Fluorescence lifetimes of diphenylhexatriene-containing probes reflect local probe concentrations: Application to the measurement of membrane fusion

An important process in the life of a cell is fusion between cellular membranes. This is the process by which two cellular compartments surrounded by different membranes join to become a single compartment surrounded by a single membrane, without significant loss of compartment contents. To demonstrate fusion, the cell biophysicist must demonstrate all three critical aspects of the process: (1) mixing of membrane components, (2) mixing of compartment contents; and (3) retention of compartment contents. Most commonly, accomplishing this involves the use of fluorescence probes. The general theme to the methods described involves some form of concentration-dependent quenching. An unique method developed in our laboratory utilizes the concentration dependence of the fluorescence lifetime of a phosphatidylcholine containing carboxyethyl diphenylhexatriene at position 2 and palmitic acid at position 1 of glycerol (DPHpPC). The fluorescence lifetime of this molecule and that of its parent fluorophore diphenylhexatriene (DPH) shorten dramatically as their two-dimensional concentrations in a membrane increase. This lifetime quenching can be described by dimer formation that reduces the symmetry of the DPH excited state. This phenomenon allows one to use the fluorescence lifetime to gain insight into the local concentration of probe in microscopic regions of a membrane. One application of this is in distinguishing lipid transfer between the outer leaflets of two contacting membrane bilayers from fusion between these membranes that leads to mixing of lipids in both the inner and outer leaflets of the membrane bilayers. This allows a single measurement to demonstrate fusion between membrane pairs.Abbreviations PEG poly(ethylene glycol) - Na₂EDTA ethyiene-diamine-tetraacedic acid, disodium salt - LUV large, unilamellar vesicles made by rapid extrusion technique - DPH 1,6-diphenyl-trans-1,3,5-hexatriene - DPHpPC 1-palmitoyl-2-[[[2-[4- (phenyl-trans-1,3,5-hexatrienyl)phenyl]ethyl]oxy]carbonyl]-3-sn-phosphatidylcholine - DPPC 1,2-dipalmitoyl-3-sn-phosphatidylcholine - PA palmitic acid - NBD-PE N-(7-nitro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazol-4-yl)-PE - Rh-PE N-(lissamine Rhodamine B sulfoyl)-PE - R₁₈ octadecyl Rhodamine B chloride - ANTS 1-aminonaphthalene-3,6,8-trisulfonic acid - DPX N,N-p-xylylene-bis(pyradinium bromide)     

Poly(ethylene oxide) blends with crosslinking polyester resin

The miscibility of polyethylene oxide (PEO) with oligoester and polyester resin, the morphology of the blends and the kinetics of PEO crystallization in the blends were studied by optical microscopy and differential scanning calorimetry. The blends were found to be miscible with uncured resin at 60°C. After isothermal crystallization of PEO from liquid oligoester or UV cured polyester about 20% of the PEO material is still dissolved in the resin and it is incorporated between lamellae or in the interspherulitic regions. It was observed that the growth rate of PEO spherulites and the degree of crystallinity of PEO in the blends decreases very fast together with a decrease of the PEO content and the progress of the resin crosslinking.     

Synthesis and Characterization of {2-Formyl-6-[1-(2,4,6-trimethylphenyl)]-4- chlorophenoxy}_2Ni and Its Ethylene Oligomerization

1 INTRODUCTION Late-transition metal complexes as catalysts for ethylene oligomerization and polymerization have become an intense research subject[1]. Nickel com- plexes are in hot point due to the significant achieve- ments of academic research[2, 3] and industrial appli- cations[4, 5]. The nickel complexes with bidentate [P,O] ligands were industrialized as the SHOP pro- cess for α-olefins[4]. It is supposed that late transition metal complexes have a strong propensity of under- goi…     

The formation of cation-ligand complexes of tributylammonium cation with diethyl carbonate,ethylene carbonate,propylene carbonate, 4-butyrolactone,ethyl acetate,and cyclopentanone ino-dichlorobenzene at 25°C

The effects of adding millimolar quantities of a series of compounds containing the carbonyl function on the conductances of solutions (0.2 mM) of tri-n-butylammonium picrate ino-dichlorobenzene solvent at 25°C have been measured. Values of the complex formation constants K ₁ ⁺ for 1:1 cation-ligand complexes are derived from these data. The corresponding values of –G ₁ ⁰ at 25°C are (in kcal-mole ^–1 ): 4-butyrolactone, 4.29; propylene carbonate, 3.87; ethylene carbonate, 3.59; cyclopentanone, 3.42; ethyl acetate, 2.84; and diethyl carbonate, 2.78. These results together with earlier results from this laboratory are discussed in terms of the effects of structure on cation-ligand affinity.     

结晶PET驻极体的分子运动与陷阱性质

半晶性的聚对苯二甲酸乙二醇酯(PET)存在不同尺寸运动单元的多重形式的分子运动,而且PET等高聚物前结构欠序、晶界和杂质等缺陷还使电子价带与导带间的禁带中出现局域能级(陷阱),并成为捕获载流子的中心,从而影响载流子的输运性质。分子运动和陷阱     

CHARACTERIZATION OF AMPHIPHILIC AND MICROPHASE SEPARATED GRAFT COPOLYMERS Ⅱ SURFACE CHARACTERIZATION AND IN VITRO BLOOD-COMPATIBILITY ASSESSMENT OF POLYSTYRENE-GRAFT-ω-STEARYLPOLY (ETHYLENE OXIDE)*

This paper reported the research results concerning the surface characterization ofpolystyrene-graft-w-stearyl poly(ethylene oxide) (PS-g-SPEO) by means of XPS,contactangle measurement and TEM, and its in vitro blood compatibility assessment by measuringthe plasma recalcification time (RT) and partial thromboplastin time (PTT). The XPSresults demonstrated that the surface and bulk composition of the PS-g-SPEO graftcopolymers differ remarkably from each other,and that SPEO component was constantlyenriched at the copolymer/air interface. Contact angle studies indicated that the surfacewater wettability can be adjusted effectively by changing the composition of the copolymer.PS-g-SPEO graft copolymers can undergo microphase separation as clearly illustrated byTEM photographs. The relationship between the surface properties of PS-g-SPEO graftcopolymer and its blood compatibility was also discussed.     

聚对苯二甲酸乙二酯非晶态膜片单轴热——拉伸中的结晶与松弛

用动态力学损耗温度谱作为测试手段,研究了非晶态PET膜片在78—112℃温度范围内的单轴拉伸。实验结果说明,在较低温度下所得结晶的拉伸试样,完全由于应变诱发结晶,发生在应力-应变曲线的屈服后应力开始上升的阶段。在较高温度下(90℃或更高)拉伸可得非晶态而且光学各向同性的试样,是由于分子链的小尺度取向在拉伸过程中已完全热松弛所致,而分子链的大尺度取向要通过高弹态流动而松弛,其速率较慢,用拉伸后试样两端固定时的应力松弛进行了观察。在较低温度下应力松弛后仍为非晶态,在较高温度下应力松弛到起始应力的1O％下才开始结晶。FTIR研究表明在这种状态下的结晶有一结晶诱导期,其时间尺度与应力松弛阶段相当。     

Plasticization and Crystallization of Poly(ethylene Terephthalate) Induced by Water

Commercial poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) was treated at R. H.>80% and room temperature for a set time. The glass transition temperature (Tg) decreases with the time of exposure to high humidity. The decrease in Tg is a result of plasticization. Our data indicate that the Tg of dry PET of 76-78°C may decrease to as low a temperature as 65-67°C when it is wet. Induced crystallization of PET in the presence of water reduces the cold crystallization temperature (Tc). The structure of water-induced crystals is imperfect and can be improved in perfection by annealing. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

稀土Pr_6O_(11)表面上低碳烃氧化反应的原位FT-IR研究

前文报道了CO与Pr_6O_(11)表面反应的结果.已发表的关于烃类与氧化物表面反应的研究,旨在了解烃类的活化和表面氧化机理,而且大部分工作都是在过渡金属氧化物上进行的.近年来的研究表明,稀土氧化物将是有潜力的甲烷氧化偶联制乙烯的催化剂,在消除环境污染的烃类完全氧化催化剂中,稀土氧化物也常被用作助剂或活性组分,但对于稀土氧化物本身的催化表面研究尚不多见.作者曾较系统地研究了CeO_2的表面催化性质,发现表面上存在多种氧物种,这些氧物种与烃类的反应活性差异很     

聚环氧乙烷／脂肪族聚碳酸酯共混研究

本文用差热分析(DSC)和红外光谱仪(FTIR)研究了聚环氧乙烷(PEO)和新型聚合物——脂肪族聚碳酸脂(PPC)共混热行为和大分子间的相互作用。由熔点下降方法给出PEO/PPC混合体系在320K下相互作用参数为-0.46;FTIR谱表明PPC大分子链和PEO大分子链存在较强的相互作用;PEO/PPC共混形态随PPC含量增加发生了较大变化。