High-bandwidth measurements of the ion current through hafnium oxide and silicon nitride nanopores allow the analysis of sub-30 kD protein molecules with unprecedented time resolution and detection efficiency. Measured capture rates suggest that at moderate transmembrane bias values, a substantial fraction of protein translocation events are detected. Our dwell-time resolution of 2.5 μs enables translocation time distributions to be fit to a first-passage time distribution derived from a 1D diffusion-drift model. The fits yield drift velocities that scale linearly with voltage, consistent with an electrophoretic process. Further, protein diffusion constants (D) are lower than the bulk diffusion constants (D0) by a factor of ~50, and are voltage-independent in the regime tested. We reason that deviations of D from D0 are a result of confinement-driven pore/protein interactions, previously observed in porous systems. A straightforward Kramers model for this inhibited diffusion points to 9- to 12-kJ/mol interactions of the proteins with the nanopore. Reduction of μ and D are found to be material-dependent. Comparison of current-blockage levels of each protein yields volumetric information for the two proteins that is in good agreement with dynamic light scattering measurements. Finally, detection of a protein-protein complex is achieved.

BackgroundThe intestinal epithelium is a barrier that composes one of the most immunologically active surfaces of the body due to constant exposure to microorganisms as well as an infinite diversity of food antigens. Disruption of intestinal barrier function and aberrant mucosal immune activation have been implicated in a variety of diseases within and outside of the gastrointestinal tract. With this model in mind, recent studies have shown a link between diet, composition of intestinal microbiota, and type 1 diabetes pathogenesis. In the BioBreeding rat model of type 1 diabetes, comparison of the intestinal microbial composition of diabetes prone and diabetes resistant animals found Lactobacillus species were negatively correlated with type 1 diabetes development. Two species, Lactobacillus johnsonii and L. reuteri, were isolated from diabetes resistant rats. In this study diabetes prone rats were administered pure cultures of L. johnsonii or L. reuteri isolated from diabetes resistant rats to determine the effect on type 1 diabetes development.Methodology/PrincipalFindings Results Rats administered L. johnsonii, but not L. reuteri, post-weaning developed type 1 diabetes at a protracted rate. Analysis of the intestinal ileum showed administration of L. johnsonii induced changes in the native microbiota, host mucosal proteins, and host oxidative stress response. A decreased oxidative intestinal environment was evidenced by decreased expression of several oxidative response proteins in the intestinal mucosa (Gpx1, GR, Cat). In L. johnsonii fed animals low levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokine IFNγ were correlated with low levels of iNOS and high levels of Cox2. The administration of L. johnsonii also resulted in higher levels of the tight junction protein claudin.ConclusionsIt was determined that the administration of L. johnsonii isolated from BioBreeding diabetes resistant rats delays or inhibits the onset of type 1 diabetes in BioBreeding diabetes prone rats. Taken collectively, these data suggest that the gut and the gut microbiota are potential agents of influence in type 1 diabetes development. These data also support therapeutic efforts that seek to modify gut microbiota as a means to modulate development of this disorder.

We present a study of double- and single-stranded DNA transport through nanopores fabricated in ultrathin (2–7 nm thick) free-standing hafnium oxide (HfO2) membranes. The high chemical stability of ultrathin HfO2 enables long-lived experiments with <2 nm diameter pores that last several hours, in which we observe >50 000 DNA translocations with no detectable pore expansion. Mean DNA velocities are slower than velocities through comparable silicon nitride pores, providing evidence that HfO2 nanopores have favorable physicochemical interactions with nucleic acids that can be leveraged to slow down DNA in a nanopore.

Bacteria within communities can interact to organize their behavior. It has been unclear whether such interactions can extend beyond a single community to coordinate the behavior of distant populations. We discovered that two Bacillus subtilis biofilm communities undergoing metabolic oscillations can become coupled through electrical signaling and synchronize their growth dynamics. Coupling increases competition by also synchronizing demand for limited nutrients. As predicted by mathematical modeling, we confirm that biofilms resolve this conflict by switching from in-phase to antiphase oscillations. This results in time-sharing behavior, where each community takes turns consuming nutrients. Time-sharing enables biofilms to counterintuitively increase growth under reduced nutrient supply. Distant biofilms can thus coordinate their behavior to resolve nutrient competition through time-sharing, a strategy used in engineered systems to allocate limited resources.

Th17 and IL-17 play important roles in the clearance of extracellular bacterial and fungal infections. However, strong evidence also implicates the Th17 lineage in several autoimmune disorders including multiple sclerosis, psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, systemic lupus erythematosus, and asthma. The Th17 subset has also been connected with type I diabetes, although whether it plays a role in the pathogenicity of or protection from the disease remains a controversial issue. In this review we have provided a comprehensive overview of Th17 pathogenicity and function, including novel evidence for a protective role of Th17 cells in conjunction with the microbiota gut flora in T1D onset and progression.