Biomimetic poly(amidoamine) hydrogels as synthetic materials for cell culture

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Poly(amidoamine)s (PAAs) are synthetic polymers endowed with many biologically interesting properties, being highly biocompatible, non toxic and biodegradable. Hydrogels based on PAAs can be easily modified during the synthesis by the introduction of functional co-monomers. Aim of this work is the development and testing of novel amphoteric nanosized poly(amidoamine) hydrogel film incorporating 4-aminobutylguanidine (agmatine) moieties to create RGD-mimicking repeating units for promoting cell adhesion.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A systematic comparative study of the response of an epithelial cell line was performed on hydrogels with agmatine and on non-functionalized amphoteric poly(amidoamine) hydrogels and tissue culture plastic substrates. The cell adhesion on the agmatine containing substrates was comparable to that on plastic substrates and significantly enhanced with respect to the non-functionalized controls. Interestingly, spreading and proliferation on the functionalized supports are slower than on plastic exhibiting the possibility of an easier control of the cell growth kinetics. In order to favor the handling of the samples, a procedure for the production of bi-layered constructs was also developed by means the deposition via spin coating of a thin layer of hydrogel on a pre-treated cover slip.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The obtained results reveal that PAAs hydrogels can be profitably functionalized and, in general, undergo physical and chemical modifications to meet specific requirements. In particular the incorporation of agmatine warrants good potential in the field of cell culturing and the development of supported functionalized hydrogels on cover glass are very promising substrates for applications in cell screening devices.</p

Difurocoumarins, Psoralen Analogs: Synthesis and DNA Photobinding

A new tetracyclic derivative, difurocoumarin, was synthesized and studied in order to ascertain its possible use as a photochemotherapeutic agent alternative to psoralens. The compound proved able to photobind monofunctionally to DNA on irradiation with UV-A. A photocycloadduct with thymine was isolated and characterized spectroscopically

Ancient stellar populations in the outskirts of nearby grand-design spirals: Investigation of their star formation histories

The main sequence (MS) of star-forming galaxies (SFGs) is the tight relation between the galaxy stellar mass and its star formation rate (SFR) and was observed up to z ~ 6. The MS relation can be used as a reference for understanding the differences among galaxies, characterised by different rates of stellar production (starbursts, SFGs, and passive galaxies), and those inside a galaxy made up of different components (bulge, disk, and halo). To investigate peculiar features found in our sample galaxies, we focus here on their star formation history (SFH). We performed a spectral energy distribution fitting procedure that accounted for the energetic balance between UV and far-IR radiation on a sample of eight nearby face-on spiral galaxies from the DustPedia sample. This approach allowed us to study the spatially resolved MS of the sample and to recover the past SFH. By exploiting the BAGPIPES code, we constrained the SFHs for each galaxy with a delayed exponentially declining model to derive their mass-weighted age (tMW). A central old region (tMW up to~7Gyr, consistent with the presence of a bulge for various systems) is followed by younger regions in which the disks are still forming stars (tMW~4Gyr). At larger distances, tMW increases mildly in general. Strikingly, in two galaxies (NGC4321 and NGC5194), we found a steep increase in tMW that reached levels similar to those of the bulge. These old stellar populations in the very galaxy outskirts are unexpected. We discuss their potential origin by considering the different gas phases of the source with the most prominent quenched ring, NGC4321, and argue for two main possibilities: 1) some environmental effect (e.g. starvation) or 2) the circumgalactic medium of sources outside of high-density clusters might have stopped to supply pristine gas to the galaxy (e.g. if its specific angular moment is too high for being accreted).Comment: Accepted for publication on Astronomy and Astrophysic

ALMA reveals the molecular gas properties of five star-forming galaxies across the main sequence at 3

International audienceWe present the detection of CO(5-4) with S/N> 7 - 13 and a lower CO transition with S/N > 3 (CO(4-3) for 4 galaxies, and CO(3-2) for one) with ALMA in band 3 and 4 in five main sequence star-forming galaxies with stellar masses 3-6x10^10 M/M_sun at 3 < z < 3.5. We find a good correlation between the total far-infrared luminosity LFIR and the luminosity of the CO(5-4) transition L'CO(5-4), where L'CO(5-4) increases with SFR, indicating that CO(5-4) is a good tracer of the obscured SFR in these galaxies. The two galaxies that lie closer to the star-forming main sequence have CO SLED slopes that are comparable to other star-forming populations, such as local SMGs and BzK star-forming galaxies; the three objects with higher specific star formation rates (sSFR) have far steeper CO SLEDs, which possibly indicates a more concentrated episode of star formation. By exploiting the CO SLED slopes to extrapolate the luminosity of the CO(1-0) transition, and using a classical conversion factor for main sequence galaxies of alpha_CO = 3.8 M_sun(K km s^-1 pc^-2)^-1, we find that these galaxies are very gas rich, with molecular gas fractions between 60 and 80%, and quite long depletion times, between 0.2 and 1 Gyr. Finally, we obtain dynamical masses that are comparable with the sum of stellar and gas mass (at least for four out of five galaxies), allowing us to put a first constraint on the alpha_CO parameter for main sequence galaxies at an unprecedented redshift

Conversion of nanoscale topographical information of cluster-assembled zirconia surfaces into mechanotransductive events promotes neuronal differentiation

Additional file 4: Table S1. Proteomic data for upregulated proteins. Proteins upregulated (compared to flat-Zr) or present only in cells grown on ns-Zr15. Adhesome proteins and proteins with roles in mechanobiological processes are marked in dark and light grey, respectively

Multi-Wavelength View of Kiloparsec-Scale Clumps in Star-Forming Galaxies at z~2

This paper studies the properties of kiloparsec-scale clumps in star-forming galaxies at z~2 through multi-wavelength broad band photometry. A sample of 40 clumps is identified through auto-detection and visual inspection from 10 galaxies with 1.5<z<2.5 in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field, where deep and high-resolution HST/WFC3 and ACS images enable us to resolve structures of z~2 galaxies down to kpc scale in the rest-frame UV and optical bands as well as to detect clumps toward the faint end. The physical properties of clumps are measured through fitting spatially resolved seven-band (BVizYJH) spectral energy distribution to models. On average, the clumps are blue and have similar median rest-frame UV--optical color as the diffuse components of their host galaxies, but the clumps have large scatter in their colors. Although the star formation rate (SFR)--stellar mass relation of galaxies is dominated by the diffuse components, clumps emerge as regions with enhanced specific SFRs, contributing individually ~10% and together ~50% of the SFR of the host galaxies. However, the contributions of clumps to the rest-frame UV/optical luminosity and stellar mass are smaller, typically a few percent individually and ~20% together. On average, clumps are younger by 0.2 dex and denser by a factor of 8 than diffuse components. Clump properties have obvious radial variations in the sense that central clumps are redder, older, more extincted, denser, and less active on forming stars than outskirts clumps. Our results are broadly consistent with a widely held view that clumps are formed through gravitational instability in gas-rich turbulent disks and would eventually migrate toward galactic centers and coalesce into bulges. Roughly 40% of the galaxies in our sample contain a massive clump that could be identified as a proto-bulge, which seems qualitatively consistent with such a bulge-formation scenario.Comment: Accepted by ApJ. This updated version matches the in-press one. 50 pages (single column), 10 figures, 3 table

VizieR Online Data Catalog: Sub-mJy radio sources SF properties (Bonzini+, 2015)

In this work, we investigated the SF properties of the faint radio population as detected by one of the deepest 1.4 GHz survey up-to-date conducted with the VLA in the E-CDFS. This study builds upon the results presented in Bonzini et al. (2012, Cat. J/ApJS/203/15 and 2013, Cat. J/MNRAS/436/3759) where we have exploited the wealth of multiwavelength data available in this field to identify the AGNs, further divide them into RL and RQ, and characterize the properties of the radio selected galaxies (e.g. redshift, stellar mass)

The European Large Area ISO Survey IX: the 90 micron luminosity function from the Final Analysis sample

We present the 90 micron luminosity function of the Final Analysis of the European Large Area ISO Survey (ELAIS), extending the sample size of our previous analysis (paper IV) by about a factor of 4. Our sample extends to z=1.1, around 50 times the comoving volume of paper IV, and 10^{7.7} < h^{-2}L/Lsun < 10^{12.5}. From our optical spectroscopy campaigns of the northern ELAIS 90 mircon survey (7.4 deg^2 in total, to S(90um)>70mJy), we obtained redshifts for 61% of the sample (151 redshifts) to B<21 identified at 7 microns, 15 microns, 20cm or with bright (B<18.5) optical identifications. The selection function is well-defined, permitting the construction of the 90 micron luminosity function of the Final Analysis catalogue in the ELAIS northern fields, which is in excellent agreement with our Preliminary Analysis luminosity function in the ELAIS S1 field from paper IV. The luminosity function is also in good agreement with the IRAS-based prediction of Serjeant & Harrison (2004), which if correct requires luminosity evolution of (1+z)^{3.4 +/- 1.0} for consistency with the source counts. This implies an evolution in comoving volume averaged star formation rate at z<~1 consistent with that derived from rest-frame optical and ultraviolet surveys.Comment: MNRAS accepted. 7 pages, 5 figures. Uses BoxedEPS (included

Conversion of nanoscale topographical information of cluster-assembled zirconia surfaces into mechanotransductive events promotes neuronal differentiation

Background: Thanks to mechanotransductive components cells are competent to perceive nanoscale topographical features of their environment and to convert the immanent information into corresponding physiological responses. Due to its complex configuration, unraveling the role of the extracellular matrix is particularly challenging. Cell substrates with simplified topographical cues, fabricated by top-down micro- and nanofabrication approaches, have been useful in order to identify basic principles. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms of this conversion remain only partially understood. Results: Here we present the results of a broad, systematic and quantitative approach aimed at understanding how the surface nanoscale information is converted into cell response providing a profound causal link between mechanotransductive events, proceeding from the cell/nanostructure interface to the nucleus. We produced nanostructured ZrO2 substrates with disordered yet controlled topographic features by the bottom-up technique supersonic cluster beam deposition, i.e. the assembling of zirconia nanoparticles from the gas phase on a flat substrate through a supersonic expansion. We used PC12 cells, a well-established model in the context of neuronal differentiation. We found that the cell/nanotopography interaction enforces a nanoscopic architecture of the adhesion regions that affects the focal adhesion dynamics and the cytoskeletal organization, which thereby modulates the general biomechanical properties by decreasing the rigidity of the cell. The mechanotransduction impacts furthermore on transcription factors relevant for neuronal differentiation (e.g. CREB), and eventually the protein expression profile. Detailed proteomic data validated the observed differentiation. In particular, the abundance of proteins that are involved in adhesome and/or cytoskeletal organization is striking, and their up- or downregulation is in line with their demonstrated functions in neuronal differentiation processes. Conclusion: Our work provides a deep insight into the molecular mechanotransductive mechanisms that realize the conversion of the nanoscale topographical information of SCBD-fabricated surfaces into cellular responses, in this case neuronal differentiation. The results lay a profound cell biological foundation indicating the strong potential of these surfaces in promoting neuronal differentiation events which could be exploited for the development of prospective research and/or biomedical applications. These applications could be e.g. tools to study mechanotransductive processes, improved neural interfaces and circuits, or cell culture devices supporting neurogenic processes