Polydopamine is not only a multifunctional biopolymer with promising optoelectronic properties but it is also a versatile coating platform for different surfaces. The structure and formation of polydopamine is an active area of research. Some studies have supposed that polydopamine is composed of covalently bonded dihydroxyindole, indoledione, and dopamine units, but others proposed that noncovalent self-assembly contributes to polydopamine formation as well. However, it is difficult to directly find the details of supramolecular structure of polydopamine via self-assembly. In this study, we first report the graphite-like nanostructure observed in the carbonized polydopamine nanoparticles in nitrogen (or argon) environment at 800 °C. Raman characterization, which presents the typical D band and G band, confirmed the existence of graphite-like nanostructures. Our observation provides clear evidence for a layered-stacking supramolecular structure of polydopamine. Particularly, the size of graphite-like domains is similar to that of disk-shaped aggregates hypothesized in previous study about the polymerization of 5,6-dihydroxyindole [ Biomacromolecules 2012 , 13 , 2379 ]. Analysis of the hierarchical structure of polydopamine helps us understand its formation.

We report the synthesis, isolation, and characterizations of the novel trimetallofullerene Sm3@I(h)-C80. Importantly, the experimental X-ray structure of Sm3@I(h)-C80 verified for the first time that three metal atoms can be stabilized in a fullerene cage without a nonmetal mediator. Furthermore, computational studies demonstrated the electronic features of Sm3@I(h)-C80, which are similar to that of theoretically studied Y3@I(h)-C80. Electrochemical studies of Sm3@I(h)-C80 showed a major difference from those of the well-studied isoelectronic species Sc3N@I(h)-C80 and La2@I(h)-C80.

The outer membrane proteins (OMPs) of Gram-negative bacterial cells, as well as the mitochondrion and chloroplast organelles, possess unique and highly stable ␤-barrel structures. Biogenesis of OMPs in Escherichia coli involves such periplasmic chaperones as SurA and Skp. In this study, we found that the ⌬surA ⌬skp double-deletion strain of E. coli, although lethal and defective in the biogenesis of OMPs at the normal growth temperature, is viable and effective at the heat shock temperature. We identified FkpA as the multicopy suppressor for the lethal phenotype of the ⌬surA ⌬skp strain. We also demonstrated that the deletion of fkpA from the ⌬surA cells resulted in only a mild decrease in the levels of folded OMPs at the normal temperature but a severe decrease as well as lethality at the heat shock temperature, whereas the deletion of fkpA from the ⌬skp cells had no detectable effect on OMP biogenesis at either temperature. These results strongly suggest a functional redundancy between FkpA and SurA for OMP biogenesis under heat shock stress conditions. Mechanistically, we found that FkpA becomes a more efficient chaperone for OMPs under the heat shock condition, with increases in both binding rate and affinity. In light of these observations and earlier reports, we propose a temperature-responsive OMP biogenesis mechanism in which the degrees of functional importance of the three chaperones are such that SurA > Skp > FkpA at the normal temperature but FkpA > SurA > Skp at the heat shock temperature.

Coating the surface of titanium implants or other bone graft substitute materials with calcium phosphate (Ca-P) crystals is an effective way to enhance the osteoconduction of the implants. Ca-P coating alone cannot confer pro-osteodifferentiation and antibacterial capabilities on implants; however, it can serve as a carrier for biological agents which could improve the performance of implants and bone substitutes. Here, we constructed a novel, bi-functional Ca-P coating with combined pro-osteodifferentiation and antibacterial capabilities. Different concentrations of metronidazole (MNZ) and simvastatin (SIM) were integrated into biomimetic Ca-P coatings on the surface of titanium disks. The biological effects of this bi-functional biomimetic coating on human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hBMMSCs), human adipose derived stromal cells (hASCs), and Porphyromonas gingivalis were assessed in vitro. We observed that Ca-P coatings loaded with both SIM and MNZ display favorable release kinetics without affecting cell proliferation or attachment. In the inhibition zone test, we found that the bi-functional coating showed lasting antibacterial effects when incubated with Porphyromonas gingivalis for 2 and 4 days. Moreover, the osteodifferentiation of hBMMSCs and hASCs were increased when cultured on this bi-functional coating for 7 and 14 days. Both drugs were loaded onto the Ca-P coating at specific concentrations (10−5 M SIM; 10−2 M MNZ) to achieve optimal release kinetics. Considering the safety, stability and low cost of SIM and MNZ, this novel bi-functional Ca-P coating technique represents a promising method to improve the performance of metal implants or other bone substitute materials, and can theoretically be easily translated to clinical applications.