Proteins and peptides voltammetry: Trends,potential, and limitations

Numerous biological processes are connected with the efficient electron transfer reactions in proteins and peptides. In this review, we discuss briefly the relevance and current challenges associated with the voltammetric analysis of peptides and proteins with and without a metal redox center. Special attention is paid to the integration of electrochemical methods with new nanomaterials which offers amplification of multiplexing capabilities for simultaneous and very sensitive examination of various proteins. After critically discussing the most interesting approaches in the proteins/peptides voltammetric analysis reported so far, for the single or multiplexed examination of such biomolecules with demonstrated applicability in the real-sample analysis, existing challenges still need to be addressed and future directions in this field will be pointed out.     

Effect of the milling process on the thermal behavior and crystallinity of buckwheat starch

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - Buckwheat starch is an alternative source to supply the high global demand for starch. The properties of starch can be modified through chemical and...     

Point Mutations of Nicotinic Receptor α1 Subunit Reveal New Molecular Features of G153S Slow-Channel Myasthenia

Slow-channel congenital myasthenic syndromes (SCCMSs) are rare genetic diseases caused by mutations in muscle nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) subunits. Most of the known SCCMS-associated mutations localize at the transmembrane region near the ion pore. Only two SCCMS point mutations are at the extracellular domains near the acetylcholine binding site, α1(G153S) being one of them. In this work, a combination of molecular dynamics, targeted mutagenesis, fluorescent Ca²⁺ imaging and patch-clamp electrophysiology has been applied to G153S mutant muscle nAChR to investigate the role of hydrogen bonds formed by Ser 153 with C-loop residues near the acetylcholine-binding site. Introduction of L199T mutation to the C-loop in the vicinity of Ser 153 changed hydrogen bonds distribution, decreased acetylcholine potency (EC₅₀ 2607 vs. 146 nM) of the double mutant and decay kinetics of acetylcholine-evoked cytoplasmic Ca²⁺ rise (τ 14.2 ± 0.3 vs. 34.0 ± 0.4 s). These results shed light on molecular mechanisms of nAChR activation-desensitization and on the involvement of such mechanisms in channelopathy genesis.     

Development and Application of new C30-Modified TLC Plates

JPC – Journal of Planar Chromatography – Modern TLC - This paper reports the efficiency of the C30 phase for HPLC and TLC separation of a mixture of tocopherol homologs and...     

A novel strategy to verification of adulteration in alcoholic beverages based on Schlieren effect measurements and chemometric techniques

A novel strategy to evaluation of adulteration in alcoholic beverages based on the measurement of the Schlieren effect using an automated FIA system with photometric detection is proposed. The assay is based on the Schlieren effect produced when beverage samples are injected in a single-line FIA system that uses water as carrier stream and a light-emitting diode-phototransistor photometer controlled by microcomputer as detector. The flow system presents limited mixing conditions which make possible to create gradients of refractive index (Schlieren effect) in the injected sample zone. These gradients are reproducible, characteristic of each alcoholic beverage and undergo specific modifications when adulterations with water or ethanol are imposed. Schlieren effect data of brandies, cachaças, rums, whiskies and vodkas were treated by SIMCA to elaborate class models applied in the evaluation of alcoholic beverages adulteration. Samples of the original matrix of each sort of beverages were adulterated in laboratory by adding water, methanol and ethanol in levels of 5% and 10% (v/v). These samples were used as test set to validate SIMCA class models. The verification of authenticity using Schlieren effect measurements presented good results making possible to identify 100% of the beverages samples adulterated in laboratory and 93% of the actual adulterated alcoholic beverages with confidence levels of 95%. As principal advantage, the automated system does not use reagents to carry out the analysis.     

The Ends of Manifolds with Bounded Geometry, Linear Growth and Finite Filling Area

We prove that simply connected open manifolds of bounded geometry, linear growth and sublinear filling growth (e.g. finite filling area) are simply connected at infinity.     

STS investigations of temperature dependence of Au(1 1 1) surface state energy position

High temperature scanning tunneling spectroscopy (HT-STS) was used to investigate the electronic structure of Au(1 1 1) at different temperatures in the energy range 0-1 eV below the Fermi level. We concentrated on the influence of temperature on the Shockley surface state (SS) appearing on noble metals surface due to a surface projected bulk bang gap in [1 1 1] direction. The influence of temperature on the projected band gap edge (BE) was also investigated. The experiment was carried out in the temperature range 294-580 K. As the result of the experiment a delicate shift of the SS and the BE in direction of the Fermi level was reported.     

Magnetic properties of HITPERM-type alloys at high temperature

(Fe,Co)–Zr,Hf)–Cu–B (HITPERM-type) alloys with variable Hf, Zr and Co content were isothermally crystallised at 500–650 °C for 1 h, and the optimum nanocrystallisation temperature was selected on the basis of the minimum coercive field at room temperature. The quasistatic hysteresis loops were measured at temperature from 20 to 650 °C. Subsequently, the optimally annealed alloys were subjected to long-term annealing at 500, 550 and 600 °C. Working temperature of 600°C is too high for the investigated alloys to maintain stable magnetic properties. Temperature of 550 or 500 °C permits the material to be magnetically stable for a long period. The magnetic hysteresis loops recorded for the nanocrystalline alloys, where Fe:Co ratio is close to 1 and refractory metals content is 7 at.%, prove that coercive field increases slightly with temperature, but remains in the range of 20–40 A/m (depending on the alloy composition) from 20 to 550 °C. This proves that the investigated alloys, after optimisation of chemical composition, may be suitable for high temperature use.     

Equilibrium and NMR Studies of Noncovalent Interactions in Binary Systems: Uridine,Adenosine, Cytidine and Thymidine,and Adenosine (or Cytidine) 5′-Monophosphate in Aqueous Solution

The molecular complex formation reactions of uridine (Urd) with adenosine (Ado), cytidine (Cyd), thymidine (Thd), adenosine 5-monophosphate (AMP) and cytidine 5-monophosphate (CMP) have been studied at 20°C. It was found that the main positive noncovalent centers of ion–dipole and dipole–dipole type interactions are the protonated N(3) atoms of Urd, whereas the negative centers are the endocyclic atoms of the bases characterized by high electron density from the second molecule involved in the reaction. Moreover, NMR results indicate the occurrence of stacking in the complex (Urd)H(Cyd), whereas in the complex, (Urd)H₂(Thd), it is the only type of interaction. Deprotonation of the latter species brings about a change in the character of the reaction and ion–dipole interactions have been detected in the adduct, (Urd)H(Thd). Interestingly, no involvement of the phosphate groups in the formation of AMP and CMP adducts has been evidenced and the main centers of the reactions were found to be the N(7)and N(1) atoms of AMP, or the N(3) atoms of CMP and Urd. Moreover, in the Urd/CMP system the NMR results suggest stacking-type interactions.