Light-responsive biologically active compounds offer the possibility to study the dynamics of biological processes. Phototriggers and photoswitches have been designed, providing the capability to rapidly cause the initiation of wide range of dynamic biological phenomena. We will discuss, in this article, recent developments in the field of light-triggered chemical tools, specially how two-photon excitation, "caged" fluorophores, and the photoregulation of protein activities in combination with time-resolved x-ray techniques should break new grounds in the understanding of dynamic biological processes.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.2976/1.3132954 | DOI Listing |
Phys Rev Lett
December 2024
Institut für Theoretische Physik, Hardenbergstraße 36, Technische Universität Berlin, D-10623 Berlin, Germany.
Heterogeneity is ubiquitous in biological and synthetic active matter systems that are inherently out of equilibrium. Typically, such active mixtures involve not only conservative interactions between the constituents but also nonreciprocal couplings, whose full consequences for the collective behavior still remain elusive. Here, we study a minimal active nonreciprocal mixture with both symmetric isotropic and nonreciprocal polar interactions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiomacromolecules
January 2025
Polymer Research Centre and Centre for Advanced Functional Materials, Department of Chemical Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata, Nadia, Mohanpur 741246, West Bengal, India.
The present investigation aims to develop a reactive oxygen species (ROS) and esterase-responsive biodegradable mannosylated polyurethane to effectively deliver the encapsulated antileishmanial drug amphotericin B (AmB) selectively to infected macrophage cells. Owing to suitable amphiphilic balance, the as-synthesized glycosylated polyurethane () with aryl boronic ester-based diol () moiety as ROS-trigger, water-soluble mannose pendants, and fluorescent 4,4-difluoro-4-bora-3a,4a-diaza--indacene (BODIPY) chain ends for bioimaging formed nanoaggregates in an aqueous medium as confirmed by H NMR spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering (DLS), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and critical aggregation concentration (CAC) measurements. Aided by two endogenous stimuli present in phagolysosome, ROS and esterase, AmB-encapsulated polymeric nanoaggregates as drug delivery vehicles achieved an efficient reduction of both and intracellular amastigote burden compared to the free AmB.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProc Natl Acad Sci U S A
January 2025
Institute of Optical Materials and Chemical Biology, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Electrochemical Energy Materials, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, Guangxi, People's Republic of China.
Monitoring subcellular organelle dynamics in real time and precisely assessing membrane heterogeneity in living cells are very important for studying fundamental biological mechanisms and gaining a comprehensive understanding of cellular processes. However, there remains a shortage of effective tools for these purposes. Herein, we propose a strategy to develop the exchangeable water-sensing probeAPBD for time-lapse imaging of dynamics in cellular membrane-bound organelle morphology with structured illumination microscopy at the nanoscale.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSci Adv
January 2025
Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA.
Hyperpolarization-activated and cyclic nucleotide-gated (HCN) ion channels are members of the cyclic nucleotide-binding family and are crucial for regulating cellular automaticity in many excitable cells. HCN channel activation contributes to pain perception, and propofol, a widely used anesthetic, acts as an analgesic by inhibiting the voltage-dependent activity of HCN channels. However, the molecular determinants of propofol action on HCN channels remain unknown.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSci Adv
January 2025
MOE Key Laboratory for Cellular Dynamics and Center for Advanced Interdisciplinary Science and Biomedicine of IHM, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027, China.
Microtubule assembly takes place at the centrosome and noncentrosomal microtubule-organizing centers (MTOCs). However, the mechanisms controlling the activity of noncentrosomal MTOCs are poorly understood. Here, using the fission yeast as a model organism, we demonstrate that the kinesin-14 motor Klp2 interacts with the J-domain Hsp70/Ssa1 cochaperone Rsp1, an inhibitory factor of microtubule assembly, and that Klp2 is required for the proper localization of Rsp1 to microtubules.
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