Templating S100A9 amyloids on Aβ fibrillar surfaces revealed by charge detection mass spectrometry,microscopy, kinetic and microfluidic analyses

The mechanism of amyloid co-aggregation and its nucleation process are not fully understood in spite of extensive studies. Deciphering the interactions between proinflammatory S100A9 protein and Aβ₄₂ peptide in Alzheimer''s disease is fundamental since inflammation plays a central role in the disease onset. Here we use innovative charge detection mass spectrometry (CDMS) together with biophysical techniques to provide mechanistic insight into the co-aggregation process and differentiate amyloid complexes at a single particle level. Combination of mass and charge distributions of amyloids together with reconstruction of the differences between them and detailed microscopy reveals that co-aggregation involves templating of S100A9 fibrils on the surface of Aβ₄₂ amyloids. Kinetic analysis further corroborates that the surfaces available for the Aβ₄₂ secondary nucleation are diminished due to the coating by S100A9 amyloids, while the binding of S100A9 to Aβ₄₂ fibrils is validated by a microfluidic assay. We demonstrate that synergy between CDMS, microscopy, kinetic and microfluidic analyses opens new directions in interdisciplinary research.

Templating mechanism of S100A9 amyloids on Aβ fibrillar surfaces during amyloid co-aggregation process was revealed by synergy of biophysical methods including charge detection mass spectrometry, microscopy, kinetic and microfluidic analyses.     

Polytetrafluoroethylene Sputtered PES Membranes for Membrane Distillation: Influence of RF Magnetron Sputtering Conditions

Thin films of fluorocarbon were deposited on polyethersulfone membranes via argon plasma sputtering of a poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) target in an RF magnetron plasma reactor. The obtained deposited ultrathin coatings had nanoscale roughnesses and high degrees of fluorination. The intensity of fluorine atom in plasma environment during fluorocarbon deposition was investigated. Depending on the deposition conditions comprising working gas pressure, applied RF power, and distance between the target and the substrate, polymeric films with different chemical compositions and/or morphologies were obtained. The morphologies of the films were analyzed by means of SEM, XPS, and AFM. The results suggested that the sputtered film deposited at a higher pressure and longer target–substrate distance and moderate RF power had a surface composition and chemical structure closer to those of the PTFE film. The treated hydrophobic PES membranes with water contact angles as high as 115° were applied for the first time in an air gap membrane distillation setup for removal of benzene as a volatile organic compound from water. The results showed that the plasma-treated membranes have a comparable or superior performance to that of commercial PTFE used in membrane distillation with similar permeate flux and separation factor after 20 h long term performance.     

(d,p) Reactions and the combination of PIXE-PIGME techniques for the analysis of biomass samples

To control environmental pollution, a biodegradation technique involving a biomass is used to degrade the liquid wastes from certain industrial processes before disposal. (d, p) reactions were used to study the degradation process and the extent of removal of carbon and nitrogen. The PIXE-PIGME technique was used for the simultaneous study of the compositions of the biomass, the feed and the treated material. Measurements were obtained using protons of 2.5 MeV (for the PIXE-PIGME measurements) and deuterons of 2.0 MeV using currents of the order of 25nA. The X-ray and -ray data were recorded simultaneously. Absolute concentrations were obtained by comparison with measurements of calibration standards. Results show that 54–58% of the carbon and 45–50% of the nitrogen is removed from the wastes and that the biomass is concentrating Cl, Ti, Ni and Fe.     

The design of TOPK inhibitors using structure-based pharmacophore modeling and molecular docking based on an MD-refined homology model

Molecular Diversity - The TOPK enzyme (also known as PBK) is a serine-threonine protein kinase that is rarely detected in normal tissues yet is found to be overexpressed and activated in a variety...     

Tailoring the NIR-II Photoluminescence of Single Thiolated Au25 Nanoclusters by Selective Binding to Proteins**

Atomically precise gold nanoclusters are a fascinating class of nanomaterials that exhibit molecule-like properties and have outstanding photoluminescence (PL). Their ultrasmall size, molecular chemistry, and biocompatibility make them extremely appealing for selective biomolecule labeling in investigations of biological mechanisms at the cellular and anatomical levels. In this work, we report a simple route to incorporate a preformed Au₂₅ nanocluster into a model bovine serum albumin (BSA) protein. A new approach combining small-angle X-ray scattering and molecular modeling provides a clear localization of a single Au₂₅ within the protein to a cysteine residue on the gold nanocluster surface. Attaching Au₂₅ to BSA strikingly modifies the PL properties with enhancement and a redshift in the second near-infrared (NIR-II) window. This study paves the way to conrol the design of selective sensitive probes in biomolecules through a ligand-based strategy to enable the optical detection of biomolecules in a cellular environment by live imaging.     

Cosmology with the Nearby Supernova Factory

The Nearby Supernova Factory (SNfactory) is currently finishing its first survey of low redshift (0.03<z<0.08) type Ia supernovae. These data add to the understanding of the expansion history of the universe. Observations are performed using the Supernova Integral Field Spectrograph (SNIFS), an integral field spectrograph delivering full spectro-photometric information of the target. The corresponding dataset aims at the inference of the Hubble diagram zero point with unprecedented accuracy. Moreover, the data offers a variety of related physical studies such as the understanding of progenitor systems, explosion scenarios and host galaxy characteristics. The SNfactory is also working on novel methods accessible with spectro-photometric measurements, reducing systematic uncertainties and improving the statistical power of the SN data.     

Influence of the Addition of Lauric Acid to Films Made from Gelatin,Triacetin and a Blend of Stearic and Palmitic Acids

Summary: The objective of this research was to verify the influence of adding increasing amounts of lauric acid on the functional properties of homogenized films made from gelatin, triacetin and a blend of palmitic and stearic acids. The films were characterised with respect to their visual aspect, water vapour permeability (WVP), water solubility, mechanical properties (tensile strength and percent elongation), oxygen permeability (O₂P), opacity (OP) and melting and glass transitions temperatures. The films produced were malleable and macroscopically homogeneous. The addition of 1% of lauric acid to the film of gelatin, triacetin and blend of palmitic and stearic acids (5.84 ± 0.31 gmm · m⁻² dkPa) caused a slight decrease in WVP. The additions of 2.5% (5.70 ± 0.76 gmm · m⁻² dkPa), 5% (5.38 ± 0.64 gmm · m⁻² dkPa) and 10% (4.50 ± 0.55 gmm · m⁻² dkPa) of lauric acid were sufficient to make a significant difference in the WVP at the higher levels used. As compared to the gelatin and triacetin film, the addition of lauric acid at all the concentrations studied resulted in a slight increase in the film solubility. The addition of hydrophobic substances to gelatin/triacetin films (15.26 ± 0.28 cm³ · µm · m⁻² dkPa) favoured an increase in O₂P permeability, this effect being greater in the films made from gelatin, triacetin, blend of palmitic and stearic acids and 10% lauric acid (24.48 ± 0.07 cm³ · µm · m⁻² dkPa). The increasing addition of lauric acid significantly reduced the tensile strength and increased elongation of the films composed of gelatin, triacetin and blend that being more evident at the concentrations of 5% (67.58 ± 1.23 MPa and 11.45 ± 0.57%) and 10% (63.50 ± 1.56 MPa and 12.90 ± 0.57%). The addition of 1% (OP, 27%) and 10% (OP, 28%) of lauric acid induced no visible effect on the opacity of the films. The thermogrammes showed three transitions for the gelatin/triacetin/stearic-palmitic blend/1% lauric acid films (−57.42 °C, 23.74 °C and 44.11 °C) and two for the gelatin/triacetin/stearic-palmitic acids blend/10% lauric acid films (−56.22 °C and 17.35 °C). As observed by DSC, the addition of fatty acids resulted in the appearance of more than one melting peak for all films in relation to the gelatin and triacetin film.