Publications by authors named "Mahima Unnikrishnan"

Nanomaterials acquire a biomolecular corona upon introduction to biological media, leading to biological transformations such as changes in protein function, unmasking of epitopes, and protein fibrilization. Ex vivo studies to investigate the effect of nanoparticles on protein-protein interactions are typically performed in buffer and are rarely measured quantitatively in live cells. Here, we measure the differential effect of silica nanoparticles on protein association in vitro vs.

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Studies of proteins from one organism in another organism's cells have shown that such exogenous proteins stick more, pointing toward coevolution of the cytoplasm and protein surface to minimize stickiness. Here we flip this question around by asking whether exogenous proteins can assemble efficiently into their target complexes in a non-native cytoplasm. We use as our model system the assembly of BtubA and BtubB from hosted in human U-2 OS cells.

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Article Synopsis
  • Plasmons are collective oscillations of electrons in nanoscale metals like gold and silver, causing unique color effects based on their size and shape.
  • These nanocrystals show promising applications in biology, such as light scattering for imaging, creating electric fields for enhanced sensing, and generating heat for thermal treatments.
  • The document also discusses the properties and synthesis of gold nanorods, including their surface coatings and ligand densities for improved functionality.
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