Strategies for the Biofunctionalization of Straining Flow Spinning Regenerated Bombyx mori Fibers

High-performance regenerated silkworm (Bombyx mori) silk fibers can be produced efficiently through the straining flow spinning (SFS) technique. In addition to an enhanced biocompatibility that results from the removal of contaminants during the processing of the material, regenerated silk fibers may be functionalized conveniently by using a range of different strategies. In this work, the possibility of implementing various functionalization techniques is explored, including the production of fluorescent fibers that may be tracked when implanted, the combination of the fibers with enzymes to yield fibers with catalytic properties, and the functionalization of the fibers with cell-adhesion motifs to modulate the adherence of different cell lineages to the material. When considered globally, all these techniques are a strong indication not only of the high versatility offered by the functionalization of regenerated fibers in terms of the different chemistries that can be employed, but also on the wide range of applications that can be covered with these functionalized fibers.     

Utilization of Nucleotide Probes in PCR‐ELISA Procedure for the Quantitative Determination of Plasmodium Falciparum DNA in Malaria

Abstract

The research work reported herein is the development of a simple and specific quantitative procedure for the determination of P. falciparum DNA in malaria that involves the direct detection of the highly 42‐kDa conserved C‐terminal regiopn of P. falciparum merozoite surface protein gene (MSP1 ₄₂ gene). This procedure entails the amplification of the MSP1 ₄₂ gene by using the PCR technique in the presence of digoxigenin‐11‐dUTP and the synthesis of the specific biotin label nucleotide probes directed to the MSP1 ₄₂ gene. These specific probes are then used in the Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) for the quantitative determination of the MSP1 ₄₂ gene which leads to the quantitative determination of P. falciparum DNA in malaria for quantitative diagnostic purpose. The P. falciparum malaria diagnostic results obtained from a small number of 18 whole blood samples show that the present quantitative PCR‐ELISA procedure allows the quantitative determination of P. falciparum DNA in malaria with a sensitivity and specificity over to those of the current standard microscopic examination. This quantitative PCR‐ELISA procedure is not only important for quantitative P. falciparum malaria diagnosis but also useful for monitoring the efficacy of any existing anti‐malarial drug as well as for testing the efficacy of any malaria vaccine.     

A simple and rapid ultra‐high‐performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method to determine plasma biotin in hemodialysis patients

A simple, rapid, and selective method for determination of plasma biotin was developed using ultra‐high‐performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC–MS/MS). After single‐step protein precipitation with methanol, biotin and stable isotope‐labeled biotin as an internal standard (IS) were chromatographed on a pentafluorophenyl stationary‐phase column (2.1 × 100 mm, 2.7 μm) under isocratic conditions using 10 mm ammonium formate–acetonitrile (93:7, v/v) at a flow rate of 0.6 mL/min. The total chromatographic runtime was 5 min for each injection. Detection was performed in a positive electrospray ionization mode by monitoring selected ion transitions at m/z 245.1/227.0 and 249.1/231.0 for biotin and the IS, respectively. The calibration curve was linear in the range of 0.05–2 ng/mL using 300 μL of plasma. The intra‐ and inter‐day precisions were all <7.1%. The accuracy varied from ?0.7 to 8.2%. The developed UHPLC–MS/MS method was successfully applied to determine plasma biotin concentrations in hemodialysis patients. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Non-specific and specific interactions on functionalized polymer surface studied by FT-SPR

Fourier transform surface plasmon resonance (FT-SPR) was utilized to study specific and non-specific interactions between proteins and a biotinylated polymer film by monitoring adsorptions of streptavidin (SAv) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) on the polymer films. The biotinylated polymer, poly(lactide-co-2,2-dihydroxymethyl-propylene carbonate-graft-biotin) [P(LA-co-DHC/biotin)], was prepared by ring-opening copolymerization of lactide and a OH-bearing cyclic carbonate monomer, followed by biotinylation of the OH groups. The copolymer was coated onto the FT-SPR chip and vacuum-dried, hydrated at 70°C, and treated with a blocking agent respectively to achieve different surface status. The FT-SPR results showed that the vacuum-dried film had the most BSA adsorption; hydration treatment led to migration of the biotin moieties from inner film to surface and thus resulted in less BSA adsorption; blocking layer on the polymer surface saturated the active sites for physical and chemical adsorptions on the surface and thus weakened the BSA adsorption. Adsorption of SAv displayed similar polymer-surface-status dependence, i.e., more adsorption on vacuum-dried surface, less adsorption on hydrated surface and the least adsorption on blocked surface. Compared with BSA, SAv showed more enhanced adsorptions on P(LA-co-DHC/biotin) surface because of the specific interaction of biotin moieties in the polymer with SAv molecules, especially on the blocked surface. The above semi-quantified results further indicate that the FT-SPR system is suitable for investigating interactions between polymer surface and bio-molecules.     

Self‐assembled supramolecular microgels: Fractal structure and aggregation mechanism

Multifunctional molecules were designed to produce microgels with specific structures. Both static light scattering and dynamic light scattering were employed to determine the fractal dimension of the microgels. The protein, avidin, was strongly bound to four biotin moieties. Biotin was attached covalently to specifically engineered peptide nucleic acid (PNA) oligomers. Three designed DNA oligomers self‐assembled to produce a trifunctional three‐way junction (TWJ) with single‐stranded ends that were complementary to the PNA sequence. The sizes of the supramolecular aggregates were characterized by dynamic light scattering. The fractal dimension was obtained from the angular dependence of the scattered intensity when the microgels were large enough. When the microgels were formed via cooling from a temperature above the melting point of the PNA–DNA helices, reversible structures with a fractal dimension of approximately 1.86 were formed, which is consistent with a cluster–cluster aggregation mechanism. When the microgels were formed by the slow addition of biotinylated PNA bound to the TWJ to a solution of avidin at room temperature, the observed fractal dimension approached 2.6, which is consistent with a point–cluster aggregation mechanism. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 41: 3037–3046, 2003     

免疫亲和柱净化/高效液相色谱-串联质谱法检测婴幼儿配方乳粉中生物素含量

建立了免疫亲和柱净化/高效液相色谱串联质谱法测定婴幼儿配方乳粉中生物素的方法。样品用磷酸盐缓冲液溶解,并通过生物素免疫亲和柱净化后,采用Ultimate AQ-C18(2.1 mm×100 mm,3μm)色谱柱分离,以甲醇-0.1%甲酸(30∶70)为流动相,进样量为5.0μL,流速为0.3 mL/min,柱温为30℃,并经电喷雾电离串联质谱在多离子反应监测(MRM)模式下进行测定,定量子离子为227.2,定性子离子为227.2、96.9,碰撞能量分别为10、30 V。结果显示,生物素在0.1~1.0μg/mL范围内线性关系良好,方法检出限为20.3μg/kg。对空白试样进行3个浓度水平的加标回收实验,测得加标回收率为92.7%~98.5%,相对标准偏差为1.7%~1.9%。该方法具有样品处理简单、灵敏度高、重现性好、分析时间短等优点,可以满足婴幼儿配方乳粉中生物素含量的测定要求。     

Encapsulation of a Catalytic Imidazolium Salt into Avidin: Towards the Development of a Biohybrid Catalyst Active in Ionic Liquids

Herein, we report the development of biohybrid catalysts that are capable of catalyzing the aldol reaction. The use of biotinylated imidazolium salts in combination with racemic or enantiomerically pure catalytic anions allowed us to study the adaptive and cooperative positioning of the anionic catalyst inside the protein. Supramolecular encapsulation of the biotinylated catalyst into avidin resulted in good selectivity for the aldol reaction performed in ionic liquid/water mixtures.     

Immobilization of active facilitated glucose transporters (GLUT-1) in supported biological membranes

Membrane fragments or membrane proteins within a lipid mixture were immobilized over metal electrodes. This procedure has been developed to study biological membranes without interferences from cell machinery. To obtain a smooth hydrophilic biomembrane support and a mode of binding of the membrane, either a crosslinked gel or an aromatic polyamine-polymer doped with avidin was deposited at the metal electrode by electropolymerization. This layer (less than 10 nm thick) also served as a submembrane compartment. The facilitated glucose transporter (GLUT-1) purified from human erythrocytes was integrated into a lipid membrane containing artificial biotinylated lipids and reacted with the activated surface of the glucose sensitive electrode. It was demonstrated that the lipid layer was attached to the polymer-containing avidin and could only be removed by detergent extraction. The presence of an active membrane transporter was demonstrated by electrochemical detection of glucose in the submembrane compartment, and by inhibition of glucose transport with the specific inhibitor Cytochalasin-B.     

Labeled avidin bound to water-soluble nanocrystals by electrostatic interactions

Semiconducting nanocrystals of three different sizes capped with 3-mercaptopropionic acid were synthesized in aqueous solutions. They can efficiently bind to an avidin biomolecule by the electrostatic attraction. The conjugation of avidin leads to a red shift and a decrease in the intensity of the fluorescence emission spectra of the nanocrystals. Moreover, the red shift of the fluorescence spectra of the bioconjugates depends strongly on the pH, ionic strength, quantity of avidin, and nanocrystal size.__________Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 12, pp. 2579–2583, December, 2004.