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Publication Metadata only “Smart poisoning” of Co/SiO2 catalysts by sulfidation for chirality-selective synthesis of (9,8) single-walled carbon nanotubes(2016) Yuan, Yang; Karahan, H. Enis; Wei, Li; Zhai, Shengli; Lau, Raymond; Chen, Yuan; N/A; Yıldırım, Cansu; Birer, Özgür; Master Student; Researcher; Koç University Surface Science and Technology Center (KUYTAM) / Koç Üniversitesi Yüzey Teknolojileri Araştırmaları Merkezi (KUYTAM); N/A; N/A; N/AThe chirality-selective synthesis of relatively large (diameter > 1 nm) single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) is of great interest for a variety of practical applications, but only a few catalysts are available so far. Previous studies suggested that S (compounds) can enhance the chirality-selectivity of Co catalysts in SWCNT synthesis, however, the mechanism behind is not fully understood, and no tailorable methodology has yet been developed. Here, we demonstrate a facile approach to achieve the chirality-selective synthesis of SWCNTs by the sulfidation-based poisoning of silica-supported Co catalysts using a mixture of H2S and H2. The UV-vis-NIR, photoluminescence, and Raman spectroscopy results together show that the resulting SWCNTs have a narrow diameter distribution of around 1.2 nm, and (9,8) nanotubes have an abundance of ∼38% among the semiconducting species. More importantly, the carbon yield achieved by the sulfided catalyst (2.5 wt%) is similar to that of the nonsulfided one (2.7 wt%). The characterization of the catalysts by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray fluorescence, and H2 temperature-programmed reduction shows that the sulfidation leads to the formation of Co9S8 nanoparticles. However, Co9S8 nanoparticles are reduced back to regenerate metallic Co nanoparticles during the synthesis of SWCNTs, which maintain a high carbon yield. In this process, Co9S8 nanoparticles seemingly intermediate the production of Co nanoparticles with narrow size distribution. Due to the fact that the poisoning step improves the quality of the end-product rather than hampering the growth process, we have coined the process developed as “smart poisoning”. This study not only reveals the mechanism behind the beneficial role of S in the selective synthesis of relatively large SWCNTs but also presents a promising method to create chirality-selective catalysts with high activity for scalable synthesis.Publication Metadata only 3D printed styrax liquidus (liquidambar orientalis miller)-loaded poly (l-lactic acid)/chitosan based wound dressing material: fabrication, characterization, and biocompatibility results(Elsevier, 2023) Cakmak, Hanife Yuksel; Ege, Hasan; Yilmaz, Senanur; Agturk, Gokhan; Enguven, Gozde; Sarmis, Abdurrahman; Cakmak, Zeren; Gunduz, Oguzhan; Ege, Zeynep Ruya; Yöntem, Fulya Dal; Koç University Research Center for Translational Medicine (KUTTAM) / Koç Üniversitesi Translasyonel Tıp Araştırma Merkezi (KUTTAM); School of MedicineThe medicinal plant of Styrax liquidus (ST) (sweet gum balsam) which extracted from Liquidambar orientalis Mill tree, was loaded into the 3D printed polylactic acid (PLA)/chitosan (CS) based 3D printed scaffolds to investigate its wound healing and closure effect, in this study. The morphological and chemical properties of the ST loaded 3D printed scaffolds with different concentrations (1 %, 2 %, and 3 % wt) were investigated by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), respectively. In addition, the me-chanical and thermal properties of the materials were investigated by Tensile test and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), respectively. The antimicrobial activities of the ST loaded 3D printed scaffolds and their incubation media in the PBS (pH 7.4, at 37 degrees C for 24 h) were investigated on two Gram-positive and two Gram -negative standard pathogenic bacteria with the agar disc diffusion method. The colorimetric MTT assay was used to determine the cell viability of human fibroblast cells (CCD-1072Sk) incubated with free ST, ST loaded, and unloaded 3D printed scaffolds. The 1 % and 2 % (wt) ST loaded PLA/CS/ST 3D printed scaffolds showed an increase in the cell number. Annexin V/PI double stain assay was performed to test whether early or late apoptosis was induced in the PLA/CS/1 % ST and PLA/CS/2 % ST loaded groups and the results were consistent with the MTT assay. Furthermore, a wound healing assay was carried out to investigate the effect of ST loaded 3D printed scaffolds on wound healing in CCD-1072Sk cells. The highest wound closure compared to the control group was observed on cells treated with PLA/CS/1 % ST for 72 h. According to the results, novel biocompatible ST loaded 3D printed scaffolds with antimicrobial effect can be used as wound healing material for potential tissue engineering applications.Publication Open Access 3D printing of elastomeric bioinspired complex adhesive microstructures(Wiley, 2021) Dayan, Cem Balda; Chun, Sungwoo; Krishna Subbaiah, Nagaraj; Drotlef, Dirk Michael; Akolpoğlu, Mükrime Birgül; Department of Mechanical Engineering; Sitti, Metin; Faculty Member; Department of Mechanical Engineering; College of Engineering; School of Medicine; 297104Bioinspired elastomeric structural adhesives can provide reversible and controllable adhesion on dry/wet and synthetic/biological surfaces for a broad range of commercial applications. Shape complexity and performance of the existing structural adhesives are limited by the used specific fabrication technique, such as molding. To overcome these limitations by proposing complex 3D microstructured adhesive designs, a 3D elastomeric microstructure fabrication approach is implemented using two-photon-polymerization-based 3D printing. A custom aliphatic urethane-acrylate-based elastomer is used as the 3D printing material. Two designs are demonstrated with two combined biological inspirations to show the advanced capabilities enabled by the proposed fabrication approach and custom elastomer. The first design focuses on springtail- and gecko-inspired hybrid microfiber adhesive, which has the multifunctionalities of side-surface liquid super-repellency, top-surface liquid super-repellency, and strong reversible adhesion features in a single fiber array. The second design primarily centers on octopus- and gecko-inspired hybrid adhesive, which exhibits the benefits of both octopus- and gecko-inspired microstructured adhesives for strong reversible adhesion on both wet and dry surfaces, such as skin. This fabrication approach could be used to produce many other 3D complex elastomeric structural adhesives for future real-world applications.Publication Metadata only A detailed investigation of the effect of calcium crosslinking and glycerol plasticizing on the physical properties of alginate films(Elsevier, 2020) Berberoglu, Melisa; Bener, Semira; Aydelik-Ayazoglu, Sena; Bayraktar, Halil; Catalgil-Giz, Huceste; Department of Mechanical Engineering; Alaca, Burhanettin Erdem; Giz, Ayşe Su; Faculty Member; Master Student; Department of Mechanical Engineering; Koç University Surface Science and Technology Center (KUYTAM) / Koç Üniversitesi Yüzey Teknolojileri Araştırmaları Merkezi (KUYTAM); College of Engineering; Graduate School of Sciences and Engineering; 115108; N/AAlginates attract growing interest due to their biocompatible and biodegradable nature. Here, a wide spectrum of glycerol added alginate films (from 0 to 30% w/w, glycerol/alginate) were prepared and crosslinked by four different concentrations of calcium chloride solutions (0.5, 1, 1.5, 2%, w/w). This is the first investigation involving variation of both the plasticizer and crosslinker concentrations in twenty different compositions. It is shown that glycerol and calcium have a synergic effect on the mechanical properties and the behavior of crosslinked and plasticized alginate films cannot be predicted by studies, which vary only one of these, keeping the other constant. Without glycerol, crosslinking had a negligible effect on tensile behavior, but with glycerol addition, the effect of crosslinking became evident in mechanical properties. Calcium and glycerol concentrations exhibited a combined effect, displaying optimum combinations with good strength and fracture strain properties. Crosslinking increased the thermal resistance of all films. Low crosslinked high swelling films and highly crosslinked low swelling films were prepared. Water vapor permeability of films decreased regularly with increasing calcium concentration. The films exhibited high transmittance in the visible region. The results showed that alginate films have an appreciable potential in wound dressing and food packaging applications. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Publication Metadata only A genome-wide functional screen identifies enhancer and protective genes for amyloid beta-peptide toxicity(Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI), 2023) Picon-Pages, Pol; Bosch-Morato, Monica; Subirana, Laia; Rubio-Moscardo, Francisca; Guivernau, Biuse; Fanlo-Ucar, Hugo; Herrera-Fernandez, Victor; Vicente, Ruben; Fernandez-Fernandez, Jose M.; Garcia-Ojalvo, Jordi; Oliva, Baldomero; Posas, Francesc; de Nadal, Eulalia; Munoz, Francisco J.; N/A; N/A; N/A; Department of Computer Engineering; Department of Computer Engineering; Zeylan, Melisa Ece; Şenyüz, Simge; Gürsoy, Attila; Keskin, Özlem; PhD Student; Master Student; Faculty Member; Faculty Member; Department of Computer Engineering; Graduate School of Sciences and Engineering; Graduate School of Sciences and Engineering; College of Engineering; College of Engineering; N/A; N/A; 8745; 26605Alzheimer's disease (AD) is known to be caused by amyloid beta-peptide (A beta) misfolded into beta-sheets, but this knowledge has not yet led to treatments to prevent AD. To identify novel molecular players in A beta toxicity, we carried out a genome-wide screen in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, using a library of 5154 gene knock-out strains expressing A beta(1-42). We identified 81 mammalian orthologue genes that enhance A beta(1-42) toxicity, while 157 were protective. Next, we performed interactome and text-mining studies to increase the number of genes and to identify the main cellular functions affected by A beta oligomers (oA beta). We found that the most affected cellular functions were calcium regulation, protein translation and mitochondrial activity. We focused on SURF4, a protein that regulates the store-operated calcium channel (SOCE). An in vitro analysis using human neuroblastoma cells showed that SURF4 silencing induced higher intracellular calcium levels, while its overexpression decreased calcium entry. Furthermore, SURF4 silencing produced a significant reduction in cell death when cells were challenged with oA beta(1-42), whereas SURF4 overexpression induced A beta(1-42) cytotoxicity. In summary, we identified new enhancer and protective activities for A beta toxicity and showed that SURF4 contributes to oA beta(1-42) neurotoxicity by decreasing SOCE activity.Publication Open Access A multi-state coarse grained modeling approach for an intrinsically disordered peptide(American Institute of Physics (AIP) Publishing, 2017) Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering; N/A; Sayar, Mehmet; Dalgıçdır, Cahit; Ramezanghorbani, Farhad; Faculty Member; PhD Student; Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering; College of Engineering; Graduate School of Sciences and Engineering; 109820; N/A; N/AMany proteins display a marginally stable tertiary structure, which can be altered via external stimuli. Since a majority of coarse grained (CG) models are aimed at structure prediction, their success for an intrinsically disordered peptide's conformational space with marginal stability and sensitivity to external stimuli cannot be taken for granted. In this study, by using the LK alpha 14 peptide as a test system, we demonstrate a bottom-up approach for constructing a multi-state CG model, which can capture the conformational behavior of this peptide in three distinct environments with a unique set of interaction parameters. LK alpha 14 is disordered in dilute solutions; however, it strictly adopts the alpha-helix conformation upon aggregation or when in contact with a hydrophobic/hydrophilic interface. Our bottom-up approach combines a generic base model, that is unbiased for any particular secondary structure, with nonbonded interactions which represent hydrogen bonds, electrostatics, and hydrophobic forces. We demonstrate that by using carefully designed all atom potential of mean force calculations from all three states of interest, one can get a balanced representation of the nonbonded interactions. Our CG model behaves intrinsically disordered in bulk water, folds into an alpha-helix in the presence of an interface or a neighboring peptide, and is stable as a tetrameric unit, successfully reproducing the all atom molecular dynamics simulations and experimental results.Publication Open Access A new series of indeno[1,2-c]pyrazoles as EGFR TK inhibitors for NSCLC therapy(Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI), 2022) Özdemir, A.; Sever, B.; Tateishi, H.; Otsuka, M.; Fujita, M.; Altıntop, M.D.; Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics; Çiftçi, Halil İbrahim; Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics; College of SciencesNon-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the leading cause of cancer-related death throughout the world. Due to the shortcomings of traditional chemotherapy, targeted therapies have come into prominence for the management of NSCLC. In particular, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy has emerged as a first-line therapy for NSCLC patients with EGFR-activating mutations. In this context, new indenopyrazoles, which were prepared by an efficient microwave-assisted method, were subjected to in silico and in vitro assays to evaluate their potency as EGFR TK-targeted anti-NSCLC agents. Compound 4 was the most promising antitumor agent towards A549 human lung adenocarcinoma cells, with an IC50 value of 6.13 µM compared to erlotinib (IC50 = 19.67 µM). Based on its low cytotoxicity to peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), it can be concluded that compound 4 exerts selective antitumor action. This compound also inhibited EGFR TK with an IC50 value of 17.58 µM compared to erlotinib (IC50 = 0.04 µM) and induced apoptosis (56.30%). Taking into account in silico and in vitro data, compound 4 stands out as a potential EGFR TKI for the treatment of NSCLC.Publication Metadata only A platinum blue complex exerts its cytotoxic activity via DNA damage and induces apoptosis in cancer cells(Wiley, 2017) Adiguzel, Zelal; Ozalp-Yaman, Seniz; Celik, Gokalp; Salem, Safia; Cetin, Yuksel; Acilan, Ceyda; N/A; N/A; Önder, Tuğba Bağcı; Şenbabaoğlu, Filiz; Faculty Member; PhD Student; School of Medicine; Graduate School of Health Sciences; 184359; N/AHere, we describe the characteristics of a Pt-blue complex [Pt-4(2-atp)(8)(H2O)(OH)] (2-atp: 2-aminothiophenol) as a prodrug for its DNA-binding properties and its use in cancer therapy. The nature of the interaction between the Pt-blue complex and DNA was evaluated based on spectroscopic measurements, the electronic absorption spectra, thermal behavior, viscosity, fluorometric titration, and agarose gel electrophoresis. Our results suggested that the compound was able to partially intercalate DNA and appeared to induce both single- and double-stranded breaks (DBS) on DNA in vitro, but no DSBs in cells. The ability of the compound to induce DNA damage was dependent on reactive oxygen species (ROS) in vitro. There was also elevated formation of ROS and SOD expression in response to drug treatment in cell culture. The complex was found to be more cytotoxic to cancer cells in comparison with noncancer controls using WST-1 assay. The mean of cell death was determined to be apoptosis as assessed via biochemical, morphological, and molecular observations, including DNA condensation/fragmentation analysis, live cell imaging microscopy, TUNEL analyses, and increase in the levels of pro-apoptotic genes such as Bag3, Bak, Bik, Bmf, and Hrk. Hence, the Pt-blue complex under study grants premise for further studies.Publication Metadata only A potential non-invasive glioblastoma treatment: nose-to-brain delivery of farnesylthiosalicylic acid incorporated hybrid nanoparticles(Elsevier, 2017) Lüle, Sevda; Pehlivan, Sibel Bozdağ; Öztürk, Naile; Kara, Aslı; Kaffashi, Abbas; Vural, Imran; Işıkay, Ilkay; Yavuz, Burçin; Oguz, Kader Karlı; Söylemezoğlu, Figen; Mut, Melike; Şekerdağ, Emine; Özdemir, Yasemin Gürsoy; PhD Student; Faculty Member; Koç University Research Center for Translational Medicine (KUTTAM) / Koç Üniversitesi Translasyonel Tıp Araştırma Merkezi (KUTTAM); Graduate School of Health Sciences; School of Medicine; N/A; 170592New drug delivery systems are highly needed in research and clinical area to effectively treat gliomas by reaching a high antineoplastic drug concentration at the target site without damaging healthy tissues. Intranasal (IN) administration, an alternative route for non-invasive drug delivery to the brain, bypasses the blood-brainbarrier (BBB) and eliminates systemic side effects. This study evaluated the antitumor efficacy of farnesylthiosalicylic acid (FTA) loaded (lipid-cationic) lipid-PEG-PLGA hybrid nanoparticles (HNPs) after IN application in rats. FTA loaded HNPs were prepared, characterized and evaluated for cytotoxicity. Rat glioma 2 (RG2) cells were implanted unilaterally into the right striatum of female Wistar rats. 10 days later, glioma bearing rats received either no treatment, or 5 repeated doses of 500 mu M freshly prepared FTA loaded HNPs via IN or intravenous (IV) application. Pre-treatment and post-treatment tumor sizes were determined with MRI. After a treatment period of 5 days, IN applied FTA loaded HNPs achieved a significant decrease of 55.7% in tumor area, equal to IV applied FTA loaded HNPs. Herewith, we showed the potential utility of IN application of FTA loaded HNPs as a non-invasive approach in glioblastoma treatment.Publication Metadata only A strategy based on protein-protein interface motifs may help in identifying drug off-targets(American Chemical Society (ACS), 2012) Nussinov, Ruth; Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering; Department of Computer Engineering; Keskin, Özlem; Gürsoy, Attila; Ergin, Billur Çelebi; Faculty Member; Faculty Member; Teaching Faculty; Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering; Department of Computer Engineering; The Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics (CCBB); College of Engineering; College of Engineering; 26605; 8745; 261792Networks are increasingly used to study the impact of drugs at the systems level. From the algorithmic standpoint, a drug can "attack" nodes or edges of a protein-protein interaction network In this work, we propose a new network strategy, "The Interface Attack", based on protein-protein interfaces. Similar interface architectures can occur between unrelated proteins. Consequently, in principle, a drug that binds to one has a certain probability of binding to others. The interface attack strategy simultaneously removes from the network all interactions that consist of similar interface motifs. This strategy is inspired by network pharmacology and allows inferring potential off-targets. We introduce a network model that we call "Protein Interface and Interaction Network (P2IN)", which is the integration of protein-protein interface structures and protein interaction networks. This interface based, network organization clarifies which protein pairs have structurally similar interfaces and which proteins may compete to bind the same surface region. We built the P2IN with the p53 signaling network and performed network robustness analysis. We show that (1) "hitting" frequent interfaces (a set of edges distributed around the network) might be as destructive as eleminating high degree proteins (hub nodes), (2) frequent interfaces are not always topologically critical elements in the network, and (3) interface attack may reveal functional changes in the system better than the attack of single proteins. In the off target detection case study, we found that drugs blocking the interface between CDK6 and CDKN2D may also affect the interaction between CDK4 and CDKN2D.