Stiffness Mediated-Mechanosensations of Airway Smooth Muscle Cells on Linear Stiffness Gradient Hydrogels

Airflow limitation in obstructive airway disease is characterized by narrowing of the airway lumen from excessive contraction of airway smooth muscle (ASM) and remodeling of the airway wall which includes changes in the extracellular matrix (ECM) of the ASM layer.* Previous studies on human airway smooth muscle cells ( hASMC ) have independently assessed the … Continue reading Stiffness Mediated-Mechanosensations of Airway Smooth Muscle Cells on Linear Stiffness Gradient Hydrogels

Structural and optical variation of pseudoisocyanine aggregates nucleated on DNA substrates

The ability to maximize the range of exciton transport while minimizing energy loss has significant implications for the design of future nanoscale light harvesting, optoelectronic, and sensing applications. * One method of achieving this would be to densely pack dyes into strongly coupled aggregates such that excitations can be coherently delocalized through the partial or … Continue reading Structural and optical variation of pseudoisocyanine aggregates nucleated on DNA substrates

Intrinsically disordered regions in TRPV2 mediate protein-protein interactions

Transient receptor potential (TRP) ion channels are gated by diverse intra- and extracellular stimuli leading to cation inflow (Na+, Ca2+) regulating many cellular processes and initiating organismic somatosensation. * Structures of most TRP channels have been solved. However, structural and sequence analysis showed that ~30% of the TRP channel sequences, mainly the N- and C-termini, … Continue reading Intrinsically disordered regions in TRPV2 mediate protein-protein interactions