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- Klionsky, Daniel J., et al.
(author)
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Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy
- 2012
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In: Autophagy. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1554-8635 .- 1554-8627. ; 8:4, s. 445-544
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In 2008 we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, research on this topic has continued to accelerate, and many new scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Accordingly, it is important to update these guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Various reviews have described the range of assays that have been used for this purpose. Nevertheless, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to measure autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. A key point that needs to be emphasized is that there is a difference between measurements that monitor the numbers or volume of autophagic elements (e.g., autophagosomes or autolysosomes) at any stage of the autophagic process vs. those that measure flux through the autophagy pathway (i.e., the complete process); thus, a block in macroautophagy that results in autophagosome accumulation needs to be differentiated from stimuli that result in increased autophagic activity, defined as increased autophagy induction coupled with increased delivery to, and degradation within, lysosomes (in most higher eukaryotes and some protists such as Dictyostelium) or the vacuole (in plants and fungi). In other words, it is especially important that investigators new to the field understand that the appearance of more autophagosomes does not necessarily equate with more autophagy. In fact, in many cases, autophagosomes accumulate because of a block in trafficking to lysosomes without a concomitant change in autophagosome biogenesis, whereas an increase in autolysosomes may reflect a reduction in degradative activity. Here, we present a set of guidelines for the selection and interpretation of methods for use by investigators who aim to examine macroautophagy and related processes, as well as for reviewers who need to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of papers that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a formulaic set of rules, because the appropriate assays depend in part on the question being asked and the system being used. In addition, we emphasize that no individual assay is guaranteed to be the most appropriate one in every situation, and we strongly recommend the use of multiple assays to monitor autophagy. In these guidelines, we consider these various methods of assessing autophagy and what information can, or cannot, be obtained from them. Finally, by discussing the merits and limits of particular autophagy assays, we hope to encourage technical innovation in the field.
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- Meitzner, Rico, et al.
(author)
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Impact of P3HT materials properties and layer architecture on OPV device stability
- 2019
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In: Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells. - : Elsevier BV. - 0927-0248. ; 202
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We report a cooperative study conducted between different laboratories to investigate organic solar cell degradation with respect to P3HT material properties and different solar cell architectures. Various batches of P3HT were collected from different suppliers reflecting commercial availability as well as properties variability. Among the materials properties explicitly considered were the molar mass, dispersity, regio-regularity, impurities by trace metals and intrinsic doping evaluated from radical concentrations. Each of the participating laboratories contributing test devices applied their own layer stack, i.e. their own device architecture and layout. This variation was appreciated as another parameter for evaluation. Even though a large amount of devices failed due to extrinsic degradation effects, indeed, some materials properties were found to be more important than others for obtaining long lifetimes and high stability of P3HT-based polymer solar cells.
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- Ulisse, Giacomo, et al.
(author)
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Hybrid thermal-field emission of ZnO nanowires
- 2011
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In: Applied Physics Letters. - : AIP Publishing. - 0003-6951 .- 1077-3118. ; 99:24
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The electron emission properties of an array of ZnO nanowires were studied in the temperature range of 300-473 K. An almost doubling of the current density at 473 K under an electric field of 8 V/μm (j (T=473 K) = 190 μA/cm 2, j (T=300 K) = 114 μA/cm 2) was observed together with a reduction of the turn-on field from 552 V/μm to 482 V/μm. Theoretical model that combines the thermal-field emission for high electric field and the Schottky emission for the low field can satisfactorily account for temperature dependence of current at low as well as at high applied bias. The obtained effect is particularly appealing for the application in micro-gun for THz vacuum tubes. © 2011 American Institute of Physics.
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| 5. |
- Zanella, Letizia, et al.
(author)
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Overexpression of AtPCS1 in tobacco increases arsenic and arsenic plus cadmium accumulation and detoxification
- 2016
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In: Planta. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0032-0935 .- 1432-2048. ; 243:3, s. 605-622
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Main conclusion The heterologous expression of AtPCS1 in tobacco plants exposed to arsenic plus cadmium enhances phytochelatin levels, root As/Cd accumulation and pollutants detoxification, but does not prevent root cyto-histological damages. High phytochelatin (PC) levels may be involved in accumulation and detoxification of both cadmium (Cd) and arsenic (As) in numerous plants. Although polluted environments are frequently characterized by As and Cd coexistence, how increased PC levels affect the adaptation of the entire plant and the response of its cells/tissues to a combined contamination by As and Cd needs investigation. Consequently, we analyzed tobacco seedlings overexpressing Arabidopsis phytochelatin synthase1 gene (AtPCS1) exposed to As and/or Cd, to evaluate the levels of PCs and As/Cd, the cyto-histological modifications of the roots and the Cd/As leaf extrusion ability. When exposed to As and/or Cd the plants overexpressing AtPCS1 showed higher PC levels, As plus Cd root accumulation, and detoxification ability than the non-overexpressing plants, but a blocked Cd-extrusion from the leaf trichomes. In all genotypes, As, and Cd in particular, damaged lateral root apices, enhancing cell-vacuolization, causing thinning and stretching of endodermis initial cells. Alterations also occurred in the primary structure region of the lateral roots, i. e., cell wall lignification in the external cortex, cell hypertrophy in the inner cortex, crushing of endodermis and stele, and nuclear hypertrophy. Altogether, As and/or Cd caused damage to the lateral roots (and not to the primary one), with such damage not counteracted by AtPCS1 overexpression. The latter, however, positively affected accumulation and detoxification to both pollutants, highlighting that Cd/As accumulation and detoxification due to PCS1 activity do not reduce the cyto-histological damage.
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