Protein profiles and identification of high performance liquid chromatography isolated proteins of cancer cell lines using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOFMS) has been used to rapidly profile the protein content of human cell lysates from MCF-10 cell and variant lines. The method was used to study the protein profiles of these cells as they progressed from normal breast epithelium to fully malignant cells. Distinct differences in the protein profiles were observed with progression, and specific proteins associated with carcinogenesis (p53, c-myc, and c-erbB-2) were heavily expressed in these cells as detected by MALDI-TOFMS. These proteins were also isolated using non-porous reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography (NP-RP-HPLC) and mass analyzed by MALDI-TOFMS to provide molecular weight information without interference from other proteins in the whole cell lysates, and to avoid suppression effects in mixtures of proteins detected by MALDI-TOFMS. In order to confirm the identity of these oncoproteins, the cell lysates were subjected to one-dimensional (1-D) gel separation and subsequently electroblotted onto a poly(vinylidene difluoride) (PVDF) membrane for further analysis. Trypsin and cyanogen bromide digestions were performed on these proteins eluted from excised PVDF bands which were then analyzed by MALDI-TOFMS. The identity of these proteins was confirmed by database matching procedures.     

Biogenesis of betalaine. Biotransformation of dopa and tyrosine in betalaminic acid part of the betanins

During studies on the biogenesis of betalains (I) in cactus fruits (Opuntia sp.). DL -dopa-1-[¹⁴C] and -2-[¹⁴C] were incorporated into betanin (III) which was obtained radiopure after crystallization. The specific activity remained constant after conversion to betanidin (IV) and to a neobetanidin derivative (IX). Reaction of radiobetanin with proline afforded indicaxanthin (V) carrying more than 90% of the radioactivity. Dopa (VI) is thus an efficient precursor for betalamic acid (VIII) but not for cyclodopa (VII). Decarboxylation of radiobetanidin and radioindicaxanthin showed that the carboxyl group of dopa remained a carboxyl group in the biotransformation to betalamic acid. It is concluded that the aromatic ring of dopa is cleaved and that re-cyclization involving the nitrogen generates the dihydropyridine moiety. Under the same conditions mevalonic acid, aspartic acid and phenylalanine showed low incorporations. Studies with beet seedlings and DL -dopa-1-[¹⁴C], -2-[¹⁴C] and DL -tyrosine-1-[¹⁴C] afforded similar results but with low incorporations.     

Dynamic Surface Properties of Poly(vinylpyrrolidone) Solutions

The dynamic surface tension and the complex dynamic surface elasticity of poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) solutions were measured in the concentration range 10(-5) wt% up to about 1 wt%. The surface tension changed slowly with time at low (<10(-4) wt%) and high concentrations (>0.1 wt%). At low concentrations this is a consequence of the slow transport by diffusion of PVP molecules from the depth of the bulk phase to the surface. At high concentrations the time effect is unexpected and probably the result of PVP contamination of high surface activity. The dynamic surface elasticity of PVP solutions gradually decreases with increasing concentration up to the range of high concentrations (>0.1 wt%) where an abrupt increase in the elasticity caused by the adsorbed impurity is observed. At low and medium concentrations the viscoelastic behavior of PVP adsorbed films is similar to that of the previously investigated poly(ethylene oxide) and poly(ethylene glycol) films and is determined by the number of loops and tails protruding into the bulk phase.     

Tuning the electronic and magnetic properties of boron nitride nanotubes

Density Functional Theory is used to investigate the effect of altering the B/N ratio and carbon doping on the electronic and magnetic structure of zigzag, (7, 0) and armchair (5, 5) boron nitride nanotubes. The calculations indicate that increasing the boron content relative to the nitrogen content significantly reduces the band gap to a value typical of a semiconductor. Calculations of carbon doped semiconducting BN tubes, which have more boron atoms than nitrogen atoms have a net spin and a difference in the density of states at the valence band between the spin up and spin down state.