Zongkun Hou¹, Shilei Hao¹, Bochu Wang^1,*

Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.16, Suppl.2, pp. 145-145, 2019, DOI:10.32604/mcb.2019.07077

Abstract An expansion of the cerebral neocortex is thought to be the foundation for the unique intellectual abilities of humans. The cortical folding has been implicated in neurodevelopmental disorders and yet its origins remain unknown. In vitro culture of 3D cerebral organoids from human pluripotent stem cells has been used to study the fundamental mechanisms of mammalian neurodevelopment and characteristics of human brain development. Here, we explores the mechanism of boundary limitation on the formation of gyri and sulci through the self-organization of human brain organoids. The structure of cerebral organoids was analyzed by morphology observation, pathology and immunofluorescence. The different… More >

Xueyi Yang¹, Yue Xu¹, Chun Yang^1,*

Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.16, Suppl.2, pp. 101-101, 2019, DOI:10.32604/mcb.2019.07117

Abstract Cell-matrix interactions guide various cell behaviors, including proliferation, differentiation, migration, etc. Integrins, as a known transmembrane mechanosensor, undergo conformational changes in response to mechanical stimuli, and manipulate cell-matrix chemical-mechanical coupled signaling transduction [1]. The integrin-ligand bond kinetics has gain increasing attention among researchers. Independent studies showed that the integrin-ligand bond has been reported to be reinforced by the applied force f, while the loading rate df/dt had little effect on the bond lifetime [2].
We previously observed a dramatic increase in bond lifetime beyond a loading rate threshold for the integrin α2β1-DGEA bond, by introducing AFM (Atomic Force Microscopy)… More >

Qin Peng¹, Shaoying Lu¹, Shu Chien¹, Yingxiao Wang^1,*

Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.16, Suppl.2, pp. 83-83, 2019, DOI:10.32604/mcb.2019.07385

Abstract The dramatic re-organization of chromatin during mitosis is perhaps one of the most fundamental of all cell processes [1,2]. It remains unclear how epigenetic histone modifications, despite their crucial roles in regulating chromatin architectures, are dynamically coordinated with chromatin reorganization in controlling this process. Mechanical cues have also been shown to play important roles in modulating gene expressions and cellular functions [3,4]; however, it is still unclear about the mechanical regulations of epigenetics and chromatin organization. In this study, we have developed and characterized biosensors with high sensitivity and specificity based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET). These biosensors were… More >

Linhong Deng^1,*, Yang Jin², Mingzhi Luo¹

Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.16, Suppl.2, pp. 80-80, 2019, DOI:10.32604/mcb.2019.07370

Abstract Airway smooth muscle cells (ASMCs) exists within the bronchial airway wall in a form of spirally winding bundles [1]. This pattern emerges early during embryonic development and is involved in airway branching [2], providing the airway appropriate contractile capacity and resistance to circumferential tension in health or causing excessive airway narrowing in disease such as asthma. Despite its importance, the cause of ASMCs self-organization remains largely a mystery. Previously, we have demonstrated in 2D that ASMCs can sense the curvature in their microenvironment and change behaviors in differentiation, orientation and migration accordingly [3]. Here we further explore in 3D microenvironment… More >

Long Li¹, Jinglei Hu², Fan Song^1,*

Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.16, Suppl.2, pp. 54-55, 2019, DOI:10.32604/mcb.2019.07718

Abstract Cell adhesion is a fundamental biological process involved in many crucial cellular activities such as tissue formation, immune response, and cell locomotion [1, 2]. The adhesion process is mediated by the specific binding of membrane-anchored receptor and ligand proteins, which is quantified by the two-dimensional binding equilibrium constant [3-5]. These adhesion proteins are associated with cell membranes either via transmembrane domains or via GPI anchors, and may very likely generate membrane curvature, which has been shown for a number of membrane proteins to play an important role in organelle shaping, vesicle trafficking, cell fusion and division as well as protein… More >

Erik B. Kistler¹, Geert W. Schmid-Schönbein^2,*

Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.16, Suppl.2, pp. 8-8, 2019, DOI:10.32604/mcb.2019.07256

Abstract A longstanding question in research on organ failure after physiological shock (such as trauma, burns, sepsis, surgery and medical emergencies) is the underlying mechanism for a progressive loss of cell and tissue functions. Our systematic analysis of this problem has served to identify digestive enzymes as key players [1, 2]. After synthesis and discharge from the pancreas, the digestive enzymes are usually contained inside the lumen of the small intestine where they break down food every day. Escape of the digestive enzymes out of the lumen of the intestine is kept to a minimum by the mucosal barrier in the… More >

Ma YP^1,2,3#, ZJ Zhang^1,2#, TQ Su^1#, CA Busso⁴, ER Johnston⁵, XG Han^1,6, XM Zhang^2*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.87, pp. 286-291, 2018, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2018.87.286

Abstract Soil microbial communities are thought to be responsible for the rhizosphere priming effect (RPE). However, because soil microbial communities are comprised of diverse components, very little is known about which component plays the critical role. In this study, soybean and cottonwood were grown at two latitudinal locations with different temperature and light conditions in-situ. We quantified RPE using a natural δ¹³C method, and measured the abundance, richness and composition of bacteria and fungi communities with DNA-based molecular methods. Among all potential variables, including the three aforementioned indexes of bacteria and fungi communities and soil physicochemical and plant indexes, bacterial abundance… More >

Hui Qiao¹, Jingzhao Cui¹, Shuiping Ouyang¹, Jinjie Shi², Jia Ouyang^1,3,*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.7, No.11, pp. 1197-1207, 2019, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2019.07735

Abstract As an important agricultural waste, corn cob is one of the most abundant lignocellulosic biomass. In this work, dilute acid pretreatment using seven different organic acids were compared for compositional analysis of corn cob. The first pKa of organic acids, influenced by the number and type of the side group and distance between two carboxylic groups, played a crucial role in the pretreatment effect. Citric acid was found to have better pretreatment performance than other tested dicarboxylic acids. Under the condition of 30 mM, 160°C and 60 min, the level of xylose reached 22.64 g/L in pretreatment liquid, and the… More >

Ibtissem Moussa^1,2, Ramzi Khiari^1,3,4,*, Ali Moussa², Gérard Mortha⁴, Mohamed Farouk Mhenni¹

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.7, No.4, pp. 345-354, 2019, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2019.04011

Abstract The most abundant phenolic biopolymer in the biosphere is the lignin. This phenolic biopolymer commonly exists in combination with polysaccharides and other cell wall components. In this study, the solvent system dioxane-water is used to extract lignin, which is considered as unaltered native lignin. The dioxane lignin extracted from fig stems was characterized regarding to its structural feature, quantification of its functional groups, molecular weight, and evaluation of its thermal properties. Purity and molecular weight distribution of the studied lignin indicated that isolated lignin contained a low amount of sugar (c.a. 19%) and had a high weight-average molecular weight (10… More >

Laura Ribba, Jonathan Cimadoro, Silvia Goyanes^*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.7, No.4, pp. 355-363, 2019, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2019.04083

Abstract In this work, conductive polymer nanocomposites were developed based on a biodegradable and biobased polymer (poly (lactic acid)), with the incorporation of only 0.3 wt% of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to be used as volatile solvent sensors. The correct dispersion of the nanofiller was achieved thanks to a CNT non-covalent modification with an azo-dye (disperse orange 3) which allowed to reach the percolation for electric conduction in values as low as 0.3 wt%. The chemo-resistive properties of the developed sensors were investigated by exposure to organic vapors (ethanol, tetrahydrofuran and toluene) and water vapor, showing good selectivity. In addition, considering the… More >