Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Tina Paradzik, Iva I. Podgorski, Tanja Vojvoda Zeljko, Mladen Paradzik
Summary: Adhesion between cells and the extracellular matrix is crucial for multicellularity and tissue specialization. This study identified human cytoskeletal crosstalk proteins and highlighted the communication between focal adhesions, actin, and microtubules. Phylogenetic analyses revealed the early evolutionary history of cytoskeletal crosstalk and its importance in metazoan emergence.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Cuirong Guan, Shasha Hua, Kai Jiang
Summary: CEP170B is a negative regulator of microtubule minus-end distribution, excluding CAMSAPs-stabilized microtubule minus ends from the cell periphery and the basal cortex. It is required for directional vesicle trafficking and cyst formation, and acts as a potent microtubule minus-end depolymerase in complex with KIF2A.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Bruno Zappone, Roberto Bartolino
Summary: By introducing topological defects in a cholesteric liquid crystal, this study enhanced the mechanical strength of a fluid film, resulting in unique viscoelastic and optomechanical properties. The creation of concentric dislocation loops between two curved surfaces with sphere-sphere contact geometry during surface retraction produced distinct effects.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yunxia Wang, Huatian Hu, Jibo Tang, Shuang Meng, Hongxing Xu, Tao Ding
Summary: Silver nanowires exhibit waveguiding properties due to nanoconfinement with surface plasmons, important for on-chip integration. Laser irradiation induces chemical reactions to control the generation of silver nanoparticles on the nanowires.
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Li Xia, Li-Juan Zhang, Hong-Wu Tang, Dai-Wen Pang
Summary: The study reveals that, during transport along microtubules, cargoes exhibit not only rapid directed motions, but also slow directed motions and nondirected motions. These three modes of motion contribute almost equally to the translocation of cargoes.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Felix Benoist, Guglielmo Saggiorato, Martin Lenz
Summary: Stress propagation in nonlinear media plays an important role in cell biology, specifically in relation to molecular motors exerting force on the fibrous cytoskeleton. This study explores the phenomenon of rectification in these materials, where buckling under compression rectifies stresses towards a biologically crucial contraction. The results show that rectification is a general effect in nonlinear materials subjected to anisotropic internal stresses.
Article
Immunology
Li Ou, Krishana Gulla, Andrea Biju, Daniel W. Biner, Tatsiana Bylund, Anita Changela, Steven J. Chen, Cheng-Yan Zheng, Nicole Cibelli, Angela R. Corrigan, Hongying Duan, Christopher A. Gonelli, Wing-Pui Kong, Cheng Cheng, Sijy O'Dell, Edward K. Sarfo, Andrew Shaddeau, Shuishu Wang, Alison Vinitsky, Yanhong Yang, Baoshan Zhang, Yaqiu Zhang, Richard A. Koup, Nicole A. Doria-Rose, Jason G. Gall, John R. Mascola, Peter D. Kwong
Summary: This study investigated the impact of varying linkers between FP8 and rTTHC in conjugate-vaccine immunogens. The results showed that linker length, hydrophilicity, and peptide-carrier stoichiometry had an effect on the immunogenicity of the conjugates, while several commonly used crosslinkers yielded similar serological results.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Min Kyung Kim, Bong Geun Cha, Jaeyun Kim
Summary: Bottom-up assembly of magnetic nanoparticles allows the formation of anisotropic magnetic wires that can be used as a 3D cell culture platform, with enhanced cell adhesion and secretion capabilities.
CHEMISTRY OF MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Physics, Multidisciplinary
Simone Ciarella, Wouter G. Ellenbroek
Summary: This study introduces a three-body potential for modeling associative bond swaps and incorporates it into the HOOMD-blue software. The use of this potential has been proven effective in simulating the mechanics and dynamics of adaptive network materials. It allows for plain molecular dynamics simulations without the need for topology-altering steps and accurately represents slip-bond behavior. The results demonstrate its potential for speeding up system equilibration and avoiding long-lived metastable configurations.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Hong-pyo Lee, Farid Alisafaei, Kolade Adebawale, Julie Chang, Vivek B. Shenoy, Ovijit Chaudhuri
Summary: Cells migrating in confining microenvironments rely on the mechanical generation of migration paths by the nucleus, allowing mesenchymal stem cells to migrate successfully in viscoelastic and plastic hydrogels. The nucleus powers migration by pushing into protrusions, activating mechanosensitive ion channels and increasing osmotic pressure to drive protrusion expansion, rather than limiting migration.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yanjun Gong, Zhaozhen Cao, Zongze Zhang, Rongjuan Liu, Fenghua Zhang, Jingjing Wei, Zhijie Yang
Summary: Nanoscale curvature is crucial for regulating the chirality of self-assembled nanocomposites, as shown in this study. The supramolecular chirality depends on the curvature of the nanoparticles, with high curvature leading to opposite chirality compared to low curvature.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Maijia Liao, Xin Liang, Jonathon Howard
Summary: The study of dendrite diameters in Drosophila class IV sensory neurons suggests that traditional power laws are not applicable, and a new diameter scaling law has been proposed based on the transport of microtubules and the requirements for dendrite tip growth. This new finding challenges existing theories and highlights the importance of cell biological constraints in determining the branched morphology of cells.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Niall Rodgers, Peter Tino, Samuel Johnson
Summary: In many real, directed networks, the strongly connected component is very small and not following the current theory based on random graphs. This has significant implications for other properties of real networks and the behavior of complex systems. Strong connectivity depends on the network's overall direction or hierarchical ordering, measured by trophic coherence. The targeted attack on edges running counter to the overall direction can disrupt the connectivity structure, indicating that dynamical processes on networks can be influenced by a small fraction of edges.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Gloria Lee, Gregor Leech, Michael J. Rust, Moumita Das, Ryan J. McGorty, Jennifer L. Rosso, Rae M. Robertson-Anderson
Summary: The cytoskeleton is a dynamic network of proteins that enables essential cellular processes, with microtubules providing flexural rigidity and enhanced connectivity to actin networks for self-organized myosin-driven contraction.
Article
Physics, Fluids & Plasmas
Niall Rodgers, Peter Tino, Samuel Johnson
Summary: This study investigates the dynamics of pattern presentation and recovery on sparse, directed, Hopfield-like neural networks. Trophic analysis is used to characterize the hierarchical structure of the networks. The research shows that the system's state can be controlled by a small subset of neurons with low trophic levels, and performance in the pattern recovery task can be improved through tuning the trophic coherence and other topological properties of the network. These findings have implications for understanding the structure of the animal brain and improving artificial neural network architectures.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Adrian Pascal Nievergelt, Ilia Zykov, Dennis Diener, Aditya Chhatre, Tim-Oliver Buchholz, Markus Delling, Stefan Diez, Florian Jug, Ludek Stepanek, Gaia Pigino
Summary: Cilia or eukaryotic flagella are microtubule-based organelles involved in intraflagellar transport (IFT), a system that moves cargo required for their assembly and maintenance. Previous studies suggested the presence of specific machinery at the ciliary tip to control IFT, but this research shows that IFT can be induced at arbitrary distances from the tip, independent of calcium ions.
Review
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Falco C. M. J. M. van Delft, Alf Mansson, Hillel Kugler, Till Korten, Cordula Reuther, Jingyuan Zhu, Roman Lyttleton, Thomas Blaudeck, Christoph Robert Meinecke, Danny Reuter, Stefan Diez, Heiner Linke
Summary: Network-based biocomputation is an alternative parallel computing approach that can potentially solve combinatorial problems with lower energy consumption. Although there have been advancements in proof-of-principle experiments, there are still challenges in scaling up NBC to an industrial level. A roadmap identifying key scientific and technological needs can provide guidance for this expansion.
Article
Plant Sciences
Nicole Poulsen, Helene Hennig, Veikko F. Geyer, Stefan Diez, Richard Wetherbee, Sorel Fitz-Gibbon, Matteo Pellegrini, Nils Kroeger
Summary: Diatoms are microalgae with silica-based cell walls that play a crucial role in aquatic habitats. Previous studies have identified glycoproteins known as FACs in a common fouling diatom, but their function in adhesion remained unclear. This study determined the polypeptide sequences of FACs and found that they are not involved in adhesion or motility, but may act as a lubricant to prevent fouling of the diatom surface.
JOURNAL OF PHYCOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Valerie Siahaan, Ruensern Tan, Tereza Humhalova, Lenka Libusova, Samuel E. Lacey, Tracy Tan, Mariah Dacy, Kassandra M. Ori-McKenney, Richard J. McKenney, Marcus Braun, Zdenek Lansky
Summary: Tau and MAP2 can form envelopes on microtubules by altering lattice spacing, providing a molecular basis for spatial regulation of microtubule-based processes. Envelopes can affect the activity of other MAPs and motor proteins on microtubules.
NATURE CHEMICAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Mathias Schenkel, Dorna Ravamehr-Lake, Tomasz Czerniak, James P. Saenz, Georg Krainer, Michael Schlierf, Charles M. Deber
Summary: A study found that mutants of cystic fibrosis exhibited folding and helicity similar to the wild type when the corrector VX-809 was added. Fluorescence spectroscopy measurements suggested that the corrector altered lipid packing and water accessibility.
BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Mariya Genova, Lenka Grycova, Verena Puttrich, Maria M. Magiera, Zdenek Lansky, Carsten Janke, Marcus Braun
Summary: By using in-vitro reconstitution, this study reveals that the polyglutamylation generated by TTLL1 and TTLL7 differentially modulates the activities of Tau, katanin, and kinesin-1, providing mechanistic insight into how polyglutamylation selectively controls microtubule interactions in neurons.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Christoph R. Meinecke, Georg Heldt, Thomas Blaudeck, Frida W. Lindberg, Falco C. M. J. M. van Delft, Mohammad Ashikur Rahman, Aseem Salhotra, Alf Mansson, Heiner Linke, Till Korten, Stefan Diez, Danny Reuter, Stefan E. Schulz
Summary: Network-based biocomputation (NBC) relies on nanofabricated channels to guide biological agents accurately. In this study, we present the large-scale fabrication of optimized microfluidic channel networks (NBC networks) using electron-beam lithography. To confirm their functionality, we solve a classical NP-complete problem, the subset-sum problem, on these NBC networks. By optimizing the material stack, nanolithographic fabrication processes, and motor-protein expression and purification, we improve the attachment of functional motor proteins, the smoothness of channel walls and floors, and the motility of filaments. These optimizations increase the reliability of NBC devices and enable the production of larger NBC networks for solving complex combinatorial problems.
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Ganesh Agam, Christian Gebhardt, Milana Popara, Rebecca Maechtel, Julian Folz, Benjamin Ambrose, Neharika Chamachi, Sang Yoon Chung, Timothy D. Craggs, Marijn de Boer, Dina Grohmann, Taekjip Ha, Andreas Hartmann, Jelle Hendrix, Verena Hirschfeld, Christian G. Huebner, Thorsten Hugel, Dominik Kammerer, Hyun-Seo Kang, Achillefs N. Kapanidis, Georg Krainer, Kevin Kramm, Edward A. Lemke, Eitan Lerner, Emmanuel Margeat, Kirsten Martens, Jens Michaelis, Jaba Mitra, Gabriel G. Moya Munoz, Robert B. Quast, Nicole C. Robb, Michael Sattler, Michael Schlierf, Jonathan Schneider, Tim Schroeder, Anna Sefer, Piau Siong Tan, Johann Thurn, Philip Tinnefeld, John van Noort, Shimon Weiss, Nicolas Wendler, Niels Zijlstra, Anders Barth, Claus A. M. Seidel, Don C. Lamb, Thorben Cordes
Summary: Single-molecule Forster-resonance energy transfer (smFRET) experiments are valuable for studying biomolecular structure and dynamics. An international blind study involving 19 laboratories demonstrates the reproducibility and accuracy of smFRET measurements for proteins. The study highlights the importance of smFRET in integrative structural biology and its promise for dynamic structural studies.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Veikko F. Geyer, Stefan Diez
Summary: Transport of intracellular cargo along cytoskeletal filaments is often mediated by multiple motor molecules. This study introduces a new method using horizontal magnetic tweezers system to investigate multi-motor systems. The force-velocity relationship of motor-driven cytoskeletal filaments is directly measured and the collective backward motion of the transport system is observed under super-stall forces. This magnetic tweezers apparatus has potential applications in various molecular and cellular motility assays.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Lucas Kuhrts, Lukas Helmbrecht, Willem L. Noorduin, Darius Pohl, Xiaoxiao Sun, Alexander Palatnik, Cornelia Wetzker, Anne Jantschke, Michael Schlierf, Igor Zlotnikov
Summary: Using the cell wall of the dinoflagellate L. granifera as a model, biogenic calcite is successfully transformed into nano-structured perovskites. This approach allows for the mass production of nano-architectured perovskites with desired morphological, textural, and physical properties.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Ping Liu, Nils Schumann, Fabian Abele, Fazheng Ren, Marcel Hanke, Yang Xin, Andreas Hartmann, Michael Schlierf, Adrian Keller, Weilin Lin, Yixin Zhang
Summary: This study presents a method for studying biomolecular thermodiffusion in noncovalently assembled synthetic or naturally derived hydrogels. The approach has been applied to various analytes across the nanoscale, including small molecules, polysaccharides, proteins, DNA, and DNA origamis of different geometries. The method allows for the measurement of binding affinity in biomatrices and provides insights into protein-ligand interactions in a biologically relevant context.
ACS APPLIED NANO MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Physics, Fluids & Plasmas
Harmen Wierenga, Pieter Rein ten Wolde
Summary: Cell polarization, which plays a crucial role in various cellular processes, requires the breaking of detailed balance and can be achieved through two mechanisms: active transport and nonequilibrium binding. Moreover, a chemical modification cycle is found to be more efficient than transport-based processes in creating a polarized distribution of membrane-bound proteins.
Article
Physics, Fluids & Plasmas
G. Malaguti, P. R. ten Wolde
Summary: Living cells can measure chemical concentrations accurately, and reducing sensing error by increasing receptor time integration is a widely used mechanism. However, how to optimally implement this mechanism given cellular resource constraints remains unknown.
Meeting Abstract
Biophysics
Pilar Loerzing, Michael Schlierf
BIOPHYSICAL JOURNAL
(2022)
Meeting Abstract
Biophysics
Cesar A. Quintano-Catana, Mordjane Boukhet, Ann Mukhortava, Michael Schlierf
BIOPHYSICAL JOURNAL
(2022)