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Xu X, Kinikar A, Di Giovannantonio M, Pignedoli CA, Ruffieux P, Müllen K, Fasel R, Narita A. On-Surface Synthesis of Anthracene-Fused Zigzag Graphene Nanoribbons from 2,7-Dibromo-9,9'-bianthryl Reveals Unexpected Ring Rearrangements. Precis Chem 2024; 2:81-87. [PMID: 38425747 PMCID: PMC10900509 DOI: 10.1021/prechem.3c00116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2023] [Revised: 01/17/2024] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
On-surface synthesis has emerged as a powerful strategy to fabricate unprecedented forms of atomically precise graphene nanoribbons (GNRs). However, the on-surface synthesis of zigzag GNRs (ZGNR) has met with only limited success. Herein, we report the synthesis and on-surface reactions of 2,7-dibromo-9,9'-bianthryl as the precursor toward π-extended ZGNRs. Characterization by scanning tunneling microscopy and high-resolution noncontact atomic force microscopy clearly demonstrated the formation of anthracene-fused ZGNRs. Unique skeletal rearrangements were also observed, which could be explained by intramolecular Diels-Alder cycloaddition. Theoretical calculations of the electronic properties of the anthracene-fused ZGNRs revealed spin-polarized edge-states and a narrow bandgap of 0.20 eV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiushang Xu
- Max
Planck Institute for Polymer Research, 55128 Mainz, Germany
- Organic
and Carbon Nanomaterials Unit, Okinawa Institute
of Science and Technology Graduate University, 1919-1 Tancha, Onna-son, Kunigami-gun, Okinawa 904-0495, Japan
| | - Amogh Kinikar
- Empa,
Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, nanotech@surfaces
Laboratory, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Marco Di Giovannantonio
- Empa,
Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, nanotech@surfaces
Laboratory, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
- Institute
of Structure of Matter − CNR (ISM-CNR), via Fosso del Cavaliere 100, 00133 Roma, Italy
| | | | - Pascal Ruffieux
- Empa,
Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, nanotech@surfaces
Laboratory, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Klaus Müllen
- Max
Planck Institute for Polymer Research, 55128 Mainz, Germany
- Institute
of Physical Chemistry, Johannes Gutenberg
University Mainz, Duesbergweg
10-14, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Roman Fasel
- Empa,
Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, nanotech@surfaces
Laboratory, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
- Department
of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Bern, Freiestrasse 3, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Akimitsu Narita
- Max
Planck Institute for Polymer Research, 55128 Mainz, Germany
- Organic
and Carbon Nanomaterials Unit, Okinawa Institute
of Science and Technology Graduate University, 1919-1 Tancha, Onna-son, Kunigami-gun, Okinawa 904-0495, Japan
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2
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Lupfer C, Seitel S, Skarsetz O, Walther A. Mechano-Activated Self-Immolation of Hydrogels via Signal Amplification. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2023; 62:e202309236. [PMID: 37574444 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202309236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2023] [Revised: 07/31/2023] [Accepted: 08/11/2023] [Indexed: 08/15/2023]
Abstract
Cellular organisms possess intricate mechano-adaptive systems that enable them to sense forces and process them with (bio)chemical circuits for functional adaptation. Inspired by such processes, this study introduces a hydrogel system capable of mechanically activated and chemically transduced self-destruction. Our judiciously designed hydrogels can mechanically generate radicals that are processed and amplified in a self-propagating radical de-crosslinking reaction, ultimately leading to mechanically triggered self-immolation. We put such systems to work in mechano-induced debonding, and in a bilayer actuator, where swelling-induced bending generates sufficient force for selective degradation of one layer, leading to autonomous self-regulation associated with unbending. Our work helps define design criteria for molecularly controlled adaptive and self-regulating materials with embodied mechano-chemical information processing, and showcases their potential for adhesives and soft robotics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudius Lupfer
- Life-Like Materials and Systems, Department of Chemistry, University of Mainz, Duesbergweg 10-14, 55218, Mainz, Germany
| | - Sebastian Seitel
- Life-Like Materials and Systems, Department of Chemistry, University of Mainz, Duesbergweg 10-14, 55218, Mainz, Germany
| | - Oliver Skarsetz
- Life-Like Materials and Systems, Department of Chemistry, University of Mainz, Duesbergweg 10-14, 55218, Mainz, Germany
| | - Andreas Walther
- Life-Like Materials and Systems, Department of Chemistry, University of Mainz, Duesbergweg 10-14, 55218, Mainz, Germany
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3
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Gaudzinski-Windheuser S, Kindler L, MacDonald K, Roebroeks W. Hunting and processing of straight-tusked elephants 125.000 years ago: Implications for Neanderthal behavior. Sci Adv 2023; 9:eadd8186. [PMID: 36724231 PMCID: PMC9891704 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.add8186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2022] [Accepted: 12/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Straight-tusked elephants (Palaeoloxodon antiquus) were the largest terrestrial mammals of the Pleistocene, present in Eurasian landscapes between 800,000 and 100,000 years ago. The occasional co-occurrence of their skeletal remains with stone tools has generated rich speculation about the nature of interactions between these elephants and Pleistocene humans: Did hominins scavenge on elephants that died a natural death or maybe even hunt some individuals? Our archaeozoological study of the largest P. antiquus assemblage known, excavated from 125,000-year-old lake deposits in Germany, shows that hunting of elephants weighing up to 13 metric tons was part of the cultural repertoire of Last Interglacial Neanderthals there, over >2000 years, many dozens of generations. The intensity and nutritional yields of these well-documented butchering activities, combined with previously reported data from this Neumark-Nord site complex, suggest that Neanderthals were less mobile and operated within social units substantially larger than commonly envisaged.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabine Gaudzinski-Windheuser
- MONREPOS Archaeological Research Center and Museum for Human Behavioral Evolution, Schloss Monrepos, Neuwied 56567, Germany (LEIZA)
- Institute of Ancient Studies, Pre- and Protohistoric Archaeology, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Schönborner Hof, Schillerstraße 11, Mainz 55116, Germany
| | - Lutz Kindler
- MONREPOS Archaeological Research Center and Museum for Human Behavioral Evolution, Schloss Monrepos, Neuwied 56567, Germany (LEIZA)
- Institute of Ancient Studies, Pre- and Protohistoric Archaeology, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Schönborner Hof, Schillerstraße 11, Mainz 55116, Germany
| | - Katharine MacDonald
- Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9514, 2300 RA Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Wil Roebroeks
- Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9514, 2300 RA Leiden, Netherlands
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4
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Paeslack N, Mimmler M, Becker S, Gao Z, Khuu MP, Mann A, Malinarich F, Regen T, Reinhardt C. Microbiota-derived tryptophan metabolites in vascular inflammation and cardiovascular disease. Amino Acids 2022; 54:1339-1356. [PMID: 35451695 PMCID: PMC9641817 DOI: 10.1007/s00726-022-03161-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2021] [Accepted: 03/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The essential amino acid tryptophan (Trp) is metabolized by gut commensals, yielding in compounds that affect innate immune cell functions directly, but also acting on the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR), thus regulating the maintenance of group 3 innate lymphoid cells (ILCs), promoting T helper 17 (TH17) cell differentiation, and interleukin-22 production. In addition, microbiota-derived Trp metabolites have direct effects on the vascular endothelium, thus influencing the development of vascular inflammatory phenotypes. Indoxyl sulfate was demonstrated to promote vascular inflammation, whereas indole-3-propionic acid and indole-3-aldehyde had protective roles. Furthermore, there is increasing evidence for a contributory role of microbiota-derived indole-derivatives in blood pressure regulation and hypertension. Interestingly, there are indications for a role of the kynurenine pathway in atherosclerotic lesion development. Here, we provide an overview on the emerging role of gut commensals in the modulation of Trp metabolism and its influence in cardiovascular disease development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadja Paeslack
- Center for Thrombosis and Hemostasis (CTH), University Medical Center Mainz, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Langenbeckstrasse 1, 55131, Mainz, Germany
| | - Maximilian Mimmler
- Center for Thrombosis and Hemostasis (CTH), University Medical Center Mainz, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Langenbeckstrasse 1, 55131, Mainz, Germany
| | - Stefanie Becker
- Center for Thrombosis and Hemostasis (CTH), University Medical Center Mainz, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Langenbeckstrasse 1, 55131, Mainz, Germany
| | - Zhenling Gao
- Center for Thrombosis and Hemostasis (CTH), University Medical Center Mainz, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Langenbeckstrasse 1, 55131, Mainz, Germany
| | - My Phung Khuu
- Center for Thrombosis and Hemostasis (CTH), University Medical Center Mainz, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Langenbeckstrasse 1, 55131, Mainz, Germany
| | - Amrit Mann
- Center for Thrombosis and Hemostasis (CTH), University Medical Center Mainz, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Langenbeckstrasse 1, 55131, Mainz, Germany
| | - Frano Malinarich
- Center for Thrombosis and Hemostasis (CTH), University Medical Center Mainz, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Langenbeckstrasse 1, 55131, Mainz, Germany
| | - Tommy Regen
- Institute for Molecular Medicine, University Medical Center Mainz, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Langenbeckstrasse 1, 55131, Mainz, Germany
| | - Christoph Reinhardt
- Center for Thrombosis and Hemostasis (CTH), University Medical Center Mainz, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Langenbeckstrasse 1, 55131, Mainz, Germany.
- German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Rhine-Main, Mainz, Germany.
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Kolbe N, Hexemer L, Bammert LM, Loewer A, Lukáčová-Medvid’ová M, Legewie S. Data-based stochastic modeling reveals sources of activity bursts in single-cell TGF-β signaling. PLoS Comput Biol 2022; 18:e1010266. [PMID: 35759468 PMCID: PMC9269928 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1010266] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2021] [Revised: 07/08/2022] [Accepted: 05/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Cells sense their surrounding by employing intracellular signaling pathways that transmit hormonal signals from the cell membrane to the nucleus. TGF-β/SMAD signaling encodes various cell fates, controls tissue homeostasis and is deregulated in diseases such as cancer. The pathway shows strong heterogeneity at the single-cell level, but quantitative insights into mechanisms underlying fluctuations at various time scales are still missing, partly due to inefficiency in the calibration of stochastic models that mechanistically describe signaling processes. In this work we analyze single-cell TGF-β/SMAD signaling and show that it exhibits temporal stochastic bursts which are dose-dependent and whose number and magnitude correlate with cell migration. We propose a stochastic modeling approach to mechanistically describe these pathway fluctuations with high computational efficiency. Employing high-order numerical integration and fitting to burst statistics we enable efficient quantitative parameter estimation and discriminate models that assume noise in different reactions at the receptor level. This modeling approach suggests that stochasticity in the internalization of TGF-β receptors into endosomes plays a key role in the observed temporal bursting. Further, the model predicts the single-cell dynamics of TGF-β/SMAD signaling in untested conditions, e.g., successfully reflects memory effects of signaling noise and cellular sensitivity towards repeated stimulation. Taken together, our computational framework based on burst analysis, noise modeling and path computation scheme is a suitable tool for the data-based modeling of complex signaling pathways, capable of identifying the source of temporal noise. Fluctuations in molecular networks give rise to heterogeneity in cellular behavior and therefore promote the diversification of tissues. For a better understanding of cellular decision making, it is important to identify sources of molecular fluctuations and to quantitatively describe them by predictive mathematical models. In this work, we focused on temporal fluctuations of the TGF-β signaling pathway that is important for controlling cell division and migration. We characterized a single-cell dataset comprising hundreds of cells using time series analysis and a large-scale stochastic model. By fitting several model variants to the data, we identified the stochastic internalization of cell surface receptors into endosomes as a main source of temporal fluctuations (’bursts’) in the signaling pathway. The corresponding model accurately predicted novel experimental data, and provided insights into the long-term memory of signaling fluctuations. In summary, we propose a modeling approach to quantitatively describe heterogeneous behavior in large-scale single-cell datasets and to identify the underlying biological mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niklas Kolbe
- Institute of Geometry and Practical Mathematics, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
- * E-mail: (NK); (SL)
| | - Lorenz Hexemer
- Institute of Molecular Biology (IMB), Mainz, Germany
- Department of Systems Biology, Institute for Biomedical Genetics (IBMG), University of Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany
| | | | - Alexander Loewer
- Systems Biology of the Stress Response, Department of Biology, Technical University of Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
| | | | - Stefan Legewie
- Department of Systems Biology, Institute for Biomedical Genetics (IBMG), University of Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany
- Stuttgart Research Center for Systems Biology (SRCSB), University of Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany
- * E-mail: (NK); (SL)
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Mooz J, Riegel K, PS H, Sadanandam A, Marini F, Klein M, Werner U, Roth W, Wilken-Schmitz A, Tegeder I, Rajalingam K. ARAF suppresses ERBB3 expression and metastasis in a subset of lung cancers. Sci Adv 2022; 8:eabk1538. [PMID: 35302851 PMCID: PMC8932670 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abk1538] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2021] [Accepted: 01/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
RAF kinases are highly conserved serine/threonine kinases, and among the three RAF isoforms (ARAF, BRAF, and CRAF), the pathophysiological relevance of ARAF is not well defined. Here, we show that patients with lung cancer exhibit low expression of ARAF, which is associated with lymph node metastasis and poor patient survival. We uncover that depletion of ARAF promotes anchorage-independent growth and metastasis through activation of AKT signaling in a subset of lung cancer cells. We identified that loss of ARAF was associated with an increase in ERBB3 expression in a kinase-independent manner. ARAF suppressed the promoter activity of ERBB3, and reconstitution of ARAF in ARAF-depleted cells led to the reversal of enhanced ERBB3-AKT signaling. Furthermore, ARAF inhibited neuregulin 1 (hNRG1)-mediated AKT activation through controlling ERBB3 expression via the transcription factor KLF5. Our results disclose a critical dual role for ARAF kinase in the negative regulation of ERBB3-AKT signaling, thereby suppressing tumor metastasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliane Mooz
- Cell Biology Unit, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 55131 Mainz, Germany
| | - Kristina Riegel
- Cell Biology Unit, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 55131 Mainz, Germany
| | - Hari PS
- Division of Molecular Pathology, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK
| | - Anguraj Sadanandam
- Division of Molecular Pathology, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK
| | - Federico Marini
- Institute of Medical Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 55131 Mainz, Germany
- Center for Thrombosis and Hemostasis (CTH), University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Matthias Klein
- Institute of Immunology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 55131 Mainz, Germany
| | | | - Wilfried Roth
- Institute of Pathology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 55131 Mainz, Germany
| | - Annett Wilken-Schmitz
- Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Goethe-University, Medical Faculty, Frankfurt (Main), Germany
| | - Irmgard Tegeder
- Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Goethe-University, Medical Faculty, Frankfurt (Main), Germany
| | - Krishnaraj Rajalingam
- Cell Biology Unit, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 55131 Mainz, Germany
- University Cancer Center Mainz, University Medical Center Mainz, Mainz, Germany
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Bender D, Hollstein T, Schweppe C. The emergence of care facilities in Thailand for older German-speaking people: structural backgrounds and facility operators as transnational actors. Eur J Ageing 2017; 14:365-374. [PMID: 29180942 PMCID: PMC5684043 DOI: 10.1007/s10433-017-0444-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
This paper presents findings from an ethnographic study of old age care facilities for German-speaking people in Thailand. It analyses the conditions and processes behind the development and specific designs of such facilities. It first looks at the intertwinement, at the socio-structural level, of different transborder developments in which the facilities' emergence is embedded. Second, it analyses the processes that accompany the emergence, development and organisation of these facilities at the local level. In this regard, it points out the central role of the facility operators as transnational actors who mediate between different frames of reference and groups of actors involved in these facilities. It concludes that the processes of mediation and intertwining are an important and distinctive feature of the emergence of these facilities, necessitated by the fact that, although the facilities are located in Thailand, their 'markets' are in the German-speaking countries of their target groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Désirée Bender
- Institute of Education, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Jakob-Welder-Weg 12, 55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - Tina Hollstein
- Institute of Education, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Jakob-Welder-Weg 12, 55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - Cornelia Schweppe
- Institute of Education, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Jakob-Welder-Weg 12, 55099 Mainz, Germany
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