6 research outputs found

    Direct Band Gap Mixed-Valence Organic-inorganic Gold Perovskite as Visible Light Absorbers

    No full text
    Lead-free halide perovskite semiconductors are necessary due to the atmospheric instability and lead toxicity associated with the 3D lead halide perovskites. However, a stable lead-free perovskite with an ideal band gap (1.2-1.4 eV) for photovoltaics is still missing. In this work, we synthesized organic-inorganic gold halide double perovskites ((CH3NH3)2[Au2X6], X = Br, I) through a solution-processed route that offers an ideal direct band gap for photovoltaic applications. Density functional theory calculations confirm the direct nature of the band gap with reasonable absorption coefficients in the visible range and excellent charge transport properties. In addition, the Au-halide perovskites show high chemical stability and photoresponse. These combined properties demonstrate that Au-based halide perovskites can be a promising group of compounds for optoelectronic applications

    Chemokine Signaling Enhances CD36 Responsiveness toward Oxidized Low-Density Lipoproteins and Accelerates Foam Cell Formation

    Get PDF
    Excessive uptake of oxidized low-density lipoproteins (oxLDL) by macrophages is a fundamental characteristic of atherosclerosis. However, signals regulating the engagement of these ligands remain elusive. Using single-molecule imaging, we discovered a mechanism whereby chemokine signaling enhanced binding of oxLDL to the scavenger receptor, CD36. By activating the Rap1-GTPase, chemokines promoted integrin-mediated adhesion of macrophages to the substratum. As a result, cells exhibited pronounced remodeling of the cortical actin cytoskeleton that increased CD36 clustering. Remarkably, CD36 clusters formed predominantly within actin-poor regions of the cortex, and these regions were primed to engage oxLDL. In accordance with enhanced ligand engagement, prolonged exposure of macrophages to chemokines amplified the accumulation of esterified cholesterol, thereby accentuating the foam cell phenotype. These findings imply that the activation of integrins by chemokine signaling exerts feedforward control over receptor clustering and effectively alters the threshold for cells to engage ligands

    A local regulatory T cell feedback circuit maintains immune homeostasis by pruning self-activated T cells

    No full text
    A fraction of mature T cells can be activated by peripheral self-antigens, potentially eliciting host autoimmunity. We investigated homeostatic control of self-activated T cells within unperturbed tissue environments by combining high-resolution multiplexed and volumetric imaging with computational modeling. In lymph nodes, self-activated T cells produced interleukin (IL)-2, which enhanced local regulatory T cell (Treg) proliferation and inhibitory functionality. The resulting micro-domains reciprocally constrained inputs required for damaging effector responses, including CD28 co-stimulation and IL-2 signaling, constituting a negative feedback circuit. Due to these local constraints, self-activated T cells underwent transient clonal expansion, followed by rapid death (``pruning''). Computational simulations and experimental manipulations revealed the feedback machinery's quantitative limits: modest reductions in Treg micro-domain density or functionality produced non-linear breakdowns in control, enabling self-activated T cells to subvert pruning. This fine-tuned, paracrine feedback process not only enforces immune homeostasis but also establishes a sharp boundary between autoimmune and host-protective T cell responses

    Commensal-driven immune zonation of the liver promotes host defence

    No full text
    The authors show that zonation extends to hepatic immune cells and that this spatial patterning is mediated by microbiome sensing by liver sinusoidal endothelial cells, and provide evidence that immune zonation is required to protect the host from the dissemination of blood-borne pathogens. The liver connects the intestinal portal vasculature with the general circulation, using a diverse array of immune cells to protect from pathogens that translocate from the gut(1). In liver lobules, blood flows from portal triads that are situated in periportal lobular regions to the central vein via a polarized sinusoidal network. Despite this asymmetry, resident immune cells in the liver are considered to be broadly dispersed across the lobule. This differs from lymphoid organs, in which immune cells adopt spatially biased positions to promote effective host defence(2,3). Here we used quantitative multiplex imaging, genetic perturbations, transcriptomics, infection-based assays and mathematical modelling to reassess the relationship between the localization of immune cells in the liver and host protection. We found that myeloid and lymphoid resident immune cells concentrate around periportal regions. This asymmetric localization was not developmentally controlled, but resulted from sustained MYD88-dependent signalling induced by commensal bacteria in liver sinusoidal endothelial cells, which in turn regulated the composition of the pericellular matrix involved in the formation of chemokine gradients. In vivo experiments and modelling showed that this immune spatial polarization was more efficient than a uniform distribution in protecting against systemic bacterial dissemination. Together, these data reveal that liver sinusoidal endothelial cells sense the microbiome, actively orchestrating the localization of immune cells, to optimize host defence
    corecore