Measuring raft size as a function of membrane composition in PC-based systems: Part II--ternary systems

The heterogeneity of cell membranes, specifically the presence of lipid rafts, has been hypothesized to play a role in a large number of cellular processes. Although extensive work has been carried out to show the function of lipid rafts in these processes, the characterization of lipid rafts has proven to be extremely difficult. It is known that raft size is relevant to the function of cellular processes and that raft coalescence may be a driving factor for these processes; however, it remains unclear what factors influence raft size and coalescence in natural cell membranes. In this work, we study two ternary model phospholipid and cholesterol systems using two steady-state fluorescent techniques to detect and characterize membrane domains. Domain size is determined through the use of a model to relate experimental F?rster resonance energy transfer (FRET) measurements to domain size. Domains in the range of 3-15 nm were detected in a dioleoylphosphatidylcholine-dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine-cholesterol (DOPC-DPPC-Chol) system, while only a very small region containing domains was detected in a 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-phosphatidylcholine-dipamitoylphosphatidylcholine-cholesterol (POPC-DPPC-Chol) system. In addition, the polarity-dependent emission maximum shift of the acceptor 1-myristoyl-2-[12-[(5-dimethylamino-1-naphthalenesulfonyl)amino]dodecanoyl]-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DAN-PC) was used to detect the type of liquid phase(s) present in the membrane. It was found that, even in the case in which no two-phase coexistence was observed (POPC-DPPC-Chol), two liquid phases are present, although not necessarily in coexistence. These steady-state fluorescent techniques provide a method for detecting the presence of very small domains in model membranes and provide previously inaccessible detail about the phase behavior of these two systems.     

Cardiolipin, a key component to mimic the E. coli bacterial membrane in model systems revealed by dynamic light scattering and steady-state fluorescence anisotropy

The phase transition temperatures of several lipidic systems were determined using two different techniques: dynamic light scattering (DLS) and steady-state fluorescence anisotropy, using two fluorescent probes that report different membrane regions (TMA-DPH and DPH). Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used as a complementary technique to characterize different lipid model systems under study. The systems were chosen due to the increased interest in bacterial membrane studies due to the problem of antibiotic drug resistance. The simpler models studied comprised of mixtures of POPE and POPG lipids, which form a commonly used model system for Escherichia coli membranes. Given the important role of cardiolipin (CL) in natural membranes, a ternary model system, POPE/POPG/CL, was then considered. The results obtained in these mimetic systems were compared with those obtained for the natural systems E. coli polar and total lipid extract. DLS and fluorescence anisotropy are not commonly used to study lipid phase transitions, but it was shown that they can give useful information about the thermotropic behaviors of model systems for bacterial membranes. These two techniques provided very similar results, validating their use as methods to measure phase transitions in lipid model systems. The temperature transitions obtained from these two very different techniques and the AFM results clearly show that cardiolipin is a fundamental component to mimic bacteria membranes. The results suggest that the less commonly used ternary system is a considerably better mimic for natural E. coli membranes than binary lipid mixture.     

Distance distributions of short polypeptides recovered by fluorescence resonance energy transfer in the 10 A domain

Fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) between tryptophan (Trp) as donor and 2,3-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]oct-2-ene (Dbo) as acceptor was studied by steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy. The unique feature of this FRET pair is its exceptionally short F?rster radius (10 A), which allows one to recover distance distributions in very short structureless peptides. The technique was applied to Trp-(GlySer)n-Dbo-NH2 peptides with n = 0-10, for which the average probe/quencher distance ranged between 8.7 and 13.7 A experimentally (in propylene glycol, analysis according to wormlike chain model) and 8.6-10.2 A theoretically (for n = 0-6, GROMOS96 molecular dynamics simulations). The larger FRET efficiency in steady-state compared to time-resolved fluorescence experiments was attributed to a static quenching component, suggesting that a small but significant part (ca. 10%) of the conformations are already in van der Waals contact when excitation occurs.     

N-月桂酰基甲基丙氨酸钠三元复配体系的协同效应北大核心CSCD

将N‑月桂酰基甲基丙氨酸钠(SLMA)依次与月桂酰胺丙基甜菜碱(LAB)、烷基糖苷(APG1214)分别进行二元及三元复配,通过吊片法、稳态荧光探针法、动态光散射及稳态荧光猝灭法,对SLMA/LAB二元复配体系及SLMA/LAB/APG三元复配体系间的协同增效作用,以及溶液组成对其微极性、平均流体力学半径及胶束聚集数的影响进行了研究,并应用正规溶液理论计算二元及三元复配体系的相互作用参数。结果表明,SLMA/LAB二元复配体系及SLMA/LAB/APG三元复配体系均表现出全面增效的协同作用,其最佳物质的量比分别为n(SLMA)∶n(LAB)=3∶7,n(SLMA/LAB)∶n(APG1214)=3∶7,对应临界胶束浓度(CMC)分别为1.054×10^(−3)和1.595×10^(−4) mol/L,SLMA/LAB二元复配体系趋于形成分布集中的单一形态聚集体,且总体偏小;SLMA/LAB/APG三元复配体系的胶束大小比单一体系分布宽,且其胶束体积明显大于二元复配体系。两种复配体系所形成的胶束聚集数均小于单一体系,形成了更加紧密、稳定、较小的胶束结构。SLMA/LAB二元复配体系及SLMA/LAB/APG三元复配体系中表面活性剂分子间的相互作用力加快了稳定胶束的形成,胶束大小分布较宽,以球状及非球状胶束的形式存在,且复配体系形成了更加紧密的胶束结构。     

A PHOTOCHEMICAL TECHNIQUE TO ENHANCE SENSITIVITY OF DETECTION OF FLUORESCENCE RESONANCE ENERGY TRANSFER

Abstract –A photochemical kinetic method of measuring small values of efficiency of fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) between special probes is proposed. The FRET efficiency ( Ω ) is determined from kinetics of the photochemical reaction of the energy acceptor sensitized by FRET from the energy donor. The choice of an appropriate donor-acceptor pair permits the minimization of background reactions. Application of the method is demonstrated by the detection of FRET from 2,5-W.s(5- tert -butyl-2-benzoxasolyl)thiophen (BBOT) to acridine orange (AO) in phospholipid vesicles. Photobleaching of AO in the presence of CBr₄ was applied as a photochemical reaction of the acceptor. The reaction was monitored by steady-state fluorescence measurements. The FRET measurements were carried out by the proposed technique when the probe/lipid ratio and Ω were as small as 1.1 times 10^-5 M/M and 0.0017, respectively. Under these conditions, the rate constant of AO photobleaching was increased by 26% as compared with that of the reference sample without BBOT. The results suggest that applications of the technique may be useful in the study of the membrane topography.     

A PHOTOCHEMICAL TECHNIQUE TO ENHANCE SENSITIVITY OF DETECTION OF FLUORESCENCE RESONANCE ENERGY TRANSFER

Abstract: A photochemical kinetic method of measuring small values of efficiency of fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) between special probes is proposed. The FRET efficiency (ω) is determined from kinetics of the photochemical reaction of the energy acceptor sensitized by FRET from the energy donor. The choice of an appropriate donor-acceptor pair permits the minimization of background reactions. Application of the method is demonstrated by the detection of FRET from 2,5- bis (5- tert -butyl-2-benzoxasolyl)thiophen (BBOT) to acridine orange (AO) in phospholipid vesicles. Photobleaching of AO in the presence of CBr₄ was applied as a photochemical reaction of the acceptor. The reaction was monitored by steady-state fluorescence measurements. The FRET measurements were carried out by the proposed technique when the probe/lipid ratio and ω were as small as 1.1 × 10⁻⁵ M/M and 0.0017, respectively. Under these conditions, the rate constant of AO photobleaching was increased by 26% as compared with that of the reference sample without BBOT. The results suggest that applications of the technique may be useful in the study of the membrane topography.     

Design and characterization of two-dye and three-dye binary fluorescent probes for mRNA detection

We report the design, synthesis, and characterization of binary oligonucleotide probes for mRNA detection. The probes were designed to avoid common problems found in standard binary probes such as direct excitation of the acceptor fluorophore and overlap between the donor and acceptor emission spectra. Two different probes were constructed that contained an array of either two or three dyes and were characterized using steady-state fluorescence spectroscopy, time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy, and fluorescence depolarization measurements. The three-dye binary probe (BP-3d) consists of a Fam fluorophore which acts as a donor, collecting light and transferring it as energy to Tamra, which subsequently transfers energy to Cy5 when the two probes are hybridized to mRNA. This design allows the use of 488 nm excitation, which avoids the direct excitation of Cy5 and at the same time provides a good fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) efficiency. The two-dye binary probe system (BP-2d) was constructed with Alexa488 and Cy5 fluorophores. Although the overlap between the fluorescence of Alexa488 and the absorption of Cy5 is relatively low, FRET still occurs due to their close physical proximity when the probes are hybridized to mRNA. This framework also decreases the direct excitation of Cy5 and reduces the fluorescence overlap between the donor and the acceptor. Picosecond time-resolved spectroscopy showed a reduction in the fluorescence lifetime of donor fluorophores after the formation of the hybrid between the probes and target mRNA. Interestingly, BP-2d in the presence of mRNA shows a slow rise in the fluorescence decay of Cy5 due to a relatively slow FRET rate, which together with the reduction in the Alexa488 lifetime provides a way to improve the signal to background ratio using time-resolved fluorescence spectra (TRES). In addition, fluorescence depolarization measurements showed complete depolarization of the acceptor dyes (Cy5) for both BP-3d (due to sequential FRET steps) and BP-2d (due to the relatively low FRET rate) in the presence of the mRNA target.     

A comparison of the inclusion behavior of human serum albumin and holo transferrin with fluoxymesterone in the presence of three different cyclodextrins

This article describes the interaction of fluoxymesterone (Flu) with HSA and HTF in the absence and presence of cyclodextrins (CDs) (α, β and γ). According to fluorescence data, the binding of Flu to the proteins caused strong static quenching in the binary and ternary systems. The fluorescence quenching results demonstrated that HSA and HTF had two and one class of apparent binding sites with a distinct binding constant in the presence of the CDs, respectively. The effects of Flu on the structure of HSA and HTF were analyzed using synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy, which showed that the interaction of Flu with both proteins in the binary and ternary systems altered the microenvironment around the Trp and Tyr residues. The distance, r, between Flu and the proteins was obtained according to FRET which pointed at a successful formation of a drug-protein complex. Far-UV CD spectra indicated that the binding of the drug to both proteins induced changes in the secondary structure of HSA and HTF in the binary and ternary systems. Finally, molecular modeling provided possible binding sites of Flu within the proteins for the binary and ternary systems and also confirmed the experimental results. The obtained data can be useful for determining usage drug doses in drug delivery.     

Equilibrium liquid-vapor diagrams of ternary systems with three azeotropes

Forty-nine classes involving 222 types of ternary liquid-vapor systems with three azeotropes are revealed. The place of three-azeotrope systems in the thermodynamic classification of binary solutions is determined. Examples of phase portraits of liquid-vapor equilibrium with three azeotropes in various elements of the concentration triangle (binary components, internal region, and binary components and the internal region) are presented.     

Fluorescence resonance energy transfer from tryptophan in human serum albumin to a bioactive indoloquinolizine system

The interaction between a bioactive molecule, 3-acetyl-4-oxo-6,7-dihydro-12H indolo-[2,3-a] quinolizine (AODIQ), with human serum albumin (HSA) has been studied using steady-state absorption and fluorescence techniques. A 1:1 complex formation has been established and the binding constant (K) and free energy change for the process have been reported. The AODIQ-HSA complex results in fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) from the tryptophan moiety of HSA to the probe. The critical energy-transfer distance (R ₀) for FRET and the Stern-Volmer constant (K _sv) for the fluorescence quenching of the donor in the presence of the acceptor have been determined. Importantly, K _SV has been shown to be equal to the binding constant itself, implying that the fluorescence quenching arises only from the FRET process. The study suggests that the donor and the acceptor are bound to the same protein at different locations but within the quenching distance.     

Anionic Conjugated Polyelectrolytes for FRET-based Imaging of Cellular Membrane Potential

We report a Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based imaging ensemble for the visualization of membrane potential in living cells. A water-soluble poly(fluorene-cophenylene) conjugated polyelectrolyte (FsPFc10) serves as a FRET donor to a voltage-sensitive dye acceptor (FluoVolt^™). We observe FRET between FsPFc10 and FluoVolt^™, where the enhancement in FRET-sensitized emission from FluoVolt^™ is measured at various donor/acceptor ratios. At a donor/acceptor ratio of 1, the excitation of FluoVolt^™ in a FRET configuration results in a three-fold enhancement in its fluorescence emission (compared to when it is excited directly). FsPFc10 efficiently labels the plasma membrane of HEK 293T/17 cells and remains resident with minimal cellular internalization for ~ 1.5 h. The successful plasma membrane-associated colabeling of the cells with the FsPFc10-FluoVolt^™ donor-acceptor pair is confirmed by dual-channel confocal imaging. Importantly, cells labeled with FsPFc10 show excellent cellular viability with no adverse effect on cell membrane depolarization. During depolarization of membrane potential, HEK 293T/17 cells labeled with the donor-acceptor FRET pair exhibit a greater fluorescence response in FluoVolt^™ emission relative to when FluoVolt^™ is used as the sole imaging probe. These results demonstrate the conjugated polyelectrolyte to be a new class of membrane labeling fluorophore for use in voltage sensing schemes.     

Super-resolution microscopy of lipid bilayer phases

Sub-diffraction optical imaging with nanometer resolution of lipid phase-separated regions is reported. Merocyanine 540, a probe whose fluorescence is sensitive to the lipid phase, is combined with super-resolution imaging to distinguish the liquid- and gel-phase nanoscale domains of lipid bilayers supported on glass. The monomer-dimer equilibrium of MC540 in membranes is deemed responsible for the population difference of single-molecule fluorescence bursts in the different phase regions. The extension of this method to other binary or ternary lipid models or natural systems provides a promising new super-resolution strategy.     

Retention prediction in ternary solvent reversed-phase liquid chromatography systems based on the variation of retention with binary mobile phase composition

An extension of the treatment adopted in a recent paper [P. Nikitas, A. Pappa-Louisi, P. Agrafiotou, J. Chromatogr. A 946 (2002) 33] was used to derive expressions describing the variation of solute retention k with composition in ternary reversed phase liquid chromatography, RP-LC, solvent systems. The equation of the partition model obtained in this way for a ternary mobile phase was identical to that previously derived using the solubility parameter concept. This equation as well as two new expressions of In k versus organic modifiers content were tested in a variety of ternary solvent systems in order to examine the possibility of predicting retention behavior of solutes under ternary solvent mixture elution conditions from known retention characteristics in binary mobile phases. It was demonstrated the superiority of both new equations derived in this paper to that previously proposed and applied to date in ternary solvent mixtures.     

On the mechanism of photoinduced phase transitions in ternary liquid crystal systems near thermal equilibrium

According to their phase diagram, polyalkyl glycol ether dissolved in ternary solutions (water, alcane, and cyclohexane) lead to the formation of either liquid crystal phases or microemulsion phases. By photosensitization of the ternary system with laser dyes and choosing the adequate concentration and temperature conditions of these lyotropic systems, it is possible to photoinduce the phase transitions from the microemulsion phase to the liquid crystal phase (and vice versa). The phototransformation conditions were chosen in such a way that the system is in thermal equilibrium during the entire phase transition. The method of photo small angle x-ray scattering has been applied to investigate the mechanism of photoinduced phase transition. Spectroscopically, the mechanism of photoinduced phase transition has been characterized by optical absorption and emission techniques.     

Novel phase behaviour in two (smectic/cholesteric) liquid crystal mixtures

The phase behaviours of mixed liquid crystal systems having either Sm/N or Sm/Ch properties have been studied. The (smectic/nematic) binary system formed smectic phases over a wide and much enhanced range of temperature (42 C) and a broad concentration range (0-90 wt %). The ternary smectic/cholesteric system, in appropriate concentration ranges, exhibited the smectic A phase, a TGBA-like twist grain boundary A phase, the cholesteric phase and blue phases. The TGBA-like phase appeared in the cholesteric-smectic phase transition range. Three textures (chiral pitch, fan-shaped and scale-like) for the cholesteric phase of the ternary smectic/cholesteric mixtures were observed in the ranges 0-7, 7-43 and 43 wt % respectively, of cholesteric CB15, in a binary Sm/N mixture.     

Fluorescence resonance energy transfer in gaseous, mass-selected polyproline peptides

Despite the many successes of mass spectrometry in the analysis of biological samples, the need to better understand the correlation between condensed-phase properties and those of electrospray species remains. In particular, the link between structures in the condensed phase and in the gaseous environment of the mass spectrometer is still elusive. Here, we show that fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) can be used to probe the conformations of gaseous biopolymers which are formed by electrospray ionization (ESI) and manipulated in a quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometer. A rhodamine dye pair suitable for gas-phase FRET is characterized. Both steady state spectra and lifetime measurements are used to monitor energy transfer in a series of dye-labeled polyproline-based peptides. FRET efficiency is explored as a function of peptide chain length and charge state. For the peptide with eight proline repeats, virtually complete energy transfer is observed. For the peptide with 14 proline repeats, energy transfer decreases as the charge state increases, consistent with Coulomb repulsion induced elongation of the peptide backbone. FRET measurements of the longest peptide examined, which has 20 proline repeats, indicates that the peptide adopts a bent configuration. Evidence for multiple conformations present within the ensemble of trapped ions is provided by fluorescence lifetime measurements. Gas-phase FRET measurements promise to be a new route to probe the conformations of large gaseous ions.     

High-resolution mapping of phase behavior in a ternary lipid mixture: do lipid-raft phase boundaries depend on the sample preparation procedure?

For some time now, we have been using a fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based strategy to conduct high-resolution studies of phase behavior in ternary lipid-raft membrane mixtures. Our FRET experiments can be carried out on ordinary, polydisperse multilamellar vesicle suspensions, so we are able to prepare our samples according to a procedure that was designed specifically to guard against artifactual phase separation. In some respects (i.e., the number and nature of two-phase regions observed), our phase diagrams are consistent with those in previously published reports. However, in other respects (i.e., overall size of miscibility gaps, phase boundary locations and their dependence on temperature), there are clear differences. Here, we present FRET data taken in dioleoylphosphatidylcholine/dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine/cholesterol (DOPC/DPPC/Chol) mixtures at 25.0, 35.0, and 45.0 degrees C. Comparisons between our results and previously reported phase boundaries suggest that lipid-raft mixtures may be particularly susceptible to demixing effects during sample preparation.     

Influence of solid surface on equilibria in polymer mixtures

The influence of solid disperse particles (aerosil) on phase equilibria in ternary (polymer-polymer-solvent) and binary (polymer-polymer) systems has been investigated using adsorption and gas chromatography techniques. The change in position and shape of the binodal for the ternary systems has been established. The region of thermodynamic compatibility of two polymers in a common solvent is broadened due to the selective adsorption of high molecular weight fraction of one of the polymers, this effect being dependent on the amount of solid particles introduced into the system. For binary systems, the thermodynamic interaction parameters χ₂₃ have been determined and increasing thermodynamic stability of the mixture in the presence of the solid phase has been discovered. The complicated dependences of the interaction parameters on mixture composition are connected with differences in selectivity of adsorption for various compositions. It is supposed that increased thermodynamic stability of a mixture of two incompatible polymers in the presence of solid is due to the transition of both polymers into adsorption and border layers.     

Separation of systems based on uranium hexafluoride and some of halogen fluorides

The purpose of this paper is to present the results of the comprehensive study of the phase equilibriums liquid-solid and liquid-vapour in binary and ternary systems, formed by uranium hexafluoride, bromine trifluoride and iodine pentafluoride.Investigation of the phase equilibriums in condensed systems is done by methods of differential thermoanalysis and visual polythermal analysis. All systems belong to simple eutectics; formation of the compounds is not detected. For all systems under investigation diagrams of the phase equilibrium liquid-solid are plotted.Phase equilibriums liquid-vapour in studied systems were studied by statistical method. All systems are non-aseotropic. The article presents diagrams of the phase equilibrium liquid-vapour in binary systems, pressure of the saturated vapour dependences on liquid composition, surface of the boiling liquid and lines of the constant content of uranium hexafluoride and iodine pentafluoride in vapour phase of the ternary system UF₆-BrF₃-IF₅.     

Optimization of a multisolvent composition in RP-HPLC: Convenient criterion for preliminary search for the best eluent strength

Summary Interpretive methods are very commonly used to direct the search for the optimum solvent composition. For multisolvent systems, the composition search space is often reduced to one straight line (ternary systems with two organic modifiers), three straight lines (three ternary systems with each possible pair of the organic modifiers of the tetrahedron) — or a plane delimited by a triangle (quaternary systems inside the solvent tetrahedron). In each case, the space is restricted by binary compositions of equal solvent strength, in such a way that through it, the analysis time remains approximately constant. This restricted space is defined without taking into account any selectivity criterion between peaks, and consequently, if a given pair of peaks is badly resolved with the considered binary solvents, the probability of any mixture of them improving the peak selectivity will be very low. The ability to calculate the retention models in a binary solvent system from two linear gradient runs, allows the prediction of the selectivity for each pair of solutes into each binary solvent system (ACN/Water, MeOH/Water, THF/Water) from six preliminary linear gradient runs, and then, to determine and eliminate all the sets of isoeluotropic binary compositions that will offer little hope of giving useful separation conditions with multisolvent systems and, at the same time, to select the most promising set of binary compositions. The selectivity and the total time of the chromatogram are the two parameters that are considered for this search. When several possiblities are found, priority is given to the simplest solvent system (binary rather than ternary and ternary rather than quaternary). Reducing the number of preliminary experiments and improving the accuracy of the predicted optimum are the two objectives of this approach. Its practical interest is discussed by comparing the results obtained for an illustrative separation to those obtained with another existing method.