News from the NNI Community - Research Advances Funded by Agencies Participating in the NNI

A UCLA-led team of researchers has described how a nanomachine produced by a common bacterium, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, recognizes and kills other bacteria, and has imaged the nanomachine at atomic resolution. The nanomachine is a protein complex, called a pyocin, released by P. aeruginosa as a way of sabotaging microbes that compete with it for resources. When a pyocin identifies a rival bacterium, it kills it by punching a hole in its cell membrane. The scientists also engineered their own versions of the nanomachine, which could eventually lead to new types of antibiotics that would home in on specific species of microbes.

A UCLA-led team of researchers has described how a nanomachine produced by a common bacterium, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, recognizes and kills other bacteria, and has imaged the nanomachine at atomic resolution. The nanomachine is a protein complex, called a pyocin, released by P. aeruginosa as a way of sabotaging microbes that compete with it for resources. When a pyocin identifies a rival bacterium, it kills it by punching a hole in its cell membrane. The scientists also engineered their own versions of the nanomachine, which could eventually lead to new types of antibiotics that would home in on specific species of microbes.

MIT engineers have developed a way to closely track how plants respond to stresses – such as injury, infection, and light damage – using sensors made of carbon nanotubes. These sensors can be embedded in plant leaves, where they report on hydrogen peroxide signaling waves. Plants use hydrogen peroxide to communicate within their leaves, sending out a distress signal that stimulates leaf cells to produce compounds that help them repair damage or fend off insects.

MIT engineers have developed a way to closely track how plants respond to stresses – such as injury, infection, and light damage – using sensors made of carbon nanotubes. These sensors can be embedded in plant leaves, where they report on hydrogen peroxide signaling waves. Plants use hydrogen peroxide to communicate within their leaves, sending out a distress signal that stimulates leaf cells to produce compounds that help them repair damage or fend off insects.

A collaboration of scientists from the National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II)—a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science user facility at DOE’s Brookhaven National Laboratory—Yale University, and Arizona State University has designed and tested a new two-dimensional catalyst that can be used to improve water purification using hydrogen peroxide. So far, scientists have struggled to improve the efficiency of the process through catalysis because each part of the reaction needs its own catalyst—called a co-catalyst—and the co-catalysts can’t be next to each other. The team presented the design for the new two-dimensional catalyst, in which two co-catalysts are in two different locations on a thin nanosheet. One of the co-catalysts—a single cobalt atom—sits in the center of the sheet, whereas the other one, a molecule called anthraquinone, is placed around the edges.

A collaboration of scientists from the National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II)—a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science user facility at DOE’s Brookhaven National Laboratory—Yale University, and Arizona State University has designed and tested a new two-dimensional catalyst that can be used to improve water purification using hydrogen peroxide. So far, scientists have struggled to improve the efficiency of the process through catalysis because each part of the reaction needs its own catalyst—called a co-catalyst—and the co-catalysts can’t be next to each other. The team presented the design for the new two-dimensional catalyst, in which two co-catalysts are in two different locations on a thin nanosheet. One of the co-catalysts—a single cobalt atom—sits in the center of the sheet, whereas the other one, a molecule called anthraquinone, is placed around the edges.

Researchers have shown that polymers filled with carbon nanotubes could potentially improve how unmanned vehicles dissipate energy.

Researchers have shown that polymers filled with carbon nanotubes could potentially improve how unmanned vehicles dissipate energy.

Researchers have shown that the chemical compounds that coat cicada wings contribute to their ability to repel water and kill microbes. Previous studies have shown that cicadas have a highly ordered pattern of tiny pillars, called nanopillars, on their wings. The new study revealed that cicada wings are coated in hydrocarbons, fatty acids, and oxygen-containing molecules. The oxygen-containing molecules were most abundant deep in the nanopillars, while hydrocarbons and fatty acids made up more of the outermost nanopillar layers. The study also revealed that altering these surface chemicals changed the nanopillar structure and the wings' wettability and anti-microbial characteristics.

Researchers have shown that the chemical compounds that coat cicada wings contribute to their ability to repel water and kill microbes. Previous studies have shown that cicadas have a highly ordered pattern of tiny pillars, called nanopillars, on their wings. The new study revealed that cicada wings are coated in hydrocarbons, fatty acids, and oxygen-containing molecules. The oxygen-containing molecules were most abundant deep in the nanopillars, while hydrocarbons and fatty acids made up more of the outermost nanopillar layers. The study also revealed that altering these surface chemicals changed the nanopillar structure and the wings' wettability and anti-microbial characteristics.