Hakim Sabzevari University

About: Hakim Sabzevari University is a education organization based out in Sabzawār, Iran. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Catalysis & Nanoclusters. The organization has 1200 authors who have published 2417 publications receiving 29074 citations.

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (3rd edition)

Abstract: In 2008 we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, research on this topic has continued to accelerate, and many new scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Accordingly, it is important to update these guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Various reviews have described the range of assays that have been used for this purpose. Nevertheless, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to measure autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. For example, a key point that needs to be emphasized is that there is a difference between measurements that monitor the numbers or volume of autophagic elements (e.g., autophagosomes or autolysosomes) at any stage of the autophagic process versus those that measure flux through the autophagy pathway (i.e., the complete process including the amount and rate of cargo sequestered and degraded). In particular, a block in macroautophagy that results in autophagosome accumulation must be differentiated from stimuli that increase autophagic activity, defined as increased autophagy induction coupled with increased delivery to, and degradation within, lysosomes (in most higher eukaryotes and some protists such as Dictyostelium) or the vacuole (in plants and fungi). In other words, it is especially important that investigators new to the field understand that the appearance of more autophagosomes does not necessarily equate with more autophagy. In fact, in many cases, autophagosomes accumulate because of a block in trafficking to lysosomes without a concomitant change in autophagosome biogenesis, whereas an increase in autolysosomes may reflect a reduction in degradative activity. It is worth emphasizing here that lysosomal digestion is a stage of autophagy and evaluating its competence is a crucial part of the evaluation of autophagic flux, or complete autophagy. Here, we present a set of guidelines for the selection and interpretation of methods for use by investigators who aim to examine macroautophagy and related processes, as well as for reviewers who need to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of papers that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a formulaic set of rules, because the appropriate assays depend in part on the question being asked and the system being used. In addition, we emphasize that no individual assay is guaranteed to be the most appropriate one in every situation, and we strongly recommend the use of multiple assays to monitor autophagy. Along these lines, because of the potential for pleiotropic effects due to blocking autophagy through genetic manipulation, it is imperative to target by gene knockout or RNA interference more than one autophagy-related protein. In addition, some individual Atg proteins, or groups of proteins, are involved in other cellular pathways implying that not all Atg proteins can be used as a specific marker for an autophagic process. In these guidelines, we consider these various methods of assessing autophagy and what information can, or cannot, be obtained from them. Finally, by discussing the merits and limits of particular assays, we hope to encourage technical innovation in the field.

Two-dimensional materials in semiconductor photoelectrocatalytic systems for water splitting

Abstract: Hydrogen (H2) production via solar water splitting is one of the most ideal strategies for providing sustainable fuel because this requires only water and sunlight. In achieving high-yield production of hydrogen as a recyclable energy carrier, the nanoscale design of semiconductor (SC) materials plays a pivotal role in both photoelectrochemical (PEC) and photocatalytic (PC) water splitting reactions. In this context, the advent of two-dimensional (2D) materials with remarkable electronic and optical characteristics has attracted great attention for their application to PEC/PC systems. The elaborate design of combined 2D layered materials interfaced with other SCs can markedly enhance the PEC/PC efficiencies via bandgap alteration and heterojunction formation. Three classes of 2D materials including graphene, transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), and graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4), and their main roles in the photoelectrocatalytic production of H2, are discussed in detail herein. We highlight the various roles of these 2D materials, such as enhanced light harvesting, suitable band edge alignment, facilitated charge separation, and stability during the water splitting reaction, in various SC/2D photoelectrode and photocatalytic systems. The roles of emerging 2D nanomaterials, such as 2D metal oxyhalides, 2D metal oxides, and layered double hydroxides, in PEC H2 production are also discussed.

Guanine-Based DNA Biosensor Amplified with Pt/SWCNTs Nanocomposite as Analytical Tool for Nanomolar Determination of Daunorubicin as an Anticancer Drug: A Docking/Experimental Investigation

Abstract: Daunorubicin is a famous anthracycline anticancer chemotherapy drug with many side effects that is very important to measure in biological samples. A daunorubicin electrochemical biosensor was fabr...