Interaction between poly(4-vinylpyridine-graft-bromodecane) and textile blue basic dye by spectrophotometric study

The interactions between poly(4-vinylpyridine-graft-bromodecane) (P4VPBrD) and textile blue basic (TBB) dye in aqueous solution were investigated by a spectrophotometric method at room temperature, considering that the electrostatic force is the main binding force and that the color change during the combination is due to the transformation of dye species of acidic form into bound basic form as well as the bathochromic and hypsochromic effects of conjugation. The formation of an isosbestic point in the absorption spectra of textile blue basic dye species of acidic form was explained based on a new consideration about the solution equilibrium. An application based on the interaction of P4VPBrD with the basic coloring agent is presented. Tests were carried out to estimate the retention rate of the dye by P4VPBrD.     

Background-free,fast protein staining in sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel using counterion dyes,zincon and ethyl violet

A background-free, fast protein staining method in polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis using an acidic dye, zincon (ZC) and a basic dye, ethyl violet (EV) is described. It is based on the counterion dye staining technique that employs two oppositely charged dyes to form an ion-pair complex in staining solution. The selective binding of free dye molecules to proteins in acidic solution produces bluish violet-colored bands. It is a rapid and end-point staining procedure, involving only fixing and staining steps that are completed in 1-1.5 h. The detection limit of this method is 8-15 ng of protein that is comparable to the sensitivity of the colloidal Coomassie Brilliant Blue G (CBBG) stain. Due to its sensitivity and speed, this stain may be more practical than any other dye-based stains for routine laboratory purposes.     

Ion transfer of bromophenol blue across liquid-liquid interfaces

The ion transfer of the acidic dye bromophenol blue (BPB) at the interfaces of water/nitrobenzene (W/NB), water/1,2-dichloroethane (W/1,2-DCE) and water/(nitrobenzene+chlorobenzene) (W/(NB +CB)) was studied in detail by cyclic voltammetry (CV), chronopotentiometry with linear current scanning (CLC), controlled potential electrolysis and UV spectroscopic methods. Using controlled potential electrolysis, we observed successfully the transfer process of BPB across the W/NB interface from the colour changes of BPB in two different phases. The proposed transfer mechanism for BPB is proved to be reasonable using UV spectroscopy of the product of the electrolysis. The standard potential differences Δ^o_w^o and the standard Gibbs energies of the BPB transfer from water to some organic solvents were calculated. The dissociation constants of BPB obtained were quite close to the literature values.     

溴甲酚绿与血清白蛋白的结合反应

用分光光度法研究了溴甲酚绿（ＢＣＧ）与牛血清白蛋白（ＢＳＡ）在酸性溶液中的结合反应。认为ＢＣＧ与ＢＳＡ主要由于静电引力而结合，疏水作用力对结合反应也有影响。讨论了反应过程中的平衡关系，推导了求算表观结合常数，最大结合数及摩尔吸光系数的线性回归公式，考察了影响染色反应灵敏度的因素，发现溶液酸度、离子强度对染色反应有显著影响。     

牛血清白蛋白与甲基橙结合反应的研究

用分光光度法研究了牛血清白蛋白与甲基登在酸性溶液中的结合反应，认为两者通过非共价键结合，研究了溶液吸光 度与组分浓度的关系，对Ｓｃａｔｃｈａｒｄ模型用于自理蛋白质染色反应时存在的总是作了讨论，提出了表观结合常数的概念，推导了求算表观结合常数和最大结合数的线性回归公式。     

A comparative study on biosorption characteristics of certain fungi for bromophenol blue dye

Laboratory investigations of the potential use of dried biomasses of Rhizopus stolonifer, Fusarium sp., Geotrichum sp., and Aspergillus fumigatus as biosorbents for the removal of bromophenol blue (BPB) dye from aqueous solutions were conducted. Kinetics studies indicated that the BPB dye uptake processes can be well described by the pseudo-second-order model. The fungal biomasses exhibited the highest dye biosorption at pH 2.0. The Langmuir adsorption model appears to fit the dye biosorption better than the Freundlich model, with maximum dye uptake capacities ranging from 526 to 1111 mg/g, depending on the biomass used.     

Influence de la conformation des polyions sur la fixation de colorants—III. Etude de la fixation de l'auramine o sur des polyacides synthetiques par equilibres de dialyse

The binding of auramine O (AuO), a cationic dye which does not dimerize, to poly(methacrylic acid) (PMA) and poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) has been measured by dialysis experiments. The effects of ionization, ionic strength and polymer to dye ratio (P/D) have been systematically investigated. At low ionization and P/D = 100, the bound fraction (q) of AuO is distinctly higher with PMA than with PAA at all ionic strength; this difference can be attributed to non-electrostatic interactions. Increase of ionic strength leads to displacement of the bound dye; on the other hand, high P/D ratio favours binding. We were able to describe the binding isotherms by an ion-exchange process at constant ionization and ionic strength. Water-methanol mixtures, known to destroy the coiled conformations of PMA, lead to a decrease in q; the same is observed in unionized acidic PMA solutions where ionic interactions are suppressed. These results indicate a strong binding due to the insertion of the dye into the polyion compact core and also a weak electrostatic one; they agree with the observations of spectrofluorescence; it must be emphasized that the bound fraction of dye is not, in itself, a significant parameter of conformational states.     

EMSA and single-molecule force spectroscopy study of interactions between Bacillus subtilis single-stranded DNA-binding protein and single-stranded DNA

In this article, interactions between Bacillus subtilis single-stranded DNA binding proteins (BsSSB) and single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) were systematically studied. The effect of different molar ratios between BsSSB and ssDNA on their binding modes was first investigated by electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSAs). It is found that a high molar ratio of BsSSB to ssDNA can produce BsSSB-ssDNA complexes formed in the mode of two proteins binding one 65-nt (nucleotide) ssDNA whereas a low molar ratio facilitates the formation of BsSSB-ssDNA complexes in the mode of one protein binding one 65-nt ssDNA. Furthermore, two binding modes are in dynamic equilibrium. The unbinding force of BsSSB-ssDNA complexes was measured quantitatively in solutions with different salt concentrations by using AFM-based single-molecule force spectroscopy (SMFS). Our results show that the unbinding force is about 10 pN higher at high salt concentration (0.5 M NaCl) than at low salt concentration (0.1 M NaCl) and the lifetime of BsSSB-ssDNA complexes at high salt concentration is twice as long as that at low salt concentration. These results indicate that more tightly packed BsSSB-ssDNA complexes can form at high salt (0.5 M NaCl) concentration. In addition, the results of EMSA show that ssDNA, which is bound to BsSSB, can dissociate from BsSSB in the presence of the cDNA strand, indicating the dynamic nature of BsSSB-ssDNA interactions.     

Usefulness of visible dyes for the staining of protein or DNA in electrophoresis

Since 1993, we have studied visible organic dye stains for protein or DNA to improve methodologies and developed the counterion dye staining method. The method employs two oppositely charged dyes that form an ion-pair complex in the staining solution. The selective binding of free dye to protein or DNA in the staining solution improves detection sensitivity and speed. It is a rapid and sensitive procedure, involving fixing/staining or staining/quick destaining steps that are completed in 1-1.5 h. The lowest detection limits achieved are 4-8 ng of protein on polyacrylamide gels and approximately 10 ng of DNA on agarose gels. The focus of this review is to chronicle the development and current status of the counterion dye staining method for detection of protein or DNA. As an extended application of visible dyes, we also discuss the visible dye staining method for detecting protein on blotting membranes developed in our laboratory.     

Ionic binding properties of carrier ampholytes

Radioactive ampholytes were synthesized with specific activity of 638 microCi/g. These were used in studies of ampholyte binding to target proteins under non-ionic conditions. These radioactive ampholytes bound to target proteins but were dissociable in sodium chloride solutions with dissociation occurring in a concentration dependent way. The ampholytes could be dissociated from target molecules using excess unlabelled ampholytes synthesized in the laboratory as well as commercial ampholytes. Radioactive ampholytes were bound to target proteins with different isoelectric points and the bound ampholytes were eluted and analyzed by recycling isoelectric focusing. The results showed that acidic proteins bound basic ampholytes and basic proteins bound acidic ampholytes. Acidic radioactive ampholytes were selectively bound by Sephacryl S-200 and ampholyte exchange from protein to Sephacryl S-200 was shown.     

Host-guest complexation affected by pH and length of spacer for hydroxyazobenzene-modified cyclodextrins

Three modified beta-cyclodextrins appended with a hydroxyazobenzene as a dye unit, 1, 2, and 3, each incorporating a different length spacer between the beta-CD and the dye unit with a bis(propyl(oxyethylene)), butylene, and amide bond spacer, respectively, were synthesized in order to investigate their spectroscopic changes induced by pH and host-guest complexation as well as to investigate their conformations and guest-binding properties by means of absorption and induced circular dichroism spectroscopies in aqueous solutions. All hosts accommodated the dye unit in their own CD cavities with an orientation parallel to the CD axis, forming intramolecular complexes. When the pH of the solution changed, the structure changed in response to pH without conformational changes. Existing as the phenol form under acidic condition, they were converted to the yellow phenolate form by dissociation of a proton of the hydroxyl group in the dye unit with increasing pH (pK(a1); 7.62 for 1, 7.44 for 2, 8.00 for 3). Further increase in pH led to the dissociation of the ammonium proton in the secondary amine group in the spacer of 1 and 2 (pK(a2); 8.76 for 1, 8.67 for 2). Upon addition of 1-adamantanol (AN) as a guest, all hosts accommodated AN in their CD cavities, forming 1:1 host-guest inclusion complexes. The complexation phenomena were accompanied with changes in the conformation of the hosts, in which the dye units of 1 and 2 are excluded to outside of the cavity, but not for 3. The dye unit of 3 remained in the cavity, where the guest was also included partly. Therefore, the guest-binding abilities of 1 and 2 were larger than that of 3, which has poor binding ability. The binding constants of 1, 2, and 3 for AN are estimated to be 7400, 1940, and 140 M(-1) at pH 3.2, respectively. However, the guest-binding abilities of 1 and 2 were dependent on the pH of the solution. The ability of 1 under weak alkaline condition was stronger than under acidic or alkaline conditions, while that of 2 increased with increasing pH. Under the condition from neutral to weak alkaline media, 1 and 2 demonstrated color changes from colorless to yellow upon formation of inclusion complexes. When 1-adamantanecarboxylic acid (AC) was used as the charged guest, 1 and 2 bound to AC with a larger binding constant than AN. On the other hand, 1 and 2 bound to 1-adamantineamine (AA) with a smaller binding constant than AN. All these results demonstrate that the complexation phenomena depend on the pH of the solution as well as the length of the spacer of the hosts and that the electrostatic interaction between the host and the guest is also important for forming a stable complex.     

Guidance for selecting the measurement conditions in the dye-binding method for determining serum protein: theoretical analysis based on the chemical equilibrium of protein error.

A methodology for selecting the measurement conditions in the dye-binding method for determining serum protein has been studied by a theoretical calculation. This calculation was based on the fact that a protein error occurs because of a reaction between the side chains of a positively charged amino acid residue in a protein molecule and a dissociated dye anion. The calculated characteristics of this method are summarized as follows: (1) Although the reaction between the dye and the protein occurs up to about pH 12, a change in the color shade, called protein error, is observed only in a pH region restricted within narrow limits. (2) Although the apparent absorbance (the absorbance of the test solution measured against a reagent blank) is lower than the true absorbance indicated by the formed dye-protein complex, the apparent absorbance correlates with the true absorbance with a correlation coefficient of 1.0. (3) At a higher dye concentration, the calibration curve is more linear at a higher pH than at a lower pH. Most of these characteristics were similarly observed experimentally in the reactions of BPB, BCG and BCP with human and bovine albumins. It is concluded that in order to ensure the linearity of the calibration curve, the measurement should be performed at a higher dye concentration and sufficiently high pH where the detection sensitivity is satisfied.     

Direct Blue 71 staining of proteins bound to blotting membranes

A sensitive staining method for protein blots using Direct Blue 71 is described. It is based on the selective binding of dye molecules to proteins in acidic solution and produces bluish violet colored bands. It is a simple and rapid procedure, involving only staining and rinsing steps that occur within 7 min. The sensitivity of this method is 5-10 ng of protein on nitrocellulose (NC) and 10-20 ng on polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF), which is tenfold better than that of the commonly used Ponceau S staining. Moreover, the staining is reversible for subsequent immunostaining, without impairing immunoreactivity. To remove the dye from the developed bands, changes in pH and hydrophobicity of the solvent are required. Due to its sensitivity, rapidity, simplicity, and low cost, this stain may be more practical than other dye-based stains or metal-based stains for routine laboratory purposes.     

A study on photochemical behavior of lysozyme-bromophenol blue complex and its analytical application

It was found that macromolecular complexes were formed between lysozyme and bromophenol blue (BPB) with the electrostatic attraction in acetate medium (pH 6.5). The binding constant and the number of binding site for lysozyme-BPB complex were obtained, and the thermodynamic parameters were given. In addition, a remarkable enhancement of resonance light scattering (RLS) intensity for the macromolecular complex was observed with a scattering peak at 336 nm. And the increment of RLS intensity was proportional to the concentration of lysozyme in the range of 5 ng ml(-1) to 10.0 microg ml(-1). The influence of experimental conditions including pH, BPB concentration, and ionic strength on RLS system were tested, especially the effect of temperature was examined in detail. The proposed method was successfully applied to determine lysozyme in human saliva and tear samples without any special pretreatment. Compared with other methods the proposed method is of higher sensitivity and wider linear range.     

Immunoenzymatic assay of dyes currently used in affinity chromatography for protein purification.

Cibacron Blue F3-GA, Basilen Blue E3-G and Procion Red HE-3B are dyes currently used in affinity purification, and are commonly determined by spectrophotometry with limited sensitivity. An assay method is described based on a specific immunochemical recognition of the dyes amplified by a final enzymatic reaction. The sensitivity is close to 1 ng/ml of dye and the method is applicable any time that sensitive and accurate results are necessary. This method has actually been applied with success to the determination of trace amounts of dyes in the presence of affinant protein. The method was also applied to the demonstration of dye leaching from affinity sorbents when treated under acidic and/or alkaline conditions.     

Aminolysis of 4-nitrophenyl esters of phosphorus acids in reversed micelles of 2-hydroxyethyldimethylpentadecylammonium bromide

The reactions ofn-cetyl- andn-hexylamines with 4-nitrophenyl esters of tetracoordinated phosphorus acids in chloroform in the presence of 2-hydroxyethyldimethylpentadecylammonium bromide and the influence of the latter on the acid—base equilibrium of the bromphenol blue dye (BPB) were studied by the spectrophotometric method. In the presence of reversed micelles of the cationic surfactant, the observed rate constant of aminolysis increases by more than two orders of magnitude. The catalytic efficiency of the micelles increases as the concentration of the long-chain amine decreases and on going from the latter to a short-chain amine. The acid—base equilibrium of BPB in micellar solutions is shifted due to the formation of a complex between the surfactant and the BPB dianion. Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 12, pp. 2125–2128, December, 1997.     

Monitoring solute interactions with poly(ethylene oxide)-modified colloidal silica nanoparticles via fluorescence anisotropy decay

The fluorescence-based nanosize metrology approach, proposed recently by Geddes and Birch (Geddes, C. D.; Birch, D. J. S. J. Non-Cryst. Solids 2000, 270, 191), was used to characterize the extent of binding of a fluorescent cationic solute, rhodamine 6G (R6G), to the surface of silica particles after modification of the surface with the hydrophilic polymer poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) of various molecular weights. The measurement of the rotational dynamics of R6G in PEO solutions showed the absence of strong interactions between R6G and PEO chains in water and the ability of the dye to sense the presence of polymer clusters in 30 wt % solutions. Time-resolved anisotropy decays of polymer-modified Ludox provided direct evidence for distribution of the dye between bound and free states, with the bound dye showing two decay components: a nanosecond decay component that is consistent with local motions of bound probes and a residual anisotropy component due to slow rotation of large silica particles. The data showed that the dye was strongly adsorbed to unmodified silica nanoparticles, to the extent that less than 1% of the dye was present in the surrounding aqueous solution. Addition of PEO blocked the adsorption of the dye to a significant degree, with up to 50% of the probe being present in the aqueous solution for Ludox samples containing 30 wt % of low molecular weight PEO. The addition of such agents also decreased the value and increased the fractional contribution of the nanosecond rotational correlation time, suggesting that polymer adsorption altered the degree of local motion of the bound probe. Atomic force microscopy imaging studies provided no evidence for a change in the particle size upon surface modification but did suggest interparticle aggregation after polymer adsorption. Thus, this redistribution of the probe is interpreted as being due to coverage of particles with the polymer, resulting in lower adsorption of R6G to the silica. The data clearly show the power of time-resolved fluorescence anisotropy decay measurements for probing the modification of silica surfaces and suggest that this method should prove useful in characterization of new chromatographic stationary phases and nanocomposite materials.     

Targeted particulate adhesion to cellulose surfaces mediated by bifunctional fusion proteins

The adhesion of particles to surfaces is an integral element in many commercial and biological applications. In this article, we report on the direct measurements of protein-mediated deposition and binding of particles to model cellulose surfaces. This system involves a family of heterobifunctional fusion proteins that bind specifically to both a red dye and cellulose. Amine-coated particles were labeled with a red dye, and a fusion protein was attached to these particles at various number densities. The strength of adhesion of a single particle to a cellulose fiber was measured using micropipette manipulation as a function of the specificity of the protein and its surface density and contact time. The frequency and force of adhesion were seen to increase with contact time in fiber experiments. The dynamics of adhesion of the functionalized particles to cellulose-coated glass slides under controlled hydrodynamic flow was explored using a flow chamber for two scenarios: detachment of bound particles and attachment of particles in suspension as a function of the shear rate and surface density of protein. Highly specific adhesion was observed. The critical shear rate for particle detachment was an increasing function of cellulose binding domain (CBD) density on particle surface. A rapid irreversible attachment of particles to cellulose was observed under flow. Using a family of proteins that were divalent for binding either the red dye or cellulose, we found that particle detachment occurred because of the failure of the cellulose-CBD bond. A comparison of fiber binding and particle detachment results suggests that forces of adhesion of particles to cellulose of up to 2 nN can be obtained with this molecular system through multiple interactions. This study, along with the adhesion simulations currently under development, forms the basis of particulate design for specific adhesion applications.     

Dye Binding Characteristics of N,N′‐Methylene‐bis‐acrylamide (NNMBA)‐Crosslinked Polyacrylamide‐Supported Amine and its Photooxidizing Ability

The dye binding characteristics of 8 mol% NNMBA‐crosslinked polyacrylamide‐supported amine is investigated with Rose Bengal (RB), Methyl Orange (MO), Methylene Blue (MB) and Methyl Red (MR). The influence of the concentration of dye solution on dye binding, time course of dye binding and characterization were explored. It is observed that binding is higher in the case of Rose Bengal and dye binding depends on the polarity, as well as the size of the dye molecule. The photooxidation property of polymer bound RB was investigated towards the oxidation of benzoin to benzil. RB bound polymer acts as an efficient heterogenous photooxidizing agent.