ABSTRACT
Colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals are promising candidates for quantum light sources, yet their application has been impeded by photoluminescence instability due to blinking and spectral diffusion. This study introduces a new category of cube-shaped CdSe/CdS core/shell nanocrystals with exceptionally stable photoluminescence characteristics. Under continuous excitation, the emissive quantum state remained consistent without alterations of the charge state for 4000 s, and the average photon energy variation stayed within the bounds of spectral resolution throughout this extended duration. Systematic examination of single-nanocrystal photoluminescence, upon variation of the core and shell dimensions, revealed that a thicker CdS shell and increased core edge length significantly curtail spectral diffusion, considering that the nanocrystals possess well-controlled CdSe-CdS and facet-ligand interfaces. This study advances the optimization of colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals as high-performance quantum light sources.
ABSTRACT
Single-molecule spectroscopy offers state-resolved measurements on charge-transfer reactions of single semiconductor nanocrystals, leading to the discovery of up to six single-charge transfer reactions with seven transient states for single CdSe/CdS core/shell nanocrystals with water (or oxygen) as the hole (or electron) acceptors. Kinetic rates of three photoinduced single-hole transfer reactions decrease significantly upon increasing the number of excess electrons in a nanocrystal, mainly due to efficient Auger nonradiative recombination of the charged single excitons. Conversely, the kinetic rates of three single-electron transfer reactions of an unexcited nanocrystal increase proportionally to the number of excess electrons in it. Results here reveal that charge-transfer reactions of nanocrystals, at the center of nearly all their functions, could only be deciphered at a state-resolved level on a single nanocrystal. Size-dependent studies validate the weakly confined semiconductor nanocrystals, instead of strongly confined ones (quantum dots), as optimal candidates for photochemical and optoelectronic applications.
ABSTRACT
Establishing the temperature dependence of respiration is critical for accurate predictions of the global carbon cycle under climate change. Diurnal temperature fluctuations, or changes in substrate availability, lead to variations in leaf respiration. Additionally, recent studies hint that the thermal sensitivity of respiration could be time-dependent. However, the role for endogenous processes, independent from substrate availability, as drivers of temporal changes in the sensitivity of respiration to temperature across phylogenies has not yet been addressed. Here, we examined the diurnal variation in the response of respiration to temperatures (R-T relationship) for different lycophyte, fern, gymnosperm and angiosperm species. We tested whether time-dependent changes in the R-T relationship would impact leaf level respiration modelling. We hypothesized that interactions between endogenous processes, like the circadian clock, and leaf respiration would be independent from changes in substrate availability. Overall, we observed a time-dependent sensitivity in the R-T relationship across phylogenies, independent of temperature, that affected modelling parameters. These results are compatible with circadian gating of respiration, but further studies should analyse the possible involvement of the clock. Our results indicate time-dependent regulation of respiration might be widespread across phylogenies, and that endogenous regulation of respiration is likely affecting leaf-level respiration fluxes.
Subject(s)
Acclimatization , Cell Respiration , Cell Respiration/physiology , Acclimatization/physiology , Plants , Temperature , Respiration , Plant Leaves/physiologyABSTRACT
Synthesis of colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals with defined facet structures is challenging, though such nanocrystals are essential for fully realizing their size-dependent optical and optoelectronic properties. Here, for the mostly developed colloidal wurtzite CdSe/CdS core/shell nanocrystals, facet reconstruction is investigated under typical synthetic conditions, excluding nucleation, growth, and interparticle ripening. Within the reaction time window, two reproducible sets of facetsâeach with a specific group of low-index facetsâcan be reversibly reconstructed by switching the ligand system, indicating thermodynamic stability of each set. With a unique <0001> axis, atomic structures of the low-index facets of wurtzite nanocrystals are diverse. Experimental and theoretical studies reveal that each facet in a given set is paired with a common ligand in the solution, namely, either fatty amine and/or cadmium alkanoate. The robust bonding modes of ligands are found to be strongly facet-dependent and often unconventional, instead of following Green's classification. Results suggest that facet-controlled nanocrystals can be synthesized by optimal facet-ligand pairing either in synthesis or after-synthesis reconstruction, implying semiconductor nanocrystal formation with size-dependent properties down to an atomic level.
ABSTRACT
With CdSe/CdS/ZnS core/shell/shell quantum dots (QDs) as the model system, time- and potential-resolved spectroelectrochemical measurements are successfully applied for studying the general mechanisms and kinetics of electrochemiluminescence (ECL) generation. The rate constant of electron injection from the cathode into a QD to form a negatively charged QD (QD-) increases monotonically from -0.88 V to -1.2 V (vs Ag/AgCl). Mainly due to the deep LUMO of the QDs, the resulting QD- as the key intermediate for ECL generation is structurally stable and possesses very slow spontaneous deionization channels. The latter (the main non-ECL channels) are usually 3-4 orders of magnitude slower than the rate constant of the successive hole injection from an active co-reactant into a QD-. The kinetic studies quantify the internal ECL quantum yield of ideal QD ECL emitters to be nearly identical to that of photoluminescence, which is near unity for the current system. Identification of the key intermediate, discovery of the related elementary steps, and determination of all rate constants not only establish a general framework for understanding ECL generation but also offer basic design rules for ECL emitters.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) is highly toxic to animal liver and is a major contributor to liver injury. Gomphrena globosa L. (GgL) is an edible plant with anti-inflammation and antioxidation properties. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential therapeutic effects of GgL on liver injury. METHODS AND RESULTS: A model of chronic liver injury in mice was established by intraperitoneal injection of CCl4 (0.4 mL/kg) for 3 weeks, and the mice were treated intraperitoneally with different concentrations of GgL crude extract (GgCE; 100, 200, 300 mg/kg) or Bifendatatum (Bif; 20 mg/kg) in the last 2 weeks. The results showed that GgCE treatment alleviated the liver injury, improved the pathological changes caused by CCl4 on the mice liver, and enhance the antioxidant capacity. We also found that GgCE increased the expression of antioxidant stress related proteins, decreased the phosphorylation levels of autophagy related proteins PI3K and mTOR, and decreased the expression of LC3 II and P62 proteins. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that GgCE alleviated CCl4-induced chronic liver injury in mice by activating antioxidant signaling pathways and promoting autophagy, indicating a potential therapeutic effect of GgCE on liver injury.
Subject(s)
Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury, Chronic , Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury , Mice , Animals , Antioxidants/pharmacology , Antioxidants/metabolism , Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury, Chronic/metabolism , Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury, Chronic/pathology , Liver/metabolism , Signal Transduction , Carbon Tetrachloride/pharmacology , Autophagy , Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury/metabolism , Oxidative StressABSTRACT
The band-gap energy of most bulk semiconductors tends to increase as the temperature decreases. However, non-monotonic temperature dependence of the emission energy has been observed in semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) at cryogenic temperatures. Here, using stable and highly efficient CdSe/CdS/ZnS QDs as the model system, we quantitatively reveal the origins of the anomalous emission red-shift (â¼8 meV) below 40 K by correlating ensemble and single QD spectroscopy measurements. About one-quarter of the anomalous red-shift (â¼2.2 meV) is caused by the temperature-dependent population of the band-edge exciton fine levels. The enhancement of electron-optical phonon coupling caused by the increasing population of dark excitons with temperature decreases contributes an â¼3.4 meV red-shift. The remaining â¼2.4 meV red-shift is attributed to temperature-dependent electron-acoustic phonon coupling.
ABSTRACT
Zinc-blende CdSe, CdS, and CdSe/CdS core/shell nanocrystals with a structure-matched shape (cube-shaped, edge length ≤30 nm) are synthesized via a universal scheme. With the edge length up to five times larger than exciton diameter of the bulk semiconductors, the nanocrystals exhibit novel properties in the weakly confined size regime, such as near-unity single exciton and biexciton photoluminescence (PL) quantum yields, single-nanocrystal PL nonblinking, mixed PL decay dynamics of exciton and free carriers with sub-microsecond monoexponential decay lifetime, and stable yet extremely narrow PL full width at half maximum (FWHM < 0.1 meV) at 1.8 K. Their monodisperse edge length, shape, and facet structure enable demonstration of unexpected yet size-dependent PL properties at room temperature, including unusually broad and abnormally size-dependent PL FWHM (â¼100 meV), nonmonotonic size dependence of PL peak energy, and dual-peak single-exciton PL. Calculations suggest that these unusual properties should be originated from the band-edge electron/hole states of the dynamic-exciton, whose exciton binding energy is too small to hold the photogenerated electron-hole pair as a bonded Wannier exciton in a weakly confined nanocrystal.
ABSTRACT
Presynthesized CdSe/CdS core/shell quantum dots (QDs) are two-dimensionally (2D) and epitaxially fused in solution to form a CdS nanoplatelet with multiple epitaxially embedded CdSe QDs (CdSe@CdS coupled-dots@platelet). In addition to providing spatial confinement for the excitonic states of multiple CdSe QDs in a CdS nanoplatelet, the continuous and single-crystalline nanoplatelet with controlled thickness enables quantum coupling between the CdSe QDs, resulting in inhomogeneous-free optical properties for the colloidal CdSe@CdS coupled-dots@nanoplatelets with bright photoluminescence. The results here suggest that solution synthesis can offer a simple means to obtain semiconductor nanocrystals for realizing unique yet complex excitonic properties that are otherwise difficult to achieve.
Subject(s)
Cadmium Compounds , Quantum Dots , Selenium Compounds , Cadmium Compounds/chemistry , Quantum Dots/chemistry , Selenium Compounds/chemistry , Sulfides/chemistryABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a complex reproductive disorder, that affects approximately 5-10% of women of reproductive age. The disease is complex because its evolution may be impacted by genetic, lifestyle and environmental factors. Previous studies have emphasized the important roles of estrogen receptors in the pathogenesis of PCOS. OBJECTIVE: To use whole exome sequencing (WES) to assess possible pathogenic factors in a PCOS patient who exhibited estrogen insensitivity during hormone replacement therapy (HRT) treatment. METHODS: Genome sequencing and variant filtering via WES were performed in a patient with PCOS. DNA extraction from 364 unrelated female controls without PCOS was followed by PCR amplification, Sanger sequencing and sequence alignment. Evolutionary conservation analysis, protein structural modelling and in silico prediction were applied to analyse the potential pathogenicity of the novel ESR1 mutation. RESULT(S): During the controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) period of an IVF cycle, the patient experienced markedly prolonged ovarian stimulation due to a poor response to gonadotropins (Gn) and elevated serum FSH. A novel heterozygous ESR1 mutation, c.619G > A/p.A207T, leading to the replacement of a highly conserved alanine with a threonine, was identified in this patient, via WES analysis. This novel variant was not identified in 364 unrelated female controls without PCOS, or in the Exome Aggregation Consortium (ExAC) or 1000 Genome Project. CONCLUSION(S): We identified a novel heterozygous ESR1 mutation in a Han Chinese PCOS woman exhibiting clinical signs of estrogen insensitivity. This study may provide new strategies for IVF therapy, especially for patients who exhibit estrogen insensitivity during IVF cycle.
Subject(s)
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome , Humans , Female , Polycystic Ovary Syndrome/genetics , Fertilization in Vitro , Mutation , China , EstrogensABSTRACT
Auger recombination is the main nonradiative process in multicarrier states of high-quality quantum dots (QDs). For the most-studied CdSe/CdS core/shell QDs, we effectively reduce the biexciton Auger rate by enhancing dielectric screening of band-edge carriers via epitaxial growth of additional ZnS shells. Super volume scaling of negative-trion Auger lifetime for CdSe/CdS core/shell QDs is achieved with the outermost ZnS shells. The volume of CdSe/CdS/ZnS QDs can be less than half that of CdSe/CdS QDs with the same negative-trion Auger lifetime. Auger suppression by the ZnS shells is more pronounced for QDs with wave functions of band-edge carriers spreading close to the inorganic-organic interface, such as CdSe/CdS QDs with small cores. A maximum drop of biexciton Auger rate of â¼50% and a maximum enhancement of biexciton emission quantum yield of 75% are achieved. Auger engineering by dielectric screening opens up new opportunities to improve the emission properties of multicarrier states in QDs.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Keloid and hypertrophic scars are the most common types of pathological scars. They can cause itching, pain, erythema, and psychological stress due to cosmetic problems, decreasing the quality of life for affected individuals. The neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG) multipurpose laser is used to treat pathological scars, and studies have shown that the Nd:YAG laser can markedly improve scarring. AIMS: We performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy of the Nd:YAG laser in the treatment of keloid and hypertrophic scars. METHODS: A literature search of PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Cochrane, Embase, CNKI, and Wanfang was performed between January 1st, 2010, and July 14th, 2021. The Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS) was used to evaluate treatment outcomes. We used the R version 4.0.0 software for statistical analysis. RESULTS: The Nd:YAG laser improved the condition of keloid and hypertrophic scars and reduced VSS score (mean difference [MD]: 2.96, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.08-3.84, p < 0.01). There was no obvious difference in the results between regions. A subgroup analysis by scar type revealed that the curative effect of the Nd:YAG laser on keloid scars (MD: 2.02, 95% CI: 0.58-4.63, p = 0.10) was less marked compared with that on hypertrophic scars (MD: 3.05, 95% CI: 1.58-4.52, p < 0.01). With the combined use of the Nd:YAG laser and other treatment methods, a more significant change in VSS score was noted (MD: 4.28, 95% CI: 2.07-6.49). CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis showed that the Nd:YAG laser can improve the condition of keloid and hypertrophic scars and effectively reduce VSS score. Moreover, the curative effect of this approach on keloid scars is less marked compared with that on hypertrophic scars. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE III: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266.
Subject(s)
Cicatrix, Hypertrophic , Keloid , Lasers, Solid-State , Aluminum , Cicatrix, Hypertrophic/pathology , Cicatrix, Hypertrophic/radiotherapy , Cicatrix, Hypertrophic/surgery , Humans , Keloid/pathology , Keloid/radiotherapy , Keloid/surgery , Lasers, Solid-State/therapeutic use , Neodymium , Quality of Life , Treatment Outcome , YttriumABSTRACT
Previous studies have used botulinum toxin type A (BTXA) to improve postoperative and hypertrophic scars; however, there is lack of detailed verification on the safety and effectiveness of this approach. This study aimed to evaluate the therapeutic effect of BTXA on postoperative hypertrophic scars and its influence on cytokine expression in animal models. A computerised search of different databases was performed, including PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Cochrane, Embase, CNKI, and Wanfang, up to 10 March 2021. A meta-analysis was performed using R 4.0.0 based on hypertrophic index, epithelialisation time, wound area, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression. Eleven studies were included. The meta-analysis showed a significant difference in hypertrophic index (standardised mean difference [SMD] = -2.63, 95% confidence interval [CI]: -3.50 to -1.76, P < .01), wound area (SMD = -0.54, 95% CI: -1.24 to 0.16, P < .01), and VEGF expression (SMD = -2.56, 95% CI: -3.50 to -1.62, P < .01). This study shows that BTXA is safe and effective in preventing and treating scar hypertrophy in animal models, but excessive doses of BTXA and BTXA to treat large areas should be avoided.
Subject(s)
Botulinum Toxins, Type A , Cicatrix, Hypertrophic , Animals , Botulinum Toxins, Type A/therapeutic use , Cicatrix, Hypertrophic/drug therapy , Cicatrix, Hypertrophic/metabolism , Cicatrix, Hypertrophic/prevention & control , Humans , Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor AABSTRACT
Microtubules are polymers composed of αß-tubulin subunits that provide structure to cells and play a crucial role in in the development and function of neuronal processes and cilia, microtubule-driven extensions of the plasma membrane that have sensory (primary cilia) or motor (motile cilia) functions. To stabilize microtubules in neuronal processes and cilia, α tubulin is modified by the posttranslational addition of an acetyl group, or acetylation. We discovered that acetylated tubulin in microtubules interacts with the membrane sphingolipid, ceramide. However, the molecular mechanism and function of this interaction are not understood. Here, we show that in human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neurons, ceramide stabilizes microtubules, which indicates a similar function in cilia. Using proximity ligation assays, we detected complex formation of ceramide with acetylated tubulin in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii flagella and cilia of human embryonic kidney (HEK293T) cells, primary cultured mouse astrocytes, and ependymal cells. Using incorporation of palmitic azide and click chemistry-mediated addition of fluorophores, we show that a portion of acetylated tubulin is S-palmitoylated. S-palmitoylated acetylated tubulin is colocalized with ceramide-rich platforms in the ciliary membrane, and it is coimmunoprecipitated with Arl13b, a GTPase that mediates transport of proteins into cilia. Inhibition of S-palmitoylation with 2-bromo palmitic acid or inhibition of ceramide biosynthesis with fumonisin B1 reduces formation of the Arl13b-acetylated tubulin complex and its transport into cilia, concurrent with impairment of ciliogenesis. Together, these data show, for the first time, that ceramide-rich platforms mediate membrane anchoring and interaction of S-palmitoylated proteins that are critical for cilium formation, stabilization, and function.
Subject(s)
TubulinABSTRACT
With high-quality CdSe/CdS core/shell nanocrystals as the main model system and under a controlled atmosphere, responses of photoexcited semiconductor nanocrystals to two active species (water and/or oxygen) in an ambient environment are studied systematically. Under photoexcitation, although high-quality semiconductor nanocrystals in either thin solid films or various solutions have a near-unity photoluminescence quantum yield, there is still a small probability (â¼10-5 per photon absorbed) to be photoreduced by the water molecules efficiently accumulated in the highly hydrophilic nanocrystal-ligands interface. The resulting negatively charged nanocrystals are the starting point of most photophysical variations, and the hydroxyl radicalâkey photo-oxidation product of waterâplays the main role for initiating various photochemical processes. Depending on the supplementation of water to the interface, accessibility to oxygen, photoirradiation power, type of matrices, type of measurement schemes, and solubility of nanocrystals in the solution, various photophysical/photochemical phenomenaâeither reported or not reported in the literatureâare reproducibly observed. Results confirm that photophysical properties and photochemical reactions can be well-correlated, offering a unified and unique basis for fundamental studies and the design of processing techniques in industry.
ABSTRACT
The prognostic value of the sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score for critically ill elderly patients with acute infective endocarditis (IE) remains unknown. From January 2015 to December 2019, 111 elderly (≥65 years) patients with acute IE were consecutively included and divided into a low SOFA (<6) group (n = 71) and a high SOFA (≥6) group (n = 40). Endpoints included in-hospital and long-term (12-36 month) mortality. A high SOFA score was related to higher incidence of in-hospital mortality (30.0%) with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.796. In multivariate analysis, age [odds ratio (OR) = 2.21, 95% confidence intervals (CI), 1.16-6.79, p = 0.040], SOFA ≥6 (OR = 6.38, 95% CI, 1.80-16.89, p = 0.004) and surgical treatment (OR = 0.21, 95% CI, 0.05-0.80, p = 0.021) were predictive of in-hospital mortality. A Cox proportional-hazards model identified age [Hazard ratios (HR)= 2.85, 95% CI, 1.11-7.37, p = 0.031], diabetes mellitus (HR = 3.99, 95% CI, 1.35-11.80, p = 0.013), SOFA ≥6 (OR = 3.38, 95% CI, 1.26-9.08, p = 0.001) and surgical treatment (HR = 0.24, 95% CI, 0.08-0.68, p = 0.021) as predictors of long-term mortality. A high SOFA score predicts a poor outcome including in-hospital and long-term mortality in critically ill elderly patients with acute IE.
Subject(s)
Endocarditis, Bacterial , Organ Dysfunction Scores , Aged , Critical Illness , Humans , Prognosis , Retrospective StudiesABSTRACT
Non-alcohol fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common disease which causes serious liver damage. Geniposide (GEN), a kind of iridoid glycoside extracted from Gardenia jasminoides fruit, has many biological effects, such as resistance to cell damage and anti-neurodegenerative disorder. Lipid accumulation was obvious in tyloxapol-induced liver and oil acid (OA) with palmitic acid (PA)-induced HepG2 cells compared with the control groups while GEN improved the increasing conditions. GEN significantly lessened the total cholesterol (TC), the triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), myeloperoxidase (MPO), reactive oxygen species (ROS) and increased high-density lipoprotein (HDL), superoxide dismutase (SOD) to response the oxidative stress via activating nuclear factor erythroid-2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), haeme oxygenase (HO)-1 and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)α which may influence the phosphorylation of adenosine 5'-monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signalling pathway in mice and cells. Additionally, GEN evidently decreased the contents of sterol regulatory element-binding proteins (SREBP)-1c, phosphorylation (P)-mechanistic target of rapamycin complex (mTORC), P-S6K, P-S6 and high mobility group protein (HMGB) 1 via inhibiting the expression of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), and these were totally abrogated in Nrf2-/- mice. Our study firstly proved the protective effect of GEN on lipid accumulation via enhancing the ability of antioxidative stress and anti-inflammation which were mostly depend on up-regulating the protein expression of Nrf2/HO-1 and AMPK signalling pathways, thereby suppressed the phosphorylation of mTORC and its related protein.
Subject(s)
AMP-Activated Protein Kinases/metabolism , Gene Expression Regulation/drug effects , Iridoids/pharmacology , NF-E2-Related Factor 2/metabolism , Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease/metabolism , TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases/metabolism , Animals , Hep G2 Cells , Humans , Inflammation , Lipids/chemistry , Male , Mice , Mice, Inbred C57BL , Oxidative Stress , Palmitic Acid/chemistry , Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases/metabolism , Phosphorylation , Polyethylene Glycols , Signal TransductionABSTRACT
Chicoric acid is polyphenol of natural plant and has a variety of bioactivity. Caused by various kinds of stimulating factors, acute liver injury has high fatality rate. The effect of chicoric acid in acute liver injury induced by Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and d-galactosamine (d-GalN) was investigated in this study. The results showed that CA decreased the aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) in serum and reduced the mortality induced by LPS/d-GalN. CA can restrain mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) to alleviate inflammation. Meanwhile, the results indicated CA can active nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) pathway with increasing the level of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK). And with the treatment of CA, protein levels of autophagy genes were obvious improved. The results of experiments indicate that CA has protective effect in liver injury, and the activation of AMPK and autophagy may make sense.
Subject(s)
Caffeic Acids/pharmacology , Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury/drug therapy , Inflammation/drug therapy , Oxidative Stress/drug effects , Succinates/pharmacology , AMP-Activated Protein Kinase Kinases , Alanine Transaminase/blood , Animals , Aspartate Aminotransferases/blood , Autophagy/drug effects , Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury/blood , Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury/genetics , Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury/pathology , Galactosamine/toxicity , Gene Expression Regulation/drug effects , Hep G2 Cells , Humans , Inflammation/blood , Inflammation/genetics , Inflammation/pathology , Lipopolysaccharides/toxicity , Liver/drug effects , Liver/injuries , Liver/pathology , Mice , Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Kinases/genetics , NF-E2-Related Factor 2/genetics , NF-kappa B/genetics , Protein Kinases/geneticsABSTRACT
By taking advantage of well-defined spectroscopic signatures of high-quality CdSe/CdS core/shell QDs, the effects of oxygen on photoluminescence (PL) of QDs were studied systematically and quantitatively at both single-dot and ensemble (on substrate and in solution) levels, which reveals a unified yet simple picture. With a sufficient amount of oxygen in the system during photoexcitation, the core/shell QDs in all forms would be deionized timely from the photogenerated and inefficient trion state back to the efficient single-exciton state, with superoxide radicals as the reduction product of oxygen. Under a given excitation power, rates of both spontaneous deionization and photodeionization channels increased by increasing the oxygen pressure, but photoionization of the QDs was barely affected by the oxygen pressure. While stabilizing PL by oxygen was identified for both CdSe plain core and CdSe/CdS core/shell QDs, irreversible photocorrosion was only observed for CdSe plain core QDs, suggesting the importance of high-quality epitaxial shells for QDs in various applications.
ABSTRACT
Constitutive activation of FGFR1, as a result of diverse chromosome translocations, is the hallmark of stem cell leukemia/lymphoma syndrome. The BCR-FGFR1 variant is unique in that the BCR component contributes a serine-threonine kinase (STK) to the N-terminal end of the chimeric FGFR1 kinase. We have deleted the STK domain and mutated the critical Y177 residue and demonstrate that the transforming activity of these mutated genes is reduced compared to the BCR-FGFR1 parental kinase. In addition, we demonstrate that deletion of the FGFR1 tyrosine kinase domain abrogates transforming ability, which is not compensated for by BCR STK activity. Unbiased screening for proteins that are inactivated as a result of loss of the BCR STK identified activated S6 kinase and SHP2 kinase. Genetic and pharmacological inhibition of SHP2 function in SCLL cells expressing BCR-FGFR1 in vitro leads to reduced viability and increased apoptosis. In vivo treatment of SCLL in mice with SHP099 leads to suppression of leukemogenesis, supporting an important role for SHP2 in FGFR1-driven leukemogenesis. In combination with the BGJ398 FGFR1 inhibitor, cell viability in vitro is further suppressed and acts synergistically with SHP099 in vivo suggesting a potential combined targeted therapy option in this subtype of SCLL disease.