拉曼光谱研究镍离子对鸡蛋清溶菌酶淀粉样纤维化动力学影响的浓度效应（英文）

本文采用拉曼光谱研究了Ni(Ⅱ)离子在高温和酸性条件下对鸡蛋清溶菌酶淀粉样纤维化动力学的影响.利用蛋白质三级和二级结构的拉曼光谱指针,检测分析了Ni(Ⅱ)离子对蛋白质三级结构展开和二级结构转化影响的浓度效应.结果证实了金属离子在动力学的加速作用.值得注意的是,通过对酰胺Ⅰ谱带的光谱分析并结合ThT荧光分析都表明,Ni(Ⅱ)离子对于形成有组织β-片层结构的淀粉样纤维有抑制作用,而在组装成其他无序结构的聚集体时,则会表现出显著的促进作用.本文为金属介导的蛋白质纤维化过程研究提供了参考信息.     

基于芬顿反应和硫磺素T构建免标记荧光传感器用于葡萄糖的检测

基于芬顿反应和硫磺素T(ThT)构建新奇的免标记荧光传感器用于葡萄糖的检测。当无葡萄糖存在时,ThT诱导富G-DNA探针形成G-四链体/ThT复合物,ThT的荧光强度显著增强;当葡萄糖存在时,葡萄糖氧化酶催化葡萄糖产生H2 O2,在Fe^2+催化的芬顿反应作用下,H2 O2转化为羟基自由基(·OH),·OH引发DNA的氧化损伤导致富G-DNA探针裂解为短寡核苷酸片段而丧失形成G-四链体/ThT的能力,ThT的荧光强度显著降低,从而实现对葡萄糖的检测。在优化的检测条件下,G-四链体/ThT荧光强度变化和葡萄糖浓度在0.5~45μmol/L的范围内呈现较好的线性关系(R^2=0.99268),检出限为0.1μmol/L。利用本法对葡萄糖加标的血液样品进行分析,葡萄糖的回收率为90.7%~118.3%,相对标准偏差为1.7%~5.8%,方法可用于血糖检测。     

分子间相互作用对蛋白质晶体生长的影响

采用原子力显微镜对溶菌酶和刀豆蛋白A的分子间相互作用力的情况进行了研究, 并用动态光散射研究了此二种分子间相互作用力有较大差异的蛋白质在晶体生长条件和非生长条件下, 溶液中的聚集体的状态(大小和分散度)随浓度和温度的变化情况. 实验结果表明, 范德华力强的刀豆蛋白A在成核前, 溶液中的聚集体不能很快转变为生长基元, 导致晶体生长时间长; 而范德华力弱的溶菌酶, 溶液中的聚集体可以很快转变成生长基元, 晶体生长时间也较短.     

含环状原酸酯侧基的两亲性嵌段共聚物及其酸敏感胶束状聚集体

合成了含有环状原酸酯基团的单体,甲基丙烯酸5-(5-甲基-2-乙氧基-1,3-二氧六环)甲酯(EDMM),以PEO大分子引发剂引发,通过原子转移自由基聚合方法制备了两个疏水链段(PEDMM)长度不同的酸敏感两亲性嵌段共聚物,PEO-b-PEDMM17和PEO-b-PEDMM34.两个聚合物在水溶液中形成粒径约为60～200nm的球型聚集体,通过动态光散射、透射电镜、荧光探针等手段表征了所得聚集体.结果显示,疏水链段较短的共聚物的临界聚集浓度较高,形成的聚集体尺寸较小.核磁和荧光探针结果表明,胶束状聚集体在中性(pH7.4)水溶液中比较稳定,在酸性水溶液中其疏水核的极性因原酸酯的水解而增加.该类酸敏感胶束状聚集体有望用于肿瘤、细胞内给药等药物传递体系.     

基于G-四链体/硫黄素T的荧光生物传感器检测Pb^(2+)北大核心CSCD

本研究利用Pb^(2+)与硫黄素T(ThT)对功能核酸G-四链体(G4)中心位点的竞争关系,构建了一种荧光生物传感器用于Pb^(2+)的简单灵敏检测。ThT可以特异性结合G4,且在结合后显示出明显的荧光信号。Pb^(2+)能与G4形成更稳定的结构,故而当溶液中存在Pb^(2+)时,ThT会从G4-ThT体系中被竞争释放出来,失去受G4束缚状态下的刚性结构,从而降低了其荧光强度。在最优条件下,该体系荧光信号与Pb^(2+)浓度在5~1000 nmol/L范围内呈现良好的线性关系,检测限为1.6 nmol/L,同时实现对中药材独活中Pb^(2+)含量的加标测定。方法具有操作简便、响应快速以及高选择性超灵敏的特点,在Pb^(2+)检测方面有良好的应用潜力。     

四苯基卟啉锌J-聚集体的光谱与晶体结构分析

四苯基卟啉锌在完全无水的乙氰中发生自聚现象, 聚集体的形成可以通过稳态光谱来证实. 吸收光谱和荧光发射光谱的红移表明四苯基卟啉锌的聚集体是卟啉之间以头对头的方式排列, 即J-聚集体. 进一步研究表明聚集体的形成还依赖于溶剂. 光谱和激发态寿命的测定结果表明聚集体的辐射跃迁速率比单体快两倍, 这表明形成的J-聚集体存在超辐射. 四苯基卟啉锌的晶体呈现出杆状的结构. 通过X射线的结构分析, 提出了一个四苯基卟啉锌J-聚集体的结构模型. 四苯基卟啉锌中的一个苯基和相邻的四苯基卟啉锌中的吡咯垂直并通过C—H…π键相互作用. 最后讨论了乙氰配位后对四苯基卟啉锌中Zn—N键的影响.     

辅酶NADH与色氨酸共振能量转移的荧光动力学研究

采用时间相关单光子计数技术, 结合紫外-可见吸收光谱和稳态荧光光谱, 对不同环境下的色氨酸和辅酶还原型烟酰胺腺嘌呤二核苷酸(NADH)之间的共振能量转移荧光动力学进行了研究. 单体色氨酸、 牛血清白蛋白以及乳酸脱氢酶蛋白与NADH之间相互作用的光谱数据表明, 只有存在NADH结合位点的乳酸脱氢酶和NADH之间发生了荧光共振能量转移. 进一步通过加入丙酮酸来阻断乳酸脱氢酶和NADH之间的荧光共振能量转移通道, 时间分辨荧光光谱和衰减相关光谱(DAS)证实, 蛋白结合位点的存在是NADH和色氨酸之间发生荧光共振能量转移的前提条件. DAS揭示了乳酸脱氢酶平均荧光寿命的减小主要是源于色氨酸中7.35 ns的荧光寿命成分与NADH之间的荧光共振能量转移, 同时给出了NADH和色氨酸之间的能量转移效率, 为研究NADH和蛋白之间的相互作用提供了新思路.     

聚集诱导发光分子寡聚体研究进展

分子聚集行为与细胞内多种代谢过程息息相关,如细胞衰老过程中色斑形成,Aβ肽在阿尔茨海默病病人的脑中聚集行为等.定量化的研究分子聚集效应对于研究分子间的弱相互作用,分子聚集成核过程至关重要.目前,针对聚集效应初期分子寡聚体形成过程的研究仍然处于初期阶段.聚集诱导发光(aggregation-induced emission,AIE)为研究分子聚集行为提供了一种直观、便捷的策略.但是,由于聚集过程的难以精细控制,定量化描述聚集分子数目与发光行为的关系仍然是巨大的挑战.本综述对近期制备聚集诱导发光分子寡聚体的工作进行汇总.根据形成分子寡聚体的作用力的不同,将目前构建荧光分子寡聚体方法分为以下4类:化学成键作用、主客体相互作用、DNA限域作用和微纳空间限域作用.进一步地,还讨论了分子聚集体的发光行为.通过本综述,有望推动AIE分子寡聚体发光性质的量化研究并为研究分子聚集成核过程带来一定的启示.     

新型荧光分子印迹膜特异性识别和检测目标蛋白质

制备了一种新型荧光分子印迹膜(L-半胱氨酸修饰的量子点嵌入的分子印迹膜(QDs@MIM)),并将其作为荧光人工受体用于目标蛋白质(溶菌酶)的特异性识别和检测。QDs@MIM以溶菌酶为模板分子、丙烯酰胺为功能单体、L-半胱氨酸修饰的量子点为辅助单体、N,N′-亚甲基双丙烯酰胺为交联剂,在预硅烷化的玻璃板上制备而成。在最佳条件下,QDs@MIM对溶菌酶检测的线性范围为0.1~1.0μmol/L,吸附平衡时间为4 min,选择性因子为6.2。该方法操作简单、吸附平衡时间短、选择性高,具备作为生物传感器快速分析样品中目标蛋白质的潜力。     

荧光淬灭法研究疏水缔合共聚物(PAM-b-PPOEA)_n自组装聚集数

运用荧光淬灭技术,包括稳态荧光淬灭法(SSFQ)和时间分辨荧光淬灭法(TRFQ),研究了疏水缔合水溶性丙烯酰胺2苯氧基丙烯酸酯多嵌段共聚物[P(AM POEA)]在水溶液中自组装的聚集数.这类聚合物在水溶液中易形成胶束状聚集体,探针芘分子和淬灭剂二苯酮增溶于疏水微区,荧光测定结果很好地符合Poisson淬灭模型.实验结果表明聚合物链结构、聚合物浓度和无机盐对聚集体的尺寸具有重要影响.聚合物自组装聚集数NA随疏水单体含量的增加和疏水嵌段长度的减小而增大,同时也随聚合物浓度和NaCl浓度增加而增大.另外对聚合物链结构、聚集数和溶液粘度的相互关系进行了讨论.     

On the Protein Fibrillation Pathway: Oligomer Intermediates Detection Using ATR-FTIR Spectroscopy

Oligomeric intermediates on the pathway of amyloid fibrillation are suspected as the main cytotoxins responsible for amyloid-related pathogenicity. As they appear to be a part of the lag phase of amyloid fibrillation when analyzed using standard methods such as Thioflavin T (ThT) fluorescence, a more sensitive method is needed for their detection. Here we apply Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) in attenuated total reflectance (ATR) mode for fast and cheap analysis of destabilized hen-egg-white lysozyme solution and detection of oligomer intermediates of amyloid fibrillation. Standard methods of protein aggregation analysis— Thioflavin T (ThT) fluorescence, atomic force microscopy (AFM), and 8-anilinonaphthalene-1-sulphonic acid (ANS) fluorescence were applied and compared to FTIR spectroscopy data. Results show the great potential of FTIR for both, qualitative and quantitative monitoring of oligomer formation based on the secondary structure changes. While oligomer intermediates do not induce significant changes in ThT fluorescence, their secondary structure changes were very prominent. Normalization of specific Amide I region peak intensities by using Amide II peak intensity as an internal standard provides an opportunity to use FTIR spectroscopy for both qualitative and quantitative analysis of biological samples and detection of potentially toxic oligomers, as well as for screening of efficiency of fibrillation procedures.     

Beta-amyloid oligomerisation monitored by intrinsic tyrosine fluorescence

Aggregation of the peptide beta-amyloid is known to be associated with Alzheimer's disease. According to recent findings the most neurotoxic aggregates are the oligomers formed in the initial stages of the aggregation process. Here we use beta-amyloid's (Aβ's) intrinsic fluorophore tyrosine to probe the earliest peptide-to-peptide stages of aggregation, a region often merely labelled as a time lag, because negligible changes are observed by the commonly used probe ThT. Using spectrally resolved fluorescence decay time techniques and analysis we demonstrate how the distribution of 3 rotamer conformations of the single tyrosine in Aβ tracks the aggregation across the time lag and beyond according to the initial peptide concentration. At low Aβ concentrations (≤5 μM), negligible aggregation is observed and this is mirrored by little change in the fluorescence decay parameters, providing a useful baseline for comparison. At higher concentrations (≈50 μM), and contrary to what is generally accepted from ThT studies the rate of aggregation can be described by an exponential growth to a plateau in terms of the relative contributions of two of the three rotamers, with a characteristic aggregation time of ≈33 h.     

Quantitative Aspects of Electrochemical Detection of Amyloid‐β Aggregation

The tyrosine based electrochemical analysis of synthetic amyloid‐β (Aβ) peptide – an analog of natural peptide implicated in Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis – was applied for a quantitative estimation of peptide aggregation in vitro. The analysis was carried out by square wave voltammetry (SWV) on carbon screen printed electrodes (SPE). The electrooxidation peak current (I_p) for Aβ42 peptide in different aggregation states was directly compared with the size and structure of Aβ42 aggregates occurring in the analyzed sample. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) and thioflavin T (ThT) based fluorescence assay were employed to estimate the size and structure of Aβ42 aggregates. The I_p was found to decrease in a linear fashion when the average diameter of aggregates and the relative ThT fluorescence in Aβ42 solutions exceeded 35 nm and 3, respectively, while being nearly constant below these values. It was suggested that the electrooxidation current is mostly generated by peptide monomers and that a depletion of the monomer pool due to inclusion of Aβ42 molecules in aggregates is responsible for the decrease of electrooxidation current. The direct electrochemistry is emerging as a method complementary to methods based on aggregates’ detection and commonly employed for monitoring Aβ aggregation. The work further enlarges the basis for application of the cost‐effective and rapid electrochemical techniques, such as SWV on carbon SPE, to in vitro studies of Aβ aggregation.     

ThX – a next-generation probe for the early detection of amyloid aggregates

Neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer''s and Parkinson''s are associated with protein misfolding and aggregation. Recent studies suggest that the small, rare and heterogeneous oligomeric species, formed early on in the aggregation process, may be a source of cytotoxicity. Thioflavin T (ThT) is currently the gold-standard fluorescent probe for the study of amyloid proteins and aggregation processes. However, the poor photophysical and binding properties of ThT impairs the study of oligomers. To overcome this challenge, we have designed Thioflavin X, (ThX), a next-generation fluorescent probe which displays superior properties; including a 5-fold increase in brightness and 7-fold increase in binding affinity to amyloidogenic proteins. As an extrinsic dye, this can be used to study unique structural amyloid features both in bulk and on a single-aggregate level. Furthermore, ThX can be used as a super-resolution imaging probe in single-molecule localisation microscopy. Finally, the improved optical properties (extinction coefficient, quantum yield and brightness) of ThX can be used to monitor structural differences in oligomeric species, not observed via traditional ThT imaging.

Introducing ThX, a next-generation ThT derivative that allows for the early detection of amyloid aggregates at the bulk and single-aggregate levels.     

Application of an Electrochemical Method to Evaluation of Amyloid‐β Aggregation Inhibitors: Testing the RGKLVFFGR‐NH2 Peptide Antiaggregant

The aggregation of amyloid‐β peptide (Aβ) is believed to play a crucial role in the Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathogenesis and is considered as a therapeutic target for treating AD. The Aβ electrooxidation via a Tyr‐10 residue, sensitive to a depletion of a pool of Aβ monomers and oligomers in the course of Aβ aggregation, may be employed for testing natural and synthetic organic compounds (including short peptides) potentially able to inhibit the pathological Aβ aggregation (antiaggregants). In the present work, using the known peptide antiaggregant RGKLVFFGR‐NH₂ (OR2) and its scrambled variant KGLRVGFRF‐NH₂ as a control, we demonstrate that the electrochemical method based on electrooxidation of an Aβ42 Tyr‐10 residue, when combined with methods allowing for the evaluation of the Aβ42 aggregate structure and size, can provide essential information regarding the antiaggregant impact on Aβ42 aggregation. Electrochemical measurements were performed using square wave voltammetry on carbon screen printed electrodes whereas the Aβ42 aggregate structure and size were analyzed by means of the conventional thioflavin T (ThT) based fluorescence assay and dynamic light scattering. While inhibiting Aβ42 fibrillation as manifested by the unchanged level of ThT fluorescence, the OR2 peptide antiaggregant had no effect on the decrease of Aβ42 electrooxidation current in the course of Aβ42 aggregation. These observations suggest that OR2 does not stop the aggregation but redirects it into a pathway where amorphous rather than fibrillar aggregates are formed. Hence, the direct electrochemistry appears to offer a simple and cost‐effective approach for probing potential peptide antiaggregants, which is complementary to methods based on detecting Aβ aggregates.     

USE OF SENSITIZED FLUORESCENCE FOR THE STUDY OF THE EXCHANGE OF SUBUNITS IN PROTEIN AGGREGATES*

The exchange of subunits between oligomer protein particles depends upon a cycle of dissociations and associations. To examine the dynamics of these cycles we have employed two methods based on the transfer of excitation energy between fluorochromes attached to different subunits of protein oligomers, at various temperatures and pressures. In the heterotransfer method, identical solutions independently labeled with two different fluorophores, donor D and acceptor A, are mixed. The fluorescence spectrum permits the determination of the subunit exchange by the increase in A and decrease in D fluorescence as mixed AD oligomers are formed. In the homotransfer method the aggregates are labeled with fluorescein to the extent that, ideally, each subunit carries a fluorophore. The emission is strongly depolarized because sufficiently often it takes place after a transfer to a fluorophore oriented differently from the one originally excited. Both dissociation and subunit exchange with unlabeled material result in an increase in polarization and can be independently determined by the homotransfer method. Both homo- and heterotransfer have been employed in the study of the effect of temperature on the stability of the aggregates and the relation between the rate of dissociation and the rate of exchange when dissociation of oligomers is induced by hydrostatic pressure.     

Identifying the Bond Responsible for the Fluorescence Modulation in an Amyloid Fibril Sensor

An ultrafast intramolecular bond twisting process is known to be the responsible mechanism for the sensing activity of the extensively used amyloid fibril sensor thioflavin T (ThT). However, it is not yet known which one of the two possible single bonds in ThT is actually involved in the twisting process. To resolve this fundamental issue, two derivatives of ThT have been designed and synthesized and subsequently their photophysical properties have been studied in different solvents. It is understood from the present study that the rotation around the central C? C single bond, and not that around the C? N single bond, is primarily responsible for the sensor activity of ThT. Detailed viscosity‐dependent fluorescence studies revealed that the ThT derivative with restricted C? N bond rotation acts as a better sensor than the derivative with free C? N bond rotation. The better sensory activity is directly correlated with a shorter excited‐state lifetime. Results obtained from the photophysical studies of the ThT derivatives have also been supported by the results obtained from quantum chemical calculations.     

Lifetime determination of fluorescence and phosphorescence of a series of oligofluorenes

The photoluminescence (PL) properties of oligofluorenes with 2-ethylhexyl group in 9, 9' position in solution and as thin films were investigated by time-resolved techniques at both room temperature and 77 K. The fluorescence lifetimes of the oligomers decrease with chain length. The lifetimes tau follow the relation tau=386+808(1/n) (ps) where n is the number of fluorene units in the oligomer. Concentration and laser excitation energy dependences of PL spectra of the oligofluorenes are also given. Phosphorescence was observed for oligofluorenes in the frozen matrix of MTHF at 77 K. The lifetime of phosphorescence increases with increasing molecular length. Similar emission bands were observed for oligofluorenes with a central ketogroup. A lifetime analysis clearly reveals that the "green emission" of the oligomers free of ketogroups results from a phosphorescence with lifetime tau of 3 ms while the green emission from the keto-oligomer is a fluorescence from a charge transfer pi-pi* level of tau=8 ns.     

Self-assembly of folded m-phenylene ethynylene oligomers into helical columns

Circular dichroism spectroscopy has been used to study the self-assembly of two series of m-phenylene ethynylene oligomers in highly polar solvents. The helical conformation of shorter oligomer lengths was found to be stabilized in aqueous acetonitrile solutions, while longer oligomers began to interact intermolecularly. The intermolecular aggregation of the oligomers in aqueous solutions revealed a chain length dependent association that required the presence of a stable helical conformation. Evidence for intermolecular interactions is provided by Sergeants and Soldiers experiments in which the twist sense bias of a chiral oligomer is transferred to an achiral oligomer.     

Optical Structural Analysis of Individual α‐Synuclein Oligomers

Small aggregates of misfolded proteins play a key role in neurodegenerative disorders. Such species have proved difficult to study due to the lack of suitable methods capable of resolving these heterogeneous aggregates, which are smaller than the optical diffraction limit. We demonstrate here an all‐optical fluorescence microscopy method to characterise the structure of individual protein aggregates based on the fluorescence anisotropy of dyes such as thioflavin‐T, and show that this technology is capable of studying oligomers in human biofluids such as cerebrospinal fluid. We first investigated in vitro the structural changes in individual oligomers formed during the aggregation of recombinant α‐synuclein. By studying the diffraction‐limited aggregates we directly evaluated their structural conversion and correlated this with the potential of aggregates to disrupt lipid bilayers. We finally characterised the structural features of aggregates present in cerebrospinal fluid of Parkinson's disease patients and age‐matched healthy controls.