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Nature Nanotechnology Jan 2022Cancer progresses by evading the immune system. Elucidating diverse immune evasion strategies is a critical step in the search for next-generation immunotherapies for...
Cancer progresses by evading the immune system. Elucidating diverse immune evasion strategies is a critical step in the search for next-generation immunotherapies for cancer. Here we report that cancer cells can hijack the mitochondria from immune cells via physical nanotubes. Mitochondria are essential for metabolism and activation of immune cells. By using field-emission scanning electron microscopy, fluorophore-tagged mitochondrial transfer tracing and metabolic quantification, we demonstrate that the nanotube-mediated transfer of mitochondria from immune cells to cancer cells metabolically empowers the cancer cells and depletes the immune cells. Inhibiting the nanotube assembly machinery significantly reduced mitochondrial transfer and prevented the depletion of immune cells. Combining a farnesyltransferase and geranylgeranyltransferase 1 inhibitor, namely, L-778123, which partially inhibited nanotube formation and mitochondrial transfer, with a programmed cell death protein 1 immune checkpoint inhibitor improved the antitumour outcomes in an aggressive immunocompetent breast cancer model. Nanotube-mediated mitochondrial hijacking can emerge as a novel target for developing next-generation immunotherapy agents for cancer.
Topics: Animals; Base Sequence; Cell Line, Tumor; Humans; Immunity; Leukocytes; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mitochondria; Mitochondrial Proteins; Nanotubes; Neoplasms; Mice
PubMed: 34795441
DOI: 10.1038/s41565-021-01000-4 -
Biosensors Nov 2021This review focuses on recent advances in the application of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) for the development of sensors and biosensors. The paper discusses various... (Review)
Review
This review focuses on recent advances in the application of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) for the development of sensors and biosensors. The paper discusses various configurations of these devices, including their integration in analytical devices. Carbon nanotube-based sensors have been developed for a broad range of applications including electrochemical sensors for food safety, optical sensors for heavy metal detection, and field-effect devices for virus detection. However, as yet there are only a few examples of carbon nanotube-based sensors that have reached the marketplace. Challenges still hamper the real-world application of carbon nanotube-based sensors, primarily, the integration of carbon nanotube sensing elements into analytical devices and fabrication on an industrial scale.
Topics: Biosensing Techniques; Nanotubes, Carbon
PubMed: 34940243
DOI: 10.3390/bios11120486 -
Journal of Materials Chemistry. B Jun 2023Dipeptides are attractive building blocks for biomaterials in light of their inherent biocompatibility, biodegradability, and simplicity of preparation. Since the... (Review)
Review
Dipeptides are attractive building blocks for biomaterials in light of their inherent biocompatibility, biodegradability, and simplicity of preparation. Since the discovery of diphenylalanine (Phe-Phe) self-assembling ability into nanotubes, research efforts have been devoted towards the identification of other dipeptide sequences capable of forming these interesting nanomorphologies, although design rules towards nanotube formation are still elusive. In this review, we analyze the dipeptide sequences reported thus far for their ability to form nanotubes, which often feature water-filled supramolecular channels as revealed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, as well as their properties, and their potential biological applications, which span from drug delivery and regenerative medicine, to bioelectronics and bioimaging.
Topics: Nanotubes; Water; Dipeptides; Models, Molecular; Hydrogen Bonding; Humans; Amino Acids
PubMed: 36790014
DOI: 10.1039/d2tb02643k -
The Journal of Physical Chemistry... Oct 2015Spectroscopic analysis and study of nanoparticle samples is often hampered by structural diversity that presents a complex superposition of spectral signatures. By...
Spectroscopic analysis and study of nanoparticle samples is often hampered by structural diversity that presents a complex superposition of spectral signatures. By probing the spectra of small volumes within dilute samples, we can expose statistical variations in composition to obtain information unavailable from bulk spectroscopy. This new approach is demonstrated using fluorescence spectra of unsorted single-walled carbon nanotube samples to deduce structure-specific abundances and emissive efficiencies. Furthermore, correlations between intensity variations at different wavelengths provide two-dimensional covariance maps that isolate the spectra of homogeneous subpopulations. Covariance analysis is also a sensitive probe of particle aggregation. It shows that well-dispersed nanotube samples can spontaneously form loose aggregates of a type not previously recognized. Variance spectroscopy is a simple and practical technique that should find application in many nanoparticle studies.
Topics: Nanotubes, Carbon; Spectrometry, Fluorescence
PubMed: 26722902
DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.5b01835 -
Cells Jun 2019Tunneling nanotubes (TNTs) are thin membranous tubes that interconnect cells, representing a novel route of cell-to-cell communication and spreading of pathogens. TNTs... (Review)
Review
Tunneling nanotubes (TNTs) are thin membranous tubes that interconnect cells, representing a novel route of cell-to-cell communication and spreading of pathogens. TNTs form between many cell types, yet their inception mechanisms remain elusive. We review in this study general concepts related to the formation and stability of membranous tubular structures with a focus on a deviatoric elasticity model of membrane nanodomains. We review experimental evidence that tubular structures initiate from local membrane bending facilitated by laterally distributed proteins or anisotropic membrane nanodomains. We further discuss the numerical results of several theoretical and simulation models of nanodomain segregation suggesting the mechanisms of TNT inception and stability. We discuss the coupling of nanodomain segregation with the action of protruding cytoskeletal forces, which are mostly provided in eukaryotic cells by the polymerization of f-actin, and review recent inception mechanisms of TNTs in relation to motor proteins.
Topics: Anisotropy; Cell Surface Extensions; Cytoskeleton; Nanotubes; Unilamellar Liposomes
PubMed: 31234435
DOI: 10.3390/cells8060626 -
Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) Feb 2021Chemical and biological sensors have attracted great interest due to their importance in applications of healthcare, food quality monitoring, environmental monitoring,... (Review)
Review
Chemical and biological sensors have attracted great interest due to their importance in applications of healthcare, food quality monitoring, environmental monitoring, etc. Carbon nanotube (CNT)-based field-effect transistors (FETs) are novel sensing device configurations and are very promising for their potential to drive many technological advancements in this field due to the extraordinary electrical properties of CNTs. This review focuses on the implementation of CNT-based FETs (CNTFETs) in chemical and biological sensors. It begins with the introduction of properties, and surface functionalization of CNTs for sensing. Then, configurations and sensing mechanisms for CNT FETs are introduced. Next, recent progresses of CNTFET-based chemical sensors, and biological sensors are summarized. Finally, we end the review with an overview about the current application status and the remaining challenges for the CNTFET-based chemical and biological sensors.
Topics: Biosensing Techniques; Nanotubes, Carbon; Transistors, Electronic
PubMed: 33540641
DOI: 10.3390/s21030995 -
Annual Review of Cell and Developmental... Oct 2018In recent years, thin membrane protrusions such as cytonemes and tunneling nanotubes have emerged as a novel mechanism of intercellular communication. Protrusion-based... (Review)
Review
In recent years, thin membrane protrusions such as cytonemes and tunneling nanotubes have emerged as a novel mechanism of intercellular communication. Protrusion-based cellular interactions allow for specific communication between participating cells and have a distinct spectrum of advantages compared to secretion- and diffusion-based intercellular communication. Identification of protrusion-based signaling in diverse systems suggests that this mechanism is a ubiquitous and prevailing means of communication employed by many cell types. Moreover, accumulating evidence indicates that protrusion-based intercellular communication is often involved in pathogenesis, including cancers and infections. Here we review our current understanding of protrusion-based intercellular communication.
Topics: Cell Communication; Cell Lineage; Cell Surface Extensions; Endocytosis; Humans; Nanotubes; Signal Transduction
PubMed: 30074816
DOI: 10.1146/annurev-cellbio-100617-062932 -
Nature Communications Jun 2021Bottom-up synthetic biology aims to engineer artificial cells capable of responsive behaviors by using a minimal set of molecular components. An important challenge...
Bottom-up synthetic biology aims to engineer artificial cells capable of responsive behaviors by using a minimal set of molecular components. An important challenge toward this goal is the development of programmable biomaterials that can provide active spatial organization in cell-sized compartments. Here, we demonstrate the dynamic self-assembly of nucleic acid (NA) nanotubes inside water-in-oil droplets. We develop methods to encapsulate and assemble different types of DNA nanotubes from programmable DNA monomers, and demonstrate temporal control of assembly via designed pathways of RNA production and degradation. We examine the dynamic response of encapsulated nanotube assembly and disassembly with the support of statistical analysis of droplet images. Our study provides a toolkit of methods and components to build increasingly complex and functional NA materials to mimic life-like functions in synthetic cells.
Topics: Artificial Cells; Biocompatible Materials; DNA; Emulsions; Lipid Droplets; Macromolecular Substances; Models, Molecular; Nanotechnology; Nanotubes; Nucleic Acid Conformation; Oligonucleotides; Synthetic Biology; Water
PubMed: 34117248
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-23850-1 -
International Journal of Molecular... May 2022Tunneling nanotubes (TNTs) are thin, F-actin-based membranous protrusions that connect distant cells and can provide e a novel mechanism for intercellular communication.... (Review)
Review
Tunneling nanotubes (TNTs) are thin, F-actin-based membranous protrusions that connect distant cells and can provide e a novel mechanism for intercellular communication. By establishing cytoplasmic continuity between interconnected cells, TNTs enable the bidirectional transfer of nuclear and cytoplasmic cargo, including organelles, nucleic acids, drugs, and pathogenic molecules. TNT-mediated nucleic acid transfer provides a unique opportunity for donor cells to directly alter the genome, transcriptome, and metabolome of recipient cells. TNTs have been reported to transport DNA, mitochondrial DNA, mRNA, viral RNA, and non-coding RNAs, such as miRNA and siRNA. This mechanism of transfer is observed in physiological as well as pathological conditions, and has been implicated in the progression of disease. Herein, we provide a concise overview of TNTs' structure, mechanisms of biogenesis, and the functional effects of TNT-mediated intercellular transfer of nucleic acid cargo. Furthermore, we highlight the potential translational applications of TNT-mediated nucleic acid transfer in cancer, immunity, and neurological diseases.
Topics: Actin Cytoskeleton; Cell Communication; Cell Membrane Structures; Nanotubes; Nucleic Acids
PubMed: 35628298
DOI: 10.3390/ijms23105487 -
Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews Dec 2013Thermal tumor ablation therapies are being developed with a variety of nanomaterials, including single- and multiwalled carbon nanotubes. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have... (Review)
Review
Thermal tumor ablation therapies are being developed with a variety of nanomaterials, including single- and multiwalled carbon nanotubes. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have attracted interest due to their potential for simultaneous imaging and therapy. In this review, we highlight in vivo applications of carbon nanotube-mediated thermal therapy (CNMTT) and examine the rationale for use of this treatment in recurrent tumors or those resistant to conventional cancer therapies. Additionally, we discuss strategies to localize and enhance the cancer selectivity of this treatment and briefly examine issues relating the toxicity and long term fate of CNTs.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Hyperthermia, Induced; Nanotubes, Carbon; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; Neoplasms; Time Factors
PubMed: 23933617
DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2013.08.001