Dataset Information

Photomotility of polymers.

ABSTRACT: Light is distinguished as a contactless energy source for microscale devices as it can be directed from remote distances, rapidly turned on or off, spatially modulated across length scales, polarized, or varied in intensity. Motivated in part by these nascent properties of light, transducing photonic stimuli into macroscopic deformation of materials systems has been examined in the last half-century. Here we report photoinduced motion (photomotility) in monolithic polymer films prepared from azobenzene-functionalized liquid crystalline polymer networks (azo-LCNs). Leveraging the twisted-nematic orientation, irradiation with broad spectrum ultraviolet-visible light (320-500 nm) transforms the films from flat sheets to spiral ribbons, which subsequently translate large distances with continuous irradiation on an arbitrary surface. The motion results from a complex interplay of photochemistry and mechanics. We demonstrate directional control, as well as climbing.

SUBMITTER: Wie JJ

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5109552 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Photomotility of polymers.

Wie Jeong Jae JJ Shankar M Ravi MR White Timothy J TJ

Nature communications 20161110

Light is distinguished as a contactless energy source for microscale devices as it can be directed from remote distances, rapidly turned on or off, spatially modulated across length scales, polarized, or varied in intensity. Motivated in part by these nascent properties of light, transducing photonic stimuli into macroscopic deformation of materials systems has been examined in the last half-century. Here we report photoinduced motion (photomotility) in monolithic polymer films prepared from azo ...[more]

PMID: 27830707

Similar Datasets

Project description:The burgeoning field of targeted protein degradation (TPD) has opened new avenues for modulating the activity of previously undruggable proteins of interest. To date, TPD has been dominated by small molecules containing separate linked domains for protein engagement and recruitment of cellular degradation machinery. The process of identifying active compounds has required tedious optimization and has been successful largely against a limited set of targets with well-defined, suitable docking pockets. Here we present a polymer chemistry approach termed the HYbrid DegRAding Copolymer (HYDRAC) to overcome standing challenges associated with the development of TPD. These copolymers densely display either peptide-based or small molecule-derived degradation inducers and target-binding peptide sequences for the selective degradation of disease-associated proteins. HYDRACs are synthesized in a facile manner, are modular in design, and are highly selective. Using the intrinsically disordered transcription factor MYC as an initial proof-of-concept, difficult to drug protein target, HYDRACs containing a MYC-inhibitory peptide copolymerized with a validated degron, showed robust and selective degradation of the target protein. Treatment of tumor-bearing mice with MYC-targeted HYDRACs showed decreased cell proliferation and increased tumor apoptosis, leading to significantly suppressed tumor growth in vivo. The versatility of the platform was demonstrated by substituting the degron for recruiters of three different E3 ligases (VHL, KEAP1, and CRBN), which all maintained MYC degradation. To demonstrate generalizability, HYDRACs were further designed against a second elusive target of clinical interest, KRAS, by employing a consensus RAS binding motif. RAS-targeted HYDRACs showed degradation in two cell lines harboring separate KRAS alleles, suggesting potential pan-KRAS activity. We envision the HYDRAC platform as a generalizable approach to developing degraders of proteins of interest, greatly expanding the therapeutic armamentarium for TPD.

Project description:The serpinopathies are human pathologies caused by mutations that promote polymerisation and intracellular deposition of proteins of the serpin superfamily, leading to a poorly understood cell toxicity. The dementia familial encephalopathy with neuroserpin inclusion bodies (FENIB) is caused by polymerisation of the neuronal serpin neuroserpin (NS) within the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) of neurons. We have generated transgenic neural progenitor cell (NPC) cultures from mouse embryonic cerebral cortex, stably expressing the control protein GFP (green fluorescent protein), or human wild type, G392E or deltaNS. We have characterised these cells in the proliferative state and after differentiation to neurons. Our results show that G392E NS formed polymers that were mostly retained within the ER, while wild type NS was correctly secreted as a monomeric protein into the culture medium. DeltaNS was absent at steady state due to its rapid degradation, but it was easily detected upon proteasomal block. Looking at their intracellular distribution, wild type NS was found in partial co-localisation with ER and Golgi markers, while G392E NS was localised within the ER only. Furthermore, polymers of NS were detected by ELISA and immunofluorescence in neurons expressing the mutant but not the wild type protein. We used our model system to investigate which cellular pathways were activated by intracellular polymers of G392E NS by performing RNA sequencing of differentiated cells expressing G392E NS or the negative control protein GFP, and identified 747 genes with a significant upregulation (623) or downregulation (124) in G392E NS-expressing cells. We focused our attention on genes involved in the defence against oxidative stress that were up-regulated in cells expressing G392E NS. Inhibition of these defences by specific pharmacological reagents uncovered the damaging effects of NS polymers. Our results support a role for oxidative stress in the cellular toxicity underlying the neurodegenerative dementia FENIB.

Dataset Information

Photomotility of polymers.

Publications

Photomotility of polymers.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets