CENP-C facilitates the recruitment of M18BP1 to centromeric chromatin

Centromeres are important structural constituents of chromosomes that ensure proper chromosome segregation during mitosis by providing defined sites for kinetochore attachment. In higher eukaryotes, centromeres have no specific DNA sequence and thus, they are rather determined through epigenetic mechanisms. A fundamental process in centromere establishment is the incorporation of the histone variant CENP-A into centromeric chromatin, which provides a binding platform for the other centromeric proteins. The Mis18 complex, and, in particular, its member M18BP1 was shown to be essential for both incorporation and maintenance of CENP-A

Quantitative analysis of the binding affinity of poly(ADP-ribose) to specific binding proteins as a function of chain length

Poly(ADP-ribose) (PAR) is synthesized by poly(ADP-ribose) polymerases in response to genotoxic stress and interacts non-covalently with DNA damage checkpoint and repair proteins. Here, we present a variety of techniques to analyze this interaction in terms of selectivity and affinity. In vitro synthesized PAR was end-labeled using a carbonyl-reactive biotin analog. Binding of HPLC-fractionated PAR chains to the tumor suppressor protein p53 and to the nucleotide excision repair protein XPA was assessed using a novel electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA). Long ADP-ribose chains (55-mer) promoted the formation of three specific complexes with p53. Short PAR chains (16-mer) were also able to bind p53, yet forming only one defined complex. In contrast, XPA did not interact with short polymer, but produced a single complex with long PAR chains (55-mer). In addition, we performed surface plasmon resonance with immobilized PAR chains, which allowed establishing binding constants and confirmed the results obtained by EMSA. Taken together, we developed several new protocols permitting the quantitative characterization of PAR–protein binding. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the affinity of the non-covalent PAR interactions with specific binding proteins (XPA, p53) can be very high (nanomolar range) and depends both on the PAR chain length and on the binding protein

Accelerated polaron formation in perovskite quantum dots monitored via picosecond infrared spectroscopy

The formation and nature of polarons in perovskite quantum dots (QDs) are still unclear. Due to the very limited crystal size and quantum confinement, influences on the polaron stabilization dynamics could be expected. Here, we investigate the coupling of photoexcited charges to vibrational modes in mixed cation lead halide Cs0.2FA0.8PbBr3 QDs via picosecond mid-infrared spectroscopy in comparison to the bulk film. We find additional processes occurring in an infrared activated vibrational (IRAV) mode compared to the ground-state bleaching and screened carrier background signal. Using that mode as a proxy for the charge-molecular bond coupling, we interpret additional time constant as a polaron stabilization time. With the confinement effects present in the QDs, this time shortens from tens of picoseconds in the bulk to only a few picoseconds.Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)This research was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) via the Clusters of Excellence “e-conversion” EXC 2089/1-390776260 and “Munich Center for Quantum Science and Technology (MCQST)” EXC 2111/390814868, and by the Singapore Agency for Science, Technology and Research A*STAR-AME programmatic grant on Nanoantenna Spatial Light Modulators for Next-Gen Display Technologies (Grant no. A18A7b0058). M. N. thanks the “Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes” for a PhD scholarship

Picosecond charge localization dynamics in CH₃NH₃PbI₃ perovskite probed by infrared-activated vibrations

Hybrid metal halide perovskites exhibit well-defined semiconducting properties and efficient optoelectronic performance considering their soft crystal structure and low-energy lattice motions. The response of such a crystal lattice to light-induced charges is a fundamental question, for which experimental insight into ultrafast time scales is still sought. Here, we use infrared-activated vibrations (IRAV) of the organic components within the hybrid perovskite lattice as a sensitive probe for local structural reorganizations after photoexcitation, with femtosecond resolution. We find that the IRAV signal response shows a delayed rise of about 3 ps and subsequent decay of pronounced monomolecular character, distinguishing it from absorption associated with free carriers. We interpret our results as a two-step carrier localization process. Initially, carriers localize transiently in local energy minima formed by lattice fluctuations. A subpopulation of these can then fall into deeper trapped states over picoseconds, likely due to local reorganization of the organic molecules surrounding the carriers.Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)National Research Foundation (NRF)Submitted/Accepted versionThis research was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) via the Clusters of Excellence "MunichCentre of Advanced Photonics (MAP)" and "e-conversion" EXC 2089/1-390776260, by the Singapore National Research Foundation under the Energy Innovation Research Program (CRP Award NRF-CRP14-2014-03 and Solar CRP: S18-1176SCRP), and by the A*STAR-AME programmatic grant (Grant A18A7b0058). M.N. thanks the "Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes" for a PhD scholarship

Co-nonsolvency in concentrated aqueous solutions of PNIPAM: effect of methanol on the collective and the chain dynamics

The polymer dynamics in concentrated solutions of poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) (PNIPAM) in D2O/CD3OD mixtures is investigated in the one-phase region. Two polymer concentrations (9 and 25 wt%) and CD3OD contents in the solvent mixture of 0, 10 and 15 vol% are chosen. Temperature-resolved dynamic light scattering (DLS) reveals the collective dynamics. Two modes are observed, namely the fast relaxation of polymer segments within the blobs and the slow collective relaxation of the blobs. As the cloud point is approached, the correlation length related to the fast mode increases with CD3OD content. It features critical scaling behavior, which is consistent with mean-field behavior for the 9 wt% PNIPAM solution in pure D2O and with 3D Ising behavior for all other solutions. While the slow mode is not very strong in the 9 wt% PNIPAM solution in pure D2O, it is significantly more prominent as CD3OD is added and at all CD3OD contents in the 25 wt% solution, which may be attributed to enhanced interaction between the polymers. Neutron spin-echo spectroscopy (NSE) reveals a decay in the intermediate structure factor which indicates a diffusive process. For the polymer concentration of 9 wt%, the diffusion coefficients from NSE are similar to the ones from the fast relaxation observed in DLS. In contrast, they are significantly lower for the solutions having a polymer concentration of 25 wt%, which is attributed to the influence of the dominant large-scale dynamic heterogeneities. To summarize, addition of cosolvent leads to enhanced large-scale heterogeneities, which are reflected in the dynamic behavior at small length scales

The superantigen exfoliative toxin induces cutaneous lymphocyte-associated antigen expression in peripheral human T lymphocytes

Several immune-mediated dermatoses including psoriasis and atopic dermatitis can be exacerbated by bacterial infections. Superantigen producing bacteria can be isolated from skin lesions of these dermatoses. Consistent with superantigen effects, skewed T cell receptor variable gene usage has been demonstrated within these lesions. Therefore, the question arises whether superantigen induce a skin-seeking phenotype within peripheral T cells. In this study, we investigated the in vitro influence of the V beta 2-selective superantigen exfoliative toxin from Staphylococcus aureus on the expression of the cutaneous lymphocyte-associated antigen on peripheral T lymphocytes of healthy donors. We demonstrate that exfoliative toxin dramatically upregulates cutaneous lymphocyte-associated antigen expression on T cell receptor V beta 2+ lymphocytes. Up to 69% of V beta 2+ lymphocytes expressed cutaneous lymphocyte-associated antigen after 5 days of in vitro culture. Additionally, exfoliative toxin also increased cutaneous lymphocyte-associated antigen expression in CD3+ T cell receptor V beta 2- lymphocytes indicating a different effect as caused by the superantigen-T cell receptor V beta 2 interaction. Our findings suggest influence of bacterial superantigens on T lymphocyte skin homing in vivo

Hot Electron Dynamics in InAs–AlAsSb Core–Shell Nanowires

Semiconductor nanowires (NWs) have shown evidence of robust hot-carrier effects due to their small dimensions, making them attractive for advanced photoenergy conversion concepts. Especially, indium arsenide (InAs) NWs are promising candidates for harvesting hot carriers due to their high absorption coefficient, high carrier mobility, and large effective electron-to-hole mass difference. Here, we investigate the cooling and recombination dynamics of photoexcited hot carriers in pure and passivated InAs NWs by using ultrafast near-infrared pump–probe spectroscopy. We observe reduced Auger recombination in pure InAs NWs compared to that in passivated ones and associate this with charge-carrier separation by surface band bending. Similarly, faster carrier cooling by electron–hole scattering is observed in passivated InAs–AlAsSb NWs at high carrier densities in excess of 1018 cm–3, where hot electron lifetimes in this regime increase substantially with the pump fluence due to Auger heating. These results emphasize the importance of type-II alignment for charge-carrier separation in hot-carrier devices to suppress carrier-mediated cooling channels. In addition, a separate charge-carrier population lasting up to several nanoseconds is observed for photoexcitation of the NW shell. Despite the high conduction band offset, carrier migration is not observed in the range of 40 ps to 2 ns. This observation may open avenues for core–shell NW multijunction solar cells