ObjectivesHuman airway epithelial cells are the principal target of human rhinovirus (HRV), a common cold pathogen that triggers the majority of asthma exacerbations. The objectives of this study were 1) to evaluate an in vitro air liquid interface cultured human airway epithelial cell model for HRV infection, and 2) to identify gene expression patterns associated with asthma intrinsically and/or after HRV infection using this model.MethodsAir-liquid interface (ALI) human airway epithelial cell cultures were prepared from 6 asthmatic and 6 non-asthmatic donors. The effects of rhinovirus RV-A16 on ALI cultures were compared. Genome-wide gene expression changes in ALI cultures following HRV infection at 24 hours post exposure were further analyzed using RNA-seq technology. Cellular gene expression and cytokine/chemokine secretion were further evaluated by qPCR and a Luminex-based protein assay, respectively.Main ResultsALI cultures were readily infected by HRV. RNA-seq analysis of HRV infected ALI cultures identified sets of genes associated with asthma specific viral responses. These genes are related to inflammatory pathways, epithelial structure and remodeling and cilium assembly and function, including those described previously (e.g. CCL5, CXCL10 and CX3CL1, MUC5AC, CDHR3), and novel ones that were identified for the first time in this study (e.g. CCRL1).ConclusionsALI-cultured human airway epithelial cells challenged with HRV are a useful translational model for the study of HRV-induced responses in airway epithelial cells, given that gene expression profile using this model largely recapitulates some important patterns of gene responses in patients during clinical HRV infection. Furthermore, our data emphasize that both abnormal airway epithelial structure and inflammatory signaling are two important asthma signatures, which can be further exacerbated by HRV infection.

Multicomponent poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) brushes (i.e., ≥ 2 adjacent PEG brushes) can be used to engineer culture substrates with microscale, nonfouling regions decorated with covalently immobilized ligands that mediate biospecific interactions. However, synthesizing such brushes with orthogonal immobilization chemistries to permit differential biofunctionalization is nontrivial and often requires synthesis of PEG-co-polymers. To simplify synthesis and enhance the versatility of such substrates, we developed a protocol for generating orthogonal click-functionalized multicomponent PEG brushes using sequential nucleophilic substitutions by sodium azide, ethanolamine, and propargylamine. The novel application of propargylamine-mediated substitution functionalizes PEG brushes with acetylene groups, and for the first time, ethanolamine-mediated substitution is shown to be sufficient for passivating the "living" polymer chain ends between brush synthesis steps. Thus, our multicomponent PEG brushes present dual orthogonal chemistries (i.e., azido and acetylene groups) for ligand immobilization via versatile copper-free click reactions, which are useful for in situ surface modifications during cell culture.

We perform Raman scattering experiments on natural graphite in magnetic fields up to 45 T, observing a series of peaks due to interband electronic excitations over a much broader magnetic field range than previously reported. We also explore electron-phonon coupling in graphite via magnetophonon resonances. The Raman G peak shifts and splits as a function of magnetic field, due to the magnetically tuned coupling of the E2g optical phonons with the K-and H-point inter-Landau-level excitations. The analysis of the observed anticrossing behavior allows us to determine the electron-phonon coupling for both K-and H-point carriers. In the highest field range (>35 T) the G peak narrows due to suppression of electron-phonon interaction.

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A novel patterning methodology is reported for fabricating complex polymer brush micropatterns with a spatially controllable 3D nanostructure and chemical composition.

Six new highly symmetrical and isostructural 3D lanthanide metal-organic frameworks (Ln-MOFs) {[Ln 2 (Ccbp) 3 •6H 2 O]•3Cl − •4H 2 O} Ln = Tb (1), Eu (2), Gd (3), Sm (4), Er (5) and Yb (6), Ccbp − = 4-carboxy-1-(4-carboxybenzyl)pyridinium, and the mixed Ln-MOF {[Tb 1.828 Eu 0.172 7) have been successfully synthesized and fully characterized. The complex 1 was utilized as a representative chemosensor to detect small molecules, cations and anions, respectively. Interestingly, 1 exhibited dualfunctional detection of Pb 2+ and Fe 3+ ions in ethanol with excellent linear variation to quantify the corresponding concentration change. In addition, the temperature-dependent luminescence properties of 1, 2 and 7 have also been investigated systematically, which demonstrated that both 1 and 7 have potential to quantitatively detect temperature as a luminescent thermometer over a wide range from 10-300 K for 1 and 10-170 K for 7. Thus, the as-obtained Ln-MOF materials have potential to serve as the first examples of a multifunctional luminescent sensor for quantitatively detecting the temperature (10-300 K) and the concentration of Pb 2+ and Fe 3+ ions in ethanol solution.

This effort involved an efficient and concise one-pot procedure for the synthesis of morphans based on quinone monoketals 1 reacting with HKAs 2.