A hierarchically ordered array of Ag-nanorod bundles is achieved using an inexpensive binary-template-assisted electrodeposition technique. In every bundle, many small gaps are formed between adjacent Ag-nanorods, where "hot spots" are generated. As a result, this plasmonic nanostructure exhibits SERS enhancements of approximately eight orders of magnitude with uniform and reproducible SERS signal throughout the whole chip.

Breast cancer ranks no. 1 in women cancer worldwide, while 60–70% are estrogen receptor alpha positive. The estrogen selective modulators, such as tamoxifen, become the effective drugs for controlling ER alpha breast cancer progression. However, tamoxifen resistance will develop during long-time treatment and cancer progression. Thus, further understanding of ER alpha signaling becomes necessary for the improvement of breast cancer therapy. Here, we identify TRIM56 as a novel regulatory factor in ER alpha signaling. TRIM56 expression is positively correlated with ER alpha and PR in breast cancer samples and is related to poor prognosis in endocrine therapy patients. TRIM56 depletion significantly decreases ER alpha signaling activity and ER-alpha-positive breast cancer proliferation in vitro and in vivo. TRIM56 associates with AF1 domain of ER alpha via its WD40 domain in the cytoplasm. TRIM56 prolongs ER alpha protein stability, possibly through targeting ER alpha K63-linked ubiquitination. In conclusion, our study reveals an interesting posttranslational mechanism between TRIM56 and ER alpha in breast cancer progression. Targeting TRIM56 could be a promising approach for ER-alpha-positive breast cancer.

A facile fabrication approach of large-scale flexible films is reported, with one surface side consisting of Ag-nanoparticle (Ag-NP) decorated polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanohump (denoted as Ag-NPs@PAN-nanohump) arrays. This is achieved via molding PAN films with ordered nanohump arrays on one side and then sputtering much smaller Ag-NPs onto each of the PAN-nanohumps. Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) activity of the Ag-NPs@PAN-nanohump array films can be improved by curving the flexible PAN film with ordered nanohump arrays during the Ag-sputtering process to increase the density of the Ag-NPs on the sidewalls of the PAN-nanohumps. More 3D hot spots are thus achieved on a large-scale. The Ag-NPs@PAN-nanohump array films show high SERS activity with good Raman signal reproducibility for Rhodamine 6G probe molecules. To trial their practical application, the Ag-NPs@PAN-nanohump array films are employed as SERS substrates for trace detection of trinitrotoluene and a congener of polychlorinated biphenyls. A lower detection limit of 10(-12) m and 10(-5) m can be achieved, respectively. Furthermore, the flexible Ag-NPs@PAN-nanohump array films can also be utilized as swabs to probe traces of methyl parathion on the surface of fruits such as apples. The as-fabricated SERS substrates therefore have promising potential for applications in rapid safety inspection and environmental protection.