Chemical modification of electrode materials by heteroatom dopants is crucial for improving storage performance in rechargeable batteries. Electron configurations of different dopants significantly ...influence the chemical interactions inbetween and the chemical bonding with the host material, yet the underlying mechanism remains unclear. We revealed competitive doping chemistry of Group IIIA elements (boron and aluminum) taking nickel‐rich cathode materials as a model. A notable difference between the atomic radii of B and Al accounts for different spatial configurations of the hybridized orbital in bonding with lattice oxygen. Density functional theory calculations reveal, Al is preferentially bonded to oxygen and vice versa, and shows a much lower diffusion barrier than BIII. In the case of Al‐preoccupation, the bulk diffusion of BIII is hindered. In this way, a B‐rich surface and Al‐rich bulk is formed, which helps to synergistically stabilize the structural evolution and surface chemistry of the cathode.
A model study has been performed on Group IIIA element (boron and aluminum) co‐doped high‐nickel layered oxide cathode materials to understand competitive doping chemistry. A notable difference between the atomic radii of B and Al accounts for different spatial configurations of the hybridized orbital in bonding with lattice oxygen, resulting in the formation of a B‐rich surface and an Al‐rich bulk.
G protein‐coupled estrogen receptor‐1 (GPER), a member of the G protein‐coupled receptor (GPCR) superfamily, mediates estrogen‐induced proliferation of normal and malignant breast epithelial cells. ...However, its role in breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs) remains unclear. Here we showed greater expression of GPER in BCSCs than non‐BCSCs of three patient‐derived xenografts of ER−/PR+ breast cancers. GPER silencing reduced stemness features of BCSCs as reflected by reduced mammosphere forming capacity in vitro, and tumor growth in vivo with decreased BCSC populations. Comparative phosphoproteomics revealed greater GPER‐mediated PKA/BAD signaling in BCSCs. Activation of GPER by its ligands, including tamoxifen (TMX), induced phosphorylation of PKA and BAD‐Ser118 to sustain BCSC characteristics. Transfection with a dominant‐negative mutant BAD (Ser118Ala) led to reduced cell survival. Taken together, GPER and its downstream signaling play a key role in maintaining the stemness of BCSCs, suggesting that GPER is a potential therapeutic target for eradicating BCSCs.
What's new?
G protein‐coupled estrogen receptor‐1 (GPER) mediates estrogen‐induced proliferation of normal and malignant breast epithelial cells. However, the role of GPER in breast cancer stem cells (BCSC) biology remains unclear. Here, using patient‐derived xenografts of ER–/PR+ breast cancer, the authors found higher expression of GPER in BCSCs than non‐BCSCs. Moreover, the results indicated that stemness features were sustained via GPER‐mediated PKA/BAD phosphorylation. Stimulation by the GPER ligand tamoxifen enhanced BCSC cell viability and population and BAD phosphorylation. The findings revealed a vital role of GPER‐mediated signaling pathways in BCSC survival, suggesting GPER as a potential therapeutic target for eradicating BCSCs.
The aggressive nature and poor prognosis of lung cancer led us to explore the mechanisms driving disease progression. Utilizing our invasive cell‐based model, we identified methylthioadenosine ...phosphorylase (MTAP) and confirmed its suppressive effects on tumorigenesis and metastasis. Patients with low MTAP expression display worse overall and progression‐free survival. Mechanistically, accumulation of methylthioadenosine substrate in MTAP‐deficient cells reduce the level of protein arginine methyltransferase 5 (PRMT5)‐mediated symmetric dimethylarginine (sDMA) modification on proteins. We identify vimentin as a dimethyl‐protein whose dimethylation levels drop in response to MTAP deficiency. The sDMA modification on vimentin reduces its protein abundance but trivially affects its filamentous structure. In MTAP‐deficient cells, lower sDMA modification prevents ubiquitination‐mediated vimentin degradation, thereby stabilizing vimentin and contributing to cell invasion. MTAP and PRMT5 negatively correlate with vimentin in lung cancer samples. Taken together, we propose a mechanism for metastasis involving vimentin post‐translational regulation.
Synopsis
Repression of MTAP‐dependent symmetric dimethylation mediated by PRMT5 increases vimentin protein stability and leads to invasion and metastasis in MTAP‐deficient lung cancer.
MTAP loss promotes lung cancer metastasis.
MTA accumulation in MTAP‐deficient cancer cells inhibits PRMT5‐mediated symmetric dimethylation on arginine residues of vimentin.
Vimentin is destabilized by PRMT5‐mediated symmetric dimethylation.
Reduced dimethylation and stabilization of vimentin in MTAP‐deficient cancer cells contributes to invasion and metastasis.
Repression of MTAP‐dependent symmetric dimethylation mediated by PRMT5 increases vimentin protein stability and leads to invasion and metastasis in MTAP‐deficient lung cancer.
The systematic design of functional peptides has technological and therapeutic applications. However, there is a need for pattern-based search engines that help locate desired functional motifs in ...primary sequences regardless of their evolutionary conservation. Existing databases such as The Protein Secondary Structure database (PSS) no longer serves the community, while the Dictionary of Protein Secondary Structure (DSSP) annotates the secondary structures when tertiary structures of proteins are provided. Here, we extract 1.7 million helices from the PDB and compile them into a database (Therapeutic Peptide Design database; TP-DB) that allows queries of compounded patterns to facilitate the identification of sequence motifs of helical structures. We show how TP-DB helps us identify a known purification-tag-specific antibody that can be repurposed into a diagnostic kit for Helicobacter pylori. We also show how the database can be used to design a new antimicrobial peptide that shows better Candida albicans clearance and lower hemolysis than its template homologs. Finally, we demonstrate how TP-DB can suggest point mutations in helical peptide blockers to prevent a targeted tumorigenic protein-protein interaction. TP-DB is made available at http://dyn.life.nthu.edu.tw/design/ .
In this study, the negative bias temperature instability (NBTI) under mechanical strain conditions of low-temperature polycrystalline silicon thin-film transistors (LTPS TFTs) with a stress-release ...structure was investigated. With both electrical and mechanical stresses simultaneously applied, more significant degradation behaviors will be observed in standard TFT devices because mechanical stress makes it easier to generate strain in Si-H bonds, thus benefiting the process of electrochemical reaction. By employing a stress-release shape in the poly channel, mechanical stress, which mainly accumulates at the width edge of the poly-Si/SiO 2 interface, is moved away from the main channel; thus, fewer strained Si-H bonds can participate in the electrochemical reaction compared to the standard structure. Therefore, the degradation of devices under strained NBTI is effectively mitigated, such that the reliability of the devices is enhanced. These observations were obtained using electrical characteristics and extraction of the trap state distribution.
Lockdown is an effective nonpharmaceutical intervention to reduce coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) transmission, but it restricts daily activity. We aimed to investigate the impact of lockdown on ...pediatric body weight and body mass index (BMI).
The systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) statement. Four online databases (EMBASE, Medline, the Cochrane Library and CINAHL) were searched.
The pooled results showed that lockdown was associated with significant body weight gain (MD 2.67, 95% CI 2.12-3.23;
< 0.00001). The BMI of children with comorbidities or obesity did not change significantly. The BMI of general population was significantly higher during lockdown than before the pandemic (MD 0.94, 95% CI 0.32-1.56;
= 0.003). However, heterogeneity was high (I
= 84%). Among changes in weight classification, increases in the rates of obesity (OR 1.23, 95% CI 1.10-1.37;
= 0.0002) and overweight (OR 1.17, 95% CI 1.06-1.29;
= 0.001) were reported.
Our meta-analysis showed significant increases in body weight and BMI during lockdown among school-age children and adolescents. The prevalence of obesity and overweight also increased. The COVID-19 pandemic worsened the burden of childhood obesity.
Photoluminescent gold nanodots (Au NDs) are prepared via etching and codeposition of hybridized ligands, an antimicrobial peptide (surfactin; SFT), and 1‐dodecanethiol (DT), on gold nanoparticles ...(≈3.2 nm). As‐prepared ultrasmall SFT/DT–Au NDs (size ≈2.5 nm) are a highly efficient antimicrobial agent. The photoluminescence properties and stability as well as the antimicrobial activity of SFT/DT–Au NDs are highly dependent on the density of SFT on Au NDs. Relative to SFT, SFT/DT–Au NDs exhibit greater antimicrobial activity, not only to nonmultidrug‐resistant bacteria but also to the multidrug‐resistant bacteria. The minimal inhibitory concentration values of SFT/DT–Au NDs are much lower (>80‐fold) than that of SFT. The antimicrobial activity of SFT/DT–Au NDs is mainly due to the synergistic effect of SFT and DT–Au NDs on the disruption of the bacterial membrane. In vitro cytotoxicity and hemolysis analyses have revealed superior biocompatibility of SFT/DT–Au NDs than that of SFT. Moreover, in vivo methicillin‐resistant S. aureus–infected wound healing studies in rats show faster healing, better epithelialization, and are more efficient in the production of collagen fibers when SFT/DT–Au NDs are used as a dressing material. This study suggests that the SFT/DT–Au NDs are a promising antimicrobial candidate for preclinical applications in treating wounds and skin infections.
Surfactin, an antimicrobial lipopeptide, when self‐assembled on photoluminescent gold nanodots (Au NDs) exhibits an >80‐fold improvement in its antimicrobial activity against multidrug‐resistant bacteria. Antibacterial wound‐healing assays further reveal that the surfactin–Au ND hybrid material is superior to that of surfactin alone on a bacteria‐infected flesh wound in rats.
Abstract
Photocatalytic formation of hydrocarbons using solar energy via artificial photosynthesis is a highly desirable renewable-energy source for replacing conventional fossil fuels. Using an
l
...-cysteine-based hydrothermal process, here we synthesize a carbon-doped SnS
2
(SnS
2
-C) metal dichalcogenide nanostructure, which exhibits a highly active and selective photocatalytic conversion of CO
2
to hydrocarbons under visible-light. The interstitial carbon doping induced microstrain in the SnS
2
lattice, resulting in different photophysical properties as compared with undoped SnS
2
. This SnS
2
-C photocatalyst significantly enhances the CO
2
reduction activity under visible light, attaining a photochemical quantum efficiency of above 0.7%. The SnS
2
-C photocatalyst represents an important contribution towards high quantum efficiency artificial photosynthesis based on gas phase photocatalytic CO
2
reduction under visible light, where the in situ carbon-doped SnS
2
nanostructure improves the stability and the light harvesting and charge separation efficiency, and significantly enhances the photocatalytic activity.
Development of effective therapeutics for mitigating the COVID-19 pandemic is a pressing global need. Neutralizing antibodies are known to be effective antivirals, as they can be rapidly deployed to ...prevent disease progression and can accelerate patient recovery without the need for fully developed host immunity. Here, we report the generation and characterization of a series of chimeric antibodies against the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike protein. Some of these antibodies exhibit exceptionally potent neutralization activities in vitro and in vivo, and the most potent of our antibodies target three distinct non-overlapping epitopes within the RBD. Cryo-electron microscopy analyses of two highly potent antibodies in complex with the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein suggested they may be particularly useful when combined in a cocktail therapy. The efficacy of this antibody cocktail was confirmed in SARS-CoV-2-infected mouse and hamster models as prophylactic and post-infection treatments. With the emergence of more contagious variants of SARS-CoV-2, cocktail antibody therapies hold great promise to control disease and prevent drug resistance.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Lead‐free perovskite infrared light‐emitting diodes are achieved by using a halide perovskite CsSnI3 as an emissive layer. The film shows compact micrometer‐sized grains with only a few pinholes and ...cracks at the grain boundaries. The device exhibits maximum radiance of 40 W sr−1 m−2 at a current density of 364.3 mA cm−2 and maximum external quantum efficiency of 3.8% at 4.5 V.
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