Gold nanoparticle patterning of silicon wafers using chemical e-beam lithography

This paper demonstrates a novel facile method for fabrication of patterned arrays of gold nanoparticles on Si/SiO2 by combining electron beam lithography and self-assembly techniques. Our strategy is to use direct-write electron beam patterning to convert nitro functionality in self-assembled monolayers of 3-(4-nitrophenoxy)-propyltrimethoxysilane to amino functionality, forming chemically well-defined surface architectures on the 100 nm scale. These nanopatterns are employed to guide the assembly of citrate-passivated gold nanoparticles according to their different affinities for amino and nitro groups. This kind of nanoparticle assembly offers an attractive new option for nanoparticle patterning a silicon surface, as relevant, for example, to biosensors, electronics, and optical devices.     

Cyanide-bridged vitamin B12-cisplatin conjugates

cis-[PtCl(OH2)(NH3)2]+, the monoactivated form of cisplatin, reacts with the cyano ligand of cobalt in vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin) to form a Co-C[triple chemical bond]N-Pt conjugate (1). Compound 1 is prepared in good yield directly in aqueous solution. The remaining chloride ligand of Pt(II) is labile. It hydrolyzes slowly in aqueous solution and can be exchanged by stronger coordinating ligands, such as 9-methylguanine or 2'-deoxyguanosine, to yield vitamin B12-nucleobase conjugates. X-ray structures of the vitamin B12-cisplatin conjugate 1 as well as of the product with coordinated 9-methylguanine (2) are presented. The coordination geometry at Pt(II) is almost perfectly square-planar. The structure of the cobalamin compound remains essentially unchanged when compared with the original B(12) structure. The guanine moiety of compound 2 binds in a 45 degrees angle to the cisplatin molecule and interacts with neighboring molecules by means of pi stacking and hydrogen bonds.     

Mass spectrometry and partial least-squares regression: a tool for identification of wheat variety and end-use quality

Rapid methods for the identification of wheat varieties and their end-use quality have been developed. The methods combine the analysis of wheat protein extracts by mass spectrometry with partial least-squares regression in order to predict the variety or end-use quality of unknown wheat samples. The whole process takes approximately 30 min. Extracts of alcohol-soluble storage proteins (gliadins) from wheat were analysed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Partial least-squares regression was subsequently applied using these mass spectra for making models that could predict the wheat variety or end-use quality. Previously, an artificial neural network was used to identify wheat varieties based on their protein mass spectra profiles. The present study showed that partial least-squares regression is at least as useful as neural networks for this identification. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that partial least-squares regression could be used to predict wheat end-use quality, which has not been possible using neural networks.     

Identification of nuclear proteins of small cell lung cancer cell line H82: An improved procedure for the analysis of silver-stained proteins

An efficient method for digestion and extraction of proteolytic peptides from silver-stained proteins was applied to the characterization of nuclear proteins from the small cell lung cancer H82 (ATCC HTB 175) cell line previously separated by high-resolution large format two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. From 68 spots, evenly distributed on the gel area and representing a wide range of spot intensities, 63 (92%) were successfully identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) or electrospray ionozation-mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). In five cases where the identification was not possible, the presence of an intense background apparently due to the leakage of polymers from the microtubes or other plastics, was detected. Extensive analysis of peptide sequences by ESI MS/MS experiments allowed the identification of post-translational modifications, such as acetylation, phosphorylation, deamidation of asparagine residues and the presence of isoaspartic acid. A new protein variant not reported in sequence databases was also detected.     

Übergangsmetall-Fulven-Komplexe: XXXII. Heteronukleare Zweikernkomplexe des Azulens

The molecular structure of the dinuclear complex [(η⁶-benzene)M$\text{o(μ-η}{}^6\text{: η}{}^4\text{-azulene)C}$r(CO)₃ was determined by an X-ray diffraction study. The reaction of [(η⁶-azulene)(η⁶-benzene)Mo] with [RhCI(CO)₂]₂ gives the salt [η⁶-benzene)M$\text{o(μ-η}{}^6\text{: η}{}^4\text{-azulene)R}$h(CO)₂]₊[RhCl₂(CO)₂]^?, the structure of which was also characterized by X-ray crystallography. The cation of this salt can also be synthesized from [(η⁶-azulene)(η⁶-benzene)Mo] and [Rh(CO)₂]⁺. The fluxionality of the cation was studied by temperature-dependent ¹H-NMR measurements. The complex [(η⁶-azulene)(η⁶-benzene)Mo] reacts with Fe₂(CO)₉ to give the dinuclear complex [(η⁶-benzene)M$\text{o(μ-η}{}^5\text{:}{}_3\text{-azulene)F}$e(CO)₃], as confirmed by X-ray diffraction.     

Speciation studies for arsenic and mercury-applications and prospects

Methods are described for the speciation of arsenic and mercury in biological and environmental materials. For arsenic various methods were developed to distinguish between more or less toxic arsenic compounds and non-toxic compounds. For the determination of methylmercury a modification of the Westöö procedure was applied for higher contents as well as anion exchange down to levels below 0.1 g/kg in solids and below 0.1 ng/1 in liquids.     

Towards characterization of the human urinary peptidome

Biomarker discovery in human urine has become an evolving and potentially valuable topic in relation to renal function and diseases of the urinary tract. In order to deliver on the promises and to facilitate the development of validated biomarkers or biomarker panels, protein and peptide profiling techniques need high sample throughput, speed of analysis, and reproducibility of results. Here, we outline the performance characteristics of the liquid chromatography/MALDI-TOF-MS based differential peptide display (DPD(1)) approach for separating, detecting, abundance profiling and identification of native peptides derived from human urine. The typical complexity of peptides in human urine (resolution of the technique with respect to detectable number of peptides), the reproducibility (coefficient of variation for abundance profiles of all peptides detected in biological samples) and dynamic range of the technique as well as the lower limit of detection were characterized. A substantial number of peptides present in normal human urine were identified and compared to findings in four published proteome studies. In an explorative approach, pathological urines from patients suffering from post-renal-filtration diseases were qualitatively compared to normal urine. In conclusion, the peptidomics technology as shown here has a great potential for high throughput and high resolution urine peptide profiling analyses. It is a promising tool to study not only renal physiology and pathophysiology and to determine new biomarkers of renal diseases; it also has the potential to study remotely localized or systemic aberrations within human biology.     

New 2-o-methylrhamno-isoflavones from Streptomyces sp

Chemical screening with extracts of Actinomycetes strains resulted in the detection, isolation and structure elucidation of five new isoflavone glycosides from Streptomyces sp. (GT 51173): 5-O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl genestein (genestein G1, 1), 5-O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl-7-O-[2-O-(methyl)-alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl] genestein (genestein G2, 2), 7,4'-O-di-[2-O-(methyl)-alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl] daidzein (daidzein G1, 3), 6-O-methyl-7-O-[2-O-(methyl)-alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl] daidzein (daidzein G2, 4) and 7-O-[2-O-(methyl)-alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl] daidzein (daidzein G3, 5). As a striking structural feature, 2-5 bear one or two alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl sugar moieties with methoxy groups in an axial position at C-2.     

Electrophoretic techniques in element species analysis. Comparison between flow-through and flat-bed techniques

A comparison of electrophoretic techniques for the separation of metal-protein complexes from food extracts is described. A preparative flow-through electrophoresis system with continuous elution of the fractionated substances and an analytical flat-bed gel electrophoresis technique with off-line electro-elution are optimized with regard to this separation problem. The metal-protein complexes are extracted from four flour samples using Tris-glycine buffer (pH 8.3). For the separation, polyacrylamide gels of 14% T and 3% C are prepared and Tris-HCl (pH 8.9) is used as an electrophoresis buffer. For a soy bean flour, not only the separation of protein fractions is achieved but also the metal distribution patterns that are determined by flame atomic absorption spectrometry are given. The results show that the use of the flow-through technique is limited to special fields of application, whereas the flat-bed electrophoresis with subsequent electro-elution of metal-protein complexes is a useful technique in element species analysis.     

Fragmentation of cationized phosphotyrosine containing peptides by atmospheric pressure MALDI/Ion trap mass spectrometry

An investigation of phosphate loss from sodium-cationized phosphotyrosine containing peptide ions was conducted using liquid infrared (2.94 microm) atmospheric pressure matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (AP MALDI) coupled to an ion trap mass spectrometer (ITMS). Previous experiments in our laboratory explored the fragmentation patterns of protonated phosphotyrosine containing peptides, which experience a loss of 98 Da under CID conditions in the ITMS. This loss of 98 Da is unexpected for phosphotyrosine, given the structure of its side chain. Phosphate loss from phosphotyrosine residues seems to be dependent on the presence of arginine or lysine residues in the peptide sequence. In the absence of a basic residue, the protonated phosphotyrosine peptides do not undergo losses of HPO(3) (Delta 80 Da) nor HPO(3) + H(2)O (Delta 98 Da) in their CID spectra. However, sodium cationized phosphotyrosine containing peptides that do not contain arginine or lysine residues within their sequences do undergo losses of HPO(3) (Delta 80 Da) and HPO(3) + H(2)O (Delta 98 Da) in their CID spectra.