Diffusion of glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored bovine prion protein (PrP) in supported lipid membranes studied by single-molecule and complementary ensemble methods

In this work cellular bovine prion protein (PrP^c) was incorporated in supported lipid membranes and its lateral diffusion was studied by single-dye tracking (SDT) and a complementary ensemble method, fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP). PrP^c was purified from calf brain with its native glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor and reconstituted into DMPC lipid vesicles. Homogeneous spreading on solid supports over macroscopic areas was confirmed with fluorescence microscopy. FRAP results demonstrated very high mobile fractions of up to 94%, confirming that most of the GPI-anchored PrP^c are freely diffusive in the fluid supported membrane matrix. Moreover, the lateral diffusivity of PrP^c significantly depends on the pH of the buffer, suggesting that the conformation of PrP^c and thus the frictional drag exerted to the protein molecule (and thus the effective hydrodynamic radius) is influenced by the effective net charge. To complement the ensemble results obtained by FRAP, the statistical variation of lateral diffusion coefficients of individual PrP^c molecules in the supported membranes were measured with SDT. Simulation-based statistical analysis indicated that in addition to the expected statistical scatter there is a significant spread of diffusion coefficients, while the average of the diffusion coefficients of individual proteins obtained by SDT is in excellent agreement with those measured by ensemble FRAP. In further experiments, PrP^c was laterally concentrated in the membrane by the application of tangential electric fields (membrane electrophoresis). However, the equilibrium concentration profile reached after 20 min was different from an exponential gradient. This finding suggests that PrP^c purified from bovine brain possesses non-uniform net charges. As the lateral diffusion coefficient of proteins in two-dimensional lipid membranes sensitively depends upon the frictional drag, the combination of SDT, ensemble FRAP, and membrane electrophoresis can be used as a powerful tool to gain insights into protein–protein binding and oligomer formation that would play a crucial role in infectious protein transmitted diseases such as BSE.     

High‐resolution differentiation of transmissible spongiform encephalopathy strains by quantitative N‐terminal amino acid profiling (N‐TAAP) of PK‐digested abnormal prion protein

New forms of transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) continue to be identified, and consequently sensitive differential diagnosis is increasingly important both for the management of disease in humans and livestock and in providing confidence in the safety of the food chain. TSE diseases are associated with accumulation of protease‐resistant prion protein (PrP^Sc) and detection of this marker protein is central to diagnosis. Proteolysis by proteinase K (PK) generates protease‐resistant products (PrP^res) with partially variable N‐termini. The conformation(s) of PrP^Sc and thus the points of PK cleavage are thought to be dependent on the strain of prion disease. Western blot (WB) analysis of PrP^res gives characteristic migration patterns that can be used to diagnose TSEs, but the relatively low resolution of this technique limits its ability to differentiate certain disease strains. Mass spectrometry (MS) has the capability to resolve these various PK cleavage sites to the level of individual amino acid residues. In the present study multiple selected reaction monitoring (mSRM) was used to detect and quantify PrP^res N‐terminal tryptic peptides by MS and thus to define the N‐terminal amino acid profiles (N‐TAAPs) of PrP^res characteristic for various TSEs in sheep. The fragmentation behaviour of the N‐terminal tryptic peptides was studied to allow selection of the transitions specific for each peptide. Different PrP^res preparation methods were evaluated and the most effective approach applied to differentiate the N‐TAAPs corresponding to various sheep TSE isolates. Marked differences were identified between the N‐TAAPs of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and classical scrapie, and between classical scrapie and the experimental strains SSBP/1 and CH1641, thereby validating this approach as a means of TSE‐strain specific diagnosis. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Failure of immunocompetitive capillary electrophoresis assay to detect disease-specific prion protein in buffy coat from humans and chimpanzees with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

The emergence of a new environmentally caused variant of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD), the result of food-born infection by the causative agent of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), has stimulated research on a practical diagnostic screening test. The immunocompetitive capillary electrophoresis (ICCE) assay has been reported to detect disease-specific, proteinase-resistant prion protein (PrPres) in the blood of scrapie-infected sheep. We have applied this method to blood from CJD-infected chimpanzees and humans. The threshold of detection achieved with our ICCE was 0.6 nM of synthetic peptide corresponding to the prion protein (PrP) C-terminus, and 2 nM of recombinant human PrP at the optimized conditions. However, the test was unable to distinguish between extracts of leucocytes from healthy and CJD-infected chimpanzees, and from healthy human donors and patients affected with various forms of CJD. Thus, the ICCE assay as presently performed is not suitable for use as a screening test in human transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs).     

Construction and Characterization of an Anti‐Prion scFv Fusion Protein Pair for Detection of Prion Protein on Antibody Chip

Abstract

A pair of single chain Fv fragment (scFv) fusion proteins were constructed and characterized. Antibody chips using the pair were designed for sensitive detection of prion protein. Phage displayed antibody library was synthesized by immunizing mice with thioredoxin‐mature bovine prion fusion protein (TrxA‐bPrP^c). After five rounds of panning against recombinant bovine prion protein (rb‐PrP^c) and ELISA test, two positive clones with high affinity to rb‐PrP^c, named Z163 and Z186, were obtained. They were conjugated with a linker‐streptavidin binding protein (SBP) or human IgG1 constant fragment (Fc) to form the scFv fusion protein pair Z186‐L‐SBP/Z163‐Fc. Western blot experiments showed that the scFv fusion pair specifically interacted with the line epitopes of the protease resistant core region bPrP27‐30. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensorgrams revealed that the equilibrium dissociation constants of the interactions with rb‐PrP^c were 3.24×10^?8 M, 8.82×10^?8M, and 8.10×10^?9 M for Z186‐L‐SBP, Z163, and Z163‐Fc, respectively. All binding reactions followed rapid association and slow dissociation kinetics. As a detection pair, Z186‐L‐SBP functioned as a capture probe and was immobilized on the streptavidin coated slides to form reactive layer of the antibody chip, and Z163‐Fc labeled with fluorescence dye Cy3 functioned as a detection probe generating fluorescence signal. The antibody chip could detect existence of rb‐PrP^c with detection limit of 1 pg/ml.     

Chemistry and Molecular Biology of Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies

Prion diseases are currently in the spotlight. Among them, the Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease in humans, scrapie in sheep, and bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or mad cow disease, are most commonly known. The term “spongiform” refers to the characteristic appearance of the lesions found in affected brains. It is likely that prion diseases originate from a causative agent that replicates independently of nucleic acids. Current research assumes that a structural isoform of prion protein, the scrapie form PrP^Sc, is the responsible pathogen. The three-dimensional structure, but not the amino acid sequence of the isoform differs from that of the normal cellular isoform, PrP^c. According to a widely accepted hypothesis, the normal isoform of the protein is converted by an autocatalytic process into the scrapie form upon contact with the latter. This hypothesis has not yet been proven. However, considerable progress has been made in the last few years, which might provide answers to many open questions about prion diseases, the subject of this review.     

Discriminant analysis of prion sequences for prediction of susceptibility

Prion diseases, including ovine scrapie, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), human kuru and Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (CJD), originate from a conformational change of the normal cellular prion protein (PrP^C) into abnormal protease-resistant prion protein (PrP^Sc). There is concern regarding these prion diseases because of the possibility of their zoonotic infections across species. Mutations and polymorphisms of prion sequences may influence prion-disease susceptibility through the modified expression and conformation of proteins. Rapid determination of susceptibility based on prion-sequence polymorphism information without complex structural and molecular biological analyses may be possible. Information regarding the effects of mutations and polymorphisms on prion-disease susceptibility was collected based on previous studies to classify the susceptibilities of sequences, whereas the BLOSUM62 scoring matrix and the position-specific scoring matrix were utilised to determine the distance of target sequences. The k-nearest neighbour analysis was validated with cross-validation methods. The results indicated that the number of polymorphisms did not influence prion-disease susceptibility, and three and four k-objects showed the best accuracy in identifying the susceptible group. Although sequences with negative polymorphisms showed relatively high accuracy for determination, polymorphisms may still not be an appropriate factor for estimating variation in susceptibility. Discriminant analysis of prion sequences with scoring matrices was attempted as a possible means of determining susceptibility to prion diseases. Further research is required to improve the utility of this method.     

Aptamer-mediated turn-on fluorescence assay for prion protein based on guanine quenched fluophor

An aptamer-participated haprin structure was designed by employing cellular prion protein (PrP^C) as a model protein, and thus an aptamer-mediated turn-on fluorescence assay for proteins was developed in this contribution. The designed aptamer-participated haprin structure consists of three segments. Namely, an aptamer sequence located in the loop, three guanine bases at 3′-terminal, and a fluophor modified at 5′-terminal. It was found that the guanine bases at the 3′-terminal could quench the fluorescence of the fluophor such as tetramethyl-6-carboxyrhodamine (TAMRA) at the 5′-terminal about 76.6% via electron transfer if the guanine bases are close enough to the fluophor, and the quenched fluorescence could get restored when the target protein is present since the interaction, which could be confirmed by measuring fluorescence lifetime, between TAMRA-aptamer and the target protein forces the guanines away from TAMRA so that TAMRA-modified aptamer changes into turn-on state. A linear relationship was then constructed between the turn-on fluorescence intensity and the concentration of PrP^C in the range from 1.1 to 44.7 μg/mL with a limit of detection of 0.3 μg/mL (3σ).     

Prion replication and secondary nucleation

The infectious agents responsible for the prion diseases appear to be aggregates of a modified form of the prion protein, PrP^Sc, that grow at the expense of the normal form, PrP^c. The mechanism of the transformation of PrP^c to PrP^sc is the subject of intense research interest. The way in which PrP^sc aggregates generate new nuclei also deserves attention.     

Synthesis and binding properties of carboxylphenyl-modified calix[4]arenes and cytochrome c

Two novel carboxylphenyl-modified calix[4]arenes, tetrakis-carboxylphenylcalix[4]arene (TCPC) and 1,3-bis-carboxylphenylcalix[4]arene (BCPC), as well as a corresponding analogue for comparison, tetrakis-phenylcalix[4]arene (TPC), have been synthesized by palladium-catalyzed Suzuki cross-coupling of arylboronic acid and tetrabromocalix[4]arene as a key step. The binding properties of these calix[4]arene derivatives with bovine heart cytochrome c (cyt c) in dimethylformamide (DMF) was investigated by fluorescence spectroscopy. The binding affinity in the order of TCPC > BCPC ? TPC reflects a clear dependence on the number of carboxyl ligating groups attached onto a receptor and suggests the electrostatic force may be the predominant factor driving the complexing process. The stable 1:1 complexes of TCPC and BCPC with cyt c were evidenced with the binding constants of 3.15 × 10⁶ and 5.85 × 10⁵ L mol⁻¹, respectively. Due to a large overlap between the emission spectrum of TCPC and the absorption spectrum of cyt c, and a short interaction distance (estimated to be 5.6 nm) between them, the fluorescence quenching of TCPC upon complexation with cyt c is attributed to an efficient energy transfer.     

Sensitive sandwich immunoassay based on single particle mode inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry detection

A sensitive sandwich type immunoassay has been proposed with the detection by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) in a single particle mode (time resolved analysis). The signal induced by the flash of ions (¹⁹⁷Au⁺) due to the ionization of single Au-nanoparticle (Au-NP) label in the plasma torch can be measured by the mass spectrometer. The frequency of the transient signals is proportional to the concentration of Au-NPs labels. Characteristics of the signals obtained from Au-NPs of 20, 45 and 80 nm in diameters were discussed. The analytical figures for the determination of Au-labeled IgG using ICP-MS in conventional integral mode and single particle mode were compared in detail. Rabbit-anti-human IgG was used as a model analyte in the sandwich immunoassay. A detection limit (3σ) of 0.1 ng mL⁻¹ was obtained for rabbit-anti-human IgG after immunoreactions, with a linear range of 0.3-10 ng mL⁻¹ and a RSD of 8.1% (2.0 ng mL⁻¹). Finally, the proposed method was successfully applied to spiked rabbit-anti-human IgG samples and rabbit-anti-human serum samples. The method resulted to be a highly sensitive ICP-MS based sandwich type immunoassay.     

Electrochemical immunoassay for thyroxine detection using cascade catalysis as signal amplified enhancer and multi-functionalized magnetic graphene sphere as signal tag

This paper constructed a reusable electrochemical immunosensor for the detection of thyroxine at an ultralow concentration using cascade catalysis of cytochrome c (Cyt c) and glucose oxidase (GOx) as signal amplified enhancer. It is worth pointing out that numerous Cyt c and GOx were firstly carried onto the double-stranded DNA polymers based on hybridization chain reaction (HCR), and then the amplified responses could be achieved by cascade catalysis of Cyt c and GOx recycling with the help of glucose. Moreover, multi-functionalized magnetic graphene sphere was synthesized and used as signal tag, which not only exhibited good mechanical properties, large surface area and an excellent electron transfer rate of graphene, but also possessed excellent redox activity and desirable magnetic property. With a sandwich-type immunoreaction, the proposed cascade catalysis amplification strategy could greatly enhance the sensitivity for the detection of thyroxine. Under the optimal conditions, the immunosensor showed a wide linear ranged from 0.05 pg mL⁻¹ to 5 ng mL⁻¹ and a low detection limit down to 15 fg mL⁻¹. Importantly, the proposed method offers promise for reproducible and cost-effective analysis of biological samples.     

Sandwich-type electrochemiluminescence immunosensor based on Ru-silica@Au composite nanoparticles labeled anti-AFP

A simple and sensitive sandwich-type electrochemiluminescence immunosensor for α-1-fetoprotein (AFP) on a gold nanoparticles (nano-Au) modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) was developed by using Ru-silica (Ru(bpy)₃²⁺-doped silica) doped Au (Ru-silica@Au) composite as labels. The primary antibody, anti-AFP was first immobilized on the gold nanoparticles modified electrode due to the covalent conjugation, then the antigen and the Ru-silica@Au composite nanoparticles labeled secondary antibody was conjugated successively to form a sandwich-type immunocomplex through the specific interaction. The surfaces of Ru-silica nanoparticles were modified via the assemble of Au nanoparticles. The prepared Ru-silica@Au composite nanoparticles own the large surface area, good biocompatibility and highly effective electrochemiluminescence properties. The morphologies of the Ru-silica@Au composite nanoparticles were investigated by using transmission electronic microscope (TEM). The Ru-silica@Au composite nanoparticles labeled anti-AFP/AFP/bovine serum albumin (BSA)/anti-AFP/nano-Au modified GCE electrode was evaluated by means of cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL). The immunosensor performed high sensitivity and wide liner for detection AFP in the range of 0.05-50 ng/mL and the limit detection was 0.03 ng/mL (defined as S/N = 3).     

On-line amino acid-based capillary isoelectric focusing-ESI-MS/MS for protein digests analysis

Six amino acids with pIs that ranged from 3.2 to 9.7 were used as ampholytes to establish a pH gradient in capillary isoelectric focusing. This amino acid-based capillary isoelectric focusing (cIEF) was coupled with ESI-MS/MS using an electrokinetically pumped sheath-flow interface for peptide analysis. Amino acid-based isoelectric focusing generates a two-order of magnitude lower background signal than commercial ampholytes in the important m/z range of 300–1800. Good focusing was achieved for insulin receptor, which produced ∼10 s peak width. For 0.1 mg mL⁻¹ bovine serum albumin (BSA) digests, 24 ± 1 peptides (sequence coverage 47 ± 4%) were identified in triplicate analysis. As expected, the BSA peptides were separated according to their pI. The concentration detection limit for the BSA digests is 7 nM and the mass detection limit is 7 fmole. A solution of six bovine protein tryptic digests spanning 5 orders of magnitude in concentration was analyzed by amino acid based cIEF-ESI-MS/MS. Five proteins with a concentration range spanning 4 orders of magnitude were identified in triplicate runs. Using amino acid based cIEF-ESI-MS/MS, 112 protein groups and 303 unique peptides were identified in triplicate runs of a RAW 264.7 cell homogenate protein digest. In comparison with ampholyte based cIEF-ESI-MS/MS, amino acid based cIEF-ESI-MS/MS produces higher resolution of five acidic peptides, much cleaner mass spectra, and higher protein spectral counts.     

A dual validation approach to detect anthelmintic residues in bovine liver over an extended concentration range

This paper describes a method for the detection and quantification of 38 residues of the most widely used anthelmintics (including 26 veterinary drugs belonging to the benzimidazole, macrocyclic lactone and flukicide classes) in bovine liver using two different protocols for MRL and non-MRL levels. A dual validation approach was adopted to reliably quantify anthelmintic residues over an extended concentration range (1-3000 μg kg⁻¹). Sample extraction and purification was carried out using a modified QuEChERS method. A concentration step was included when analysing in the low μg kg⁻¹ range. Rapid analysis was carried out by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS), which was capable of detecting residues to <2 μg kg⁻¹. The method has been single-laboratory validated according to the 2002/657/EC guidelines and met acceptability criteria in all but a few cases. The inclusion of 19 internal standards, including 14 isotopically labelled internal standards, improved accuracy, precision, decision limit (CCα) and detection capability (CCβ).     

A Piezocatalytic Sensor for Determining Fuel Gases in Air: Principles of Operation and Performance Characteristics

A new type of sensor for determining fuel gases in air is described. The sensor consists of a differential circuit of two thermosensitive piezoelectric quartz resonators, one of which contains the thin layer of an oxidation catalyst. In the presence of a fuel gas in the flow of air, the active resonator with a catalytic layer heats up compared to the reference resonator. The difference between the oscillation frequencies of the two resonators serves as an analytical signal. The performance characteristics of resonators of different types (open and sealed) were determined, and the effect of different impurities (hydrogen, methane, and organic vapors) was studied. The detection limits for impurities estimated from the 3- test were found to be at a level of 10^–2 vol %.     

Direct electrochemistry and electrocatalysis of cytochrome c immobilized on gold nanoparticles-chitosan-carbon nanotubes-modified electrode

A robust and effective nanohybrid film based on gold nanoparticles (GNPs)/chitosan (Chit)/multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) was prepared by a layer-by-layer self-assembly technique. Cytochrome c (Cyt c) was successfully immobilized on the nanohybrid film modified glassy carbon (GC) electrode by cyclic voltammetry. The direct electron transfer between Cyt c and the modified electrode was investigated in detail. Cyt c shows a couple of quasi-reversible and well-defined cyclic voltammetry peaks with a formal potential (E^0′) of −0.16 V (versus Ag/AgCl) in pH 7.0 phosphate buffer solution (PBS). The Cyt c/GNPs/Chit/MWNTs modified GC electrode gives an improved electrocatalytic activity towards the reduction of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂). The sensitivity is 92.21 μA mM⁻¹ cm⁻² and the calculated apparent Michaelis-Menten constant () is 0.791 mM, indicating a high-catalytic activity of Cyt c. The catalysis currents increase linearly to the H₂O₂ concentration in a wide range of 1.5 × 10⁻⁶ to 5.1 × 10⁻⁴ M with a correlation coefficient 0.999. The detection limit is 9.0 × 10⁻⁷ M (at the ratio of signal to noise, S/N = 3). Moreover, the modified electrode displays rapid response (5 s) to H₂O₂, and possesses good stability and reproducibility.     

Redox-active metal(II) complexes of sterically hindered phenolic ligands: Antibacterial activity and reduction of cytochrome c

The synthesis and physico-chemical characterization of Fe(II) and Mn(II) complexes of 4,6-di-tert-butyl-3[(2-hydroxyethyl)sulphanyl]-1,2-dihydroxybenzene (HL^I) and 2-amino-4,6-di-tert-butylphenol (HL^II) were carried out. Antibacterial activity of the Co(II), Fe(II) and Mn(II) complexes was evaluated in comparison with Cu(II) complexes and three common antibiotics; it was found to follow the order: (1) Сu(L^I)₂ > Сo(L^I)₂ > Fe(L^I)₂ ? Mn(L^I)₂ > HL^I; (2) Сu(L^II)₂ > Сo(L^II)₂ > HL^II > Fe(L^II)₂ ? Mn(L^II)₂; and their reducing ability (determined electrochemically) followed the same order. Spectrophotometric investigation was carried out in order to estimate the rate of the reduction of bovine heart сytochrome c with the ligands and their metal(II) complexes. NADPH:cytochrome P450-reductase was found to increase the rate of сytochrome c reduction with HL^I and HL^II ligands, while adrenodoxin in couple with NAD(P)H: adrenodoxin reductase had no substantial effect thereon. It was shown that the reduction of сytochrome c with these compounds cannot be related solely to the facility of their oxidation оr ionization.     

Determination of bovine lactoferrin in dairy products by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry based on tryptic signature peptides employing an isotope-labeled winged peptide as internal standard

A new and sensitive determination method was developed for bovine lactoferrin in dairy products including infant formulas based on the signature peptide by ultra high-performance liquid chromatography and triple-quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry under the multiple reaction monitoring mode. The simple pretreatment procedures included the addition of a winged peptide containing the isotope-labeled signature peptide as internal standard, followed by an enzymatic digestion with trypsin. The signature peptide was chosen and identified from the tryptic hydrolyzates of bovine lactoferrin by ultra high-performance liquid chromatography and quadrupole-time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry based on sequence database search. Analytes were separated on an ACQUITY UPLC BEH 300 C18 column and monitored by MS/MS in seven minutes. Quantitative result bias due to matrix effect and tryptic efficiency was corrected through the use of synthetic isotope-labeled standards. The limit of detection and limit of quantification were 0.3 mg/100 g and 1.0 mg/100 g, respectively. Bovine lactoferrin within the concentration range of 10–1000 nmol L⁻¹ showed a strong linear relationship with a linear correlation coefficient (r) of >0.998. The intra- and inter-day precision of the method were RSD < 6.5% and RSD < 7.1%, respectively. Excellent repeatability (RSD < 6.4%) substantially supported the application of this method for the determination of bovine lactoferrin in dairy samples. The present method was successfully validated and applied to determination of bovine lactoferrin in dairy products including infant formulas.     

Integration of a highly ordered gold nanowires array with glucose oxidase for ultra-sensitive glucose detection

A highly sensitive amperometric nanobiosensor has been developed by integration of glucose oxidase (GO_x) with a gold nanowires array (AuNWA) by cross-linking with a mixture of glutaraldehyde (GLA) and bovine serum albumin (BSA). An initial investigation of the morphology of the synthesized AuNWA by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and field emission transmission electron microscopy (FETEM) revealed that the nanowires array was highly ordered with rough surface, and the electrochemical features of the AuNWA with/without modification were also investigated. The integrated AuNWA–BSA–GLA–GO_x nanobiosensor with Nafion membrane gave a very high sensitivity of 298.2 μA cm⁻² mM⁻¹ for amperometric detection of glucose, while also achieving a low detection limit of 0.1 μM, and a wide linear range of 5–6000 μM. Furthermore, the nanobiosensor exhibited excellent anti-interference ability towards uric acid (UA) and ascorbic acid (AA) with the aid of Nafion membrane, and the results obtained for the analysis of human blood serum indicated that the device is capable of glucose detection in real samples.     

Electrical conductivity investigation of diluted potassium chloride solutions in binary mixture triethylamine-water near its consolute point

The binary liquid mixture of triethylamine + water (TEA-W) has a lower consolute point at a critical composition of 32.27 mass % triethylamine. Starting at a temperature within the one-phase region, the electrical conductivity of a sample of this mixture with addition of (K⁺, Cl⁻) ions was measured and found to be accurately described by the Vogel-Fulcher-Tammann (VFT) law. Before that, for the pure system, in a temperature range ΔT = T_c − T < 2 °C where T_c is the critical temperature, the electrical conductivity (σ) exhibits a monotonous deviation from the VFT behaviour. This anomaly is finite at T_c. The asymptotic behaviour of the electrical conductivity anomaly is described by a power law t^1−α, where t is the reduced temperature |(T−Tc)/Tc| and α is the critical exponent of the specific heat anomaly at constant pressure. For the electrolyte mixtures, by combining the viscosity and the electrical conductivity data, the value of the computed Walden product has been determined and the salt dissociation degrees as well as the Debye screening length have been estimated.