Towards high-throughput single cell/clone cultivation and analysis

In order to better understand cellular processes and behavior, a controlled way of studying high numbers of single cells and their clone formation is greatly needed. Numerous ways of ordering single cells into arrays have previously been described, but platforms in which each cell/clone can be addressed to an exact position in the microplate, cultivated for weeks and treated separately in a high-throughput manner have until now been missing. Here, a novel microplate developed for high-throughput single cell/clone cultivation and analysis is presented. Rapid single cell seeding into microwells, using conventional flow cytometry, allows several thousands of single cells to be cultivated, short-term (72 h) or long-term (10-14 days), and analyzed individually. By controlled sorting of individual cells to predefined locations in the microplate, analysis of single cell heterogeneity and clonogenic properties related to drug sensitivity can be accomplished. Additionally, the platform requires remarkably low number of cells, a major advantage when screening limited amounts of patient cell samples. By seeding single cells into the microplate it is possible to analyze the cells for over 14 generations, ending up with more than 10 000 cells in each well. Described here is a proof-of-concept on compartmentalization and cultivation of thousands of individual cells enabling heterogeneity analysis of various cells/clones and their response to different drugs.     

蛋白质的单分子包埋

单分子包埋是一种高效的蛋白质包埋新方法.蛋白质的单分子包埋是利用蛋白质上的某些基团可以与修饰剂反应的特点,将蛋白质先与修饰剂反应,再进行单个蛋白质分子的包埋.该方法获得的蛋白质单分子包埋颗粒粒径处于纳米尺寸范围,外壳的材料层薄至几到几十纳米.本文介绍了蛋白质的单分子包埋的原理及目前蛋白质单分子包埋的主要方法,包括共价结...     

Spectral imaging of single molecules by transmission grating-based epi-fluorescence microscopy

A spectral imaging method of single protein molecules labeled with a single fluorophore is presented. The method is based on a transmission grating and a routine fluorescence microscope. The bovine serum alubmin (BSA) and antiBSA molecules labeled with Alexa Fluor 488 and Alexa Fluor 594, respectively, are used as the model proteins. The fluorescence of single molecules is dispersed into zeroth-order spectrum and first-order spectrum by the transmission grating. Results show that the fluorescence emission spectrum of single molecule converted from the first-order spectral imaging is in good agreement with the bulk fluorescence spectrum. The spectral resolution of 2.4 nm/pixel is obtained, which is sufficient for identifying the molecular species in a multicomponent system.     

Nanofluidic system for the studies of single DNA molecules

Here, we describe a simple and low-cost lithographic technique to fabricate size-controllable nanopillar arrays inside the microfluidic channels for the studies of single DNA molecules. In this approach, nanosphere lithography has been employed to grow a single layer of well-ordered close-packed colloidal crystals inside the microfluidic channels. The size of the polymeric colloidal nanoparticles could be trimmed by oxygen plasma treatment. These size-trimmed colloidal nanoparticles were then used as the etching mask in a deep etching process. As a result, well-ordered size-controllable nanopillar arrays could be fabricated inside the microfluidic channels. The gap distance between the nanopillars could be tuned between 20 and 80 nm allowing the formation of nanofluidic system where the behavior of a single lambda-phage DNA molecule has been investigated. It was found that the lambda-phage DNA molecule could be fully stretched in the nanofluidic system formed by nanopillars with 50 nm gap distance at a field of 50 V/cm.     

A glass nanopore electrode for single molecule detection

<正>We have developed a simple method for fabricating robust and low noise glass nanopore electrodes with pore size 10±5 nm to detect single molecules.β-Cyclodextrin was used as model compound for characterization.In 1.0 mol/L NaCl solution,the molecules generated current pulses of 2-5 pA with noise level less than 0.8 pA.A slide mode and a plug mode were suggested for the way ofβ-cyclodextrin single molecule moving into the glass nanopores.     

Covalent attachment of proteins to calcite surface for the single molecule experiments

Two protocols of covalent attachment of proteins onto the calcite surface, viz. one using the metallochelat and second using the aminohexil, are elaborated. Single molecule force spectroscopy method has been used to test their efficiency and practical applicability. Experiments were performed measuring the specific interaction force between bovine serum albumin (BSA) fixed onto the freshly cleaved calcite single crystal surface (procedure under the study here) and its polyclonal antibody (Ab-BSA) immobilized onto an AFM tip using standard and well studied procedure. We found the conditions, when up to 3–3.5% of tip-sample approaches lead to the formation of a single specific bond.     

Investigation on the folding mode of a polymer chain in a spiral crystal by single molecule force spectroscopy

Investigation on the folding mode of a single polymer chain in its crystal is significant to the understanding of the mechanism of the fundamental crystallization as well as the engineering of new polymer crystal-based materials. Herein, we use the combined techniques of atomic force microscopy （AFM） imaging and force spectroscopy to pull a single polyethylene oxide （PEO） chain out of its spiral crystal in amyl acetate. From these data, the folding mode of polymer chains in the spiral crystal has been reconstructed. We find that the stems tilt in the typical flat area, leading to the decrease in the apparent lamellar height. While in the area of screw dislocation, the lamellar height gradually increases in the range of several nanometers. These results indicate that the combined techniques present a novel tool to directly unravel the chain folding mode of spiral crystals at single-molecule level.     

An improved synthesis of a fluorescent gabapentin-choline conjugate for single molecule detection

Voltage-gated calcium ion channels comprise pore-forming α₁ and auxiliary α₂δ, β, and γ subunits. They are important molecular devices involved in a variety of cell functions. Fluorescently labeled acylcholine analogues are important in studies such as ion channel regulation. Cy3-3-acetylcholine has recently been synthesized for single molecule detection studies; albeit in an extremely low overall yield (0.06%). In this work, an alternative route to that used in the previous Cy3-3-acetylcholine synthesis was developed with a 90% yield at a significantly lower material cost.     

Molecular machines: synthesis and characterization of two prototypes of molecular wheelbarrows

Technomimetic molecules are molecules designed to imitate macroscopic objects at the molecular level, also transposing the motions that these objects are able to undergo. This article focuses on the synthesis of two polyaromatic hydrocarbons designed by analogy with macroscopic wheelbarrows. The molecular wheelbarrows are synthesized following a modular strategy based on sequential double Knoevenagel and Diels-Alder reactions. Our strategy allowed to easily vary the chemical nature of the handles, which is crucial for subsequent manipulation with an STM tip.     

Donor-acceptor conjugated cooligomers for single molecule solar cells

Five novel donor-acceptor(D-A) conjugated cooligomers(F4B-hP,F5B-hP,F5B2[1,2]-hP,F5B2[1,3]-hP and F7B2[1,2]-hP) were synthesized.The absorption spectra of the cooligomers cover a wide range from 300 nm to 630 nm.The cooligomers could form films featured by alternating D-A lamellar nanostructures with the periods relative to the molecular lengths after thermal annealing or solvent vapor annealing.Single molecule solar cells were fabricated,and F5B-hP exhibited the best device performance.When the film of F5B-hP was thermally annealed,a power conversion efficiency(PCE) of 1.56% was realized.With solvent vapor annealing,the PCE could be further improved to 1.72% with a short-circuit current(J SC) of 5.76 mA/cm 2,an open-circuit voltage(V OC) of 0.87 V and a fill factor(FF) of 0.34.     

Cell cycle-dependent characterization of single MCF-7 breast cancer cells by 2-D CE

The composition of single MCF-7 breast cancer cells is characterized using 2-D CE. Individual MCF-7 cells were aspirated into a 30 mum inner diameter fused-silica capillary and lysed by contact with an SDS-containing buffer. Proteins and other primary amines were fluorescently labeled on-column using the fluorogenic dye 3-(2-furoyl)quinoline-2-carboxaldehyde. Labeled components were separated first according to molecular weight using capillary sieving electrophoresis (CSE) and then by MEKC. Analytes were detected in a sheath-flow cuvette using LIF. The expression profiles for MCF-7 cellular homogenate and a single MCF-7 cell are compared. As a proof-of-principle investigation, variation in expression was also compared within and between G1 and G2/M cell cycle phases for MCF-7 cells. Following their treatment with the viable nuclear stain Hoechst 33342, MCF-7 cells were sorted by flow cytometry on the basis of their ploidy. Sorted cells were then analyzed by 2-D CE. The degree of variability was >2.5 times larger between cells of different phases than between cells of the same phase. In typical 1 h 2-D CE separations using MCF-7 cells, over 100 components are resolved.     

Bio-assay based on single molecule fluorescence detection in microfluidic channels

A rapid bioassay is described based on the detection of colocalized fluorescent DNA probes bound to DNA targets in a pressure-driven solution flowing through a planar microfluidic channel. By employing total internal reflection excitation of the fluorescent probes and illumination of almost the entire flow channel, single fluorescent molecules can be efficiently detected leading to the rapid analysis of nearly the entire solution flowed through the device. Cross-correlation between images obtained from two spectrally distinct probes is used to determine the target concentration and efficiently reduces the number of false positives. The rapid analysis of DNA targets in the low pM range in less than a minute is demonstrated.     

Reorientation and translation of individual dye molecules in a polymer matrix

The orientational and translational motion of individual dye molecules embedded in a polymer matrix is studied in the temperature regime above the glass transition. The rotational diffusion close to the glass transition is heterogeneous on the single molecule level and few sudden changes in the reorientational speed of single molecules are found. The exchange between these reorientational speeds is found to be one order of magnitude slower than the reorientational time constant of the molecules. Translational motion can be clearly identified at about 1.2 T_g. However, the translational diffusion shows no signs of heterogeneity on the timescale of our experiments, from which we conclude, that the timescale of the exchange process between microenvironments has become too fast or that no heterogeneity exists at the temperatures above 1.2 T_g.     

Two and multilevel spectral switching of single molecules in polystyrene at room temperature

Various switching processes with jumps between two or more spectral states were observed for single molecules of the fluorescent dyes PI and DAPI in polystyrene at room temperature. Switching processes were found in the temporal trajectories of almost each spectral parameter. Statistical analyses on the distribution of jumpwidths and on correlations between them were performed. By this means a discrimination between extrinsic and intrinsic mechanisms, which trigger the observed switching dynamic, has been possible in some cases even without anticipated assumption on the nature of the mechanism itself. It has been found that PI and DAPI behave considerably different in single molecule spectroscopy, opposed to their almost identical appearance on bulk level.     

Electrochemical and photoelectrochemical characterization of CuFeO2 single crystal

CuFeO₂ single crystal, synthesized by the flux method, is a narrow band gap semiconductor crystallizing in the delafossite structure with a direct optical transition of 1.63 eV. The oxide exhibits a good chemical stability; the semi-logarithmic plot gave an exchange current density of 0.60 μA cm⁻² in KCl (0.5 M) electrolyte. CuFeO₂ shows p-type conductivity; the origin of acceptors Cu²⁺ results from oxygen insertion in the layered lattice where most of excess holes are trapped in surface-polaron states. The electrochemical study is confined in the (a,b) plane and reversible oxygen intercalation is evidenced from the intensity potential characteristics. The detailed photoelectrochemical studies have been reported for the first time on the single crystal. The photocurrent is ascribed to the transfer Cu⁺:3d→3d. The capacitance measurement (C⁻²–V) shows a linear behavior from which a flat band potential of +0.54 V_SCE and a density N _A of 1.60 × 10¹⁸ cm⁻³ were determined. The valence band, located at 5.33 eV below vacuum, is made up of Cu-3d orbital typical of delafossite oxides. The Nyquist plot shows a semicircle attributed to a capacitive behavior with a low density of surface states within the gap. The centre is localized below the real axis with an angle of 16.2° ascribed to a constant phase element (CPE), a single barrier of the junction CuFeO₂/electrolyte and one relaxation time of the electrical equivalent circuit.

Studying single molecule electrochemistry with scanning tunneling microscope break-junction technique

The fundamental principle of molecular electronics is to comprehend electrical properties of single molecules connected between two probe electrodes. In recent years, substantial advances in this field have been made to underpin experimental and theoretical understanding of single molecule electrochemistry. By using scanning tunneling microscope (STM) break-junction technique, the switching events of electrical current from single molecule bridge tuning by electrochemical gating are investigated to uncover the relationship between electrochemical electron transfer and charge transport processes in chemical and biological molecule junctions. In this short review, we outline the latest works of single molecule electrochemistry studied with STM break-junction technique from Nongjian Tao's group, and share the insights on the opportunities and challenges for future research.     

Chemical Characterization of Single Cells and Single Molecules

Advances in sensitive optical measurement schemes have led to the detection and the physical and chemical characterization of single biological cells and individual molecules. These technological achievements are much more than the ultimate milestone in low-level monitoring. Potential applications include DNA sequencing at high speeds, probing microscale environments, monitoring environmental pollution, studying the variability of molecular conformations, detecting disease infection at an early stage, and devising molecular-scale imaging probes.     

Preparation and characterization of a novel single crystal of Th(IV) with cucurbit[6]uril

One new single crystal [Th(NO₃)₂(H₂O)₆](CB₆)(NO₃)2·2H₂O was prepared using Th(NO₃)4·4H₂O and cucurbit[6]uril (CB₆) as reagents in HNO₃ aqueous solution by slow evaporation. The coordination number of Th⁴⁺ is ten. Th⁴⁺ is coordinated with six monodentate water molecules and two symmetric bidentate chelating nitrate ions, while other two nitrate ions act as the counterion anions. CB₆ is a second-sphere ligand which is hydrogen bonded to the water molecules of [Th(NO₃)₂(H₂O)₆]²⁺. Besides, there are also two free water molecules in the crystal system.     

Ultrasensitive chemiluminescence detection of aM vanadium(IV) by capillary electrophoresis

Ultrasensitive chemiluminescence (CL) detection of aM vanadium(IV) in capillary electrophoresis (CE) is first reported. In this work, inclusion of the luminol in the electrophoretic carrier electrolyte avoids the loss of light signal that occurs when luminol and hydrogen peroxide are mixed in advance, as in the conventional method in CE-CL detection. The detection limit (S/N ratio=3) for V(IV) is 2.4×10⁻¹⁷ M (24 aM), which has been improved by a factor of 10⁴ as compared with that of the most sensitive metal ion detection (Co²⁺ 0.5 pM) reported previously. In addition, the separation of V(IV) and V(V) has been performed successfully.