Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy of water-in-oil microemulsions: an application in specific characterisation of droplets containing biomolecules

Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) has been successfully used to characterise water-in-oil (w/o) microemulsions. The investigated systems were stabilised by sodium bis-2-ethylhexyl sulphosuccinate (AOT) and the measured diffusion times have been related to the radii of the aggregated species, which for some systems, were separately determined by small-angle neutron scattering (SANS). We demonstrate that FCS is capable of measuring hydrodynamic radii of microemulsions rapidly and at surfactant concentrations lower than previously reported for other techniques. FCS was also used to specifically interrogate microemulsion droplets containing a fluorescently-labelled biomolecule, specifically phalloidin, a peptide fungal toxin from Amanita phalloides, and the enzyme -chymotrypsin (-CT). The microemulsion droplets are only marginally increased in size if a small peptide (phalloidin) is included in the water phase, whereas the droplet size is significantly increased when a larger protein (-CT) is included.     

基于FCS的海水痕量元素的通用测定平台

为了对海水痕量营养盐与重金属进行测定,基于FCS的设计思想,采用流动注射分光光度法研制了具有自适应外界设备、快速组建多种仪器及全数字化通信等特点的软硬件一体化的通用测定平台。平台以ARM(S3C2416)处理器为核心,Linux为操作系统,LCD作为人机交互显示,触摸屏或者USB鼠标完成输入控制,构成完整的嵌入式工控机系统;采用CAN总线并制定CAN应用层协议管理设备,提高了系统的可靠性及抗干扰能力。实际测试和应用证明,该平台自动化程度高,通用性、重用性及可扩展性均较强,可组建成亚硝氮、硝氮、氨氮、活性磷、铁等多种痕量元素的实验室、船载和原位分析系统,检测限为nmol/L级别。平台对样品的测试准确度与商品专用仪器无显著性差异。     

Microanalytical method development for Fe, Cu and Zn determination in colorectal cancer cells

Microanalytical methods suitable for the determination of Fe, Cu in HT-29 (human colon adenocarcinoma) cells treated with different iron compounds (Fe(II) sulfate, Fe(III) chloride, Fe(III) citrate and Fe(III) transferrin) and cultured in medium supplemented or not with 10% (v/v) fetal calf serum (FCS) by total reflection X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (TXRF) and simultaneous graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GF-AAS) were developed. The developed TXRF method was also suitable for Zn determination in the samples. The main advantage of the proposed methods is the execution of all sample preparation steps following incubation and prior to the elemental analysis in the same Eppendorf tubes. Sample preparation was performed at microscale (115 μL sample volume) with 65% nitric acid and 30% hydrogen peroxide. According to scanning electron microscopic measurements, the organic matrix of the cell samples could be eliminated to the extent that accurate results were obtained for Cu and Fe by analyzing the same samples by TXRF and GF-AAS. Concerning the iron uptake, HT-29 cells incubated in FCS-free medium contained Fe in cca. 5-50 times higher amounts compared to cells cultured in FCS supplemented medium. Pronounced differences in the iron uptake compared to the iron supply (inorganic vs. organic chelated as well as iron(II) vs. iron(III)) were observed in the case of cell lines incubated in FCS-free medium.     

Synthesis, spectroscopic characterization, DFT studies and biological assays of a novel gold(I) complex with 2-mercaptothiazoline

A new gold(I) complex with 2-mercaptothiazoline (MTZ) with the coordination formula [AuCN(C₃H₅NS₂)] was synthesized and characterized by chemical and spectroscopic measurements, DFT studies and biological assays. Infrared (IR) and ¹H, ¹³C and ¹⁵N nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopic measurements indicate coordination of the ligand to gold(I) through the nitrogen atom. Studies based on DFT confirmed nitrogen coordination to gold(I) as a minimum of the potential energy surface with calculations of the hessians showing no imaginary frequencies. Thermal decomposition starts at temperatures near 160 °C, leading to the formation of Au⁰ as the final residue at 1000 °C. The gold(I) complex with 2-mercaptothiazoline (Au-MTZ) is soluble in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), and is insoluble in water, methanol, ethanol, acetonitrile and hexane. The antibacterial activities of the Au-MTZ complex were evaluated by an antibiogram assay using the disc diffusion method. The compound showed an effective antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (Gram-positive) and Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Gram-negative) bacterial cells. Biological analysis for evaluation of the cytotoxic effect of the Au-MTZ complex was performed using HeLa cells derived from human cervical adenocarcinoma. The complex presented a potent cytotoxic activity, inducing 85% of cell death at a concentration of 2.0 μmol L⁻¹.     

基于LonWorks现场总线技术的氮气加热器控制系统研究

氮气加热器用于石化工业丙烯精制工程，给再生氮气加热．针对新疆独山子石化厂氮气加热器．利用LonWorks现场总线控制技术构成网络，采用前馈控制PID算法．通过周波调整法对电加热管的加热功率进行控制，在保证的规定时间内连续输出合乎温度要求的高温氮气．本控制网络的核心技术是神经元芯片(Neuron Chips)、智能网络节点和Lon Talk通信协议．本文介绍了LonWorks技术以及氮气加热控制系统总体方案与网络结构设计，节点模块设计与配置，控制电路设计，控制算法设计与软件编程．     

Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy (FCS): A Promising Tool for Biological Research

Abstract

Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) is an important biophysical technique. FCS is currently being used in many areas of biology to solve several scientific problems. Its properties such as detection at the single molecular level, higher sensitivity, and use of lower sample volume make FCS a promising molecular diagnostic tool. The promising applications of FCS extend from DNA kinetics/dynamics studies to the comprehensive understanding of receptor–ligand interactions. In this article, we review various promising biological applications of FCS.     

Surface Modified Single Molecules Free-Diffusion Evidenced by Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy

We report on the free diffusion of single molecule near an interface studied using fluorescence correlation spectroscopy. In particular, we show that the chemical nature of the substrate may modify the free diffusion of a widely used molecule (rhodamine 6G), thus inducing unexpected effects in fluorescence correlation spectroscopy measurements. Our results show a strong influence, up to a few micrometer from the interface, of the surface polarity. This effect is assessed through the relative weight of the two dimensions diffusion process observed close to the surface. Our results are discussed in terms of competition between surface-solvent, solvent-molecule and molecule-surface specific interactions.     

Development of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)-like fluorescence assay to investigate the interactions of glycosaminoglycans to cells

Sulfated glycosaminoglycans were labeled with biotin to study their interaction with cells in culture. Thus, heparin, heparan sulfate, chondroitin 4-sulfate, chondroitin 6-sulfate and dermatan sulfate were labeled using biotin-hydrazide, under different conditions. The structural characteristics of the biotinylated products were determined by chemical (molar ratios of hexosamine, uronic acid, sulfate and biotin) and enzymatic methods (susceptibility to degradation by chondroitinases and heparitinases). The binding of biotinylated glycosaminoglycans was investigated both in endothelial and smooth muscle cells in culture, using a novel time resolved fluorometric method based on interaction of europium-labeled streptavidin with the biotin covalently linked to the compounds. The interactions of glycosaminoglycans were saturable and number of binding sites could be obtained for each individual compound. The apparent dissociation constant varied among the different glycosaminoglycans and between the two cell lines. The interactions of the biotinylated glycosaminoglycans with the cells were also evaluated using confocal microscopy. We propose a convenient and reliable method for the preparation of biotinylated glycosaminoglycans, as well as a sensitive non-competitive fluorescence-based assay for studies of the interactions and binding of these compounds to cells in culture.     

H2FCS单分子分解反应的直接动力学研究

采用量子化学QCISD(T)/6-311++G(d,p)//B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p)方法研究了H2FCS单分子分解反应的微观动力学性质, 构建了反应势能剖面. 利用经典过渡态理论(TST)与变分过渡态理论(CVT)并结合小曲率隧道效应模型(SCT), 分别计算了在200～3000 K温度范围内的速率常数kTST、kCVT和kCVT/SCT. 计算结果表明, H2FCS可经过不同的反应通道生成10种小分子产物, 脱H反应和HF消去反应为标题反应的主反应通道, 其中HF消去反应产物HCS可由两条反应通道生成. 在200~3000 K温度区间内得到三条反应通道的表观反应速率常数三参数表达式分别为 , 和 . 速率常数计算结果显示, 量子力学隧道效应在低温区间对反应速率常数的影响显著, 而变分效应在计算温度范围内可以忽略.     

寡聚核苷酸中鸟苷对四甲基罗丹明的荧光猝灭

具有核苷特异性的荧光猝灭技术在生物领域具有广泛应用.为了更好地理解这一过程的机理及其影响因素,研究了核苷对四甲基罗丹明（TMR）染料的分子间猝灭和在同一条寡聚核苷酸链中的分子内猝灭.与以前的研究结果一致,脱氧单磷酸鸟苷（dGMP）可以有效地猝灭TMR,而其他单磷酸腺苷对其的猝灭可以忽略.由斯特恩-沃尔默图获得TMR和dGMP的双分子猝灭常数为Ks=52.3L/mol.将TMR标记在寡聚核苷酸末端,可以观测到其荧光通过光致电子传递有效地被鸟苷猝灭,我们利用荧光相关光谱的方法测定了这一过程的猝灭速率常数.此外,所得的数据还显示鸟苷附近的碱基会对分子内的猝灭过程产生显著的位阻效应.这些结果将有助于设计寡聚核苷酸荧光探针和理解G猝灭过程.