization reaction between Cys and an acrylate moiety to induce fluorescence turn-on. PE-YW showed high selectivity, low detection limit, and excellent performance for detecting Cys in living systems.
NEW JOURNAL OF CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Fangfang Meng, Tiantian Liu, Qing Lv, Junyi He, Jie Niu, Peng Gao, Xiaoqiang Yu
Summary: Mitochondrial fragmentation is a crucial physiological process associated with energy production, metabolism, and apoptosis. However, the details of morphological changes during this process are rarely reported. In this study, a leakage-free fluorescent probe called IP-8 was developed and successfully used to visualize and track the details of mitochondrial fragmentation process in real-time and in situ. IP-8 was suggested as a useful tool for studying mitochondrial morphology changes.
SENSORS AND ACTUATORS B-CHEMICAL
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Yi-Jun Gong, Dan-Dan Feng, Wei-Ning Liu, Jing-Kun Fang, Suling Feng
Summary: An optimized route was established for facile preparation of the hemi-benzothiazolecyanine dye MTR, and a self-immolative NIR probe MTR-HH was successfully designed and synthesized for detecting H2O2 with a remarkable 284-fold fluorescent enhancement. The probe showed great potential in visualizing endogenous H2O2 in living cells and mice.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Marcos Penedo, Keisuke Miyazawa, Naoko Okano, Hirotoshi Furusho, Takehiko Ichikawa, Mohammad Shahidul Alam, Kazuki Miyata, Chikashi Nakamura, Takeshi Fukuma
Summary: The nanoendoscopy-AFM technique allows for imaging of actin fiber 3D maps and membrane inner scaffold 2D nanodynamics inside living cells without affecting cell viability. This overcomes the limitations of current nanoimaging techniques by directly accessing intracellular components with AFM capabilities.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Hao Li, Lizhou Yue, Huawei Huang, Zehua Chen, Yingxin Guo, Weiying Lin
Summary: Cancer is a fatal disease that poses a serious threat to human health and life, but detecting tumors remains a challenge due to biomarker and monitoring tool limitations. A NIR fluorescence probe, DCM-SO2, was designed to identify SO2 in tumors. Fluorescence imaging showed higher concentrations of SO2 in tumors, indicating a close relationship between tumor and SO2 overexpression.
JOURNAL OF PHOTOCHEMISTRY AND PHOTOBIOLOGY A-CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Shining Wu, Yuezhi Cui, Mingyang Zhou, Furong Tao, Wenli Wu, Shu Xing, Rui Sun, Xuechen Li, Qiongzheng Hu
Summary: Cooperation between organelles, such as lipid droplets (LDs) and nucleoli, is crucial for maintaining normal cellular functions. However, there has been limited in situ observation of the interaction between them due to the lack of suitable tools. In this study, a pH-triggered charge reversible fluorescent probe (LD-Nu) was developed to visualize the physical contact between LDs and nucleoli for the first time. Cell imaging results showed that LDs in both the cytoplasm and nucleus were susceptible to external stimuli, with cytoplasmic LDs being more affected. LD-Nu can serve as a powerful tool for further investigating the interaction mechanism between LDs and nucleoli in living cells.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Hanzhuang Liu, Shaorui Liu, Yu Xiao, Wenting Song, Huize Li, Lok Wai Cola Ho, Zhen Shen, Chung Hang Jonathan Choi
Summary: This study introduces a pH-reversible boron dipyrromethene (BODIPY) fluorescent probe for confocal imaging of extracellular vesicles (EVs) secreted from living cells. The probe allows visualization of acidic EVs in weakly basic culture medium and intracellular acidic precursor EVs in weakly basic cytoplasm, minimizing false positive signals. Additionally, the joint application of this probe with plasmid transfection reveals the secretion of some EVs from cellular pseudopodia via microtubule trackways, providing mechanistic insights into EV transport.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Zhimin Wang, Sitao Xie, Limei Wu, Fengming Chen, Liping Qiu, Weihong Tan
Summary: This study developed a novel nanodevice that can dynamically regulate cellular behavior and specific molecular events in biological systems. By combining conformational switch and aptamer molecular recognition, this device showed excellent performance in modulating receptor-mediated immune responses.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yingxue Rong, Wenzhong Yang, Huiwen Hao, Wenxu Wang, Shaozhen Lin, Peng Shi, Yuxing Huang, Bo Li, Yujie Sun, Zheng Liu, Congying Wu
Summary: Our research reveals the crucial role of Golgi microtubules in single cell durotactic migration, influencing the dynamics of leading edge focal adhesions and showing that Golgi positioning responds to external mechanical cues. This study uncovers the cytoskeletal underpinning of single cell durotaxis, proposing a model where the Golgi-nucleus axis serves as both a compass and a steering wheel for cell directionality.
Article
Cell Biology
Poyuan Xing, Yang Dong, Jingyu Zhao, Zhou Zhou, Zhao Li, Yu Wang, Mengfei Li, Xinghua Zhang, Xuefeng Chen
Summary: The study demonstrates that replication stress suppresses resection pathways mediated by Sgs1/Dna2 and Exo1, leading to disruption in DNA replication and repair. Mrc1 plays a crucial role in inhibiting DSB end resection through regulating chromatin compaction to limit access of HR proteins.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Liang Wang, Wei Chen, Hongyun Li, Chaohui Xiong, Feng Sun, Xiaoqing Liu, Yuru Hu, Wenxu Wang, Wenqun Zhong, Zheng Liu
Summary: Mechanical forces have profound effects on cell morphology and migration in a two-dimensional environment. However, the mechanism by which cells migrate in a confined three-dimensional environment is unclear. This study presents a method of fabricating microfluidic chips with DNA-based tension probes to measure force exerted during confined cell migration. The results show that cells exert less force and have increasingly transient interactions in confined spaces.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Physics, Multidisciplinary
Xiao-Wei Qiang, Chen Zhang, Hai-Long Dong, Fu-Jia Tian, Hang Fu, Ya-Jun Yang, Liang Dai, Xing-Hua Zhang, Zhi-Jie Tan
Summary: It has been discovered that both RNA and DNA can change their twist angles through twist-stretch coupling when stretched. The coupling is positive for RNA and negative for DNA. Magnetic tweezers experiments have shown that the coupling of RNA can be reversed from positive to negative by multivalent cations. Molecular dynamics simulations have provided a unified mechanism for the couplings of both RNA and DNA.
PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Chen Zhang, Fujia Tian, Ying Lu, Bing Yuan, Zhi-Jie Tan, Xing-Hua Zhang, Liang Dai
Summary: DNA deformations can occur upon environmental changes, and an increase in salt concentration leads to DNA overwinding. Our magnetic tweezers experiments and simulations demonstrate that the twist change induced by salt can be quantitatively explained by the screening of electrostatic repulsion and the coupling between twist and DNA diameter. We determine the coupling constant and predict the temperature dependence of DNA twist, finding that the twist-diameter coupling is a common driving force for salt- and temperature-induced DNA twist changes.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Xiao-Cong Zhao, Hai-Long Dong, Xiao-Lu Li, Hong-Yu Yang, Xue-Feng Chen, Liang Dai, Wen-Qiang Wu, Zhi-Jie Tan, Xing-Hua Zhang
Summary: 5-Methyl-cytosine (5mC) is one of the most important DNA modifications, playing versatile biological roles. This study reveals that 5mC kinetically hinders DNA hybridization due to steric effects, leading to high energy barriers.
NUCLEIC ACIDS RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Xiaoli Gan, Yueyue Zhang, Donghao Jiang, Jingyao Shi, Han Zhao, Chengyu Xie, Yanyan Wang, Jingyan Xu, Xinghua Zhang, Gang Cai, Hailong Wang, Jun Huang, Xuefeng Chen
Summary: The acetylation and deacetylation of RPA are crucial for regulating its function in DNA replication and repair processes. RPA is acetylated by NuA4 upon DNA damage, and mutations in RPA acetylation lead to spontaneous mutations and impaired DNA repair. Proper acetylation and deacetylation of RPA are necessary for its normal nuclear localization and ssDNA binding ability. These findings suggest that timely acetylation and deacetylation of RPA are conserved mechanisms promoting high-fidelity replication and repair in eukaryotes.
NUCLEIC ACIDS RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Fu-Jia Tian, Chen Zhang, Erchi Zhou, Hai-Long Dong, Zhi-Jie Tan, Xing-Hua Zhang, Liang Dai, Taekjip Ha
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Feng Sun, Hongyun Li, Yuru Hu, Mengsheng Zhang, Wenxu Wang, Wei Chen, Zheng Liu
Summary: The geometric shape of a cell is influenced by the cytoskeleton and cell-extracellular matrix interactions. A combination of single-cell micropatterning and molecular tension fluorescence microscopy allows studying the mechanical properties of cells with prescribed geometries. Curvature is found to be a key geometric cue for cells to differentiate shapes, and the integrin subunit beta(1) plays a critical role in detecting geometric information.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ya-Jun Yang, Hang Fu, Xiao-Lu Li, Hong-Yu Yang, Er-Chi Zhou, Cheng-Yu Xie, Shu-Wen Wu, Fan He, Yan Zhang, Xing-Hua Zhang
Summary: A single-molecule nucleic acid detection assay called THREF was developed using multiplexed magnetic tweezers. THREF can detect DNA and RNA sequences at femtomolar concentrations within 30 min, monitor multiple probes, quantify miR-122 expression, discriminate SNVs, and save costs. It has the advantages of high sensitivity, ultra-specificity, multiplexing, reusability, sample hands-free, and robustness.
NUCLEIC ACIDS RESEARCH
(2023)