Advanced nano-biocomposites based on starch

Starch as a biopolymer directly extracted from nature has received much attention in recent years due to its strong advantages such as low cost, wide availability, renewability, and total compostability without toxic residues. Starch-based materials always display properties that are less satisfactory than those of traditional polymer materials, which can be ascribed to the inherent characteristics of starch. To make such materials to be truly competitive and to widen its applications, the development of starch-based nano-biocomposites could be a promising solution. This chapter provides the fundamental knowledge related to starch-based nano-biocomposites as well as the most recent developments in this area. Various types of nanofillers that have been used with plasticized starch are discussed such as montmorillonite, cellulose nanowhiskers, and starch nanoparticles. The preparation strategies for starch-based nano-biocomposites with these types of nanofillers and the corresponding dispersion state and related properties are also largely discussed

Context-dependent control of alternative splicing by RNA-binding proteins

Sequence-specific RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) bind to pre-mRNA to control alternative splicing, but it is not yet possible to read the ‘splicing code’ that dictates splicing regulation on the basis of genome sequence. Each alternative splicing event is controlled by multiple RBPs, the combined action of which creates a distribution of alternatively spliced products in a given cell type. As each cell type expresses a distinct array of RBPs, the interpretation of regulatory information on a given RNA target is exceedingly dependent on the cell type. RBPs also control each other’s functions at many levels, including by mutual modulation of their binding activities on specific regulatory RNA elements. In this Review, we describe some of the emerging rules that govern the highly context-dependent and combinatorial nature of alternative splicing regulation