A Literal Elytral Rainbow: Tunable Structural Colors Using Single Diamond Biophotonic Crystals in Pachyrrhynchus congestus Weevils
Abstract not provided
Wilts, Bodo D.↗
SEARCH · Engineering Papers
Results for “biophotonics”
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Modulation of oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) by radiation- induced biophotons
Highlights: • This paper provides evidence that the biophoton signals known to be emitted by irradiated cells, interfere with the processes of oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) in cells receiving the signals. • The paper demonstrates that Complex 1 activity is completely supressed by these biophotons resulting in downstream compromise of ATP production. • The mechanism may help explain fatigue and immune compromise effects of low dose exposure to ionising radiation. Radiation-induced biophotons are an electromagnetic form of bystander signalling. In human cells, biophoton signalling is capable of eliciting effects in non-irradiated bystander cells. However, the mechanisms by which the biophotons interact and act upon the bystander cells are not clearly understood. Mitochondrial energy production and ROS are known to be involved but the precise interactions are not known. To address this question, we have investigated the effect of biophoton emission upon the function of the complexes of oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS). The exposure of bystander HCT116 p53 +/+ cells to biophoton signals emitted from β-irradiated HCT116 p53 +/+ cells induced significant modifications in the activity of Complex I (NADH dehydrogenase or NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase) such that the activity was severely diminished compared to non-irradiated controls. The enzymatic assay showed that the efficiency of NADH oxidation to NAD+ was severely compromised. It is suspected that this impairment may be linked to the photoabsorption of biophotons in the blue wavelength range (492–455 nm). The photobiomodulation to Complex I was suspected to contribute greatly to the inefficiency of ATP synthase function since it resulted in a lower quantity of H{sup +} ions to be available for use in the process of chemiosmosis. Other reactions of the ETC were not significantly impacted. Overall, these results provide evidence for a link between biophoton emission and biomodulation of the mitochondrial ATP synthesis process. However, there are many aspects of biological modulation by radiation-induced biophotons which will require further elucidation.
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTAN↗
Structural Diversity of Arthropod Biophotonic Nanostructures Spans Amphiphilic Phase-Space
Many organisms, especially arthropods, produce vivid interference colors using diverse mesoscopic (100-350 nm) integumentary biophotonic nanostructures that are increasingly being investigated for technological applications. Despite a century of interest, precise structural knowledge of many biophotonic nanostructures and the mechanisms controlling their development remain tentative, when such knowledge can open novel biomimetic routes to facilely self-assemble tunable, multifunctional materials. Here, we use synchrotron small-angle X-ray scattering and electron microscopy to characterize the photonic nanostructure of 140 integumentary scales and setae from ~127 species of terrestrial arthropods in 85 genera from 5 orders. We report a rich nanostructural diversity, including triply periodic bicontinuous networks, close-packed spheres, inverse columnar, perforated lamellar, and disordered spongelike morphologies, commonly observed as stable phases of amphiphilic surfactants, block copolymer, and lyotropic lipid-water systems. Diverse arthropod lineages appear to have independently evolved to utilize the self-assembly of infolding lipid-bilayer membranes to develop biophotonic nanostructures that span the phase-space of amphiphilic morphologies, but at optical length scales.
Saranathan, Vinod Kumar↗
Biophotonic rogue waves in red blood cell suspensions
Rogue waves are ubiquitous in nature, appearing in a variety of physical systems ranging from acoustics, microwave cavities, optical fibers, and resonators to plasmas, superfluids, and Bose–Einstein condensates. Unlike nonlinear solitary waves, rogue waves are extreme events that can occur even without nonlinearity by, for example, spontaneous synchronization of waves with different spatial frequencies in a linear system. Here, we report the observation of rogue-wave-like events in human red blood cell (RBC) suspensions under weak light illumination, characterized by an abnormal L-shaped probability distribution. Such biophotonic extreme events arise mostly due to the constructive interference of Mie-scattered waves from the suspended RBCs, whose biconcave shape and mutable orientation give rise to a time-dependent random phase modulation to an incident laser beam. We numerically simulate the beam propagation through the colloidal suspensions with added disorder in both spatial and temporal domains to mimic random scattering due to Brownian motion. In addition, at high power levels, nonlinear beam self-focusing is also observed, leading to a dual-exponential probability distribution associated with the formation of multiple soliton-like spots. Such rogue wave events should also exist in environments with cells of other species such as swimming bacteria, and understanding of their underlying physics may lead to unexpected biophotonic applications.
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
Laser biophotonics
This issue of Quantum Electronics presents the papers that reflect the state-of-the-art of laser technologies used in biomedical studies and medical practice. Among the new technologies, one can note the methods of correlation and Doppler spectroscopy, as well as THz spectroscopy, in which biologically significant molecules are characterised by specific resonances. The latter topic is considered in the paper by Nazarov et al., where the dielectric function of aqueous solutions of glucose and albumin is studied using pulsed THz spectroscopy. (laser biophotonics)
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
Carbon conversion on biophotonic leaf
A photodiode can trigger bias-free redox reactions but is often hindered by thermodynamic barriers. Now, a bacteria-conjugated silicon biophotochemical diode allows simultaneous conversion of various carbon molecules with high efficacy.
60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
Molecular mechanism of reflectin’s tunable biophotonic control: Opportunities and limitations for new optoelectronics
Discovery that reflectin proteins fill the dynamically tunable Bragg lamellae in the reflective skin cells of certain squids has prompted efforts to design new reflectin-inspired systems for dynamic photonics. But new insights into the actual role and mechanism of action of the reflectins constrain and better define the opportunities and limitations for rationally designing optical systems with reflectin-based components. We and our colleagues have discovered that the reflectins function as a signal-controlled molecular machine, regulating an osmotic motor that tunes the thickness, spacing, and refractive index of the tunable, membrane-bound Bragg lamellae in the iridocytes of the loliginid squids. The tunable reflectin proteins, characterized by a variable number of highly conserved peptide domains interspersed with positively charged linker segments, are restricted in intra- and inter-chain contacts by Coulombic repulsion. Physiologically, this inhibition is progressively overcome by charge-neutralization resulting from acetylcholine (neurotransmitter)-induced, site-specific phosphorylation, triggering the simultaneous activation and progressive tuning of reflectance from red to blue. Details of this process have been resolved through in vitro analyses of purified recombinant reflectins, controlling charge-neutralization by pH-titration or mutation as surrogates for the in vivo phosphorylation. Results of these analyses have shown that neutralization overcoming the Coulombic inhibition reversibly and cyclably triggers condensation and secondary folding of the reflectins, with the emergence of previously cryptic, phase-segregated hydrophobic domains enabling hierarchical assembly. This tunable, reversible, and cyclable assembly regulates the Gibbs-Donnan mediated osmotic shrinking or swelling of the Bragg lamellae that tunes the brightness and color of reflected light. Our most recent studies have revealed a direct relationship between the extent of charge neutralization and the size of the reflectin assemblies, further explaining the synergistic effects on the intensity and wavelength of reflected light. Mutational analyses show that the “switch” controlling reflectins’ structural transitions is distributed along the protein, while detailed comparisons of the sequences and structures of the recently evolved tunable reflectins to those of their ancestral, non-tunable homologs are helping to identify the specific structural determinants governing tunability.
47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
Structural and optical properties of nanoparticles formed by laser ablation of porous silicon in liquids: Perspectives in biophotonics
The paper discusses the possibility of manufacturing silicon nanoparticles, which are suitable for contrasting biological tissues imaged by optical coherence tomography, by femtosecond laser ablation of porous silicon in various liquids. The manufactured nanoparticles are characterised by average sizes of 87, 112, and 102 nm for cases of ablation in water, ethanol, and liquid nitrogen, respectively, as well as a relatively narrow size distribution, which provides additional advantages for subsequent delivery into biological tissues. Electrochemical etching, which results in the formation of layers of porous silicon, allows the yield of ablation products to be increased several-fold by lowering the ablation threshold, thereby increasing the light scattering efficiency of the prepared suspensions compared with the case of using crystalline silicon as targets. The possibility of obtaining high-contrast images of a biotissue phantom based on an agar gel with embedded nanoparticles is shown. The magnitude of the contrast depends on the liquid used for ablation and correlates with the values of the reduced scattering coefficient of the studied suspensions. (paper)
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
Initially Disordered, Reflectin Assembly Tunably and Reversibly Drives Biophotonic Color
Reflectin proteins are found in the reflective Bragg lamellae in skin cells of certain squids, where they tunably control color for camouflage and communication. Initially disordered in the monomeric form, the reflectins have unusual amino acid compositions and are block copolymers consisting of polyampholytic canonical repeats interspersed with cationic linkers. In vivo, phosphorylation of the cationic linkers induces condensation, secondary folding and hierarchical assembly of the reflectins with concomitant emergence of tunable iridescence. We analyzed the folding and assembly of recombinant phospho‐mimetic and deletion mutants of reflectin, using pH titration as a surrogate for in vivo phosphorylation. Results of dynamic light scattering, transmission electron microscopy, fluorescence, circular dichroism and x‐ray scattering reveal that neutralization of the cationic linkers progressively and reversibly drives the reflectins to form monodisperse spherical assemblies of reproducible size. These analyses reveal a strongly predictive relationship between net charge density and size of the assembled reflectin multimers, with the switch appearing to be equally distributed across the spatially segregated linkers. Accompanying the progressive neutralization of Coulombic repulsion of the linkers, assembly appears to be driven by entropically driven folding of the canonical repeats into amphiphilic secondary structures that are likely to enable hierarchical assembly. These results suggest a model for tunable reflectin assembly and provide insight into the behavior of this unique, initially disordered protein. Support or Funding Information This research was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Army Research Office, and Institute of Collaborative Biotechnologies. This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal .
Levenson, Robert↗
Domain morphology, boundaries, and topological defects in biophotonic gyroid nanostructures of butterfly wing scales
Many organisms in nature have evolved sophisticated cellular mechanisms to produce photonic nanostructures and, in recent years, diverse crystalline symmetries have been identified and related to macroscopic optical properties. However, because we know little about the distributions of domain sizes, the orientations of photonic crystals, and the nature of defects in these structures, we are unable to make the connection between the nanostructure and its development and functionality. We report on nondestructive studies of the morphology of chitinous photonic crystals in butterfly wing scales. Using spatially and angularly resolved x-ray diffraction, we find that the domains are highly oriented with respect to the whole scale, indicating growth from scale boundaries. X-ray coherent diffractive imaging reveals two types of crystalline domain interfaces: abrupt changes between domains emerging from distinct nucleation sites and smooth transitions with edge dislocations presumably resulting from internal stresses during nanostructure development. Our study of the scale structure reveals new aspects of photonic crystal growth in butterfly wings and shows their similarity to block copolymer materials. It opens new avenues to exploration of fundamental processes underlying the growth of biological photonic nanostructures in a variety of species.
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
Reflectin: Protein Driver of Dynamically Tunable Biophotonics; New Paradigm for Tunably Reconfigurable Materials
We discovered that the reflectins, with architecture and sequences unlike those of any other proteins known, exhibit a novel interplay between signal-controlled nucleation and growth of dynamically arrested liquid-liquid phase-segregated assemblies that uniquely enables the continuous and precise fine-tuning of physical properties governing the color and brightness of light reflected from the membrane-enclosed nanostructures that contain them. Our research included high-resolution structural analyses conducted at the DOE-BES user facilities of the Stanford Synchrotron Light Source and LBL National Laboratory’s Molecular Foundry, leveraging their capabilities for time-resolved SAXS and cryo-TEM with our ongoing genetic engineering, biophysical and computational analyses to identify the structural determinants and mechanisms governing the dynamic behaviors of the reflectins. We augmented these methods with EPR analyses that revealed for the first time the existence of a specific pathway of reflectin assembly. Using dynamic light scattering and continuously monitored circular dichroism and Raman microscopy, we elucidated the progression of structural changes underlying the mechanisms of signal-induced condensation, folding, assembly, liquefaction, dynamic arrest, regulation and reversal.
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
Biophotonics and Bone Biology
One of the more serious side effects of extended space flight is an accelerated bone loss. Rates of bone loss are highest in the weight-bearing bones of the hip and spine regions, and the average rate of bone loss as measured by bone mineral density measurements is around 1.2% per month for persons in a microgravity environment. It is well known that bone remodeling responds to mechanical forces. We are developing two-photon microscopy techniques to study bone tissue and bone cell cultures to better understand the fundamental response mechanism in bone remodeling. Osteoblast and osteoclast cell cultures are being studied, and the goal is to use molecular biology techniques in conjunction with Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy (FLIM) to study the physiology of in-vitro cell cultures in response to various stimuli, such as fluid flow induced shear stress and mechanical stress. We have constructed a two-photon fluorescence microscope for these studies, and are currently incorporating FLIM detection. Current progress will be reviewed. This work is supported by the NASA John Glenn Biomedical Engineering Consortium.
Zimmerli, Gregory↗
Biophotonics and Bone Biology
One of the more-serious side effects of extended space flight is an accelerated bone loss [Bioastronautics Critical Path Roadmap, http://research.hq.nasa.gov/code_u/bcpr/index.cfm]. Rates of bone loss are highest in the weight-bearing bones of the hip and spine regions, and the average rate of bone loss as measured by bone mineral density measurements is around 1.2% per month for persons in a microgravity environment. It shows that an extrapolation of the microgravity induced bone loss rates to longer time scales, such as a 2.5 year round-trip to Mars (6 months out at 0 g, 1.5 year stay on Mars at 0.38 g, 6 months back at 0 g), could severely compromise the skeletal system of such a person.
Zimmerli, Gregory↗
Recent trends in binary and ternary rare-earth fluoride nanophosphors: How structural and physical properties influence optical behaviour
Rare-earth (RE) doped binary and ternary fluoride nanomaterials are currently receiving the highest attention as phosphor materials due to their potential for a wide range of photonic and biophotonic applications. This review article aims providing and introduction to the field and giving a critical overview about the latest developments in this fast evolving field. First, the underlying photoluminescence mechanisms like up- and downconversion (UC and DC), charge transfer (CT) and energy transfer (ET) between optically active trivalent RE ions are explained. Then, the influence of particle size and surface, shape and lattice strain, as well as the crystal phase of the host materials on the optical properties of rare earth based nanomaterias are illustrated. In addition, the effect of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) on the rare earth luminescence is discussed. In the following, different synthesis strategies which have been developed for tuning the crystal phase, shape, size, and morphology of the host nanomaterial are presented. The role of surface modification and functionalization for improving the luminescence intensity, stability, aqueous dispersity/dispersibility and biocompatibility of the materials is discussed. Lastly, photonic applications of RE-doped nanofluorides for energy efficient lighting, improved solar cells and biophotonic applications like photodynamic therapy, and biological detection techniques including in vivo and in vitro bioimaging are presented.
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
Direct Aqueous-Phase Synthesis of Sub-10 nm “Luminous Pearls” with Enhanced in vivo Renewable Near-Infrared persistent luminescence
Near-infrared persistent luminescence nanoparticles (PLNPs) possess unique near-infrared persistent luminescence properties. They have recently been emerging as important materials for a wide variety of applications in chemistry and biology. Yet, they must endure high-temperature solid-state annealing reactions and subsequent complicated physical post-treatments. Herein, we report on a first direct aqueous-phase chemical synthesis route of NIR PLNPs and present their enhanced in vivo renewable near-infrared persistent luminescence. Our method leads to monodisperse PL nanoparticles as small as ca. 8 nm. More importantly, such sub-10 nm nanocrystals are readily dispersed, functionalized as well as form stable colloidal solutions in aqueous solution and cell culture medium for biological applications. Under bio-tissue penetrable red-light excitation, we found that such nanocrystals possess superior renewable PL photoluminescence in vitro and in vivo than current larger counterparts made by existing methods. We believe that this solid-state-reaction-free chemical approach overcomes the current key roadblock in regard to PLNP development, and thus will pave the way to broad use of these advanced miniature “luminous pearls” in photonics and biophotonics.
Luminous Pearls, Near-Infrared persistent luminesc↗
Sub-two-cycle gigawatt-peak-power LWIR OPA for ultrafast nonlinear spectroscopy of condensed state materials
The application of high-power, few-cycle, long-wave infrared (LWIR, 8–20 µm) pulses in strong-field physics is largely unexplored due to the lack of suitable sources. However, the generation of intense pulses with >6 µm wavelength range is becoming increasingly feasible with the recent advances in high-power ultrashort lasers in the middle-infrared range that can serve as a pump for optical parametric amplifiers (OPA). Here we experimentally demonstrate the feasibility of this approach by building an OPA pumped at 2.4 µm that generates 93 µJ pulses at 9.5 µm, 1 kHz repetition rate with sub-two-cycle pulse duration, 1.6 GW peak power, and excellent beam quality. The results open a wide range of applications in attosecond physics (especially for studies of condensed phase samples), remote sensing, and biophotonics.
Leshchenko, Vyacheslav (ORCID:0000000199708559)↗
Spectroscopic Chemical Sensing and Imaging: From Plants to Animals and Humans
Chemical sensing and imaging technologies are of great importance in medical diagnostics and environmental sensing due to their ability to detect and localize chemical targets and provide valuable information in real-time. Biophotonic techniques are the most promising for in vivo applications due to their minimal invasivity. Our laboratory has introduced various biophotonics-based technologies for chemical sensing and imaging for biochemical sensing, medical diagnostics, and fundamental research. Over the years, we have developed a wide variety of fluorescence and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)-based technologies for the detection of biomarkers for cancer and other diseases. This paper provides an overview of the research on chemical and biological sensors developed in our laboratory, highlighting our work on in vivo imaging and sensing, including minimally invasive detection of endogenous fluorophores associated with malignant tissue, SERS-tag localization of cancer cells and tissues, and SERS-based detection of nucleic acid biotargets and its feasibility for in vivo applications. This manuscript also presents new development on the use of Raman imaging of SERS-labeled nanoprobes incubated in leaves for use in biofuel research, laying the foundation for studies on functional imaging of nucleic acid biomarkers in plants.
Strobbia, Pietro (ORCID:0000000308846185)↗