Autophagy is a highly important intracellular process for the degradation of endogenous or foreign contents in the cytoplasm. Though nanomaterials-induced autophagy has been extensively studied, real-time information about the autophagic process induced by nanomaterials in live organisms remains unknown. Here by using Caenorhabditis elegans as the model organism and fluorescent semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) as a representative nanomaterial, we systematically investigated the phenomenon of QDs-induced autophagy in live organisms. Our results demonstrated that the internalized QDs trigger a complete autophagic process in C. elegans intestinal cells. Further investigations revealed that this QD-induced autophagy in C. elegans is neither a response to released heavy metal ions by the QDs, nor an attempt to engulf exogenous QD materials, but a defensive strategy of the organism to clear and recycle damaged endosomes. Of particular significance, for the first time, we presented real-time tracking of autophagosomes formation in live organisms, providing detailed temporal-spatial information of this process. This study may help us better understand the relationship between nanomaterials and autophagy in vivo, and provide invaluable information for safety evaluation and bio-application of nanomaterials.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biomaterials.2015.08.044 | DOI Listing |
mBio
January 2025
Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA.
is an obligate intracellular, tick-borne bacterial pathogen that can cause eschar-associated rickettsiosis in humans. invades host cells, escapes from vacuoles into the cytosol, and undergoes two independent modes of actin-based motility mediated by effectors RickA or Sca2. Actin-based motility of enables bacteria to enter protrusions of the host cell plasma membrane that are engulfed by neighboring host cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMicrobiol Spectr
January 2025
Rickettsial Zoonoses Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Mycoplasma (Class: Mollicutes) contamination in cell cultures is a universal concern for research laboratories. Some estimates report contamination in up to 35% of continuous cell lines. Various commercial antibiotic treatments can successfully decontaminate clean cell lines ; however, decontamination of bacterial cultures remains challenging.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMicrob Biotechnol
January 2025
Fonterra Microbiome Research Centre, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
Advancing microbiome-gut-brain axis science requires systematic, rational and translational approaches to bridge the critical knowledge gaps currently preventing full exploitation of the gut microbiome as a tractable therapeutic target for gastrointestinal, mental and brain health. Current research is still marked by many open questions that undermine widespread application to humans. For example, the lack of mechanistic understanding of probiotic effects means it remains unclear why even apparently closely related strains exhibit different effects in vivo.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAdv Healthc Mater
January 2025
Laboratory for Biointerfaces, Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials and Technology, Lerchenfeldstrasse 5, St. Gallen, 9014, Switzerland.
Surface-mediated transmission of pathogens plays a key role in healthcare-associated infections. However, proper techniques for its quantitative analysis are lacking, making it challenging to develop novel antimicrobial and anti-fouling surfaces to reduce pathogen spread via environmental surfaces. This study demonstrates a gelatin hydrogel-based touch transfer test, the HydroTouch test, to evaluate pathogen transmission on high-touch surfaces under semi-dry conditions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSci Rep
January 2025
Department of Biology, Centre for Novel Agricultural Products, University of York, York, YO10 5DD, UK.
Algae are versatile photosynthetic organisms, with remarkable adaptability and metabolic properties that allow them to live in diverse and extreme habitats, as well as holding great potential for biotechnology. They play fundamental roles in their environments, including primary production, carbon fixation, and engineering their ecosystems. Advances in research on these organisms have been lagging behind bacteria, fungi, plants and animals, but the situation is rapidly evolving thanks to the development of new tools and resources.
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