Exploiting Complex Fluorophore Interactions to Monitor Virus Capsid Disassembly

Supramolecular protein complexes are the corner stone of biological processes; they are essential for many biological functions. Unraveling the interactions responsible for the (dis)assembly of these complexes is required to understand nature and to exploit such systems in future applications. Virus capsids are well-defined assemblies of hundreds of proteins and form the outer shell of non-enveloped viruses. Due to their potential as a drug carriers or nano-reactors and the need for virus inactivation strategies, assessing the intactness of virus capsids is of great interest. Current methods to evaluate the (dis)assembly of these protein assemblies are experimentally demanding in terms of instrumentation, expertise and time. Here we investigate a new strategy to monitor the disassembly of fluorescently labeled virus capsids. To monitor surfactant-induced capsid disassembly, we exploit the complex photophysical interplay between multiple fluorophores conjugated to capsid proteins. The disassembly of the capsid changes the photophysical interactions between the fluorophores, and this can be spectrally monitored. The presented data show that this low complexity method can be used to study and monitor the disassembly of supramolecular protein complexes like virus capsids. However, the range of labeling densities that is suitable for this assay is surprisingly narrow.     

On the effects of dephasing due to local gradients in diffusion tensor imaging experiments: relevance for diffusion tensor imaging fiber phantoms

The effect of susceptibility differences between fluid and fibers on the properties of DTI fiber phantoms was investigated. Thereto, machine-made, easily producible and inexpensive DTI fiber phantoms were constructed by winding polyamide fibers of 15 microm diameter around a circular acrylic glass spindle. The achieved fractional anisotropy was 0.78+/-0.02. It is shown by phantom measurements and Monte Carlo simulations that the transversal relaxation time T(2) strongly depends on the angle between the fibers and the B(0) field if the susceptibilities of the fibers and fluid are not identical. In the phantoms, the measured T(2) time at 3 T decreased by 60% for fibers running perpendicular to B(0). Monte Carlo simulations confirmed this result and revealed that the exact relaxation time depends strongly on the exact packing of the fibers. In the phantoms, the measured diffusion was independent of fiber orientation. Monte Carlo simulations revealed that the measured diffusion strongly depends on the exact fiber packing and that field strength and -orientation dependencies of measured diffusion may be minimal for hexagonal packing while the diffusion can be underestimated by more than 50% for cubic packing at 3 T. To overcome these effects, the susceptibilities of fibers and fluid were matched using an aqueous sodium chloride solution (83 g NaCl per kilogram of water). This enables an orientation independent and reliable use of DTI phantoms for evaluation purposes.     

Cognitive‐Performance Recovery of Alzheimer's Disease Model Mice by Modulation of Early Soluble Amyloidal Assemblies

A rationally designed oligomerization inhibitor interacts with early intermediate assemblies of amyloid‐β polypeptide (Aβ) through the aromatic elements and inhibits their assembly into the toxic oligomers that cause Alzheimer's disease by a unique C^α‐methylation β‐breakage strategy. The electrostatic potential of the low‐energy conformation of the dipeptide inhibitor bound to Aβ is shown.

     

CFD by first order PDEs

This research originally was aimed at modeling all flows (except free-molecular) by systems of hyperbolic-relaxation equations (moments of the Boltzmann equation), and developing efficient numerical methods for these. Such systems have many potential numerical advantages, mainly because there are no second or higher derivatives to be approximated. This avoids accuracy problems on adaptive unstructured grids, and the source terms, though often stiff, are only local; the compact stencils facilitate code parallelization. A single code could simulate flows up to intermediate Knudsen numbers, and be hybridized with DSMC where needed. In this project, one major problem arose that we have not yet solved: the accurate representation of shock structures. This makes the methodology currently unsuited for, e.g., re-entry flows. We have validated it for subsonic and transonic flows and are concentrating on applications to MEMS-related flows. We discuss the challenges of our approach, present numerical algorithms and results based on the 10-moment model, and report progress in our latest research topic: formulating accurate solid-boundary conditions.     

Catalyse par transfert de phase solide-liquide sans solvant : application a la reaction de michael

Solid-liquid phase transfer catalysis without added organic solvent efficiently promotes MICHAEL reactions. The method is applied here to the addition of acetylacetone, methylacetoacetate and fluorene anions on hindered acceptors.     

Catalytic thermal reactions of cumene over sepiolite and palygorskite

The catalytic activity of sepiolite and palygorskite in cracking and disproportionation reactions of cumene was studied. The formation of benzene, diisopropylbenzene and propylene characterizes Brönsted acid sites whereas that of ethylbenzene characterizes Lewis acid sites. At 150 and 250°C the reactions are determined mainly by the presence of acid sites in the channels of these clays. The yields are significantly higher in sepiolite as compared to palygorskite. The concentration of acid sites and their strength increase with the thermal loss of zeolitic and part of the bound water. At 350°C the reactions are determined by the acidity of the external surface of both minerals and yields are only slightly higher in sepiolite. At 150°C most acid sites are of the Brönsted type. With the rise in temperature the relative concentration of Lewis acid sites increases.

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Zusammenfassung Es wurde die katalytische Aktivität von Sepiolith und Palygorskit in Krack- und Disproportionierungsreaktionen von Kumol untersucht. Die Bildung von Benzol, Diisopropyl-benzol und Propylen charakterisieren Aziditätsstellen nach Bronsted, während die Bildung von Ethylbenzol Aziditätsstellen nach Lewis charakterisiert. Bei 150°C und 250°C werden die Reaktionen hauptsächlich durch die Gegenwart von Aziditätsstellen in den Tunnelgebilden dieser Tonerden bestimmt. Bezogen auf Palygorskit sind die Ausbeuten bei Sepiolith eindeutig höher. Die Konzentration der Aziditätsstellen und ihre Stärke nehmen mit der thermischen Abgabe von zeolithischem und eines Teiles des gebundenen Wassers zu. Bei 350°C werden die Reaktionen durch die Azidität der externen Oberfläche beider Mineralien bestimmt und die Ausbeuten sind in Sepiolith kaum höher. Bei 150°C sind die meisten Aziditätsstellen vom Brönsted-Typ. Mit ansteigender Temperatur nimmt auch die relative Anzahl von Lewis-Aziditätsstellen zu.

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Dedicated to Prof. Dr. H. J. Seifert on the occasion of his 60^th birthday     

Proprietes solubilisantes et structure des solutions aqueuses de sels biliaires dihydroxyles

The solubilizing properties of aqueous solutions of isomeric salts, deoxycholate, chenodeoxycholate and ursodeoxycholate for naphthalene and cholesterol have been studied. For both molecules, ursodeoxycholate micelles have the poorest detergent power. Binding of naphthalene to micelles modifies the chemical shifts of the angular methyl groups of the bile salts as determined by ¹H NMR. A greater pertubation of the C₁₉ methyl signal relative to that of the C₁₈ methyl signal is observed with deoxycholate and chenodeoxycholate but not with ursodeoxycholate. These results suggest a distinct micellar structure for ursodeoxycholate.