含AQP仿生膜在水处理中的应用

水通道蛋白(aquaporin, AQP)是一种对水分子具有高选择性和渗透性的跨膜蛋白。近几年来,含AQP的仿生膜有望克服传统膜材料通量与截留率之间的上限平衡问题,因此,它在海水淡化和水处理领域的应用吸引了越来越多研究者的关注。本文对含AQP仿生渗透膜的制备方法及性能进行了综述,分别介绍了含AQP双层膜结构仿生膜和封装含AQP囊泡的仿生膜这两大类膜结构所对应的不同制备方法。同时,对含AQP仿生膜中膜结构的组成方式、装载AQP蛋白的囊泡材料、制膜过程中的操作条件等因素对膜结构和性能的影响进行了探究讨论。综合文中所述不同膜的膜性能,得出现阶段含AQP仿生膜还存在着膜面积小、膜机械强度不够高、AQP装载量较低及易受外界因素影响的缺陷,并提出在克服膜缺陷的同时寻找其他仿生水通道及离子通道的思路,使未来仿生膜获得更宽阔的发展道路。     

框架核酸在蛋白精确组装中的应用

除了作为遗传信息的载体,DNA所展现出的特殊的材料性能引起了广泛关注。基于碱基互补配对原则的精确性和可编程性使得核酸纳米结构的构建逐步从一维单链发展到二维平面以及三维立体结构。计算机辅助工具的进步也促进了各种大小和形状的DNA纳米结构的自动化设计,而近年来构建的“框架核酸（Framework Nucleic Acids, FNAs）”为生物大分子纳米尺度上的精确排列提供了新方法,其固有的生物学功能以及可定制的特性使得其在物理,化学和生物等领域具有十分广阔的应用前景。本综述阐述了精确自组装的框架核酸的概念,并概述了框架核酸在蛋白精确组装等领域的最新进展。我们重点论述了框架核酸的优势所带来的对蛋白空间排布及其性能的调控能力,讨论了该领域存在的挑战,并对该领域的发展机遇进行了展望。     

孔蛋白-磷脂仿生膜的葡萄糖氧化酶电化学

采用孔蛋白（MspA）和双肉豆蔻磷脂酰胆碱（DMPC）在玻碳（GC）基底表面成功构建有仿生特性的纳米通道膜,同时将葡萄糖氧化酶（GOD）修饰于膜上. 使用循环伏安法研究GOD/MspA-DMPC/GC电极的GOD直接电化学过程以及其对氧气和葡萄糖的响应. 研究发现,MspA与DMPC形成的仿生纳米通道膜内,GOD在接近生物体系FAD/FADH标准电位处实现了自身两质子、两电子表面控制的电化学反应. MspA与DMPC的仿生纳米通道膜体系为GOD提供了理想活性环境.     

质谱技术在核酸研究领域的应用

质谱技术具有快速、准确、灵敏度高等优点,近年来在生物分析方面得到了广泛的应用.核酸作为生命的基本物质,一直是生命领域的研究热点,进展日新月异.而质谱方法也成为了科学家研究核酸的强有力工具,具有广阔的发展前景.本文介绍了核酸检测的质谱技术,并简要综述了质谱在核酸的高级结构研究、与小分子相互作用、DNA损伤与修饰等领域的应用,重点介绍了中国学者的研究成果.     

基于贻贝仿生化学的分离功能材料

贻贝仿生的表面化学是近年来材料学、化学、生物医学等领域的交叉研究热点。多巴胺可以作为贻贝足丝蛋白(Mfp)超强黏附特性的模型分子,通过复杂的氧化-自聚和组装,形成多种功能的聚多巴胺(PDA)纳米涂层和纳米粒子,在分离膜、吸附材料、生物医用材料、生物黏结剂等领域有着广阔的应用前景。本研究小组近年来持续开展了基于贻贝仿生化学的分离功能材料制备与结构调控的研究工作,率先将多巴胺表面沉积方法应用于多孔分离膜表面的构建与功能化,提出了多巴胺的自聚-沉积过程模型,进而验证了PDA沉积层的纳滤分离特性,建立了一条简单方便的膜表面功能化与纳滤膜制备新途径。本文主要对基于贻贝仿生化学的分离功能材料,特别是分离膜的研究进展进行综述,并对将来的发展趋势进行展望。     

框架核酸高通量检测芯片

构建了一种基于框架核酸的高通量生物检测芯片.利用超微量移液自动化平台,将包含框架核酸探针的液滴按照预设命令固定至生物芯片微阵列上,在探针捕获核酸靶标后利用集成的基因芯片扫描仪对芯片进行成像,通过分析荧光强度定量化分析靶标浓度.结果表明,此框架核酸芯片能够实现框架核酸探针的高通量制备, 24 h即可制备具有15万个点的微阵列,且点间距离的相对偏差W≤10%、荧光强度的变异系数CV=3.30%,具有较高的稳定性,远高于国家标准.此外,该芯片具备高灵敏度、可寻址的高通量生物分析能力,对核酸靶标的检测限可达100 pmol/L.随着多种探针技术的发展,生物检测微阵列技术在高通量生物分析领域展示出巨大的潜力.     

有机-无机复合多孔膜制备与应用

日益严重的水污染问题引起了越来越多的科学家对水处理技术,特别是新型的分离膜材料及其分离技术的关注。有机-无机复合分离膜因同时具备有机聚合物与无机物的特点而逐渐成为研究的热点之一。本文综述了近年来有机-无机复合多孔膜研究领域的主要进展。在材料制备方面,着重介绍了基于本体掺杂过程(膜相镶嵌模型)与基于界面复合过程(界面复合模型)制备的有机-无机复合膜,其制备方法包括共混法、原位生成法、表面化学修饰、原子层沉积和仿生矿化法等。在实际应用方面,本文介绍了有机-无机复合膜在抗污染、抗菌、油水分离、催化、吸附、电池隔膜及酶固定化领域的应用。随着膜科学的进一步发展,具有多功能与高性能的分离膜将成为研究的主要方向,而具有更高表面无机覆盖率的“界面复合模型”将成为较优的复合膜构建策略。     

核酸适体偶联药物的生物偶联构建技术与应用

核酸适体被称为“化学抗体”, 具有与抗体类似或更加优异的特异性和亲和力, 可以精准地靶向靶蛋白, 与靶蛋白特异性结合. 此外, 核酸适体还具有获取简单、 合成简便、 易于进行化学修饰、 不易变性、 靶标范围广、 免疫原性低及细胞内化快等优点, 已被广泛应用于众多研究领域. 在癌症治疗领域, 核酸适体作为一种优异的靶向识别工具和药物递送载体, 可实现抗肿瘤药物的精准递送. 将核酸适体与药物分子偶联, 可通过核酸适体的靶向作用使药物分子随核酸适体共同进入靶细胞, 实现药物分子在靶细胞内的富集, 进而促进靶细胞的死亡. 近年来, 核酸适体偶联药物已成为癌症靶向治疗的前沿新兴领域, 希望通过该领域的深入研究为癌症靶向治疗领域提供新思路. 本文综合评述了以生物偶联技术构建的核酸适体偶联药物及其应用研究.     

仿生学与天然蜘蛛丝仿生材料

采用仿生学原理, 设计、合成并制备新型仿生材料是近年来快速发展的研究领域. 天然蜘蛛丝是一种生物蛋白弹性体纤维, 具有高比强度(约为钢铁的5倍)、优异弹性(约为芳纶的10倍)和坚韧性(断裂能为所有纤维中最高), 为自然界产生最好的结构和功能材料之一, 它在航空航天、军事、建筑及医学等领域表现出广阔应用前景. 受自然界蜘蛛丝启发, 天然蜘蛛丝仿生材料的研究迎来了机遇, 同时也给人们展示了许多新颖的仿生设计方法. 本文从不同仿生学角度综述了天然蜘蛛丝仿生材料的发展, 并提出了一些看法和思考.     

高分子分离膜表面的糖基化

高分子分离膜表面的糖基化立足于仿生膜表面的构建，通过多种方法在膜材料表面引入糖基，将膜的分离性能与糖的生物功能相结合，形成具有复合功能的统一体．本文分别从糖基化方法和糖基化膜材料的应用两方面对高分子分离膜表面糖基化工程的研究现状和进展进行了总结．     

The Remarkable Effect of Halogen Substitution on the Membrane Transport of Fluorescent Molecules in Living Cells

Small‐molecule‐based fluorescent probes have become important tools in biology for sensing and imaging applications. However, the biological applications of many of the fluorescent molecules are hampered by low cellular uptake and high toxicity. In this paper, we show for the first time that the introduction of halogen atoms enhances the cellular uptake of fluorescent molecules and the nature of halogen atoms plays a crucial role in the plasma membrane transport in mammalian cells. The remarkably higher uptake of iodinated compounds compared to that of their chloro or bromo analogues suggests that the strong halogen bonding ability of iodine atoms may play an important role in the membrane transport. This study provides a novel strategy for the transport of fluorescent molecules across the plasma membrane in living cells.     

Molecular imaging of membrane proteins and microfilaments using atomic force microscopy

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is an emerging technique for a variety of uses involving the analysis of cells. AFM is widely applied to obtain information about both cellular structural and subcellular events. In particular, a variety of investigations into membrane proteins and microfilaments were performed with AFM. Here, we introduce applications of AFM to molecular imaging of membrane proteins, and various approaches for observation and identification of intracellular microfilaments at the molecular level. These approaches can contribute to many applications of AFM in cell imaging.     

Functional Xeno Nucleic Acids for Biomedical Application

Functional nucleic acids(FNAs) refer to a type of oligonucleotides with functions over the traditional genetic roles of nucleic acids, which have been widely applied in screening, sensing and imaging fields. However, the potential application of FNAs in biomedical field is still restricted by the unsatisfactory stability, biocompatibility, biodistribution and immunity of natural nucleic acids(DNA/RNA). Xeno nucleic acids(XNAs) are a kind of nucleic acid analogues with chemically modified sugar groups that possess improved biological properties, including improved biological stability, increased binding affinity, reduced immune responses, and enhanced cell penetration or tissue specificity. In the last two decades, scientists have made great progress in the research of functional xeno nucleic acids, which makes it an emerging attractive biomedical application material. In this review, we summarized the design of functional xeno nucleic acids and their applications in the biomedical field.     

细胞内原位纳米催化在疾病诊断与治疗中的应用

纳米催化剂因其经济、 稳定以及可量产等优势, 实现了细胞内原位催化反应, 为分子水平人工调控细胞功能提供了可能. 人工纳米催化剂优异的催化性能使其在不同生理和病理条件下成功用于诊断成像和治疗. 本文综合评述了具有天然酶活性的纳米催化剂在癌症和氧化应激治疗以及基于纳米催化剂介导的细胞内原位催化反应的精准诊断成像方面的主要研究进展, 并对纳米催化剂在未来生物医药领域应用中面临的挑战和机遇进行了展望.     

Biological applications of scanning electrochemical microscopy: chemical imaging of single living cells and beyond

Recent applications of scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) to studies of single biological cells are reviewed. This scanning probe microscopic technique allows the imaging of an individual cell on the basis of not only its surface topography but also such cellular activities as photosynthesis, respiration, electron transfer, single vesicular exocytosis and membrane transport. The operational principles of SECM are also introduced in the context of these biological applications. Recent progress in techniques for high-resolution SECM imaging are also reviewed. Future directions, such as single-channel detection by SECM, high-resolution imaging with nanometer-sized probes, and combined SECM techniques for multidimensional imaging are also discussed.     

Mechanosensing using drag force for imaging soft biological membranes

We investigate physical processes taking place during nanoscale mechanosensing of soft biological membranes in liquid environments. Examples include tapping mode imaging by atomic force microscope (AFM) and microscopy based on the Brownian motion of a nanoparticle in an optical-tweezers-controlled trap. The softness and fluidity of the cellular membrane make it difficult to accurately detect (i.e., image) the shape of the cell using traditional mechanosensing methods. The aim of the reported work is to theoretically evaluate whether the drag force acting on the nanoscale mechanical probe due to a combined effect of intra- and extracellular environments can be exploited to develop a new imaging mode suitable for soft cellular interfaces. We approach this problem by rigorous modeling of the fluid mechanics of a complex viscoelastic biosystem in which the probe sensing process is intimately coupled to the membrane biomechanics. The effects of the probe dimensions and elastic properties of the membrane as well as intra- and extracellular viscosities are investigated in detail to establish the structure and evolution of the fluid field as well as the dynamics of membrane deformation. The results of numerical simulations, supported by predictions of the scaling analysis of forces acting on the probe, suggest that viscous drag is the dominant force dictating the probe dynamics as it approaches a biological interface. The increase in the drag force is shown to be measurable, to scale linearly with an increase in the viscosity ratio of the fluids on either side of the membrane, and to be inversely proportional to the probe-to-membrane distance. This leads to the postulation of a new strategy for lipid membrane imaging by AFM or other mechanosensing methods using a variation in the maximum drag force as an indicator of the membrane position.     

Complexes in context: attempting to control the cellular uptake and localisation of rhenium fac-tricarbonyl polypyridyl complexes

Transition metal lumophores are now well established as agents for cell imaging, but we are still not able to predict generally and with confidence their cellular localisation, or, for that matter, their uptake efficiencies. While many such complexes have been shown to illuminate cells, genuine applications in biomedical research will only be developed when their uptake and localisation are better understood. This perspective is not a comprehensive review of luminescence, but is an overview of attempts to control uptake and localisation, focussing on a personal account of this group's development of imaging agents based on the Re(CO)(3) bipyridine core, and our attempts to understand and control their cellular behaviour.     

Recent progress in gold nanoparticle-based biosensing and cellular imaging

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have been extensively used in optical biosensing and bioimaging due to the unique optical properties. Biological applications including biosensing and cellular imaging based on optical properties of AuNPs will be reviewed in the paper. The content will focus on detection principles, advantages and challenges of these approaches as well as recent advances in this field.     

One‐Pot Synthesis of Highly Luminescent Carbon Quantum Dots and Their Nontoxic Ingestion by Zebrafish for In Vivo Imaging

Photoluminescent carbon and/or silicon‐based nanodots have attracted ever increasing interest. Accordingly, a myriad of synthetic methodologies have been developed to fabricate them, which unfortunately, however, frequently involve relatively tedious steps, such as initial surface passivation and subsequent functionalization. Herein, we describe a green and sustainable synthetic strategy to combine these procedures into one step and to produce highly luminescent carbon quantum dots (CQDs), which can also be easily fabricated into flexible thin films with intense luminescence for future roll‐to‐roll manufacturing of optoelectronic devices. The as‐synthesized CQDs exhibited enhanced cellular permeability and low or even noncytotoxicity for cellular applications, as corroborated by confocal fluorescence imaging of HeLa cells as well as cell viability measurements. Most strikingly, zebrafish were directly fed with CQDs for in vivo imaging, and mortality and morphologic analysis indicated ingestion of the CQDs posed no harm to the living organisms. Hence, the multifunctional CQDs potentially provide a rich pool of tools for optoelectronic and biomedical applications.     

Pre-clinical whole-body fluorescence imaging: Review of instruments,methods and applications

Fluorescence sampling of cellular function is widely used in all aspects of biology, allowing the visualization of cellular and sub-cellular biological processes with spatial resolutions in the range from nanometers up to centimeters. Imaging of fluorescence in vivo has become the most commonly used radiological tool in all pre-clinical work. In the last decade, full-body pre-clinical imaging systems have emerged with a wide range of utilities and niche application areas. The range of fluorescent probes that can be excited in the visible to near-infrared part of the electromagnetic spectrum continues to expand, with the most value for in vivo use being beyond the 630 nm wavelength, because the absorption of light sharply decreases. Whole-body in vivo fluorescence imaging has not yet reached a state of maturity that allows its routine use in the scope of large-scale pre-clinical studies. This is in part due to an incomplete understanding of what the actual fundamental capabilities and limitations of this imaging modality are. However, progress is continuously being made in research laboratories pushing the limits of the approach to consistently improve its performance in terms of spatial resolution, sensitivity and quantification. This paper reviews this imaging technology with a particular emphasis on its potential uses and limitations, the required instrumentation, and the possible imaging geometries and applications. A detailed account of the main commercially available systems is provided as well as some perspective relating to the future of the technology development. Although the vast majority of applications of in vivo small animal imaging are based on epi-illumination planar imaging, the future success of the method relies heavily on the design of novel imaging systems based on state-of-the-art optical technology used in conjunction with high spatial resolution structural modalities such as MRI, CT or ultrasound.