Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Sandra Postic, Srdjan Sarikas, Johannes Pfabe, Viljem Pohorec, Lidija Krizancic Bombek, Nastja Sluga, Masa Skelin Klemen, Jurij Dolensek, Dean Koro, Andraz Stonzer, Carmella Evans-Molina, James D. Johnson, Marjan Slak Rupnik
Summary: Physiological glucose or ryanodine stimulation of 13 cell collectives generates a large number of [Ca2+]c events, which can be rapidly assessed with our newly developed automatic image segmentation and [Ca2+]c event identification pipeline. The event durations segregate into three reproducible modes produced by a progressive temporal summation. Using pharmacological tools, we show that activation of ryanodine intracellular Ca2+ receptors is both sufficient and necessary for glucose-dependent [Ca2+]c oscillations in 13 cell collectives.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY-ENDOCRINOLOGY AND METABOLISM
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yee Han Tee, Wei Jia Goh, Xianbin Yong, Hui Ting Ong, Jinrong Hu, Ignacius Yan Yun Tay, Shidong Shi, Salma Jalal, Samuel F. H. Barnett, Pakorn Kanchanawong, Wenmao Huang, Jie Yan, Yong Ann Ben Lim, Visalatchi Thiagarajan, Alex Mogilner, Alexander D. Bershadsky
Summary: Deviations from mirror symmetry in bilateral organisms are common, but the mechanisms of initial symmetry breaking are unclear. This study identifies actin polymerisation regulators involved in the chiral organisation of the actin cytoskeleton in individual cells and the alignment of cells in groups. This provides insights into the underlying mechanism of tissue and organ asymmetry.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Marion Cocusse, Matteo Rosales, Benjamin Maillet, Rahima Sidi-Boulenouar, Elisa Julien, Sabine Care, Philippe Coussot
Summary: Vascular plants have a hygroscopic structure that allows for prolonged storage and extraction of water, even without a continuous network of free water.
Article
Cell Biology
Paolo Armando Gagliardi, Benjamin Graedel, Marc-Antoine Jacques, Lucien Hinderling, Pascal Ender, Andrew R. Cohen, Gerald Kastberger, Olivier Pertz, Maciej Dobrzynski
Summary: This article introduces a computational method called ARCOS for the detection and quantification of collective signaling in cell collectives. The method is demonstrated on cell and organism collectives with space-time correlations of varying scales. The study reveals the importance of intercellular signaling for the functionality and adaptation of cell collectives to environmental challenges.
JOURNAL OF CELL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Max A. Mueller, Norman Zweig, Bernhard Spengler, Maria Weinert, Sven Heiles
Summary: Microglia, non-neuronal cells in the central nervous system, were studied for their lipidomic phenotypes using atmospheric-pressure scanning microprobe matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging (AP-SMALDI MSI). The study revealed local lipid variations in naive and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated microglia, highlighting the potential role of lipids in inflammation. The technique also allowed for the identification of cells with elevated triglyceride levels, indicating a proinflammatory phenotype.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Editorial Material
Physics, Multidisciplinary
Iva M. Tolic, Isabelle Tardieux
Summary: Plasmodium sporozoites can move in rotating vortices due to their chiral shape and mechanical flexibility, which reveals important physical aspects of collective motion.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Vivek H. Sridhar, Liang Li, Dan Gorbonos, Mate Nagy, Bianca R. Schell, Timothy Sorochkin, Nir S. Gov, Iain D. Couzin
Summary: The study reveals that animals make multichoice decisions by breaking them into a series of binary decisions in space-time, with spontaneous and abrupt critical transitions occurring during the process. This happens across different taxa and ecological contexts, demonstrating fundamental geometric principles underlying animal decision-making.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Physics, Fluids & Plasmas
Garrett Zills, Trinanjan Datta, Abdul Naseer Malmi-Kakkada
Summary: Cells are dynamic systems with temporal variations in biophysical properties. The recruitment and release of actin filaments into and out of the cell cortex lead to cell stiffening and softening before and after division. It is unclear how stiffness change at the single-cell scale affects spatial structure and dynamics at the multicellular scale in 3D cell collectives. This is important for understanding cell spatial organization and cancer progression.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Hanjin Seo, Hyomin Lee
Summary: In this study, a microfluidic approach was used to prepare semi-permeable polymersomes and achieve external signal-driven complex coacervation and biophysical reconstitution. The synthesis of polymersomes through microfluidics enables precise control over size, efficient encapsulation of enzymes, and regulation of substrates. The resulting polymersomes showed size-selectivity and allowed for enzymatic reactions and coacervation or actin polymerization.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Editorial Material
Oncology
Zhihong Chen, Dolores Hambardzumyan
Summary: The study demonstrates that macrophages can induce a transition of glioblastoma cells into a mesenchymal-like cellular state, which is associated with an increased mesenchymal program in macrophages themselves and enhanced cytotoxicity of T cells.
Article
Physics, Multidisciplinary
Matthias Lerbinger, Armand Barbot, Damien Vandembroucq, Sylvain Patinet
Summary: While deeply supercooled liquids show changes in viscosity and dynamics, their structure remains largely unchanged. This study reveals that the heterogeneous dynamics of glass-forming liquids are strongly correlated with the local residual plastic strengths in the initial structures. The correlation increases with decreasing temperature and is maximum in the vicinity of the relaxation time. These findings provide new insights into the relaxation processes of glassy systems.
PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Physics, Fluids & Plasmas
Yan-Wei Li, Leon Loh Yeong Wei, Matteo Paoluzzi, Massimo Pica Ciamarra
Summary: The anomalous glassy dynamics of epithelial cell tissues are attributed to the emergence of a fractal-like energy landscape and the stiffness of the cells. Tissues with stiff cells exhibit conventional glassy relaxation dynamics.
Article
Biology
Alexandre Francou, Kathryn Anderson, Anna-Katerina Hadjantonakis
Summary: Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a process in which epithelial cells transform into mesenchymal phenotypes and gain the ability to migrate. This phenomenon is crucial in gastrulation, a highly conserved developmental process. The ingress of epiblast cells at the primitive streak is asynchronous and involves the contraction of apical surfaces through shrinkage of apical junctions. An analysis of apical proteins revealed the enrichment of actomyosin network and Crumbs2 complexes, which may regulate the asynchronous shrinkage of cell junctions. Loss of function experiments demonstrated that Crumbs2 is required for myosin II localization and activity at apical junctions, suggesting its role in actomyosin anisotropy.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Kenji Shinozaki, Yoshiki Ishii, Sohei Sukenaga, Koji Ohara
Summary: This study proposes a material design to achieve fast nucleation and crystallization of nanocrystals in transparent glass fibers without the need for heat treatment processes. By investigating the impact of different structures on crystallization, the researchers have developed a suitable composition and successfully produced glass fibers with nanocrystals.
ACS APPLIED NANO MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Biology
S. Ganga Prasath, Souvik Mandal, Fabio Giardina, Jordan Kennedy, Venkatesh N. Murthy, L. Mahadevan
Summary: The solution of complex problems by the collective action of simple agents involves cooperative behavior. In this study, the excavation behavior of black carpenter ants was investigated. Through simulations and a minimal continuum theory, the emergence of excavation strength and cooperation intensity was characterized. Experimental validation using custom-built robots demonstrated the effectiveness of the theory. Overall, this research illustrates how cooperative completion of tasks can be achieved through simple rules and dynamic environmental interactions.
Article
Food Science & Technology
Sara Naderizadeh, Alireza Shakeri, Hossein Mahdavi, Nasser Nikfarjam, Nader Taheri Qazvini
Article
Materials Science, Biomaterials
Chen Zhao, Zongyue Zeng, Nader Taheri Qazvini, Xinyi Xu, Ruyi Zhang, Shujuan Yan, Yi Shu, Yunxiao Zhu, Chongwen Duan, Elliot Bishop, Jiayan Lei, Wenwen Zhang, Chao Yang, Ke Wu, Ying Wu, Liping An, Shifeng Huang, Xiaojuan Ji, Cheng Gong, Chengfu Yuan, Linghuan Zhang, Wei Liu, Bo Huang, Yixiao Feng, Bo Zhang, Zhengyu Dai, Yi Shen, Xi Wang, Wenping Luo, Leonardo Oliveira, Aravind Athiviraham, Michael J. Lee, Jennifer Moriatis Wolf, Guillermo A. Ameer, Russell R. Reid, Tong-Chuan He, Wei Huang
ACS BIOMATERIALS SCIENCE & ENGINEERING
(2018)
Article
Materials Science, Biomaterials
Chen Zhao, Zongyue Zeng, Nader Taheri Qazvini, Xinyi Xu, Ruyi Zhang, Shujuan Yan, Yi Shu, Yunxiao Zhu, Chongwen Duan, Elliot Bishop, Jiayan Lei, Wenwen Zhang, Chao Yang, Ke Wu, Ying Wu, Liping An, Shifeng Huang, Xiaojuan Ji, Cheng Gong, Chengfu Yuan, Linghuan Zhang, Wei Liu, Bo Huang, Yixiao Feng, Bo Zhang, Zhengyu Dai, Yi Shen, Xi Wang, Wenping Luo, Leonardo Oliveira, Aravind Athiviraham, Michael J. Lee, Jennifer Moriatis Wolf, Guillermo A. Ameer, Russell R. Reid, Tong-Chuan He, Wei Huang
ACS BIOMATERIALS SCIENCE & ENGINEERING
(2018)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Ehsan Chehrazi, Nader Taheri-Qazvini
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Chen Zhao, Nader Taheri Qazvini, Monirosadat Sadati, Zongyue Zeng, Shifeng Huang, Ana Losada De la Lastra, Linghuan Zhang, Yixiao Feng, Wei Liu, Bo Huang, Bo Zhang, Zhengyu Dai, Yi Shen, Xi Wang, Wenping Luo, Bo Liu, Yan Lei, Zhenyu Ye, Ling Zhao, Daigui Cao, Lijuan Yang, Xian Chen, Aravind Athiviraham, Michael J. Lee, Jennifer Moriatis Wolf, Russell R. Reid, Matthew Tirrell, Wei Huang, Juan J. de Pablo, Tong-Chuan He
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2019)
Article
Biophysics
Parisa Sufi-Maragheh, Nasser Nikfarjam, Yulin Deng, Nader Taheri-Qazvini
COLLOIDS AND SURFACES B-BIOINTERFACES
(2019)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Zahra Ajelou, Nasser Nikfarjam, Yulin Deng, Nader Taheri-Qazvini
COLLOIDS AND SURFACES A-PHYSICOCHEMICAL AND ENGINEERING ASPECTS
(2019)
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Sajad Pour-Esmaeil, Naser Sharifi-Sanjani, Sepideh Khoee, Nader Taheri-Qazvini
CARBOHYDRATE POLYMERS
(2020)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Farivash Gholamirad, Nader Taheri-Qazvini
Summary: This study demonstrates the development of free-standing 3D porous structures based on 2D Ti3C2Tx MXene nanosheets through the diffusion of positively charged poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH). The optimized PAH concentration results in smaller and more circular pores, with 120-200 kDa PAH found to be more effective than 17.5 kDa. Manipulating the ionization degrees of the components leads to significant changes in the porous morphology, highlighting the importance of electrostatic interactions in shape development.
CHEMISTRY OF MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Mohsen Esmaeili, Kyle George, Gelareh Rezvan, Nader Taheri-Qazvini, Rui Zhang, Monirosadat Sadati
Summary: Studying the alignment of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) under shear flow conditions during the 3D printing process is crucial for the development of advanced architectures. This study used a microfluidic strategy combined with polarized optical microscopy (POM) to characterize the alignment of CNCs in real-time. Birefringence measurements under white and monochromatic light were used to quantify the alignment. The results showed that the initial structure of the CNC suspensions significantly influenced the flow-induced birefringence patterns. Understanding the flow effect on the alignment of chiral liquid crystals is important for designing 3D printed structures with internal chirality for advanced applications.
Article
Electrochemistry
Xiaoqin Wang, Kaden C. Stevens, Jeffrey M. Ting, Alexander E. Marras, Gelareh Rezvan, Xiaojun Wei, Nader Taheri-Qazvini, Matthew Tirrell, Chang Liu
Summary: In this study, the potential of diblock synthetic polyelectrolytes as nanopore sensing probes was explored by investigating their translocation behaviors through alpha-hemolysin and MspA nanopores. The results indicate efficient translocations of PEO-b-PSS through alpha-HL and PEO-b-PVBTMA through MspA, suggesting that synthetic polyelectrolytes can offer more flexibility and cost-effectiveness for nanopore sensing.
JOURNAL OF THE ELECTROCHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Farivash Gholamirad, Jinqun Ge, Monirosadat Sadati, Guoan Wang, Nader Taheri-Qazvini
Summary: Hybrid materials based on MXene and positively charged poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) chains were synthesized and their morphology, electrical conductivity, and EMI shielding effectiveness were studied. The results showed that PAH chains enhanced the oxidation stability and integrity of the MXene structures. The morphology and electrical conductivity of the hybrids could be tuned, and the EMI shielding performance was influenced by the conductive network configuration.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Sepideh Norouzi, Rui Zhang, Juan G. Munguia-Fernandez, Luis de Pablo, Ye Zhou, Nader Taheri-Qazvini, Harrison Shapiro, Samuel Morin, Jose A. Martinez-Gonzalez, Monirosadat Sadati, Juan J. de Pablo
Summary: The study investigates the interplay between surface anchoring, spatially curved geometry, and the order associated with liquid crystals (LCs) in flexible and miniaturized technologies. Experimental methods and computational simulations were used to explore the effects of deformable curved boundaries on LC orientation in uniaxially and biaxially stretched droplets. The findings provide valuable insights for the design of LC-based flexible devices.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Mohsen Esmaeili, Sepideh Norouzi, Kyle George, Gelareh Rezvan, Nader Taheri-Qazvini, Monirosadat Sadati
Summary: Inspired by natural Bouligand structures, researchers have successfully used cellulose nanocrystals (CNC)-based inks for 3D printing to create structures with guided long-range radial twisted chirality. The nanostructures during the printing process were evaluated using rheological measurements, in situ flow analysis, polarized optical microscopy (POM), and director field analysis. By incorporating a photo-curable monomer, the chirality of the printed filaments was locked, and optimized Carbopol microgels were used to support the as-printed inks before photo-polymerization. This biomimetic approach opens up new possibilities for developing bio-inspired materials with nanoscale hierarchies in larger-scale 3D printed constructs.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Sewoon Kim, Farivash Gholamirad, Bora Shin, Nader Taheri-Qazvini, Jinwoo Cho, Miao Yu, Chang Min Park, Jiyong Heo, Yeomin Yoon
Summary: The Ti3C2TX MXene-coated membrane exhibited enhanced hydrophilicity, negatively charged surface, and improved performance in treating organic contaminants. The membrane showed good rejection of natural organic matter and charged pharmaceuticals, with the separation process influenced by electrostatic interactions. The Ti3C2TX MXene-coated membrane also demonstrated high water permeability, retention performance, and antifouling capability, making it effective for treating various organic contaminants.