Abstract. The Forkhead box O (FOXO) protein family is predominantly involved in apoptosis, oxidative stress, DNA damage/repair, tumor angiogenesis, glycometabolism, regulating life span and other important biological processes. Its activity is affected by a variety of posttranslational modifications (PTMs), including phosphorylation, acetylation, ubiquitination, methylation and glycosylation. When cells are subjected to different environments, the corresponding PTMs act on the FOXO protein family, to change transcriptional activity or subcellular localization, and the expression of downstream target genes, will ultimately affect the biological behavior of the cells. In this review, we will discuss the biological characteristics of FOXO protein PTMs.

No abstract

Enhanced photoluminescence was found in tris-8-hydroxyquinoline aluminum deposited onto nanotextured silver films with porous alumina substrates. The surface-enhanced Raman signals and shortened lifetimes suggested the presence of enhanced local electromagnetic field due to the plasmon resonance of nanotextured silver films. The photoluminescence enhancement was attributed to the increase in absorption and quantum yield. The authors analyzed the increase in quantum yield and found that the highest quantum yield was enhanced by 2.3 times compared with the samples based on flat Ag film with the same thickness. The enhancement of quantum yield has potential applications in electro-optic devices.

A series of Eu2+- and Mn2+-coactivated KMg4(PO4)3phosphors were prepared by conventional high temperature solid-state reactions. Their luminescence properties, emission red shifts and the energy transfer between Eu2+and Mn2+were investigated and the related mechanisms were discussed in detail.

Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease caused by the interaction of oral microorganisms with the host immune response. Porphyromonas gingivalis (P.g.) acts as a key mediator in subverting the homeostasis of the local immune system. On the one hand, P.g. inhibits phagocytosis and the killing capacity of immune cells. On the other hand, P.g. increases selective cytokine release, which is beneficial to its further proliferation. Here, we prepared a penetrating macrophage-based nanoformulation (MZ@PNM)-encapsulating hydrogel (MZ@PNM@GCP) that responded to the periodontitis microenvironment. MZ@PNM targeted P.g. via the Toll-like receptor complex 2/1 (TLR2/1) on its macrophage-mimicking membrane, then directly killed P.g. through disruption of bacterial structural integrity by the cationic nanoparticles and intracellular release of an antibacterial drug, metronidazole (MZ). Meanwhile, MZ@PNM interrupted the specific binding of P.g. to immune cells and neutralized complement component 5a (C5a), preventing P.g. subversion of periodontal host immune response. Overall, MZ@PNM@GCP showed potent efficacy in periodontitis treatment, restoring local immune function and killing pathogenic bacteria, while exhibiting favorable biocompatibility, all of which have been demonstrated both in vivo and in vitro.

Optically excited organic semiconductor distributed feedback (DFB) lasers enable efficient lasing in the visible spectrum. Here, we report on the rapid and parallel fabrication of DFB lasers via transferring a nanograting structure from a flexible mold onto an unstructured film of the organic gain material. This geometrically well-defined structure allows for a systematic investigation of the laser threshold behavior. The laser thresholds for these devices show a strong dependence on the pump spot diameter. This experimental finding is in good qualitative agreement with calculations based on coupled-wave theory. With further investigations on various DFB laser geometries prepared by different routes and based on different organic gain materials, we found that these findings are quite general. This is important for the comparison of threshold values of various devices characterized under different excitation areas. Weimann, J. Wang, and P. Hinze, "Laser threshold reduction in an all-spiro guest-host system," Appl. Phys. Lett. 85(10), 1659-1661 (2004). 14. X. Liu, S. Klinkhammer, K. Sudau, N. Mechau, C. Vannahme, J. Kaschke, T. Mappes, M. Wegener, and U.Lemmer, "Ink-jet-printed organic semiconductor distributed feedback laser," Appl. Phys. Express 5(7), 072101

No abstract

The rapid development of nanotechnology has generated numerous ideas for cancer treatment, and a wide variety of relevant nanoparticle platforms have been reported. Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have been widely investigated as an anti‐cancer drug delivery vehicle owing to their unique porous hybrid structure, biocompatibility, structural tunability, and multi‐functionality. MOF materials with catalytic activity, known as nanozymes, have applications in photodynamic and chemodynamic therapy. Nucleic acids have also attracted increasing research attention owing to their programmability, ease of synthesis, and versatility. A variety of functional DNAs and RNAs have been applied both therapeutically (gene‐targeting drugs for cancer treatment) and nontherapeutically (used as modified materials to enhance the therapeutic effects of other nanomedicines). The combined use of MOFs and functional nucleic acids have been extensively investigated and has been associated with excellent tumor‐suppressor activity in various treatment methods. In this review, we summarize the progress in the research and development of tumor therapy based on MOFs and nucleic acid delivery over recent years, focusing on the combinational use of different delivery and design strategies for MOF/therapeutic nucleic acid platforms. We further summarize the strategies for combining MOFs (universal carrier, functional carrier) and nucleic acids (therapeutic nucleic acids, nontherapeutic nucleic acids) and discuss the corresponding therapeutic effects in cancer treatment. This article is categorized under: Nanotechnology Approaches to Biology > Nanoscale Systems in Biology Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Emerging Technologies