A Crystal Structure of Pro c 2 Provides Insights into Cross-Reactivity of Aquatic Allergens from the Phosphagen Kinase Family.

Arginine kinase (AK) from the phosphagen kinase family is a cross-reactive shellfish allergen. Structurally related cross-reactive allergens are involved in the pathogenesis of allergic symptoms. This study aimed to unravel the cross-reactivity of AK from a structural perspective.

Membrane lipid homeostasis dually regulates conformational transition of phosphoethanolamine transferase EptA.

The phosphoethanolamine transferase EptA utilizes phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) in the bacterial cell membrane to modify the structure of lipopolysaccharide, thereby conferring antimicrobial resistance on Gram-negative pathogens. Previous studies have indicated that excessive consumption of PE can disrupt the cell membrane, leading to cell death. This implies the presence of a regulatory mechanism for EptA catalysis to maintain a balance between antimicrobial resistance and bacterial growth.

Chiral Pd(II) Nanofiber Promoting Electron Transfer of g-CN for Efficient Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production.

The rapid transfer and separation of photogenerated electrons is very important for the improvement of photocatalytic efficiency. Here, chiral induced spin selectivity effect (CISS effect) was developed to accelerate electron transfer for efficient photocatalytic hydrogen production. A chiral and achiral racemic supramolecular Pd(II) complex nanofiber was fabricated via supramolecular self-assembly of chiral L-Py or its racemes with Pd(II) and used to modify carbon nitride (g-CN).

Molecular Dynamics Simulations Reveal Octanoylated Hyaluronic Acid Enhances Liposome Stability, Stealth and Targeting.

Liposome-based drug delivery systems have been widely used in drug and gene delivery. However, issues such as instability, immune clearance, and poor targeting have significantly limited their clinical utility. Consequently, there is an urgent need for innovative strategies to improve liposome performance.

Probing structural superlubricity of two-dimensional water transport with atomic resolution.

Low-dimensional water transport can be drastically enhanced under atomic-scale confinement. However, its microscopic origin is still under debate. In this work, we directly imaged the atomic structure and transport of two-dimensional water islands on graphene and hexagonal boron nitride surfaces using qPlus-based atomic force microscopy.

Bioinspired cellular membrane-derived vesicles for mRNA delivery.

The rapid advancement of mRNA as vaccines and therapeutic agents in the biomedical field has sparked hope in the fight against untreatable diseases. Successful clinical application of mRNA therapeutics largely depends on the carriers. Recently, a new and exciting focus has emerged on natural cell-derived vesicles.

Enhanced Sampling Molecular Dynamics Simulations Reveal Transport Mechanism of Glycoconjugate Drugs through GLUT1.

Glucose transporters GLUT1 belong to the major facilitator superfamily and are essential to human glucose uptake. The overexpression of GLUT1 in tumor cells designates it as a pivotal target for glycoconjugate anticancer drugs. However, the interaction mechanism of glycoconjugate drugs with GLUT1 remains largely unknown.

Imaging surface structure and premelting of ice Ih with atomic resolution.

Ice surfaces are closely relevant to many physical and chemical properties, such as melting, freezing, friction, gas uptake and atmospheric reaction. Despite extensive experimental and theoretical investigations, the exact atomic structures of ice interfaces remain elusive owing to the vulnerable hydrogen-bonding network and the complicated premelting process. Here we realize atomic-resolution imaging of the basal (0001) surface structure of hexagonal water ice (ice Ih) by using qPlus-based cryogenic atomic force microscopy with a carbon monoxide-functionalized tip.

Non-Hermitian Strongly Interacting Dirac Fermions.

Exotic quantum phases and phase transition in the strongly interacting Dirac systems have attracted tremendous interests. On the other hand, non-Hermitian physics, usually associated with dissipation arising from the coupling to environment, emerges as a frontier of modern physics in recent years. In this Letter, we investigate the interplay between non-Hermitian physics and strong correlation in Dirac-fermion systems.

Phage Display Screening of Anchor Peptides for Red Blood Cell-Derived Extracellular Vesicles.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are increasingly used for disease diagnosis and treatment. Among them, red blood cell-derived EVs (RBC-EVs) have attracted great attention due to their abundant sources and low risks of gene transfer (RBC-EVs lack nuclear and mitochondrial DNA). Here, we first revealed the high expression level of membrane protein solute carrier family 4 member 1 (SLC4A1) in RBC-EVs through proteomic analysis.

Bone Targeting Nanoparticles for the Treatment of Osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis (OP) affects millions of people worldwide, especially postmenopausal women and the elderly. Although current available anti-OP agents can show promise in slowing down bone resorption, most are not specifically delivered to the hard tissue, causing significant toxicity. A bone-targeted nanodrug delivery system can reduce side effects and precisely deliver drug candidates to the bone.

Prolonged near-infrared fluorescence imaging of microRNAs and proteases by aggregation-enhanced emission from DNA-AuNC nanomachines.

Developing a comprehensive strategy for imaging various biomarkers (, microRNAs and proteases) is an exceptionally formidable task. Herein, we have designed a deoxyribonucleic acid-gold nanocluster (DNA-AuNC) nanomachine for detecting tumor-related TK1 mRNA and cathepsin B in living cells and . The DNA-AuNC nanomachine is constructed using AuNCs and DNA modules that incorporate a three component DNA hybrid (TD) and a single-stranded fuel DNA (FD).

Nanoscale one-dimensional close packing of interfacial alkali ions driven by water-mediated attraction.

The permeability and selectivity of biological and artificial ion channels correlate with the specific hydration structure of single ions. However, fundamental understanding of the effect of ion-ion interaction remains elusive. Here, via non-contact atomic force microscopy measurements, we demonstrate that hydrated alkali metal cations (Na and K) at charged surfaces could come into close contact with each other through partial dehydration and water rearrangement processes, forming one-dimensional chain structures.

Brain-derived extracellular vesicles: Potential diagnostic biomarkers for central nervous system diseases.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are membrane-enclosed nanovesicles secreted by cells into the extracellular space and contain functional biomolecules, e.g. signaling receptors, bioactive lipids, nucleic acids, and proteins, which can serve as biomarkers.

The effect of surface hydrophobicity and hydrophilicity on ion-ion interactions at water-solid interfaces.

Condensation and arrangement of ions at water-solid interfaces are of great importance in the formation of electrical double layers (EDL) and the transport of ions under a confined geometry. So far, the microscopic understanding of interfacial ion configurations is still far from complete, especially when the local ion concentration is high and ion-ion interactions become prominent. In this study, we directly visualized alkali metal cations within the hydrogen-bonding network of water on graphite and Cu(111)-supported graphene surfaces, using qPlus-based noncontact atomic force microscopy (NC-AFM).

Harvesting Energy from Changes in Relative Humidity Using Nanoscale Water Capillary Bridges.

We show that nanoscale water capillary bridges (WCB) formed between patchy surfaces can extract energy from the environment when subjected to changes in relative humidity (RH). Our results are based on molecular dynamics simulations combined with a modified version of the Laplace-Kelvin equation, which is validated using the nanoscale WCB. The calculated energy density harvested by the nanoscale WCB is relevant, ≈1700 kJ/m, and is comparable to the energy densities harvested using available water-responsive materials that expand and contract due to changes in RH.

Programming assembly of biomimetic exosomes: An emerging theranostic nanomedicine platform.

Exosomes have emerged as a promising cell-free therapeutic approach. However, challenges in large-scale production, quality control, and heterogeneity must be overcome before they can be used clinically. Biomimetic exosomes containing key components of natural exosomes have been assembled through extrusion, artificial synthesis, and liposome fusion to address these limitations.

Harnessing knee joint resident mesenchymal stem cells in cartilage tissue engineering.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a widespread clinical disease characterized by cartilage degeneration in middle-aged and elderly people. Currently, there is no effective treatment for OA apart from total joint replacement in advanced stages. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are a type of adult stem cell with diverse differentiation capabilities and immunomodulatory potentials.

Quantum criticality of a Z_{3}-symmetric spin chain with long-range interactions.

Based on large-scale density matrix renormalization group techniques, we investigate the critical behaviors of quantum three-state Potts chains with long-range interactions. Using fidelity susceptibility as an indicator, we obtain a complete phase diagram of the system. The results show that as the long-range interaction power α increases, the critical points f_{c}^{*} shift towards lower values.

A Comparison of Clinical Characteristics in Overweight/Obese and Normal Weight Patients with Psoriasis Vulgaris: A Bicentric Retrospective Observational Study.

Background: Psoriasis is a chronic, inflammatory skin disease that is often accompanied by multiple comorbidities. Obesity is considered an independent risk factor for the development of psoriasis. However, most of the related data are derived from epidemiological studies conducted in the United States of America and Europe.

Machine learning-aided atomic structure identification of interfacial ionic hydrates from AFM images.

Relevant to broad applied fields and natural processes, interfacial ionic hydrates have been widely studied by using ultrahigh-resolution atomic force microscopy (AFM). However, the complex relationship between the AFM signal and the investigated system makes it difficult to determine the atomic structure of such a complex system from AFM images alone. Using machine learning, we achieved precise identification of the atomic structures of interfacial water/ionic hydrates based on AFM images, including the position of each atom and the orientations of water molecules.