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International Journal of Molecular... Jan 2018Auxin plays a crucial role in the diverse cellular and developmental responses of plants across their lifespan. Plants can quickly sense and respond to changes in auxin... (Review)
Review
Auxin plays a crucial role in the diverse cellular and developmental responses of plants across their lifespan. Plants can quickly sense and respond to changes in auxin levels, and these responses involve several major classes of auxin-responsive genes, including the () family, the () family, (), and the () family. Aux/IAA proteins are short-lived nuclear proteins comprising several highly conserved domains that are encoded by the auxin early response gene family. These proteins have specific domains that interact with ARFs and inhibit the transcription of genes activated by ARFs. Molecular studies have revealed that Aux/IAA family members can form diverse dimers with to regulate genes in various ways. Functional analyses of Aux/IAA family members have indicated that they have various roles in plant development, such as root development, shoot growth, and fruit ripening. In this review, recently discovered details regarding the molecular characteristics, regulation, and protein-protein interactions of the Aux/IAA proteins are discussed. These details provide new insights into the molecular basis of the Aux/IAA protein functions in plant developmental processes.
Topics: Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; Indoleacetic Acids; Multigene Family; Plant Development; Plant Proteins; Plants
PubMed: 29337875
DOI: 10.3390/ijms19010259 -
Nature Sep 2020Temperature controls plant growth and development, and climate change has already altered the phenology of wild plants and crops. However, the mechanisms by which plants...
Temperature controls plant growth and development, and climate change has already altered the phenology of wild plants and crops. However, the mechanisms by which plants sense temperature are not well understood. The evening complex is a major signalling hub and a core component of the plant circadian clock. The evening complex acts as a temperature-responsive transcriptional repressor, providing rhythmicity and temperature responsiveness to growth through unknown mechanisms. The evening complex consists of EARLY FLOWERING 3 (ELF3), a large scaffold protein and key component of temperature sensing; ELF4, a small α-helical protein; and LUX ARRYTHMO (LUX), a DNA-binding protein required to recruit the evening complex to transcriptional targets. ELF3 contains a polyglutamine (polyQ) repeat, embedded within a predicted prion domain (PrD). Here we find that the length of the polyQ repeat correlates with thermal responsiveness. We show that ELF3 proteins in plants from hotter climates, with no detectable PrD, are active at high temperatures, and lack thermal responsiveness. The temperature sensitivity of ELF3 is also modulated by the levels of ELF4, indicating that ELF4 can stabilize the function of ELF3. In both Arabidopsis and a heterologous system, ELF3 fused with green fluorescent protein forms speckles within minutes in response to higher temperatures, in a PrD-dependent manner. A purified fragment encompassing the ELF3 PrD reversibly forms liquid droplets in response to increasing temperatures in vitro, indicating that these properties reflect a direct biophysical response conferred by the PrD. The ability of temperature to rapidly shift ELF3 between active and inactive states via phase transition represents a previously unknown thermosensory mechanism.
Topics: Acclimatization; Arabidopsis; Arabidopsis Proteins; Hot Temperature; Models, Molecular; Peptides; Phase Transition; Prion Proteins; Protein Domains; Repressor Proteins; Temperature; Transcription Factors
PubMed: 32848244
DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2644-7 -
Chemical Reviews Jan 2019The success of platinum-based anticancer agents has motivated the exploration of novel metal-based drugs for several decades, whereas problems such as drug-resistance... (Review)
Review
The success of platinum-based anticancer agents has motivated the exploration of novel metal-based drugs for several decades, whereas problems such as drug-resistance and systemic toxicity hampered their clinical applications and efficacy. Stimuli-responsiveness of some metal complexes offers a good opportunity for designing site-specific prodrugs to maximize the therapeutic efficacy and minimize the side effect of metallodrugs. This review presents a comprehensive and up-to-date overview on the therapeutic stimuli-responsive metallodrugs that have appeared in the past two decades, where stimuli such as redox, pH, enzyme, light, temperature, and so forth were involved. The compounds are classified into three major categories based on the nature of stimuli, that is, endo-stimuli-responsive metallodrugs, exo-stimuli-responsive metallodrugs, and dual-stimuli-responsive metallodrugs. Representative examples of each type are discussed in terms of structure, response mechanism, and potential medical applications. In the end, future opportunities and challenges in this field are tentatively proposed. With diverse metal complexes being introduced, the foci of this review are pointed to platinum and ruthenium complexes.
Topics: Antineoplastic Agents; Coordination Complexes; Humans; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Light; Neoplasms; Oxidation-Reduction; Platinum; Ruthenium; Temperature
PubMed: 30299085
DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.8b00209 -
Annual Review of Biomedical Engineering Jun 2019Stimuli-responsive materials undergo triggered changes when presented with specific environmental cues. These dynamic systems can leverage biological signals found... (Review)
Review
Stimuli-responsive materials undergo triggered changes when presented with specific environmental cues. These dynamic systems can leverage biological signals found locally within the body as well as exogenous cues administered with spatiotemporal control, providing powerful opportunities in next-generation diagnostics and personalized medicine. Here, we review the synthetic and strategic advances used to impart diverse responsiveness to a wide variety of biomaterials. Categorizing systems on the basis of material type, number of inputs, and response mechanism, we examine past and ongoing efforts toward endowing biomaterials with customizable sensitivity. We draw an analogy to computer science, whereby a stimuli-responsive biomaterial transduces a set of inputs into a functional output as governed by a user-specified logical operator. We discuss Boolean and non-Boolean operations, as well as the various chemical and physical modes of signal transduction. Finally, we examine current limitations and promising directions in the ongoing development of programmable stimuli-responsive biomaterials.
Topics: Adenosine Triphosphate; Biocompatible Materials; Drug Delivery Systems; Glucose; Humans; Hydrogels; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Hydrolysis; Magnetic Fields; Nucleic Acids; Oxidation-Reduction; Polymers; Shear Strength; Temperature; Tissue Engineering; Ultrasonics
PubMed: 30857392
DOI: 10.1146/annurev-bioeng-060418-052324 -
Journal of Materials Chemistry. B Aug 2020Stimuli-responsive polymers exhibit properties that make them ideal candidates for biosensing and molecular diagnostics. Through rational design of polymer composition... (Review)
Review
Stimuli-responsive polymers exhibit properties that make them ideal candidates for biosensing and molecular diagnostics. Through rational design of polymer composition combined with new polymer functionalization and synthetic strategies, polymers with myriad responsivities, e.g., responses to temperature, pH, biomolecules, CO2, light, and electricity can be achieved. When these polymers are specifically designed to respond to biomarkers, stimuli-responsive devices/probes, capable of recognizing and transducing analyte signals, can be used to diagnose and treat disease. In this review, we highlight recent state-of-the-art examples of stimuli-responsive polymer-based systems for biosensing and bioimaging.
Topics: Biocompatible Materials; Biosensing Techniques; Carbon Dioxide; Electricity; Electrochemical Techniques; Humans; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Molecular Structure; Nanostructures; Optical Imaging; Photoacoustic Techniques; Photochemical Processes; Photosensitizing Agents; Stimuli Responsive Polymers; Temperature
PubMed: 32743631
DOI: 10.1039/d0tb00570c -
ACS Applied Bio Materials May 2022Stimuli-responsive DNA-based hydrogels are attracting growing interest because of their smart responsiveness, excellent biocompatibility, regulated biodegradability, and... (Review)
Review
Stimuli-responsive DNA-based hydrogels are attracting growing interest because of their smart responsiveness, excellent biocompatibility, regulated biodegradability, and programmable design properties. Integration of reconfigurable DNA architectures and switchable supramolecular moieties (as cross-linkers) in hydrogels by responding to external stimuli provides an ideal approach for the reversible tuning structural and mechanical properties of the hydrogels, which can be exploited in the development of intelligent DNA-based materials. This review highlights recent advances in the design of responsive pure DNA hydrogels, DNA-polymer hybrid hydrogels, and autonomous DNA-based hydrogels with transient behaviors. A variety of chemically and physically triggered DNA-based stimuli-responsive hydrogels and their versatile applications in biosensing, biocatalysis, cell culture and separation, drug delivery, shape memory, self-healing, and robotic actuators are summarized. Finally, we address the key challenges that the field will face in the coming years, and future prospects are identified.
Topics: DNA; Hydrogels; Polymers; Smart Materials
PubMed: 35138079
DOI: 10.1021/acsabm.1c01197 -
Nanoscale Nov 2018Living organisms have evolved functional structures for seeds dispersal in response to humidity changes. In this study, we construct moisture-responsive nanotubes by the...
Living organisms have evolved functional structures for seeds dispersal in response to humidity changes. In this study, we construct moisture-responsive nanotubes by the supramolecular coordination of a peptide lipid with metal ions for potential applications in material delivery systems. These hydrophilic nanotubes can uptake atmospheric moisture and the water molecules are associated with unsaturated metal centers of the bis(lipid)-metal(ii) complex, thereby changing the molecular packing and inducing morphological transformation from nanotubes to sheets. The moisture responsivity of nanotubes depends on the hydration behavior of the metal ions. Co(ii)-coordinated nanotube shows higher moisture responsivity than that of the Zn(ii)-coordinated one since Co(ii) ion has stronger association with water molecules. These two nanotubes are self-assembled by the same molecular packings; however, they show different mechanisms in morphological changes. The Co(ii)-coordinated nanotube transforms into a sheet accompanied with the destruction of the complex and reverse molecular packing, whereas Zn(ii)-coordinated nanotube transforms into a sheet with a change in the complex geometry. Further, the Co(ii)-coordinated nanotubes exhibit reversible morphological changes between nanotubes and sheets, while Zn(ii)-coordinated nanotubes exhibit a one-way morphological change. These nanotubes also show potential applications in the release of fragrance oil under high humidity environments.
PubMed: 30375630
DOI: 10.1039/c8nr05748f -
Research (Washington, D.C.) 2023Cancer immunotherapy has achieved tremendous successful clinical results and obtained historic victories in tumor treatments. However, great limitations associated with... (Review)
Review
Cancer immunotherapy has achieved tremendous successful clinical results and obtained historic victories in tumor treatments. However, great limitations associated with feeble immune responses and serious adverse effects still cannot be neglected due to the complicated multifactorial etiology and pathologic microenvironment in tumors. The rapid development of nanomedical science and material science has facilitated the advanced progress of engineering biomaterials to tackle critical issues. The supramolecular biomaterials with flexible and modular structures have exhibited unparalleled advantages of high cargo-loading efficiency, excellent biocompatibility, and diversiform immunomodulatory activity, thereby providing a powerful weapon for cancer immunotherapy. In past decades, supramolecular biomaterials were extensively explored as versatile delivery platforms for immunotherapeutic agents or designed to interact with the key moleculars in immune system in a precise and controllable manner. In this review, we focused on the crucial role of supramolecular biomaterials in the modulation of pivotal steps during tumor immunotherapy, including antigen delivery and presentation, T lymphocyte activation, tumor-associated macrophage elimination and repolarization, and myeloid-derived suppressor cell depletion. Based on extensive research, we explored the current limitations and development prospects of supramolecular biomaterials in cancer immunotherapy.
PubMed: 37705962
DOI: 10.34133/research.0211 -
Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) Mar 2021Despite being the most widely studied mood stabilizer, researchers have not confirmed a mechanism for lithium's therapeutic efficacy in Bipolar Disorder (BD).... (Review)
Review
Despite being the most widely studied mood stabilizer, researchers have not confirmed a mechanism for lithium's therapeutic efficacy in Bipolar Disorder (BD). Pharmacogenomic applications may be clinically useful in the future for identifying lithium-responsive patients and facilitating personalized treatment. Six genome-wide association studies (GWAS) reviewed here present evidence of genetic variations related to lithium responsivity and side effect expression. Variants were found on genes regulating the glutamate system, including GAD-like gene 1 () and gene, a mutually-regulated target of lithium. In addition, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) discovered on may account for lithium's exceptional ability to permeate cell membranes and mediate autoimmune and renal effects. Studies also corroborated the importance of epigenetics and stress regulation on lithium response, finding variants on long, non-coding RNA genes and associations between response and genetic loading for psychiatric comorbidities. Overall, the precision medicine model of stratifying patients based on phenotype seems to derive genotypic support of a separate clinical subtype of lithium-responsive BD. Results have yet to be expounded upon and should therefore be interpreted with caution.
PubMed: 33804842
DOI: 10.3390/ph14040287 -
Drug Discovery Today Oct 2021The ability of some hydrogels to exhibit a phase transition or change their structure in response to stimuli has been extensively explored for drug depot formation and... (Review)
Review
The ability of some hydrogels to exhibit a phase transition or change their structure in response to stimuli has been extensively explored for drug depot formation and controlled drug release. Taking advantage of the unique features of the tumor microenvironment (TME) or externally applied triggers, several injectable stimuli-responsive hydrogels have been described as promising candidates for intratumoral drug delivery. In this review, we provide a brief overview of the TME and highlight the advantages of intratumoral administration, followed by a summary of the reported strategies to endow hydrogels with responsiveness to physical (temperature and light), chemical (pH and redox potential), or biological (enzyme) stimuli.
Topics: Animals; Antineoplastic Agents; Delayed-Action Preparations; Drug Delivery Systems; Humans; Hydrogels; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Neoplasms; Temperature; Tumor Microenvironment
PubMed: 33892147
DOI: 10.1016/j.drudis.2021.04.012