Shape-controlled synthesis of gold and silver nanoparticles

Monodisperse samples of silver nanocubes were synthesized in large quantities by reducing silver nitrate with ethylene glycol in the presence of poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP). These cubes were single crystals and were characterized by a slightly truncated shape bounded by [100], [110], and [111] facets. The presence of PVP and its molar ratio (in terms of repeating unit) relative to silver nitrate both played important roles in determining the geometric shape and size of the product. The silver cubes could serve as sacrificial templates to generate single-crystalline nanoboxes of gold: hollow polyhedra bounded by six [100] and eight [111] facets. Controlling the size, shape, and structure of metal nanoparticles is technologically important because of the strong correlation between these parameters and optical, electrical, and catalytic properties.     

基于NaCl高效聚集纳米金的比色适配体传感器检测多菌灵

植物体和水体中残留的多菌灵通过食物链进入生物体,最终对生物体健康造成威胁,已经引起了社会的广泛关注。现有的检测方法虽然具有一定的灵敏度和精确性,但往往需要昂贵的大型设备、专业的技术人员和较长的检测时间,因此建立快速、高效的检测方法具有重要的现实意义。在本文中,我们使用无标记的多菌灵特异性适配体作为传感探针,NaCl溶液作为聚集诱导剂,纳米金粒子作为颜色指示剂,开发了一种比色适配体传感器用于检测水溶液中的多菌灵。在没有多菌灵时,纳米金颗粒被多菌灵适配体包裹,在NaCl溶液中依然维持分散。当多菌灵存在时,多菌灵适配体与多菌灵特异性结合形成稳定的复合物,此时,溶液中裸露的纳米金在NaCl的作用下聚集,整个体系从红色变为蓝色。该比色法的检测限低至2.3nmol/L,线性检测范围为2.3~800nmol/L。加标水样中多菌灵的平均回收率为96.3%~111.2%,相对标准偏差为1.5%~8.9%。该比色适配体传感器操作简单,检测时间短,仪器要求低,因此具有在水环境中快速检测多菌灵的潜力。     

基于核酸适配体的阳离子聚合物聚集纳米金比色法检测水中睾酮

利用核酸适配体对睾酮特异性识别功能以及阳离子聚合物PDDA(poly dimethyl diallyl ammonium chloride,PDDA)聚集纳米金特性,建立了一种高灵敏度、高特异性测定睾酮的定量方法。在最优实验条件[10 mmol/L PB缓冲溶液(pH 7.4),孵育温度25℃,6nmol/L PDDA,6nmol/L睾酮核酸适配体]下,体系吸光度比值A_(650)/A_(520)与睾酮浓度C呈良好的线性关系,决定系数R2为0.995。该方法可检测睾酮浓度范围为2.27nmol/L~1.8μmol/L,最低检测限为2.27nmol/L,将本方法应用于检测自来水睾酮含量,加标回收率为99.81%~105.04%。本方法具有检测范围广、成本低、操作简便、检测灵敏等优点,具有良好实际应用前景。     

Video: gene regulation

A video introduction focusing on RNA's role in gene regulation and the evolution of life.     

Using gene expression noise to understand gene regulation

Phenotypic variation is ubiquitous in biology and is often traceable to underlying genetic and environmental variation. However, even genetically identical cells in identical environments display variable phenotypes. Stochastic gene expression, or gene expression "noise," has been suggested as a major source of this variability, and its physiological consequences have been topics of intense research for the last decade. Several recent studies have measured variability in protein and messenger RNA levels, and they have discovered strong connections between noise and gene regulation mechanisms. When integrated with discrete stochastic models, measurements of cell-to-cell variability provide a sensitive "fingerprint" with which to explore fundamental questions of gene regulation. In this review, we highlight several studies that used gene expression variability to develop a quantitative understanding of the mechanisms and dynamics of gene regulation.     

Autogenous regulation of gene expression

A new term, autogenous regulation, is used to describe a phenomenon that is not a new discovery but rather is newly appreciated as a mechanism common to a number of systems in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms. In this mechanism the product of a structural gene regulates expression of the operon in which that structural gene resides. In many (perhaps all) cases, the regulatory gene product has several functions, since it may act not only as a regulatory protein but also as an enzyme, structural protein, or antibody, for example. In a few cases, this protein is the multimeric allosteric enzyme that catalyzes the first step of a metabolic pathway, gearing together the two most important mechanisms for controlling the biosynthesis of metabolites in bacterial cells-feedback inhibition and repression. Autogenous regulation may provide a mechanism for amplification of gene expression (84); for severe and prolonged inactivation of gene expression (85); for buffering the response of structural genes to changes in the environment (45, 52); and for maintaining a constant intracellular concentration of a protein, independent of cell size or growth rate (86). Thus, autogenous regulation provides the cell with means for accomplishing a number of different regulatory tasks, each suited to better satisfying the needs of the organism for its survival.     

Enhanced bonding of gold nanoparticles on oxidized TiO2(110)

We studied the nucleation of gold clusters on TiO2(110) surfaces in three different oxidation states by high-resolution scanning tunneling microscopy. The three TiO2(110) supports chosen were (i) reduced (having bridging oxygen vacancies), (ii) hydrated (having bridging hydroxyl groups), and (iii) oxidized (having oxygen adatoms). At room temperature, gold nanoclusters nucleate homogeneously on the terraces of the reduced and oxidized supports, whereas on the hydrated TiO2(110) surface, clusters form preferentially at the step edges. From interplay with density functional theory calculations, we identified two different gold-TiO2(110) adhesion mechanisms for the reduced and oxidized supports. The adhesion of gold clusters is strongest on the oxidized support, and the implications of this finding for catalytic applications are discussed.     

纳米金核酸适配体HCR放大比色法检测 动物源食品中氨苄青霉素残留

为了检测动物原性食品中氨苄青霉素残留,利用氨苄青霉素与核酸适配体的特异性结合能使其脱离纳米金粒子表面的特性,并利用核酸适配体杂交链式反应(HCR)将信号放大,最终通过检测纳米金溶液吸收光谱的变化建立一种氨苄青霉素残留的高灵敏检测方法.首先对各项反应条件进行优化,筛选出HCR放大纳米金比色法的最优检测方法,优化后的检测方法中,NaC1溶液最优浓度为1 mol·L-1,HCR的最优终浓度为11.5％ (V/V),HCR与纳米金孵育的最优反应条件为37℃、30min.氨苄青霉素的检测范围是0～1.2 μmol· L-1,线性方程为y=0.1636x+0.025,R2=0.9953,最低检测限可达到10 nmol·L-1,在实际样品中的检测回收率是92.30％～103.27％.建立的氨苄青霉素适配体的HCR放大纳米金比色法具有操作简便、反应快速、灵敏度高等优点,可用于氨苄青霉素残留量的快速检测.     

Widespread lateral gene transfer from intracellular bacteria to multicellular eukaryotes

Although common among bacteria, lateral gene transfer-the movement of genes between distantly related organisms-is thought to occur only rarely between bacteria and multicellular eukaryotes. However, the presence of endosymbionts, such as Wolbachia pipientis, within some eukaryotic germlines may facilitate bacterial gene transfers to eukaryotic host genomes. We therefore examined host genomes for evidence of gene transfer events from Wolbachia bacteria to their hosts. We found and confirmed transfers into the genomes of four insect and four nematode species that range from nearly the entire Wolbachia genome (>1 megabase) to short (<500 base pairs) insertions. Potential Wolbachia-to-host transfers were also detected computationally in three additional sequenced insect genomes. We also show that some of these inserted Wolbachia genes are transcribed within eukaryotic cells lacking endosymbionts. Therefore, heritable lateral gene transfer occurs into eukaryotic hosts from their prokaryote symbionts, potentially providing a mechanism for acquisition of new genes and functions.     

鸡传染性支气管炎病毒介导的细胞内受体及抗病毒基因的表达

[目的]研究传染性支气管炎病毒对细胞模式识别受体(PRRS)及天然抗病毒基因转录的激活作用.[方法]IBV M41毒株感染DF-1细胞,应用荧光定量PCR测定细胞内受体(MDA5、LGP2、MAVS和NLRC5)和抗病毒相关基因(IRF7,IFN-a/β,NF-κB1)在禽传染性支气管炎感染过程中不同时间点的转录水平表达变化.[结果]在感染的细胞中几种细胞内受体在感染不同时间点均有不同程度的升高.IFN-α、IRF7和NF-κB1的表达在感染后显著升高,而IFN-β在感染36 h内被抑制,48 h被激活.[结论]鸡传染性支气管炎病毒体外感染DF-1细胞后能显著激活细胞内受体及抗病毒基因的表达.