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At least 19 records

HDAC9 regulates the alternative lengthening of telomere (ALT) pathway via the formation of ALT-associated PML bodies

Cancer cells overcome cellular senescence by activating the telomere maintenance mechanism, which can be either through telomerase or the alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT). Being exclusive to cancer cells, targeting ALT is a more promising route for the development of drugs against cancer. The histone deacetylase (HDAC) family plays significant roles in various cellular processes. In addition to the regulation of gene expression, HDACs are also known to directly interact with many proteins. We focused on this family, and found that HDAC9 was up-regulated in ALT-positive cells. In ALT-positive cells treated with HDAC9 siRNA, there was a decrease in the telomere replicative capacity, which was evident from the C-circles assay. Furthermore, the formation of ALT-associated promyelocytic leukemia (PML) nuclear bodies (APBs) was inhibited by HDAC9 knockdown. Based on this study, it is suggested that HDAC9 regulates the formation of APBs and could be a candidate for the target of ALT-cancer therapy. - Highlights: • HDAC9 is highly expressed in ALT-positive cells. • Knockdown of HDAC9 inhibits C-circle abundance in ALT-positive cells. • Knockdown of HDAC9 inhibits APBs formation in ALT-positive cells.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

The human CTC1/STN1/TEN1 complex regulates telomere maintenance in ALT cancer cells

Maintaining functional telomeres is important for long-term proliferation of cells. About 15% of cancer cells are telomerase-negative and activate the alternative-lengthening of telomeres (ALT) pathway to maintain their telomeres. Recent studies have shown that the human CTC1/STN1/TEN1 complex (CST) plays a multi-faceted role in telomere maintenance in telomerase-expressing cancer cells. However, the role of CST in telomere maintenance in ALT cells is unclear. Here, we report that human CST forms a functional complex localizing in the ALT-associated PML bodies (APBs) in ALT cells throughout the cell cycle. Suppression of CST induces telomere instabilities including telomere fragility and elevates telomeric DNA recombination, leading to telomere dysfunction. In addition, CST deficiency significantly diminishes the abundance of extrachromosomal circular telomere DNA known as C-circles and t-circles. Suppression of CST also results in multinucleation in ALT cells and impairs cell proliferation. Our findings imply that the CST complex plays an important role in regulating telomere maintenance in ALT cells. - Highlights: • CST localizes at telomeres and ALT-associated PML bodies in ALT cells throughout the cell cycle. • CST is important for promoting telomeric DNA replication in ALT cells. • CST deficiency decreases ECTR formation and increases T-SCE. • CST deficiency impairs ALT cell proliferation and results in multinucleation.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Investigation of magnetic properties and electronic structure of layered-structure borides AlT{sub 2}B{sub 2} (T=Fe, Mn, Cr) and AlFe{sub 2–x}Mn{sub x}B{sub 2}

The ternary phases AlT{sub 2}B{sub 2} (T=Fe, Mn, Cr) and quaternary phases AlFe{sub 2–x}Mn{sub x}B{sub 2} have been synthesized by arc-melting and characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, magnetic measurements, Mössbauer spectroscopy, and electronic band structure calculations. All the compounds adopt the AlFe{sub 2}B{sub 2}-type structure, in which infinite zigzag chains of B atoms are connected by Fe atoms into [Fe{sub 2}B{sub 2}] slabs that alternate with layers of Al atoms along the b axis. The magnetic measurements reveal that AlFe{sub 2}B{sub 2} is a ferromagnet with T{sub C}=282 K while AlMn{sub 2}B{sub 2} and AlCr{sub 2}B{sub 2} do not show magnetic ordering in the studied temperature range of 1.8–400 K. A systematic investigation of solid solutions AlFe{sub 2−x}Mn{sub x}B{sub 2} showed a non-linear change in the structural and magnetic behavior. The ferromagnetic ordering temperature is gradually decreased as the Mn content (x) increases. The Mössbauer spectra reveal the presence of non-magnetic (NM) and ferromagnetic (FM) spectral components in all Mn-containing samples, with the amount of NM fraction increasing as the Mn content increases. While for the AlFe{sub 2−x}Mn{sub x}B{sub 2} samples with x=0.0 and 0.4 the hyperfine splitting of the FM spectral component collapses at temperatures close to the Curie temperatures determined from the magnetic measurements, for the x=1.2 and 1.6 samples the FM fraction exhibits a sizable unquenched hyperfine splitting at room temperature, a finding that is inconsistent with the observed magnetic properties. Along with the increase in the amount of the NM fraction, this observation suggests formation of Fe-rich and Mn-rich regions in the structure of the solid solutions. Quantum-chemical calculations and crystal orbital Hamilton population analysis provide a clear explanation of the distinction in properties for this series of compounds and also reveal the importance of electronic factors in modifying the magnetic properties of these materials. - Graphical abstract: We follow a gradual evolution of magnetic properties in a series of ternary borides AlT{sub 2}B{sub 2}, from non-magnetic AlCr{sub 2}B{sub 2} and AlMn{sub 2}B{sub 2} to ferromagnetic AlFe{sub 2}B{sub 2}. - Highlights: • AlT{sub 2}B{sub 2} (T=Fe, Mn, Cr) and AlFe{sub 2−x}Mn{sub x}B{sub 2} were prepared by arc‐melting. • Bulk ferromagnetism of AlFe{sub 2}B{sub 2} is gradually suppressed by the introduction of Mn. • AlMn{sub 2}B{sub 2} and AlCr{sub 2}B{sub 2} do not exhibit magnetic ordering. • Nonmagnetic (Mn‐rich) and ferromagnetic (Fe‐rich) clustering in AlFe{sub 2–x}Mn{sub x}B{sub 2}. • Ferromagnetism is suppressed due to weakening of antibonding T–T interactions.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Faraday diagnostics for ALT-3

ALT-3 and R-Damage are experiments to be executed in collaboration between LANL and VNIIEF personnel. They are planned to be fielded in Sarov, Russia at VNIIEF. Both experiments employ Russian explosively driven pulse-power systems to generate a pulse of electrical current that is used to drive the experiment. The current pulse will be measured with Faraday-rotation fiber-optic loops. Using this well known technique, the change in the current enclosed by the loops is determined by measuring the change in the magnetic field integrated along the fiber-optic loop by detecting the Faraday rotation of linearly polarized light traveling through the fiber. The amount of polarization rotation of the light is related to the integrated magnetic field and therefore the enclosed current (Ampere's law) through the Verdet constant which for the optical-fibers used in this experiment has been determined to within 1 %. The presentation describes how the technique will be employed in the ALT-3 experiment.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Formation of Alternating trans - A - alt - B Copolymers through Ring-Opening Metathesis Polymerization Initiated by Molybdenum Imido Alkylidene Complexes

Ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) is enabled to prepare trans-poly(A-alt-B) polymers from a 1:1 mixture of A and B where A is a cyclic olefin such as cyclooctene (A 1 ) or cycloheptene (A 2 ) and B is a large norbornadiene or norbornene derivative such as 2,3-dicarbomethoxy-7-isopropylidenenorbornadiene (B 1 ) or dimethylspirobicyclo[2.2.1]hepta-2,5-diene-2,3-dicarboxylate-7,1'-cyclopropane (B 2 ). The most successful initiators that were examined are of the type Mo(NR)(CHCMe 2 Ph)[OCMe(CF 3 ) 2 ] 2 (R = 2,6-Me 2 C 6 H 3 (1) or 2,6-i-Pr 2 C 6 H 3 (2)). The trans configuration of the AB linkages is proposed to result from the steric demand of B. Both anti-MB and syn-MB alkylidenes are observed during the copolymerization, where B was last inserted into a Mo=C bond, although anti-MB dominates as the reaction proceeds. anti-MB is lower in energy than syn-MB, does not react readily with eitherA or B, and interconverts slowly with syn-MB through rotation about the Mo=C bond. Syn-MB does not readily react with B, but it does react slowly with A (rate constant ~1 M –1 s –1 ) to give anti-MA and one trans-AB linkage. anti-MA then reacts with B (rate constant ~300 M –1 s –1 or larger) to give syn-MB and the second trans-AB linkage. The reaction has been modeled using experimental data in order to obtain the estimated rate constants above. The reaction between anti-MA and A is presented to give rise to AA linkages, but AA dyads can amount to <5%. Several other A and B monomers, initiators, and conditions were researched.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Ethynylene-linked benzo[1,2- b :4,5- b' ]dithiophene- alt -diketopyrrolopyrrole alternating copolymer: optoelectronic properties, film morphology and photovoltaic applications

Here, an ethynylene-linked benzo[1,2- b :4,5- b' ]dithiophene- alt -diketopyrrolopyrrole alternating copolymer, EDPP, was designed and synthesized to improve the open-circuit voltage of organic solar cells. The influence of the ethynylene on optoelectronic properties, energy levels, crystallinity, film morphology, and photovoltaic performance was investigated. Optical and electrochemical tests showed that introduction of ethynylene into the polymer backbone resulted in a larger bandgap, deeper HOMO energy level, and enhanced crystallinity due to the planar conformation and electron-withdrawing properties. Grazing incidence wide-angle X-ray scattering (GIWAXS) showed that the pure EDPP film preferentially adopted a face-on orientation with a π–π stacking distance of 3.65 Å. After thermal annealing the face-on and edge-on orientations coexisted and the overall degree of crystallinity increased. Blending with PC 71 BM did not disrupt the crystallinity of the EDPP. Resonant soft X-ray scattering (RSoXS) showed that the EDPP:PC 71 BM blend films contained large domains, a few hundred nanometers in size. As a result, EDPP:PC 71 BM photovoltaic devices exhibited a high open-circuit voltage of 0.88 V, but a low short-circuit current, with a moderate power conversion efficiency of 1.98%.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Electronic structure disorder, vibronic coupling, and charge transfer excitons in poly(fluorene-alt-bithiophene):fullerene films

Charge transfer processes in conjugated polymer:fullerene blends play an important role in the operation of organic solar cells and organic light emitting diodes. Herein, near-infrared emission from poly-(9,9-dioctylfluorene-alt-bithiophene) (F8T2) and [6,6]-phenyl-C{sub 61}-butyric acid methyl ester blends was studied and attributed to charge transfer exciton (CTX) recombination. Polymer and CTX emission were monitored via low-temperature/transient photoluminescence and absorbance to elucidate the effects of annealing and composition on donor-acceptor morphology. CTX emission decreased and F8T2 vibronic structure was partially restored due to lower fullerene dispersion and polymer realignment upon annealing. Differences in the temperature-dependent emissions of the polymer singlet vs. CTX were attributed to exciton diffusion in the polymer phase vs. enhanced quenching at the donor-acceptor interface, respectively.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Enhanced optophysical properties of poly[(9,9-di-n-octylfluorenyl-2,7-diyl)-alt-(benzo[2,1,3] thiadiazol-4,8-diyl)] via addition of TiO{sub 2} nanoparticles

This work investigated the effect on 5 wt% addition of TiO{sub 2} nanoparticles (NPs) on the optical absorption characteristics of Poly[(9,9-di-n-octylfluorenyl-2,7-diyl)-alt-(benzo[2,1,3] thiadiazol-4,8-diyl)] (F8BT). Both materials were mixed using solution blending method and then spin coated onto ITO-coated glass substrate at 1000 rpm for 30s. The optical properties of the nanocomposite were determined using UV-Vis spectroscopy. Compares to pristine film, the absorption peak of the nanocomposite film improved and shifted to longer wavelength indicating reduction in the direct and indirect band gaps. Better optophysical properties of F8BT/TiO{sub 2} nanocomposites is believed due to compatible band structures and efficient charge trapping effect displayed by the NPs.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗

Three-body Faddeev equations in two-particle Alt-Grassberger-Sandhas form with Distorted-Wave-Born-approximation amplitudes as effective potentials

A(d, p)B reactions on heavier nuclei are peripheral at sub-Coulomb energies and can be peripheral even at energies above the Coulomb barrier due to the presence of the distorted waves in the initial and final channels. Usually, to analyze such reactions the distorted-wave-Born-approximation (DWBA) is used. The DWBA amplitude for peripheral reactions is parametrized in terms of the asymptotic normalization coefficient (ANC) of the bound state B = (n A). However, in the DWBA, the coupling of the different channels is not taken into account explicitly. The three-body Faddeev equations written as the two-particle Alt-Grassberger-Sandhas (AGS) equations are very suitable for the analysis of the A(d, p)B reactions because they take into account explicitly the coupling of the different channels. It is well known that the overall normalization of the DWBA amplitude or even of the more advanced continuum-discretized coupled channels (CDCC) amplitude for peripheral reactions (both sub-Coulomb and above the Coulomb barrier) is determined by the ANC. However, it is not apparent that it is the case for the AGS solution due to the coupling of the (d, p) channel to other channels. In this paper, it is proved that the sub-Coulomb A(d, p)B reaction amplitude, which is a solution of the two-body AGS equations, is peripheral and is parametrized in terms of the ANC of the bound state B = (nA) if the corresponding DWBA amplitude is peripheral. Both nonlocal separable and local nuclear interaction potentials between the constituent particles are considered. To prove the peripheral character of the AGS amplitude for the sub-Coulomb A(d, p)B reactions the effective potentials are expressed in terms of the corresponding sub-Coulomb DWBA amplitudes of the different channels. The analysis of the A(d, p)B reactions above the Coulomb barrier requires the inclusion of the optical potentials. Hence, to analyze such reactions, the AGS equations are generalized by including the optical nuclear potentials in the same manner as it is done in the DWBA. The obtained AGS equations contain the DWBA effective potentials with distorted waves generated by the sum of the nuclear optical and the channel Coulomb potentials. It is shown that if the DWBA amplitude is peripheral than it is also the case for the AGS amplitude, which is also parametrized in terms of the ANC of the bound state B = (nA). Furthermore, the inclusion of the coupling of the different channels in the AGS formalism allows one to improve the treatment of the peripheral sub-Coulomb and above the Coulomb (d, p) reactions compared to the DWBA and CDCC method.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

ALT-3 Target & CMU Version 4

The third Advance Liner Technology (ALT-3) experiment is the next in a long tradition of collaborations between LANL and RFNC/VNIIEF in high-explosive pulsed-power. Here a VNIIEF provided Disk Explosive Magnetic Generator (DEMG) will drive a LANL provided experimental load and diagnostic package. The objective of the experiment is to explore the use of a cylindrical liner-ontarget in tera-Pascal equation of state measurement. This presentation will discuss version 4 of the experimental target and central measuring unit (CMU) along with R & D already performed in fabrication of the target.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

ALT-3 target design and simulations

ALT-3 is an experiment being designed in collaboration between Russian VNIIEF scientists and LANL that aims to conduct high velocity material experiments to measure shock velocities and pressures near 1 TPa. The DEMG (Disck Explosive Magnetic Generator) is used to drive> 60MA currents to accelerate an aluminum liner to speeds in excess of 20 km/s. 1-D and 2-D simulations of the aluminum target are presented with information on the free surface velocity profile, the state of the target, and the shock velocity in the target. 2-D simulations are presented showing the different targets available as well as a scenario with a perturbed liner impacter.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Materials Data on AlTe(WO4)2 by Materials Project

Computed materials data using density functional theory calculations. These calculations determine the electronic structure of bulk materials by solving approximations to the Schrodinger equation. For more information, see https://materialsproject.org/docs/calculations

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Processing temperature control of a diketopyrrolopyrrole- alt -thieno[2,3- b ]thiophene polymer for high-mobility thin-film transistors and polymer solar cells with high open-circuit voltages

Here, we synthesized a planar pDPPTTi-OD polymer based on diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP) and thieno [2,3- b ] thiophene (TTi) and investigated the electrical properties of the pDPPTTi-OD polymer. pDPPTTi-OD films displayed a low optical bandgap of 1.57 eV, and HOMO and LUMO levels of –5.40 and –3.74 eV, respectively. The 150°C-annealed pDPPTTi-OD films showed a high hole mobility of 0.16 cm 2 V –1 s –1 in organic thin-film transistor (OTFT) devices. The photovoltaic properties of polymer solar cells (PSCs) incorporating the pDPPTTi-OD were also measured. A pDPPTTi-OD:PC 71 BM blend film was spin-coated at 25, 70 and 90 °C. High-temperature processing significantly improved the power conversion efficiency of PSCs by effectively reducing the PC 71 BM domain sizes, which improved the miscibility between pDPPTTi-OD and PC 71 BM. Furthermore, this work demonstrated that the TTi moiety is a useful donor building block for high-performance D–A type polymers in OTFTs and PSCs, and that processing temperatures should be controlled to fully realize the materials' beneficial intrinsic properties.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Symmetry Breaking in Side Chains Leading to Mixed Orientations and Improved Charge Transport in Isoindigo- alt -Bithiophene Based Polymer Thin Films

The selection of side chains is important in design of conjugated polymers. It not only affects their intrinsic physical properties, but also has an impact on thin film morphologies. Recent reports suggested that a face-on/edge-on bimodal orientation observed in polymer thin films may be responsible for a three-dimensional (3D) charge transport and leads to dramatically improved mobility in donor–acceptor based conjugated polymers. To achieve a bimodal orientation in thin films has been seldom explored from the aspect of molecular design. In this work, we demonstrate a design strategy involving the use of asymmetric side chains that enables an isoindigo-based polymer to adopt a distinct bimodal orientation, confirmed by the grazing incidence X-ray diffraction. As a result, the polymer presents an average high mobility of 3.8 ± 0.7 cm 2 V –1 s –1 with a maximum value of 5.1 cm 2 V –1 s –1 , in comparison with 0.47 and 0.51 cm 2 V –1 s –1 obtained from the two reference polymers. This study exemplifies a new strategy to develop the next generation polymers through understanding the property-structure relationship.

three-dimensional charge transport↗