A highly sensitive method for quantification of myosin light chain phosphorylation by capillary isoelectric focusing with laser-induced fluorescence detection

Activation of myosin II by phosphorylation of the 20 kDa regulatory light chains (LC20) has been implicated in numerous contractile and motile events, e.g., smooth muscle contraction, cytokinesis, and cell migration. The ability to analyze LC20 phosphorylation in minute samples is critical to determine the importance of LC20 phosphorylation in diverse physiological processes. We have developed a method for the separation and quantification of unphosphorylated, monophosphorylated, and diphosphorylated LC20 with a detection limit of 1 pg (50 amol). LC20 is initially isolated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and transblotted to a polyvinlyidene difluoride (PVDF) membrane. The region of the membrane containing the LC20 band (identified by electrophoresis of purified LC20 in a neighboring lane) is cut out and fluorescently labeled with Alexa Fluor 488 C5 maleimide. The labeled LC20 is eluted from the membrane with detergent and subjected to capillary isoelectric focusing (CIEF) to separate unphosphorylated, mono-, and diphosphorylated LC20, which are detected and quantified by laser-induced fluorescence (LIF). A linear relationship between log(peak area) and log(LC20 amount) is observed over the range of 50 amol-150 fmol. Quantification of LC20 phosphorylation by CIEF with LIF detection was compared with three commonly used methods with much lower levels of sensitivity: urea/glycerol-PAGE with Western blotting, phosphorylation by [gamma-32P]ATP with Cerenkov counting, and phosphorylation by [gamma-32P]ATP followed by SDS-PAGE, autoradiography, and scanning densitometry. All four methods gave very similar quantitative results, the major difference being that the new method exhibits 3000-fold enhanced sensitivity. This method is therefore applicable to quantitative analysis of phosphorylation of minute quantities of LC20.     

Probing in vitro digestion at oil–water interfaces

Interfacial layers have been widely applied to study the formation and stability of emulsion-based systems. However, the application of isolated interfaces to address digestibility of emulsions is often limited because of the complexity of experimental methods and results. This review summarizes the latest developments in analytical methods and literature data on effects of digestion on interfacial layers. Particular emphasis is given to understand the changes on interfacial magnitudes during oral, gastric, and duodenal digestion, either applied separately or sequentially. Limitations of interfacial aspects and key factors that influence emulsion microstructure in bulk and lipid digestion are identified. Understanding the behavior of interfacial layers upon gastrointestinal digestion promotes an accurate tracking of the physiological fate of emulsions.     

前驱体水解对纳米铂形状控制合成的影响

以聚丙烯酸钠(NaPA: M_w ≈ 2100)为保护剂，对比研究了H_2还原K_2PtCl_4 和K_2PtCl_6水溶液制备纳米铂晶粒的形状选择性，揭示了前驱体的水解对纳米铂 晶粒的形状控制合成具有显著影响。文献中通常采用的合成立方形状纳米铂的 K_2PtCl_4前驱体在水溶液中不稳定，避光静置一周会析出黑色沉淀。这种不稳定 性导致了以K_2PtCl_4为Pt前驱体的合成结果难以重复。相比而言，避光静墨的 K_2PtCl_6水溶液很稳定，以它为前驱体合成的纳米铂通常为削角八面体。 K_2PtCl_6水溶液暴露于室内光线中会出现[PtCl_6]~(-2)的光致水解。当[PtCl_6] ~(2-)的紫外特征吸收峰(260nm)由于光致水解完全消失后，以聚丙烯酸钠为保护剂 ，通过H_2还原可以有选择性地(约80%)合成由{100}晶面包裹的立方体形状的纳米 铂。     

Field-induced structural ordering in electrorheological fluids

Structural relaxations of an electrorheological fluid (ERF) due to changes in the applied electrical field strength or shear rate are observed on time scales 1 s<t<40 000 s. Commercial ERFs consisting of mesoscopic polyurethane particles in a silicone oil matrix were studied by three different experimental techniques in order to obtain and compare the characteristic relaxation times. It is demonstrated that dielectric spectroscopy, viscosimetry and light transmission experiments represent the same results concerning the structural relaxation phenomena of ERFs when electrical fields are applied. The tendency of strong induced dipoles to align the particles in the direction of the field increases the effective dipole moment and therefore , the shear viscosity and the amount of light transmitted along the field direction in an ITO/glass sandwich cell. The optical experiment is capable of resolving fast processes within the first 1 ms if large electrical fields are applied. The effects of electrophoresis and shearing, which both counteract the field induced structures, are also addressed.     

Light scattering studies of copolymers. 1. Soluble hemoglobin--dextran complexes

Complexes between dextrans of different molar mass and bovine hemoglobin were synthesized by two different methods. In the alkylation method three and in the dialdehyde method, two hemoglobins are coupled on average to one dextran molecule. In both cases, the soluble hemoglobin-dextran complexes reversibly bind and release oxygen; the oxygen affinity is greater than that of free hemoglobin. Static and dynamic light scattering was used to determine the average molar mass M_u, the radius of gyration 〈S〉, and the hydrodynamic radius R_h of both the complexes and the single dextrans. Interpretation of these data is complicated due to the fact that the complexes are copolymers. When appropriate approximations are made, the results indicate that the complexes have a spherical shape and an internal structure of a multiple-chain network, where several dextrans are linked together by the hemoglobins. The number of single dextrans per complex increases as the molar mass of the single dextrans is decreased. The increment is greater in the dialdehyde than in the alkylation method. The probable reason is that in the dialdehyde method one hemoglobin can connect many dextrans simultaneously while in the alkylation method a hemoglobin is able to link maximally two dextrans. The ratio of the radius of gyration to the hydrodynamic radius decreases as the temperature is increased. This suggests a decrease of the solvent penetration length for the complexes and can be interpreted on the basis of the Deutsch-Felderhof theory for porous spheres. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Excitonic detectors of infrared and submillimeter radiation

The theory of new type detectors based on the quenching of secondary emission in direct-gap semiconductors (lines of Raman light scattering due to interaction between free and bound excitons in the crystal, and also bands of edge radiation) caused by IR or submillimeter radiation is proposed. The results obtained are confirmed by the experiment performed for CdS crystal excited by ultraviolet radiation of mercury lamp, at liquid helium temperature.     

激光光散射研究丙烯酰胺-二甲基二烯丙基氯化铵共聚物的溶液行为

用激光光散射技术表征了阳离子含量受控的丙烯酰胺 二甲基二烯丙基氯化铵共聚物 (简称P(AM DMDAAC) )在 0 1mol LNaCl溶液中的基本参数和溶液行为 .表观基本参数 : Mw ,app =5 0 4× 10 5g·mol- 1 、app =39 9nm和A2 ,APP =1 5× 10 - 4cm3·mol·g- 2 .动态光散射研究结果表明 ,扩散系数Dt 与角度、浓度皆呈非线性依赖关系 ,当C >C 或在较大的散射角域 ,Dt 偏离线性关系所预示的理论值而向减小的方向发展 ,表明存在缔合物 ;流体力学半径Rh 分布有大、小两个范围 ,并随温度升高向小尺寸方向发展 ,证明了体系中存在缔合行为以及升温的解缔合作用 .在一定条件下 ,“亚稳定性”的存在有力地旁证了体系的缔合行为     

Electron and light microscopical investigation of defect structures in mesophases of pharmaceutical substances

 Transmission electron microscopy of freeze fractured and replicated samples (TEM) and polarizing light microscopy (PLM) are used to investigate the defect structures of the thermotropic and lyotropic mesophases of the non-steroidal antiinflammatory drug fenoprofen sodium and of the thermotropic mesophase of the nonionic surfactant sucrose oleate (O1570). All mesophases have a layered, smectic structure. The thermotropic liquid crystal of feno-profen sodium is an interdigitated smectic A phase (smectic Ad) having the highest viscosity of the investigated samples. The thermotropic mesophase of the sugar ester is also of the type smectic A, likely to be of subtype smectic A2 (bilayered smectic structure). The lyotropic mesophase is of lamellar liquid crystalline nature and has a much lower viscosity than the thermotropic mesophases. In the PLM the lyotropic fenoprofen mesophase has a strong tendency to form a pseudoisotropic texture, indicating a strong tendency to form undisturbed layered structures. Other textures exhibited in the PLM are fan-shaped texture and maltese-cross texture. Confocal domains, cylinders, pits and peaks as well as screw dislocations are found in great number in the TEM. However, no greater regions of undisturbed lamellar arrangement in the lyotropic mesophase could be detected. The only texture of the thermotropic fenoprofen mesophase visible in the PLM is the fan-shaped texture, indicating confocal domains as predominant structural elements. However, no confocal domains (tori or Dupin cyclides) are found in the TEM. In the PLM the sugar–ester mesophase exhibited a fan-shaped texture, maltese crosses and oily streaks as dominant textures. In the TEM only a few +π and −π disclinations and imperfect confocal domains could be detected. The discrepancies in the appearance of defect structures and textures between the mesophases as well as the discrepancies in the findings in the PLM and in the TEM investigations are caused by the different sample preparation and the different viscosities of the mesophases. Received: 28 May 1997 Accepted: 2 September 1997     

聚苯醚砜在二甲基甲酰胺中稀溶液性质的研究(Ⅱ)

本文用广角及准弹性光散射法测定了聚苯醚砜各级分在DMF中和在θ溶剂中25℃时的均才半径R_G,第二维利系数A_2,流体力学半经R_H,扩散系数D_O,扩散系数的浓度依赖性k_F以及这些参数与分子量M的关系。它们的结果如下R_G=0.031MO~(0.55) D_O(θ)=0.906×10~(-4)M~(0.5) D_0=1.445×10~(-4)M~(0.55)A_2=0.033M~(-0.35) k_D(θ)=0.5M~(0.34) k_D=2.3×10~(-6)M~(1.36)α_H=R_H/R_H(θ)=0.63M~(0.05)R_H(θ)=0.0299M~(0.5)R_H=0.0188M~(0.55) 作者讨论了静态与动态两种高分子尺寸之间的关系;三种溶胀因子α_η和、α_H、α_G之间的关系;以及摩擦系数的浓度系数k_F与流体力学体积V_H之间的关系。它们的结果满足下面各关系式: R_H/R_G=[π(v+1)(2v+1)/3]~(1/2)(2-v)(1-v)/2, α_η~3=α_(G)~2α_H, k_F=1.2A_2M+N_AV_H/M,K_F(θ)=N_AV_H/M     

聚苯乙烯稀溶液的小角激光弹性和准弹性光散射

随着激光技术的发展,近年来出现了与散射光频加宽相应的光子相干光谱即准弹性光散射。于是,利用光散射(也称弹性光散射)法不仅能获得高聚物的各种物性参数如分子量(?),第二维利系数A_2和均方旋转半径(),而且还能得到大分子在溶液中的动态参数,即扩散系数D_0。由D_0求得流体力学半径R_H。本文只涉及小角度准弹性光散射(1°<θ<7°)对稀溶液范围的平动扩散系数的测定。与文献比较,表明方法是成功的。