Green Nanochemistry:Metal Oxide Nanoparticles and Porous Thin Films from Bare Metal Powders

Cataloged from PDF version of article.A universal, simple, robust, widely applicable and cost-effective aqueous process is described for a controlled oxidative dissolution process of micrometer-sized metal powders to form high-purity aqueous dispersions of colloidally stable 3-8 nm metal oxide nanoparticles. Their utilization for making single and multilayer optically transparent high-surface-area nanoporous films is demonstrated. This facile synthesis is anticipated to find numerous applications in materials science, engineering, and nanomedicine. Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim

From bare metal powders to colloidally stable TCO dispersions and transparent nanoporous conducting metal oxide thin films

A simple, green, robust, widely applicable, multi-gram and cost-effective 'one-pot' synthesis of aqueous dispersions of colloidally stable 3-6 nm TCO NPs using bare metal powder precursors is described, and their utilization for making TCO high surface area nanoporous films is also demonstrated, which speaks well for their usage in a wide range of possible processes and devices. Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim

Neonatal exposure to xenobiotic estrogen may alter the adult immune response and exacerbate endometriosis in mice [abstract]

Abstract only availableEndometriosis is a common medical condition affecting 5-10% of women worldwide and often results in severe cramps, pelvic pain, and infertility. The condition occurs when endometrial tissue, which escapes into the peritoneal cavity via retrograde menstruation, adheres to peritoneal cavity tissues and causes irritated, inflamed lesions. Studies have suggested that the risk of developing endometriosis increases in women who have been exposed to xenobiotic (foreign to the body) estrogens during development. This could be due to developmental programming of the peritoneal environment, and specifically, an altered immune function within this environment. Therefore, it is our hypothesis that developmental programming by xenoestrogens alters the immune response to shed endometrial tissue and exacerbates endometriosis. To better understand the role of xenoestrogens in immune programming, we are conducting our studies using a mouse model of surgically induced endometriosis. In particular, we are concentrating on two major aspects of immunity: 1) the presence of immune cells and 2) the function of those cells. Our study of the former is being largely performed using methods of immunohistochemistry (IHC). IHC allows us to quantify the macrophages present in the peritoneal fluid of experimental mice (exposed to diethylstilbestrol) versus control mice (no xenoestrogen exposure). In order to study our second focus, immune cell function, we are using a cytokine antibody array to determine the relative cytokine concentrations in the peritoneal fluid samples. By identifying the degree to which certain cytokine concentrations differ, we hope to better understand the effect of xenoestrogen exposure on immune cell function.Life Sciences Undergraduate Research Opportunity Progra

From Bare Metal Powders to Colloidally Stable TCO Dispersions and Transparent Nanoporous Conducting Metal Oxide Thin Films

Cataloged from PDF version of article.A simple, green, robust, widely applicable, multi-gram and cost-effective 'one-pot' synthesis of aqueous dispersions of colloidally stable 3-6 nm TCO NPs using bare metal powder precursors is described, and their utilization for making TCO high surface area nanoporous films is also demonstrated, which speaks well for their usage in a wide range of possible processes and devices. Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim

DULIP: A dual luminescence-based co-immunoprecipitation assay for interactome mapping in mammalian cells

Mapping of protein-protein interactions (PPIs) is critical for understanding protein function and complex biological processes. Here, we present DULIP, a dual luminescence-based co-immunoprecipitation assay, for systematic PPI mapping in mammalian cells. DULIP is a second-generation luminescence-based PPI screening method for the systematic and quantitative analysis of co-immunoprecipitations using two different luciferase tags. Benchmarking studies with positive and negative PPI reference sets revealed that DULIP allows the detection of interactions with high sensitivity and specificity. Furthermore, the analysis of a PPI reference set with known binding affinities demonstrated that both low- and high-affinity interactions can be detected with DULIP assays. Finally, using the well-characterized interaction between Syntaxin-1 and Munc18, we found that DULIP is capable of detecting the effects of point mutations on interaction strength. Taken together, our studies demonstrate that DULIP is a sensitive and reliable method of great utility for systematic interactome research. It can be applied for interaction screening as well as for the validation of PPIs in mammalian cells. Moreover, DULIP permits the specific analysis of mutation-dependent binding patterns

Green nanochemistry: Metal oxide nanoparticles and porous thin films from bare metal powders

A universal, simple, robust, widely applicable and cost-effective aqueous process is described for a controlled oxidative dissolution process of micrometer-sized metal powders to form high-purity aqueous dispersions of colloidally stable 3-8 nm metal oxide nanoparticles. Their utilization for making single and multilayer optically transparent high-surface-area nanoporous films is demonstrated. This facile synthesis is anticipated to find numerous applications in materials science, engineering, and nanomedicine. Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim

OmoMYC blunts promoter invasion by oncogenic MYC to inhibit gene expression characteristic of MYC-dependent tumors.

MYC genes have both essential roles during normal development and exert oncogenic functions during tumorigenesis. Expression of a dominant-negative allele of MYC, termed OmoMYC, can induce rapid tumor regression in mouse models with little toxicity for normal tissues. How OmoMYC discriminates between physiological and oncogenic functions of MYC is unclear. We have solved the crystal structure of OmoMYC and show that it forms a stable homodimer and as such recognizes DNA in the same manner as the MYC/MAX heterodimer. OmoMYC attenuates both MYC-dependent activation and repression by competing with MYC/MAX for binding to chromatin, effectively lowering MYC/MAX occupancy at its cognate binding sites. OmoMYC causes the largest decreases in promoter occupancy and changes in expression on genes that are invaded by oncogenic MYC levels. A signature of OmoMYC-regulated genes defines subgroups with high MYC levels in multiple tumor entities and identifies novel targets for the eradication of MYC-driven tumors