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Related Concept Videos

Colloidal precipitates01:09

Colloidal precipitates

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The high insolubility of some precipitates can result in an unfavorable relative supersaturation. This can lead to colloidal particles with a large surface-to-mass ratio, where adsorption is promoted. For instance, in the precipitation of silver chloride, silver ions are adsorbed on the surface of the colloidal particles, forming a primary layer. This layer attracts ions of opposite charge (such as nitrate ions), forming a diffuse secondary layer of adsorbed ions. This electric double layer...
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Coprecipitation is the contamination of a precipitate by otherwise soluble species and occurs via different processes. In colloidal precipitates, coprecipitation occurs via surface adsorption. For instance, barium sulfate has a primary layer of adsorbed barium ions and a secondary layer of nitrate counterions. This results in contamination of the precipitate by barium nitrate.
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Vesicles incorporate different coat protein subunits in different cell locations, which changes the properties of the coat, such as the shape and geometry of the transport vesicles. Thus, vesicle coat proteins also play a significant role in cargo selection.
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Colloidal solids are solid particles suspended in solution. They are usually negatively charged, attracting a compact primary layer of positively charged ions, which attract more counterions to form an electrical double layer. Electrostatic repulsion between the charged double layers prevents the particles from colliding, stabilizing the colloids. These solids are often undesirable because they can contain toxins that are difficult to remove. Coagulation is a technique that helps aggregate and...
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The complement system is a group of approximately 20 plasma proteins that strengthen the body's defenses against infections through opsonization, inflammation, and cell lysis. Opsonization involves coating pathogens with complement proteins, making them more recognizable and facilitating phagocyte engulfment. Certain complement proteins induce inflammation that attracts immune cells to the site of infection. Cell lysis involves the destruction of pathogens through the formation of a...
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Membrane-enclosed structures called vesicles transport proteins and lipids across the cell. The vesicles derive their cargo from the plasma membrane, Golgi, ER, or endosome. Coated vesicles are spherical, protein-coated carriers with a 50–100 nm diameter that mediate bidirectional transport between the ER and the Golgi. The distribution of proteins between the ER and Golgi complex is dynamic and is maintained by different coated vesicles. Their formation is driven by the assembly of...
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Surface Passivation for Single-molecule Protein Studies
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A percolation phase transition controls complement protein coating of surfaces.

Zhicheng Wang1, Sahil Kulkarni2, Jia Nong3

  • 1Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Division, Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.

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Summary

The body's complement system, a network of blood proteins, activates sharply based on material surface properties. This critical transition explains how the immune system decides to attack foreign materials like nanoparticles and medical devices.

Keywords:
biomaterialscomplementcomplexity sciencehost responseimmunologynanomedicinesystems biology

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Area of Science:

  • Biomaterials Science
  • Immunology
  • Systems Biology

Background:

  • The human body possesses complex protein networks that interact with foreign materials.
  • The complement system, comprising approximately 40 blood proteins, plays a crucial role in initiating inflammation upon encountering microbes, nanoparticles, and medical devices.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the mechanism by which the complement system

Main Methods:

  • Investigated the relationship between material surface properties and complement activation.
  • Utilized computational modeling to analyze complement system behavior.
  • Examined diverse engineered and living materials across various scales.

Main Results:

  • A sharp threshold for complement activation was identified, dependent on the surface density of complement attachment points.
  • This threshold was observed across scales, from nanoparticles to macroscale pathologies.
  • Computational models revealed percolation-type critical transitions in the complement response.

Conclusions:

  • The complement system's "decision" to attack a material is governed by a critical transition mechanism.
  • This criticality switch is explained by a minimal complement subnetwork exhibiting percolation-like behavior.
  • Understanding this mechanism is key for designing biocompatible materials and medical devices.