Fungal small RNAs ride in extracellular vesicles to enter plant cells through clathrin-mediated endocytosis.

Small RNAs (sRNAs) of the fungal pathogen Botrytis cinerea can enter plant cells and hijack host Argonaute protein 1 (AGO1) to silence host immunity genes. However, the mechanism by which these fungal sRNAs are secreted and enter host cells remains unclear. Here, we demonstrate that B.

Fungal small RNAs ride in extracellular vesicles to enter plant cells through clathrin-mediated endocytosis.

Small RNAs (sRNAs) of the fungal pathogen Botrytis cinerea can enter plant cells and hijack host Argonaute protein 1 (AGO1) to silence host immunity genes. However, the mechanism by which these fungal sRNAs are secreted and enter host cells remains unclear. Here, we demonstrate that B.

Immobilization of alkyl-pterin photosensitizer on silicon surfaces through in situ S2 reaction as suitable approach for photodynamic inactivation of Staphylococcus aureus.

The tuning of surface properties through functionalization is an important field of research with a broad spectrum of applications. Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) allow the surface tailoring through the adsorption of molecular layers having the appropriate functional group or precursor group enabling in situ chemical reactions and thus to the incorporation of new functionalities. The latter approach is particularly advantageous when the incorporation of huge groups is needed.

MultitaskProtDB-II: an update of a database of multitasking/moonlighting proteins.

Multitasking, or moonlighting, is the capability of some proteins to execute two or more biological functions. MultitaskProtDB-II is a database of multifunctional proteins that has been updated. In the previous version, the information contained was: NCBI and UniProt accession numbers, canonical and additional biological functions, organism, monomeric/oligomeric states, PDB codes and bibliographic references.

Fluorescent silica nanoparticles with chemically reactive surface: Controlling spatial distribution in one-step synthesis.

The encapsulation of fluorescent dyes inside silica nanoparticles is advantageous to improve their quality as probes. Inside the particle, the fluorophore is protected from the external conditions and its main emission parameters remains unchanged even in the presence of quenchers. On the other hand, the amine-functionalized nanoparticle surface enables a wide range of applications, as amino groups could be easily linked with different biomolecules for targeting purposes.

Attention during visual search: The benefit of bilingualism.

Aims And Objectives/purpose/research Questions: Following reports showing bilingual advantages in executive control (EC) performance, the current study investigated the role of selective attention as a foundational skill that might underlie these advantages.

Design/methodology/approach: Bilingual and monolingual young adults performed a visual search task by determining whether a target shape was present amid distractor shapes. Task difficulty was manipulated by search type (feature or conjunction) and by the number and discriminability of the distractors.

Can bioinformatics help in the identification of moonlighting proteins?

Protein multitasking or moonlighting is the capability of certain proteins to execute two or more unique biological functions. This ability to perform moonlighting functions helps us to understand one of the ways used by cells to perform many complex functions with a limited number of genes. Usually, moonlighting proteins are revealed experimentally by serendipity, and the proteins described probably represent just the tip of the iceberg.

Independent effects of bilingualism and socioeconomic status on language ability and executive functioning.

One hundred and seventy-five children who were 6-years old were assigned to one of four groups that differed in socioeconomic status (SES; working class or middle class) and language background (monolingual or bilingual). The children completed tests of nonverbal intelligence, language tests assessing receptive vocabulary and attention based on picture naming, and two tests of executive functioning. All children performed equivalently on the basic intelligence tests, but performance on the language and executive functioning tasks was influenced by both SES and bilingualism.

Working memory development in monolingual and bilingual children.

Two studies are reported comparing the performance of monolingual and bilingual children on tasks requiring different levels of working memory. In the first study, 56 5-year-olds performed a Simon-type task that manipulated working memory demands by comparing conditions based on two rules and four rules and manipulated conflict resolution demands by comparing conditions that included conflict with those that did not. Bilingual children responded faster than monolinguals on all conditions and bilinguals were more accurate than monolinguals in responding to incongruent trials, confirming an advantage in aspects of executive functioning.

Manipulation of molecular transport into mesoporous silica thin films by the infiltration of polyelectrolytes.

The design of hybrid mesoporous materials incorporating polymeric assemblies as versatile functional units has become a very fertile research area offering major opportunities for controlling molecular transport through interfaces. However, the creation of such functional materials depends critically on our ability to assemble polymeric units in a predictable manner within mesopores with dimensions comparable to the size of the macromolecular blocks themselves. In this work, we describe for the first time the manipulation of the molecular transport properties of mesoporous silica thin films by the direct infiltration of polyelectrolytes into the inner environment of the 3D porous framework.

Working memory capacity and go/no-go task performance: selective effects of updating, maintenance, and inhibition.

The ability to temporarily maintain information in order to successfully perform a task is important in many daily activities. However, the ability to quickly and accurately update existing mental representations in distracting situations is also imperative in many of these same circumstances. In the current studies, individuals varying in working memory capacity (WMC) performed different varieties of go/no-go tasks that have been hypothesized to measure inhibitory ability.

Nanochemistry in confined environments: polyelectrolyte brush-assisted synthesis of gold nanoparticles inside ordered mesoporous thin films.

A robust and straightforward strategy allowing the controlled confinement of metal nanoparticles within the 3D framework of mesoporous films is presented. The chemical methodology is based on the inner surface modification of mesoporous silica films with polyelectrolyte brushes. We demonstrate that the macromolecular building blocks significantly enhance the site-selective preconcentration of nanoparticle precursors in the inner environment of the mesoporous film.

Mesoporous films and polymer brushes helping each other to modulate ionic transport in nanoconfined environments. An interesting example of synergism in functional hybrid assemblies.

Rational design of fully synthetic platforms displaying active control over ionic transport in close resemblance to biological systems represents an ongoing challenge in molecular materials science. Here, we demonstrate that the synergism arising from the chemistries involved in mesoporous films and polymer brushes is a key enabler to next-generation "smart" nanofilters capable of mimicking the gating functions of specific biological channels. Hybrid functional assemblies constituted of mesoporous silica films modified with polyzwitterionic brushes are able to discriminate and gate the transport of cations while the passage of anionic species is precluded.

Facile molecular design of hybrid functional assemblies with controllable transport properties: mesoporous films meet polyelectrolyte brushes.

We showed for the first time how to tailor the permselectivity of mesoporous thin films by changing the electrostatic environment of the nanopores through the covalent functionalization with polyelectrolyte brushes.