Publication date: 25th July 2016
Cells interact with the extracellular matrix and neighboring cells forming cell-cell and cell-matrix contacts, which are mediated by cadherins and integrins, respectively and the expression of them is both spatially and temporally tightly regulated during many biological processes including embryogenesis and EMT-MET. Our aim is to generate platforms where we can control cell-cell and cell-surface contacts spatially, temporally and reversibly using visible light responsive proteins from plants (PhyB-PIF6 and CRY2-CIBN heterodimers) to provide a better understanding of cell contacts. To mimic cell-cell contacts, the light dependent heterodimers, CRY2-CIBN and PhyB-PIF6 are employed. CRY2 is switched to its photoactive state with blue light, which allows CRY2 to bind CIBN. This binding is reversed passively in dark. Similarly, red light illumination activates PhyB to bind PIF6 and this interaction is reversed under far-red light or in dark. We expressed complementary heterodimers on the surfaces of cells, which do not express cadherins, and can trigger and break the cell-cell contacts in light/dark cycles. Towards controlling cell-surface contacts, we used PEG functionalized glass surfaces where we immobilized one of the heterodimerization partners (CIBN or PIF6). By incubating the cells expressing the complementary heterodimer (CRY2 or PhyB) in dark and red/blue light illumination on the surface, we can turn on or off cell-surface contacts. These platforms give us high spatial and temporal control over cell-matrix and cell-cell contacts in a non-invasive fashion and will provide new insight into the interplay of these cell contacts in biological processes.
nanoGe is a prestigious brand of successful science conferences that are developed along the year in different areas of the world since 2009. Our worldwide conferences cover cutting-edge materials topics like perovskite solar cells, photovoltaics, optoelectronics, solar fuel conversion, surface science, catalysis and two-dimensional materials, among many others.
Previously nanoGe Spring Meeting (NSM) and nanoGe Fall Meeting (NFM), MATSUS is a multiple symposia conference focused on a broad set of topics of advanced materials preparation, their fundamental properties, and their applications, in fields such as renewable energy, photovoltaics, lighting, semiconductor quantum dots, 2-D materials synthesis, charge carriers dynamics, microscopy and spectroscopy semiconductors fundamentals, etc.
International Conference on Hybrid and Organic Photovoltaics
International Conference on Hybrid and Organic Photovoltaics (HOPV) is celebrated yearly in May. The main topics are the development, function and modeling of materials and devices for hybrid and organic solar cells. The field is now dominated by perovskite solar cells but also other hybrid technologies, as organic solar cells, quantum dot solar cells, and dye-sensitized solar cells and their integration into devices for photoelectrochemical solar fuel production.
Asia-Pacific International Conference on Perovskite, Organic Photovoltaics and Optoelectronics
The main topics of the Asia-Pacific International Conference on Perovskite, Organic Photovoltaics and Optoelectronics (IPEROP) are discussed every year in Asia-Pacific for gathering the recent advances in the fields of material preparation, modeling and fabrication of perovskite and hybrid and organic materials. Photovoltaic devices are analyzed from fundamental physics and materials properties to a broad set of applications. The conference also covers the developments of perovskite optoelectronics, including light-emitting diodes, lasers, optical devices, nanophotonics, nonlinear optical properties, colloidal nanostructures, photophysics and light-matter coupling.
The International Conference on Perovskite Thin Film Photovoltaics Perovskite Photonics and Optoelectronics (NIPHO) is the best place to hear the latest developments in perovskite solar cells as well as on recent advances in the fields of perovskite light-emitting diodes, lasers, optical devices, nanophotonics, nonlinear optical properties, colloidal nanostructures, photophysics and light-matter coupling.