脂质体包裹荧光受体方法研究a-突触核蛋白在磷脂膜上的结构和动态特征

α-突触核蛋白(α-synuclein,α-syn)在帕金森病的发病机理中起着关键的作用,因而近年来受到了越来越广泛的关注.α-syn在膜上的动力学过程对理解其功能至关重要.本文使用基于脂质体的单分子荧光衰减方法——LipoFRET,首次对较高浓度下α-syn与磷脂膜的相互作用的动态过程进行了单分子层面上的研究.研究发现,在溶液中α-syn浓度升高时,其中央NAC区域可离开磷脂膜表面进入水相中;而N端部分位于膜表面内的位置变浅,并有更高的概率脱离膜表面进入溶液中.利用单分子荧光成像对α-syn解离的观察则发现,随着溶液中的α-syn浓度升高,脂质体上的α-syn解离速率加快.因此高浓度下,α-syn在膜上各区域垂直位置变化促进了蛋白从膜上的解离.结合LipoFRET的实验结果可以推断,α-syn的解离可能是由于不同的α-syn分子膜作用位点互相竞争而导致的解离.这样的特征,可能是体内环境中影响α-syn控制其聚集的重要性质.     

蜂毒肽与二元脂膜相互作用过程的单分子运动行为

蜂毒肽等抗菌肽可通过破坏细菌的细胞膜而直接杀灭细菌,因此它的杀菌功能具有高效、广谱和不易产生耐药性等特点,并被认为有望能从根本上解决目前正严重威胁人类健康的抗生素耐药性问题.然而,抗菌肽通过增强细胞膜的通透性来实现杀菌的分子机制至今尚不清楚.本文结合单分子荧光追踪技术和分子动力学模拟,从单分子运动的角度对蜂毒肽与二元脂质细胞膜的界面相互作用过程进行了研究.结果表明,相较于其他大多数脂分子而言、部分脂分子在膜内的扩散速率会由于蜂毒肽的吸附、聚集、插膜成孔等扰动行为发生显著降低;而蜂毒肽倾向于作用在多组分脂膜相畴的边界处,干扰并降低脂膜相分离的程度,进而降低相边界对脂质分子扩散运动的限制.本工作阐明了蜂毒肽的膜作用活性对脂分子运动行为和脂膜相行为的影响、以及三者之间的关联.这些结果对于从单分子运动行为的角度来探索抗菌肽生物活性的分子机制和开发新型抗菌药物具有重要的指导意义.     

蜂毒肽与单组分脂膜相互作用的单分子研究

近年来,单分子追踪技术的出现和发展为研究细胞膜界面生物学过程提供了一条新的途径,然而细胞膜内生物分子运动的异质性特征使得从大量分子轨迹中区分和分离不同的分子运动模式变得非常困难,迫切需要发展简单易行的分析方法.本文以蜂毒肽和单组分平板支撑脂膜的相互作用体系为例,发展了一种利用单分子运动位移标准差的频数分布来区分和分离不同运动模式脂分子的数据分析方法,提供了比传统基于位移或回旋半径频数分布的分析方法更高的准确度和更多的定量信息.利用该方法成功分离得到了脂分子在平板膜内的快慢两种运动状态,并发现其分布情况部分相符于脂分子在上下叶的位置分布;在不同浓度蜂毒肽的表面吸附或跨膜成孔作用的影响下,这两部分脂分子的运动受到了不同的干扰.本文针对生物膜体系内分子运动的复杂异质性特征发展了一种实现分子运动模式分离的数据分析方法,并利用此方法获得了蜂毒肽破膜成孔的不同阶段对脂膜上下叶的不同影响.该方法的开发将对利用单分子追踪技术研究生物体系动力学过程有重要帮助.     

分子组装体的谱学研究

红外光谱、拉曼光谱、荧光光谱、紫外可见吸收光谱等是研究结构的主要手段。由于振动光谱得到的是力常数的信息 ,因而可以直接获得分子内、分子间键的信息 ,电子光谱则可以获取体系电子结构的信息 ,因而是分子组装体研究的重要方法手段。然而分子光谱也有其自身的限制 ,由于需要了解单层膜、单层膜与基底、单层膜与多层膜之间相互作用的信息 ,这些体系由于样品量小、信号弱 ,因此需要建立相应的适用于分子组装体的高灵敏度的特殊检测方法和实验技术 ,并发展分析分子间弱相互作用的光谱分析理论。本文综述了吉林大学超分子结构与谱学开放实验室近几年在超薄膜谱学方面的研究工作和进展。     

Cu(100)表面CO分子单层膜的原子结构

利用第一性原理研究了覆盖度分别为1.00, 0.50和0.25 ML时CO分子单层膜在Cu(100)表面的吸附系统. 计算表明CO分子对不稳定. 获得了CO分子单层膜在虚拟Cu(100)表面的原子结构, 以及CO分子单层膜在Cu(100)表面吸附系统的原子结构. 当CO分子单层膜在Cu(100)表面的三个吸附位吸附, 覆盖度为1.00 ML时, 顶位和桥位都稳定, 而空心位不稳定; 覆盖度为0.50和0.25 ML时, 三个吸附位都稳定.比较吸附前后CO分子单层膜的原子结构, 可知CO分子和Cu(100)表面的相互作用强于CO分子单层膜之间的相互作用. 关键词： CO分子单层膜 自组装 CASTEP Cu(100)     

单分子尺度的光量子态调控与单分子电致发光研究

分子尺度上的光电相互作用研究可以为发展未来信息和能源技术提供科学基础.扫描隧道显微镜不仅可以用来观察和操纵纳米世界中的原子和分子,而且其高度局域化的隧穿电流还可以被用来激发隧道结中的分子,使之发光,以研究局域场下的分子光电特性.本文综述了中国科学技术大学单分子光电研究组近期在锌酞菁分子电致发光方面取得的科学进展,包括：1）利用有效的电子脱耦合与纳腔等离激元调控技术,实现了隧穿电子激发下的单个锌酞菁分子的电致荧光,并通过发展相关的光子发射统计测量方法,表征了单个分子在隧穿电子激发下的电致荧光具有单光子发射特性;2）发展了具有亚纳米空间分辨的荧光光谱成像技术,实现了对酞菁分子间相干偶极相互作用特征的实空间观察;3）对分子与纳腔等离激元之间的相干耦合作用进行了亚纳米精度的操控,在单分子水平上观察到了法诺共振和兰姆位移效应.这些研究结果不仅为研发基于有机分子的电泵纳米光源与单光子光源等分子光电器件提供了新的思路,而且为在单分子尺度上研究分子光电特性、分子间能量转移以及场与物质之间的相互作用规律等提供了新的表征方法.     

LB膜中聚集体的类型及其荧光特性研究

采用稳态和时间分辨芝光研究了不同类型的ＬＢ多层膜中分子聚集特性。在半花菁／花生酸交替膜中,花生酸层的隔离使得半花菁分子之间的相互作用主要发生在同一层中,形成Ｈ形成Ｈ聚集体,荧光光谱蓝移;在纯半花菁Ｙ型和Ｚ型膜中,较强的层间相互作用使分子形成Ｊ聚集体,导致荧光光谱发生显著红移。     

微腔中单分子对荧光共振能量转移光谱学的理论研究

生物大分子动态的结构变化能够使用单分子对荧光共振能量转移谱技术来研究.主要研究了微腔在单分子对共振能量转移实验中有效提高相应单分子对的荧光发射信号的作用,从而提高该技术的时间分辨率.研究发现.由于受体一微腔的强耦合相互作用,光学微腔使得受体分子变成了一个类似于单原子激光的激光体.此外,随着距离的增加.受体的光子数会很快下降.微腔使受体的发射光对单分子对间的距离有更大的依赖性,在腔体中进行单分子对共振能量转移实验町以得到更高的时间分辨率.研究结果为单分子对荧光共振能量转移技术提供了实验方法和理论指导.     

荧光显微镜研究极端pH值诱导磷脂支撑膜的侧向再组织

利用荧光显微镜研究了极端pH值诱导支撑磷脂双层膜的侧向再组织.结果表明,在强酸/强碱性溶液中,流动性较好的二油酰磷脂酰胆碱支撑膜出现破裂、分离、出芽或生出微管等与细胞内吞和外排相似的现象.基于极性分子与H+/H3O+或OH-的相互作用,以电中性的磷脂首基为核吸附溶液中的H+/H3O+或OH-.当磷脂膜上下叶吸附的电荷量不同时,引起两叶有效面积差,即磷脂膜曲率不对称,从而诱发磷脂膜出现各种结构和动力学的响应.本研究有助于理解极端环境对生物膜的影响,为研究生物膜的形变过程提供了参考.     

三种蛋白和黄酮结合物中氢键与黄酮稳定性相关性分析研究

运用三维荧光光谱、紫外可见分光光谱以及傅里叶红外光谱等手段研究了蛋白与黄酮分子的相互作用,并结合相关性分析的统计学手段分析了蛋白与黄酮分子相互作用方式对黄酮稳定性的影响。实验结果表明,疏水相互作用是三种蛋白与黄酮分子之间主要的作用力,在牛血清白蛋白与黄酮的结合中有氢键的参与,同时发现在牛血清白蛋白体系中黄酮的稳定性明显增强。通过相关性分析证明蛋白对黄酮稳定性的提高与两者之间的分子间氢键有关,氢键结合作用越强蛋白对黄酮保护越明显。     

多聚赖氨酸诱导的负电性磷脂巨囊泡形变

利用荧光显微技术表征了多聚赖氨酸诱导的负电性磷脂巨囊泡的动力学响应行为.研究发现,多聚赖氨酸可吸附至二油酰磷脂酰胆碱和二油酰磷脂酸混合磷脂巨囊泡的表面,诱导其发生粘连、出"绳"及破裂现象.分析认为,在低盐环境中,膜形变由多聚赖氨酸吸附于二油酰磷脂酸富集区引起的膜两叶应力不对称,以及静电相互作用等因素产生.研究结果对基于聚合物-巨囊泡体系的药物输运控释、细胞形变、微控反应和基因治疗等方面的研究提供有价值的支持.     

Vesicle dynamics in time-dependent elongation flow: wrinkling instability

We present experimental results on the relaxation dynamics of vesicles subjected to a time-dependent elongation flow. We observed and characterized a new instability, which results in the formation of higher-order modes of the vesicle shape (wrinkles), after a switch in the direction of the velocity gradient. This surprising generation of membrane wrinkles can be explained by the appearance of a negative surface tension during the vesicle deflation, which tunes itself to alternating stress. Moreover, the formation of buds in the vesicle membrane was observed in the vicinity of the dynamical transition point.     

电制备巨囊泡的方法和机理探索

利用倒置显微镜研究电制备巨囊泡,并分析其形成和成长的动力学机理.由于磷脂头部的电特性,电场对水化的磷脂双层的静电力促使磷脂膜内双层之间分离.在动力学的作用下,双层两叶的不对称受力引发其弯曲、出芽、膨胀、封闭以及相互融合.结果表明,电场参数、干磷脂膜的均匀性、缓冲液以及温度等因素影响巨囊泡的粒径、形状和稳定性.     

电制备巨囊泡的方法和机理探索

利用倒置显微镜研究电制备巨囊泡, 并分析其形成和成长的动力学机理. 由于磷脂头部的电特性, 电场对水化的磷脂双层的静电力促使磷脂膜内双层之间分离. 在动力学的作用下, 双层两叶的不对称受力引发其弯曲、出芽、膨胀、封闭以及相互融合. 结果表明, 电场参数、干磷脂膜的均匀性、缓冲液以及温度等因素影响巨囊泡的粒径、形状和稳定性.     

In vitro activation of mitochondria-caspase signaling pathway in sonodynamic therapy-induced apoptosis in sarcoma 180 cells

Sonodynamic therapy (SDT) has been shown to mediate apoptosis in many experimental systems, but the detailed mechanism of this process is unclear. In this study, we aim to investigate the potential participation of the mitochondria-caspase signaling pathway in the SDT-induced apoptosis in isolated sarcoma 180 (S180) cells. The cell suspension was treated with 1.75 MHz continuous ultrasound (US) at an acoustic intensity (I_SATA) of 1.4 W for 3 min in the absence or presence of 20 μg/ml hematoporphyrin (Hp). At different times after the SDT-treatment, the apoptotic cells were identified under a scanning electron microscope, and the apoptosis index (AI) was determined by flow cytometry. In addition, the mitochondrial membrane potential, permeabilization of the inner mitochondrial membrane, and translocation of apoptosis-related proteins were assessed by confocal microscopy. Simultaneously, the activation of some special apoptosis-associated proteins [caspase-9, caspase-3, polypeptide poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), and Bax] was evaluated by western blotting. Our results indicate that the ultrasonically activated Hp can cause obvious cell apoptosis (AI, 57.66%) at 3 h after treatment, and this effect can be significantly reduced by caspase-9 inhibitor (AI, 20.76%) and the oxygen scavenger NaN₃ (20.11%). However, the apoptosis induced by ultrasound alone was relatively lower (28.33%) and was not reduced by NaN₃. Further, SDT caused an 82.1% reduction in the mitochondrial membrane potential and a 70.7% reduction in the permeabilization of the inner mitochondrial membrane immediately after treatment, and these two effects were obviously prevented by NaN₃. In comparison with the control cells, the SDT-treated cells showed obvious cytochrome-c and Bax translocations, caspase activation, Bax expression, and PARP cleavage at 1 h after SDT-treatment. However, in the cells treated with ultrasound alone, these phenomena partially and weakly occurred 3 h after exposure. These results primarily showed that the mitochondria-caspase signaling pathway in S180 cells was activated in the US- and SDT-induced apoptosis. Moreover, Hp significantly accelerates the process of apoptosis and enhances the cytotoxic effect of ultrasonic treatment. Singlet oxygen may be responsible for the mitochondrial damage and the activation of the apoptotic signaling pathway.     

New insights on the role of ROS in the mechanisms of sonoporation-mediated gene delivery

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are hypothesized to play a role in the sonoporation mechanisms. Nevertheless, the acoustical phenomenon behind the ROS production as well as the exact mechanisms of ROS action involved in the increased cell membrane permeability are still not fully understood. Therefore, we investigated the key processes occurring at the molecular level in and around microbubbles subjected to ultrasound using computational chemistry methods. To confirm the molecular simulation predictions, we measured the ROS production by exposing SonoVue® microbubbles (MBs) to ultrasound using biological assays. To investigate the role of ROS in cell membrane permeabilization, cells were subjected to ultrasound in presence of MBs and plasmid encoding reporter gene, and the transfection level was assessed using flow cytometry. The molecular simulations showed that under sonoporation conditions, ROS can form inside the MBs. These radicals could easily diffuse through the MB shell toward the surrounding aqueous phase and participate in the permeabilization of nearby cell membranes. Experimental data confirmed that MBs favor spontaneous formation of a host of free radicals where HO was the main ROS species after US exposure. The presence of ROS scavengers/inhibitors during the sonoporation process decreased both the production of ROS and the subsequent transfection level without significant loss of cell viability. In conclusion, the exposure of MBs to ultrasound might be the origin of chemical effects, which play a role in the cell membrane permeabilization and in the in vitro gene delivery when generated in its proximity.     

Molecular dynamics simulation of interaction between nanorod and phospholipid molecules bilayer

Natural and artificially prepared nanorods' surfaces have proved to have good bactericidal effect and self-cleaning property. In order to investigate whether nanorods can kill the enveloped virus, like destroying bacterial cell, we study the interaction between nanorods and virus envelope by establishing the models of nanorods with different sizes as well as the planar membrane and vesicle under the Dry Martini force field of molecular dynamics simulation. The results show that owing to the van der Waals attraction between nanorods and the tail hydrocarbon chain groups of phospholipid molecules, the phospholipid molecules on virus envelope are adsorbed to nanorods on a large scale. This process will increase the surface tension of lipid membrane and reduce the order of lipid molecules, resulting in irreparable damage to planar lipid membrane. Nanorods with different diameters have different effects on vesicle envelope, the larger the diameter of nanorod, the weaker the van der Waals effect on the unit cross-sectional area is and the smaller the degree of vesicle deformation. There is synergy between the nanorods in the nanorod array, which can enhance the speed and scale of lipid adsorption. The vesicle adsorbed in the array are difficult to desorb, and even if desorbed, vesicle will be seriously damaged. The deformation rate of the vesicle adsorbed in the nanorod array exceeds 100%, implying that the nanorod array has a strong destructive effect on the vesicle. This preliminarily proves the feasibility of nanorod array on a surface against enveloped virus, and provides a reference for the design of corresponding nanorods surface.     

Key role of receptor density in colloid/cell specific interaction: a quantitative biomimetic study on giant vesicles

This paper presents an experimental study of the adsorption of colloids on model membranes mediated by specific ligand-receptor interactions. The colloids consist of lipid multilamellar liposomes (spherulites) functionalized with the B-subunit of Shiga Toxin (STxB), while the membranes are lipid Giant Unilamellar Vesicles (GUV) containing STxB lipid receptor, Globotriaosylceramide (Gb3). Through confocal microscopy and flow cytometry, we show the specificity of the adsorption. Moreover, we show that flow cytometry can be used to efficiently quantify the kinetics of colloid adsorption on GUVs with very good statistics. By varying the bulk colloid concentration and receptor density in the membrane, we point out the existence of an optimum Gb3 density for adsorption. We propose that this optimum corresponds to a transition between reversible colloid adsorption at low Gb3 density and irreversible adsorption, and likely spherulite fusion, at high density. We compare our results both to STxB-colloids adhering on living cells and to free STxB proteins interacting with GUVs containing Gb3. This biomimetic system could be used for a quantitative evaluation of the early stage of virus infection or drug delivery.     

Optical measurement of cell membrane tension

Using a novel noncontact technique based on optical interferometry, we quantify the nanoscale thermal fluctuations of red blood cells (RBCs) and giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs). The measurements reveal a nonvanishing tension coefficient for RBCs, which increases as cells transition from a discocytic shape to a spherical shape. The tension coefficient measured for GUVs is, however, a factor of 4-24 smaller. By contrast, the bending moduli for cells and vesicles have similar values. This is consistent with the cytoskeleton confinement model, in which the cytoskeleton inhibits membrane fluctuations [Gov et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 90, 228101, (2003).     

Vesicle self-reproduction: The involvement of membrane hydraulic and solute permeabilities

Conditions for self-reproduction are sought for a growing vesicle with its growth defined by an exponential increase of vesicle membrane area and by adequate flow of the solution across the membrane. In the first step of the presumed vesicle self-reproduction process, the initially spherical vesicle must double its volume in the doubling time of the membrane area and, through the appropriate shape transformations, attain the shape of two equal spheres connected by an infinitesimally thin neck. The second step involves separation of the two spheres and relies on conditions that cause the neck to be broken. In this paper we consider the first step of this self-reproduction process for a vesicle suspended in a solution whose solute can permeate the vesicle membrane. It is shown that vesicle self-reproduction occurs only for certain combinations of the values of membrane hydraulic and solute permeabilities and the external solute concentration, these quantities being related to the mechanical properties of the membrane and the membrane area doubling time. The analysis includes also the relaxation of a perturbed system towards stationary self-reproduction behavior and the case where the final shape consists of two connected spheres of different radii.