Dual-band terahertz metamaterial absorber with very sensitive sensing ability in terms of the surrounding index is demonstrated.

δ-Catenin binds the juxtamembrane domain of E-cadherin and is known to be overexpressed in some human tumors. However, the functions of δ-catenin in epithelial cells and carcinomas remain elusive. We found that prostate cancer cells overexpressing δ-catenin show an increase in multi-layer growth in culture. In these cells, δ-catenin colocalizes with E-cadherin at the plasma membrane, and the E-cadherin processing is noticeably elevated. E-Cadherin processing induced by δ-catenin is serum-dependent and requires MMP- and PS-1/γ-secretase-mediated activities. A deletion mutant of δ-catenin that deprives the ability of δ-catenin to bind E-cadherin or to recruit PS-1 to E-cadherin totally abolishes the δ-catenin-induced E-cadherin processing and the multilayer growth of the cells. In addition, prostate cancer cells overexpressing δ-catenin display an elevated total β-catenin level and increase nuclear distribution, resulting in the activation of β-catenin/LEF-1-mediated transcription and their downstream target genes as well as androgen receptor-mediated transcription. Indeed, human prostate tumor xenograft in nude mice, which is derived from cells overexpressing δ-catenin, shows increased β-catenin nuclear localization and more rapid growth rates. Moreover, the metastatic xenograft tumor weights positively correlate with the level of 29 kD E-cadherin fragment, and primary human prostate tumor tissues also show elevated levels of δ-catenin expression and the E-cadherin processing. Taken together, these results suggest that δ-catenin plays an important role in prostate cancer progression through inducing E-cadherin processing and thereby activating β-catenin-mediated oncogenic signals.

Various kinds of structure designs have been proposed to achieve the multiple-band metamaterial absorbers. However, the discrete distance of adjacent frequencies of multiple absorbers is considerably large, which will inevitably overlook a large amount of information hidden in the off-resonance absorption areas. Herein, a narrow discrete distance of dual-band terahertz absorber based on two pairs of an Au strip/dielectric layer backed by Au film is designed. Two nearly 100% absorptivities of resonance peaks having the discrete distance of only 0.30 THz are realized. The relative discrete distance of the device is 13.33%, and this value can be adjusted via the length change of an Au strip. Furthermore, we present two narrow discrete distances of a triple-band absorber through stacking one more pair of an Au strip and dielectric layer. Results prove that two discrete distances of only 0.14 THz and 0.17 THz in adjacent absorption modes of the first two and the last two are achieved, respectively; the relative discrete distances of them are respectively 6.57% and 7.22%, which are far from previous reports. Narrow discrete distances (or low values of relative discrete distance) of the multiple-band absorbers have a large number of applications in the investigation of some hidden information in very near frequencies.

This paper presents a kind of multi-band terahertz superabsorber, its surface structure consists of a square metallic patch with a very small rectangular hole whose area is only 3.94% of...

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Prostate embryonic development, pubertal and adult growth, maintenance, and regeneration are regulated through androgen signaling-mediated mesenchymal-epithelial interactions. Specifically, the essential role of mesenchymal androgen signaling in the development of prostate epithelium has been observed for over 30 years. However, the identity of the mesenchymal cells responsible for this paracrine regulation and related mechanisms are still unknown. Here, we provide the first demonstration of an indispensable role of the androgen receptor (AR) in sonic hedgehog (SHH) responsive Gli1-expressing cells, in regulating prostate development, growth, and regeneration. Selective deletion of AR expression in Gli1-expressing cells during embryogenesis disrupts prostatic budding and impairs prostate development and formation. Tissue recombination assays showed that urogenital mesenchyme (UGM) containing AR-deficient mesenchymal Gli1-expressing cells combined with wildtype urogenital epithelium (UGE) failed to develop normal prostate tissue in the presence of androgens, revealing the decisive role of AR in mesenchymal SHH responsive cells in prostate development. Prepubescent deletion of AR expression in Gli1expressing cells resulted in severe impairment of androgen-induced prostate growth and regeneration. RNA-sequencing analysis showed significant alterations in signaling pathways related to prostate development, stem cells, and organ morphogenesis in AR-deficient Gli1-expressing cells. Among these altered pathways, the transforming growth factor β1 (TGFβ1) pathway was up-regulated in AR-deficient Gli1-expressing cells. We further demonstrated the activation of TGFβ1 signaling in AR-deleted prostatic Gli1-expressing cells, which inhibits prostate epithelium growth through paracrine regulation. These data demonstrate a novel role of the AR in the Gli1-expressing cellular niche for regulating prostatic cell fate, morphogenesis, and renewal, and elucidate the mechanism by which mesenchymal

Broadband metamaterial absorbers are of critical importance in practical applications, but their obtainment approaches are quite complex at present. We demonstrate here that a fairly simple structure design formed by a rectangular-shaped resonator having an elongated slot can be utilized to achieve a broadband absorption response at terahertz frequencies. More than 50% absorption in a continuous frequency range of 1.62 THz (with a central frequency of 2.05 THz) can be gained, and its relative absorption bandwidth is 79.02%, which is superior to that of previous broadband absorption devices. The basic principle of the broadband absorption originates from the superposition of four different but narrowly separated resonance peaks that resulted from different response positions of the suggested resonator.Results further reveal that the broadband terahertz absorption performance (or its four resonance peaks) can be controlled by the resonator dimensions. The suggested method can provide a new type of design strategy to realize broadband integrated terahertz absorption devices.

Ubiquitination, a post-translational modification, involves the covalent attachment of ubiquitin to the target protein. The ubiquitin-proteasome pathway and the endosome-lysosome pathway control the degradation of the majority of eukaryotic proteins. Our previous study illustrated that δ-catenin ubiquitination occurs in a glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) phosphorylation-dependent manner. However, the molecular mechanism of δ-catenin ubiquitination is still unknown. Here, we show that the lysine residues required for ubiquitination are located mainly in the C-terminal portion of δ-catenin. In addition, we provide evidence that β-TrCP-1 interacts with δ-catenin and functions as an E3 ligase, mediating δ-catenin ubiquitin-proteasome degradation. Furthermore, we prove that both the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway and the lysosome degradation pathway are involved in δ-catenin degradation. Our novel findings on the mechanism of δ-catenin ubiquitination will add a new perspective to δ-catenin degradation and the effects of δ-catenin on E-cadherin involved in epithelial cell-cell adhesion, which is implicated in prostate cancer progression.