Biochemical applications of surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy

An overview is presented on the application of surface-enhanced infrared absorption (SEIRA) spectroscopy to biochemical problems. Use of SEIRA results in high surface sensitivity by enhancing the signal of the adsorbed molecule by approximately two orders of magnitude and has the potential to enable new studies, from fundamental aspects to applied sciences. This report surveys studies of DNA and nucleic acid adsorption to gold surfaces, development of immunoassays, electron transfer between metal electrodes and proteins, and protein–protein interactions. Because signal enhancement in SEIRA uses surface properties of the nano-structured metal, the biomaterial must be tethered to the metal without hampering its functionality. Because many biochemical reactions proceed vectorially, their functionality depends on proper orientation of the biomaterial. Thus, surface-modification techniques are addressed that enable control of the proper orientation of proteins on the metal surface. Figure Surface enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy (SEIRAS) on the studies of tethered protein monolayer (cytochrome c oxidase and cytochrome c) on gold substrate (left), and its potential induced surface enhanced infrared difference absorption (SEIDA) spectrum     

Rapid diagnosis of drug intoxication using novel NAGINATA gas chromatography/mass spectrometry software

In Japan, not only the classical stimulant, methamphetamine, but also a wide variety of illicit drugs and designer drugs are abused by juveniles. It is, however, difficult to screen these drugs in human urine due to the poor availability of high-quality standards. Therefore, it is important to develop a screening method that does not require the use of standard compounds. Furthermore, if we can obtain approximate drug concentrations in biological fluids by the first screening procedure, the subsequent treatment of the patient and forensic diagnosis can be carried out more rapidly and exact quantitative analysis performed more efficiently. We have devised a rapid screening method for the simultaneous semi-quantitative analysis of 30 abused drugs using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) with a retention time locking technique. Based on this method, an 'abused drugs database' was constructed including retention time (RT), qualifier ion/target ion (QT) percentage and calibration curve (values of slope and intercept) using the novel GC/MS software, NAGINATA. We compared the analytical results obtained by this method using the constructed database with those from conventional methods in six forensic cases. The number of confirmed drugs and concentrations obtained by the established method was comparable with that obtained by conventional methods. We found a significant improvement in the time for data analysis, and qualitative and quantitative information about each drug was obtained without using standards. Therefore, this new screening procedure using NAGINATA has potential for the rapid identification of poisoning and should be useful in clinical and forensic toxicological analyses.     

General synthesis of extended fused oligothiophenes consisting of an even number of thiophene rings

The intramolecular double cyclization of bis(3-bromo-2-thienyl)acetylenes though a lithium-halogen exchange reaction with tBuLi followed by treatment with elemental sulfur produces two thiophene-fused thieno[3,2-c](1,2-dithiin)s. The subsequent dechalcogenation from the 1,2-dithiins with copper nanopowder affords tetrathienoacenes. On the basis of this two-step procedure, a series of trialkylsilyl-terminated, fused oligothiophenes, including hexathienoacene (a six thiophene-fused system) and octathienoacene (an eight thiophene-fused system), were synthesized. In the UV/Vis absorption and fluorescence spectra of the fused oligothiophenes, the absorption and emission maxima shift to longer wavelengths, as the pi-conjugation length increases. Their maximum wavenumbers have linear relationships with the reciprocal number of thiophene rings consisting of the pi-conjugated frameworks. In the cyclic voltammograms, all the compounds show reversible oxidation waves, the first oxidation potential of which shifts to less positive as the conjugation length increases. Among them, the octathienoacene also shows a reversible second oxidation process. Indeed, its chemical oxidation with an excess amount of NO(+)SbF(6) (-) produces the dication as a golden crystal. The crystal structures of the neutral octathienoacene and its dication were determined by X-ray crystallography. While in the neutral state, the octathienoacene has a benzenoid structure with a large bond alternation of about 0.04 A, its dication has a quinoid structure in which two cationic charges are mainly localized on the terminal rings.     

Modification of spin crossover behavior through solvent assisted formation and solvent inclusion in a triply interpenetrating three-dimensional network

The 3D coordination polymer [Fe(4ditz)3](PF6)2.solv consists of three interpenetrating infinite networks. There are cavities between iron atoms of different networks, which are partly filled with solvent molecules. With a change of the solvent used during synthesis from methanol to ethanol, the magnetic behavior of the materials changes. Both show an abrupt two-step spin crossover from low spin (S = 0) to high spin (S = 2) with the methanolate curve lying 7 K higher and showing a small hysteresis. Single crystal and powder diffraction studies show that they both have the same structure, but in powder form, the methanolate slowly loses methanol to finally leave about 0.075 MeOH/Fe. In comparison, the bigger ethanol remains at 0.25 EtOH/Fe. These results, in conjunction with thermodynamic data, strongly suggest that the differences in magnetic behavior are largely entropic in nature. Possible reasons for this are discussed.     

Core-shell structures in single flexible-semiflexible block copolymers: finding the free energy minimum for the folding transition

We investigate the folding transition of a single diblock copolymer consisting of a semiflexible and a flexible block. We obtain a Saturn-shaped core-shell conformation in the folded state, in which the flexible block forms a core and the semiflexible block wraps around it. We demonstrate two distinctive features of the core-shell structures: (i) The kinetics of the folding transition in the copolymer are significantly more efficient than those of a semiflexible homopolymer. (ii) The core-shell structure does not depend on the transition pathway.     

Polymerization of diacetylene phospholipid bilayers on solid substrate: influence of the film deposition temperature

Micropatterned phospholipid bilayers on solid substrates offer an attractive platform for various applications, such as high throughput drug screening. We have previously developed a photopolymerization-based methodology for generating micropatterned bilayers composed of polymerized and fluid lipid bilayers. Lithographic photopolymerization of a diacetylene-containing phospholipid (DiynePC) allowed facile fabrication of compartmentalized arrays of fluid lipid membranes. Herein, we report on a key experimental parameter that significantly influences the homogeneity and quality of the fabricated polymeric bilayers, namely the temperature at which monolayers of monomeric DiynePC were formed on the water surface and transferred onto solid substrates by the Langmuir-Blodgett/Langmuir-Schaefer (LB/LS) technique. Using fluorescence microscopy and atomic force microscopy, it was found that polymerized bilayers were homogeneous, if bilayers of DiynePC were prepared below the triple point temperature (ca. 20 degrees C) of the monolayer, where a direct transition from the gaseous state to the liquid condensed state occurred. Bilayers prepared above this temperature had a markedly increased number of crack-like line defects. The differences were attributed to the domain structures in the monolayer that were transferred from the water surface to the substrate. Domain size, rather than the molecular packing in each domain, was concluded to play a critical role in the formation of defects. The spontaneous curvature and area changes of bilayers were postulated to cause destabilization and detachment of the films from the substrate upon polymerization. Our present results highlight the importance of controlling the domain structures for the homogeneity of polymerized bilayers required in technological applications.     

Regular self-motion of a liquid droplet powered by the chemical marangoni effect

We describe here our recent work on spontaneous regular motion of liquid droplet powered by the chemical Marangoni effect under spatially symmetric conditions. It is shown that a spontaneously crawling oil droplet on a glass substrate with a nonequilibrium chemical condition of cationic surfactant exhibits regular rhythmic motion in a quasi-one-dimensional vessel, whereas irregular motion is induced in a two-dimensionally isotropic environment. Such behavior of a droplet demonstrates that spontaneous regular motion can be generated under fluctuating conditions by imposing an appropriate geometry. As another system, we introduce alcohol droplet moving spontaneously on water surface. The droplet spontaneously forms a specific morphology depending on its volume, causing specific mode of translational motion. An alcohol droplet with a smaller volume floating on water surface moves irregularly. On the other hand, a droplet with a larger volume undergoes vectorial motion accompanied by deformation into an asymmetric shape. This result suggests a scenario on the emergence of regular motion coupled with geometrical pattern formation under far-from-equilibrium conditions.     

Visualization of different pathways of DNA release from interpolyelectrolyte complex

The release of double-stranded DNA from its interpolyelectrolyte complex with positively charged poly(allylamine hydrochloride) via exchange reaction with added polyanion, poly(sodium styrenesulfonate), is directly observed by fluorescence microscopy. It is shown that the pathways of DNA release depend essentially on the amount of added low-molecular-weight salt. At low salt content, the DNA release proceeds via the formation of an intermediate "beads-on-string" structure, whereas at high salt content the release goes directly from globule to coil states without any intermediate structures. The reasons for different character of DNA release are discussed.     

Development of a library of 6-arylcoumarins as candidate fluorescent sensors

[structure: see text]. A bromocoumarin scaffold (1) was reacted with various boronic acid derivatives (2a-l) to afford a library of 6-arylcoumarins (3a-l). This library was found to contain candidate fluorescent sensors for peptidase activity and for nitric oxide.     

Highly selective ammonia synthesis from nitrate with photocatalytically generated hydrogen on CuPd/TiO2

Body-centered-cubic type CuPd nanoalloys were synthesized by a chemical reduction method. Photocatalytic hydrogen evolution and nitrate reduction were simultaneously examined over CuPd nanoalloys deposited on TiO(2) (CuPd/TiO(2)). The efficiency of hydrogen evolution over CuPd/TiO(2) was better than that over Pd/TiO(2). As for nitrate reduction, ammonia was selectively (78%) produced with hydrogen generated photocatalytically over CuPd/TiO(2). The continuous generation of nascent hydrogen atoms on the surface of the CuPd nanoalloy, where Cu and Pd are homogeneously mixed, led to the high selectivity for ammonia.