ACS Nano
·
2025
·
IF 16
Yiqun Zhang,Yangyang Song,Sijian Lin,Xuyi Zhang,Zhuqing Wang,Xiaodong Wu
Natural skin receptors use ions as signal carriers, while most of the developed artificial tactile sensors utilize electrons as information carriers. To imitate the biological ionic sensing behavior, here, we present a kind of biomimetic, ionic, and fully passive mechanotransduction mechanism leveraging mechanical modulation of interfacial ionic p–n junction (IPNJ) through microchannels. Sensors based on this mechanism do not rely on an external power supply and can encode external tactile stimuli into highly analogous signal outputs to those of natural skin receptors, in terms of both signal type (i.e., ionic potential difference) and signal intensity (≈120 mV). More importantly, the instant interfacial IPNJ regulation characteristic endows the sensors with superior performance when compared to the state-of-the-art piezoionic sensors, including a low detection limit of 0.01 N, fast response/recovery speeds (16 ms/16 ms), ultralow power consumption (pW level), excellent reproducibility (over 100,000 cycles), and good capabilities to resolve both static and dynamic mechanical stimulations. As demonstrations, machine-learning-assisted high accuracy (over 99%) surface texture recognition and object classification are successfully demonstrated with the sensors integrated on robotic hands. This work enriches the family of mechanical sensing mechanisms and provides a path to mimicking natural tactile sensory systems for smart skins, artificial prostheses, and intelligent robots.
研究领域:
生物医学工程
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材料科学
·
传感器技术
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机器人学
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人工智能
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生物电子学
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机电一体化
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
PLANT GROWTH REGULATION
·
2025
·
IF 3.9
Tu Chun Yan,Gao Yong Qiang,Zheng Lu,Ma Jun Wei,Shen Ren Fang,Zhu Xiao Fang
Aluminum (Al) toxicity represents a significant constraint on crop growth in acidic soils. Al stress can stimulate the biosynthesis of melatonin (MT) in rice ( Oryza sativa L.). The exogenous application of 20 μM MT markedly reduces Al accumulation in root tips and effectively mitigates Al stress. By enhancing the levels of root hemicellulose and down-regulating the expression of two genes sensitive to aluminum rhizotoxicity ( OsSTAR1 and OsSTAR2) , which function to obscure Al binding sites within the cell wall, MT significantly improves the fixation of Al by the cell wall. Furthermore, MT diminishes cytoplasmic entry of Al by reducing expression levels of nramp aluminum transporter 1 gene ( OsNRAT1 ), while inducing expression of an aluminum-sensitive gene ( OsALS1 ), thereby promoting vacuolar compartmentation to lower cytoplasmic Al concentration. Additionally, MT substantially decreases Nitric oxide (NO) accumulation induced by Al in roots. The alleviation effect exerted by MT on Al toxicity can be replicated through administration of the NO scavenger carboxyl-PTIO (c-PTIO). Moreover, the Al-sensitive phenotype exhibited in the osgsnor mutant, coupled with the absence of mitigation by MT, further substantiates that MT alleviates Al toxicity in rice primarily via regulation of NO content, potentially relying on NO signal transduction pathways. In summary, MT plays a pivotal role in modulating rice resistance to Al toxicity and stimulates multiple pathways to enhance tolerance against this abiotic stressor. This study provides new insights into understanding mechanisms underlying rice resistance to abiotic stresses.
研究领域:
植物学
·
环境科学
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产品关联
DOI
高影响因子
ANALYTICA CHIMICA ACTA
·
2024
·
IF 5.7
Shiyi Li,Lei Li,Mengran Ma,Meining Xing,Xiaohong Qian,Wantao Ying
Background Histidine phosphorylation (pHis) plays a key role in signal transduction in prokaryotes and regulates tumour initiation and progression in mammals. However, the pHis substrates and their functions are rarely known due to the lack of effective analytical strategies. Results Herein, we provide a strategy for unbiased enrichment and assignment of the pHis peptides. First, the entire procedure was designed under alkaline conditions to maintain the stability of the N–P bond of pHis and high-pH reverse-phase chromatography was used to efficiently separate the pHis peptides. Second, exploiting the coelution benefits of diethyl labelling, the ratios of light- and heavy-labelled peptides were accurately quantified, and the sites of phosphorylated histidine were assigned. Finally, Cu-IDA bead enrichment and data-independent acquisition mass spectrometry analysis were used to improve the coverage of the histidine phosphoproteome. With this novel strategy, 768 and 1125 potential pHis peptides were identified from lysates of E. coli and HeLa cells, respectively. And these values represent the highest coverage of the histidine phosphoproteome for both cell types. Significance These data strongly support the presumption that pHis modifications are widely present in bacteria. The study provides an efficient strategy and can lead to a better understanding of pHis-modified substrates and their biological functions.
研究领域:
生物化学
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分子生物学
·
蛋白质组学
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产品关联
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
·
2022
·
IF 8.008
Chengjie Duan,Wenting Cheng,Yanheng Yao,Dayong Li,Zhongyun Wang,Yang Xiang
Aptamer-based methods have attracted increasing interest due to flexible engineering, but their generality is limited by the heterogeneity of signal transduction mechanisms. Given the fact that nonlinear and large molecules are more likely to make the nanosurface overloaded, we investigated a novel signal transduction process to extend the application of aptasensors. In this work, an aptamer complementary element (ACE) is designed with a primer region to serve as the signal probe, which can fully hybridize with an aptamer and be separated by magnetic beads (MBs). Upon target binding, the formed aptamer/target complex is much larger than the linear aptamer/ACE-primer dimer, causing overload of MBs on account of steric hindrance. An extra aptamer/ACE-primer can escape from the surface to the supernatant, which can be amplified by a catalytic hairpin assembly (CHA) circle. The size-dependent signal transduction and the modular design endow the method with high generality and flexibility for protein analysis. The proposed aptasensor was successfully applied to the detection of tau proteins ranging from 0.5 to 1000 ng mL–1 with a limit of detection (LOD) as low as 0.254 ng mL–1. The recovery tests in both human serum and cerebra spinal fluid confirmed the high accuracy and stability. Furthermore, a successful distinction was made between AD patients and healthy controls by the method, suggesting the possible applicability for practical analysis of tau proteins.
研究领域:
生物化学
·
分子诊断
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分析化学
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产品关联
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
·
2021
·
IF 6.986
Guo Liu,Shan Huang,Xiaochen Liu,Wanzhen Chen,Xin Ma,Shuang Cao,Liping Wang,Lanlan Chen,Huanghao Yang
Transmembrane signal transduction is of profound significance in many biological processes. The dimerization of cell-surface receptors is one prominent mechanism by which signals are transmitted across the membrane and trigger intracellular cascade amplification reactions. Recreating such processes in artificial systems has potential applications in sensing, drug delivery, bioengineering, and providing a new route for a deep understanding of fundamental biological processes. However, it remains a challenge to design artificial signal transduction systems working by the receptor dimerization mechanism in a predictable and smart manner. Here, benefitting from DNA with features of programmability, controllability, and flexible design, we use DNA as a building material to construct an artificial system mimicking dimerization of receptors for signal transduction and cascade amplification. DNA-based membrane-spanning receptor analogues are designed to recognize external signals, which drives two receptors into close spatial proximity to activate DNAzymes inside the cell-mimicking system. The activation of the DNAzyme initiates the catalyzed cleavage of encapsulated substrates and leads to the release of fluorescent second messengers for signal amplification. Such an artificial signal transduction system extends the range of biomimetic DNA-based signaling systems, providing a new avenue to study natural cell signaling processes and artificially regulate biological processes.
研究领域:
合成生物学
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分子生物学
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纳米生物学
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产品关联
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS
·
2025
·
IF 19
Xuan Pei,Haitao Peng,Ya Ren,Lina Wu,Donglin Ma,Changchun Zhou,Li Min,Yujiang Fan,Maling Gou
Osteoinductive biomaterials have emerged as promising platforms for bone regeneration. Nevertheless, conventional calcium phosphate-based systems exhibit suboptimal mechanical properties, particularly under load-bearing conditions, which severely restricts their clinical applicability in critical-sized defect repair. Here, a carbon-based scaffold fabricated through a 3D printing-pyrolysis strategy, featuring osteoinductive coralloid nanostructures on its surface is reported. The scaffold demonstrates a specific strength of 237.5 kN·m kg −1 , surpassing that of commercial orthopedic implants. Notably, the scaffold shows intrinsic osteoinductive properties through successful ectopic bone formation in gluteus maximus, a phenomenon attributed to its nanotopography-mediated activation of mechanotransduction pathways via Yes-associated protein (YAP) nuclear translocation. The scaffold outperformed titanium alloys in repairing both femoral bone defects and cranial bone defects in vivo. Its bone repair efficiency can be further improved by a biomimetic mineralization process. This work highlights the potential of a robust carbon scaffold with a nanostructured surface for osteoinductivity, which will lead to the development of future biomaterials for bone repair.
研究领域:
生物材料学
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再生医学
·
骨科
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
高影响因子
ANALYTICAL AND BIOANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
·
2024
·
IF 3.8
Jin Xue-Ke,Jin Kai-Qi,Yang Xiao-Ke,Wen Ming-Yong,Liu Yan-Ling,Huang Wei-Hua
Mechanotransduction is the essential process that cells convert mechanical force into biochemical responses, and electrochemical sensor stands out from existing techniques by providing quantitative and real-time information about the biochemical signals during cellular mechanotransduction. However, the intracellular biochemical response evoked by mechanical force has been poorly monitored. In this paper, we report a method to apply local stretch on single cell and simultaneously monitor the ensuing intracellular biochemical signals. Specifically, a ferromagnetic micropipette was fabricated to locally stretch a single cell labeled with Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles under the external magnetic field, and the SiC@Pt nanowire electrode (SiC@Pt NWE) was inserted into the cell to monitor the intracellular hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) production induced by the local stretch. As a proof of concept, this work quantitatively investigated the elevated amount of H 2 O 2 levels in single endothelial cell under different stretching amplitudes. This work puts forward a new research modality to manipulate and monitor the mechanotransduction at the single-cell level. Graphical abstract
研究领域:
生物医学工程
·
细胞生物学
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
BIOMATERIALS
·
2024
·
IF 12.8
Hongyu Wang,Ruili Liu,Yue Yu,Hongrui Xue,Runjia Shen,Yanshuang Zhang,Jiandong Ding
Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a key phenotypic switch in cancer metastasis, leading to fatal consequences for patients. Under geometric constraints, the morphology of cancer cells changes in both cellular and subcellular levels, whose effects on EMT are, however, not fully understood. Herein, we designed and fabricated chimeric micropatterns of polystyrene (PS) with adhesion contrast to reveal the impacts of cell shapes and nuclear shapes on EMT in a decoupled way. Cell elongation was modulated via microwell aspect ratios (ARs), and nuclear deformation was generated through a micropillar array in the microwell. Human non-small cell lung cancer cells (A549) were cultured on the quasi-three dimensional micropatterned surfaces, and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) was added to induce EMT. We found that chimeric micropatterns upregulated EMT with an increase of cellular AR and nuclear indentation under given TGF-β1. The subsequent assessment of the contractility and oriented assembly of microfilaments elucidated the key role of mechanotransduction in cell elongation and EMT, as proved by myosin inhibition, while it was obstructed by micropillars in the chimeric micropattern. Hence, the micropillar array possessed a nonmonotonic influence, enhancing the EMT of cells with AR of 1, but hindering the EMT with an impact more significant on microwells with large ARs due to the impeded cytoskeleton assembly. This fundamental research has illustrated the complex of cellular and subcellular geometries on cell behaviors including phenotype transition in cancer metastasis.
研究领域:
生物医学工程
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细胞生物学
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癌症研究
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
SCIENTIA HORTICULTURAE
·
2021
·
IF 3.463
Xiaoya Tao,Qiong Wu,Jiayin Li,Di Wang,Sanusi Shamsudeen Nassarawa,Tiejin Ying
Phytohormone methyl jasmonate (MeJA) plays an important role in fruit ripening. This research aimed to investigate the regulation of MeJA in ethylene biosynthesis and signal transduction during postharvest tomatoes ripening. After mature green cherry tomatoes were infiltrated with MeJA (0.5 mM) or deionized water (control) respectively, fruit colour and firmness, ethylene production, the activities and expressions of ACS and ACO, as well as the expressions of major genes involved in ethylene signal transduction were periodically monitored. Results showed that a significant acceleration in ripening in MeJA-treated fruit was observed, along with the accelerated changes of ethylene production, the enhanced activities and expression levels of ACS and ACO. The expression levels of ETR3 , ETR4 , ETR6 , ETR7 , EIN2 , EIL2 , EIL3 , EIL4 and ERF1 were up-regulated (from 1.26- to 6.50-fold) by MeJA during tomatoes ripening. The expression of CTR1 , however, was down-regulated (from 0.23- to 0.54-fold). Moreover, the expression of EIL1 was positively regulated at the early ripening stage whereas negatively regulated at the late ripening stage (11.76-/0.39-fold), whereas the expressions of CTR3 and CTR4 showed the opposite expression patterns (0.15-/7.78-fold, 0.48-/2.00-fold). Results suggested the up-regulation of the genes associated with ethylene biosynthesis, as well as the up-regulated transcriptional levels of the most genes involved in ethylene signal transduction, leading to the increase of ethylene production, response and action, would be one of the major mechanisms of MeJA in accelerating postharvest tomatoes ripening.
研究领域:
植物学
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分子生物学
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
高影响因子
Small
·
2025
·
IF 12.1
Qian Sun,Tiecheng Qiu,Xiaojing Liu,Qiang Wei
The geometric properties of extracellular matrix (ECM) fibers play a crucial role in regulating cellular behaviors and functions. Although extensive research has examined the effects of fiber alignment, conflicting results have often arisen, leaving the precise mechanisms by which electrospun fiber alignment affects cellular behavior still unclear. This study investigates how the arrangement of polycaprolactone (PCL) electrospun fiber substrates affects cellular mechanosensing by modulating cell positioning. Larger cells, whose width on a coverslip exceeds 5 times the width of the aligned fiber gaps (≈8 µm in this study) and that span multiple aligned fibers, demonstrate enhanced spreading and mechanotransduction. Conversely, smaller cells, whose width is less than or equal to 2.5 times the width of the aligned fiber gaps and are confined within fiber interstices, exhibit limited mechanotransductive signaling. These findings are further supported by manipulating cell size and, more importantly, have led to the fabrication of semi-aligned fiber networks that enhance both cell spreading and mechanotransduction. This research emphasizes the importance of optimizing fiber architecture to improve cellular interactions, offering valuable insights for the design of biomimetic scaffolds in tissue regeneration.
研究领域:
生物材料学
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细胞生物学
·
组织工程学
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
MOLECULAR NUTRITION & FOOD RESEARCH
·
2017
·Vol. 61
·期 12
·1700332
·
IF 4.323
Xiaoyao Ma,Yuan Zhang,Zengyong Wang,Yunbing Shen,Man Zhang,Quandeng Nie,Yuanyuan Hou,Gang Bai
Scope Ursolic acid (UA) is a pentacyclicterpenoid carboxylic acid that is present in a wide variety of plant foods. There are many beneficial health effects that are attributed to the properties of UA. However, the specific cellular targets of UA and the mechanism underlying downstream signal transduction processes linked to the anti-inflammation pathway have not been thoroughly elucidated to date. Methods and results Chemical biology strategies such as target fishing, click reaction synthesis of a UA probe and molecular imaging were used to identify potential target proteins of UA. Cysteinyl aspartate specific proteinase 3 (CASP3) and its downstream signaling pathway were verified as potential targets by molecular docking, intracellular enzyme activity evaluation and accurate pathway analysis. The results indicated that UA acted on CASP3, ERK1 and JNK2 targets, alleviated inflammation-associated downstream multiple signal transduction factors, including ERK1, NF-κB and STAT3, and exhibited anti-inflammation activities. Conclusion As a natural dietary supplement, UA demonstrated anti-inflammation activity via inhibition of CASP3 and shows the potential to improve the therapy effect of several inflammation-associated diseases.
研究领域:
药理学
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免疫学
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分子生物学
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
ANALYST
·
2015
·Vol. 140
·期 12
·4001-4006
·
IF 4.107
Shaozhen Wang,Junyong Sun,Feng Gao
A turn-on fluorescent chemosensor of Pb2+ in the near-infrared (NIR) region, which is based on the Pb2+-tuned restored fluorescence of a weakly fluorescent fluorophore–gold nanoparticle (AuNPs) assembly, has been reported. In this fluorophore–AuNP assembly, NIR fluorescent dye brilliant cresyl blue (BCB) molecules act as fluorophores and are used for signal transduction of fluorescence, while AuNPs act as quenchers to quench the nearby fluorescent BCB molecules via electron transfer. In the presence of Pb2+, fluorescent BCB molecules detached from AuNPs and restored their fluorescence due to the formation of a chelating complex between Pb2+ and glutathione confined on AuNPs. Under the optimal conditions, the present BCB–AuNP assembly is capable of detecting Pb2+ with a concentration ranging from 7.5 × 10−10 to 1 × 10−8 mol L−1 (0.16–2.1 ng mL−1) and a detection limit of 0.51 nM (0.11 ng mL−1). The present BCB–AuNP assembly can be used in aqueous media for the determination of Pb2+ unlike common organic fluorescent reagents, and also shows advantages of NIR fluorescence spectrophotometry such as less interference, lower detection limit, and higher sensitivity. Moreover, the present method was successfully applied for the detection of Pb2+ in water samples with satisfactory results.
研究领域:
分析化学
·
环境科学
·
纳米技术
✓ 已验证
DOI
高影响因子
危险品化学品经营许可证（带存储）