Oddershedebowman0715

Pt-based alloy catalysts may promise considerable mass activity (MA) for oxygen reduction but are generally unsustainable over long-term cycles, particularly in practical proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). Herein, we report a series of Pt-based intermetallic compounds (Pt3Co, PtCo, and Pt3Ti) enclosed by ultrathin Pt skin with an average particle size down to about 2.3 nm, which deliver outstanding cyclic MA and durability for oxygen reduction. By breaking size limitation during ordered atomic transformation in Pt alloy systems, the MA and durability of subsize Pt-based intermetallic compounds can be simultaneously optimized. The subsize scale was also found to enhance the stability of the membrane electrode through preventing the poisoning of catalysts by ionomers in humid fuel-cell conditions. We anticipate that subsize Pt-based intermetallic compounds set a good example for the rational design of high-performance oxygen reduction electrocatalysts for PEMFCs. Furthermore, the prevention of ionomer poisoning was identified as the critical parameter for assembling robust commercial membrane electrodes in PEMFCs.Neuromorphic computing-which aims to mimic the collective and emergent behavior of the brain's neurons, synapses, axons, and dendrites-offers an intriguing, potentially disruptive solution to society's ever-growing computational needs. Although much progress has been made in designing circuit elements that mimic the behavior of neurons and synapses, challenges remain in designing networks of elements that feature a collective response behavior. We present simulations of networks of circuits and devices based on superconducting and Mott-insulating oxides that display a multiplicity of emergent states that depend on the spatial configuration of the network. Our proposed network designs are based on experimentally known ways of tuning the properties of these oxides using light ions. We show how neuronal and synaptic behavior can be achieved with arrays of superconducting Josephson junction loops, all within the same device. We also show how a multiplicity of synaptic states could be achieved by designing arrays of devices based on hydrogenated rare earth nickelates. Together, our results demonstrate a research platform that utilizes the collective macroscopic properties of quantum materials to mimic the emergent behavior found in biological systems.Pigment organelles of vertebrates belong to the lysosome-related organelle (LRO) family, of which melanin-producing melanosomes are the prototypes. While their anabolism has been extensively unraveled through the study of melanosomes in skin melanocytes, their catabolism remains poorly known. Here, we tap into the unique ability of crab spiders to reversibly change body coloration to examine the catabolism of their pigment organelles. By combining ultrastructural and metal analyses on high-pressure frozen integuments, we first assess whether pigment organelles of crab spiders belong to the LRO family and second, how their catabolism is intracellularly processed. Using scanning transmission electron microscopy, electron tomography, and nanoscale Synchrotron-based scanning X-ray fluorescence, we show that pigment organelles possess ultrastructural and chemical hallmarks of LROs, including intraluminal vesicles and metal deposits, similar to melanosomes. Monitoring ultrastructural changes during bleaching suggests that the catabolism of pigment organelles involves the degradation and removal of their intraluminal content, possibly through lysosomal mechanisms. In contrast to skin melanosomes, anabolism and catabolism of pigments proceed within the same cell without requiring either cell death or secretion/phagocytosis. Our work hence provides support for the hypothesis that the endolysosomal system is fully functionalized for within-cell turnover of pigments, leading to functional maintenance under adverse conditions and phenotypic plasticity. First formulated for eye melanosomes in the context of human vision, the hypothesis of intracellular turnover of pigments gets unprecedented strong support from pigment organelles of spiders.The fidelity of protein transport in the secretory pathway relies on the accurate sorting of proteins to their correct destinations. selleck compound To deepen our understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms, it is important to develop a robust approach to systematically reveal cargo proteins that depend on specific sorting machinery to be enriched into transport vesicles. Here, we used an in vitro assay that reconstitutes packaging of human cargo proteins into vesicles to quantify cargo capture. Quantitative mass spectrometry (MS) analyses of the isolated vesicles revealed cytosolic proteins that are associated with vesicle membranes in a GTP-dependent manner. We found that two of them, FAM84B (also known as LRAT domain containing 2 or LRATD2) and PRRC1, contain proline-rich domains and regulate anterograde trafficking. Further analyses revealed that PRRC1 is recruited to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) exit sites, interacts with the inner COPII coat, and its absence increases membrane association of COPII. In addition, we uncovered cargo proteins that depend on GTP hydrolysis to be captured into vesicles. Comparing control cells with cells depleted of the cargo receptors, SURF4 or ERGIC53, we revealed specific clients of each of these two export adaptors. Our results indicate that the vesicle formation assay in combination with quantitative MS analysis is a robust and powerful tool to uncover novel factors that mediate vesicular trafficking and to uncover cargo clients of specific cellular factors.Increasing attention has been paid to roles of tripartite motif-containing (TRIM) family proteins in cancer biology, often functioning as E3 ubiquitin ligases. In the present study, we focus on a contribution of TRIM47 to breast cancer biology, particularly to endocrine therapy resistance, which is a major clinical problem in breast cancer treatment. We performed immunohistochemical analysis of TRIM47 protein expression in 116 clinical samples of breast cancer patients with postoperative endocrine therapy using tamoxifen. Our clinicopathological study showed that higher immunoreactivity scores of TRIM47 were significantly associated with higher relapse rate of breast cancer patients (P = 0.012). As functional analyses, we manipulated TRIM47 expression in estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer cells MCF-7 and its 4-hydroxytamoxifen (OHT)-resistant derivative OHTR, which was established in a long-term culture with OHT. TRIM47 promoted both MCF-7 and OHTR cell proliferation. MCF-7 cells acquired tamoxifen resistance by overexpressing exogenous TRIM47. We found that TRIM47 enhances nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) signaling, which further up-regulates TRIM47. We showed that protein kinase C epsilon (PKC-ε) and protein kinase D3 (PKD3), known as NF-κB-activating protein kinases, are directly associated with TRIM47 and stabilized in the presence of TRIM47. As an underlying mechanism, we showed TRIM47-dependent lysine 27-linked polyubiquitination of PKC-ε. These results indicate that TRIM47 facilitates breast cancer proliferation and endocrine therapy resistance by forming a ternary complex with PKC-ε and PKD3. TRIM47 and its associated kinases can be a potential diagnostic and therapeutic target for breast cancer refractory to endocrine therapy.Antigen (Ag) crosslinking of immunoglobulin E-receptor (IgE-FcεRI) complexes in mast cells stimulates transmembrane (TM) signaling, requiring phosphorylation of the clustered FcεRI by lipid-anchored Lyn tyrosine kinase. Previous studies showed that this stimulated coupling between Lyn and FcεRI occurs in liquid ordered (Lo)-like nanodomains of the plasma membrane and that Lyn binds directly to cytosolic segments of FcεRI that it initially phosphorylates for amplified activity. Net phosphorylation above a nonfunctional threshold is achieved in the stimulated state but not in the resting state, and current evidence supports the hypothesis that this relies on Ag crosslinking to disrupt a balance between Lyn and tyrosine phosphatase activities. However, the structural interactions that underlie the stimulation process remain poorly defined. This study evaluates the relative contributions and functional importance of different types of interactions leading to suprathreshold phosphorylation of Ag-crosslinked IgE-FcεRI in live rat basophilic leukemia mast cells. Our high-precision diffusion measurements by imaging fluorescence correlation spectroscopy on multiple structural variants of Lyn and other lipid-anchored probes confirm subtle, stimulated stabilization of the Lo-like nanodomains in the membrane inner leaflet and concomitant sharpening of segregation from liquid disordered (Ld)-like regions. With other structural variants, we determine that lipid-based interactions are essential for access by Lyn, leading to phosphorylation of and protein-based binding to clustered FcεRI. By contrast, TM tyrosine phosphatase, PTPα, is excluded from these regions due to its Ld-preference and steric exclusion of TM segments. Overall, we establish a synergy of lipid-based, protein-based, and steric interactions underlying functional TM signaling in mast cells.The trace element zinc is essential for many aspects of physiology. The mitochondrion is a major Zn2+ store, and excessive mitochondrial Zn2+ is linked to neurodegeneration. How mitochondria maintain their Zn2+ homeostasis is unknown. Here, we find that the SLC-30A9 transporter localizes on mitochondria and is required for export of Zn2+ from mitochondria in both Caenorhabditis elegans and human cells. Loss of slc-30a9 leads to elevated Zn2+ levels in mitochondria, a severely swollen mitochondrial matrix in many tissues, compromised mitochondrial metabolic function, reductive stress, and induction of the mitochondrial stress response. SLC-30A9 is also essential for organismal fertility and sperm activation in C. elegans, during which Zn2+ exits from mitochondria and acts as an activation signal. In slc-30a9-deficient neurons, misshapen mitochondria show reduced distribution in axons and dendrites, providing a potential mechanism for the Birk-Landau-Perez cerebrorenal syndrome where an SLC30A9 mutation was found.Macrophages can be co-opted to contribute to neoplastic, neurologic, and inflammatory diseases. Colony stimulating factor 1 receptor (CSF1R)-dependent macrophages and other inflammatory cells can suppress the adaptive immune system in cancer and contribute to angiogenesis, tumor growth, and metastasis. CSF1R-expressing osteoclasts mediate bone degradation in osteolytic cancers and cancers that metastasize to bone. In the rare disease tenosynovial giant cell tumor (TGCT), aberrant CSF1 expression and production driven by a gene translocation leads to the recruitment and growth of tumors formed by CSF1R-dependent inflammatory cells. Small molecules and antibodies targeting the CSF1/CSF1R axis have shown promise in the treatment of TGCT and cancer, with pexidartinib recently receiving Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for treatment of TGCT. Many small molecule kinase inhibitors of CSF1R also inhibit the closely related kinases KIT, PDGFRA, PDGFRB, and FLT3, thus CSF1R suppression may be limited by off-target activity and associated adverse events.