PURIFICATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF A RIBOFLAVIN-BINDING PROTEIN FROM FLAGELLA OF Euglena grcrcilis

Abstract —Phototaxis of the flagellate Euglena gracilis has been thought to be mediated by flavin photoreceptor molecules localized in the paraflagellar body (PFB). From isolated flagella of Euglena a riboflavin (RF)-binding protein was solubilized and purified using nonionic detergents, high ionic strength, affinity Chromatography and standard column separations. Sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis showed an apparent molecular weight of 68 kDa for the binding protein. Its hydrophobicity was confirmed by Triton X-114 phase partitioning. Binding affinity for tritiated RF was high in the oxidized state (K_D= 4 n M ) as well as under reducing conditions in the presence of dithionite (K_d= 6 n M ). Affinities towards flavin mononucleotide and flavin adenine dinucleotide were lower. Based on binding data and on estimates of the purified 68 kDa polypeptide, approximately lo⁶ flavin-binding sites were determined per one flagellum. Evidence is discussed that the flavin-binding protein is part of the entire flagellar membrane and does not reside in the PFB. If not the photoreceptor, the flagellar RF-binding protein may have a functional role in the biochemical chain leading from the reception of the phototactic stimulus to the motile response.     

Excited-state relaxation of protonated adenine.

The excited state dynamics of protonated adenine in the gas phase were investigated by femtosecond pump-probe transient mass spectroscopy. Adenine was protonated in an electrospray ionization source and transferred to a Paul trap. Two femtosecond laser pulses at 266 nm and 800 nm excited the lowest electronic pipi* state and probed the excited-state dynamics by monitoring ion fragment formation. The measured excited state decay is monoexponential with a lifetime shorter than 161 fs. This agrees with a theoretical prediction of very fast internal conversion via a conical intersection with the ground state.     

Ion channels in the human red blood cell membrane: their further investigation and physiological relevance.

Using the patch-clamp technique, two different ion channels have been characterized further in the human red blood cell (RBC) membrane. We demonstrate that the non-selective cation channel (NSC) is permeable to Ca(2+) and can be activated by prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)). Therefore, the physiological role of this channel could be, together with the Ca(2+)-activated K(+) channel, the participation in the process of blood clot formation. We give also evidence that another channel in the RBC membrane, so far assumed to be a small conductance anion channel, is more likely to be a proton or a hydroxyl ion channel.     

Depth profile analysis of plasma assisted CVD hard materials coatings

The wear resistance of homogeneous and multilayer TiN_x., TiC_xN_y- and TiC_x-coatings is considerably determined by the layer composition and by the conditions at the interface. This work deals with the possibilities of different depth profile analysis methods for the study of TiN_x and TiC_x layers on hard metal and steel substrates prepared by plasma assisted CVD technique, and furthermore it demonstrates the performance of factor analysis for detailed investigation of a multilayer system consisting of amorphous C and TiC_x single layers.The hard materials coatings were investigated by different methods of depth profile analysis, which may be an important tool in the research of thin layer deposition for wear applications. The following techniques were used: GDOES, analytical TEM, electron microdiffraction and AUGER electron spectroscopy. By means of the combined application of energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry and microdiffraction a correlation of the depth profiles of both elemental concentrations and lattice parameters in TiC_x coatings could be revealed.Dedicated to Professor Dr. rer. nat. Dr. h.c. Hubertus Nickel on the occasion of his 65th birthday     

Ozonation of pyrene and benzo[a]pyrene in silica and soil –14C-mass balances and chemical analysis of oxidation products as a first step to ecotoxicological evaluation

Ozonation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in soil is a process that can be used for in-situ soil remediation or in combination with bioremediation techniques. First steps to a comprehensive ecotoxicological evaluation of this method is done by ozonation of radioactively labeled (¹⁴C) pyrene and benzo[a]pyrene in a silty soil (LUFA 2.2) under mass-balancing conditions and GC-MS analysis of aromatic ozonation products. ¹⁴C-Mass-balances for pyrene and benzo[a]pyrene (b[a]p) in soil showed that, apart from ¹⁴CO₂ formation, considerable percentages of both PAHs are oxidized to water soluble substances (20–30%) or to non-extractable or bound residues (10% for pyrene, 30% for b[a]p). TLC and GC-MS analysis of ozonation products extractable from artificially contaminated silica and soil by organic solvents revealed a large number of aromatic substances. PAH-quinones and ten ring fission products with formyl- and carboxy-groups of both pyrene and b[a]p could be identified. Received: 11 March 1997 / Accepted: 25 April 1997     

Femtosecond dynamics of electronic excitations of adsorbates studied by two-photon photoemission pulse correlation: CO/Cu(111)

An equal pulse correlation technique based on angle-resolved two-photon photoemission is employed to investigate the lifetime of electronic excitations of an adsorbate on a single crystal metal surface. Photoemission from an occupied surface state on Cu(111) by a non-resonant two-photon process via the sp-band gap is used to characterize directly at the surface the width and shape of 65 fs laser pulses at a photon energy of hv = 3.4 eV. The 2PPE correlation technique allows the establishment of an upper limit of τ < 20 fs for the lifetime of the 2π^* resonance of CO adsorbed on Cu(111), whereas from the spectral width of the 2π^* level a lower limit of ≈1 fs is estimated.     

Resonant two-photon ionisation spectroscopy of C 60

The electronic absorption spectrum of C ₆₀ has been measured using a continuous gas phase source which is capable of cooling the molecules to a vibrational temperature below ca. 100 K. The results are in good agreement with a previous high resolution gas phase spectrum reported for the spectral range 595 nm–630 nm, obtained with a pulsed Smalley source [1]. The spectral range down to 450 nm is reported for the first time for a molecular beam expansion and is compared with published spectra obtained in solution [2].