Selective autophagy impedes KSHV entry after recruiting the membrane damage sensor galectin-8 to virus-containing endosomes.

Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is an oncogenic γ-herpesvirus. Autophagy during KSHV entry has remained unexplored. We show that LC3 lipidation as a hallmark of autophagy is induced shortly after KSHV entry.

Surface Coordination Chemistry of Graphitic Carbon Nitride from Ag Molecular Probes.

Graphitic carbon nitride (g-CN) has gained significant attention for its catalytic properties, especially in the development of Single Atom Catalysts (SACs). However, the surface chemistry underlying the formation of these isolated metal sites remains poorly understood. In this study we employ Surface OrganoMetallic Chemistry (SOMC) together with advanced microscopic and spectroscopic techniques for an in-depth analysis of functionalized g-CN materials, where tailored organosilver probe molecules are used to monitor surface processes and characterize resulting surface species.

Topological Heterogeneity of Protein Kinase C Modulators in Human T-Cells Resolved with In-Cell Dynamic Nuclear Polarization NMR Spectroscopy.

Phorbol ester analogs are a promising class of anticancer therapeutics and HIV latency reversing agents that interact with cellular membranes to recruit and activate protein kinase C (PKC) isoforms. However, it is unclear how these esters interact with membranes and how this might correlate with the biological activity of different phorbol ester analogs. Here, we have employed dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) NMR to characterize phorbol esters in a native cellular context.

Impact of Nanoplastic Particles on Macrophage Inflammation and Intestinal Health in a Mouse Model of Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Background: The increasing presence of plastics in the human diet is raising public concern about the potential risks posed by nanoplastic (NP) particles, which can emerge from the degradation of plastic debris. NP ingestion poses particular risks to individuals with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), as compromised epithelial barriers may facilitate NP translocation.

Methods: In vitro, bone-marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) were exposed to 25 nm polymethacrylate (PMMA) or 50 nm polystyrene (PS) particles to assess morphological changes and alterations in pro- and anti-inflammatory gene expression.

Understanding the Growth of Electrodeposited PtNi Nanoparticle Films Using Correlated Liquid Cell Transmission Electron Microscopy and Synchrotron Radiation.

Electrodeposition is a versatile method for synthesizing nanostructured films, but controlling the morphology of films containing two or more elements requires a detailed understanding of the deposition process. We used liquid cell transmission electron microscopy to follow the electrodeposition of PtNi nanoparticle films on a carbon electrode during cyclic voltammetry. These observations show that the film thickness increases with each cycle, and by the fourth cycle, branched and porous structures could be deposited.

On the Resolution Limit of Electrohydrodynamic Redox 3D Printing.

Additive manufacturing (AM) will empower the next breakthroughs in nanotechnology by combining unmatched geometrical freedom with nanometric resolution. Despite recent advances, no micro-AM technique has been able to synthesize functional nanostructures with excellent metal quality and sub-100 nm resolution. Here, significant breakthroughs in electrohydrodynamic redox 3D printing (EHD-RP) are reported by directly fabricating high-purity Cu (>98 at.

Refinement of cryo-EM 3D maps with a self-supervised denoising model: crefDenoiser.

Cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) is a pivotal technique for imaging macromolecular structures. However, despite extensive processing of large image sets collected in cryo-EM experiments to amplify the signal-to-noise ratio, the reconstructed 3D protein-density maps are often limited in quality due to residual noise, which in turn affects the accuracy of the macromolecular representation. Here, crefDenoiser is introduced, a denoising neural network model designed to enhance the signal in 3D cryo-EM maps produced with standard processing pipelines.

Redox dynamics and surface structures of an active palladium catalyst during methane oxidation.

Catalysts based on palladium are among the most effective in the complete oxidation of methane. Despite extensive studies and notable advances, the nature of their catalytically active species and conceivable structural dynamics remains only partially understood. Here, we combine operando transmission electron microscopy (TEM) with near-ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (NAP-XPS) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations to investigate the active state and catalytic function of Pd nanoparticles (NPs) under methane oxidation conditions.

Iron-carbohydrate complexes treating iron anaemia: Understanding the nano-structure and interactions with proteins through orthogonal characterisation.

Intravenous (IV) iron-carbohydrate complexes are widely used nanoparticles (NPs) to treat iron deficiency anaemia, often associated with medical conditions such as chronic kidney disease, heart failure and various inflammatory conditions. Even though a plethora of physicochemical characterisation data and clinical studies are available for these products, evidence-based correlation between physicochemical properties of iron-carbohydrate complexes and clinical outcome has not fully been elucidated yet. Studies on other metal oxide NPs suggest that early interactions between NPs and blood upon IV injection are key to understanding how differences in physicochemical characteristics of iron-carbohydrate complexes cause variance in clinical outcomes.

Structural and mechanical anisotropy in plant-based meat analogues.

The rising demand for plant-based meat analogues as alternatives to animal products has sparked interest in understanding the complex interplay between their structural and mechanical properties. The ability to manipulate the processing parameters and protein blend composition offers fundamental insights into the texturization process and holds economic and sustainable implications for the food industry. Consequently, the correlation between mechanical and structural properties in meat analogues is crucial for achieving consumer satisfaction and successful market penetration, providing comprehensive insights into the textural properties of meat analogues and their potential to mimic traditional animal produce.

MFP1 defines the subchloroplast location of starch granule initiation.

Starch is one of the major carbohydrate storage compounds in plants. The biogenesis of starch granules starts with the formation of initials, which subsequently expand into granules. Several coiled-coil domain-containing proteins have been previously implicated with the initiation process, but the mechanisms by which they act remain largely elusive.

Channel Activities of the Full-Length Prion and Truncated Proteins.

Prion diseases are fatal neurodegenerative disorders characterized by the conversion of the cellular prion protein (PrP) into a misfolded prion form, which is believed to disrupt the cellular membranes. However, the exact mechanisms underlying prion toxicity, including the formation of membrane pores, are not fully understood. The prion protein consists of two domains: a globular domain (GD) and a flexible N-terminus (FT) domain.

Implications of Ga promotion and metal-oxide interface from tailored PtGa propane dehydrogenation catalysts supported on carbon.

Propane Dehydrogenation is a key technology, where Pt-based catalysts have widely been investigated in industry and academia, with development exploring the use of promoters (Sn, Zn, Ga, ) and additives (Na, K, Ca, Si, ) towards improved catalytic performances. Recent studies have focused on the role of Ga promotion: while computations suggest that Ga plays a key role in enhancing catalytic selectivity and stability of PtGa catalysts through Pt-site isolation as well as morphological changes, experimental evidence are lacking because of the use of oxide supports that prevent more detailed investigation. Here, we develop a methodology to generate Pt and PtGa nanoparticles with tailored interfaces on carbon supports by combining surface organometallic chemistry (SOMC) and specific thermolytic molecular precursors containing or not siloxide ligands.

Food amyloid fibrils are safe nutrition ingredients based on in-vitro and in-vivo assessment.

Food protein amyloid fibrils have superior technological, nutritional, sensorial, and physical properties compared to native monomers, but there is as yet insufficient understanding of their digestive fate and safety for wide consumption. By combining SDS-PAGE, ELISA, fluorescence, AFM, MALDI-MS, CD, microfluidics, and SAXS techniques for the characterization of β-lactoglobulin and lysozyme amyloid fibrils subjected to in-vitro gastrointestinal digestion, here we show that either no noticeable conformational differences exist between amyloid aggregates and their monomer counterparts after the gastrointestinal digestion process (as in β-lactoglobulin), or that amyloid fibrils are digested significantly better than monomers (as in lysozyme). Moreover, in-vitro exposure of human cell lines and in-vivo studies with C.

A novel method for automated crystal visualization and quantification in murine folic acid-induced acute kidney injury.

Folic acid (FA)-induced acute kidney injury (FA-AKI) is an increasingly prevalent rodent disease model involving the injection of a high dose of FA that culminates in renal FA crystal deposition and injury. However, the literature characterizing the FA-AKI model is sparse and dated in part due to the absence of a well-described methodology for the visualization and quantification of renal FA crystals. Using widely available materials and tools, we developed a straightforward and crystal-preserving histological protocol that can be coupled with automated imaging for renal FA crystal visualization and generated an automated macro for downstream crystal content quantification.

The interface of condensates of the hnRNPA1 low-complexity domain promotes formation of amyloid fibrils.

The maturation of liquid-like protein condensates into amyloid fibrils has been associated with several neurodegenerative diseases. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying this liquid-to-solid transition have remained largely unclear. Here we analyse the amyloid formation mediated by condensation of the low-complexity domain of hnRNPA1, a protein involved in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

α-Synuclein fibril and synaptic vesicle interactions lead to vesicle destruction and increased lipid-associated fibril uptake into iPSC-derived neurons.

Monomeric alpha-synuclein (aSyn) is a well characterised protein that importantly binds to lipids. aSyn monomers assemble into amyloid fibrils which are localised to lipids and organelles in insoluble structures found in Parkinson's disease patient's brains. Previous work to address pathological aSyn-lipid interactions has focused on using synthetic lipid membranes, which lack the complexity of physiological lipid membranes.

Positive feedback induces switch between distributive and processive phosphorylation of Hog1.

Cellular decision making often builds on ultrasensitive MAPK pathways. The phosphorylation mechanism of MAP kinase has so far been described as either distributive or processive, with distributive mechanisms generating ultrasensitivity in theoretical analyses. However, the in vivo mechanism of MAP kinase phosphorylation and its activation dynamics remain unclear.

Distance measurements between 5 nanometer diamonds - single particle magnetic resonance or optical super-resolution imaging?

5 nanometer sized detonation nanodiamonds (DNDs) are studied as potential single-particle labels for distance measurements in biomolecules. Nitrogen-vacancy (NV) defects in the crystal lattice can be addressed through their fluorescence and optically-detected magnetic resonance (ODMR) of a single particle can be recorded. To achieve single-particle distance measurements, we propose two complementary approaches based on spin-spin coupling or optical super-resolution imaging.

Shape-memory effect in twisted ferroic nanocomposites.

The shape recovery ability of shape-memory alloys vanishes below a critical size (~50 nm), which prevents their practical applications at the nanoscale. In contrast, ferroic materials, even when scaled down to dimensions of a few nanometers, exhibit actuation strain through domain switching, though the generated strain is modest (~1%). Here, we develop freestanding twisted architectures of nanoscale ferroic oxides showing shape-memory effect with a giant recoverable strain (>8%).