Deep Learning Powered Identification of Differentiated Early Mesoderm Cells from Pluripotent Stem Cells.

Pluripotent stem cells can be differentiated into all three germ-layers including ecto-, endo-, and mesoderm in vitro. However, the early identification and rapid characterization of each germ-layer in response to chemical and physical induction of differentiation is limited. This is a long-standing issue for rapid and high-throughput screening to determine lineage specification efficiency.

Unraveling DPP4 Receptor Interactions with SARS-CoV-2 Variants and MERS-CoV: Insights into Pulmonary Disorders via Immunoinformatics and Molecular Dynamics.

Human coronaviruses like MERS CoV are known to utilize dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP4), apart from angiotensin-converting enzyme 2(ACE2) as a potential co-receptor for viral cell entry. DPP4, the ubiquitous membrane-bound aminopeptidase, is closely associated with elevation of disease severity in comorbidities. In SARS-CoV-2, there is inadequate evidence for combination of spike protein variants with DPP4, and underlying adversity in COVID-19.

A novel ubiquitin-proteasome system regulation of Sgf73/ataxin-7 that maintains the integrity of the coactivator SAGA in orchestrating transcription.

Ataxin-7 maintains the integrity of Spt-Ada-Gcn5-Acetyltransferase (SAGA), an evolutionarily conserved coactivator in stimulating preinitiation complex (PIC) formation for transcription initiation, and thus, its upregulation or downregulation is associated with various diseases. However, it remains unknown how ataxin-7 is regulated that could provide new insights into disease pathogenesis and therapeutic interventions. Here, we show that ataxin-7's yeast homologue, Sgf73, undergoes ubiquitylation and proteasomal degradation.

Reduced Cell-ECM Interactions in the EpiSC Colony Center Cause Heterogeneous Differentiation.

Mechanoregulation of cell-extracellular matrix (ECM) interactions are crucial for dictating pluripotent stem cell differentiation. However, not all pluripotent cells respond homogeneously which results in heterogeneous cell populations. When cells, such as mouse epiblast stem cells (EpiSCs), are cultured in clusters, the heterogeneity effect during differentiation is even more pronounced.

Exceptional-point-induced asymmetric mode conversion in a dual-core optical fiber segment.

The engineering of exceptional points (EPs) in open optical systems has lately attracted much attention for developing future all-optical devices. However, investigation of the fascinating features of EPs in fiber geometries is lacking. We design a fabrication feasible dual-core optical fiber segment, where non-Hermiticity in terms of a symmetric customized gain-loss profile is introduced to modulate the interaction between two corresponding coupled modes toward hosting a dynamical EP encirclement scheme in the gain-loss parameter space.

Sensitivity Analysis of Sidelobes of the Lowest Order Cladding Mode of Long Period Fiber Gratings at Turn Around Point.

A new methodology to enhance the sensitivity of a long period fiber grating sensor (LPFG) at the Turn Around Point (TAP) is here presented. The LPFG sensor has been fabricated by etching the fiber up to 20.4 µm, until the sidelobes of dispersed LP cladding mode appeared near TAP in aqueous medium.

Distinct Functions of the Cap-Binding Complex in Stimulation of Nuclear mRNA Export.

Cap-binding complex (CBC) associates cotranscriptionally with the cap structure at the 5' end of nascent mRNA to protect it from exonucleolytic degradation. Here, we show that CBC promotes the targeting of an mRNA export adaptor, Yra1 (forming transcription export [TREX] complex with THO and Sub2), to the active genes and enhances mRNA export in Likewise, recruitment of Npl3 (an hnRNP involved in mRNA export via formation of export-competent ribonuclear protein complex [RNP]) to the active genes is facilitated by CBC. Thus, CBC enhances targeting of the export factors and promotes mRNA export.

Fractal Dimension of Erythrocyte Membranes: A Highly Useful Precursor for Rapid Morphological Assay.

Morphology of erythrocyte membrane has been recognized as an alternative biomarker of several patho-physiological states. Numerous attempts have been made to upgrade the existing method of primitive manual counting, particularly exploring the light scattering properties of erythrocyte. All the techniques are at best semi-empirical and heavily rely on the effectiveness of the statistical correlations.

Sex-specific microRNA expression networks in an acute mouse model of ozone-induced lung inflammation.

Background: Sex differences in the incidence and prognosis of respiratory diseases have been reported. Studies have shown that women are at increased risk of adverse health outcomes from air pollution than men, but sex-specific immune gene expression patterns and regulatory networks have not been well studied in the lung. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are environmentally sensitive posttranscriptional regulators of gene expression that may mediate the damaging effects of inhaled pollutants in the lung, by altering the expression of innate immunity molecules.

Effect of Zinc oxide nanoparticle on Fluorescence Resonance Energy transfer between Fluorescein and Rhodamine 6G.

Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer between two dyes Fluorescein and Rhodamine 6G were investigated in solution in the presence and absence of Zinc oxide nanoparticle. Zinc oxide nanostructure is used as the fluorescence enhancing agent for the present study since donor (Fluorescein) fluorescence increase significantly in presence of nanoparticle. Accordingly, the energy transfer efficiency in the presence of nanoparticle increases.

Development of a sensor to study the DNA conformation using molecular logic gates.

This communication reports our investigations on the Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) between two laser dyes Acriflavine and Rhodamine B in absence and presence of DNA at different pH. It has been observed that energy transfer efficiency is largely affected by the presence of DNA as well as the pH of the system. It is well known that with increase in pH, DNA conformation changes from double stranded to single stranded (denaturation) and finally form random coil.