Visible-light-induced antibacterial activity of carbon-doped anatase-brookite titania nano-heterojunction photocatalysts are reported for the first time. These heterostructures were prepared using a novel low temperature (100 °C) non-hydrothermal low power microwave (300 W) assisted method. Formation of interband C 2p states was found to be responsible for the band gap narrowing of the carbon doped heterojunctions. The most active photocatalyst obtained after 60 minutes of microwave irradiation respectively. It is proposed that the photo-excited electrons (from the C 2p level) are effectively transferred from the conduction band of brookite to that of anatase causing efficient electron-hole separation, which is found to be responsible for the superior visible-light induced photocatalytic and antibacterial activities of carbon-doped anatase-brookite nano-heterojunctions.
Pooled CRISPR screens are a powerful tool for assessments of gene function. However, conventional analysis is based exclusively on the relative abundance of integrated single guide RNAs (sgRNAs) between populations, which does not discern distinct phenotypes and editing outcomes generated by identical sgRNAs. Here we present CRISPR-UMI, a single-cell lineage-tracing methodology for pooled screening to account for cell heterogeneity. We generated complex sgRNA libraries with unique molecular identifiers (UMIs) that allowed for screening of clonally expanded, individually tagged cells. A proof-of-principle CRISPR-UMI negative-selection screen provided increased sensitivity and robustness compared with conventional analysis by accounting for underlying cellular and editing-outcome heterogeneity and detection of outlier clones. Furthermore, a CRISPR-UMI positive-selection screen uncovered new roadblocks in reprogramming mouse embryonic fibroblasts as pluripotent stem cells, distinguishing reprogramming frequency and speed (i.e., effect size and probability). CRISPR-UMI boosts the predictive power, sensitivity, and information content of pooled CRISPR screens.
The ability to directly uncover the contributions of genes to a given phenotype is fundamental for biology research. However, ostensibly homogeneous cell populations exhibit large clonal variance that can confound analyses and undermine reproducibility. Here we used genome-saturated mutagenesis to create a biobank of over 100,000 individual haploid mouse embryonic stem (mES) cell lines targeting 16,970 genes with genetically barcoded, conditional and reversible mutations. This Haplobank is, to our knowledge, the largest resource of hemi/homozygous mutant mES cells to date and is available to all researchers. Reversible mutagenesis overcomes clonal variance by permitting functional annotation of the genome directly in sister cells. We use the Haplobank in reverse genetic screens to investigate the temporal resolution of essential genes in mES cells, and to identify novel genes that control sprouting angiogenesis and lineage specification of blood vessels. Furthermore, a genome-wide forward screen with Haplobank identified PLA2G16 as a host factor that is required for cytotoxicity by rhinoviruses, which cause the common cold. Therefore, clones from the Haplobank combined with the use of reversible technologies enable high-throughput, reproducible, functional annotation of the genome.
Cellular senescence provides a biological barrier against tumor progression, often associated with oncogene-induced replication and/or oxidative stress, cytokine production and DNA damage response (DDR), leading to persistent cell-cycle arrest. While cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα) and interferon gamma (IFNγ) are important components of senescence-associated secretome and induce senescence in, for example, mouse pancreatic β-cancer cell model, their downstream signaling pathway(s) and links with oxidative stress and DDR are mechanistically unclear. Using human and mouse normal and cancer cell models, we now show that TNFα and IFNγ induce NADPH oxidases Nox4 and Nox1, reactive oxygen species (ROS), DDR signaling and premature senescence. Unlike mouse tumor cells that required concomitant presence of IFNγ and TNFα, short exposure to IFNγ alone was sufficient to induce Nox4, Nox1 and DDR in human cells. siRNA-mediated knockdown of Nox4 but not Nox1 decreased IFNγ-induced DDR. The expression of Nox4/Nox1 required Janus kinase (JAK)/signal transducers and activators of transcription (STAT) signaling and the effect was mediated by downstream activation of transforming growth factor-beta (TGFβ) secretion and consequent autocrine/paracrine activation of the TGFβ/Smad pathway. Furthermore, the expression of adenine nucleotide translocase 2 (ANT2) was suppressed by IFNγ contributing to elevation of ROS and DNA damage. In contrast to mouse B16 cells, inability of TC-1 cells to respond to IFNγ/TNFα by DDR and senescence correlated with the lack of TGFβ and Nox4 response, supporting the role of ROS induced by NADPH oxidases in cytokine-induced senescence. Overall, our data reveal differences between cytokine effects in mouse and human cells, and mechanistically implicate the TGFβ/SMAD pathway, via induction of NADPH oxidases and suppression of ANT2, as key mediators of IFNγ/TNFα-evoked genotoxicity and cellular senescence.
CRISPR-Cas9 is an efficient and versatile tool for genome engineering in many species. However, inducible CRISPR-Cas9 editing systems that regulate Cas9 activity or sgRNA expression often suffer from significant limitations, including reduced editing capacity, off-target effects, or leaky expression. Here, we develop a precisely controlled sgRNA expression cassette that can be combined with widely-used Cre systems, termed CRISPR-Switch (SgRNA With Induction/Termination by Cre Homologous recombination). Switch-ON facilitates controlled, rapid induction of sgRNA activity. In turn, Switch-OFF-mediated termination of editing improves generation of heterozygous genotypes and can limit off-target effects. Furthermore, we design sequential CRISPR-Switch-based editing of two loci in a strictly programmable manner and determined the order of mutagenic events that leads to development of glioblastoma in mice. Thus, CRISPR-Switch substantially increases the versatility of gene editing through precise and rapid switching ON or OFF sgRNA activity, as well as switching OVER to secondary sgRNAs.
Nanocrystalline photocatalysts, prepared under ambient conditions using a microwave assisted synthesis, show indoor light photocatalytic activity for the degradation of S. aureus and E. coli. The zinc sulfide (ZnS) nanomaterials, prepared by a microwave assisted synthesis, are shown to be cubic blende structure with an average crystallite size of 4 -6 nm. The anti-bacterial activity of these nanomaterials is investigated under irradiation from a 60 -watt light bulb and photocatalytic activity is revealed to be due to the defects present in the crystal structure. The ZnS shows anti-bacterial action as both a bacteriostatic and bacteriocidal (88 % reduction in the amount of bacteria in 5 h) material and the methods of bacterial degradation on the ZnS is discussed. The anti-bacterial actions of these materials were also compared with commercial ZnS and Evonik-Degussa P-25. A detailed mechanism for the light absorption in the visible light region of the microwave prepared ZnS is proposed based on the luminescence spectroscopy.
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