Structural Insights into Iron Ions Accumulation in Dps Nanocage.

Dps (DNA-binding protein from starved cells) is well known for the structural protection of bacterial DNA by the formation of highly ordered intracellular assemblies under stress conditions. Moreover, this ferritin-like protein can perform fast oxidation of ferrous ions and subsequently accumulate clusters of ferric ions in its nanocages, thus providing the bacterium with physical and chemical protection. Here, cryo-electron microscopy was used to study the accumulation of iron ions in the nanocage of a Dps protein from .

Biomimetic approaches for targeting tumor-promoting inflammation.

With the ultimate goal of increasing tumor accumulation of therapeutics, various nanocarriers have been designed to overcome biological barriers encountered at each stage, from drug administration to the cancerous lesion. Stabilizing circulation and functionalization of the targeting surface impart high tumor accumulation properties to nanocarriers. However, various cells can recognize and infiltrate the tumor microenvironment more efficiently than synthetic carriers via overexpression of adhesive ligands, particularly in inflamed stroma of tumors.

Dynamics of ultrafast phase transitions in MgF triggered by laser-induced THz coherent phonons.

The advent of free-electron lasers opens new routes for experimental high-pressure physics, which allows studying dynamics of condensed matter with femtosecond resolution. A rapid compression, that can be caused by laser-induced shock impact, leads to the cascade of high-pressure phase transitions. Despite many decades of study, a complete understanding of the lattice response to such a compression remains elusive.

Development of Submicrocapsules Based on Co-Assembled Like-Charged Silica Nanoparticles and Detonation Nanodiamonds and Polyelectrolyte Layers.

Capsules with shells based on nanoparticles of different nature co-assembled at the interface of liquid phases of emulsion are promising carriers of lipophilic drugs. To obtain such capsules, theoretically using the Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (DLVO) theory and experimentally using dynamic light-scattering (DLS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) methods, the interaction of like-charged silica nanoparticles and detonation nanodiamonds in an aqueous solution was studied and their ratios selected for the formation of submicron-sized colloidosomes. The resulting colloidosomes were modified with additional layers of nanoparticles and polyelectrolytes, applying LbL technology.

Extracellular Vesicles Derived from Acidified Metastatic Melanoma Cells Stimulate Growth, Migration, and Stemness of Normal Keratinocytes.

Metastatic melanoma is a highly malignant tumor. Melanoma cells release extracellular vesicles (EVs), which contribute to the growth, metastasis, and malignancy of neighboring cells by transfer of tumor-promoting miRNAs, mRNA, and proteins. Melanoma microenvironment acidification promotes tumor progression and determines EVs' properties.

Corrigendum: Death Receptors DR4 and DR5 Undergo Spontaneous and Ligand-Mediated Endocytosis and Recycling Regardless of the Sensitivity of Cancer Cells to TRAIL.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.

Analysis of the vein wall destruction under endovenous laser ablation in an model.

This work was aimed at elaborating an experimental endovenous laser ablation (EVLA) model and evaluating the possibility of using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) to determine the degree of collagen denaturation of the venous tissue and optimize the laser treatment settings. The control (non-varicose) and varicose vein specimens were subjected to chemical, thermal and morphological analyses. Varicose vein fragments were irradiated with 1.

Microfluidic Synthesis and Analysis of Bioinspired Structures Based on CaCO for Potential Applications as Drug Delivery Carriers.

Naturally inspired biomaterials such as calcium carbonate, produced in biological systems under specific conditions, exhibit superior properties that are difficult to reproduce in a laboratory. The emergence of microfluidic technologies provides an effective approach for the synthesis of such materials, which increases the interest of researchers in the creation and investigation of crystallization processes. Besides accurate tuning of the synthesis parameters, microfluidic technologies also enable an analysis of the process in situ with a range of methods.

Permeability of the Composite Magnetic Microcapsules Triggered by a Non-Heating Low-Frequency Magnetic Field.

Nanosystems for targeted delivery and remote-controlled release of therapeutic agents has become a top priority in pharmaceutical science and drug development in recent decades. Application of a low frequency magnetic field (LFMF) as an external stimulus opens up opportunities to trigger release of the encapsulated bioactive substances with high locality and penetration ability without heating of biological tissue in vivo. Therefore, the development of novel microencapsulated drug formulations sensitive to LFMF is of paramount importance.

Short Time Correlation Analysis of Melt Pool Behavior in Laser Metal Deposition Using Coaxial Optical Monitoring.

The development and improvement of monitoring and process control systems is one of the important ways of advancing laser metal deposition (LMD). The control of hydrodynamic, heat and mass transfer processes in LMD is extremely important, since these processes directly affect the crystallization of the melt and, accordingly, the microstructural properties and the overall quality of the synthesized part. In this article, the data of coaxial video monitoring of the LMD process were used to assess the features of melt dynamics.

Micro-CT Study of Mongolian Gerbil Humeral Bone After Prolonged Spaceflight Based on a New Algorithm for Delimitation of Long-Bone Regions.

The Mongolian gerbil displays unique physiological and anatomical features that make this species an attractive object for biological experiments in space. However, until recently, the Mongolian gerbil has remained a novel, mostly unstudied animal model in investigating bone loss in weightlessness (G). After 12 days of orbital Foton-M3 mission, the humerus of Mongolian gerbils has been studied here micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) to quantify bone morphometric parameters.

Spectral Diffractive Lenses for Measuring a Modified Red Edge Simple Ratio Index and a Water Band Index.

We propose a novel type of spectral diffractive lenses that operate in the ±1-st diffraction orders. Such spectral lenses generate a sharp image of the wavelengths of interest in the +1-st and -1-st diffraction orders. The spectral lenses are convenient to use for obtaining remotely sensed vegetation index images instead of full-fledged hyperspectral images.

Harnessing of inhomogeneously polarized Hermite-Gaussian vector beams to manage the 3D spin angular momentum density distribution.

We propose vector modes based on inhomogeneously polarized Hermite-Gaussian (HG) vector beams, providing complete structural conservation of the beams during propagation. Like uniformly polarized mode beams, these beams provide structural stability (or invariance) of both the intensity and the polarization state, in turn ensuring the stability of other field characteristics, including the angular momentum. We determine the conditions imposed on the HG mode composition in the transverse components of the electromagnetic field in order to control the three-dimensional characteristics of the field, such as intensity, polarization, and spin angular momentum (SAM).

The Cytoplasmic Tail of Influenza A Virus Hemagglutinin and Membrane Lipid Composition Change the Mode of M1 Protein Association with the Lipid Bilayer.

Influenza A virus envelope contains lipid molecules of the host cell and three integral viral proteins: major hemagglutinin, neuraminidase, and minor M2 protein. Membrane-associated M1 matrix protein is thought to interact with the lipid bilayer and cytoplasmic domains of integral viral proteins to form infectious virus progeny. We used small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and complementary techniques to analyze the interactions of different components of the viral envelope with M1 matrix protein.

Death Receptors DR4 and DR5 Undergo Spontaneous and Ligand-Mediated Endocytosis and Recycling Regardless of the Sensitivity of Cancer Cells to TRAIL.

Tumor necrosis factor-associated ligand inducing apoptosis (TRAIL) induces apoptosis through the death receptors (DRs) 4 and 5 expressed on the cell surface. Upon ligand stimulation, death receptors are rapidly internalized through clathrin-dependent and -independent mechanisms. However, there have been conflicting data on the role of death receptor endocytosis in apoptotic TRAIL signaling and possible cell type-specific differences in TRAIL signaling have been proposed.

FLIM-Based Intracellular and Extracellular pH Measurements Using Genetically Encoded pH Sensor.

The determination of pH in live cells and tissues is of high importance in physiology and cell biology. In this report, we outline the process of the creation of SypHerExtra, a genetically encoded fluorescent sensor that is capable of measuring extracellular media pH in a mildly alkaline range. SypHerExtra is a protein created by fusing the previously described pH sensor SypHer3s with the neurexin transmembrane domain that targets its expression to the cytoplasmic membrane.

Local Delivery of Pirfenidone by PLA Implants Modifies Foreign Body Reaction and Prevents Fibrosis.

Peri-implant fibrosis (PIF) increases the postsurgical risks after implantation and limits the efficacy of the implantable drug delivery systems (IDDS). Pirfenidone (PF) is an oral anti-fibrotic drug with a short (<3 h) circulation half-life and strong adverse side effects. In the current study, disk-shaped IDDS prototype combining polylactic acid (PLA) and PF, PLA@PF, with prolonged (~3 days) PF release (in vitro) was prepared.

Structural Rearrangement of Dps-DNA Complex Caused by Divalent Mg and Fe Cations.

Two independent, complementary methods of structural analysis were used to elucidate the effect of divalent magnesium and iron cations on the structure of the protective Dps-DNA complex. Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) demonstrate that Mg ions block the N-terminals of the Dps protein preventing its interaction with DNA. Non-interacting macromolecules of Dps and DNA remain in the solution in this case.

A combined evolutionary and structural approach to disclose the primary structural determinants essential for proneurotrophins biological functions.

The neurotrophins, i.e., Nerve Growth Factor (NGF), Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF), Neurotrophin 3 (NT3) and Neurotrophin 4 (NT4), are known to play a range of crucial functions in the developing and adult peripheral and central nervous systems.

Ultraviolet Luminescence of ZnO Whiskers, Nanowalls, Multipods, and Ceramics as Potential Materials for Fast Scintillators.

The presented work is dedicated to the study and comparison of scintillating properties of zinc oxide samples prepared in different morphologies: whiskers, nanowalls, multipods, and ceramics. It was shown that total transmittance, photo- and radioluminescence spectra, and radioluminescence kinetics can vary significantly depending on sample structure and preparation conditions. The highest total transmittance was registered for ZnO ceramics (>50% at 0.

Crystal structure, hydrogen bonds and thermal transformations of superprotonic conductor Cs(SO)(HPO).

Crystals of Cs(SO)(HPO) belong to the family of alkali metal acid salts that show a high protonic conductivity at relatively low temperatures. Such properties make superprotonic crystals an excellent choice for the study of the influence of the hydrogen subsystem on the physicochemical properties and promising materials for energy-efficient technologies. Single crystals of Cs(SO)(HPO) were studied by neutron diffraction methods, optical polarization microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy.

: expanded functionality and new tools for small-angle scattering data analysis.

The software suite encompasses a number of programs for the processing, visualization, analysis and modelling of small-angle scattering data, with a focus on the data measured from biological macromolecules. Here, new developments in the package are described. They include , for simulating isotropic 2D scattering patterns; , to perform operations on 2D images and masks; , a method for variance estimation of structural invariants through parametric resampling; , which computes the pair distance distribution function by a direct Fourier transform of the scattering data; , to compute the scattering data from a pair distance distribution function, allowing comparison with the experimental data; a new module in for Bayesian consensus-based concentration-independent molecular weight estimation; , an shape analysis method that optimizes the search model directly against the scattering data; , an application to set up the initial search volume for multiphase modelling of membrane proteins; , to perform quasi-atomistic modelling of liposomes with elliptical shapes; , which models conformational changes in nucleic acid structures through normal mode analysis in torsion angle space; , which reconstructs the shape of an unknown intermediate in an evolving system; and and , for modelling multilamellar and asymmetric lipid vesicles, respectively.