Aerolysin纳米孔核酸检测灵敏区域的协同相互作用探索研究

纳米孔单分子检测技术以其简便、快速、高通量及无需标记等特点, 应用于DNA及蛋白质测序, 更有望实现单分子动态构象变化的研究. Aerolysin(气单胞菌溶素)纳米孔道由于其特有的较长的β-桶限域区(β-barrel)及孔内壁丰富的带电荷氨基酸残基, 在单个寡聚核苷酸分子分析中展现出极高的灵敏性. 本设计利用dA₁₄-4-X, dA₁₄-11-X, dA₁₄-4-X-11-X (X=C, T, G)等单个寡聚核苷酸探针分子, 研究了Aerolysin的两个灵敏区域R1和R2, 探索了R1灵敏区域对单个碱基弱相互作用的差异, 实现区分单个碱基差异. 进一步实验证明, R1灵敏区域对单个碱基类型差异的灵敏区分不受R2灵敏区域被碱基A、C、T占位所影响. 然而, 当R2区域被碱基G占位时, 会使R1区域丧失对整个孔道电流的主导性. 本研究有助于理解Aerolysin对单个寡聚核苷酸分子的超灵敏测量机制.     

Manipulation and control of a single molecular rotor on Au (111) surface

Three different methods are used to manipulate and control phthalocyanine based single molecular rotors on Au (111) surface: (1) changing the molecular structure to alter the rotation potential; (2) using the tunnelling current of the scanning tunnelling microscope (STM) to change the thermal equilibrium of the molecular rotor; (3) artificial manipulation of the molecular rotor to switch the rotation on or off by an STM tip. Furthermore, a molecular `gear wheel' is successfully achieved with two neighbouring molecules.     

Structure of single-molecule single crystals of isotactic polystyrene and their radiation resistance

The structure of single-molecule single crystals of isotactic polystyrene (i-PS) was investigated by electron diffraction (ED). The nanoscale single-molecule single crystals were found to be more resistant to electron irradiation when compared to the larger crystals of many molecules, as indicated by both observation of ED and high-resolution electron microscopy with increasing radiation dose. It is proposed that since the single-molecule single crystals are very small, the secondary electrons escape more frequently from the crystal so that the radiation damage is reduced. Lattice imaging was achieved at room temperature in the case of single-molecule single crystals because of their stability to electron irradiation. Published 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

1 This article is a US Government work and, as such, is in the public domain in the United States of America.

J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 36 : 105–112, 1998     

New members of the [Mn6/oxime] family and analogues with converging [Mn3] planes

The synthesis, structural, and magnetic characterization of five new members of the hexanuclear oximate [Mn^III₆] family are reported. All five clusters can be described with the general formula [Mn^III₆O₂(R-sao)₆(R′-CO₂)₂(sol)_x(H₂O)_y] (where R-saoH₂ = salicylaldoxime substituted at the oxime carbon with R = H, Me and Et; R′ = 1-naphthalene, 2-naphthalene, and 1-pyrene; sol = MeOH, EtOH, or MeCN; x = 0–4 and y = 0–4). More specifically, the reaction of Mn(ClO₄)₂·6H₂O with salicylaldoxime-like ligands and the appropriate carboxylic acid in alcoholic or MeCN solutions in the presence of base afforded complexes 1–5: [Mn₆O₂(Me-sao)₆(1-naphth-CO₂)₂(H₂O)(MeCN)]·4MeCN (1·4MeCN); [Mn₆O₂(Me-sao)₆(2-naphth-CO₂)₂(H₂O)(MeCN)]·3MeCN·0.1H₂O (2·3MeCN·0.1H₂O); [Mn₆O₂(Et-sao)₆(2-naphth-CO₂)₂(EtOH)₄(H₂O)₂] (3); [Mn₆O₂(Et-sao)₆(2-naphth-CO₂)₂(MeOH)₆] (4) and [Mn₆O₂(sao)₆(1-pyrene-CO₂)₂(H₂O)₂(EtOH)₂]·6EtOH (5·6EtOH). Clusters 3, 4, and 5 display the usual [Mn₆/oximate] structural motif consisting of two [Mn₃O] subunits bridged by two O_oximate atoms from two R-sao^2? ligands to form the hexanuclear complex in which the two triangular [Mn₃] units are parallel to each other. On the contrary, clusters 1 and 2 display a highly distorted stacking arrangement of the two [Mn₃] subunits resulting in two converging planes, forming a novel motif in the [Mn₆] family. Investigation of the magnetic properties for all complexes reveal dominant antiferromagnetic interactions for 1, 2, and 5, while 3 and 4 display dominant ferromagnetic interactions with a ground state of S = 12 for both clusters. Finally, 3 and 4 display single-molecule magnet behavior with U_eff = 63 and 36 K, respectively.     

Asymmetric Modulation of Protein Order–Disorder Transitions by Phosphorylation and Partner Binding

As for many intrinsically disordered proteins, order–disorder transitions in the N‐terminal oligomerization domain of the multifunctional nucleolar protein nucleophosmin (Npm‐N) are central to its function, with phosphorylation and partner binding acting as regulatory switches. However, the mechanism of this transition and its regulation remain poorly understood. In this study, single‐molecule and ensemble experiments revealed pathways with alternative sequences of folding and assembly steps for Npm‐N. Pathways could be switched by altering the ionic strength. Phosphorylation resulted in pathway‐specific effects, and decoupled folding and assembly steps to facilitate disorder. Conversely, binding to a physiological partner locked Npm‐N in ordered pentamers and counteracted the effects of phosphorylation. The mechanistic plasticity found in the Npm‐N order–disorder transition enabled a complex interplay of phosphorylation and partner‐binding steps to modulate its folding landscape.     

Single‐Molecule Nanocatalysis Shows In Situ Deactivation of Pt/C Electrocatalysts during the Hydrogen‐Oxidation Reaction

By coupling a Pt‐catalyzed fluorogenic reaction with the Pt‐electrocatalyzed hydrogen‐oxidation reaction (HOR), we combine single‐molecule fluorescence microscopy with traditional electrochemical methods to study the real‐time deactivation kinetics of a Pt/C electrocatalyst at single‐particle level during electrocatalytic hydrogen‐oxidation reaction. The decay of the catalytic performance of Pt/C could be mainly attributed to the electrocatalysis‐induced etching or dissolution of Pt nanoparticles. Spontaneous regeneration of activity and incubation period of the Pt electrocatalyst were also observed at single‐particle level. All these new insights are practically useful for the understanding and rational design of highly efficient electrocatalysts for application in fuel cells.     

Toehold‐Mediated Displacement of an Adenosine‐Binding Aptamer from a DNA Duplex by its Ligand

DNA is increasingly used to engineer dynamic nanoscale circuits, structures, and motors, many of which rely on DNA strand‐displacement reactions. The use of functional DNA sequences (e.g., aptamers, which bind to a wide range of ligands) in these reactions would potentially confer responsiveness on such devices, and integrate DNA computation with highly varied molecular stimuli. By using high‐throughput single‐molecule FRET methods, we compared the kinetics of a putative aptamer–ligand and aptamer–complement strand‐displacement reaction. We found that the ligands actively disrupted the DNA duplex in the presence of a DNA toehold in a similar manner to complementary DNA, with kinetic details specific to the aptamer structure, thus suggesting that the DNA strand‐displacement concept can be extended to functional DNA–ligand systems.     

Alpha‐Helical Fragaceatoxin C Nanopore Engineered for Double‐Stranded and Single‐Stranded Nucleic Acid Analysis

Nanopores are used in single‐molecule DNA analysis and sequencing. Herein, we show that Fragaceatoxin C (FraC), an α‐helical pore‐forming toxin from an actinoporin protein family, can be reconstituted in sphingomyelin‐free standard planar lipid bilayers. We engineered FraC for DNA analysis and show that the funnel‐shaped geometry allows tight wrapping around single‐stranded DNA (ssDNA), resolving between homopolymeric C, T, and A polynucleotide stretches. Remarkably, despite the 1.2 nm internal constriction of FraC, double‐stranded DNA (dsDNA) can translocate through the nanopore at high applied potentials, presumably through the deformation of the α‐helical transmembrane region of the pore. Therefore, FraC nanopores might be used in DNA sequencing and dsDNA analysis.     

Macroscopic Hexagonal Tubes of 3 d–4 f Metallocycles

The self‐assembly of three giant hexagonal 3d–4f metallocycles with inner diameters of 16.4, 16.5, and 16.4 Å, is described. Hexagonal metallocycles were stacked along the crystallographic c axis, producing unique hexagonal macroscopic tubular single crystals. The assembly mechanism of the tubular crystals was investigated. Remarkably, all three hexagonal metallocycles show typical single‐molecule magnet behavior, benefiting from the ferromagnetic couplings between the 3d and 4f ions.     

Artificial Formation and Tuning of Glycoprotein Networks on Live Cell Membranes: A Single‐Molecule Tracking Study

We present a method to artificially induce network formation of membrane glycoproteins and show the precise tuning of their interconnection on living cells. For this, membrane glycans are first metabolically labeled with azido sugars and then tagged with biotin by copper‐free click chemistry. Finally, these biotin‐tagged membrane proteins are interconnected with streptavidin (SA) to form an artificial protein network in analogy to a lectin‐induced lattice. The degree of network formation can be controlled by the concentration of SA, its valency, and the concentration of biotin on membrane proteins. This was verified by investigation of the spatiotemporal dynamics of the SA‐protein networks employing single‐molecule tracking. It was also proven that this network formation strongly influences the biologically relevant process of endocytosis as it is known from natural lattices on the cell surface.