Emerging applications of nanotechnology for diagnosis and therapy of disease: a review

Nanotechnology is of increasing interest in the fields of medicine and physiology over recent years. Its application could considerably improve disease detection and therapy, and although the potential is considerable, there are still many challenges, which need to be addressed before it is accepted in routine clinical use. This review focuses on emerging applications that nanotechnology could enhance or provide new approaches in diagnoses and therapy. The main focus of recent research centres on targeted therapies and enhancing imaging; however, the introduction of nanomaterial into the human body must be controlled, as there are many issues with possible toxicity and long-term effects. Despite these issues, the potential for nanotechnology to provide new methods of combating cancer and other disease conditions is considerable. There are still key challenges for researchers in this field, including the means of delivery and targetting in the body to provide effective treatment for specific disease conditions. Nanoparticles are difficult to measure due to the size and physical properties; hence there is still a great need to improve physiological measurements method in the field to ascertain how effective their use is in the human subject. This review is a brief snapshot into the fast changing research field of measurement and physiological links to nanoparticle use and its potential in the future

Synaptic MAGUK multimer formation is mediated by PDZ domains and promoted by ligand binding

To examine the scaffolding properties of PSD-95, we have taken advantage of established ligand/PDZ domain interactions and developed a cell-based assay for investigating protein complex formation. This assay enables quantitative analysis of PDZ domain-mediated protein clustering using bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC). Two nonfluorescent halves of EYFP were fused to C-terminal PDZ ligand sequences to generate probes that sense for PDZ domain binding grooves of adjacent (interacting) molecules. When these probes are brought into proximity by the PDZ domains of a multiprotein scaffold, a functional fluorescent EYFP molecule can be detected. We have used this system to examine the properties of selected PSD-95 variants and thereby delineated regions of importance for PSD-95 complex formation. Further analysis led to the finding that PSD-95 multimerization is PDZ domain-mediated and promoted by ligand binding

On the Quantum Invariant for the Brieskorn Homology Spheres

We study an exact asymptotic behavior of the Witten-Reshetikhin-Turaev invariant for the Brieskorn homology spheres $\Sigma(p_1,p_2,p_3)$ by use of properties of the modular form following a method proposed by Lawrence and Zagier. Key observation is that the invariant coincides with a limiting value of the Eichler integral of the modular form with weight 3/2. We show that the Casson invariant is related to the number of the Eichler integrals which do not vanish in a limit $\tau\to N \in \mathbb{Z}$. Correspondingly there is a one-to-one correspondence between the non-vanishing Eichler integrals and the irreducible representation of the fundamental group, and the Chern-Simons invariant is given from the Eichler integral in this limit. It is also shown that the Ohtsuki invariant follows from a nearly modular property of the Eichler integral, and we give an explicit form in terms of the L-function.Comment: 26 pages, 2 figure

Assessing Genetic Diversity Between Bighorn Sheep Populations in Western Montana

This study investigates two remote bighorn sheep populations in the southern Bitterroot Valley affected by a pneumonia outbreak in 2010. Limited information is available regarding the genetic relatedness among bighorn sheep populations and how pneumonia related die offs could impact genetic diversity and herd resilience to future outbreaks. To contribute to local research efforts we developed scat collection and DNA extraction protocol for advanced high school students in a community science program. This study gathers baseline information about the genetic relatedness between two relatively close but isolated populations, and will estimate the heterozygosity and the number of distinct alleles at several microsatellite loci. DNA from bighorn sheep scat was collected, extracted, and genotyped from samples in June of 2011 (n = 19) and 2012 (n = 25). The small sample size will reduce our ability to make broad conclusions; the number of samples represents about 20 percent of the estimated herd size in 2011 and 2012. Although our ability to make conclusions may be limited, this data could contribute to bighorn sheep management strategies for the Bitterroot and long term genetic monitoring for a sustainable population. Additional samples will be collected and analyzed yearly to look for changes in heterozygosity over time and in response to any future translocations

Editorial: Addressing roles for glycans in immunology using chemical biology

Glycoconjugates, macromolecules containing carbohydrates (glycans) conjugated to proteins or lipids, are a diverse class of biopolymers capable of regulating cell-cell interactions. They are present in a high, natural heterogeneity, which originates from the complex mechanisms involved in their biosynthesis. Genetic and environmental factors determine the ensemble of glycans on any particular cell type, in a non-template encoded manner. As a consequence, the cell surface glycan profile provides a tightly-regulated temporal and spatial signature containing crucial biological information. This information is translated into biological functions by glycan binding proteins (GBPs), also called lectins. Importantly, our immune system is modulated by three major GBP families: C-type lectins, galectins, and Siglecs. The abilities of these GBPs to modulate immune cell function is intimately connected to their ability to differentiate ?self? or ?non-self? glycans from our own cells or pathogens, respectively. Hence, GBP?glycan interactions are critical mediators in immune cell homeostasis. Genetic manipulation of glycan processing enzymes has shed light on the roles of glycans in pathologies such as autoimmune diseases and cancer. However, genetic tools such as genomic manipulation and transgenic animal models have shown to be insufficient to fully untangle the roles of GBP-glycan interactions. Accordingly, recent advances in our understanding of GBPs and how they control immune cell function via glycan recognition has been driven by the development of chemical tools.In this Research Topic, we explore recent work illuminating the various roles of glycans and/or GBPs in controlling immune cell function with special emphasis placed on chemical biology approaches that have been instrumental in such efforts. Potential subjects covered may include:? Immunological roles of Glycan-binding proteins? Glycans as immunomodulators? Development of ligands to probe glycan-binding proteins? Chemical biology approaches to modulate glycan-binding proteins and their glycan ligands? Glycans and synthetic derivatives as novel adjuvants? Glycan-based targeted delivery? Intracellular glycosylation in immune cells? Tissue homing of immune cells mediated by glycans? Glycolipid presentation to immune cells? Glycan-based vaccines? Analytical methods for functional characterization of lectin-glycan interactionsFil: Macauley, Matthew S.. University of Alberta; CanadáFil: Rademacher, Christoph. Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces; AlemaniaFil: Mariño, Karina Valeria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Fundación de Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental; Argentin

Electronic Spectroscopy of Monocyclic Carbon Ring Cations for Astrochemical Consideration

[Image: see text] Gas phase electronic spectra of pure carbon cations generated by laser vaporization of graphite in a supersonic jet and cooled to below 10 K and tagged with helium atoms in a cryogenic trap are presented. The measured C(2n)(+)–He with n from 6 to 14, are believed to be monocyclic ring structures and possess an origin band wavelength that shifts linearly with the number of carbon atoms, as recently demonstrated through N(2) tagging by Buntine et al. (J. Chem. Phys.2021, 155, 21430234879679). The set of data presented here further constrains the spectral characteristics inferred for the bare C(2n)(+) ions to facilitate astronomical searches for them in diffuse clouds by absorption spectroscopy