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1. Effect of Peptide Sequence on the LCST-Like Transition of Elastin-Like Peptides and Elastin-Like Peptide–Collagen-Like Peptide Conjugates: Simulations and Experiments

   https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.biomac.8b01503  

   Prhashanna, Ammu ; Taylor, Phillip A. ; Qin, Jingya ; Kiick, Kristi L. ; Jayaraman, Arthi ( January 2019 , Biomacromolecules)
2. Shear rate dependent margination of sphere-like, oblate-like and prolate-like micro-particles within blood flow

   https://doi.org/10.1039/C8SM01304G  

   Ye, Huilin ; Shen, Zhiqiang ; Li, Ying ( January 2018 , Soft Matter)

   This study investigates the shear rate dependent margination of micro-particles (MPs) with different shapes in blood flow through numerical simulations. We develop a multiscale computational model to handle the fluid–structure interactions involved in the blood flow simulations. The lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) is used to solve the plasma dynamics and a coarse-grained model is employed to capture the dynamics of red blood cells (RBCs) and MPs. These two solvers are coupled together by the immersed boundary method (IBM). The shear rate dependent margination of sphere MPs is firstly investigated. We find that margination of sphere MPs dramatically increases with themore »increment of wall shear rate  ω under 800 s −1 , induced by the breaking of rouleaux in blood flow. However, the margination probability only slowly grows when  ω > 800 s −1 . Furthermore, the shape effect of MPs is examined by comparing the margination behaviors of sphere-like, oblate-like and prolate-like MPs under different wall shear rates. We find that the margination of MPs is governed by the interplay of two factors: hydrodynamic collisions with RBCs including the collision frequency and collision displacement of MPs, and near wall dynamics. MPs that demonstrate poor performance in one process such as collision frequency may stand out in the other process like near wall dynamics. Specifically, the ellipsoidal MPs (oblate and prolate) with small aspect ratio (AR) outperform those with large AR regardless of the wall shear rate, due to their better performance in both the collision with RBCs and near wall dynamics. Additionally, we find there exists a transition shear rate region 700 s −1 <  ω < 900 s −1 for all of these MPs: the margination probability dramatically increases with the shear rate below this region and slowly grows above this region, similar to sphere MPs. We further use the surface area to volume ratio (SVR) to distinguish different shaped MPs and illustrate their shear rate dependent margination in a contour in the shear rate–SVR plane. It is of significance that we can approximately predict the margination of MPs with a specific SVR. All these simulation results can be potentially applied to guide the design of micro-drug carriers for biomedical applications.« less
3. Critical Role of an MHC Class I-Like/Innate-Like T Cell Immune Surveillance System in Host Defense against Ranavirus (Frog Virus 3) Infection

   https://doi.org/10.3390/v11040330  

   Edholm, Eva-Stina Isabella ; De Jesús Andino, Francisco ; Yim, Jinyeong ; Woo, Katherine ; Robert, Jacques ( April 2019 , Viruses)

   Besides the central role of classical Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) class Ia-restricted conventional Cluster of Differentiation 8 (CD8) T cells in antiviral host immune response, the amphibian Xenopus laevis critically rely on MHC class I-like (mhc1b10.1.L or XNC10)-restricted innate-like (i)T cells (iVα6 T cells) to control infection by the ranavirus Frog virus 3 (FV3). To complement and extend our previous reverse genetic studies showing that iVα6 T cells are required for tadpole survival, as well as for timely and effective adult viral clearance, we examined the conditions and kinetics of iVα6 T cell response against FV3. Using a FV3 knock-outmore »(KO) growth-defective mutant, we found that upregulation of the XNC10 restricting class I-like gene and the rapid recruitment of iVα6 T cells depend on detectable viral replication and productive FV3 infection. In addition, by in vivo depletion with XNC10 tetramers, we demonstrated the direct antiviral effector function of iVα6 T cells. Notably, the transitory iV6 T cell defect delayed innate interferon and cytokine gene response, resulting in long-lasting negative inability to control FV3 infection. These findings suggest that in Xenopus and likely other amphibians, an immune surveillance system based on the early activation of iT cells by non-polymorphic MHC class-I like molecules is important for efficient antiviral immune response.« less
4. Self-Assembly of Stable Nanoscale Platelets from Designed Elastin-like Peptide–Collagen-like Peptide Bioconjugates

   https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.biomac.8b01681  

   Qin, Jingya ; Luo, Tianzhi ; Kiick, Kristi L. ( February 2019 , Biomacromolecules)
5. Hierarchical temporal structure in music, speech and animal vocalizations: jazz is like a conversation, humpbacks sing like hermit thrushes

   https://doi.org/10.1098/rsif.2017.0231  

   Kello, Christopher T. ; Bella, Simone Dalla ; Médé, Butovens ; Balasubramaniam, Ramesh ( October 2017 , Journal of The Royal Society Interface)