Article
Materials Science, Ceramics
Yasuhito Matsubayashi, Jun Akedo
Summary: Aerosol deposition (AD) is a room-temperature ceramic coating method, and the effect of substrate microstructure on the deposition processes and film quality was investigated in this study. AD alumina films were deposited on silicon substrates with line and space patterns, and the deposition behavior varied depending on the substrate microstructure. The residual stress of the films was analyzed to understand the effect of the substrate microstructure.
CERAMICS INTERNATIONAL
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Karolina Feliksiak, Daria Solarz, Maciej Guzik, Aneta Zima, Zenon Rajfur, Tomasz Witko
Summary: This study explores the impact of PLA and P(3HO) on cellular response, focusing on the role of VIF and identifying two different types of vimentin cytoskeleton architecture expressed by cells depending on substrate features.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Samaneh Farokhirad, Priyanjali Solanky, Mahmood M. Shad
Summary: In this study, numerical simulations were conducted to investigate the dynamic behaviors of micron-scale compound droplets impacting onto superhydrophobic surfaces patterned by micropillar arrays. Three flow regimes were identified based on the interfacial morphology between the core and shell, and the transition between these regimes and the maximum spreading factor of compound droplets were found to depend on the core-shell size ratio, pillar density, and Weber number. The non-wetting behavior of the pillar structures leads to the formation of suspended pure droplets or compound droplets, which can be characterized by the core-shell size ratio, pillar density, and Weber number.
Article
Cell Biology
Eve Hunter-Featherstone, Natalie Young, Kathryn Chamberlain, Pablo Cubillas, Ben Hulette, Xingtao Wei, Jay P. Tiesman, Charles C. Bascom, Adam M. Benham, Martin W. Goldberg, Gabriele Saretzki, Iakowos Karakesisoglou
Summary: The study demonstrates that extracellular mechanics have significant effects on keratinocyte cell biology and should be utilized in skin research to ensure successful production of physiologically relevant skin models.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Roland Hager, Ulrike Mueller, Nicole Ollinger, Julian Weghuber, Peter Lanzerstorfer
Summary: The study introduces a new dynamic immunopatterning method for investigating cytosolic protein complexes and signaling pathways. The method can be used to study the stability and exchange kinetics of protein interactions, and also to investigate the efficacy and specificity of protein domain inhibitors in a live cell context.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Ahmed Aldhaleai, Peichun Amy Tsai
Summary: This study presents simple one- and two-step processes for fabricating transparent ultrahydrophobic surfaces and 3D-printed superhydrophobic microstructures. The one-step method involves thermal treatment of PDMS solution to create a transparent superhydrophobic surface, while the two-step approach combines 3D printing with a hydrophobic coating method to obtain superhydrophobic surfaces.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Brandon Davis, Peng Shi, Erin Gaddes, Jinping Lai, Yong Wang
Summary: This study investigated the reversible display of supramolecular nanomaterials on the surface of living cells. The data showed that DNA initiators could induce the self-assembly of DNA-alginate conjugates to form supramolecular nanomaterials and amplify the fluorescence signals on the cell surface. Complementary DNA (cDNA), DNase, and alginase could all trigger the reversal of the signals from the cell surface.
Review
Chemistry, Analytical
Aijiao Yuan, Hang Xiao, Fan Yang, Huifang Hao, Xiaoyan Wang, Jinhua Li, Minghua Jin, Qiang Zhao, Rui Sha, Zhaojia Deng, Hanyong Peng
Summary: The rapid development of DNA nanotechnology allows for the programmable operation of advanced DNA walkers, which mimic the function of protein motors in living organisms. These walkers require four main components for construction, including motor, track, energy, and cargo, and can autonomously perform specific functions following a predesigned trajectory with nanometer precision. Recent research has focused on improving the progressivity, speed, and directionality of DNA walkers, and new DNA nano techniques have shown powerful signal amplification during their operation. This review covers the breakthrough design and principle of walking systems and highlights the recent application of DNA walkers for signal amplification in living cells. The engineered DNA walkers have great potential for diverse applications, such as imaging intracellular molecules, modulating cellular functions, and facilitating drug delivery.
TRAC-TRENDS IN ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Gavin P. Forcade, Arnaud Ritou, Philippe St-Pierre, Olivier Dellea, Maite Volatier, Abdelatif Jaouad, Christopher E. Valdivia, Karin Hinzer, Maxime Darnon
Summary: Microstructured antireflective coatings can effectively reduce reflection losses on high-efficiency III-V photovoltaic cells in concentrator photovoltaic systems. The study demonstrates a 2.6% current gain with a specific configuration of microstructured coating, showing good agreement between simulations and measurements. Further research suggests potential for even higher current gains with variations in bead size and submersion levels.
PROGRESS IN PHOTOVOLTAICS
(2022)
Article
Oncology
Ariege Bizanti, Priyanka Chandrashekar, Robert Steward
Summary: Biomechanical behavior of astrocytes is influenced by substrate stiffness, with increasing stiffness leading to higher intercellular stresses, strain energies, and tractions, while cell velocities decrease. This study sheds light on the importance of substrate stiffness on astrocytic function and could have implications for brain pathology and physiology research.
EXPERIMENTAL CELL RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Huibao Feng, Jiahui Guo, Tianmin Wang, Chong Zhang, Xin-hui Xing
Summary: The CRISPR-Cas9 system has been widely used in biotechnological applications, but off-target effects remain a major concern. A study on sgRNA libraries in living bacteria cells revealed a synergistic effect in double mutations, and identified a specific mismatch type that caused only moderate impairment on binding affinity. A biophysical model was established to understand the causal relationship between mismatch and binding behavior of dCas9, which could be repurposed as a predictive tool for sgRNA design.
NUCLEIC ACIDS RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Wenning Jiang, Lulu Han, Guorui Li, Ying Yang, Qidong Shen, Bo Fan, Yuchao Wang, Xiaomin Yu, Yan Sun, Shengxiu He, Huakun Du, Jian Miao, Yuefeng Wang, Lingyun Jia
Summary: Accurate analysis of living circulating tumor cells (CTCs) is crucial for cancer diagnosis and prognosis evaluation. We developed a unique bait-trap chip inspired by the behavior of living CTCs, which enables accurate and ultrasensitive capture of CTCs from peripheral blood.
ACTA BIOMATERIALIA
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sisi Jia, Siew Cheng Phua, Yuta Nihongaki, Yizeng Li, Michael Pacella, Yi Li, Abdul M. Mohammed, Sean Sun, Takanari Inoue, Rebecca Schulman
Summary: Mesoscale molecular assemblies on the cell surface integrate information and amplify signals. Here the authors integrate DNA nanotubes in a controlled manner with mammalian cells to act as sheer stress meters.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Michal Czaja, Katarzyna Skirlinska-Nosek, Olga Adamczyk, Kamila Sofinska, Natalia Wilkosz, Zenon Rajfur, Marek Szymonski, Ewelina Lipiec
Summary: This study used Raman micro-spectroscopy to track the conformational changes of DNA in cells and discovered the cellular response to DNA damage and increased protein expression during DNA repair processes.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Koyomi Nakazawa, Farah El Fakih, Vincent Jallet, Caroline Rossi-Gendron, Marina Mariconti, Lea Chocron, Mafumi Hishida, Kazuya Saito, Mathieu Morel, Sergii Rudiuk, Damien Baigl
Summary: User-defined DNA nanostructures can rapidly undergo a folding transition on a soft cationic substrate, forming compact structures or long ribbons, and can be switched back to their original shape by adding heparin. This reversible reconfiguration preserves structural details and functionality, and can be used to dynamically adjust the spatial distribution of tethered proteins.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sabrina Gallus, Esther Mittmann, Kersten S. Rabe
Summary: Comparing different membrane anchor motifs for surface display of a protein is crucial, and using a modular display system allows for easy assembly of anchors and passengers without the need for direct genetic fusion constructs in each case. Membrane anchors not only impact cell growth and membrane integrity, but also affect surface display capacity and biocatalytic activity. The strategy can be applied to other anchor and passenger combinations for various applications involving cell surface display.
Article
Instruments & Instrumentation
I Zoi, A. Ebrahimi, F. Feindt, E. Garutti, P. Gunnellini, A. Hinzmann, C. Niemeyer, D. Pitzl, J. Schwandt, G. Steinbruck
Summary: Pixelated silicon detectors are advanced technology designed to accurately measure the hit position of incoming particles in high rate and radiation environments. Operation requirements become extremely demanding at the High-Luminosity LHC due to multiple interactions and radiation, affecting sensor performance and resolution.
NUCLEAR INSTRUMENTS & METHODS IN PHYSICS RESEARCH SECTION A-ACCELERATORS SPECTROMETERS DETECTORS AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT
(2022)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Esther Mittmann, Frank Mickoleit, Denis S. Maier, Sabrina Y. Staebler, Marius A. Klein, Christof M. Niemeyer, Kersten S. Rabe, Dirk Schueler
Summary: This study demonstrates that using magnetosomes as an alternative for immobilizing biocatalysts can achieve high and stable conversion rates. By genetically engineering foreign proteins onto the surface of magnetosomes, stable functionality of the particles is achieved. Results show that SpyCatcher magnetosomes significantly expand the genetic toolbox for particle surface functionalization.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Carmen M. Dominguez, Miguel Garcia-Chame, Ulrike Mueller, Andreas Kraus, Klavdiya Gordiyenko, Ahmad Itani, Heiko Haschke, Peter Lanzerstorfer, Kersten S. Rabe, Christof M. Niemeyer
Summary: This article reports on the high dynamic interaction between streptavidin and DNA origami nanostructures, and provides detailed insights into this interaction using a novel high-speed atomic force microscope. The study also demonstrates a correlation between this interaction and cellular activation. This work is significant for further standardizing the use of DNA nanostructures in the study of biological processes.
Review
Biochemical Research Methods
Meike Bauer, Axel Duerkop, Antje J. Baeumner
Summary: This article critically evaluates the impact of membrane materials and deposition methods on optical and electrochemical sensing systems. It highlights the importance of deposition techniques in determining a sensor's performance. The study also discusses the specific analytes and applications in healthcare diagnostics, food safety, and environmental monitoring.
ANALYTICAL AND BIOANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Simone Rink, Antje J. Baeumner
Summary: Point-of-care (POC) diagnostics focus on timely identification of harmful conditions close to patients' needs. While paper-based POC tests, such as lateral flow assays (LFA), have been successful, the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed their limitations. This perspective discusses strategies to develop paper-based POC tests that provide higher sensitivity, objective result interpretation, and multiplexing options for integration with machine learning into digital diagnostics and telemedicine.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Bingquan Yang, Klavdiya Gordiyenko, Andreas Schaefer, Seyed Mohammad Mahdi Dadfar, Wenwu Yang, Kristina Riehemann, Ravi Kumar, Christof M. Niemeyer, Michael Hirtz
Summary: In this study, three different surface coatings were compared to investigate their influence on DNA hybridization behavior. The structures and chemical properties of the coatings were characterized using various methods. The results showed that one of the coatings (PBAG) exhibited the highest hybridization efficiency, which has significant implications for the fabrication of DNA sensors.
ADVANCED NANOBIOMED RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Enrico Domenico Lemma, Roberta Tabone, Kai Richler, Ann-Kathrin Schneider, Claudia Bizzarri, Franco Weth, Christof M. Niemeyer, Martin Bastmeyer
Summary: Three-dimensional microscaffolds have shown great potential in mimicking physiological environments and simulating complex multicellular constructs in cell biology. However, controlling the precise localization of cells on microfabricated structures is still complex and limited to two-dimensional assays. This study presents a novel method using two-photon lithography and UV-mediated click reactions to selectively target different cell types to specific regions of a 3D microscaffold through DNA hybridization, enabling controlled cocultures of eukaryotic cells in 3D.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Leonie Schneider, Kersten S. Rabe, Carmen M. Dominguez, Christof M. Niemeyer
Summary: The immunological response of mast cells is regulated by the binding of antigens to IgE antibodies bound to the Fc epsilon RI receptor on the cell membrane surface. However, the organization and structural requirements of these antigen-antibody-receptor complexes at the nanometer scale are not fully understood. In this study, DNA nanostructures were used to generate multivalent artificial antigens, allowing for control over valency and nanoscale architecture. The results showed that the assembly of antibody-receptor complexes is critical for mast cell activation, and the affinity and nanoscale distance between the binding partners have less influence on the activation process.
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Simon Streif, Patrick Neckermann, Clemens Spitzenberg, Katharina Weiss, Kilian Hoecherl, Kacper Kulikowski, Sonja Hahner, Christina Noelting, Sebastian Einhauser, David Peterhoff, Claudia Asam, Ralf Wagner, Antje J. J. Baeumner
Summary: In 2020, the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 led to an increased interest in neutralizing antibody testing. A new platform using RBD-conjugated liposomes was developed for fluorescent high-throughput and point-of-care neutralizing antibody assays. The assays showed good performance with samples of varying neutralizing antibody titers.
ANALYTICAL AND BIOANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Review
Chemistry, Analytical
Franziska Beck, Michael Loessl, Antje J. J. Baeumner
Summary: Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have unique physical, (electro)chemical, and optical properties that make them suitable for sensor and point-of-care (POC) applications. Recent advances have demonstrated that controlling the inherent higher instability toward oxidation of AgNPs can improve sensor performance and enable specific detection of analytes at low concentrations. However, further research is needed to simplify assay procedures and facilitate the successful application of AgNPs in POC settings.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Katie A. Edwards, Eileen A. Randall, Patricia C. Wolfe, Esther R. Angert, Clifford E. Kraft
Summary: Fish population declines from thiamine deficiency have become widespread, affecting ecologically and economically valuable organisms. This deficiency is often attributed to prey fishes with high levels of thiaminase enzymes. The thiaminase I enzyme from Clostridium botulinum efficiently degrades thiamine in the presence of vitamin B6 as a co-substrate, but has limited activity in the presence of vitamin B3. Specific constituents, such as Cu2+ and ascorbic acid, inhibit thiamine degradation, while pyridoxine enhances it.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Antonia Perju, Ferdinand Holzhausen, Anna-Maria Lauerer, Nongnoot Wongkaew, Antje J. Baeumner
Summary: This study aims to enhance the sensitivity and quantitative detection capability of point-of-care (POC) devices by directly embedding electrodes within the lateral flow. The electrodes, made from laser-induced carbon nanofibers, enable flow-through and interaction with the entire sample. After optimization, highly sensitive and quantitative detection was successfully achieved.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2023)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Patricia C. Wolfe, Amber M. Tuske, Donald E. Tillitt, Fred Allen, Katie A. Edwards
Summary: Thiaminase in food stocks can cause thiamine deficiency, which has negative effects on many ecologically and economically important species. The invasive silver carp could be a valuable food source, but the presence of thiaminase decreases its dietary value. High-temperature treatments like baking and microwaving can reduce thiaminase activity, while concentration processes like freeze-drying or dehydration should be approached with caution due to enzyme concentration without inactivation.
CURRENT RESEARCH IN FOOD SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Leonie Schneider, Kersten S. Rabe, Carmen M. Dominguez, Christof M. Niemeyer
Summary: This study utilizes DNA nanostructures to create multivalent artificial antigens and investigates the spatial requirements and critical factors for mast cell activation. It reveals the importance of antigen-directed assembly of antibody-receptor complexes in triggering degranulation.
