Neutrophilic granulocytes are able to release their own DNA as neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) to capture and eliminate pathogens. DNA expulsion (NETosis) has also been documented for other cells and organisms, thus highlighting the evolutionary conservation of this process. Moreover, dysregulated NETosis has been implicated in many diseases, including cancer and inflammatory disorders. During NETosis, neutrophils undergo dynamic and dramatic alterations of their cellular as well as sub-cellular morphology whose biophysical basis is poorly understood. Here we investigate NETosis in real-time on the single-cell level using fluorescence and atomic force microscopy. Our results show that NETosis is highly organized into three distinct phases with a clear point of no return defined by chromatin status. Entropic chromatin swelling is the major physical driving force that causes cell morphology changes and the rupture of both nuclear envelope and plasma membrane. Through its material properties, chromatin thus directly orchestrates this complex biological process.
Extended x-ray-absorption fine-structure (EXAFS) of copper has been measured from 4 to 500 K and analyzed by the cumulant method, to check the effectiveness of EXAFS as a probe of local dynamics and thermal expansion. The comparison between parallel mean square relative displacements (MSRD) of the first four coordination shells has allowed detecting a significant deviation from a pure Debye behavior. The firstshell EXAFS thermal expansion is larger than the crystallographic one: the difference has allowed evaluating the perpendicular MSRD, whose Debye temperature is slightly larger than the one of the parallel MSRD, due to anisotropy effects. High-order first-shell cumulants are in good agreement with quantum perturbative models. The anharmonic contribution to the first-shell parallel MSRD amounts to less than 1.5 percent. The third cumulant cannot be neglected in the analysis, if accurate values of the first cumulant are sought; it cannot however be used to directly estimate the thermal expansion. The shape of the effective pair potential is independent of temperature; a rigid shift, partially due to the relative motion perpendicular to the bond direction, is however observed.
Light-emitting silicon nanocrystals embedded in SiO 2 have been investigated by x-ray absorption measurements in total electron and photoluminescence yields, by energy filtered transmission electron microscopy and by ab initio total energy calculations. Both experimental and theoretical results show that the interface between the silicon nanocrystals and the surrounding SiO 2 is not sharp: an intermediate region of amorphous nature and variable composition links the crystalline Si with the amorphous stoichiometric SiO 2. This region plays an active role in the light-emission process.
High-resolution x-ray powder diffraction and extended x-ray-absorption fine-structure ͑EXAFS͒ measurements have been performed on the iso-structural framework crystals Cu 2 O and Ag 2 O as a function of temperature. According to diffraction, both compounds exhibit a negative thermal expansion ͑NTE͒ of the lattice parameter over extended temperature intervals ͑from 9 to 240 K for Cu 2 O, up to 470 K for Ag 2 O͒ and anisotropic thermal displacements of M atoms ͑M = Cu,Ag͒. EXAFS measures a positive expansion of the nearest-neighbors M-O pair distance and a perpendicular to parallel anisotropy of relative motion, much stronger than the anisotropy of the absolute M motion. The M-O bond is much stiffer against stretching than against bending. According to EXAFS, out of the 12 MM next-nearest-neighbor pairs, the 6 connected via a bridging oxygen undergo negative expansion, while the 6 lacking the bridging oxygen undergo positive expansion. These results show a rather complex local behavior, which, while confirming the connection of NTE to strong perpendicular vibrations, is inconsistent with rigid unit modes models and suggests a more flexible model based on rigid M-O rods.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.