Regulation of cellular gene expression by nanomaterials

Abstract

Within a cell there are several mechanisms to regulate gene expression during cellular metabolism, growth, and differentiation. If these do not work properly, the cells will die or develop abnormally and, in some cases, even develop into tumors. Thus, a variety of exogenous and endogenous approaches have been developed that act on essential stages of transcription and translation by affecting the regulation of gene expression in an intended manner. To date, some anticancer strategies have focused on targeting abnormally overexpressed genes termed oncogenes, which have lost the ability to tune gene expression. With the rapid advent of nanotechnology, a few synthetic nanomaterials are being used as gene regulation systems. In many cases, these materials have been employed as nanocarriers to deliver key molecules such as silencing RNAs or antisense oligonucleotides into target cells, but some nanomaterials may be able to effectively modulate gene expression due to their characteristic properties, which include tunable physicochemical properties due to their malleable size and shape. This technology has improved the performance of existing approaches for regulating gene expression and led to the development of new types of advanced regulatory systems. In this short review, we will present some nanomaterials currently used in novel gene regulation systems, focusing on their basic features and practical applications. Based on these findings, it is further envisioned that next-generation gene expression regulation systems involving such nanomaterials will be developed.

Unlocking the potential of nanoscale sulfur in sustainable agriculture

“…Importantly, this observed regulation may also be caused by epigenetic modifications, 96 such as alteration of DNA methylation and histone modifications, thereby affecting how genes are turned on or off, subsequently modulating the expression of genes involved in plant growth and development. For example, it has been shown that cadmium telluride quantum dots and silica NPs affect the global DNA methylation pattern, modulate DNA methyltransferase activity, methyl-CpG-binding domain (MBD) protein expression, and/or alter posttranslational modifications of histone proteins; 97 similar activity with nano-sulfur may be possible.…”

Bifunctional Magnetite–Gold Nanoparticles for Magneto-Mechanical Actuation and Cancer Cell Destruction

“…MNPs can be used to remotely monitor different molecules and processes at the nanoscale level under low-frequency magnetic field exposure. In particular, they are proposed to be applied for the separation and purification of biological molecules and cells [4], as well as for gene expression regulation and the activation of various signaling cascades in the cell [5]. Additionally, in cancer therapy MNPs can act as drug carriers, facilitating their accumulation and release in the tumor under an external magnetic field exposure [6,7].…”

Functional state of the myometrium of rats under chronic in vivo effect of nanostructured ZnO and ТіО2 materials

“…One of the main directions of modern nanotechnology is the elaboration of the methods to synthesize and investigate physical-chemical and biological properties of nanosized materials (Chun et al, 2018;Gupta & Xie, 2018;Zhang, 2018). In particular, these investigations are related to nanoparticles (NPs) of metal oxides, especially titanium dioxide (ТіО 2 ) and zinc oxide (ZnO), widely used in various branches of industry, including biosensorics, biotechnologies, pharmacology, cosmetology, etc.…”