BackgroundNanobodies are single-domain antibodies that contain the unique structural and functional properties of naturally-occurring heavy chain in camelidae. As a novel class of antibody, they show many advantages compared with traditional antibodies such as smaller size, higher stability, improved specificity, more easily expressed in microorganisms. These unusual hallmarks make them as promising tools in basic research and clinical practice. Although thousands of nanobodies are known to be published, no single database provides searchable, unified annotation and integrative analysis tools for these various nanobodies.ResultsHere, we present the database of Institute Collection and Analysis of Nanobodies (iCAN). It is built for the aim that addressing the above gap to expand and accelerate the nanobody research. iCAN, as the first database of nanobody, contains the most comprehensive information to date on nanobodies and related antigens. So far, iCAN incorporates 2391 entries which include 2131 from patents and 260 from publications and provides a simple user interface for researchers to retrieve and view the detailed information of nanobodies. In addition to the data collection, iCAN also provides online bioinformatic tools for sequence analysis and characteristic feature extraction.ConclusionsIn summary, iCAN enables researchers to analyze nanobody features and explore the applications of nanobodies more efficiently. iCAN is freely available at http://ican.ils.seu.edu.cn.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12864-017-4204-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Two cases of lanthanide (Ln)-implanted arsenotungstates, K17Na2H5[{(As2­W19O67­(H2O))­Ln­(H2O)2}2­(C2O4)]·87H2O (Ln = Eu (1), Ln = Tb (2)) and their codoped derivatives Eu x Tb1–x -POM (x = 0.01 (3), x = 0.04 (4), x = 0.1 (5), x = 0.2 (6)) were prepared and further characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, infrared spectra, and thermogravimetric analyses. An X-ray structural analysis of 1 and 2 indicates that they both present a dimeric oxalate-bridged Ln3+-implanted lanthanide arsenotungstate polyanion structure. Under the O → W LMCT excitation at 265 nm of arsenotungstate polyanions, the emissions of Ln3+ ions in 1 and 2 are sensitized and the lifetimes are prolonged. Codoped compounds 3–6 demonstrate a color-tunable emission from green to red by adjusting the Eu3+/Tb3+ ratio. Emission spectra and time-resolved emission spectroscopic studies were performed for 3 to further authenticate the energy transfer processes from excited arsenotungstates to the Eu3+ and Tb3+ metal ions and also between the Eu3+ and Tb3+ centers. More interestingly, 1 is an effective fluorescent probe for the recognition and detection of Ba2+ ions in aqueous solution. The optical properties of the Ln-implanted arsenotungstate compounds not only expressly reveal distinctive energy transfer processes in those compounds but also broaden the application of POM-based materials in the fluorescence sensing field.

During early development, signaling centers, such as the cortical hem and the preoptic area (POA), are critical for telencephalic patterning. However, the mechanisms underlying the maintenance of signal centers are poorly understood. Here, we report that the transcription factor Foxg1 is required to confine the POA, a resource of Sonic Hedgehog (Shh) that is pivotal for ventral telencephalic development. Cell-specific deletion of Foxg1 achieved by crossing Foxg1fl/fl with Dbx1-cre or Nestin-CreER combined with tamoxifen induction results in a dramatic expansion of the POA accompanied by the significantly increased activity of the Shh signaling pathway. Ventral pattern formation was severely impaired. Moreover, we demonstrated that Foxg1 directly represses Dbx1 to restrict the POA. Furthermore, we found that the ventral pallium was expanded, which might also contribute to the observed patterning defects. These findings will improve our understanding of the maintenance of signal centers and help to elucidate the mechanisms underlying ventral telencephalic patterning.

In the present study, a simple method for the synthesis of the ZIF-8 membrane has been proposed. This method involves growing the ZIF-8 layer onto the external surface of the ZnO porous hollow support, with inner and outer diameters of 1.55 mm and 2.06 mm, respectively. The ZnO hollow fibers with a thin spongy layer and large numbers of finger-like pores were prepared by a phase inversion/sintering technique. These ZnO hollow fibers have proved to be effective supports for the preparation of highly stable and reproducible ZIF-8 membranes. The ZnO support helps in seeding the ZIF-8 membrane formation and then serves as a connecting bridge to link the support with the membrane. The excellent binding strength between ZIF-8 and the support is responsible for the superior mechanical and thermal stabilities of the ZIF-8 membranes. These membranes exhibited great hydrogen permeation (1.2 × 10–6 mol·m–2·s–1·Pa–1) and attained the ideal separation factors for H2/CO2, H2/N2, and H2/CH4 at 7.0, 4.3, and 3.7, respectively, demonstrating good molecular sieve performance. These ZIF-8 membranes displayed preferential adsorption of CO2 and can be potentially applied in CO2 capture from industrial mixed gases. This method requires neither high smoothness of the support surface nor modification of the support, thus providing a simple and comparable technique for the preparation of tubular ZIF and additional MOF membranes.

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A triangular {Er3} cluster containing polyoxometalate (POM), [Er3(μ3-OH)(H2O)8(AsW9O33)(AsW10O35(DL-mal))]222− (1) (mal = malate), has been obtained via one-pot reactions. Structural analyses demonstrate that three Er3+ ions bridged one μ3-OH to generate...

Three oxalate-bridging lanthanide-based polyoxometalates (Ln-POMs) K17Na2H5[{Ln{(As2W19O67(H2O))(H2O)2}2(C2O4)]·50H2O [Ln= Sm3+ (1), Pr3+ (2), and Ce3+ (3)] were successfully synthesized. The structures were further characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses, Raman spectroscopy, elemental...

BackgroundDevelopment of safe and effective chemopreventive agents is a winning strategy in reducing the morbidity and mortality of breast cancer. The current study was to investigate the mechanism-based chemopreventive potential of a Chinese herb formula Yanghe Huayan (YHHY) Decoction on the classical 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA) induced rat mammary carcinogenesis model.MethodsFemale Sprague-Dawley rats at 42 days of age were orally administered with a human equivalent dose of YHHY Decoction at 0.02 ml/g (10 mg/ml) once daily, starting 1 wk. before and 4 wks following DMBA treatment. Mammary tumor occurrence was monitored every day. The length of time before palpable tumor is examined is defined as tumor-free survival time. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analyses were adopted to identify major chemical compositions of the decoction. Following bioinformatics data mining and experimental analyses were performed to demonstrate the underlying mechanism of action.ResultsDMBA animals receiving YHHY Decoction exhibited a significant delay (P = 0.014) and in some animals prevention (P = 0.046) of tumor occurrence without obvious toxicity. Oncogenic myc activation was significantly suppressed in the DMBA-induced rats by the YHHY treatment. Eight major chemical compositions of the decoction were identified and were shown to interfere with multiple tumorigenic pathways simultaneously in the mammary tumors, including inducing tumor apoptosis and up-regulating pro-apoptotic protein Bax and down-regulating anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2; suppressing abnormal cell proliferation and the MAPK/ERK, PI3K/AKT signalings; blocking neo-angiogenesis and the VEGF/KDR signaling, and inhibiting oxidative stress in the mammary tumors.ConclusionThe multi-components and multi-targeting properties of the YHHY Decoction support its use as a potent chemopreventive drug in breast cancer.