鞘氨醇与DPPC, DPPE单层膜的热力学特性及形态观察

鞘氨醇(sphingosine)是生物体内合成鞘脂的母体化合物, 是生物膜中的重要组分之一. 通过分析表面压力和平均分子面积(π-A)等温线数据分别研究了鞘氨醇与二棕榈酰基磷脂酰胆碱(DPPC)和二棕榈酰基磷脂酰乙醇胺(DPPE)二元组分单层膜的热力学特性, 并在恒定膜压下制备不同摩尔比例的混合脂膜用原子力显微镜进行观测. 实验结果表明: (1)鞘氨醇与DPPC组成的系统中, XD-Sph＝0.2, 0.4, 0.6时, 过量分子面积与过量吉布斯自由能在所研究的表面压力下表现为负值, 而当XD-Sph＝0.8时, 表现为正值; (2)鞘氨醇与DPPE组成的系统中, 当表面压力 π＜25 mN•m－1时, 过量分子面积与过量吉布斯自由能在所研究的组分比例下表现为负值, 当π≥25 mN•m－1时为正值. 混合单层膜的分子面积与表面吉布斯自由能决定了分子间的相互作用, 当为负值时分子间相互作用表现为吸引力, 出现凝聚现象; 为正值时分子间相互作用表现为排斥力, 促使单层膜出现相分离现象. 过量吉布斯自由能值越小, 单层膜的热稳定性越高. 弹性系数曲线分析和AFM图片观测进一步验证了理论分析的结果.     

乌苏酸/DPPC 混合单层膜相互作用的研究

乌苏酸(UA)为五环三萜羧基酸类化合物, 是一种中药有效成分. 它进入细胞的过程与膜脂分子有密切关系. 选用生物膜系统中的膜脂分子二棕榈酰基磷脂酰胆碱(DPPC)为代表, 通过LB(Langmuir-Blodgett)膜技术获得乌苏酸与DPPC 混合单层膜的表面压力/平均分子面积(π-A)曲线. 分析了混合单层膜的平均和过量分子面积、弹性系数等热力学参量, 并用原子力显微镜进行了研究. 比较了乌苏酸/DPPC 与胆固醇/DPPC 混合单层膜的异同. 实验结果表明: 乌苏酸能促使DPPC 的凝聚; 乌苏酸/DPPC 两组分的物质的量比与混合单层膜的膜压对单层膜的压缩性、稳定性和热力学特性有影响, 对单层膜中不同组分间的混合性以及分子间的相互作用具有重要的影响.     

胆固醇与磷脂酰乙醇胺/磷脂酰胆碱混合膜的热力学特性及其单层膜形态的AFM观察

研究了不同比例下胆固醇(Chol)对磷脂酰乙醇胺/磷脂酰胆碱(PE/PC,1∶1物质的量比)混合膜的影响,并在表面压力-平均分子面积(π-A曲线)等温线基础上,通过对过量平均分子面积(ΔAex)和过量吉布斯自由能(ΔGex)的计算分析,研究了不同比例Chol与PE/PC(1∶1物质的量比)三元混合膜的热力学特性.实验结果表明:Chol在一定程度上加速了混合膜的相变,增强了膜的凝聚性;当XChol=0.2,0.6,0.8时,过量平均分子面积和过量吉布斯自由能在所研究的表面压力下都为负值,分子之间相互作用力表现为引力,促使混合膜的凝聚,而在XChol=0.4时,过量平均分子面积和过量吉布斯自由能在15,20,25,30 mN/m下为正值,分子之间相互作用力表现为斥力,促使熵的增加,并且在20 mN/m压力下出现极值.实验中利用LB膜技术制备了不同比例Chol与PE/PC(1∶1物质的量比)混合膜,并在原子力显微镜下对其结构形态进行了观测.     

磷酯酰乙醇胺与硬脂酸和十八醇二元混合体系单层膜的热力学特性和AFM观测

利用表面压力-平均分子面积(π-A)曲线的关系, 分别研究了在水/空气界面上形成的磷酯酰乙醇胺(PE)与硬脂酸(SA)和十八醇(OD)二元混合体系的热力学特性. 根据对弹性模量(C_S^-1)、过量分子面积(A_ex)以及表面过量吉布斯自由能(ΔG_ex)等热力学参数的数据计算, 定量分析了混合单层膜分子之间的相互作用. 实验结果表明, PE/SA和PE/OD单层膜两种组分之间摩尔比对其热力学参数有影响. 热力学分析表明, 在X_SA=0.2, 0.8和X_OD=0.8处, PE/SA和PE/OD二元混合体系的热力学参数[过量分子面积(A_ex)和表面过量吉布斯自由能(ΔGex)]相对理想状态均表现为负偏差作用, 说明分子之间的作用为引力作用. 相反, PE/OD二元体系在X_OD=0.2, 0.4, 0.6处, 表现为正偏差作用, 这说明分子之间的作用为斥力作用. AFM观测为PE/SA和PE/OD单层膜热力学特性的理论分析提供了有力的支持.     

Friction force microscopy of self-assembled monolayers: probing molecular organisation at the nanometre scale

The basic principles behind friction force microscopy are described. Applications of friction force microscopy to self-assembled monolayers are reviewed. Work in the author’s laboratory on the frictional properties of self-assembled monolayers is described, and the findings applied in the characterisation of a much more complex material, plasma-treated polyester. Friction force microscopy is found to be a powerful tool for the analysis of the chemical composition and molecular organisation of molecular materials at the nanometre scale.     

Mixed alkaline phosphatase/sphingomyelin monolayer at the air-buffer interface: phase behavior and morphology

The glycosylphosphatidyl inositol(GPI)-anchored proteins are localized on the outer of the plasma membrane and clustered in membrane microdomain known as lipid rafts. Among them, mammalian alkaline phosphatase(AP) is an enzyme widely distributed. So, it has important biological significance to study the combination of AP with lipid monolayer. In our work, the interaction between AP and sphingomyelin has been studied at the air-buffer interface as a biomimetic membrane system by the Langmuir film technique and atomic force microscopy. The surface pressure-area isotherm for the mixed alkaline phosphatase/sphingomyelin monolayer shown the presence of a transition from a liquid-expanded phase to the liquid-expanded/liquidcondensed coexist phase. And the surface compressional modulus suggested the mixed alkaline phosphatase/sphingomyelin monolayer has larger compressibility compared with the pure sphingomyelin monolayer. Besides, according to the micrographs, we inferred when combined with lipid monolayer at the air-buffer interface, the AP molecules formed polymer not multilayer or micelle. And, according to the limiting molecules area of AP, we inferred that 12 AP molecules formed a hexagon polymer unit.     

胆固醇/两性霉素B混合单层膜相互作用的研究

两性霉素B (AmB)为多烯类抗真菌抗生素, 它的吸收过程与生物膜有密切联系. 选用生物膜中的重要分子胆固醇为代表, 通过Langmuir-Blodgett (LB)膜技术测得胆固醇/两性霉素B单层膜表面压力与平均分子面积(π-A)曲线, 定量分析了固定模压下的平均分子面积(A)、弹性模量(C_S^－1)、过量吉布斯自由能(ΔG_ex)等参量. 实验结果表明, 胆固醇/两性霉素B两组分物质的量比与膜压对单层膜的弹性、稳定性以及热力学特性有影响|通过单层膜相互作用参数α进一步佐证了组分间物质的量比和表面压力对混合单层膜稳定性、混合性以及分子间相互作用具有重要影响.     

AFM study on the adsorption and aggregation behavior of dissolved humic substances on mica

Humic substances (HS) are a category of naturally occurring, biogenic, heterogeneous organic materials found in or extracted from soils, sediments, and natu- ral waters that can generally be characterized as being yellow-to-black in color, of highly variable relative molecular masses, and refractory[1,2]. Derived from a variety of organic precursors (plant biopolymers such as lignin etc.), plant residues and animal debris via both transformation and synthesis processes[3] under the profound ge…     

Mapping of defects in self-assembled monolayers by polymer decoration

A new method mapping the defects in self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) is described. The method is based on electrochemical polymerisation of nonconductive tyramine in defect sites of a monolayer and subsequent visualisation of the polymer structures by atomic force microscopy (AFM). SAMs of hexadecanthiol (HDT) on gold prepared by deposition from solution and microcontact printing were used as a model for this study. The method allows easy mapping of defects on monolayers and provides information about their shape, size, size distribution, defect density and spatial distribution. Comparative electrochemical characterisation of defects in SAMs before and after polymerisation shows that polymer growth occurs on the sites of uncovered gold. The approach should be applicable for the characterisation of defects in other types of ultra-thin organic films on conducting surfaces.     

Association studies of tetramethylguanidinium perchlorate and tetramethylguanidinium chloride in ethanol solutions at 25°C

Practical osmotic coefficients of ethanol solutions of tetramethylguanidinium perchlorate and tetramethylguanidinium chloride were determined by the isopiestic method at 25°C. The relations for the concentration dependences of practical osmotic coefficients, mean molal activity coefficients of solutes and for the excess Gibbs free energies of solutions and partial molal excess Gibbs free energies of solutes and solvents are given in analytical form. The results obtained are compared with those reported previously; in the case of tetramethylguanidinium perchlorate with its aqueous and methanol solutions, in the case of tetramethylguanidinium chloride with its aqueous solutions. The non-ideal behavior of the systems investigated is discussed on the basis of the structure of solute species, as well as on the nature of the solvent.     

利用AFM和SNOM对淋巴细胞膜表面超微结构及其光学性质的初步研究

利用原子力显微镜(Atomic Force Microscopy，AFM)对淋巴细胞表面形貌进行了形态学的初步研究，观察到了其膜表面其他显微技术所不能发现的超微结构．同时也运用扫描近场光学显微镜(Scanning Near field Optical Microscopy，SNOM)对淋巴细胞进行成像，观察了其对光的透射、吸收等光学性质，并对两种成像方法进行了比较．研究发现：淋巴细胞膜表面凹凸不平，分布着大量直径几十到几百纳米不等的小颗粒；淋巴细胞中央部位有自发荧光现象．结果表明，AFM和SNOM可作为进一步探讨淋巴细胞的结构与功能关系的有力工具．     

Direct visualization of straw cell walls by AFM

The structural relationship of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin in plant cell walls is still a mystery needing to be explored. By using atomic force microscopy (AFM) the surface of straw at different layers was directly observed, and the structural characteristics were analyzed by topographic analysis and FT-IR spectra. It was found that a compact layer of wax covered the outside of the straw, which protects the straw from insects and microorganisms. At the boundary of the primary and second wall there appears a network structure of cellulose and hemicellulose, with some lignin localised on the surface of the network. It is consistent with the model of a cell wall suggested by Vincent. Inside the second cell wall, there is a layer mainly composed of a cellulose crystalline region. High-resolution AFM observation reveals that the crystalline structure consists of both triclinic and monoclinic unit cells. An AFM phase image showing the structural relation between cellulose microfibrils, hemicellulose, and lignin in the straw cell wall.     

On the Use of the Nanoindentation Unloading Curve to Measure the Young's Modulus of Polymers on a Nanometer Scale

Summary: The nanoindentation test is a fundamental tool to assess the link between morphology and mechanical properties. The preliminary results of a more exhaustive study about the applicability to polymers of the most used procedure to determine elastic modulus by indentation are reported in this short communication. A departure of the experimental conditions from the theoretical assumptions and results that give rise to the Oliver and Pharr analysis is shown to occur under a wide range of experimental conditions, with applied loads and penetration depths covering several orders of magnitude and using different indenter geometries. Unloading curves with exponents significantly larger than 2 are observed in disagreement with the contact mechanics approach used by Oliver and Pharr.

An AFM image obtained in non contact mode of an indentation induced by a sharp AFM tip with a maximum applied load of ca 1.2 µN on amorphous PET.     

Fabrication and Visualization of Metal‐Ion Patterns on Glass by Dip‐Pen Nanolithography

Fluorescent self‐assembled monolayers (SAMs) are used as dip‐pen nanolithography (DPN) substrates for the fabrication of patterns of Ca²⁺ and Cu²⁺ ions. The driving force for the transfer of these ions from an atomic force microscopy (AFM) tip to the surface is their complexation to organic ligands on the monolayer. By means of fluorescent surfaces, the patterns can be visualized under a fluorescence microscope. We use a custom‐built atomic force fluorescence microscope (AFFM), a combination of atomic force and confocal fluorescence microscopes, to deposit the metal ions onto the sensing SAMs by DPN and to subsequently visualize modulations of fluorescence intensity in a sequential write–read mode.     

Infinite dilution activity coefficients and gas-to-liquid partition coefficients of organic solutes dissolved in 1-sec-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide and in 1-tert-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide

Inverse gas chromatography was used to measure infinite dilution activity coefficients and gas-to-liquid partition coefficients for 48 organic solute probes in either 1-sec-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide or 1-tert-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide in the temperature range from 323.15 to 373.15 K. Partial molar excess enthalpies of solution were calculated from the variation of the infinite dilution activity coefficients with temperature. Abraham model correlations were also derived from the experimental partition coefficient data. The derived Abraham model correlations describe the observed partition coefficients to within 0.11 log units.     

Thermodynamic behavior and relaxation processes of mixed DPPC/cholesterol monolayers at the air/water interface

This study investigated the thermodynamic behavior and relaxation processes of mixed DPPC/cholesterol monolayers at the air/water interface at 37°C. Surface pressure–area isotherms and relaxation curves for the mixed monolayers were obtained by using a computer-controlled film balance. In the thermodynamic analysis of the mixed monolayers, the areas of monolayers exhibited negative deviations from the ideal values at all compositions for lower surface pressures. However, at higher surface pressures, distinctively positive deviations from ideality were observed at lower DPPC contents. Excess free energies of mixing had been calculated and the most stable state of the mixed monolayer with x_DPPC=0.5 or 0.6 was found. Moreover, the relaxation kinetics of the mixed monolayers was investigated by measuring the surface area as a function of time at a constant surface pressure of 40 mN m⁻¹. It was shown that the relaxation processes could be described by the models considering nucleation and growth mechanisms.     

Energy Landscape of Aptamer/Protein Complexes Studied by Single‐Molecule Force Spectroscopy

Aptamers are single‐stranded nucleic acid molecules selected in vitro to bind to a variety of target molecules. Aptamers bound to proteins are emerging as a new class of molecules that rival commonly used antibodies in both therapeutic and diagnostic applications. With the increasing application of aptamers as molecular probes for protein recognition, it is important to understand the molecular mechanism of aptamer–protein interaction. Recently, we developed a method of using atomic force microscopy (AFM) to study the single‐molecule rupture force of aptamer/protein complexes. In this work, we investigate further the unbinding dynamics of aptamer/protein complexes and their dissociation‐energy landscape by AFM. The dependence of single‐molecule force on the AFM loading rate was plotted for three aptamer/protein complexes and their dissociation rate constants, and other parameters characterizing their dissociation pathways were obtained. Furthermore, the single‐molecule force spectra of three aptamer/protein complexes were compared to those of the corresponding antibody/protein complexes in the same loading‐rate range. The results revealed two activation barriers and one intermediate state in the unbinding process of aptamer/protein complexes, which is different from the energy landscape of antibody/protein complexes. The results provide new information for the study of aptamer–protein interaction at the molecular level.