Mixed self-assembled monolayers of azobenzene photoswitches with trifluoromethyl and cyano end groups

Mixed self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of alkanethiolates carrying azobenzene chromophores with either a trifluoromethyl or a cyano substituent have been studied. High-resolution x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy proves that the ratio of adsorbed molecules can be arbitrarily adjusted via the molar fractions in solution. As a function of these molar fractions core level shifts are observed which are attributed to local work-function changes. By simulating the electric dipole field distribution, the continuous core level shifts are ascribed to a homogeneous mixture of molecules with different end groups adsorbed on adjacent lattice sites. Near-edge x-ray absorption fine structure measurements reveal formation of well-ordered SAMs. Despite the difference in dipole moment of the end groups, the molecular tilt and twist angles are identical for both single-component SAMs and a 1:1 mixed SAM.     

核酸与有机小分子反应机理的荧光特性研究

核酸与有机小分子的反应机理对认识核酸的结构与功能具有重要作用,也是揭示核酸的生物功能与一些药物的作用机制的重要途径。研究核酸与有机小分子之间的相互作用对生命过程的模拟和生命本质的探索具有十分重要的意义,并对近年来该领域采用的荧光光谱法进行了综述,从温度、双分子猝灭过程的速率常数、荧光寿命以及吸收光谱的变化等方面作了论述,从而确定了核酸与有机小分子(染料和药物)之间相互作用的荧光猝灭类型;总结了结合常数、荧光给体-受体间的作用距离、作用力类型及结合方式的多种求算方法,并分别阐述了核酸与染料及药物在不同结合数下生成常数的计算方法。这对研究核酸与有机小分子之间的作用机理、开发新的核酸探针以及以核酸为靶标的药物分子的设计有一定的指导意义。     

核酸-甲基青莲6B分子作用体系的研究与应用

基于核酸对甲基青莲6B的减色效应,以阳离子型染料甲基青莲6B为生色探针,研究该染料与核酸的结合反应,建立了新的核酸测定体系,研究探讨了体系的作用机理。在pH＝9.0条件下,hs-DNA,sm-DNA, ct-DNA,yeast RNA的浓度与甲基青莲6B减色效应成线性关系,响应线性范围分别为0.50～4.00 μg·mL-1,0.20～5.00 μg·mL-1,0.20～5.00 μg·mL-1,0.20～4.50 μg·mL-1,检出限(3σ/K)分别为0.082,0.037,0.038,0.041 μg·mL-1。分析核酸合成样品,回收率为93.5%～105.0%。     

High‐Density Lipoprotein Nanoparticles Deliver RNAi to Endothelial Cells to Inhibit Angiogenesis

Systemic delivery of therapeutic nucleic acids to target cells and tissues outside of the liver remains a major challenge. A biomimetic high‐density lipoprotein nanoparticle (HDL NP) is synthesized for delivery of a cholesteryl‐modified therapeutic nucleic acid to vascular endothelial cells (ECs), a cell type naturally targeted by HDL. HDL NPs adsorb cholesteryl‐modified oligonucleotides and protect them from nuclease degradation. As proof of principle, we deliver RNAi targeting vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2) to ECs to effectively silence target mRNA and protein expression in vitro. In addition, data show that treatment strongly attenuates in vivo neovascularization measured using a standard angiogenesis assay and in hypervascular tumor allografts where a striking reduction in tumor growth is observed. For effective delivery, HDL NPs require the expression of the cell surface protein scavenger receptor type‐B1 (SR‐B1). No toxicity of HDL NPs is measured in vitro or after in vivo administration. Thus, by using a biomimetic approach to nucleic acid delivery, data demonstrate that systemically administered RNAi–HDL NPs target SR‐B1 expressing ECs to deliver functional anti‐angiogenic RNAi as a potential treatment of cancer and other neovascular diseases.     

Study of the Reaction Between the Nucleic Acid and Y-BPMPHD-CTMAB Complex and Its Analytical Application

The fluorescence quenching of the Y-BPMPHD-CTMAB by nucleic acids is reported. It is considered that the Y-BPMPHD-CTMAB can form a large complex with nucleic acid through the electrostatic attraction in the pH range of 4.2-6.8. Under optimal conditions, the difference of fluorescence intensity between the system without and with nucleic acids is proportional to the concentration of nucleic acids over the range of 4.5 x 10(-8)-1.2 x 10(-5) g/mL for fsDNA and 3.2 x 10(-8)-3.0 x 10(-5) g/mL for yRNA, respectively. The detection limits are 14.0 ng/mL for fsDNA and 21.0 ng/mL for yRNA. The method is applied for the determination of nucleic acids in actual sample, and the result obtained is satisfactory.     

An Investigation of Tricarbocyanines “Stains-All” and “iso-Stains-All” as Fluorescent Nucleic Acids Probes

Luminescent properties of carbocyanine dyes Stains-All and its isomer iso-Stains-All were studied in the presence of nucleic acids. Both dyes show sufficient fluorescent intensity increase in the presence of DNA and RNA and may be used as fluorescent probes for nucleic acids (NA) detection in homogeneous assays. It was supposed that Stains-All and iso-Stains-All bind with nucleic acids through different interaction modes.     

傅里叶变换红外光谱法研究HL-60细胞的分化过程

利用傅里叶变换红外光谱法(FTIR)研究了人白血病细胞HL-60在全反式维甲酸(ATRA)作用下向粒细胞分化的过程。结果表明,分化后的HL-60细胞FTIR图谱发生了显著变化,体现在与蛋白质、脂类、核酸和多糖等生物大分子相关的特征性谱带上。细胞内脂类物质烃链增长,含量增加。指纹图谱区域(900～1 300 cm-1)的谱带随着分化进程呈现规律性的变化。其中,核酸含量相对增加,并在1 052和1 153 cm-1附近出现了新的谱峰,二阶导数谱进一步发现在1 022 cm-1处出现新峰,这说明蛋白糖基化,磷酸化以及核酸氢键加强作用在HL-60细胞分化的过程中起着重要作用。通过计算一些图谱参数,并与硝基四唑氮蓝(NBT)还原实验相比较,证明红外图谱的变化与分化程度成正相关。     

腔靶X光空间特性研究

本文介绍了腔靶X光空间成像原理和方法。在国内,首次将MCP(微通道板)光电成像器件应用于激光聚变实验,将X射线测量能区扩展到亚千电子伏范围。实验中利用各种黑体腔靶,通过测量腔靶X光空间发射图象,得到了腔靶激光注入孔和腔内都存在着等离子体会聚机制,以及腔内X光发射以腔壁为主等重要信息,观察到腔靶X光输运通道存在着“堵口”现象,对测量结果进行了物理解释。     

Labeling of cytosine residues with biliproteins for use as fluorescent DNA probes

The fluorescent properties of biliproteins (B-phycoerythrin, BPE; C-phycocyanin, CPC and allophycocyanin, APC) have been utilized as labels of nucleic acids to detect hybridization by means of steady-state fluorescence anisotropy in a homogeneous aqueous solution of model system in which poly(C) and poly(I) are, respectively, the probe and target sequences. An easy method to obtain biliprotein-DNA conjugates by a two-stage procedure is described. The first stage was a modification of the cytosine amino group of poly(C) at the N⁴ position which then reacted with N-succinimidyl 3-(2-pyridyldithio) propionate (SPDP) to obtain poly(C)-bound 2-pyridyl disulfide. In the second stage biliproteins were directly reacted with SPDP to obtain biliprotein-bound 2-pyridyl disulfide, dithiotreitol was added for reduction to biliprotein-bound thiol and was then mixed with the poly(C)-bound 2-pyridyl disulfide to obtain the biliprotein-poly(C) conjugate. The three biliproteins studied bind to nucleic acids without noticeable change of their spectral properties (absorption, fluorescence efficiency and fluorescence lifetime). Consequently, our labeling methodology can be applied to obtain any type of biliprotein-labeled nucleic acid probe. The increase of the steady-state fluorescence anisotropy from biliprotein-poly(C) upon hybridization with poly(I) can be used to readily detect the hybridization with the target poly(I) in a sample without having to separate free and bound labeled probes. The small decreases in lifetime displayed by the biliprotein-poly(C) conjugates upon hybridization are not sufficient to explain the steady-state anisotropy increase. Apparently, the rotational motion of the overall macrostructure is principally responsible for the increase in anisotropy. The greater fluorescence efficiency and lifetime from BPE with respect to those from CPC or APC allows us recommend that protein as the most suitable label.     

Determination of internucleotide (h)J(HN) couplings by the modified 2D J(NN)-correlated [(15)N, (1)H] TROSY

Recent developments in the direct observation of J couplings across hydrogen bonds in proteins and nucleic acids provide additional information for structure and function studies of these molecules by NMR spectroscopy. A J(NN)-correlated [(15)N, (1)H] TROSY experiment proposed by Pervushin et al. (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 95, 14147-14151, 1998) can be applied to measure (h)J(HN) in smaller nucleic acids in an E.COSY manner. However, it cannot be effectively applied to large nucleic acids, such as tRNA(Trp), since one of the peaks corresponding to a fast relaxing component will be too weak to be observed in the spectra of large molecules. In this Communication, we proposed a modified J(NN)-correlated [(15)N, (1)H] TROSY experiment which enables direct measurement of (h)J(HN) in large nucleic acids.     

溶液酸碱性对金纳米粒子在端基功能化单分子膜表面组装影响的SERS光谱研究

在4,4’-二硫联吡啶在Au表面形成自组装单分子层膜的基础上,采用表面增强拉曼散射光谱(SERS)研究了在不同pH值条件下金纳米粒子在4,4’-二硫联吡啶自组装单分子膜/Au体系表面的组装。研究结果表明,由于处于单分子膜表面的吡啶环中氮原子的质子化程度随溶液环境中pH值的变化而变化,使得金纳米粒子与单分子膜表面间的结合作用程度不同,由此会引起金纳米粒子在单分子膜表面的覆盖度存在差异,并最终导致所观测到的4-巯基吡啶自组装单分子膜的SERS光谱强度存在明显的差异。而且,令人感兴趣的是,所观测到的SERS谱峰强度随金纳米粒子组装时pH值的变化呈现出明显的规律性。结合分子结构特征的分析,初步阐明了SERS谱峰强度随pH值这一组装条件的改变而发生规律性变化的内在原因。     

基于功能性核酸识别的荧光各向异性分析方法与应用

荧光各向异性方法又称荧光偏振法,基于相互作用的分子结合前后发射光退偏振的不同而实现对相互作用的研究或对目标物的检测。20世纪50年代Gregorio Weber用荧光各向异性法研究了氮磺酰氯与牛血清白蛋白和卵清白蛋白的作用,开启了该方法在生物化学研究中应用的先河。而20世纪90年代开始的功能性核酸(FNAs,包括核酸适配体和核酸酶等)的发现与合成,使基于功能性核酸的传感得到了广泛的应用。核酸适配体能够特异性识别目标分子,基于核酸识别的荧光各向异性分析方法具有高选择性、高灵敏度、高通量等优势,在研究蛋白质、核酸和小分子的相互作用中起到重要作用,然而如何提高结合前后的荧光各向异性信号变化,尤其是小分子识别前后,在基于功能性核酸识别的分析方法发展中是一个挑战。介绍了基于功能性核酸识别的荧光各向异性的方法应用于检测蛋白质、核酸及其他在生命活动中起重要作用的小分子的基本原理及设计理念。     

Silver ions adsorbed to self-assembled monolayers of alkanedithiols on gold surfaces form Ag–dithiol–Au multilayer structures

Double-ended alkanedithiols, 1,9-nonanedithiol and 1,5-pentanedithiol, formed self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on Au(l11) substrates and were used to adsorb silver ions from an ethanolic solution of silver nitrate and formed Ag–dithiol–Au multilayer structures. Ellipsometry, contact angle measurement and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) confirmed that the alkanedithiol molecules formed SAMs with only one-ended thiol groups attached to the Au substrates, which was supported by molecular mechanics calculation. XPS and X-ray Auger electron spectroscopy (XAES) indicated that silver ions were deposited onto the SAMs from the solution by the chemical reaction of silver nitrate with another-ended thiol groups of the SAMs. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to observe SAMs and multilayer structures. Received: 20 January 2000 / Accepted: 18 April 2000 / Published online: 9 August 2000     

Interaction of nucleic acid segments as a result of modification of the network of hydrogen bonds of the solvent

It is shown that experimental results on the influence of various factors in the formation efficiency and structure of cholesteric liquid-crystal dispersions of nucleic acids cannot be consistently described using conventional theories of liquid crystal formation. A new model is proposed for the interaction of nucleic acid segments which allows for a change in the particular structure of the solvent hydrogen bonds in the presence of nucleic acid molecules. The conclusions of the model agree with existing spectroscopic and structural investigations of DNA dispersions. According to our model, interaction between nucleic acid molecules and solvent modifies proton tunneling processes in the latter, leading to effective interaction between the nucleic acids. A theoretical analysis of the model is made using a pseudospin formalism in which the effective interaction potential of the nucleic acid segments is calculated. It is shown that this potential may lead to nematic ordering for small distances between the nucleic acid molecules (R ≤ 30 Å) and cholesteric ordering for large distances.     

Interfacial kinetic enhancement of metal ion adsorption on binary mixed self-assembled monolayers

The adsorption of metal ions, a type of surface reaction on binary mixed self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on a gold surface composed of 1,6-hexanedithiol (HDT) with 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid (MUA), was monitored by in situ surface plasmon resonance (SPR) measurements. The differential SPR reflectance (ΔR) enables the kinetics of adsorption of Pt²⁺ on the mixed SAMs to be investigated. Unlike single HDT SAM, kinetic analyses of the mixed SAMs showed that the rate of adsorption of Pt²⁺ was enhanced and that it was highly dependent on the fraction of MUA present. These SPR measurements suggest that the adsorption rate of metal ions can be readily manipulated simply by using mixed SAMs.     

烷基硫醇/金自组装单分子膜表面上金属沉积特性研究进展

本文介绍了金属原子在烷基硫醇自组装单分子膜表面的再沉积行为,从理论上分析了其作用机理,归纳出了金属在自组装单层膜表面的再沉积规律。     

烷基硫醇/金自组装单分子膜表面上金属沉积特性研究进展

本文介绍了金属原子在烷基硫醇自组装单分子膜表面的再沉积行为,从理论上分析了其作用机理,归纳出了金属在自组装单层膜表面的再沉积规律。     

核酸-桑色素-铝(Ⅲ)三元荧光体系的研究

基于核酸对桑色素 铝 (Ⅲ )配合物的荧光增强作用 ,以桑色素 铝 (Ⅲ )为荧光探针 ,考察该探针与核酸的结合反应 ,建立了新的准确测定核酸的方法 ,并研究了该三元荧光体系的作用机理。在 pH 8 5时 ,fsDNA ,ctDNA ,smDNA和 yRNA的浓度与桑色素 铝 (Ⅲ )的荧光强度成线性关系 ,响应范围分别为 0 2 5～1 5 0 ,0 2 5～ 2 0 0 ,0 10～ 1 6 0和 0 2 5～ 2 0 0 μg·mL-1,检测限 (3σ/K)分别为 3,2 ,2和 3ng·mL-1。测定了合成样品 ,回收率 93 3%～ 10 7 9% ,相对标准偏差小于 3 6 %     

Advances in magnetofection—magnetically guided nucleic acid delivery

Magnetofection is nucleic acid delivery to cells supported and site-specifically guided by the attractive forces of magnetic fields acting on nucleic acid shuttles (vectors) which are associated with magnetic nanoparticles. Recent progress with the method confirms its general applicability with small and large nucleic acids and viruses. The method's therapeutic application as well as mechanistic studies will be discussed.     

Spectroscopic Study on the Interaction of Pyronine Y with Nucleic Acids and Its Analytical Application

ABSTRACT

The interaction of pyronine Y (PY) with nucleic acids was studied by resonance Rayleigh scattering (RRS) for nucleic acid detection. The enhanced RRS intensity of nucleic acids reacted with PY was proportional to the concentration of nucleic acids in the ranges of 27.0–625 ng ml^?1 for fish sperm DNA, 39.0–500 ng ml^?1 for calf thymus DNA, and 59.0–375 ng ml^?1 for yeast RNA. The limits of determination were 0.2 ng ml^?1 for fish sperm DNA, 0.6 ng ml^?1 for calf thymus DNA, and 0.7 ng ml^?1 for yeast RNA. The method had been successfully applied to the quick determination of nucleic acids in synthetic and natural samples.