The enzyme-amplified amperometric DNA sensor using an electrodeposited polymer redox mediator

A highly sensitive method for the detection of a breast cancer-associated BRCA-1 gene is reported. The detection is based on a classical sandwich-type assay using horseradish peroxidase (HRP) as a catalytic label and electrodeposited Os^2+/3+ conducting polymer (PAA-PVI-Os) as a redox mediator. Target DNA could be detected by the HRP-catalyzed reduction of H₂O₂, leading to a limit of detection as low as 10 fM. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 20725516, 20704043, 20873175 & 20805055), Shanghai Municipal Commission for Science and Technology (Grant Nos. 0752nm021 & 07ZR14136), Ministry of Science and Technology (Grant Nos. 2006CB933000, 2007CB936000 & 2007AA06A406), Ministry of Health (Grant No. 2009ZX10603), and China Postdoctoral Science Foundation and Shanghai Postdoctoral Scientific Program (Grant No. 07R214160).     

Theoretical study on potential energy curves and spectroscopy properties of ground and low-lying excited electronic states of BrCl<Superscript>+</Superscript>

The calculations on the potential energy curves and spectroscopic constants of the ground and low-lying excited states of BrCl⁺, one of the important molecular ions in environment science, have been performed by using the multireference configuration interaction method at high level of theory in quantum chemistry. Through analyses of the effects of the spin-orbit coupling interaction on the electronic structures and spectroscopic properties, the multiconfiguration characteristic of the X²Π ground state and low-lying excited states was established. The spin-orbit coupling splitting energy of the X²Π ground state was calculated to be 1814 cm⁻¹, close to the experimental value 2070 cm⁻¹. The spin-orbit coupling splitting energy of the ²Π(II) exited state was predicted to be 766 cm⁻¹. The transition dipole moments and Frank-Condon factors of the 3/2(III)-X3/2 and 1/2(III)-1/2(I) transitions were estimated, and the radiative lifetimes of the two transitions were briefly discussed. Supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2006CB601102) and the National Natural Science Foundations of China (Grant Nos. 20490210 and 20503001)     

A new fluorescent sensor selective for Pb<Superscript>2+</Superscript> in water capable of two-photon-induced fluorescence measurement

A new fluorescent sensor (1) for Pb²⁺ containing a 1,4-dicyano-2,5-bis(styryl)benzene fluorophore and 2-(N,N′-bis(carboxylmethyl))amino-1-carboxylmethoxylbenzene as receptor has been synthesized. The sensor selectively responds to Pb²⁺ in the aqueous environment, and brings about similar and significant changes in one- and two-photon excited emission spectra: λ _max red-shift from 460 (519) to 590 nm. The selective response is pH-independent in a large physiological pH range, and two-photon action cross section (ϕδ) is 51 GM (1 GM = 1×10⁻⁵⁰ cm⁴·s·photon⁻¹·molecule⁻¹) at 740 nm. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 20705621 & 20706008), the National Basic Research Project of China (Grant No. 2009CB724706), the Ministry of Education of China, Changjiang Scholars Innovative Research Team in University (Grant No. IRT0711) and Cultivation Fund of the Key Scientific and Technical Innovation Project (Grant No. 707016)     

Preparation of polystyrene-grafted titanate nanotubes by <Emphasis Type="Italic">in situ</Emphasis> atom transfer radical polymerization

This work successfully prepared nanohybrids by in situ atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of styrene from titanate nanotubes (TNTs). Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR), pronton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (¹H NMR), and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) were used to verify the successful graft of polystyrene (PS) chains from TNTs. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) displayed that the obtained PS-g-TNTs nanohybrids had a core-shell structure of TNT core and PS shell. The grafted PS content was well controlled and increased with increasing of the monomer/initiator ratio. Further copolymerization of tert-butyl acrylate (tBA) from the surface of PS-g-TNTs was studied, illustrating the “living” characteristics of the surface-induced ATRP method used in this work. Supported by the Special Funds for Major State Basic Research Projects (Grant No. 2005CB623803), the National Basic Research Program (Grant Nos. 2007CB808000 & 2009CB930400), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 50633010 & 20874060), the Program for New Century Excellent Talents in University (Grant No. NCET-07-0558), the Basic Research Foundation of Shanghai Science and Technique Committee (Grant No. 07DJ14004), and Shanghai Leading Academic Discipline Project (Grant No. B202).     

Enantiopure inherently chiral calix[4]arene derivatives containing quinolin-2-yl-methanol moiety:Synthesis and application in the catalytic asymmetric addition of diethylzinc to benzaldehyde

A series of novel N,O-type chiral ligands derived from enantiopure inherently chiral calix[4]arenes containing quinolin-2-yl-methanol moiety in the cone or partial-cone conformation have been synthesized and characterized. Moreover, they have been applied to the catalytic asymmetric addition of diethylzinc to benzaldehyde, which represents the first example that the inherently chiral calixarene can be used as the chiral ligands for the catalytic asymmetric synthesis. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 20625206 & 20372064), the National Basic Research Project (Grant Nos. 2007CB808000 & 2008CB617501), and the Chinese Academy of Sciences     

Photoelectrocatalytic oxidation of GMP on an ITO electrode modified with clay/[Ru(phen)<Subscript>2</Subscript>(dC18bpy)]<Superscript>2+</Superscript> hybrid film

An indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode modified with monolayer clay/[Ru(phen)₂(dC18bpy)]²⁺ (phen=1,10-phenanthroline, dC18bpy = 4,4′-dioctadecyl-2,2′ bipyridyl) hybrid film has been fabricated by the Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) method. Atomic force microscopy revealed that the single-layered hybrid film of clay/[Ru(phen)₂(dC18bpy)]²⁺ (denoted as Clay-Ru) was closely packed at a surface pressure of 25 mN·m⁻¹ and had a thickness of 3.4±0.5 nm. Cyclic voltammograms showed that the redox current of Ru(II) complex decreased when incorporated into the clay film, suggesting that the clay layer acts as a barrier against electron transfer. When applied to oxidizing the mononucleotide of guanosine 5′-monophosphate (GMP), a large catalytic oxidative current was achieved on the Clay-Ru(II) modified ITO electrode at the external potential above 900 mV (vs. Ag|AgCl|KCl) and, more significantly, this response was further enhanced by light irradiation (λ>360 nm), in which the photocurrent is increased about 11 times in comparison with that of a bare ITO. Mechanism of the photoelectrocatalytic effect was proposed in terms of the reduction of the photoelectrochemically generated Ru(III) complex in the Clay-Ru film by GMP. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 20471043 and 20843007), Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation (Grant Nos. Y404118 and Y408177), the “151” Distinguished Person Foundation of Zheji-ang Province of China, Zhejiang Technology Project Foundation (Grant No. 2007C21134) and Wenzhou Technology Project Foundation (Grant No. N2004B040)     

Complexation of two non-fully hydrogen bonded aromatic hydrazide heptamers toward <Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-octyl-α-L-glucopyranoside in chloroform

Two aromatic hydrazide haptamers have been prepared, with both consisting of two hydrogen bonded folded segments. Compared to their fully hydrogen bonded analogues, the flexibility of their backbones increases due to lack of one or two intramolecular hydrogen bonds at the middle aromatic unit. (2D) ¹H NMR, circular dichroism and fluorescent studies revealed that both oligomers moderately complex n-octyl-α-L-glucopyranoside in chloroform. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos. 20732007, 20621062, 20872167, and 20672137), the National Basic Research Project (Grant No. 2007CB808000) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. KJCX2-YW-H13)     

Electrochemical sensing of ATP with synthetic cyclophane as recognition element

A new electrochemical sensor for ATP with synthetic cyclophane stably attached onto single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) as the recognition elements is described. UV-vis and cyclic voltammetric results demonstrate that ATP may interact with the synthetic cyclophane recognition elements to form a stable adduct mainly through electrostatic, π-π stacking and donor-acceptor interactions. Such interactions eventually lead to a decrease in the peak currents of the cyclophane recognition elements attached onto t...     

Molecular design of organic dyes based on vinylene hexylthiophene bridge for dye-sensitized solar cells

Three donor-(π-spacer)-acceptor (D-π-A) organic dyes, containing different groups (triphenylamine, di(p-tolyl)phenylamine, and 9-octylcarbazole moieties) as electron donors, were designed and synthesized. Nanocrystalline TiO₂ dye-sensitized solar cells were fabricated by using these dyes. It was found that the variation of electron donors in the D-π-A dyes played an important role in modifying and tuning photophysical properties of organic dyes. Under standard global AM 1.5 solar condition, the DSSC based on the dye D2 showed the best photovoltaic performance: a short-circuit photocurrent density (J _sc ) of 13.93 mA/cm², an open-circuit photovoltage (V _oc ) of 0.71 V, and a fill factor (FF) of 0.679, corresponding to solar-to-electric power conversion efficiency (η) of 6.72%. Supported by the Key Project of Hunan Province of China (Grant No. 2008FJ2004), Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province of China (Grant Nos. 09JJ3020 & 09JJ4005), and Scientific Research Fund of Hunan Provincial Education Department (Grant No. 08C888).     

Synthesis,structure and nonlinear optical properties of two novel two-photon absorption chromophores

Two triphenylamine-based derivatives that can be used as two-photon absorption chromophore,tris{4-[4-(3-trifluoromethyl-3-oxopanoyl)]phenyl}amine (1) and tris{4-[4-(3-phenyl-3-oxopanoyl)] phenyl} amine (2) were successfully synthesized and fully characterized by elemental analysis,IR,1H NMR and MS. The single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis showed that the molecules possess D-(π-A)3 structures. One-and two-photon absorption and fluorescence in various solvents were experimentally investigated. A data rec...     

Design of artificial nucleases and studies of their interaction with DNA

The design of artificial nucleases and nuclease mimics has attracted extensive attention and made great progress due to their significant scientific meanings and potential application in the field of gene medicine and molecular biology. This paper reviews recent progress in the investigation of artificial nuclease, including “bifunctional cooperative catalysis”, “dinuclear synergistic catalysis”, “metal-free catalysis”, and especially, the studies of aza-crown ethers as artificial nucleases and their interaction with DNA. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 20872061 & 20372032) and the National Basic Research of China (Grant No. 2007CB925103)     

Adsorption of TTF,TCNQ and TTF-TCNQ on Au(111): An <Emphasis Type="Italic">in situ</Emphasis> ECSTM study

The adsorption and adlayer structures of tetrathiofulvalene (TTF), tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ) and TTF-TCNQ on Au(111) have been systematically investigated by in situ electrochemical scanning tunneling microscopy (ECSTM) and cyclic voltammetry in 0.1 mol L⁻¹ HClO₄. All the three molecules were found to form well-ordered adlayers in the double-layer potential region of Au(111). For TTF and TCNQ adlayers, (6×3) and (4×7) structures have been observed, respectively. A structural transition was observed on TCNQ adlayer at potential negative of 0.08 V vs. the reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE), and induced a new phase with (3 × 12) structure. On the other hand, the charge transfer complex, TTF-TCNQ, self-organized into ordered domains with a lamellar structure different from those of the pure TTF and TCNQ adlayers on Au(111). Its packing arrangement was comparable to surface structures of either single crystal or thin film of TTF-TCNQ. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 20673121, 20733004 & 20821003), the National Key Project for Basic Research (Grant Nos. 2006CB806101 & 2006CB932100) and Chinese Academy of Sciences     

Highly selective fluorescent chemosensor for Na<Superscript>+</Superscript> based on pyrene-modified calix[4]arene derivative

A novel calix[4]arene derivative with pyrene fluorophores at the upper rim and tetraester ionophores at the lower rim was synthesized in six steps, and its structure was proved by NMR and ESI-MS spectroscopies. Furthermore, the chemosensing behavior of the host compound for alkali and alkaline earth metal ions was investigated by fluorescence spectroscopy. The obtained results show that the calixarene host can selectively bind sodium ion with the complexation stability constant of 2190 mol⁻¹·L. The complexation with sodium ion can pronouncedly induce the excimer emission to decrease and the monomer emission to increase, whereas the addition of the other alkali and alkaline earth metal ions does not cause appreciable changes in the fluorescence spectrum of the host compound. The present calix[4]arene derivative displays potential application as fluorescent chemosensor for sodium ion. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 20421202, 20673061 & 20703025) and the 111 Project (Grant No. B06005)     

A new perylene diimide-based colorimetric and fluorescent sensor for selective detection of Cu<Superscript>2+</Superscript> cation

A new perylene diimide (PDI) ligand (1) functionalized with a dipicolylethylenediamine (DPEN) moiety was synthesized and first used as a colorimetric and fluorometric dual-channel sensor to specifically detect the presence of Cu²⁺ over a wide range of other cations. The solution of 1 (10 μmol/L) upon addition of Cu²⁺ displayed distinguishing pink color compared with other cations including K⁺, Ni²⁺, Ca²⁺, Mn²⁺, Na⁺, Sr²⁺, Zn²⁺, Co²⁺, Cd²⁺, Mg²⁺, Cr³⁺, Ag⁺, and Ba²⁺, indicating the sensitivity and selectivity of 1 to Cu²⁺. Thus, the advantage of this assay is that naked-eye detection of Cu²⁺ becomes possible. Moreover, among these metal ions investigated, only Cu²⁺ quenched more than half fluorescent intensity of 1. The ESI-TOF spectrum of a mixture of 1 and CuCl₂ in combination of the fluorescence titration spectra of 1 (10 μmol/L) upon addition of various amounts of Cu²⁺ revealed the formation of a 2:1 metal-ligand complex through the metal coordination interaction. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 20872101 & 20772086)     

Cationic conjugated polymers for homogeneous and sensitive fluorescence detection of hyaluronidase

The cationic charged water-soluble polyfluorenes containing 2,1,3-benzothiadiazole (BT) units (P1–3) have been synthesized and characterized. These polymers demonstrate intramolecular energy transfer from the fluorene units to the BT sites when oppositely charged hyaluronan is added due to the formation of electrostatic complexes, followed by a shift in emission color from blue to green or brown. Upon adding hyaluronidase, the hyaluronan is cleaved into fragments. The relatively weak electrostatic interactions of hyaluronan fragments with polyfluorenes keep their main chains separated and energy transfer from the fluorene units to the BT sites is inefficient, and the polyfluorenes recover their blue emissions. The complexes of conjugated polymers/hyaluronan can be utilized as probes for sensitive and facile fluorescence assays for hyaluronidase. The new assay method interfaces with the aggregation and light harvesting properties of conjugated polymers. Supported by the “100 Talents” Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences, the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 20725308 & 20721061), and 973 Project (Grant Nos. 2006CB806200 & 2006CB932100)     

Synthesis and biological evaluation of <Superscript>99m</Superscript>Tc-HEDTA/HYNIC-MPP4 complex for 5-HT<Subscript>1A</Subscript> receptor imaging

5-HT_1A receptor is associated with a variety of pathophysiology of neuropsychiatric disorders. Accordingly, we have synthesized a new 5-HT_1A receptor ligand (HYNIC-MPP4) and labeled it with ^99mTc using N-(2-hydroxyethyl)ethylenediaminetriacetic acid (HEDTA) as coligand. ^99mTc-HEDTA/HYNIC-MPP4 was prepared under pH 6 at room temperature. Biodistribution of 99mTc-HEDTA/HYNIC-MPP4 in normal mice showed that this complex had moderate brain uptake (0.60% ID·g⁻¹ at 2 min p.i.) and good retention. The hippocampus had the highest radioactivity uptake at 2 min p.i. (1.84% ID⋆g⁻¹). The ratio of Hipp/CB was 3.1 at 2 min p.i. and increased to 4.4 at 60 min p.i. After blocking with 8-hydroxy-2-(dipropylamino) tetralin, the uptake of hippocampus was decreased significantly from 1.84% ID·g⁻¹ to 0.53% ID·g⁻¹ at 2 min p.i., while the cerebellum had no significant decrease. This ^99mTc complex could be a potent agent for 5-HT_1A receptor imaging. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 20401004) and the Analysis and Test fund of Beijing Normal University     

Analysis of local structure of Arg10 domain in apo-α- lactalbumin with a polarity-sensitive arginine-specific fluorescent probe

The polarity-sensitive fluorescent probe, 3-(4-chloro-6-p-glyoxalphenoxy-1,3,5-triazinylamino)-7- (dimethylamino)-2-methylphenazine, was used to analyze the local structure of apo-α-lactalbumin by detecting the polarity and conformational changes of the arginine residue (Arg10) domain. The polarity of the Arg10 domain in both native and heat-denatured apo-α-lactalbumin was determined, which corresponds to a dielectric constant of 16, and the hydrophobic core near the Arg10 was found to be conservative for h...     

Water-soluble phosphate-functionalized polyfluorene as fluorescence biosensors toward cytochrome c

An anionic water-soluble polyfluorene derivative, poly(9,9-bis(6′-phosphatehexyl)fluorene-alt-1,4-phenylene) sodium salt (PFHPNa), was synthesized by Suzuki coupling reaction in DMF/water. Polymer PFHPNa was well soluble in water with a strong blue fluorescence emission. Effect of the side chain length on fluorescence sensory properties was studied by comparing quenching efficiencies toward different quenchers of PFHPNa with a reported polymer poly(9,9-bis(3′-phosphatepropyl)fluorene-alt-1,4-phenylene) sodium salt (PFPPNa), which have different side chains in length. For small molecular quenchers (methylviologen, MV²⁺) and meso-5,10,15,20-tetrakis-(N-methyl-4-pyridyl)porphine (TMPyP4), polymer PFHPNa had lower sensitivity due to the much longer side chain length. The positively charged metalloprotein cytochrome c could quench fluorescence of conjugated polymers via energy transfer and electron transfer. Moreover, polymer PFHPNa showed higher fluorescence quenching toward large biomolecules than PFPPNa. The corresponding Stern-Volmer (K _sv) value of polymer PFHPNa was determined to be 2.1×10⁸ M⁻¹ for cytochrome c. It could be used as a sensitive and selective fluorescence sensor for protein cytochrome c. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 20574067 & 50633040), the Science Fund for Creative Research Groups (Grant No. 20621401), and the 973 Project (Grant No. 2002CB613402)     

Two novel interpenetrated zinc(II) and cadmium(II) coordination polymers based on 4-imidazole-benzoate: Syntheses,crystal structures and properties

Two novel interpenetrated coordination polymers, [Zn(IBA)₂] _n (1) and {[Cd(IBA)₂(H₂O)]·4H₂O} _n (2), have been synthesized by using 4-imidazole-benzoic acid (HIBA) as ligand under hydrothermal conditions. Complex 1 crystallizes in a chiral space group and has a two-fold interpenetrated 2D network structure with (4,4) topology, while complex 2 is a 3D porous dia network with four nets interpenetrating each other. The SHG activity of 1 and the photoluminescent property of 2 have been investigated. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 20731004 & 20721002) and the National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2007CB925103)     

Single molecule fluorescence fluctuations of the cyanine dyes linked covalently to DNA

The intersystem crossing and isomerization dynamics of free-Cy3, Cy3-ssDNA, free-Cy5 and Cy5-ssDNA are obtained through simple analysis of rapid on/off blinking from single molecule fluorescence intensity time-traces and the fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS). The on- and off-times observed in fluorescence time traces of single cyanine dyes are due to the formation of the triplet state and isomerization, where both the interaction with DNA and long central polymethine chain of cyanine dyes increase the barriers of isomerization, leading to long off-time. The results indicate that the single molecule fluorescence fluctuation together with the resulting second autocorrelation analysis are powerful methods for determining the triplet state and isomerization dynamics, which could be the simple techniques and complementary to other spectroscopic techniques, such as fluorescence decay measurement and laser flash photolysis to study the photophysical processes of complex molecules. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 20773139, 20833008 & 20825314), and State Key Project for Fundamental Research (Grant Nos. 2006CB806000 & 2007CB815200)