Article
Cell Biology
Ronel Scheepers, Robyn P. Araujo
Summary: Although cholesterol is necessary for cellular viability and proliferation, excessive cholesterol is toxic. Maintaining cellular cholesterol within tight tolerances is crucial and the regulation is known as Robust Perfect Adaptation (RPA). The specific chemical reaction network structures responsible for robust homeostatic regulation of cellular cholesterol have been unclear. In this study, a mathematical description of cholesterol regulation pathways is provided, revealing the involvement of integral control and antithetic integral control in conferring RPA on cellular cholesterol concentration.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Julia F. Cramer, Eliot T. Miller, Meng-Ching Ko, Qiaoyi Liang, Glenn Cockburn, Tomoya Nakagita, Massimiliano Cardinale, Leonida Fusani, Yasuka Toda, Maude W. Baldwin
Summary: Sensory receptors can evolve and have a direct impact on sensory perception and behavior. This study reveals the evolution of sugar sensing in woodpeckers and the subsequent loss of this ability in a related group of ant-eating birds. The identification of a molecular switch responsible for this sensory shift provides insights into the evolution of sensory receptors.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jia Zhou, Qinli Hu, Xinlong Xiao, Deqiang Yao, Shenghong Ge, Jin Ye, Haojie Li, Rujie Cai, Renyang Liu, Fangang Meng, Chao Wang, Jian-Kang Zhu, Mingguang Lei, Weiman Xing
Summary: SPX1 protein binds to InsP(6) to inhibit the activity of PHR2 by disrupting PHR2 dimers and forming a SPX1-PHR2 complex, thereby maintaining phosphate homeostasis. This dual mechanism attenuates dimerization and DNA binding activities of PHR2.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Biophysics
Shumeng Zhang, Jiwen Cui, Shi Zhou, Yanli Zhao, Jinlian Li, Dongmei Wu
Summary: In this study, independent functional modules for sensitive detection and signal separation of intracellular guanine (G) and xanthine (X) were constructed using molecular imprinting technology. These modules were integrated into a dual-functional module cellular electrochemical sensing platform, which showed good reproducibility and repeatability. The platform also exhibited a linear relationship between cell concentrations and the signals of G and X, and was able to track cell growth and viability. This study provides a foundation for the establishment of cell viability electrochemical detection method and offers new insights for simultaneous recording and tracking of multiple biomarkers.
BIOSENSORS & BIOELECTRONICS
(2023)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Qiburi He, Yuhao Chen, Zhigang Wang, Hu He, Peng Yu
Summary: Fatty acids are essential nutrients for mammals and are obtained primarily from diet. Long-chain fatty acids enter cells through various mechanisms and are activated into acyl-CoA to target specific metabolic pathways. The main pathway for fatty acid catabolism is beta-oxidation, while fatty acid elongation occurs through a series of reactions. The crystal structures of phosphatidic acid phosphatase, membrane-bound fatty acid elongase-condensing enzyme, and other related proteins provide important insights into the utilization of long-chain fatty acids.
FRONTIERS IN BIOSCIENCE-LANDMARK
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Ning Zhang, Xufang Hu, Haolin Chen, Chunhui Deng, Nianrong Sun
Summary: A hydrophilic probe was utilized to enrich exosomes from cancer cells and distinguish them based on unique exosomal glycoproteins. The probe showed efficient performance in both processes, highlighting its potential for exosome research in cancer diagnosis and treatment.
CHEMICAL COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Oncology
Kanako Shimizu, Shogo Ueda, Masami Kawamura, Mikiko Satoh, Shin-ichiro Fujii
Summary: Research suggests that a cell-based anti-cancer vaccine platform has the potential to prevent COVID-19 and enhance cancer treatment efficacy.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Zhenyu Liu, Haoming Liu, Chongrun Ma
Summary: A novel dual-flow fusion deformable residual network (DFDRN) is proposed in this study to improve the generalization and motion modeling ability of hand gesture recognition (HGR) by utilizing time frequency maps and spectrum map videos, as well as enhancing robustness through deformable blocks and convolutional block attention modules. Experimental results show that DFDRN achieves an accuracy of 97.5%, significantly outperforming state-of-the-art HGR methods.
IEEE GEOSCIENCE AND REMOTE SENSING LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Xiaoyuan Ji, Yanfeng Zhou, Qian Li, Haiyun Song, Chunhai Fan
Summary: Nanoparticles offer new opportunities for diagnostic and therapeutic strategies due to their unique physical and chemical properties. Protein-mimicking nanoparticles, known as protmins, have shown potential in regulating cellular homeostasis without general toxicity, making them promising candidates for nanomedicine. However, their unexpected behaviors in complex biological systems have raised concerns about biosafety.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Xia Tong, Yongfeng Zhu, Chaoying Tong, Shuyun Shi, Ruiqing Long, Ying Guo
Summary: A new strategy based on dual-emission carbon dots has been developed for simultaneous monitoring of GGT and ALP activity, showing high sensitivity and wide linear ranges. Detection of GGT and ALP activity can be achieved through IFE and SQE of blue and red channels of CDs, meeting the monitoring needs in human serum samples.
ANALYTICA CHIMICA ACTA
(2021)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Tianzheng Guo, Xiaoyu Zou, Shalini Sundar, Xinqiao Jia, Charles Dhong
Summary: This article introduces a microfluidic platform that utilizes strain sensors made from graphene decorated with palladium nanoislands to measure the viscoelasticity of cellular monolayers in situ. The platform provides higher resolution compared to other platforms and is able to resolve changes in viscoelastic properties of cellular events, enabling the translation of new mechanical biomarkers.
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Tianzheng Guo, Xiaoyu Zou, Shalini Sundar, Xinqiao Jia, Charles Dhong
Summary: Recent advances have introduced a microfluidic platform that utilizes graphene and palladium nanoislands to measure the viscoelastic properties of cellular monolayers. This platform provides higher resolution compared to other methods and can accurately measure changes in viscoelasticity over both short and long durations.
Article
Microbiology
Chang-ye Hui, Yan Guo, Han Li, Yu-ting Chen, Juan Yi
Summary: A dual-sensing biosensor was constructed with mercury-responsive regulator (MerR) and cadmium-responsive regulator (CadR) as separate sensory elements, and enhanced fluorescent protein (eGFP) and mCherry red fluorescent protein (mCherry) as separate reporters. This biosensor emitted differential double-color fluorescence in response to toxic Hg(II) and red fluorescence in response to toxic Cd(II).
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Khadija Imtiaz, Moddassir Ahmed, Nazish Annum, Mark Tester, Nasir A. Saeed
Summary: Wheat is a major food source for humans globally, but sustainable strategies are needed to keep up with increasing food demand. Salinity stress affects wheat growth and yield negatively. The AtCIPK16 gene has been identified as an important gene in Arabidopsis thaliana that responds to salinity stress. In this study, the AtCIPK16 gene was cloned into plant expression vectors and transformed into local wheat cultivars. The transgenic wheat lines expressing AtCIPK16 showed better tolerance to salinity stress and higher K+ retention in root tissues compared to the wild type.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Carlota Oleaga, Michael D. Shapiro, Joshua Hay, Paul A. Mueller, Joshua Miles, Cecilia Huang, Emily Friz, Hagai Tavori, Peter P. Toth, Cezary Wojcik, Bruce A. Warden, Jonathan Q. Purnell, P. Barton Duell, Nathalie Pamir, Sergio Fazio
Summary: This study investigated the mechanisms behind the increase in plasma PCSK9 levels in response to PCSK9i therapy. The findings suggest that PCSK9i enhances PCSK9 secretion, contributing to the elevated plasma PCSK9 levels in treated subjects.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF CARDIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Simone Eckstein, Nazzareno Dominelli, Andreas Brachmann, Ralf Heermann
APPLIED AND ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2019)
Article
Biophysics
Katharina Ott, Linda Martini, Jan Lipfert, Ulrich Gerland
BIOPHYSICAL JOURNAL
(2020)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Nicholas J. Tobias, Jannis Brehm, Darko Kresovic, Sophie Brameyer, Helge B. Bode, Ralf Heermann
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Elena Biselli, Severin Josef Schink, Ulrich Gerland
MOLECULAR SYSTEMS BIOLOGY
(2020)
Review
Parasitology
Wellington Junior da Silva, Harry Luiz Pilz-Junior, Ralf Heermann, Onilda Santos da Silva
PARASITES & VECTORS
(2020)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Luis Antonio Menezes Carreira, Filipe Tostevin, Ulrich Gerland, Lotte Sogaard-Andersen
Article
Physics, Multidisciplinary
Giovanni Giunta, Hamid Seyed-Allaei, Ulrich Gerland
COMMUNICATIONS PHYSICS
(2020)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Filipe Tostevin, Manon Wigbers, Lotte Sogaard-Andersen, Ulrich Gerland
Summary: This study investigates different mechanisms for reversing polar protein patterns in response to signals, identifying four qualitatively distinct switching mechanisms with varying characteristics in implementing spatial toggle switch function. These characteristics help identify different switching mechanisms in natural systems.
PLOS COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Nazzareno Dominelli, Heidi Yoko Jaeger, Angela Langer, Andreas Brachmann, Ralf Heermann
Summary: This study investigates the phenotypic heterogeneity in the bacterium Photorhabdus luminescens. Through genome sequencing and comparative analysis, the researchers found that the observed phenotypic differences are not caused by genetic mutations or rearrangements.
ANNALS OF MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Nazzareno Dominelli, Fabio Platz, Ralf Heermann
Summary: The enteric enterobacterium Photorhabdus luminescens is already being used as a bioinsecticide and new research shows its potential as a plant-protecting organism. It can inhibit the growth of phytopathogenic fungi and specifically interact with plant roots.
APPLIED AND ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biology
Tobias Goeppel, Joachim H. Rosenberger, Bernhard Altaner, Ulrich Gerland
Summary: The RNA world hypothesis explains the emergence of living systems on Earth by proposing that RNA molecules acted as carriers of information and catalysts for replication. This study analyzes the dynamics in sequence space to understand the transition from a pre-RNA to an RNA world. The researchers investigate the self-assembly of polymers through templated ligation, taking into account the thermodynamic and kinetic effects of sequence context. They also explore the role of kinetic stalling and symmetry breaking in the selection of self-enhancing sequences.
Article
Microbiology
Nazzareno Dominelli, Alice Regaiolo, Leon Willy, Ralf Heermann
Summary: In bacteria, group-coordinated behavior such as biofilm formation or virulence is mediated through quorum sensing (QS), a process that involves cell-cell communication. The LuxR-type receptors, acting as transcriptional regulators, control the expression of specific genes by sensing N-acyl homoserine lactones (AHLs) produced by LuxI-type synthases. However, some bacteria possess LuxR solos, LuxR-type receptors without cognate LuxI-type synthases. Through various analyses, this study revealed that SdiA, a LuxR solo in Photorhabdus luminescens, functions as a bidirectional regulator of transcription, controlling its own expression and the adjacent aidA gene involved in eukaryotes colonization. The study also demonstrated the involvement of SdiA in biofilm formation, motility, and interkingdom signaling between P. luminescens and plants, further highlighting its importance.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Phil Opitz, Olga Jegel, Jamal Nasir, Tobias Rios-Studer, Athanasios Gazanis, Dang-Hieu Pham, Katrin Domke, Ralf Heermann, Joern Schmedt auf der Guenne, Wolfgang Tremel
Summary: Marine organisms combat bacterial colonization by biohalogenation of signaling compounds. Nanoceria can emulate the activity of haloperoxidase enzymes. Lanthanide substitution greatly enhances the haloperoxidase-like activity of nanoceria. This method offers an efficient antifouling application without the need for additional chemicals.
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Rima Kandil, Yuran Xie, Ralf Heermann, Lorenz Isert, Kirsten Jung, Aditi Mehta, Olivia M. Merkel
ADVANCED THERAPEUTICS
(2019)