Nanoscale organization of the pathogen receptor DC-SIGN mapped by single-molecule high-resolution fluorescence microscopy.

DC-SIGN, a C-type lectin exclusively expressed on dendritic cells (DCs), plays an important role in pathogen recognition by binding with high affinity to a large variety of microorganisms. Recent experimental evidence points to a direct relation between the function of DC-SIGN as a viral receptor and its spatial arrangement on the plasma membrane. We have investigated the nanoscale organization of fluorescently labeled DC-SIGN on intact isolated DCs by means of near-field scanning optical microscopy (NSOM) combined with single-molecule detection. Fluorescence spots of different intensity and size have been directly visualized by optical means with a spatial resolution of less than 100 nm. Intensity- and size-distribution histograms of the DC-SIGN fluorescent spots confirm that approximately 80 % of the receptors are organized in nanosized domains randomly distributed on the cell membrane. Intensity-size correlation analysis revealed remarkable heterogeneity in the molecular packing density of the domains. Furthermore, we have mapped the intermolecular organization within a dense cluster by means of sequential NSOM imaging combined with discrete single-molecule photobleaching. In this way we have determined the spatial coordinates of 13 different individual dyes, with a localization accuracy of 6 nm. Our experimental observations are all consistent with an arrangement of DC-SIGN designed to maximize its chances of binding to a wide range of microorganisms. Our data also illustrate the potential of NSOM as an ultrasensitive, high-resolution technique to probe nanometer-scale organization of molecules on the cell membrane.     

4-Amino-imidazole durchThorpe-Cyclisierung

The alkylation of arylaminomethylenecyanamides1 or cyano-imidothiocarbamates2 with -halogen carbonyl compounds followed by base catalysed cyclization yields substituted 4-amino-imidazoles4. Imidazo[4,5-d]pyrimidones5, 6 and imidazo[4,5-b]pyridines7 can be obtained from4.     

The electrocapillarity of polyacrylates

Summary The electrocapillary properties of polyacrylic acid have been studied by two methods. Exploratory measurements have been made of the effect of the polymer on the differential capacity of a mercury drop in 0.1 m sodium perchlorate. They showed that the polymer was strongly adsorbed over a wide range of potentials but that it did not appear to form a monolayer. The surface excess of polymer obtained from drop weight data showed a maximum at very low concentrations and then a decline at higher concentrations. The bulk of the work was carried out by making surface tension measurements, using a sessile mercury drop, in solutions of a fraction of polyacrylic acid (mol. wt. 7.02×10⁴) in potassium chloride at 0.01, 0.1, 0.2, and 0.5 m at 25°C.The data have been used to evaluate the surface excesses of the polymer and of the inorganic ions. The distribution of K⁺ and Cl^– in the electrical double layer and the contact adsorption of Cl^– on the mercury were very little affected by the presence of the polymer. The surface excess of polymer was always found to be greatest at low concentrations, to decrease steeply at first as the concentration was increased and then to decrease more slowly at higher concentrations.Possible explanations of this behaviour are discussed and it is concluded that the rapid decrease is a consequence of molecular weight dispersion and the stronger adsorption of high molecular weight polymer. The slow decrease in surface excess at higher concentrations may be a result of configurational changes of the polymer molecules.Surface pressure data show that, despite this decrease in the surface excess, the surface coverage reaches a high level at very low polymer concentrations and then continues to increase slowly as the concentration of polymer is increased. This apparent contradiction is due to changes in configuration of the adsorbed polymer molecules. At higher bulk concentrations the chain configurations are more compact and each adsorbed molecule makes more contacts with and so occupies a greater area of the mercury surface than at low concentrations.The conclusion is reached that the surface excess of polymer is mostly contained in a layer probably more than 1000 Å thick. It consists of a concentrated and entangled mass of polymer chains. Relatively few of these chains are in contact with the mercury at any istant. The concentration in this surface layer decreases steadily with increasing distance from the mercury surface and it merges without discontinuity into the bulk solution.With 10 figures in 22 details     

Stereochemie von Metallocenen, 40. Mitt.

Starting from optically active methylferrocene-- and--carboxylic acids (1 a and1 b) of known absolute configuration and enantiomeric purity about 15 chiral ferrocenes (of each isomeric series— and ) were obtained by suitable ligand transformations. Thereby (almost) all possible chiral combinations of the ligands CH₃, COOH (COO^–), COOCH₃, CN and NH₂ (NH₃ ⁺) were accessible which are necessary for a potential test of approximations of chirality functions for compounds with basic symmetry C_5v. The chiroptical properties of these disubstituted ferrocenes are recorded.Preliminary tests using a shortened Ansatz revealed large discrepancies between calculated () and found [M]_D-values. Possible reasons for this failure are discussed.

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61. Mitt. über Ferrocenderivate

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39. Mitt.:A. Meyer, H. Neudeck undK. Schlögl, Chem. Ber.110, 1403 (1977).

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60. Mitt.:V. Rapi, K. Schlögl undB. Steinitz, J. Organometal. Chem.94, 87 (1975).     

Neue Wege der Analytik durch Kombination der direkten quantitativen Dünnschicht-Chromatographie mit elektronischer Datenverarbeitung

A computer program for direct evaluation of thin-layer chromatograms, which already was described earlier [3] has been tested with a laboratory and some technical formulations of a pesticide. Results have been compared with those obtained by two conventional methods. Mean relative standard deviation calculated from results compiled by electronic data processing (method A) is about 6%, compared to 10% received by graphic method (method C) which is employed by most investigators. In addition, overall time of analysis is 34% higher if graphic method is used. Method A saves time and expense especially in routine analysis because working of the process is easier and may be performed even by assistent personal. The proposed method is suitable for the determination of different active ingredients and impurities even in difficult technical products.     

Chemical thermodynamics

The curing of composition containing epoxy bond is complicated chemical and technological process where under temperature and pressure conditions a change of its structure occurs. The structure changes are possible to know by thermal methods as DSC, DTA, etc. and also by measurement of dielectrical response under the low frequency electrical field.