Facile Gram-Scale Synthesis of NiO Nanoflowers for Highly Selective and Sensitive Electrocatalytic Detection of Hydrazine.

The design and development of efficient and electrocatalytic sensitive nickel oxide nanomaterials have attracted attention as they are considered cost-effective, stable, and abundant electrocatalytic sensors. However, although innumerable electrocatalysts have been reported, their large-scale production with the same activity and sensitivity remains challenging. In this study, we report a simple protocol for the gram-scale synthesis of uniform NiO nanoflowers (approximately 1.

Minimalistic supramolecular proteoglycan mimics by co-assembly of aromatic peptide and carbohydrate amphiphiles.

We report the co-assembly of aromatic carbohydrate and dipeptide amphiphiles under physiological conditions as a strategy to generate minimalistic proteoglycan mimics. The resulting nanofibers present a structural, fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl-diphenylalanine (Fmoc-FF) core and a functional carbohydrate (Fmoc-glucosamine-6-sulfate or -phosphate) shell. The size, degree of bundling and mechanical properties of the assembled structures depend on the chemical nature of the carbohydrate amphiphile used.

Molecular weight of surface immobilized hyaluronic acid influences CD44-mediated binding of gastric cancer cells.

The physiological importance of the interactions between hyaluronic acid (HA) and its main membrane receptor, CD44, in pathological processes, e.g. cancer, is well recognized.

Interactions between exogenous FGF-2 and sulfonic groups: in situ characterization and impact on the morphology of human adipose-derived stem cells.

FGF-2 is often used as a supplement to stem cells culture medium aiming at preserving their self-renewal capacity and plasticity through the passages. However, little is known on the influence of the underlying substrate in these interactions. In this study, we have used mixed self-assembled monolayers with different ratios of -SO3H and -OH tail groups to investigate the influence of substrate properties (e.

Chlapsin, a chloroplastidial aspartic proteinase from the green algae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.

Aspartic proteinases have been extensively characterized in land plants but up to now no evidences for their presence in green algae group have yet been reported in literature. Here we report on the identification of the first (and only) typical aspartic proteinase from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. This enzyme, named chlapsin, was shown to maintain the primary structure organization of typical plant aspartic proteinases but comprising distinct features, such as similar catalytic motifs DTG/DTG resembling those from animal and microbial counterparts, and an unprecedentedly longer plant specific insert domain with an extra segment of 80 amino acids, rich in alanine residues.

The heterologous systems in the study of cardosin B trafficking pathways.

Cardosins are abundant in cardoon pistils and were found to accumulate in different cell compartments: cardosin A was detected in the vacuoles of stigmatic papillae and cardosin B accumulates in the extracellular matrix of the transmitting tissue. Due to the fact that cardoon system imposes some limitations to the study of processing and trafficking events, heterologous species have been employed to study cardosins trafficking pathways. Cardosin B was successfully expressed both in Arabidopsis and Tobacco plants, where it accumulated mainly in the vacuole but it was also detected in the cell wall.

Dissecting cardosin B trafficking pathways in heterologous systems.

In cardoon pistils, while cardosin A is detected in the vacuoles of stigmatic papillae, cardosin B accumulates in the extracellular matrix of the transmitting tissue. Given cardosins' high homology and yet different cellular localisation, cardosins represent a potentially useful model to understand and study the structural and functional plasticity of plant secretory pathways. The vacuolar targeting of cardosin A was replicated in heterologous species so the targeting of cardosin B was examined in these systems.

Cardosins in postembryonic development of cardoon: towards an elucidation of the biological function of plant aspartic proteinases.

Following on from previous work, the temporal and spatial accumulation of the aspartic proteinases (EC 3.4.23) cardosin A and cardosin B during postembryonic seed development of cardoon (Cynara cardunculus) was studied, mRNA and protein analyses of both cardosins suggested that the proteins accumulate during seed maturation, and that cardosin A is later synthesised de novo at the time of radicle emergence.