Two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, with immobilized pH gradients in the first dimension, of barley seed proteins: discrimination of cultivars with different malting grades.

The suitability of high-resolution two-dimensional gel electrophoresis for barley cultivar discrimination and for classification with respect to their malting properties was studied. Seed proteins of 14 barley cultivars with different malting qualities were extracted with urea/dithiothreitol/Nonidet P-40 buffer and subjected to two-dimensional gel electrophoresis with immobilized pH gradients in the first dimension (IPG-DALT). The results of IPG-DALT were compared to the protein patterns obtained by a standard technique, sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of hordeins. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-gel electrophoresis yielded seven different "B" and four different "C" hordein patterns; "A" and "D" hordein patterns were uniform in all cultivars tested. Four cultivars could be distinguished unequivocally, the others were classified into three groups containing between two and five cultivars. In contrast to these findings. IPG-DALT yielded three different "A", eight different "B", four different "C" and two different "D" hordein patterns. When the "A", "B", "C" and "D" hordein patterns were combined, ten cultivars exhibited unique hordein patterns whereas the remaining ones were classified into two groups containing two cultivars each. Moreover, when albumin and globulin proteins were used for evaluation in addition to the hordeins, all cultivars could be discriminated by IPG-DALT. IPG-DALT, performed on small-scale and/or ready-made gels, proved to be an ideal complementary system to one-dimensional electrophoretic methods for routine seed testing purposes because of its speed, reliability, and simplicity. IPG-DALT was also applied to study the relationship between the different polypeptide patterns and the malting quality. Although cultivars with identical one-dimensional protein patterns but different malting quality could be successfully differentiated by IPG-DALT, a direct correlation between specific protein spots or protein patterns to the malting quality was not found within the cultivars tested.     

Preparation and characterization of well-defined sterically stabilized latex particles with narrow size distribution

 The synthesis and comprehensive characterization of a purely sterically stabilized latex with narrow size distribution is reported. By use of non-ionic initiators no chemically bound surface charges are generated. Stabilization of the particles is achieved through use of a non-ionic surfactant having a double bond in the hydrophobic part which is chemically bound to the surface. Analysis of the latex particles thus generated by transmission electron microscopy, disc centrifugation, and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) reveals that the size distribution is narrow (standard deviation between 6 and 10%). SAXS furthermore demonstrates that the surfactant is located in a thin layer on the surface. The interaction of the particles is purely repulsive as shown by the analysis of the turbidity of the latex. The systems obtained herein may serve as model systems of water-borne purely sterically stabilized colloid particles. Received: 23 December 1997 Accepted: 18 May 1998     

Sound propagation in metallic glasses—a new look at the tunneling model

A variety of amorphous metals exhibit a characteristic behavior in their acoustic properties at low frequencies which differs from the predictions of the standard tunneling model. We point out that a lower cut-off _min for the tunnel matrix element, which is needed for consistency of the tunneling model, leads to an upper bound on relaxation times induced by the conduction electrons. We derive explicit expressions for the velocity shift and internal friction for the normalconducting and superconducting case. It is shown that a maximum relaxation time plays an essential role at audio frequencies. The corresponding change of the acoustic properties is in qualitative agreement with vibrating reed experiments.     

Orientation of nonionic surfactants on solid surfaces: n-alkyl polyglycol ethers on montmorillonite

Summary Complexes of nonionic surfactantsR-(OCH₂CH₂)x OH with montmorillonite have been studied (R =n-hexadecyl,n-octadecyl and oleyl ;x=2, 10 and 20).On internal surfaces the surfactant molecules are arranged in bilayers. Withx=2 the alkyl chain and about one half of the polar group, (-R OCH₂CH₂O-) stand perpendicularly whereas the terminal —CH₂CH₂OH group is attached to the silicate surface (₁-phase). The bilayer thickness decreases stepwise with rising temperature due to the formation of kinks (i-phases). At higher temperature (52 °C withR=C₁₈H₃₇-, 43°C withR=n-C₁₆H₃₃-, and 12 °C withR = oleyl-) surfactant molecules are squeezed out of the interlayer space reversibly, the packing density decreases, the whole polar head group gets attached to the silicate surface and the alkyl chains rearrange into a gauche-block structure. This structure undergoes further structural changes at still higher temperatures ( _i -phases).The complexes withx =10 and 20 form -phases even at room temperature. These -phases take up long chain alkanol molecules under formation of -structures which rearrange at higher temperatures into -phases. Long-chain impurities of the surfactants can be intercalated in a similar way.Previous data indicating mono- or bilayers of flatly lying surfactant molecules refer to metastable phases due to steric hindrances of lattice expansion.It is proposed that the surfactant molecules build up similar films on the external surfaces, which can adopt - or -structures depending upon number of ethylene oxide groups and temperature. The films of hexadecyl polyglycol ethers for instance are about 27 Å thick in the -phases and about 17 Å in the a-phases.

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Zusammenfassung Es wurden Montmorillonitkomplexe mit nichtionogenen TensidenR(-OCH₂CH₂) _x ,OH (R =n-hexadecyl-,n-octadecyl- und oleyl-;x = 2, 10 and 20) hergestellt. Die Tensidmoleküle bilden zwischen den Silicatschichten bimolekulare Filme.Mitx=2 sind die hydrophoben Reste und die anschließende -OCH₂CH₂-Äthergruppe bei niedriger Temperatur gestreckt und senkrecht zu den Silicatschichten orientiert ( _i -Phase); nur die endständige HOCH₂CH₂-Gruppe sitzt direkt auf der Silicatschicht auf. Beim Erwärmen erniedrigt sich die Dicke der bimolekularen Tensidschicht stufenweise durch den Einbau von Kinken ( _i -Phasen). Bei höheren Temperaturen (52°C mitR =C₁₈H₃₇-, 43 °C mitR =C₁₆H_33- und 12 °C mitR = oleyl) werden Tensidmoleküle reversibel aus den Schichtzwischenräumen verdrängt, die Packungsdichte erniedrigt sich, die gesamte polare Gruppe kommt in direkten Kontakt mit der Silicatschicht und die Alkylketten ordnen sich in eine Gaucheblockstruktur ( _i -Phase). Diese kann bei noch höheren Temperaturen weitere Phasenumwandlungen erleiden.Mitx =10 undx = 20 werden auch bei Zimmertemperatur nur -Phasen gebildet. Diese -Phasen können zusätzlich langkettige Alkanolmoleküle aufnehmen und ternäre Komplexe mit -Struktur bilden, die sich beim Erhitzen reversibel in -Formen umwandeln. Langkettige polare Verunreinigungen in den Tensiden wirken ähnlich wie die Alkanolmoleküle.An den äußeren Oberflächen werden die Tensidmoleküle gleichartige Filme mit - oder -Struktur bilden, je nach der Zahl der -CH₂CH₂O-Gruppen und der Temperatur. Ein Film aus Hexadecylpolyglykoläthern wird etwa 27 Å dick sein in der -Phase und etwa 17 Å in der -Form.

     

Screening an In-House Isoquinoline Alkaloids Library for New Blockers of Voltage-Gated Na+ Channels Using Voltage Sensor Fluorescent Probes: Hits and Biases

Voltage-gated Na⁺ (Na_V) channels are significant therapeutic targets for the treatment of cardiac and neurological disorders, thus promoting the search for novel Na_V channel ligands. With the objective of discovering new blockers of Na_V channel ligands, we screened an In-House vegetal alkaloid library using fluorescence cell-based assays. We screened 62 isoquinoline alkaloids (IA) for their ability to decrease the FRET signal of voltage sensor probes (VSP), which were induced by the activation of Na_V channels with batrachotoxin (BTX) in GH3b6 cells. This led to the selection of five IA: liriodenine, oxostephanine, thalmiculine, protopine, and bebeerine, inhibiting the BTX-induced VSP signal with micromolar IC₅₀. These five alkaloids were then assayed using the Na⁺ fluorescent probe ANG-2 and the patch-clamp technique. Only oxostephanine and liriodenine were able to inhibit the BTX-induced ANG-2 signal in HEK293-hNa_V1.3 cells. Indeed, liriodenine and oxostephanine decreased the effects of BTX on Na⁺ currents elicited by the hNa_V1.3 channel, suggesting that conformation change induced by BTX binding could induce a bias in fluorescent assays. However, among the five IA selected in the VSP assay, only bebeerine exhibited strong inhibitory effects against Na⁺ currents elicited by the hNav1.2 and hNav1.6 channels, with IC₅₀ values below 10 µM. So far, bebeerine is the first BBIQ to have been reported to block Na_V channels, with promising therapeutical applications.