Molecular Recognition Force Spectroscopy for Probing Cell Targeted Nanoparticles In Vitro

In the development and design of cell targeted nanoparticle-based systems the density of targeting moieties plays a fundamental role in allowing maximal cell-specific interaction. Here, we describe the use of molecular recognition force spectroscopy as a valuable tool for the characterization and optimization of targeted nanoparticles toward attaining cell-specific interaction. By tailoring the density of targeting moieties at the nanoparticle surface, one can correlate the unbinding event probability between nanoparticles tethered to an atomic force microscopy tip and cells to the nanoparticle vectoring capacity. This novel approach allows for a rapid and cost-effective design of targeted nanomedicines reducing the need for long and tedious in vitro tests.The authors would like to acknowledge the Bioimaging Platform (i3S-INEB) for the support with atomic force microscopy. This work was financed by projects NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000008 and NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000012, supported by Norte Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and FEDER - Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional funds through the COMPETE 2020 - Operacional Programme for Competitiveness and Internationalisation (POCI), Portugal 2020; and by Portuguese funds through FCT (Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia) in the framework of the projects UID/BIM/04293/ 2013, PTDC/CTM-NAN/115124/2009, and PTDC/CTMNAN/3547/2014. C.P. Gomes acknowledge FCT for her PhD scholarship SFRH/BD/79930/2011

Precursors of Cytochrome Oxidase in Cytochrome-Oxidase-Deficient Cells of Neurospora crassa

Three different cell types of Neurospora crassa deficient in cytochrome oxidase were studied: the nuclear mutant cni-1, the cytoplasmic mutant mi-1 and copper-depleted wild-type cells. * 1. The enzyme-deficient cells have retained a functioning mitochondrial protein synthesis. It accounted for 12–16% of the total protein synthesis of the cell. However, the analysis of mitochondrial translation products by gel electrophoresis revealed that different amounts of individual membrane proteins were synthesized. Especially mutant cni-1 produced large amounts of a small molecular weight translation product, which is barely detectable in wild-type. * 2. Mitochondrial preparations of cytochrome-oxidase-deficient cells were examined for precursors of cytochrome oxidase. The presence of polypeptide components of cytochrome oxidase in the mitochondria was established with specific antibodies. On the other hand, no significant amounts of heme a could be extracted. * 3. Radioactively labelled components of cytochrome oxidase were isolated by immunoprecipitation and analysed by gel electrophoresis. All three cell types contained the enzyme components 4–7, which are translated on cytoplasmic ribosomes. The mitochondrially synthesized components 1–3 were present in mi-1 mutant and in copper-depleted wild-type cells. In contrast, components 2 and 3 were not detectable in the nuclear mutant cni-1. Both relative and absolute amounts of these polypeptides in the enzyme-deficient cells were quite different from those in wild-type cells. * 4. The components of cytochrome oxidase found in the enzyme-deficient cells were tightly associated with the mitochondrial membranes. * 5. Processes, which affect and may control the production of enzyme precursors or their assembly to a functional cytochrome oxidase are discussed

Magnetization Jump in a Model for Flux Lattice Melting at Low Magnetic Fields

Using a frustrated XY model on a lattice with open boundary conditions, we numerically study the magnetization change near a flux lattice melting transition at low fields. In both two and three dimensions, we find that the melting transition is followed at a higher temperature by the onset of large dissipation associated with the zero-field XY transition. It is characterized by the proliferation of vortex-antivortex pairs (in 2D) or vortex loops (in 3D). At the upper transition, there is a sharp increase in magnetization, in qualitative agreement with recent local Hall probe experiments.Comment: updated figures and texts. new movies available at http://www.physics.ohio-state.edu:80/~ryu/jj.html. Accepted for publication in Physical Review Letter

Stability of vortex lines in liquid 3He-4He mixtures at zero temperature

At low temperatures and 3He concentrations below 6.6 %, there is experimental evidence about the existence in liquid helium mixtures, of stable vortices with 3He-rich cores. When the system is either supersaturated or submitted to a tensile strength, vortices lose stability becoming metastable and eventually completely unstable, so that their cores freely expand. Within a density functional approach, we have determined the pressure-3He concentration curve along which this instability appears at zero temperature.Comment: Typeset using Revtex, 9 pages and 5 Postscript figure

Indication of Superconductivity at 35 K in Graphite-Sulfur Composites

We report magnetization measurements performed on graphite--sulfur composites which demonstrate a clear superconducting behavior below the critical temperature T$_{c0}$ = 35 K. The Meissner-Ochsenfeld effect, screening supercurrents, and magnetization hysteresis loops characteristic of type-II superconductors were measured. The results indicate that the superconductivity occurs in a small sample fraction, possibly related to the sample surface.Comment: published versio

Phase Transitions Driven by Vortices in 2D Superfluids and Superconductors: From Kosterlitz-Thouless to 1st Order

The Landau-Ginzburg-Wilson hamiltonian is studied for different values of the parameter $\lambda$ which multiplies the quartic term (it turns out that this is equivalent to consider different values of the coherence length $\xi$ in units of the lattice spacing $a$). It is observed that amplitude fluctuations can change dramatically the nature of the phase transition: for small values of $\lambda$ ($\xi/a > 0.7$), instead of the smooth Kosterlitz-Thouless transition there is a {\em first order} transition with a discontinuous jump in the vortex density $v$ and a larger non-universal drop in the helicity modulus. In particular, for $\lambda$ sufficiently small ($\xi/a \cong 1$), the density of bound pairs of vortex-antivortex below $T_c$ is so low that, $v$ drops to zero almost for all temperature $T<Tc$.Comment: 8 pages, 5 .eps figure

Editorial: Videos in der (Hochschul-)Lehre

24.04.2014 | Thomas Antretter, Johannes Dorfinger, Martin Ebner, Michael Kopp, Walther Nagler, Jutta Pauschenwein, Michael Raunig, Manfred Rechberger, Herwig Rehatschek, Patrick Schweighofer, Reinhard Staber & Martin Teufel (Graz

Vortex lines in the three-dimensional XY model with random phase shifts

The stability of the ordered phase of the three-dimensional XY-model with random phase shifts is studied by considering the roughening of a single stretched vortex line due to the disorder. It is shown that the vortex line may be described by a directed polymer Hamiltonian with an effective random potential that is long range correlated. A Flory argument estimates the roughness exponent to $\zeta=3/4$ and the energy fluctuation exponent to $\omega=1/2$, thus fulfilling the scaling relation $\omega=2\zeta-1$. The Schwartz-Edwards method as well as a numerical integration of the corresponding Burger's equation confirm this result. Since $\zeta<1$ the ordered phase of the original XY-model is stable.Comment: 8 pages RevTeX, 3 eps-figures include