Genome-wide phenotypic profiling of transcription factors and identification of novel targets to control the virulence of Vibrio vulnificus.

For successful infection, the life-threatening pathogen Vibrio vulnificus elaborately regulates the expression of survival and virulence genes using various transcription factors (TFs). In this study, a library of the V. vulnificus mutants carrying specific signature tags in 285 TF genes was constructed and subjected to 16 phenotypic analyses.

Surfactant-like photosensitizer for endoscopic duodenal ablation: Modulating meal-stimulated incretin hormones in obese and type 2 diabetes.

Duodenal ablation improves glycaemic control and weight loss, so it has been applied using hydrothermal catheters in obese and type 2 diabetes patients, indicating similar mechanisms and therapeutic effects as bariatric surgeries. Endoscopic photodynamic therapy is an innovative procedure that easily accessible to endocrine or gastrointestinal organs, so it is critical for the sprayed photosensitizer (PS) to long-term interact with target tissues for enhancing its effects. Surfactant-like PS was more stable in a wide range of pH and 2.

Synergistic Approach of Antibody-Photosensitizer Conjugate Independent of KRAS-Mutation and Its Downstream Blockade Pathway in Colorectal Cancer.

Here, a novel approach is presented to improve the efficacy of antibody-drug conjugates (ADC) by integrating antibody-mediated immunotherapy and photodynamic therapy (PDT) in a combination therapy system utilizing an antibody-photosensitizer conjugate (APC) platform based on a poloxamer polymer linker. To specifically target Kirsten rat sarcoma 2 viral oncogene homolog (KRAS)-mutated cancer cells, an antibody antiepidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), cetuximab, with a poloxamer linker coupled with the photosensitizer chlorin e6 through click chemistry (cetuximab-maleimide-poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(propylene oxide)-poly(ethylene oxide)-chlorine e6 conjugate, CMPXC) is synthesized. CMPXC is cytotoxic upon laser treatment, achieving a 90% cell death by suppressing KRAS downstream signaling pathways associated with ERK and AKT proteins, confirmed using RNA sequencing analysis.

Metformin promotes neuronal differentiation and neurite outgrowth through AMPK activation in human bone marrow-mesenchymal stem cells.

Metformin is an AMP-activated kinase (AMPK) activator that plays a role in glucose energy metabolism and cell protection. It is widely used to treat several diseases, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and metabolic diseases. In this study, we investigated whether AMPK activation upon treatment with metformin may promote neurite outgrowth during the progression of neuronal differentiation in human bone marrow-mesenchymal stem cells (hBM-MSCs).

Colloidal Single-Layer Quantum Dots with Lateral Confinement Effects on 2D Exciton.

Controlled lateral quantum confinement in single-layer transition-metal chalcogenides (TMCs) can potentially combine the unique properties of two-dimensional (2D) exciton with the size-tunability of exciton energy, creating the single-layer quantum dots (SQDs) of 2D TMC materials. However, exploring such opportunities has been challenging due to the limited ability to produce well-defined SQDs with sufficiently high quality and size control, in conjunction with the commonly observed inconsistency in the optical properties. Here, we report an effective method to synthesize high-quality and size-controlled SQDs of WSe via multilayer quantum dots (MQDs) precursors, which enables grasping a clear picture of the role of lateral confinement on the optical properties of the 2D exciton.

Tandem intercalation strategy for single-layer nanosheets as an effective alternative to conventional exfoliation processes.

Simple and effective generation of transition metal chalcogenides (TMCs) in a single-layer form has been a challenging task. Here we present a tandem molecular intercalation (TMI) as a new exfoliation concept for producing single-layer TMCs from multi-layer colloidal TMC nanostructures in solution phase. TMI requires tandem Lewis base intercalates, where short 'initiator' molecules first intercalate into TMCs to open up the interlayer gap, and the long 'primary' molecules then bring the gap to full width so that a random mixture of intercalates overcomes the interlayer force.