Evidence supporting the functionality of Smoothened (SMO), an essential transducer in most pathways engaged by Hedgehog (Hh), as a Gi-coupled receptor contrasts with the lack of an apparently consistent requirement for Gi in Hh signal transduction. In the present study, we sought to evaluate the role of SMO-Gi coupling in fibroblast migration induced by Sonic Hedgehog (Shh). Our results demonstrate an absolute requirement for Gi in Shh-induced fibroblast migration. We found that Shh acutely stimulates the small Rho GTPases Rac1 and RhoA via SMO through a Gi protein- and PI3K-dependent mechanism, and that these are required for cell migration. These responses were independent of transcription by Gli and of the C-terminal domain of SMO, as we show using a combination of molecular and genetic tools. Our findings provide a mechanistic model for fibroblast migration in response to Shh and underscore the role of SMO-Gi coupling in non-canonical Hh signaling.

The notion of noncanonical hedgehog (Hh) signaling in mammals has started to receive support from numerous observations. By noncanonical, we refer to all those cellular and tissue responses to any of the Hh isoforms that are independent of transcriptional changes mediated by the Gli family of transcription factors. In this chapter, we discuss the most recent findings that suggest that Patched1 can regulate cell proliferation and apoptosis independently of Smoothened (Smo) and Gli and the reports that Smo modulates actin cytoskeleton-dependent processes such as fibroblast migration, endothelial cell tubulogenesis, axonal extension, and neurite formation by diverse mechanisms that exclude any involvement of Gli-dependent transcription. We also acknowledge the existence of less stronger evidence of noncanonical signaling in Drosophila.

Multi-metal nanoparticles, particularly alloys and intermetallic compounds, are useful catalysts for a variety of chemical transformations. Supported intermetallic nanoparticle catalysts are usually prepared by depositing precursors onto a support followed by high-temperature annealing, which is necessary to generate the intermetallic compound but causes sintering and minimizes surface area. Here we show that solution chemistry methods for converting metal nanoparticles into intermetallic compounds are applicable to supported nanoparticle catalyst systems. Unsupported nanocrystalline Pt can be converted to nanocrystalline PtSn, PtPb, PtBi, and FePt 3 by reaction with appropriate metal salt solutions under reducing conditions. Similar reactions convert Al 2 O 3 , CeO 2 , and carbon-supported Pt nanoparticles into PtSn, PtPb, PtSb, Pt 3 Sn, and Cu 3 Pt. These reactions generate supported alloy and intermetallic nanoparticles directly in solution without the need for high temperature annealing or additional surface stabilizers. These supported intermetallic nanoparticles are catalytically active for chemical transformations such as formic acid oxidation (PtPb/Vulcan) and CO oxidation (Pt 3 Sn/graphite). Notably, PtPb/Vulcan XC-72 was found to electrocatalytically oxidize formic acid at a lower onset potential (0.1 V) than commercial PtRu/Vulcan XC-72 (0.4 V).

Quantitative detection of hydrogen peroxide in solution above a Streptococcus gordonii (Sg) bacterial biofilm was studied in real time by scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM). The concentration of hydrogen peroxide was determined to be 0.7 mM to 1.6 mM in the presence of 10 mM glucose over a period of 2 to 8 h. The hydrogen peroxide production measured was higher near the biofilm surface in comparison to Sg grown planktonically. Differential hydrogen peroxide production was observed both by fluorometric as well as by SECM measurements. The interaction between two different species in a bacterial biofilm of Sg and Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (Aa) in terms of hydrogen peroxide production was also studied by SECM. One-directional y-scan SECM measurements showed the unique spatial mapping of hydrogen peroxide concentration across a mixed species biofilm and revealed that hydrogen peroxide concentration varies greatly dependent upon local species composition.real-time (detection) | metabolite efflux | local concentration | oral flora | Au UME S treptococcus gordonii (Sg) is a member of the viridans group streptococci-Gram-positive oral microbes that are known to ferment sugars into lactic acid and produce hydrogen peroxide in the presence of oxygen (1). The presence of these beneficial oral streptococci has been shown to improve oral health, by either competition with pathogens for nutrients in the oral cavity or by the production of inhibitory concentrations of hydrogen peroxide. Populations of viridans group streptococci negatively correlate with the presence of many notable oral pathogens (2, 3). However, recent work has demonstrated that in vitro Sg can grow in coculture with the opportunistic oral pathogen Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (Aa) (4). In co-culture Aa preferentially utilizes Sg-produced lactic acid (5) and detoxifies Sg-produced hydrogen peroxide using the KatA enzyme (6). Recent work has demonstrated that hydrogen peroxide induces katA expression as well as apiA, which encodes an immunoprotective factor that renders Aa more resistant to killing by host innate immunity (5). These studies demonstrated induction of gene expression in mixed species biofilms by Sg-produced hydrogen peroxide. Because hydrogen peroxide is rapidly degraded by catalase and can also react with other biological materials, we sought to quantify local hydrogen peroxide concentrations in real time to be utilized for future polymicrobial experiments between Sg, Aa, and other oral bacteria.Previous measurements of hydrogen peroxide have been performed using fluorescence, spectroscopy and other methods (1, 7-10). However, current techniques lack the ability to quantify local hydrogen peroxide concentrations at the surface of a biofilm. In this study, scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) was used to address this problem. SECM has the unique ability to set the exact distance from a sensing tip [an ultramicroelectrode (UME) of size ∼10 to 25 μm diameter] to a substrate through a feedback approach curve (11)...

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